Pastor Chad’s sermon focuses on Simeon’s encounter with Jesus, highlighting a life marked by righteousness, patient waiting, and dependence on the Holy Spirit. Simeon models a healthy fear of the Lord, faithfulness while waiting on God’s promises, and sensitivity to the Spirit’s leading, which ultimately brings him face to face with Christ. His song reveals Jesus as the fulfillment of God’s rescue mission—the Light for all people and the glory of Israel. Pastor Chad also emphasizes the meaning of the “sword,” pointing to Christ’s suffering and the way the gospel both wounds and heals, calling believers to surrender, holiness, and hopeful expectation as they await the return of Jesus.
Pastor Chad teaches from Luke 2 that the Song of the Angels reveals how Christmas is the moment when heaven and earth collide. The angels’ proclamation of “Glory to God in the highest” and “peace on earth” announces not good advice, but good news—that God has acted in history through the birth of Jesus to change the world forever. Through Christ, God offers what humanity needed most: peace with Himself, reconciling sinners through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, and inviting all people to respond in faith and worship.
Pastor Chad centers the message on Zechariah’s song in Luke 1, showing that God is the One who was, is, and is to come. Zechariah looks back at God’s proven faithfulness—from Abraham to Israel’s deliverance—reminding believers that remembering God’s past work builds present faith. In the “now,” Pastor Chad urges Christians to live like Zechariah by continuing to show up faithfully, living blamelessly without compromise, and keeping prayer alive even when life feels delayed or disappointing. Finally, Zechariah’s prophecy points forward to Jesus as the “horn of salvation,” connected to the Old Testament Year of Jubilee, a symbol of ultimate freedom, forgiveness, and restoration. In the same way, Jesus’ return is our true Jubilee, giving Christians hope and strength to remain faithful as they wait for His coming.
This sermon opens the Advent season, a time when Christians celebrate Christ’s first coming and long for His return. Using Mary’s song in Luke 1:46–55, Pastor Chad shows three truths revealed in the “first Christmas carol.” (1) God is good and merciful: Mary, a poor and unknown girl from Nazareth, is overwhelmed that God sees her, chooses her, and transforms her from the inside out. Her song springs from reflecting on what heaven has declared over her—blessing, favor, and mercy. (2) God is great and just: Mary praises the Mighty One who fights for the humble, the hungry, and those who fear Him, while opposing the proud, powerful, and self-reliant. God overturns worldly values and lifts up those the world overlooks. (3) God is faithful: Mary celebrates the God who keeps His promises to Abraham and to generations after him. Advent reminds believers to rejoice in what Christ has done and to long with hope for His return, when His mercy, justice, and faithfulness will be fully revealed.
Dr. Dan Tomberlin calls the church to reclaim its mission by boldly obeying Jesus’ command to “go and make disciples” in this final sermon in the “Let The Church Rise” series. Using Scripture, history, and cultural examples, the Dr. Tomberlin argues that believers today must see themselves as everyday missionaries in a changing, increasingly secular world, engaging people with courage rather than fear. Baptism marks our new identity and Spirit-filled life, and sanctification shapes our minds, hearts, hands, and feet so we can carry the gospel wherever we go. Ultimately, the message urges Christians to live sent—bringing Jesus to the nations who are now at our doorstep.
Pastor Chad teaches that the church is the Bride of Christ, loved deeply and sacrificially by Jesus, who redeems, cleanses, sanctifies, and prepares His people for the day He returns for them. Using Ephesians 5, Pastor highlights ten ways Christ lovingly cares for His church and calls believers to respond with sincere devotion, guarding their thoughts and affection from drifting toward the world. He explains that sin is not merely rule-breaking but spiritual unfaithfulness that breaks God’s heart. Finally, drawing from Revelation and ancient wedding customs, Pastor Chad reminds the church that history is moving toward the marriage supper of the Lamb, and believers must actively prepare themselves—living holy, attentive, expectant lives—as Christ soon returns for His bride.
This sermon from The Crossing Church continues the “Let the Church Rise” series, focusing on the truth that believers are the temple of the Holy Spirit, both individually and corporately. Drawing from Ephesians 2:19–22, Pastor Chad explains that just as the Old Testament temple was built for God’s glory, so now the Church is God’s dwelling place on earth. Jesus Christ is the chief cornerstone, the essential foundation upon which the Church is built, while the apostles and prophets provide the scriptural framework. The message stresses that God’s glory no longer dwells in buildings but in believers themselves—cleansed by the blood of Jesus and made holy vessels for His Spirit. Pastor Chad traces the biblical journey of God’s glory—from the tabernacle and Solomon’s temple to its departure in Ezekiel, its return in Christ, and finally its outpouring upon the Church in Acts 2—showing that the Church is now the living temple filled with divine presence. He urges both personal holiness (“you can’t live like you used to”) and corporate unity, warning that churches can lose the glory if they drift from truth. The sermon closes with the image of living water flowing from God’s temple (John 7:37–39), calling believers to “come to Jesus, drink deeply, and flow freely”—bringing life, healing, and the presence of God wherever they go.
Pastor Chad’s message—part of the Let the Church Rise series—focuses on the truth that believers are the body of Christ, united under Jesus as the head. Drawing from Ephesians 1 and 1 Corinthians 12, he teaches that the Church is not a human idea but God’s design, created for our benefit and filled with the life of Christ Himself. Our union with Christ means we share His life, His Spirit, and His mission in the world. Pastor Chad emphasizes that just as a body cannot live without its head, Christians cannot function apart from Jesus or from one another; faith is never meant to be a private, solo experience. The Church, though imperfect, remains God’s chosen instrument to reveal His love and bring hope to the world—His hands, feet, and eyes today. Calling the congregation “Team Jesus,” he encourages everyone to “get in the game,” faithfully serve their role, and let the Church rise through unity, humility, and compassion as they prepare for the upcoming Share Hope outreach offering.
In this sermon, Pastor Chad teaches that God has called the church not only to serve Him but to become His friends—those who know His heart, walk in obedience, and partner with Him in His plans for the earth. Drawing from John 15:12–17, he explains that friendship with God begins with reverence and obedience, not casual familiarity, reminding believers that though Christ set us free, we are still called to serve Him rather than sin, flesh, fear, law, or the devil. Pastor Chad uses the examples of Moses and Abraham, two people God called friends, to illustrate how true friendship with God comes through intimacy and intentional pursuit: Moses met God “face to face” in the tent of meeting, and Abraham invited God into his tent, showing hospitality and deep honor. Both men demonstrated that when we make space for God, He fills it—revealing His heart, bringing fruitfulness, and allowing us to intercede for others. Pastor Chad urges believers to stop giving God “leftovers,” to repent for neglecting His presence, and to once again make room in their hearts and schedules for genuine friendship with Him—because God still looks for friends who will partner with Him to bring His kingdom to earth.
Pastor Chad’s new sermon series, “Let the Church Rise” from Matthew 16:13–19 emphasizes that the Church is not a man-made institution but the living, Spirit-filled body built by Christ Himself. He declared, “I will build My Church,” meaning it belongs to Him, and even the gates of hell cannot prevail against it. The Church is called out from the world to represent God’s kingdom on earth, carrying heaven’s authority and advancing His rule through obedience, prayer, and the proclamation of the gospel. Though spiritual opposition and persecution will come, the Church’s purpose remains to usher in God’s presence, confess Christ boldly, and herald the good news to every nation. Pastor Chad urges believers to rise in faith, unity, and authority so that this generation’s Church becomes a powerful reflection of Jesus’ victory and mission in the world.
Pastor Adam Baird’s sermon from Luke 13:10–13 centers on the idea that while pain is an inevitable part of life, God gives purpose to our pain. He begins with a humorous story about doing a cold plunge to illustrate how people will willingly endure pain when they see a purpose behind it—but struggle deeply when their pain feels meaningless. Using the story of the woman crippled for eighteen years, Pastor Baird draws out four truths: Jesus sees our pain, calls us in our pain, speaks to our pain, and touches our pain to give it purpose. He emphasizes that no one is exempt from suffering, but Christ is drawn to those who are hurting and meets them with compassion and healing. Even when God seems silent or when healing doesn’t come immediately, He is working in the “gap,” shaping faith and trust. The sermon closes by urging believers to bring their pain to Jesus—whether physical, emotional, or spiritual—because He alone can transform it into praise, turning what once crippled us into a testimony of His restoring power.Pain We Carry (Adam Baird)
In this sermon, Pastor Terry Harris teaches that stewardship and tithing are not about money but about acknowledging God’s ownership and lordship over every part of our lives—our time, talents, treasure, and testimony. Using scriptures like Luke 6:38 and Matthew 6:19–21, he explains that what happens to the first determines what happens to the rest, emphasizing that giving God the first portion invites His blessing and protection over all we have. Drawing from biblical examples such as Abraham’s obedience, the firstfruits offerings, Jericho, and Jesus as God’s firstborn sacrifice, Pastor Harris shows that tithing is both a test of faith and an act of worship that redeems the rest of our resources. He likens God’s blessing to an umbrella that doesn’t remove life’s storms but covers and sustains us through them, calling believers to live under that divine covering by faithfully honoring God first.
Pastor Chad, preaching from 2 Corinthians 5, emphasizes the reality of the judgment seat of Christ, where every believer will give an account—not for salvation, which is secured by grace through faith, but for rewards or loss of rewards based on how they lived. He explains that God will evaluate obedience, motives, stewardship of time and resources, and how we treated others, reminding the church that eternity is shaped not only by where we spend it but also how we experience it. Using Lot as an example of a man who was saved yet suffered great loss through compromise, Pastor Chad warns against “living on the edge” and stresses that our choices ripple across generations. He urges believers to live with eternity in mind, building on Christ with works that endure, so that when they stand before Him, their lives reflect faithfulness, surrender, and fruit that lasts into eternity.
Revelation 20:10-15 ESV 10 and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. 11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. 13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. 14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
Revelation 21:1-5 ESV 1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” 5 And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
Colossians 3:1-2 ESV If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.
John 5:1-9 NIV 1 Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. 2 Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. 3 Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. 5 One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?”
7 “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.”
8 Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” 9 At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.
The day on which this took place was a Sabbath,
Ezekiel 47:1-9 NIV 1 The man brought me back to the entrance to the temple, and I saw water coming out from under the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east). The water was coming down from under the south side of the temple, south of the altar. 2 He then brought me out through the north gate and led me around the outside to the outer gate facing east, and the water was trickling from the south side. 3 As the man went eastward with a measuring line in his hand, he measured off a thousand cubits and then led me through water that was ankle-deep. 4 He measured off another thousand cubits and led me through water that was knee-deep. He measured off another thousand and led me through water that was up to the waist. 5 He measured off another thousand, but now it was a river that I could not cross, because the water had risen and was deep enough to swim in—a river that no one could cross. 6 He asked me, “Son of man, do you see this?” Then he led me back to the bank of the river. 7 When I arrived there, I saw a great number of trees on each side of the river. 8 He said to me, “This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah, where it enters the Dead Sea. When it empties into the sea, the salty water there becomes fresh. 9 Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows. There will be large numbers of fish, because this water flows there and makes the salt water fresh; so where the river flows everything will live.
Ecclesiastes 1:2-3 ESV Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity. 3 What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun?
Revelation 4:1-2 ESV After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this. 2 At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne.
Revelation 4:8-11 ESV And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” 9 And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying, 11 “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”
Acts 10:38 NIV God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how He went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with Him.
Ephesians 6:12 ESV For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
2 Timothy 2:20-21 ESV 20 Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. 21 Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.
1 Timothy 3:15 NASB but in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one should act in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.