The Valwood Park Sermon Podcast

Over six chapters, Paul has laid out the corruption that has taken down the once vibrant Ephesian Church. Having challenged Timothy to stay in the city, dig in, and fight that corruption, the apostle now gives his protege one final, heartfelt plea to remain faithful.

As Paul wraps up his letter to Timothy, he circles back to the original issue that prompted his address – the false teachers corrupting the church. What is driving their errors and heresy? How can those errors be detected and defended against?

As Paul continues to lay out how 1 Timothy should approach the necessary changes ahead for the church in Ephesus, he pays particular attention to the way Timothy should deal with the elders currently leading the congregation.

If Jesus was never risen, we should be pitied. Yet, thank the Lord that the story didn't end on the cross.

Both fully human and fully God, Jesus was uniquely suited to be our Savior and now our high priest.

As Paul continues to address Timothy’s personal character, he turns his attention to how this young minister should relate to those around him in the congregation, giving special attention to one particularly vulnerable group of members.

After explaining how the church should function and be ordered, Paul continues to lay out how Timothy should prepare himself for the ministry ahead. It serves as a powerful reminder for anyone aspiring to church leadership.

After giving Timothy specific instructions on how to address issues within the Ephesian church, Paul now turns his focus toward Timothy and his own character.

As Paul reaches the halfway point in his letter to Timothy, he pivots back to the reason for his writings – the unbelievable person of Jesus Christ. He also reminds his protege that some will leave the faith when they swerve from this gospel.

There are two teams of officers in the New Testament church – the elders and the deacons. After laying out the qualifications of the elders, Paul now instructs Timothy on what to look for in deacons.

As Paul continues to explain how the Household of God is meant to be ordered, he turns his attention to the qualifications of its leaders. What should we expect of the men who stand in the pulpit and shepherd the church?

Paul has just begun talking about how the Household of God should be properly ordered so that the Ephesian church can display the radiance of the gospel. After commanding them to pray and commit themselves to a specific lifestyle, now he explains further how that lifestyle should look.

As we continue our journey through 1 Timothy, Paul begins to outline how the church should be ordered. He encourages Timothy to begin his ministry with prayer for all people. Built within this encouragement is something that will deeply challenge the Ephesian believers.

Having charged Timothy with countering the false messages of errant leaders, Paul now pivots to the source of our faith – the miracle of salvation that is initiated by God and for God. And for a well-educated man, his argument doesn't appeal to logic. Instead, it is deeply personal and emotional.

This week, we kick off our new series in 1 Timothy. In this letter, Paul writes to Timothy with instructions on how to handle leadership and doctrinal issues that have arisen in the once-great Ephesian church. He is calling on him to address the doctrinal problems and call out the leaders who are peddling them. The letter gives us tremendous insight into God’s design for the church and how we’re meant to function together.

As Jesus prepares to ascend back into heaven and sit at the right hand of the Father, he’s got a job for his disciples to complete. In just one simple verse, he gives a command that will transform billions of lives.

As Jesus reaches the very end of his earthly ministry, he gives final instructions for his followers while they await his return.

Since Gabriel first appeared to Zechariah to announce that he would have a son, the priest has remained mute. Nine months later, his son is born. After naming him John, Zechariah’s voice comes back, and he proclaims the glory of what God is preparing to do. His prophecy carries significance for how we think about our redemption.

After receiving Gabriel’s news that she will bear the Christ-child, Mary sets out for Judea to visit her relative, Elizabeth. When the two pregnant women meet, John rejoices in the womb, Elizabeth makes a stunning confession, and Mary poetically and beautifully praises God for the blessing that she – and her people – have now received.

God can do anything with anyone, from anywhere. This is the reality Mary confronts when an angel appears to her, revealing that she will soon be pregnant with the long-awaited Messiah. A similar announcement already caught Zechariah on the back foot. Will Mary’s response be any different?

Advent is officially here. Over the next four weeks, we will journey through Luke 1 as God breaks centuries of silence. It all begins as Zechariah, the high priest, receives a startling revelation that his barren wife, Elizabeth, is pregnant. Join us at 10:30 am as we dig into it!

As we close out our series in Nehemiah, we reach the point where we typically expect a fairytale ending. But as Chapter 13 unfolds, it’s anything but that. We see the people slide back into destructive habits and sins, while Nehemiah returns to the city he rebuilt, now in chaos.

After all the hard work and obstacles, the people reach the moment they’ve been waiting for this entire time. it’s dedication day and the people celebrate the start to their new life in their newly rebuilt city.

The story of Nehemiah is beginning to come to its close. After having just confessed to a ridiculous pattern of habitual sins through the generations, the remnant in Jerusalem now makes a firm commitment to return to the Lord in holiness, justice, and sacrificial worship as they begin their new lives in their rebuilt city.

With the wall complete and the truth of God’s Word before them, the people enter into an intentional time of confession that recounts the story of God’s faithfulness in the wake of their unfaithfulness.

In our series through Nehemiah, the rebuilding project is reaching its end. The breaches are closing, and the city of Jerusalem is nearly ready to welcome the exiles from faraway lands. However, this doesn’t stop Nehemiah’s enemies from making a few final attempts to destroy him and end the initiative. As their efforts inevitably fail, we see God glorified and the wall finally completed.

As the rebuilding of the wall continues, the moral damage in the hearts of the people rises to the surface. This leads Nehemiah to take corrective action, calling out massive injustices being carried out by richer Jews against the poorer ones.

The people are actively and feverishly rebuilding, but as they do, they are faced with steep opposition from their enemies. This comes in the form of both ridicule and threats. But in the face of the opposition, they keep their focus on God, who will fight for them, leading to a pivotal turning point.

Following Nehemiah’s arrival in the city with a fresh mandate by the Lord and the Persian king, the people are motivated to repair the walls of Jerusalem. Everyone, from the priests and officials to the middle-class workers, plays their part in bringing Jerusalem back to her former glory for the purpose of worshipping and glorifying God in their ancient home.

After months of preparing, planning, and praying, Nehemiah finally journeys to Jerusalem and lays eyes on the city’s destruction. He comes in quietly before boldly calling the people to action. As he does, he encounters enemies who are less than pleased by Nehemiah’s initiative.

After hearing the news that Jerusalem's walls remain in ruins, Nehemiah is grieved by his nation's current state and the sin that led up to it. Having spent months in prayer and waiting for the right moment, he reaches the point of action. As he requests the king's permission to go back and rebuild the walls, Nehemiah demonstrates faithful obedience and dependence on the Lord. 

When we’re confronted with the weight of our sin, we are tempted to grieve in two ways. We can either grieve with a sense of helplessness or with the hope that comes from the gospel. As Nehemiah laments the sin of his people and the punishment they’re now facing, he demonstrates good, godly grief that is bathed in the hope of God’s promises.

For generations, the people of Israel have been in a period of exile after centuries of rebellion against God. No longer in the Promised Land, the people now find themselves scattered across an unknown empire with unknown neighbors. In this place of darkness, they’re stuck wondering if God is still there, if he is still for them, and if he will still redeem them. In the midst of these difficult questions, God raises up Nehemiah, a political leader with incredible influence who believes their story is not over.

Why is God worth trusting? Thomas Maurer explores two critical aspects of God's character that give us comfort as we place our faith in him.

We all know what it’s like to feel small or insignificant. Others question the depth of God’s love for them. As Jesus writes to the church in Philadelphia, he addresses a congregation that is small, weak, but incredibly faithful. To this faithful church, he gives them important reminders and powerful encouragements about his love for them.

Jesus’ letter to the church in Laodicea is his most infamous one. In this passage, he calls the church out for their lukewarm spiritual living. But what does it really mean to be a lukewarm Christian? How does someone get to that place? And what does Jesus mean when he says he is going to spit them out of his mouth?

The city of Sardis had once been an incredible place to live, full of industry and resources. But by the first century, it had become a shadow of its former self. Unfortunately, so had its church. In Jesus’ harshest letter yet, he describes them as a dead congregation on the brink of extinction. But not all hope is lost and, as always, Jesus gives them a promise to the one who conquers.

As humans, we tend to wander easily. We quickly give our hearts to things that do not deserve them. The church in Thyatira understood this temptation well as they struggled with internal influences trying to distract them from Christ. But his response to their unfaithfulness is a powerful reminder of his love, patience, and strength.

Forgiveness is incredibly tough. Some hurts are so intense that it almost seems offensive to forgive them. But as followers of Christ, forgiveness is both modeled for us and commanded of us. This week, Grant Hoover unpacks what it means that we are both forgiven and commanded to forgive.

Imagine living for Jesus in a place that he literally calls the throne of Satan. Consider the temptation, the pressure, and the threat to compromise your faith in favor of the prevailing culture that’s all around you. This was reality for the Christians in Pergamum who stood for Jesus, yet still compromised their worship of him.

Jesus never promises that following him will be easy. Few churches in the first century knew that better than the Christians in Smyrna. What does it look like to suffer well for the gospel? What is Jesus’ promise to the one who conquers amidst the pressures to forsake Christ?

As Jesus addresses the church in Ephesus, he is speaking to a congregation that is lost. They do the right things, but with a heart that is empty. They've lost their first love. But what does that mean? How does it look when we do the same?

Churches do a lot of things. We keep busy schedules and activities on the books. But what are the key habits and values that define a healthy church? How do its members participate? This week, we look at the four essential habits of a healthy church. After the sermon, we took the Congregation Health Assessment that measures how well we are each maintaining these habits.

As Paul brings his beautiful letter to the Ephesians to a close, he leaves them with a crucial reminder that the road ahead will be challenging. Using battle terminology, he describes how they must remain prepared and vigilant against the enemy who opposes them.

As Paul moves into the final section of his letter, he stresses the importance of having rightly ordered relationships, the foundation of which is mutual submission toward one another. After unpacking how this looks in the context of marriage, he moves on to parenting and worker relationships.

So far in his letter to the Ephesians, Paul has provided a beautiful and comprehensive reminder of the gospel, a plea for unity in the church, and a challenge to personal holiness. Now, he turns his focus to how the gospel informs the most basic and intimate relationships in a believer’s life, starting with marriage.

As Paul continues to build on what it means to live as a follower of Christ, he draws a contrast between the lives the Ephesian Christians once lived and who they are called to be now. In doing so, he specifically challenges them to live as light in the Spirit. But what does that mean, and how can we discern God’s will for our lives?