NEW HOPE SERMONS
 Hi friends, this is the sermon I preached on zoom today for my former church Christ Community Church in Wheaton. Because these are people I know so well and have journeyed with for years, the sermon has many names and places which are local. In some ways it is like how Paul ended his letter to the Romans and the way God knows and cherishes us. |  How often do we romanticize and sanitize Scripture passages? The story of the "3 wise men" has received that treatment in Christian tradition. They had an epiphany, but it was a progressive process of epiphany - just as God usually works with us. |  A new non-traditional song about grace should be the 2021 Christmas carol of the year. |
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 Anyone know Barbara Streisand's song, "People"? The apostle Paul lived out the words to that song. |  The sermon "The Spirit of Generosity" includes our story of how God works things for good through the love and generosity of His people. I hope you'll be encouraged. |  God actually has a recipe that He uses to create Christian character in our lives! |
 God's watch care over believers is extraordinarily significant in our global Covid-stricken world. |  Covid-19 has certainly upended the life of almost every person on the planet. So, we need to be reminded of God’s over-arching sovereignty and goodness. The promise that God can guide us safely is huge. |  John recognized Jesus' voice and the miracle sign of fish and exclaimed, "It is the Lord!" This is God's hope for each of us to testify to others, " It is the Lord!" |
 Experiencing tunnels is the subject of the sermon this week because of a phrase Mike Mason used in his book on suffering. He wrote for those who are “tunneling through spiritual crisis” (Mike Mason, The Gospel According to Job, Crossway Books, 1994, p.xi). So, join me as we think about our own confusions and anxieties in terms of tunnels and mountains. |  Making wise decisions is a critical issue in this coming year - with all its known and unknown changes. Godly wisdom is what we need. |  Romans 12:10-13 give practical applications for how we can love God with all our heart, all our mind, all our soul, and all our strength. They are our challenge for this week. |
 Life has been extremely difficult over these many months and may continue to be so. It reminds me of the saying, "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade." So the sermon tackles this very issue. As a way to cope, we want to start a Lemonade Makers club. Read the sermon and see what you think. |  Crabgrass - Discouragement and depression are like crabgrass infiltrating your lawn of faith. Here is the sermon for this week. |  Today, in our fractured, tormented, uncertain world, the Aaronic blessing is a lighthouse of safety and security directly from the Lord Himself. So I want to go deeper together in unpacking its meaning. |
 A few weeks ago I wrote the sermon on Christians being established by God – established in our deliverance from darkness and distress, established in His direction for our lives, (the path we are to walk on), established in the work of our hands, i.e. the ministry He calls us to. But in the weeks since that sermon, I have asked the question: What is needed to get established in each of these areas? And the answer came - through our connection and participation in a specific Body of Christ. |  How do we as Christians deal with all the evil around us? God's word is to push back the darkness. |  One central theme of the gospel is that we are delivered from the dominion of darkness to be the light of the world. |
 Hi everyone. I was struck this week with the reality that God surrounds us with songs of deliverance. The sermon is called Surround Sound. |  Here is the sermon I'm posting this week on a very specific direction God has given us in prayer for our church members. |  Here is the sermon for the week that came directly out of my experience. May it encourage your hearts. |
 Here is another wonderful image that sheds light on God's love and grace. |  The book of Proverbs has many interesting bits of wisdom, this sermon is based on Proverbs 14:4 from the passion translation. |  Many of us are in very difficult situations as we go into the new school year and deal with all the acute and chronic problems around us. May this sermon strengthen your faith and help you move past the feeling that hope is deferred. |
 Hi everyone, As we begin a study of Proverbs over the summer, I hope we can all learn how to choose wisdom in all our daily life. Blessings! |  The sermon this week comes out of God's direct teaching when I had a "d" day.. Hope it's helpful. |  I found Lee Eclov's book Pastoral Graces transforming and so want to share his wonderful insights from a shepherd's perspective with you. Be Ye Glad! |
 Ephesians 6:15 "and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace." |  Here is this week's sermon from Acts 3 & 4 with 3 powerful lessons for our lives today. |  Here is the sermon God gave today when unexpected bad news came on top of the issues of Keith's Alzheimer. I hope it will encourage all of us in the various struggles we face. Blessings |
 There's a new word to add to our vocabulary today. Homothymadon. It described the early church after Jesus' ascension and describes NHGF today. Praise God. |  May we like Jesus' followers go forward with what the Lord wants even when we don't see how it is physically or emotionally possible. God is the miracle-working God. Blessings. |  Jesus' model for adult disciples in starkly countercultural. Consider why. |
 Our weekly church zoom meeting this past week centered on the struggles several of our PhD candidate church members are facing. This sermon addresses those issues. It also has several significant lessons from the book Canoeing the Mountains - lessons every Christian can apply. |  The sermon this week deals with why the Pharisees so vehemently opposed Jesus and how their calcified attitudes are reflected around the world today. It is coming from the first half of Matthew's Gospel. |  The Spirit of Celebration |
 Jesus' sermon on the mount describes what normal living under his reign looks like. It is absolutely daunting without the Holy Spirit's work. |  Today, we will be starting a new sermon series on the book of Mathew. As Jesus called Matthew to follow him, I ask you to follow me through this wonderful book. |  Last week the Lord brought to mind the many blessings members of New Hope Global Fellowship had in 2020, despite the suffering and confusion last year. I trust these mini snapshots will encourage your perspective and praise for God's blessings in your life in 2020 as well. |
 Hi Friends, 2020 was a year of the torrential rain of suffering, confusion, dislocation, and struggle. However, in early January of this year God has provided 2 examples of a clear shining after rain. |  How do we keep from living a rerun of 2020? Change the way you think! |  Hi everyone, I believe millions of people around the world have experienced a blue Christmas this year. Here's my sermon that addresses this issue. May you have hope and encouragement as we go into 2021. |
 Merry Christmas! Here is the Christmas sermon for this year as we consider the importance of Christ's incarnation |  2020 has been a year for perseverance. May these words give us God's perspective as we go on into 2021 |  How do we deal with our spiritual blindness? Spiritual blindness was a problem for the Pharisees and is a problem in Christian communities today. Open our eyes, Lord. |
 Together by the Spirit we can crest every wave of opposition and difficulty in this time of Covid and world unrest and demonstrate God’s miracles in our midst. |  This dream I had while visiting Atlanta was so vivid, I awoke immediately and was able to immediately record what God was saying. I share this dream because it has both local and global implications for all of us. |  In the turmoil and evil on the loose in our world, one of the ways we can find rest and refreshment for our souls and keep centered on the Lord, is in appreciating His touches of beauty. May you be refreshed by God’s beauty in the world and in color and shape and creativity and people this year, beloved. |
 For my birthday this year I was blessed with words of encouragement and wisdom from many dear friends. I am very grateful and want to frame my life according to these words. In fact, in thinking about these words, it occurred to me that they are God's desire for each of us. My prayer is that the blessings I received from the Lord through you, you can pass on to others so we can all live in these blessings day by day. |  This week, the sermon is based on a puzzle... |  This need for God's people to walk continently step-by-step with God is a daily exercise of faith and hope. |
 This week the sermon for New Hope comes from our member Dambudzo Mushambi and from his heart and experience with the Lord in South Africa. Thank you Dee! |  In this time of great uncertainty, where has your heart found a place? |  "How long, O Lord" is a question many are asking around the world today. |
 Transformed living is a theme that has emerged this week. It is the description of the power of God within believers that changes them from the inside out. Not unlike the transformation of popcorn. |  Finding the balance between Being & Doing, and how it works out practically in our priorities has been a topic of debate for centuries. How would you describe the balance? Think with me as I have pondered this issue this week. |  Find and use your voice - But what is your unique story, your perspective, your corrective or admonition that challenges and exhorts others, your words of comfort and hope? And, how can that voice fulfill God’s purpose in others’ lives? |
 • Hope radiates, • hope anchors, • hope rests, • hope purifies, • hope protects, • hope guides. May we all keep our grip on Hope |  This week, the Lord gave me a word and call for worship. A call to worship, but not just any individual worship. I miss the sights, the sounds, the celebrations of global worship! |  When we trust in the Lord and stay connected to Him, we can “flourish” and “thrive” no matter what drought there is or forces that would cause us to wither. We can stay green and never stop producing fruit. Hallelujah! |
 Solomon's proverbs contemporary style. This week's Sermon is about wisdom that keeps the inner self healthy and strong. |  What habits are you struggling to maintain in this COVID time? Habits can develop consciously or unconsciously, but they set a direction for our life. |  Very few extended families get through life without friction and issues that strain relationships. Ours is no exception. I felt God was saying that this would be a time for restoring and rebuilding some of those relationships. |
 As many of you know, Alex Zhou and I have resumed our work on our book Thinking Outside the Box. We are grateful to everyone in the last three years who has given input and illustrations for our chapters. And the book is progressing nicely. (More about that and the content as we get nearer to our publishing deadline.) But the life lesson I have learned in this process this week is about meeting the requirements. |  This week I am sending out a sermon on Jesus our healer in the context of suffering from this pandemic. For today this will also substitute for Scattered Flock. May we all live as People of the Promise. |  Jesus Christ is the Son of God…, He has always been and always will be for us a resounding “YES!” |
 What was your diet this past week? God is always seeking to take us deeper into our love for Him and understanding of His love for us. |  Lessons from the laboratory of Agape Love. I expect many of you during this COVID crisis have experienced the same challenges I have. I hope this sermon will give you wisdom and courage as you live out God's love in your setting. |  Hi Everyone! The virus has prohibited us from meeting for a final face to face closure of New Hope, but here are the thoughts God has given that I wanted to share with each of you. God has given us a future and a hope ahead and I hope we can still journey together, even as a scattered flock! |
 Evan's sermon this past Sunday 3/8/2020 |  Sam deals directly with the extraordinary test of obedience when God tells Abraham to sacrifice his son, and describes his own trial of faith and how God came through in both cases. |  Evan's Sermon on Why Faith |
 Here is the sermon from Sam on Sunday where he laid out specifically our move to Orlando and invited the community to process their feelings and thoughts out loud as a response. As we send out this sermon, I would also invite everyone to respond and send those responses to be sent to me or to Sam. |  Evan's Sermon on Being Faithful to our Calling |  Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all. Here is Sam's Christmas sermon from Sunday. |
 Evan's sermon 12/8/19 on Longing for God |  Here's Sam's sermon from Sunday on Jesus's humility |  Evan's sermon on "Hope for Discouraged Hearts" |
 Sam's sermon this week coincided with the flooding of our basement. Our community learned how to live out this message practically! |  Sam's sermon was on "Living Immersed in the fullness of God's love." |  Hope:The Lord Has Done Great Things for Us |
 Sam's sermon August 25, 2019 |  This is Evan's sermon 08/11/19 |  This is Evan's sermon this past Sunday on Despair and Beauty in Eternity. |
 Evan's sermon on A Journey with God |  Sam's sermon on Sunday about Good Neighbor |  Evan's Sermon this week on persevering love |
 The Lenten season is a time of renewal, a time to draw closer in dependence on Him. |  The power of Jesus' prayers for us is crucial to Christian's walk with God. |  Evan's sermon that focuses on Mary as an example of obedience to God in the midst of unexplained hardship |
 Satan is unmasked and Jesus shows us how to defeat him. |  At New Hope, we enjoy celebrating Advent each year by exploring the meaning and origins of the many symbols that we associate with Christmas. Maybe you can implement it in your own context! |  Evan preached this Sunday about how Daniel gives us an example of faithful living in a secular context. |
 This is a time of great stress for many in our community and certainly around the world. We have a burden bearing God. |  Jesus upends the traditional view of family and advocates a much broader definition |  Jesus had the disciples' back. How does knowing that He has your back affect how you will pursue His calling for you this year? |
 The Honesty of Lament - in Scripture and our lives. |  How has your life been radically altered because you have become a Jesus follower? |  Our new sermon series will look at what it meant for the disciples to follow Jesus as we follow their story in the gospel of Mark |
 As you learn about each member of Paul's team from Col 4, who mirrors God's call for you? |  God has very strong words for dealing with our sin as Christians - put to death your earthly nature Dr. Mary Lou |  The truths of Col 3:1-4 challenge our perspective on where our mind is set. |
 The Lord's Supper is the special sacrament that we take in the remembrance of Christ |  Jesus IS supreme over every power and authority. Is this more than a theological construct for you? |  Sam Lau's sermon on God's redemption through shipwreck. |
 Being rooted in Christ means we can tap into His wisdom. As we look at the Gospel stories, we learn what that means. |  In Christ are hid all the treasures of the wisdom and knowledge of God. Christians can access all that wisdom! |  By seeing the Bible as one single story - The Story of God's Kingdom - we could be captivated and animated by it. |
 For a thriving Christian life, our roots need to go down deep into Christ. There are so many practical applications of that. |  As we begin to look deeply at Colossians, this first chapter has amazing truths about Jesus Christ. One is in our text today Col.1:26-29. May we all live within this truth day by day. |  In our pluralistic world nothing is more radical than the absolutes that describe Jesus Christ. Colossians 1:15-20 describes these. The question is how do they affect our lives and life purpose? |
 Evan's sermon at New Hope last Sunday |  Paul prays for the Colossians to have knowledge and understanding about God. What does it look like for us today? |  The amazing praise that Paul speaks of in Colossians 1:6 is that the Gospel is "bearing fruit and growing" around the world - Christian believers are "shining like stars in the universe" (Philippians 2:15). What does it mean for today? |
 God purifies our hearts, so we are able to see a glimpse of His face in others |  We don't hear much in Christian teaching on Christ's ascension, but living these truths is essential. |  The dedication of a baby born into a strong Christian family is a sign of hope for the world. The overflowing hope that the Mushambis family needs as they return to Africa is the same hope everybody needs as we face an unknown future. God is the God of hope. |
 In this sermon on God's Amazing Grace, there are five stories of the power of grace in people's lives. The wonderful doctrine of grace is to be believed but it also transforms our lives. |  The Unconditional Love of God // April 22, 2018 // God's unconditional love is a cornerstone of Christian faith, yet it seems most of us live in terms of conditional love even in our relationship with God. |  April 15, 2018- Evan, our OPT's first sermon for the church. Peter is really a model for his life. Evan is hoping our church can sponsor him for an R1 religious worker Visa so he can stay in the States and work with international students from many cultures. In order for that to happen, the church needs to meet the government standard of employment with 35 hours a week and a yearly salary above the poverty level (12,000/year). Would you consider pledging a monthly donation towards his support? |
 The Resurrection of Jesus // April 8, 2018 // At least a billion people on the planet do not believe in Christ's resurrection. Why do you believe in the resurrection? That was our theme this Easter. |  Atonement for Shame // April 1, 2018 // It's extremely important for the rest of the world that we not just frame the atonement as guilt for sin, but in terms of the power of shame which Jesus also dealt with on the cross. |  “What is truth?” // March 25, 2018 // The answers to the question "What is truth?" are what we need to consider in an atheistic, secularist, broken world. |
 Serving one Another // March 18, 2018 // One of the privileges of being a Christian is to partner with God and serve in the church, in love, on God’s agenda |  Revisiting the Old Old Story // March 11, 2018 // This Sunday, we start unpacking the western boxes that have shaped the gospel. |  Living in Harmony with One Another // Feb. 25, 2018 // Both Paul and Peter give very explicit directions in how to live in harmony with other people. |
 Exhorting One Another // Feb. 18, 2018 // Building Healthy Relationships |  Empowering One Another // Feb. 11, 2018 // Building Healthy Relationships |  Welcoming One Another // Feb. 4, 2018 // Building Healthy Relationships |
 Loving One Another // Jan. 28, 2018 // Building Healthy Relationships |  How do we grow into maturity? // January 21, 2018 // Building Healthy Relationships |  Loving Ourselves // January 14, 2018 // Building Healthy Relationships |
 Guidance // January 7, 2018 // Spirit-filled Wisdom |  Christmas Eve // December 24, 2017 // Who Gets to See God's Glory? |  Mary & Joseph's Encounters with God // December 17, 2017 // Scandal and Shame |
 The Encounter with God // December 10, 2017 // How Are We Like Zechariah? |  Living out God's Global Vision For Church Community // November 19, 2017 // Multicultural family |  Living out God's Global Vision For Church Community // November 12, 2017 // The necessity of living in Christian community |
 Living out God's Global Vision For Church Community // November 5, 2017 // The Power of Praying Together |  Living out God's Global Vision For Church Community // October 29, 2017 // Finding Your Spiritual Gifts |  Living Out God's Global Vision for Church Community // October 22, 2017 // Equipped for our Calling |
 Living Out God's Global Vision For Church Community: October 8th, 2017 // Finding your Vocational Sweet spot (Nehemiah 1:1-4) |  Living Out God's Global Vision For Church Community: October 1st, 2017 God's Audacious Plan |  Living Out God's Global Vision For Church Community: September 24th, 2017 // Thy Kingdom Come |
 Living Out God's Global Vision For Church Community: September 19th, 2017 // Global Christian |  Living Out God's Global Vision For Church Community: September 8, 2017 // Life Purpose Finding Our Life Purpose in God's Heart for the World |  Thessalonians series: August 29, 2017 // God’s Kingdom Narrative– 1st Thessalonians 5:23-24 |
 Thessalonians series: August 15, 2017 // 1st Thessalonians 5: 16-19: Spirit Fire |  Thessalonians Series: August 10, 2017 1st Thessalonians 5 // Nurturing Community |  Thessalonians Series: August 3rd, 2017 // 1st Thessalonians 5: Nurturing Community |
 July 9th, 2017 God’s Empowering Presence |  July 2, 2017 Body Life |  June 25th, 2017 Strong Opposition |
 June 18th, 2017 The Model Servant - A transparent heart |  June 11th, 2017 A Living Model |  June 4th, 2017 Pentecost |
 May 21st, 2017 Matthew 25, The Sheep and the Goats |  May 16th, 2017 Costly Discipleship, Luke 14: 25-27,33 |  May 7th, 2017 Sermon by Bruce Wilson John 12 Evidences of how God is at work around the world |
 April 16th, 2017 "Just as he said" |