Hope Church

In his sermon, Ross teaches from Nehemiah 3, focusing on the rebuilding of Jerusalem's walls as a metaphor for building our lives for God's glory. Nehemiah is about a great God who uses people to fulfill His promises. In this chapter, Ross highlights how God uses various types of people to build for His glory: those who are dedicated, diverse, humble, and sacrificial. Just as Nehemiah's community worked together for God's purposes, We're encouraged to dedicate our lives to God's work, serving in unity and with humility, while trusting that Jesus' sacrifice makes us enough.

Mark’s sermon, "Reliant on God’s Wisdom," contrasts worldly leaders who fumble through decisions with Nehemiah, a model of wise and focused leadership. Nehemiah’s story shows a leader who carefully planned, prayed, and trusted in God’s wisdom every step of the way. Unlike Hollywood’s bumbling heroes, Nehemiah didn’t act on impulse; he inspected Jerusalem’s walls in secret, understanding the reality before rallying others to rebuild. He inspired his people, not for personal fame, but for God’s glory, emphasizing the need for community and unity in mission. When opposition arose, Nehemiah confidently relied on God’s promises, showing that success comes not from human strength but through complete dependence on God’s wisdom. The sermon challenges us to inspect our own hearts, work together in faith, and trust God’s wisdom to face the obstacles in our lives, just as Nehemiah did.

In his sermon, Marty emphasizes the importance of building lives, marriages, families, and a community of disciples who surrender to Christ, aiming for a legacy that lasts into eternity. Drawing from the story of Nehemiah, Marty illustrates how God uses unlikely people to accomplish His work, highlighting four key necessities for being on mission with God: watchful patience, strong courage, deep reliance on God, and intentional readiness. Marty challenges you to recognize God's ongoing work around you and to join His mission, just as Jesus did, by surrendering your life fully to God's purpose.

In this sermon, Pastor Ross introduces a new series on the book of Nehemiah, emphasizing that the story is not just about rebuilding walls or a great leader, but about God's desire to rebuild His people for His glory. Nehemiah's journey begins with a deep burden for the brokenness of Jerusalem, reflecting God’s heart for His people. Pastor Ross explains how God uses Nehemiah’s prayer, marked by adoration, confession, and petition, as a model of seeking God's favor. The sermon challenges us to examine our own hearts, asking if we have a burden for what’s broken around us and within us, urging us to turn to God in repentance. Ultimately, it's a call to recognize that, like Nehemiah, we are called to be burdened for God’s glory and to trust in Jesus, who carried the ultimate burden for our sins to restore us to God.

In his sermon, Pastor Ross outlined the church's vision of raising up disciples who surrender their lives to Jesus. He emphasized the importance of connecting with God through Christ, growing together in faith, and serving others as essential steps in this journey. Drawing from scriptures like Ephesians 2:13-18, Acts 2:42-47, and 1 Peter 4:7-11, Pastor Ross encouraged the congregation to embrace unity, radical generosity, and deep love as they fulfill their mission. He challenged everyone to reflect on their personal spiritual journey, asking them to consider how they are connecting, growing, and serving in their faith.

In his sermon, Pastor Ross outlines the new direction for Hope Church, emphasizing a focused vision to raise up fully surrendered disciples of Christ. Drawing from Matthew 28:16-20, he highlights the Great Commission as the foundation for this mission. Pastor Ross identifies three key characteristics of a disciple: worshiping Jesus, obeying His commands, and reaching others for Christ. He encourages the congregation to embrace this vision with a renewed commitment to discipleship, grounded in the promise of Jesus' continual presence and guidance.

In today's sermon, we concluded our series on worship by delving into Psalm 145 and exploring the heart that adores God. We reflected on the various heart postures in worship—seeking holiness, praising, celebrating, trusting, and surrendering—that help us understand and treasure God's infinite worth. Like the facets of a diamond, each posture reveals a unique aspect of God's beauty. Psalm 145 reminds us that true worship captures both our mind and heart, focusing on the greatness of God, who alone is worthy of our adoration. As we draw closer to God, we discover His perfection and our response should be one of awe, reverence, and joyful praise, proclaiming His goodness and passing it on to the next generation.

In his sermon "Heart of Worship" on Psalm 95, Ross emphasizes that true worship involves a heart fully surrendered to God. Worship is more than singing; it is a deep devotion, reverence, and adoration expressed through our entire lives. Ross explains that surrender, akin to raising a white flag in battle, means submitting to God's authority. He highlights recognizing who God is—our Creator, Shepherd, and King—and responding with worship, humility, and obedience. Using the Israelites' failure to trust God as a cautionary tale, Ross urges us to embrace surrender and trust in God. Inspired by Jesus' sacrificial love, he calls for complete surrender, leading to eternal life and present blessings of peace, guidance, and protection. Ross encourages both new believers and seasoned Christians to evaluate their lives and fully surrender to God.

In today's sermon, Ross continued the "Heart of Worship" series, focusing on Psalm 25 to highlight that true worship involves trusting God completely. He explained that worship is not just about singing but living a life of deep devotion and reverence for God. Ross discussed how David exemplified trust in four areas: trusting God's lead, embracing God's forgiveness, following God's wisdom, and relying on God's protection. He emphasized that trust is essential in our relationship with God, much like a crucial ingredient in a recipe. Ross concluded by encouraging the congregation to reflect on their trust in God and to follow Jesus' example of complete reliance on God in all aspects of life.

The sermon continues the "Heart of Worship" series, exploring worship through Psalm 149. It emphasizes that worship is more than singing; it's a deep, devoted response to God’s grace and mercy. True worship involves celebrating God’s goodness, paralleling the joy of personal milestones like engagements. By examining Psalm 149, the sermon highlights reasons to celebrate God in all seasons, starting with recognizing Him as our Maker. Worship is an active, joyful response to God's blessings, expressed through singing, dancing, and giving, encouraging believers to continually praise and celebrate God's faithfulness and love.

Using Psalm 96, the sermon emphasizes that worship isn't just a ritual but a heart posture towards God, characterized by constant praise for His deeds, nature, and future judgments. It underscores that God deserves our highest praise for His creation, salvation, and majesty. The speaker urges the congregation to continually express their admiration for God, akin to writing 5-star reviews, and to worship Him not just in song but through every aspect of their lives.

In this sermon, Pastor Ross emphasizes warning signs highlighted in Jude 1-16. He warns against ungodly influences and false teachers abusing God's grace, denying Jesus as Lord, and living fruitless, rebellious lives. The call to action is to turn to Jesus, repent, obey, and surrender.

The sermon on Psalm 15 addresses who can dwell in God's holy presence, emphasizing the need for a righteous and blameless life. It explains the Old Testament context of God's holiness and lists characteristics of a holy person, such as integrity and truthfulness.

In today's sermon, Pastor Ross introduced the new series "Heart of Worship," which explores worship through the Psalms. He explained that worship is about expressing deep devotion and adoration for God, not just through singing but with our whole lives. Using Psalm 27, he highlighted five facets of worship: seeking God's protection, offering praise, praying, desiring God's presence, and following God's path.

Jude urges believers to contend for the faith by being vigilant against false teachings, staying prepared through discipleship and prayer, and actively engaging in a mission of mercy towards others. The sermon emphasizes the importance of maintaining faith, living in anticipation of God's mercy, and extending that mercy to those who doubt or oppose.

Pastor Marty spoke to how favoritism is inconsistent with our faith in Jesus. He speaks on James 2:1-13 showing the command James gives us to show no favoritism as all are equal in God's eyes. He then gives us four different ways to apply this to our lives.

Pure religion, the sermon argues, involves two main things: listening intently to God's word and living it out obediently and intentionally. It emphasizes the importance of actively engaging with God's word and allowing it to transform behavior, leading to a life that reflects Christ's teachings and character.

Pastor Ross's sermon today focuses on the idea that while trials often bring temptations, God isn't the source of these temptations. Drawing from James 1:13–18, he emphasizes that temptations originate from our own desires. However, by anchoring ourselves in God's truth and remembering His unchanging nature and love demonstrated through Jesus Christ, we can overcome temptation and endure trials with love and obedience to God.

Pastor Marty introduces the new series on the book of James, emphasizing James' background and his aim to challenge believers to integrate faith into every aspect of their lives. He focuses on James 1:2-12, which urges believers to find joy in trials because they produce perseverance, maturity, wisdom, perspective, and ultimately lead to rewards in eternity.

Today we dive into our final sermon in our series. Pastor Ross brings us into the intimate moments surrounding Lazarus' resurrection, inviting us to ponder our own relationship with Jesus. The message resonates deeply as it unveils Jesus' declaration of being the resurrection and the life, offering not just a future hope but a transformative present reality. As the sermon draws to a close, Pastor Ross extends a heartfelt invitation for each listener to consider where they stand in our belief in Jesus.