Freedom Church DC

In Week 3 of Table-ology, Pastor Jerry West continues through Luke 15 with a message called “The Empty Chair.”Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son is not only about the son who left home, but also about the Father who kept seeing the empty chair, and the older brother who refused to come to the table when grace made room for someone he thought was undeserving.This message explores the heart of God for those who are far away, the power of radical hospitality, and the danger of being near the house but far from the Father’s heart. The Father is still looking, still moved with compassion, and still making room at His table.

In Week 2 of Tableology, Pastor Jerry West preaches “The Father’s Table” from Luke 15.The parable we often call “The Prodigal Son” is not only a story about a son who wandered away. It is a revelation of the heart of the Father. The younger son came home hoping for bread, but the father gave him belonging. He came home rehearsing a servant’s speech, but the father restored him as a son.The pigpen revealed the son, but the road home revealed the Father.Maybe you have wandered. Maybe shame has convinced you that your story is over. Maybe you have believed God would let you near the house, but never back at the table. This message is a reminder that the Father is still looking down the road, and there is still a place for you at the Father’s table.Scriptures referenced:Luke 15:1–2Luke 15:11–24Psalm 65:4Psalm 92:13Psalm 84:4Psalm 103:13–14Freedom Church DCSermon Series: TableologyWeek 2: The Father’s Table

In Week 1 of our new series, Tableology, we look at Psalm 23:5 and the powerful promise that God prepares a table for His people. David does not say he found a table, built a table, or earned a table — he says the Lord prepared it.This message reminds us that God is not only our Shepherd who leads us, but also our Host who provides for us, protects us, and brings us into His presence. Whether we find ourselves in the wilderness, surrounded by enemies, or facing situations we do not understand, there is still a table prepared.God can provide anywhere.God can protect anywhere.God can meet us with His presence anywhere.

Build – Week 2: “Arks & Altars” | Sermon #127 | Feb 1, 2026 Build Week 2In Week 2 of our Build series, we learn that we’re all building something—lives, homes, futures, and a spiritual house. But what we build only holds when it’s built God’s way.From Noah’s story, we see a pattern that still matters today: grace initiates, faith responds. God didn’t call Noah to build because he was qualified—Noah “found grace,” and then obeyed. And after the ark of obedience was finished, Noah built an altar of worship—because builders don’t just build what saves them… they build what honors God. Key themesWhat have I been building? God gives the blueprint — “This is how you shall build it.” The work is in the gap — between God’s Word and “so he did.” Ark obedience + altar worship — don’t overlook the “small” things built in worship. Scriptures referencedHaggai (Haggai 1:2, 6) Genesis 6:13–16, 22 Hebrews 11:7 Titus 2:11 Matthew 7:24–27 Genesis 8:15–18, 20–21

In The Mystery in the Middle, Pastor Jerry West teaches from Mark 4:26–29 and the Parable of the Growing Seed. Jesus shows us that between the seed and the harvest, there is a middle season — a place where something is happening even when we cannot fully see it, explain it, or control it.The farmer scatters seed, sleeps and rises, and the seed sprouts and grows — “he himself does not know how.”There are parts of the process we are responsible for: we can sow, pray, teach, serve, love, and stay faithful. But only God can give the increase.Don’t misread the middle. Just because it is small does not mean it is finished. Just because it is hidden does not mean nothing is happening. The blade is not the harvest, but it is proof that God is working.📖 Scripture: Mark 4:26–29⛪ Freedom Church DC🌱 Series: Planted🎙️ Message: The Mystery in the MiddleSubscribe for more messages from Freedom Church DC, and share this with someone who needs encouragement to keep sowing, trusting, and believing God for the harvest.

In Check the Soil, Pastor Jerry West teaches from Mark 4 and the Parable of the Sower. Jesus shows us that the same seed can produce very different results depending on the condition of the soil. The issue is not the power of the Word — the issue is the condition of the heart.Is your heart hard, shallow, crowded, or ready to receive what God wants to plant?Before there can be a harvest, there has to be a breaking. Before the seed can take root, the soil has to be ready.📖 Scripture: Mark 4:1–20⛪ Freedom Church DC🌱 Series: Planted🎙️ Message: Check the SoilSubscribe for more messages from Freedom Church DC, and share this with someone who needs encouragement to keep growing in God.

For the past month, we’ve been in a series called BUILD—because whether you realize it or not, all of us are builders. You’re building a life, a family, a future… but the real question is: What am I building—and is it what God is calling me to build? In Week 4, we step into Ezra 3–4, where the foundation of the temple is laid and worship breaks out—yet the moment the work starts, the issues show up. This message is for anyone who’s been stirred by God to rebuild, but keeps getting hit with friction, fatigue, and resistance. In this sermon, we talk about 3 “building issues” every builder faces:Comparison — when your present progress feels small next to your memory of “what used to be.” Opposition — when adversaries show up, sometimes with an offer, trying to get close enough to influence what God called you to build. Division — when the work stalls not because of enemies outside, but because the builders start fighting the builders. Key Scriptures: Ezra 3:10–13Ezra 4:1–42 Corinthians 10:12Nehemiah 5:1

Week 1 of our Build series is a wake-up call from the prophet Haggai: “The time has not come… the LORD’s house should be built.” And God’s response is blunt—“Consider your ways.” Because when we keep postponing God to build our own comforts, we discover that more money, more stuff, and more success still can’t satisfy the hunger underneath it all.This message confronts procrastination and misplaced priorities—and then casts a clear Vision Sunday picture of what we’re building at Freedom Church DC: not property for property’s sake, but a house with purpose—a place where heaven meets earth and people encounter God. From Jacob’s “house of God” moment, to the tabernacle, to Solomon’s temple, to Jesus cleansing the temple, we’re reminded: the house isn’t defined by construction—it’s defined by purpose.And the vision is simple and strong: the church doesn’t have a mission; the mission has a church. We are here to seek and save the lost, make disciples, and multiply gospel presence across the DC metro—through small groups, preaching points, and church-planting momentum. This is a call to stop living for “my house” alone and to put on a hard hat with God’s people: it’s time to build God’s house.Scriptures referenced (as used in the sermon)Haggai 1:1–9 Romans 13:11Matthew 19:21 Exodus 25:8 Habakkuk 2:22 Chronicles 6 Psalm 127 (“unless the LORD builds…”) Key takeaways:Time moves—so what are we building with it? Self-first living always comes up empty. God’s house is about purpose, not property. We’re building people—and God builds His church.

Week 3 of our Build series is all about community—because God doesn’t just rebuild individuals; He rebuilds a people.In Nehemiah 2, the walls of Jerusalem weren’t only about protection from enemies—they represented identity, safety, and who they were together. And Nehemiah knew you don’t restore a city “by decree alone”… you restore it by re-forming a community. This message is a call to move from personal vision to collective responsibility—from “watch me fix this” to “Come, let us build.” Because you don’t have real community when one person carries the burden and everyone else consumes the benefit. Then we walk through Nehemiah 3—“next to him… after them… beside them”—and see biblical community in action: different people, different backgrounds, different skills, all building side-by-side. Nobody builds the whole wall, and nobody is allowed to build nothing. And when critics say the stones are burned and “will never live again,” God reminds us: He still builds with what others have written off—living stones being built into a spiritual house. Finally, we connect it to the gospel: in Christ, we’re no longer strangers—salvation reconciles us to God and to one another, and we’re being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. Scriptures referenced:Haggai 1 (series recap) Nehemiah 2:17–18 Nehemiah 3 Nehemiah 4:2–3, 6 1 Peter 2:5 Ephesians 2:13, 19, 22 If you were encouraged by this message, like, subscribe, and share. Want to connect with Freedom Church DC or jump into a Small Group? Drop a comment or reach out—we’ll help you find your place.#Build #BuildCommunity #SmallGroups #Nehemiah #BiblicalCommunity #LivingStones #Ephesians2 #ChurchFamily #FreedomChurchDC

In this message, Pastor Jerry preaches about the christian response to the emotion of anger.

In this message, Pastor Jerry preaches on our hearts, pulling us in two directions.

In this first message of our series, Enemies from Within, Pastor Jerry preaches about the threats facing our hearts from within and the fact that nearly every time someone's heart was failing them in the bible, it was because of fear.

In this message, Pastor Jerry preaches about Judas's interaction with Jesus at the Last Supper and how he was the only one who did not call Jesus Lord. Judas knew Jesus more than almost anyone else, being one of the twelve, and yet he never knew Jesus as Lord.

In this message, Pastor Jerry preaches about the man with the withered hand and how when Jesus shows up, it is never JUST another Sunday.

In this message, Pastor Jerry preaches about the promises of God and how He sustains us until we see them come to pass.

In this message, Pastor Jerry preaches through the story of the three boys thrown in the fiery furnace describing four practical but powerful truths that we must hold on to in order to face our own fires in life.

In this message, Pastor Jerry preaches from John 1 and the story of Jesus' first miracle in John 2. He gave us three necessary steps that we see in that story that put us in a position to experience greater things.

In this message, Pastor Jerry preaches about the wise men and their determination to find Jesus.

In this message, Pastor Jerry preaches about the places where God provides for us.

In this message, Pastor Jerry preaches about worry and how to handle it in our lives.

In this message, Pastor Jerry preaches about indecision and how our fears of making decisions can hold us back from God's best for our lives.

In this second message of our October series, Pastor Jerry preaches about darkness and sudden surprises and how they create doubt in our lives.

In the first message of our October series, Haunted Houses, Pastor Jerry preaches on Haunted By Hurts.

In this message, Pastor Jerry preaches about the moments when the surroundings don't match the season that you were expecting or thought you were in.

In this message, Pastor Jerry preaches from the creation account in Genesis 2. God, through and in the garden, gave Adam a place and a purpose. But there was something that he needed that the garden couldn't provide - other people. Pastor Jerry preaches about the need for others and Adam's involvement in forming the relationship that God wanted to give him.

In this message, Pastor Jerry preaches from Hebrews 12 and the admonition to run with endurance.

In this message, Pastor Jerry preaches about Jacob's unexpected marriage to Leah and how that marriage resulted in some of his biggest blessings.

In this message, Pastor Jerry preaches from the example of the thieves on the cross and the Old Testament guidelines for the cities of refuge to share this truth - we aren't far from a place of safety and freedom.

In this first message of our series called GOOD, Pastor Jerry preaches about the good shepherd.

In this message, Pastor Jerry addresses the necessity of signs in the life of a believer.

In this message, Pastor Jerry preaches from Mark 5 and the man possessed by evil spirits.

In this message, Pastor Jerry preaches from the story of the Resurrection in Mark 16.

In this message, Pastor Jerry preaches through John 12 about what happens in the middle of the place where it's easy to worship and where everything makes sense.

In this message, Pastor Jerry preaches about loving God and others with our whole heart.

We were created by God with the longing for love. Using the story of the wise men in Matthew 2 and the marriage between Jacob and Leah in Genesis, Pastor Jerry preaches about how our search for love can take us to the wrong place.

In the final message of our series "First," Pastor Jerry preaches about the priority of the church - Others First.

In this message, Pastor Jerry preaches from the story of God's test to Abraham in Genesis 22. At the end of the story, Abraham names a mountain "The Lord is my Provider." But before Abraham gets a testimony, he first faces a test. What will you put first?

In this message, Pastor Jerry preaches about the importance of prayer in our lives.

In the first message of the series "First," Pastor Jerry preaches about putting God first and what happens when we fail to do so.

In this message, Pastor Jerry preaches from Ezra 7 and the unlimited supply of salt made available by the king.

In this sermon, Pastor Jerry preaches through the carol "Go Tell It On The Mountain." God found shepherds that became the first New Testament preachers.

In this sermon, Pastor Jerry preaches about the connection between snow and humanity.

The songs of Christmas. It is to their tune that we move and operate during this holiday season. Filling the atmosphere in shopping malls and restaurants, their words tell a story.  In this first message, Pastor Jerry preaches about the oldest of the Carols that we still sing - and one of the few written in a minor key. In the playlist of songs filled with joy and peace, this song tells a different story.

In this message, Pastor Jerry preaches from John 8.

In this message, Pastor Jerry preaches about seasons of pressure and how they are necessary on the path to our place of promise!

In this first message of the series "Surviving Scary Seasons," Pastor Jerry preaches about surviving seasons of darkness and about how we need to be persuaded that we will make it.

Guest Speaker James Wilson preaches about how sometimes our faith is limited by our minds and how we should posture ourselves to receive from God.

In this message, Pastor Jerry preaches about the value of friendship and also about the danger of looking in relationships for the strength and support that we can only get from Christ.

We are suffering from an epidemic of loneliness. God's answer for the lack of community that we feel is the body of Christ. In this message, Pastor Jerry preaches about the necessity of being together.

In this message, Pastor Jerry preaches through the story of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8.