The Chapel Sermon Podcast

The world offers us many things to connect our hope to—political parties, the number of likes and followers, the jobs and positions we hold, and more. Yet, none of these bring lasting, meaningful hope. What our hearts truly need is heavenly hope. Hope that walks with us through our pain, reminding us that God sees us and has goodness in store for each of us. Story after story in the Bible tells us how God showed up for people, came...

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:8-10

At first glance, these verses can seem contradictory and raise a lot of questions: If salvation is attained by grace alone, why are we ...

This week, as we continued in our series Revive Me, we looked at the unlikely relationship that formed between Peter and Cornelius in Acts 10. We learned that there are two keys to relationships. When utilized together, they unlock kingdom community in our lives. The first key is purpose. The purpose we are called to is to follow Jesus. When we enter into a relationship with him, we will begin to look and live like Jesus, to listen...

This week, Scott continued our series, "Revive Me," focusing on 1 Kings 19 and the prophet Elijah. Like many of us, Elijah struggles with feelings of isolation and loneliness. Filled with despair and fear, he seeks refuge in a cave on Mount Horeb (also known as Mount Sinai, where Moses encountered the burning bush and received the Ten Commandments). God asks Elijah why he is hiding in the cave. Elijah r...

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Matthew 5:6 NIV

This week, we looked at two contrasting stories from the Old Testament: Eve, who ate from the forbidden tree and then hid from God, and Abraham, who held nothing back from God, declaring, “Here I am.” When we emulate Abraham's unwavering faith, trust in God’s provision, and st...

John 11:17-27 recounts the story of Jesus arriving in Bethany after the death of Lazarus. Martha greeted Jesus and expressed her faith in him, saying that if he had been there, her brother would not have died. Jesus assured Martha that her brother would rise again, to which Martha replied that she believed in a future resurrection. Jesus then tells her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even...

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come so that they may have life, and may have it abundantly. John 10:10

In John 2, ​​Jesus and his disciples were at a wedding in Cana. During the celebration, the wine ran out. If this had become known to the guests, it would have resulted in significant social embarrassment to the hosting family. At the request of ...

“Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them.” Exodus 25:8

In the Old Testament, the Temple was where people could experience God—his healing, blessing, and forgiveness. The curtain in the temple separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place. In the Most Holy Place was the Tabernacle, where God's presence dwelt among the Israelite people. Once a y...

Roman soldiers were known for their harsh treatment of individuals. The most severe, sternest, and cruelest soldiers were elevated to the rank of centurion and entrusted with leading a cohort of Roman soldiers. This week, in our series "What Happened on the Cross," we looked at the crucifixion through the eyes of the Roman centurion overseeing Jesus' execution. The heart of this centurion would have been hardened by years of cynici...

Can people change? Not just in one area of their lives, like getting in shape, investing in their career, or changing their finances. Can people make a change so all-encompassing that it fundamentally takes them off one path and puts them on another, and they become a new person? 

Jesus had a conversation on the cross that speaks to this question. There were two criminals with Jesus: one who taunted Jesus and the other who recogniz...

This week, Scott concluded our series, “I Believe,” by teaching on The Chapel’s Belief Circle. When we compare how God moved in the lives of people in the Bible to our own lives, we may feel a gap between what we read and experience. This gap is often because we have believed the wrong things about the gospel, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and our mission, as seen outside the circle. But when we begin living by what’s inside the circle, ...

The church is the community of the kingdom of God on earth. God envisions the church to be where his goodness is experienced with one another and poured out into the world around us. As we continued in our series, I Believe, we looked at ten ways to build the type of community that God dreams of for our church. 

10 Ways to Build the Community of God's Kingdom 1.  Spend time in God's presence 2.  Make attending on the weekend a prio...

The topic of the Holy Spirit can be hard to understand and sometimes divisive. Some churches emphasize the Spirit, while others hardly talk about the Spirit's role in our lives. You may have heard discussions about being filled with the Spirit or led by the Spirit and wondered what it all means. In this week’s message, Denvil began in the book of Genesis and continued through the Old Testament, the life of Jesus, Pentecost, and up ...

Over and over again, Jesus preached that the kingdom of heaven was close, at hand, or within reach. His message drew thousands of people eager to listen. The Jewish people at that time recognized two distinct "ages" or periods of time. The first was their current age, marked by hardship, suffering, and evil. They also anticipated a future age which they referred to as "the kingdom of God", where all suffering would come to an end. ...

There is abundant evidence supporting Jesus's existence in historical records, as documented by Roman and Jewish non-Christian historians. Their writings acknowledge the life, death, and ministry of Jesus, and remarkably, some even go as far as recognizing the resurrection. 

Jesus is the absolute truth, the only way, and the fullness of life. The emptiness you feel cannot be satisfied by anything other than Jesus. What he offers i...

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17

The Bible was written amidst dramatically diverse circumstances and contexts by 40 authors across three continents, in three languages, over a span of 1500 years. Yet, remarkably, it still tells one cohesive story! God inspired eac...

While in captivity, God gives a prophetic vision to Ezekiel. In his vision, the temple has been rebuilt, and water flows from it to the east, bringing life to everything it touches. In the Old Testament, whenever the people move away from God, they go east. Nothing good comes from the east. And yet, here, the water flows east. Ezekiel’s vision creates this beautiful picture of living water flowing from the temple into the world’s d...

As we look ahead to this election year, we are reminded that the future of America is not determined by who we elect as president. Racism and poverty will not cease to exist because a person or party is elected or because policies are enacted; they end when God’s kingdom invades the earth. So how does that happen? How does God bring his kingdom? It’s through us! 

Each of us has the opportunity to be part of the change our country n...

Happiness often feels just out of reach; hard to catch and harder to hang onto. Worldly wisdom suggests happiness is achieved through sheer willpower or by changing our circumstances. If we work hard enough or if people or situations change, then we will be happier. The Bible teaches something entirely different; that peace and joy are the overflow of spending time in the presence of God. 

May the God of hope fill...