The Finished Work of Christ and the Life We Are Called to Live When Jesus took the cup at the Passover table, He declared, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:28). Everything God had been revealing through the Old Testament sacrifices pointed toward this moment. Jesus was accomplishing what no human effort could achieve: our forgiveness, reconciliation with God, and new life in Him. Hebrews 12:24 tells us th

Stand Firm in the Freedom Christ Has Given You — Galatians 5:1 Have you ever wondered why we sometimes return to the very things we’ve been set free from? Imagine a bird whose cage door has been opened. It has the opportunity to fly, yet hesitates. The cage is familiar, even though it was never meant to be its home. Sometimes our walk with God can feel the same way. Through Jesus Christ, we have been released from condemnation, shame, and the burden of trying to prove our wor

“Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!” — 2 Corinthians 9:15 Some gifts leave us searching for words. We open them, look at the person who gave them, and all we can say is, “Wow. Thank you.” That’s where the apostle Paul arrives when he considers God’s greatest gift to us: Jesus Christ. And that gift gives us a reason to be thankful—not just when life is good, but even when it isn’t. It’s easy to give thanks when prayers are answered, relationships are restored, and ev

This is a summary of Luke Best's sermon from October 4th 2026. In 1 Corinthians 16:13–14, Paul gives the church a concise, active call to spiritual maturity: “Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.” Nothing about this instruction is passive. Here is how we can break down Paul’s command step-by-step: 1. Be Watchful: Learning Discernment When camping in the dark, every falling leaf or snapping twig can feel like a be

Have you ever felt like you’re trying really hard to live the Christian life—but somehow keep falling short? You’re not alone. The Christian life was never meant to be something we manufacture through our own strength. As Martyn Lloyd-Jones famously reminded us, “Superficial views of the work of Christ produce superficial Christian lives.” When we misunderstand what Christ accomplished for us, we can easily reduce Christianity to trying harder, doing better, and becoming more

God pursues us, God pursues others, and God pursues our hearts. When we hear the story of Jonah, we usually think of the fish. But Jonah is about far more than a great fish or a reluctant prophet. It is about a God whose mercy is bigger than our boundaries—and whose love reaches people we might rather see judged than forgiven. Jonah ran from God because he didn’t want Nineveh, a wicked city, to receive God’s mercy. Yet God pursued him. Through a storm, a fish, and a difficult