Prepare for Testing

Originally preached March 1, 2026.

scripture

Matthew 4:1–11

series

Prepare the Way

summary

Matthew 4:1–11 describes Jesus being led by the Spirit into the wilderness after his baptism, where he is tested by Satan with three temptations focused on provision, presumption, and power. In each case, Jesus refuses to use his identity as the Son of God to bypass the Father’s will, responding instead with Scripture from Deuteronomy. Unlike Israel, who failed in the wilderness, Jesus remains faithful and obedient, showing that God’s kingdom is built only through trust and submission to God’s way.

Prepare for Testing (Matthew 4:1-11)

Aaron Halstead

for reflection:

1. Where am I most tempted to take a “shortcut” rather than trust God’s timing and methods?

2. In what area of my life do I struggle most with provision, presumption, or power? And what would faithfulness look like there?

3. How is scripture currently shaping the way I respond when I feel pressure, temptation, or uncertainty?

Prepare to Proclaim

Originally preached March 8, 2026.

scripture

Matthew 4:12–17

series

Prepare the Way

summary

In this passage, Jesus begins his public ministry after his temptation in the wilderness. Rather than staying in familiar places or centers of religious power, he moves to Galilee, a region often regarded as inferior by the religious elite. Matthew shows that this move fulfills Isaiah’s prophecy about light dawning in a place of darkness. From this new base of ministry, Jesus begins proclaiming a message that sounds very familiar: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Prepare to Proclaim (Matthew 4:12-17)

Aaron Halstead

for reflection:

1. What does it reveal about Jesus that he begins his ministry in “Galilee of the Gentiles,” a place associated with darkness and insignificance?

2. How do you personally tend to respond to Jesus’ call to repent, and what areas of your life most resist his invitation to change direction?

3. If the “kingdom of heaven is at hand,” how should that reality reshape the way you live, make decisions, and engage with your current circumstances today?

Prepare to Follow

Originally preached March 15, 2026.

scripture

Matthew 4:218–22

series

Prepare the Way

summary

Jesus, early in his ministry and based in Capernaum in Galilee, walks along the lakeshore and calls four fishermen to follow him. To Simon, Andrew, James, and John (blue-collar workers with no standing in the religious world) he issues a simple, personal invitation: “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Each pair immediately drops their nets, their boat, and even their father to go with him. In the sermon, this moment was presented as a window into the nature of true discipleship: Jesus takes the initiative, he calls ordinary people, he promises to do the transforming work himself, and that call reshapes every commitment they have ever made.

Prepare to Follow (Matthew 4:18-22)

Aaron Halstead

for reflection:

1. What stands out to you about Jesus’ initiative in calling ordinary fishermen, and how does that challenge your assumptions about who God uses for his work?

2. Where in your life do you sense Jesus inviting you to “drop your nets”—that is, to release a comfort, identity, or priority in order to follow him more fully?

3. The disciples immediately reordered their commitments in response to Jesus’ call. What commitments in your life currently compete most with wholehearted discipleship, and what might it look like to place them under Jesus’ authority?

Prepare for the Kingdom

Originally preached March 22, 2026.

scripture

Matthew 4:23–25

series

Prepare the Way

summary

Matthew 4:23–25 is a compact summary of Jesus’ entire ministry in Galilee—and, in many ways, a summary of his ministry as a whole. In three short verses, we see him teaching in the synagogues, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and affliction. His fame spreads beyond Jewish territory into the Roman province of Syria, drawing crowds of sick and suffering people who are brought to him from every direction. And those crowds, from both Jewish and Gentile regions, follow him (a word Matthew used just one paragraph earlier to describe his first disciples). This passage is a portrait of what it looks like to live on mission the way Jesus did: discipling others, declaring the gospel, and demonstrating the kingdom.

Prepare for the Kingdom (Matthew 4:23-25)

Aaron Halstead

for reflection:

1. In what ways do you most naturally participate in Jesus’ mission—through teaching, proclaiming the gospel, or showing compassion—and which of these feels most unfamiliar or challenging for you?

2. The crowds came to Jesus with every kind of need and affliction. How does this shape your view of the kinds of people Jesus invites into his kingdom today?

3. What would it look like for you to intentionally “follow Jesus” this week in a way that includes both declaring his truth and demonstrating his compassion to others?

The Spirit & the Church

Originally preached May 24, 2026.

scripture

1 Corinthians 12:1–13

series

Summer Sessions

summary

In this Pentecost Sunday message from 1 Corinthians 12:1–13, the church is reminded that the Holy Spirit leads and shapes the people of God by directing them to affirm Christ, serve one another, and live in unity. Paul teaches that spiritual gifts are not about personal status or spectacle, but are gracious empowerments from the Triune God given “for the common good,” so that every believer can participate in the life and ministry of the church. Like a construction site, the Spirit acts like a foreman coordinating diverse people and gifts into one living community, where unity is maintained not through sameness but through shared allegiance to Jesus, sacrificial service, and dependence on the Spirit’s presence and power.

The Spirit & the Church (1 Corinthians 12:1-14)

Aaron Halstead

for reflection:

1. In what ways is the Holy Spirit currently leading you to openly affirm Jesus as Lord in your everyday life, relationships, or decisions?

2. What gifts, abilities, or opportunities for service has God given you, and might you use them more intentionally for the “common good” of the church rather than yourself?

3. The sermon describes the church as a messy but Spirit-led construction site. How can you contribute to the unity of the church even when community feels difficult, imperfect, or frustrating?

The King

Originally preached March 29, 2026.

scripture

Matthew 21:1–11

series

King, Priest, & Lord

summary

On Palm Sunday, Jesus arrives at the outskirts of Jerusalem—the moment toward which his entire ministry has been building. Rather than entering the city quietly, he deliberately arranges to ride in on a donkey, fulfilling Zechariah’s prophecy of a humble king coming in peace. His entry draws three very different responses: his disciples obey simply and quietly; a large crowd shouts and celebrates, yet reveals it barely knows him; and the city itself is shaken, asking, “Who is this?” The same three responses people had to Jesus then are the same three ways people respond to him today. The question Matthew is asking every reader is the same one he asked on that first Palm Sunday—how will you respond to the King?

The King (Matthew 21:1-11)

Aaron Halstead

for reflection:

1. Which of the three responses to Jesus in Matthew 21:1–11 (quiet obedience, enthusiastic but shallow familiarity, or uncertainty) most closely reflects your own posture right now? Why?

2. The crowd celebrated Jesus but didn’t fully know him. In what ways might you be tempted to celebrate Jesus outwardly while keeping him at a distance inwardly?

3. If Jesus truly enters as the humble King who fulfills prophecy and brings peace, what would it look like for you to respond to him with deeper trust and obedience this week?

Our Priest

Originally preached April 3, 2026.

scripture

Hebrews 4:14–16

series

King, Priest, & Lord

summary

On Good Friday, this message from Hebrews 4:14–16 centers on Jesus as our great High Priest who makes it possible for us to hold fast to faith and approach God with confidence. Because Jesus fully understands our weakness and was tempted as we are yet without sin, we can pray boldly, knowing he is never distant or condemning. Instead, he is merciful and ready to help us in our time of need, inviting us to run to him for grace rather than carry our sin and struggle alone.

Our Priest (Hebrews 4:14-16)

Aaron Halstead

for reflection:

1. When you feel tempted or burdened by sin, do you tend to hold back from God or draw near to him with confidence? And what usually leads to that response?

2. How does the truth that Jesus understands your weakness and temptation change the way you think about prayer in moments of struggle?

3. In what specific area of your life do you most need to stop “carrying the weight yourself” and instead actively run to Jesus for mercy and help?

The Lord of All

Originally preached April 5, 2026.

scripture

Acts 10:34–43

series

King, Priest, & Lord

summary

Acts 10 is a turning point in the history of the early church. The gospel, which had spread almost exclusively among Jewish people, is now crossing into Gentile territory for the first time. The Apostle Peter has received a vision and been called to the home of Cornelius, a Roman military officer, in the coastal city of Caesarea. Standing before a household of non-Jews, Peter delivers a compact but comprehensive account of the gospel. His message can be seen as organized around three declarations: a message of unity, a message of resurrection, and a message of forgiveness. Together they present the risen Jesus not merely as a religious figure for one nation or culture, but as the Lord of All, the one in whom every barrier falls, death is defeated, and sins are forgiven.

The Lord of All

Aaron Halstead

for reflection:

1. How does Peter’s declaration that Jesus is “Lord of All” in Acts 10 challenge the way we think about cultural, social, or personal barriers within the church?

2. Why is the resurrection of Jesus essential to the hope and message of the gospel, and how should it shape the way we live today?

3. Peter proclaims that “everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins.” What keeps people from fully trusting and resting in that forgiveness, and how can the church reflect the unity and welcome of the gospel more clearly?

Why the Son Appeared

Originally preached April 12, 2026.

scripture

1 John 3:1–10

series

Lessons in Community

summary

In 1 John 3, the Apostle John does what the sermon described as his signature move: he hugs you and punches you in the gut at the same time. The hug is enormous: see what kind of love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God. The gut-punch is equally serious: if you belong to him, it will show in how you actually live, in your relationship with God and your relationships with people. The sermon drew on Luke 9 to put faces on the gut-punch: the disciples arguing about who was greatest, John trying to shut down an outsider, James and John wanting to call down fire on a Samaritan village. The heart-postures behind those moments (arrogance, self-righteousness, partiality, offended anger) are the same ones John is pressing on in his letter. And the answer to all of them is the same: the love that Jesus showed, right up to the cross, and extended again in the restoration of Peter and John afterward.

Why the Son Appeared (1 John 3:1-10)

John Athy

for reflection:

1. Which of the heart postures in Luke 9 (arrogance, self-righteousness, partiality, or offended anger) do you most recognize in yourself, and how does it affect your relationships with others?

2. How does the assurance that we are loved and called children of God in 1 John 3 both comfort you and challenge the way you live?

3. In what specific relationship or situation do you need to reflect the sacrificial love and restoring grace of Jesus rather than responding out of pride, rivalry, or resentment?

The Bruised Reed

Originally preached April 26, 2026.

scripture

Isaiah 42:3; James 5:13–16

series

Lessons in Community

summary

Isaiah 42:3 reveals the tender mercy of Christ toward those who are weak, wounded, and wavering. He does not break or extinguish them but meets us in our weakness with mercy, not condemnation. James 5:13–16 then shows how that mercy is meant to be experienced in community through prayer, confession, and shared burdens. Together, these passages call us to reject self-reliance, embrace honest dependence on Christ, and walk with one another through suffering rather than hiding it.

The Bruised Reed (Isaiah 42; James 5)

Derrick Bekius

for reflection:

1. When you are struggling, weak, or discouraged, are you more likely to hide your need or bring it honestly before Christ and others? Why?

2. How does the compassion of Christ in Isaiah 42:3 challenge the way you think God responds to your weakness and failure?

3. What would it look like for you to more intentionally practice the kind of prayer, confession, and burden-bearing described in James 5:13–16 within your church community?

Life Together

Originally preached May 3, 2026.

scripture

Acts 2:42–47

series

Lessons in Community

summary

In this message from the Lessons in Community series, we look at the picture of the early church in Acts 2:42–47 and wrestle with why our churches often fall short of that kind of shared life. Rather than chasing outward results, this sermon shows how the Spirit grows Christlike community indirectly by shaping a people devoted to the same things as the early believers: the word, fellowship, the sacraments, and corporate prayer. As we commit ourselves to these ordinary means of grace together, God forms us into the kind of community we long to become.

Life Together (Acts 2:42-47)

Aaron Halstead

for reflection:

1. Which of the early church’s core devotions (God’s word, fellowship, the sacraments, or corporate prayer) do you most naturally prioritize, and which do you tend to neglect? Why?

2. In what ways have you expected Christian community to grow through quick results or ideal circumstances rather than through steady devotion to ordinary practices?

3. What is one practical step you can take this week to more intentionally commit yourself to life togetehr in the church?