Our new sermon series, 8, kicks off with a message from Senior Pastor David Dwight. When we are in true relationship with Jesus, we will be judged “not guilty” before the throne of God. We did not earn this verdict, Jesus did. He paid it all, so we can live joyfully and in gratitude for this incredible gift. This is grace. "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of ...
Oct 16, 2023•35 min•Ep. 140
To be human is to be made in the image of God, for our identity to be found in Jesus alone, to be separated from God because of sin, but reconciled through the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and to have eternity planted in our hearts. Senior Associate Pastor Pete Bowell wraps up our sermon series, Being Human, with the poignant reminder that this vast, beautiful world and the things of it will never satisfy us. We will always be yearning for more because God placed eternity in o...
Oct 10, 2023•27 min•Ep. 139
We all face problems and challenges in our lives. The secular view says that our problems are caused by external factors. A biblical view of our problems tells us that our problems are caused by our internal sin. Senior Pastor David Dwight reminds us that God is offering us redemption from our brokenness and he offers us another way. God invites us to live in our present, imperfect circumstances with hope for eternal glory when we will not experience pain and suffering and brokenness, but joy an...
Oct 05, 2023•37 min•Ep. 138
"You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it." Psalm 139:13-14 The human body is extraordinarily complex. We contain 35 trillion cells, each with its own specialized functions that contribute to keeping us alive. We are fearfully and wonderfully made. Senior Pastor David Dwight continues our sermon series considering the great intentionality of the God ...
Sep 25, 2023•35 min•Ep. 137
We are made in the image of God. He calls us to display his characters and personhood. When we reveal the goodness of his nature, we are bringing him glory. Senior Pastor David Dwight begins our series "Being Human" reminding us that the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever.
Sep 18, 2023•37 min•Ep. 136
Senior Pastor David Dwight concludes our series "The Sermon." The Sermon on the Mount is Jesus Christ teaching us how to live a simple human life: how to focus on what matters; how to live with God and people; and how to arrange our priorities to yield a life of wholeness, meaning, and influence; and leave a legacy of love and grace. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus, the author of life, teaches us how to truly live.
Sep 11, 2023•33 min•Ep. 135
When we hear the word "sin," we may think of a list of bad behaviors. We'll compare our behavior to others and be left feeling puffed up or deflated. These "sins," wherever we rank them are really the symptom of a greater problem - separation from God. We've all fallen short and the good news is that Christ has closed the gap. The deep heart problem, the barrier, the separation has been taken care of through Christ's work on the cross. Will we open our eyes? Will we say yes to this offer of comp...
Sep 05, 2023•35 min•Ep. 134
So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’...But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Senior Associate Pastor Pete Bowell continues our study of the Sermon on the Mount by reminding us that God cares about the things that we worry about. We are not wrong to be concerne...
Aug 28, 2023•31 min•Ep. 133
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Executive Pastor Wes Peterson continues our study of the Sermon on the Mount with an exploration of how we are called to think about money. Money is useful here on earth, but will have ...
Aug 21, 2023•31 min•Ep. 132
“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." In the Greek, the word "hypocrite" is most accurately translated to mean "the pretender" - someone who plays the part of a religiou...
Aug 21, 2023•30 min•Ep. 131
Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven...when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you. Senior Pastor David Dwight continues our study on the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 6:1-4. What does it look like to live life once we have a heart for God? Jesus is teaching us how to be set ...
Aug 07, 2023•37 min•Ep. 130
You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor[i] and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you... Loving our enemies doesn't come easy, but it is the path Jesus calls us to. Executive Pastor Wes Peterson encourages us to the radical reconciliation that can only come from Jesus. When we treat our enemies as well as we treat our friends, we recognize their humanity and offer dignity to them and to ourselves. It is a hard and worthy pursuit....
Jul 31, 2023•30 min•Ep. 129
Senior Pastor David Dwight continues our journey through The Sermon on the Mount with a teaching from Matthew 5: 21-37, exploring Jesus' teaching on the value of human life, the dignity of the human person, the sanctity of marriage, and the integrity of our promises. These four topics interact and hold each other up like the four legs of a table. They speak to our integrity as people and we bring glory to God when we offer this integrity to each other. Find all sermons from this series at hopech...
Jul 24, 2023•34 min•Ep. 128
Jul 17, 2023•33 min•Ep. 127
The Beatitudes are first for people in bad situations, not for people with good attitudes. Jesus is on our side. Jesus blesses people not because of their virtues but because of their inadequacies. This is the first part of our Summer series on the Sermon on the Mount.
Jul 10, 2023•27 min•Ep. 126
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. These words in Galatians 5 remind us that our salvation is in Christ alone. Senior Pastor David Dwight concludes our sermon series with the reflection that we remain yoked in slavery when we try to portray a certain image to the world that our internal lives do not reflect, but this is not part of freedom in Christ. When we receive liberation in Christ, our hearts ar...
Jul 05, 2023•38 min•Ep. 125
Children who are set to receive an extraordinary inheritance cannot prove themselves worthy to receive it by their own actions. Their best posture is to live humbly, gratefully, generously. In the forth sermon of "Freedom People," Senior Pastor David Dwight reminds us that through adoption as children of God, we can claim the extraordinary inheritance of salvation in Jesus and eternal life to come. In the knowledge of this gift, we can live free. Find all sermons from this series at hopechurchrv...
Jun 27, 2023•39 min•Ep. 124
"Let me ask you this one question: Did you receive the Holy Spirit by obeying the law of Moses? Of course not! You received the Spirit because you believed the message you heard about Christ." In the third sermon in our series, Family Ministries Pastor Kyle Freedman reminds us of Paul's words to the Galatians. In our faith journey, we can start to believe that our faith is based on an "if I...., then you will..." exchange, but this is patently false. We remind ourselves that the gospel is comple...
Jun 20, 2023•33 min•Ep. 123
“We...know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified." Senior Associate Pastor Pete Bowell continues the sermon series in Galatians 2, reminding us that we are set free from the law and are justified by Christ alone. "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, b...
Jun 13, 2023•29 min•Ep. 122
What is the gospel and what does it mean for us? Romans 1 tells us, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile." Senior Pastor David Dwight kicks off a new sermon series examining the full reality of what the gospel of Jesus offers us and what it means for our lives. Over the next five weeks, "Freedom People" will explore what the gospel means for those of us who have been set free in J...
Jun 12, 2023•39 min•Ep. 121
"Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and Son and Holy Spirit." Missional Pastor Matt Hartman reminds us that as Christ-followers, we are called to go and share the gospel with others. Rounding out our series, Anchors: Seven truths about the God who made us and loves us and intends for our flourishing, Matt speaks on the seventh essential of our faith, inviting us to consider the commandment that we go and share the good news of Jesus with...
May 31, 2023•39 min•Ep. 120
The second coming of Christ matters in the everyday matters of life. In the midst of our day to day lives, we don't always stop to reflect on the return of Christ. We can become so preoccupied with the urgency of our to-do list, that we forget to have a heart fixed on eternity. As we wait for the second coming of Christ, Senior Associate Pastor Pete Bowell invites us to watch, wait, work, forgive and hope. Continuing in our series, Anchors: Seven truths about the God who made us and loves us and...
May 22, 2023•33 min•Ep. 119
"God does not have a mission for his church; God has a church for his mission." The church is a body with many parts and it exists to accomplish the work of God here on earth. We may have complex feelings about the church as an institution, but if we align with God's work here on earth, we have the chance to cooperate in the work God has here on earth through the church. Continuing in our series, Anchors: Seven truths about the God who made us and loves us and intends for our flourishing, Senior...
May 18, 2023•35 min•Ep. 118
The gospel is just "one beggar showing another beggar where to find some bread." No matter how long we walk in faith and how mature we might like to think we are, we are all beginners in the gospel because we are working to understand the magnitude, bigness, and beauty of God. Continuing in our series, Anchors: Seven truths about the God who made us and loves us and intends for our flourishing, Senior Pastor David Dwight speaks on the fourth essential of our faith. We are reminded that on our ow...
May 08, 2023•36 min•Ep. 117
The trinity is always complimentary, co-operating in our lives together. The Holy Spirit works to draw our attention to Jesus and invite our hearts to say yes to Christ's offering. When we say yes to Jesus and submit to him as Lord of our lives, the Holy Spirit dwells within us. The Holy Spirit continues his work in us by equipping us for our faith journey; he is our companion and guide and he will one day raise us to eternity. Senior Pastor David Dwight continues our sermon series, Anchors: Sev...
May 03, 2023•38 min•Ep. 116
"Doing God's will is adopting Jesus' way." Family Ministries Pastor Kyle Freedman continues our series, Anchors: Seven truths about the God who made us and loves us and intends for our flourishing, with the reminder that Jesus came to earth to show us how to live. Often when we face a challenging situation, we want to jump from the beginning to the end and skip the hard work in the middle. Kyle reminds us that Jesus came to do the work with us and he steps in to fill in the gaps where we fall sh...
Apr 25, 2023•32 min•Ep. 115
"We believe in one God, the sovereign Creator and Sustainer of all things, infinitely perfect and eternally existing in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit." Senior Pastor David Dwight begins a new sermon series, Anchors: Seven truths about the God who made us and loves us and intends for our flourishing , with this first essential of our faith. Anchors are unseen, but they are attached to the boat by a rope. Our faith is the rope that connects us to our anchors. For the next seven weeks...
Apr 17, 2023•38 min•Ep. 114
In the final sermon of our Anticipation series, Discipleship Pastor Dan Yoon reminds us that we like new things: new houses, new cars, new relationships, new babies...and the list goes on. And while we love the feeling of "new things," we live in a reality that our earthly lives are often challenging, tiring, and full of ways things can break down. Dan points us to the words of Revelation 21: "And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, a...
Apr 03, 2023•27 min•Ep. 113
"For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down, we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing." Preaching from the opening verses of 2 Corinthians 5, Senior Associate Pastor Pete Bowell reminds us that our earthly bodies are temporary tents and our heavenly bodies will be permanent dwellings. Pete speaks of the tension of this se...
Mar 28, 2023•28 min•Ep. 112
C.S. Lewis wrote, "Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you get neither." Senior Pastor Dr. David Dwight continued our series on heaven with an exploration of the realities of our heavenly lives. The scriptures indicate to us that "earth is a place we are on and heaven is a place we are in." On earth, we live a primarily physical experience with spiritual elements; in heaven we will be fit with bodies to engage in spiritual lives for eternity. These concepts can often...
Mar 21, 2023•39 min•Ep. 111
