Trust Jesus in the Pain | Dear Church | Pastor Brandon Woodard

Trust Jesus in the Pain | Dear Church | Pastor Brandon Woodard

Not every hard season means something has gone wrong. Sometimes the pain we are walking through is not proof that God has left us; it is the place where we discover He has been closer than we realized. We often measure blessing by comfort, resources, ease, and escape. But Jesus measures differently. What the world calls poor, He may call rich. What the world calls losing, He may call faithful. What the world sees as weakness, He may see as endurance. In this message, Pastor Brandon Woodard continues our Dear Church series by looking at Jesus’ letter to the church in Smyrna in Revelation 2:8–11. Smyrna had very little by the world’s standards. They were facing pressure, poverty, slander, and real persecution. Yet Jesus looked at them and said they were rich. He did not minimize their suffering, but He also did not promise them an easy exit. He promised them something greater: His presence, His faithfulness, and a crown of life. This letter is for anyone going through something hard right now. The diagnosis you didn’t expect. The pressure that will not let up. The grief you cannot shake. The season that feels unfair. Suffering does not mean God has forgotten you. Sometimes it means He trusts you with something most people cannot carry. Jesus does not always remove the fire, but He meets His people in it. He sees what you are enduring. He knows what it is costing you. And He reminds His church that pain does not get the final word. Faithfulness does. The presence of pain does not mean the absence of God. In This Message: ► Dear Smyrna: Why Jesus’ words to a suffering church still bring hope to hurting people today. ► Poor but Rich: How Jesus redefines blessing, strength, and spiritual wealth. ► No Easy Exit: Why Jesus does not always remove suffering, but promises to be faithful through it. ► Suffering Well: Practical ways to remain faithful, hopeful, and anchored in Christ when life gets hard. Next Steps: ► New to New Post? We’d love to connect with you: https://www.newpost.church/contact-10 ► Need Prayer? If you’re ready to tear down an altar today, our team would love to stand with you: https://www.newpost.church/care ► Give: Support the mission of making disciples by visiting: https://www.newpost.church/give ► Join a Group: Don't swing the axe alone. Find a community to walk with: https://www.newpost.church/life-groups Subscribe to stay updated on the latest messages from New Post Church. #Sermon #BibleTeaching #BibleStudy #Jesus #Christianity

Truth AND Grace | Dear Church | Pastor Brandon Woodard

It is possible to be right and still be distant. We can know the truth, defend the truth, work hard for the truth, and still slowly drift away from the love that made the truth beautiful in the first place. That is the danger of religion without relationship. It can look faithful on the outside while something is growing cold on the inside. In this message, Pastor Brandon Woodard begins our new series, Dear Church, by looking at Jesus’ letter to the church in Ephesus in Revelation 2:1–7. The church in Ephesus had a lot going for it. They worked hard. They endured. They had sound doctrine. They refused to tolerate false teaching. On paper, they looked strong. But Jesus saw something deeper. They had abandoned the love they had at first. This letter is a reminder that Jesus cares about both grace and truth. Truth matters. Doctrine matters. Endurance matters. But Jesus is not just looking for a perfect record; He is looking for a real relationship. He does not want a church that only knows how to be correct. He wants a church that remembers how to love. The good news is that Jesus’ correction is not rejection. His call to return is itself an act of grace. He names what has drifted because He loves us enough to bring us back. No matter how long you have been going through the motions, you can come back. You can return to the love that started it all. Stand for truth and walk with grace. In This Message: ► Dear Church: Why Jesus’ words to the churches in Revelation still speak to us today. ► The Ephesus Problem: How a church can be doctrinally strong but relationally distant. ► Grace and Truth: Why Jesus calls us to stand firmly for truth while walking humbly in love. ► Come Back to Love: Practical ways to recognize spiritual drift and return to a real relationship with Jesus. Next Steps: ► New to New Post? We’d love to connect with you: https://www.newpost.church/contact-10 ► Need Prayer? If you’re ready to tear down an altar today, our team would love to stand with you: https://www.newpost.church/care ► Give: Support the mission of making disciples by visiting: https://www.newpost.church/give ► Join a Group: Don't swing the axe alone. Find a community to walk with: https://www.newpost.church/life-groups Subscribe to stay updated on the latest messages from New Post Church. #Sermon #BibleTeaching #BibleStudy #Jesus #Christianity

Kill the Flirting | The Book of Judges | Pastor John Rogers

Not every fall happens all at once. Sometimes destruction doesn’t look like jumping off a cliff; it looks like drifting one inch at a time. One compromise. One excuse. One secret. One line we said we would never cross, but kept walking up to until it stopped feeling dangerous. We tell ourselves we can handle it. We convince ourselves we’re strong enough to manage it. But the things we tolerate today can become the things that take us down tomorrow. In this message, Pastor John Rogers continues our Judges series by looking at the life of Samson in Judges 16:15–22. Samson was called by God, gifted with strength, and marked for purpose, but he kept flirting with the very thing that would destroy him. He didn’t lose everything in a single moment. He drifted there by inches. He thought he could manage the sin he was entertaining, but what he tolerated eventually mastered him. The danger isn’t always the thing we fear most. Sometimes the greatest danger is the thing we’ve grown comfortable keeping close. The hidden habit. The unchecked desire. The relationship we know is pulling us away from God. The compromise we keep explaining away. Strong people don’t fall to what they fear. They fall to what they tolerate. It’s time to stop flirting with what God is calling you to kill. Don’t manage it. Don’t excuse it. Don’t keep walking up to the line. Kill it before it kills what God is building in you. In This Message: ► Kill It. Don’t Flirt With It: Identifying the sin, compromise, or pattern you’ve decided you can manage. ► Samson’s Drift: How small compromises can lead to devastating consequences over time. ► The Danger of Tolerance: Why what you allow to stay close can eventually take control. ► Step Away From the Line: Practical steps to stop entertaining what is pulling you away from God and choose obedience before the damage is done. Next Steps: ► New to New Post? We’d love to connect with you: https://www.newpost.church/contact-10 ► Need Prayer? If you’re ready to tear down an altar today, our team would love to stand with you: https://www.newpost.church/care ► Give: Support the mission of making disciples by visiting: https://www.newpost.church/give ► Join a Group: Don't swing the axe alone. Find a community to walk with: https://www.newpost.church/life-groups Subscribe to stay updated on the latest messages from New Post Church. #Sermon #BibleTeaching #BibleStudy #Jesus #Christianity

Kill the Contract | The Book of Judges | Pastor John Rogers

Faith can slowly turn into a contract without us even realizing it. We start with trust, but somewhere along the way, we begin negotiating. “God, if You get me through this, I’ll finally change.” “If You fix this situation, I’ll start taking You seriously.” “If You bless me, protect me, heal me, or open the door, then I’ll give You more of my life.” It sounds spiritual, but underneath it is often fear. We don’t fully believe grace is enough, so we try to add leverage. In this message, Pastor John Rogers continues our Judges series by looking at the tragic story of Jephthah in Judges 11:29–35. The Spirit of the Lord was already on Jephthah before he ever made his vow. God had already given him what he needed, but Jephthah still felt the need to bargain. He didn’t need to make a deal; he needed to trust the gift. The danger of the bargaining reflex is that it turns relationship into transaction. It makes us believe God has to be convinced, pressured, or paid back before He will move. But God is not moved by our leverage. He is moved by our trust. The cross is proof that grace was never something we earned, negotiated, or secured through a better offer. It was already given. It’s time to kill the contract. Stop trying to bargain for what God has already provided. Trust the gift. Trust His grace. Trust the God who moves not because you made the perfect promise, but because He is already faithful. In This Message: ► Kill the Contract: Identifying the “if You’ll just ___, I’ll ___” mindset that turns faith into a negotiation. ► Jephthah’s Vow: How fear and insecurity led Jephthah to bargain for what God had already given. ► Trust the Gift: Why grace is not something we leverage, earn, or repay—it is something we receive. ► From Bargaining to Trust: Practical ways to stop negotiating with God and start resting in His faithfulness. Next Steps: ► New to New Post? We’d love to connect with you: https://www.newpost.church/contact-10 ► Need Prayer? If you’re ready to tear down an altar today, our team would love to stand with you: https://www.newpost.church/care ► Give: Support the mission of making disciples by visiting: https://www.newpost.church/give ► Join a Group: Don't swing the axe alone. Find a community to walk with: https://www.newpost.church/life-groups Subscribe to stay updated on the latest messages from New Post Church. #Sermon #BibleTeaching #BibleStudy #Jesus #Christianity

Kill the Passivity | The Book of Judges | Pastor John Rogers

The moments that change our lives don’t always announce themselves with flashing lights. Sometimes they look like a conversation we don’t want to have, a step we’ve been delaying, a calling we keep explaining away, or an opportunity that requires more courage than we feel like we have. Most of us don’t miss God because we hate Him; we miss Him because we hesitate. We wait for someone else to go first. We wait until we feel ready. We wait until the risk feels smaller. And while we’re waiting, the moment passes. In this message, Pastor John Rogers continues our Judges series by looking at the story of Deborah in Judges 4. At a time when Israel was oppressed, afraid, and stuck, God raised up Deborah as a judge, prophet, and leader who was willing to step into what others were avoiding. While others hesitated, Deborah obeyed. While others sat back, she stepped forward. And through her courage, God brought breakthrough to His people. Passivity may feel safe, but it often keeps us from the very freedom God is trying to lead us into. The issue isn’t always that God hasn’t spoken; sometimes it’s that we haven’t moved. Breakthrough begins when obedience overcomes hesitation. God often moves through the people willing to step up while everyone else is still making excuses. Don’t miss your moment because of hesitation. Step into what God is already doing. In This Message: ► Kill the Passivity: Identifying the hesitation, excuses, fear, and spiritual sitting back that keep us from obedience. ► Deborah’s Courage: How God used someone willing to step forward when others were standing still. ► Don’t Wait to Feel Ready: Why obedience often begins before confidence arrives. ► Step Into the Moment: Practical ways to recognize where God is calling you to act and respond with faith instead of fear. Next Steps: ► New to New Post? We’d love to connect with you: https://www.newpost.church/contact-10 ► Need Prayer? If you’re ready to tear down an altar today, our team would love to stand with you: https://www.newpost.church/care ► Give: Support the mission of making disciples by visiting: https://www.newpost.church/give ► Join a Group: Don't swing the axe alone. Find a community to walk with: https://www.newpost.church/life-groups Subscribe to stay updated on the latest messages from New Post Church. #Sermon #BibleTeaching #BibleStudy #Jesus #Christianity