The Village Church - Sermons

Head knowledge does not lead to revival. It makes great kindling. It makes for a hoisted and ready sail. But we ask the Spirit of the Living God to be the fire and the wind. With all our efforts wholly dependent on Him, we prepare to set aside three days as a sacred assembly to the Lord.

You have been buried with Him by baptism, walking now in a resurrected life, so set your minds on things above. Lift your earthly head to Christ and the kingdom that is coming.

The anxiety of evangelism fades when we evangelize. We move conversations from the surface to serious matters, and ultimately to the spiritual. We explain the gospel, we let the Spirit move in power, and we live out our faith by example that people may be drawn in and saved.

There are obstacles to evangelism everywhere—digital noise, politics, scandal, cultural Christianity. We seek to be like the men in Mark 2, who saw a brother in need and did whatever it took to get him to the feet of Jesus. Lord, stir us to be this bold.

Jesus, the Good Shepherd, tended His flock and sought out His lost ones at the expense of His reputation and, ultimately, His death. He will stop at nothing to care for His people.

The finished work of Jesus provides light in the darkness, assurance through doubt, and an anchor through the storms. We, who are in God, have communion with Him, and this communion leads to confidence.

To love God is to keep His commands. And His commands are not a burden, but an easy yoke. We love God and those born of God. We hold fast to our confession of faith, knowing that it is this faith that overcomes the world.

Christian, test what you believe, ensuring it aligns with the gospel of Christ. Embrace this lineage of faith. Lay aside fear and dread. For God is love and He loves us. Now go and love others in the same way.

God loves us so much that He calls us His own children. One day, we will see Christ in all of His glory and be made like Him. With this hope in mind, we purify ourselves until His return.

This is the final hour, and many antichrists are here or have come. So we hold fast to Christ and call on the Holy Spirit for power, courage, and an overflow of sustaining joy until the end.

In a world of false teaching and deception, we must cling to the anointing of the Holy Spirit, remain in Christ, and love our brothers and sisters.

The Apostle John is elderly and living in Ephesus. A new wave of false doctrine is slamming into the church. He writes this letter as eyewitness testimony, calling believers to walk in the light, and reminding them of the certainty of Christ.

You are not the main character in this story, but you have a vital role to play. There are no seat fillers at the table of God. He has given us a purpose and a part to play. He does not need us, but He wants us. So we show up, seated confidently, and live out the calling on our lives.

God is involved in the “where” of our lives. He has appointed the times and boundaries for us all. There is a reason we live where we live and work where we work. He built us to belong and has called us to a place.

In 2023, the Surgeon General of the United States rolled out a new warning saying that if major changes are not made, we will splinter as a society. The loneliness epidemic is now upon us. We need each other more than ever. God made us for belonging.

Night will be no more; people will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, because the Lord God will give them light, and they will reign forever and ever.

We are born with the need to be loved—a need we never outgrow. We either seek to satisfy that need rightly, or we distort it disastrously. The advent of Christ is true, perfect, sustaining love coming for all people.

In the midst of a broken world comes a thrill of hope, a song of praise, and a resilient joy the world can’t explain, that suffering can’t steal, that circumstances can’t crush.

After months of silence, Zachariah, only able to listen, sees and hears the plan of God unfolding before his eyes. After centuries of silence, God’s people were about to experience the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophets. Good news pierced the silence. Light invaded the darkness. Peace had ...

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light. A light has dawned in the land of darkness. Now, as children of the light, we hold fast to the confession of our hope as we await His second advent.

Through the sacrifice of one, life was brought to the many. Through the sacrifice of many, life will be brought to the nations.

The kind of diversity the early church experienced was previously impossible—like stuck with like, and kind with kind. But through Christ, every tribe, tongue, and nation became one people, with one pursuit, for the one kingdom.

The desert will bloom with flowers. The wolf will lie down with the lamb. There will be no closed gates. There will be no sun or moon, for the Lord will be our Light. The previous things will all pass away. Strengthen your hearts, for the Lord’s coming is near.

The world values what you do and what you can achieve. Religion does the very same. God values who you are and who you are becoming. He desires His children to be set apart, consecrated, and growing in Christ-centered holiness.

God sees our pain, and His awareness leads Him to alleviate it. His brow is not furrowed toward us. His arms are open in compassion.

God’s faithfulness does not spring up from sentimentality or pity, but rather His covenantal love for His people. The muscle of His faithfulness is love and mercy. As He has shown His faithfulness, we turn and reflect it to the world.

We expect brokenness at every turn in life. We learn to trust reason, intuition, and experience to define what is true. But God, our anchor in reality, is Truth, and we depend on Him to make sense of and make right all that we see in this world.

Human justice is partial, prone to inconsistency, and ebbs with the cultural tides. God’s justice is perfect, impartial, and righteous. His justice restores wholeness and holds evil at bay.

While we were at our worst, with nothing to offer to tip the scales of grace, Christ died for us. At every stage, we are not met by a God with a furrowed brow, but the compassion of our Lord Jesus. His grace alone has saved us.

Mercy is giving someone what they do not deserve. It isn’t weakness; it is God’s strength bending low. Mercy meets us in our rebellion, covers our guilt, and restores our lives. To receive His mercy is to be transformed into people who extend it.

For most of us, “love” is a junk drawer word. It can mean everything and nothing. But true love is rooted in God’s nature. It is radiant light invading the shadows. It's Him rescuing us from the dominion of darkness and dressing us in righteousness. True love takes action.

All things have been created through Jesus and for Jesus. His blood was spilt as reconciliation for not only the human soul, but the whole of the universe. So how do we participate in His renewal of all things? We work hard, practice hospitality, and pray blessings over our city.

He who began this great work in you is faithful to complete it! God has not started something He cannot finish. So we run toward Him, beholding and heralding the goodness of His gospel, knowing our God will come through in the end. 

Jesus came to save sinners. Through His death, burial, and resurrection, Jesus transfers us from death to life. He takes us out of darkness and into the kingdom of light.

Taste and see that our God is good! Those who look on Him are radiant. He rescues the poor and restores the broken. Those who rest in Him are happy. He gives purpose and protection to His people. Exalt His Name forever! 

If the fruit is bad, something is wrong with the vine. But how might we produce the good fruit that lasts? Moment by moment, we turn back to Jesus. Day by day, the vine abides in the comforts, resources, and abilities of the Holy Branch.  

We, a people embedded in darkness, have seen a great light. Even those of us dwelling among indelible shadows, a new day is dawning on us. Repent, for His kingdom is now!

We cannot come to God with our goodness, because we have none. Our attempts toward holiness are filthy, but it is faith that pleases Him. It is a broken and repentant heart that reconciles us to our God. 

The fields are ruined, the new wine is dried up, and human joy has evaporated. Even still, our God is slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love, and calls us to get up, repent, and return to Him.

Time is running out. This is the time to be serious about our walk with Christ. We cannot take it for granted. We must be warriors for the Kingdom of Heaven and contend for the faith—not just for ourselves, but for the sake of those around us.

God desires three sounds in the heart and house of His people: the prayers for all nations, the praises of His Saints, and the proclamation of His Gospel. Anything less is a sound that grieves His heart.

Our faith should change us. As we receive the Word, let us be those who put it into action—not letting it terminate on our ears, but germinate in our hearts.

Bitterness creeps into our hearts and grows into resentment, unforgiveness, and hatred. It stagnates our sanctification, but with a perspective shift, the bitter becomes sweet and turns into resilience.

It was never promised that all our dreams would come true when we follow Jesus. We get intimacy with God, and not a life of ease. Suffering is normal, Jesus is good, and joy will break through.

God is advancing His Kingdom across the whole world, His power is behind it, and He uses His people to do it. But we are not alone. We have received His power through the Holy Spirit—the Helper and the Comforter—to carry out this work.

Jesus is the beginning and the end, and all things hold together in His hands. Any time, talent, or treasure is a gift from above. May we steward it all with generosity.

Finally, men, be watchful, stand firm in your faith, don’t revert back to your boyhood ways, but act like men. Be strong and let everything you do be done out of love.

All wealth, power, relationships, and earthly accolades lead us into a false rule of our lives. Jesus calls us to give Him back the throne, that we may truly live as stewards in His kingdom.

A man gains wisdom with the fear of the Lord, but how does the wise man live his life? It is one marked by reverence, submission, and delight.

Proverbs contrasts the wise man against three other types—the fool, the simpleton, and the evil one. But the good news of the gospel is that no one is stuck in these lesser categories. And how might they make this move? By fearing the Lord.

In our society, masculinity seems to either be vilified or a cheap machismo is offered up in its place. So, we look to the Scriptures for what it means to be a man.

If Jesus of Nazareth actually rose from the dead, it should change everything about our lives. It would reframe our past, bring peace to our present, and set up a future hope that pulls us forward. The witnesses, His Word, and the Church declare, “He has risen!”

God knows everything, can do anything, and is everywhere in His fullness. He is who He is. The Great I Am—-the Lord.

We are always becoming and in motion. We are constantly unconstant, and to slow down is to die. But God never changes. His stability does not stagnate. He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

In the grand scope of eternity, we are hardly here at all. But our God is without beginning, without end, and without the succession of time.

God is uncreated. He is above all things. The expanse of His riches is immeasurable. His wisdom and knowledge are incomprehensible. His justice is perfect and His ways are untraceable. And still, He invites us to know Him.

Before the beginning, there was God. He had no starting place. He was, He is, and He is to come. We had no words for Him, so He defined Himself. His attributes call us to come and see that He is not like us, and this is good.

Jesus has not yet returned, but this is good news for those who wait. There is still time to follow, repent, learn, practice, and keep our lights burning in hopeful expectation of His arrival.

Thousands of students are getting baptized into the faith on American college campuses. Godly curiosity is blooming among Gen Zers. Around the world communities are turning to Jesus. God is on the move, but could we miss it?

From the miry mines of humanity, God has seen fit to excavate, clean, and begin the slow work of making us look more like His treasured Son. He chisels away what isn’t needed and forms us into a people of His own possession.

All of humankind’s greatest achievements pale in comparison to the work of our greater God. In mercy, He has called us to join Him in this work. Faith started this journey, and it will sustain us along the way.

God desires kids and students to know and worship Him. The harvest is plentiful! And if we are willing, we can perpetuate this gospel legacy, showing the next generation who their true Savior is.

We do not live as consumers of divine goods, but as priests on duty offering God a sacrifice of praise. We will proclaim His excellencies for generations to come.

God loves the people of the world and has a strategy to reach them. God made peace between us and Himself and has entrusted us to bring the gospel to the world as ministers of His reconciliation.

Racism is rooted in sin and an affront to the "Imago Dei" established by God in humanity. The only antidote to our checkered past and our broken present is the gospel of Jesus Christ.

We believe and declare that every human is made in the image of God and has dignity, value, and worth. We advocate for human life and see others not as commodities or enemies, but as God’s image bearers.

Jesus offers the abundant life. He desires for humans to flourish, and His people are His plan to that end. When trials come, Jesus' plan holds fast. He uses all things for our good and calls us to open-handed surrender.

Surveying the injustice before him, the prophet Habakkuk questions God. How can this evil persist with God on His throne? The Lord assures Habakkuk that a plan is in place and He is at work among His people.

The pronouncement of God’s glorious plan and the culmination of all His prophecies came first to the shepherds. His kingdom would be different and this great, scandalous exchange of death for life was first offered to the outcast.

Overcome with her new position as the mother of our Lord, Mary sings her Magnificat to God. She chooses worship over worry, humility over pride, and remembrance over forgetfulness, modeling to us the path of ever-increasing joy.

It can be easy to think that Jesus showed up “all of a sudden” to be Messiah, perform miracles, die, and resurrect, but He has always been. He is the eternal, active agent holding all things together by the Word of His power. He was with God from the beginning, and, even in the womb, He was Lord.

As we read and recount the story of Christmas, it is apparent that God chooses the meek and the lowly to be recipients of His blessing. He uses the most unexpected people to set in motion the most extraordinary story ever told.

Ninety percent of our culture’s current messaging is bent to the negative, culminating in an “age of anxiety.” But God offers us a joy detached from life’s circumstances and a peace that holds and guards us forever.

We are passionate and intentional about lost people coming to faith in Jesus and churches being planted in the cities of greatest need. This weekend we commissioned the Youngs to go plant a church in west Fort Worth, Texas.

Because of Christ, we regard no one according to their flesh, but see God’s image in them. As ministers of reconciliation, we must never forget that His arms are not too short to save whomever He wishes.

Jesus is referred to as “Lord” in Scripture 750 times. It is His most frequent title and His most subversive. In the Roman empire, Christians resisted Caesar’s perverse “family values” and instead lived by countercultural ethics and morals, recognizing Jesus “is the head of all rule and authority.”

All authority belongs to God. All government authorities are mere stewards of His authority. So we as children of God and temporary citizens of earth seek to obey the law, do good in our cities, and push against the darkness of our day.

We don’t have to make sense of or master every topic. If we can master this one truth, we can make a difference in this world—that the gospel of Jesus Christ is the hope for the whole world.

The building of an empire is the search for a “God-less Eden.” It leads us to worship selfishness, wealth, violence, and oppression.

There is no other leader in history who has leveraged all power, privilege, and position for the good of humanity like Jesus. But how do we rest in Him when He isn’t on the ballot?

The world is being held hostage by evil forces to such a degree, that it can only be freed by a radical in-breaking of God. In our day of trouble, it will not be baby Jesus who comes to rescue us, but “Christus Victor”—Jesus, the warrior.

Without deep relationships and a devotion to reach those far from God, our unique gifts, wirings, and placements terminate on ourselves and we become as stagnant and lifeless as the Dead Sea. There is a way that feels right but leads to bondage and decay. God’s way is a promise of life and freedom.

It is easy for us in the West to think we have no idols while disregarding the worship we give to comfort, approval, control, and power. The gospel stands as the ever-present reminder that we serve a living God and only He deserves our worship.

The unique, God-given picture of the future is one of every tribe, tongue, and nation worshiping face-to-face with Jesus. It will be a great gathering of the saints—a people purified, perfect, without division, and without shame.

After a long day of ministry, Jesus called the disciples to take a boat across the water and promised to meet them on the other side. Knowing a storm was heading their way, Jesus set the disciples up to behold one of the greatest miracles of their lives. He showed Himself as supernatural, persona...

We see our brokenness as a curse, but it can also be a blessing, a pathway to dependence on God alone. In Exodus, God works in the ordinary and mundane to bring about His purposes. He doesn’t need a special set of skills found only in Moses, only Moses’ obedience and willingness. In our brokennes...

To be Jesus’ disciples, we must unfollow ourselves, give up the world, and follow Him. It won’t be easy, but it will be beautiful.

He was rich, so they thought he was blessed. He was young, so they followed his charisma. He was a ruler, so they marveled at his power. Christ saw this man for who he really was, and called him to trade it all in for a genuine faith.

When discerning God’s will for our lives, we might miss His “when” and “way.” David was to be king, but it would take 15 years marked by heartache, trial, and pain. God’s timing and plan shaped David into the kind of king God wanted him to be.

God promises His people that if they humble themselves, pray, seek Him, and turn from wickedness, He will hear them, forgive their sins, and heal their land. We respond to this promise with passionate prayer, tenacious seeking, and radical repentance. O God, please hear us and heal us.

When we look around us, do we see a world gone mad or do we, like Jesus, see the plentiful harvest? The world is ready for the good news of Jesus, but how can they hear it if no one is sharing it? So we pray to the Lord of the harvest, that He might send laborers from among us into our neighborho...

Whatever your age, someone younger is always paying attention to you. So how do we go the distance, with integrity, and bless the generations coming after us? We wait for the Lord, keeping His way, knowing He has all authority in heaven and on earth. We don’t give up, and we walk humbly with our ...

In the upside-down kingdom of God, losing is winning, dying is living, weakness is strength, and our enemy is our brother. In the abrupt conclusion of Jonah, we see all people—every tribe and nation—are at risk of falling under God’s abundant grace. For He has mercy for whom He has mercy and comp...

Finding himself right back where he started, Jonah begins his month-long journey to Nineveh. He proclaims a simple yet devastating message, and the people of Nineveh repent and follow God—Yahweh, the God of astounding mercy and another chance.

Where Jonah desired justice, God desired mercy. Nineveh, a city shrouded in darkness and filled with Jonah’s enemies, is to become a city of light filled with God’s redemption. The Lord is merciful to whomever He chooses, and salvation belongs to Him!

God sent a storm to overtake Jonah. Instead of turning the boat around, Jonah asks to be thrown into the sea. The pagan mariners vow to the Lord while God’s prophet sinks into the depths. In His mercy, God sends a fish to save Jonah.

Rather than a lens to see the world through, the book of Jonah acts as a mirror to see ourselves. Jonah’s story exposes our own tendency to co-opt God for the life we want rather than surrender to the life He has for us.

The gospel of Jesus is an invitation out of restlessness, anxiety, and anger and into a life of meaning and purpose. By His Spirit, there is power over sin, death, and the dominion of darkness.

After the death of Joshua, the next generation of Israel embraced false gods and forgot the Lord and all that He had done for them. We read this as a warning and a charge to tell our kids how great our God is and remind them of all He has done for us.

God is asking us to live faithfully with the life, time, money, and friend group or spouse He has given us for His glory all the days of our lives. By living for Him, we might leave a legacy for those behind us to reap the benefits of our covenantal faithfulness to King Jesus.