Presence of God

Find a sermon associated with this topic below.

Jesus, our great High Priest, has entered human suffering and invites us to draw confidently to the throne of grace. Three claims guide us: compassion comes near, compassion enters our pain, and compassion draws us nearer to God. Two invitations: if you are suffering, take a step to draw near to God and others; if you are not, intentionally draw near to someone who is. Let’s be a church that sits with sorrow and models Jesus’ tender goodness.

In a candid and heart-breaking message, Pastor Ryan walks us through the night of his son's self-harm and the weeks before his death. Using Psalm 23, he offers a theology meant to sustain life in the valley, not to erase grief, but to anchor it. He gives four truths to hold in suffering: God is with me; God is good when life is not; joy can exist in pain; and God can turn personal misery into ministry. Listen for the promise of God’s presence, often given before answers, and find companionship in the midst of loss.

Paul's last recorded words in Scripture read almost like a scattered to-do list. But underneath what seems like a junk drawer of thoughts is a golden thread that holds everything together, and it is one of the most important truths a Christian can hold onto.

 

When everything around you is uncertain, Jesus remains unshakably faithful.

Soldiers mock Him as "King of the Jews," crowds taunt "He saved others; He cannot save Himself," and Jesus hangs utterly powerless between two criminals—yet in this deepest irony, the King displays His greatest power by refusing to save Himself so that He could save us, dying the death we deserve to give us the life He deserves.

Kingdom living isn’t waiting, it’s working. We’re called to embody heaven’s values here and now. Wherever God’s people go, the kingdom goes. God brings heaven to earth through us. This week equips and inspires the church to live sent—across the street and around the world.

The sermon focuses on how Jesus sends us into storms not just through disobedience but sometimes through our obedience, as demonstrated when He sent the disciples across the sea into difficult conditions. Through these storms, Jesus reveals His glory and sufficiency by showing He sees us in our struggles, demonstrating His divinity by walking on water, and ultimately getting into our "boat" to journey with us through life's transitions and difficulties.

The sermon explores how Jesus disrupts our expectations, displays divine power, and deals patiently with hard hearts through the story of feeding the 5,000 and walking on water in Mark 6. Pastor Ryan emphasizes that Jesus reveals himself as the divine shepherd who blesses through breaking (both the bread and His own body), showing that our own brokenness can lead to blessing when surrendered to Christ.

Pastor Ryan's sermon, drawing from 1 Peter, stresses that Christians are called to be living stones, built together as God's temple. He encourages believers to actively be the church by serving one another and glorifying Jesus in all aspects of life, as true faith cannot be lived in isolation.

In his sermon, Jason addresses the theme of suffering, challenging the notion that a life of faith should be free from hardship. He uses the book of Habakkuk to show that trials, rather than signifying God's absence, can deepen one's faith and foster reliance on Him. The sermon concludes with a message of hope that believers can trust in God's plan and find assurance in Jesus, knowing that all suffering will eventually cease.