Introduction

Our vision statement for 2026 is Overflowing with a gospel-centered, missional spirituality. If you’ve been in church long enough, you’ve probably heard something along the lines of how everything we do is not done by our own strength, but by God’s strength. Every bit of that is true. Scripture shows us that there are really only two ways we live and serve: by God’s strength or by our own. The difference between the two is clear. God’s strength is infinite and sustaining, while our strength is limited and eventually leads to burnout.

The idea of overflow helps us understand this. We receive the strength, power, and grace that the Lord gives, and out of that abundance we pour into others and into the life of the church. This raises an important question: how do we receive the downpour of God’s grace so that our lives overflow? The answer Scripture gives us is worship.

Today, we are looking at Romans 12:1–2 to understand what worship truly is, so that we may begin to understand how we receive the downpouring of God’s grace.

Introduction

The Lord had placed a message firmly in my heart, but immediately following it my week turned really rough, and I was under immense spiritual attack. This is not unusual for me. It began with a cut in my eye that caused significant pain, and at the same time my heart began to burn with anticipation. The Lord spoke to me repeatedly, telling me not to look with my physical eyes, but to see with my heart and spirit what He was doing.

Although my situation consumed much of my time, it also gave me space to pray deeply. It became clear to me that there was resistance—someone did not want me here and did not want the word of the Lord spoken. Even so, though I could not see properly, that was okay. The Lord was writing His message clearly in my heart and mind.

On Thursday morning, I rose at dawn for prayer and worship and found no visible change in my eye. For a brief moment, I felt disappointment. I had hoped for healing or some sign of improvement. But the Lord immediately reminded me not to rely on what I see with my eyes, but to focus on what He is doing. As I reflected, I began to wonder if this mirrored the heart of our church over the past year.

The Israelites carried off into exile may have felt the same way. Their homeland lay in ruins. They were displaced, scattered, and discouraged by what they saw and heard. Even though they had received the word of the Lord, disappointment followed because their circumstances contradicted their expectations.

Perhaps some of you feel the same. You may still carry a sense of loss or disappointment because of what you have seen. Even with a new pastor, perhaps you wonder if you are being set up for another disappointment. This is not discernment or caution—this is despair. And despair is not the work of the Holy Spirit, who is the giver of hope.

It is to people in this very condition that God speaks through Isaiah. Isaiah 43 is a message of redemption, restoration, and hope.

Based on the overwhelming feedback from last week's sermon, this sermon will expand on our identity in Jesus Christ. Our identity in Christ is important but often times we overlook it or have a superficial/vague understanding of it. In this sermon, we will reflect upon what it means to be conformed to the image of Christ and that Christ is the firstborn based on Romans 8.29-30.

Based on the overwhelming feedback from last week's sermon, this sermon will expand on our identity in Jesus Christ. Our identity in Christ is important but often times we overlook it or have a superficial/vague understanding of it. In this sermon, we will reflect upon what it means to be conformed to the image of Christ and that Christ is the firstborn based on Romans 8.29-30.

Based on the overwhelming feedback from last week's sermon, this sermon will expand on our identity in Jesus Christ. Our identity in Christ is important but often times we overlook it or have a superficial/vague understanding of it. In this sermon, we will reflect upon what it means to be conformed to the image of Christ and that Christ is the firstborn based on Romans 8.29-30.

The theme of this sermon series is the purpose, calling, and mission of God's people. But before we explore those ideas, we must first understand what our new identity in Jesus Christ is. We hear people refer to their identity in Christ all the time. But what does it actually mean?

Based on the overwhelming feedback from last week and as we prepare for this upcoming Passion week, we will continue the theme of submission through the life of Jesus Christ. Before we do that, we need to be reminded of Christ's preexistent form. That is, who is Christ even before the incarnation (i.e., being born as a baby) and his death and resurrection? …

This last sermon of the series will focus on Paul's command for us to submit to one another. Submission, especially in the light of church leaders abusing their authority, is even more controversial today. Nevertheless, Paul talks about submission in a way where it is the cause and/or effect of being filled with the Spirit. In other words, submission is indispensable for us to grow in the image of Jesus Christ and thereby glorify God …

When Paul warns against drunkenness (Eph 5.18), we often neglect the greater context of his warning (Eph 5.15-21). In fact, the passage has less to do with alcohol and more to do with living with a sense of awareness of the times: "make[ing] the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is" (Eph 5.17) …

Contrary to the famous, yet misleading, adage, "sticks and stones may break my bones but words can never hurt me," words are extremely powerful and important in the eyes of God. It was through God's Word that all of the universe was created and it is through his Word that all of life is currently being sustained. As God's image bearers, our words also have a potency that we typically overlook …

The focus for this week's sermon will be on theft and stealing. On the one hand, the Bible speaks about theft frequently (Exod 20.15; Mark 10.19; Rom 13.9; 1 Cor 6.9-11); on the other hand, stealing is not nearly as common in our modern context. This sermon will explain how we should apply the warning against stealing today in the gospel of Jesus Christ as we focus on Ephesians 4.28 …

Anger, bitterness, or wrath can wreak havoc, especially in important relationships. Unlike the other issues that we've been reflecting upon over the past few months, anger is usually directed toward someone in a very traumatic way and can thus create gaping wounds that never fully heal. Sadly, anger has already shaped or is shaping many of us--whether we were exposed to an outburst during our formative years as children or whether our own anger has created open scars on our loved ones, such as our spouses or children …

We are often misled to think that Christian life is centrally about momentous events or circumstances. The truth, however, is that both our victories and failures are influenced more by the little moments that we typically overlook. This is partly what Paul has in mind when he says that our old way of living has been corrupt (or destroyed) by our deceitful desires. These desires might seem innocent, but they have the power to ruin our lives so they are doubly dangerous …

Now that we are a few sermons into this series, we will first revisit the intended outcomes and marvel at how we are already experiencing so much fruit from trusting and obeying God's Word thus far. The topic of this sermon will be covetousness. Although we hardly ever use the word, covetousness is one of the more dominating sins that we commit and is the motivation behind so much of our lives including work, how we engage in social media, how we view finances, etc. …

The gospel of Jesus Christ includes receiving a new heart, which renews our mind, which in turn enables us to live a life where our actions and speech are filled with power, love, and self-control. We've been reflecting upon this over the past couple of weeks and this week, we see all these wonderful blessings in the context of sexual immorality …

Last week's sermon is foundational as it explained how many of us have a distorted and unbiblical view of the gospel. It is only when we see the death, resurrection, and life (DRL) of Jesus Christ that we have any hope in life. The rest of the sermon series will provide examples of what this looks like based on Ephesians 4-5, so if you missed last week's sermon, be sure to listen to it …

The focus of this sermon series, “Heart Detox,” is to allow the Spirit to empty our hearts of anything that is offensive to the Lord and detrimental to ourselves. When the Spirit detoxicates our hearts, we are then able to experience God's grace, power, and joy with greater depth so that we can love others accordingly …

As the people of God begin to settle in the rebuilt city, they take their time to reflect upon and renew their covenant with the Lord. One of the most prominent parts of the covenant is keeping the Sabbath. This passage and sermon will teach us the importance of Sabbath and the Law of God. What is the purpose of these and do they apply to us today? …

Over the past few months, Nehemiah has taught us that the people of God are marked with a three-dimensional view of life and a heart of prayer. In chapters 8 and 9, we see that the people of God are also marked with reverence to the preaching of the Word of God …

At this point in the book of Nehemiah, the people have finally finished rebuilding the wall. Although the task was daunting, it only took 52 days for it to be completed. Additionally, the opposition that was once fierce has died down. Nevertheless, there was no time for complacency. There were still some issues that needed to be addressed …