Beltway Weekend Services (audio)

Heavenly wisdom is guaranteed if we don’t doubt (James 1:5-8). Wisdom is having the faith and courage to apply the principles of God’s Word to our lives. It’s the ability to go beyond merely surviving each day to building a life of abundance. While earthly wisdom says an individual determines what is true for themselves, heavenly wisdom encourages us to renew our minds by seeking out God’s good, pleasing, and perfect will (Romans 12:2). God longs to impart wisdom that leads us to abundant living. The cross and the resurrection show that God is radically for us. He gives wisdom generously to all without reproach. Sermon from May 19, 2024 To watch this sermon or other sermons, subscribe to our YouTube Channel: "⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Beltway Park Church⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠"

God uses trials to increase faith in our lives (James 1:1-4). The book of James – written by James, the half-brother of Jesus – makes it clear that God wants us mature and complete, not lacking anything (James 1:4). That maturity produces abundance in our lives. At the beginning of the book, James establishes that part of maturity is learning to find joy when we face challenges and difficulty. Trials are an inevitable part of life, and faith in Jesus does not remove those trials. Instead, God uses our difficulties to shape our character and perspective, to develop trust and dependence on Him. He uses our trials to help us grow, and as we grow, He blesses us with inexplicable joy. Sermon from May 12, 2024 To watch this sermon or other sermons, subscribe to our YouTube Channel: "⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Beltway Park Church⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠"

Living God’s way will come at a cost (Matthew 5:10-12). Scripture is clear that all who desire to live a Godly life in Jesus will be persecuted (2 Timothy 3:12). When we align our hearts, desires, choices, and actions to Jesus and His kingdom, we stand in direct opposition to the world and culture around us. We begin to spiritually stink (2 Corinthians 2:14-16). If we do not spiritually stink to the world around us, then we may need to examine how we are living. But when we expect and embrace life as Jesus intends – a life that inevitably leads to persecution – we are promised blessing and eternal, heavenly reward. When persecuted, we are positioned for incredible growth both individually and as a church in depth and breath. When persecuted, we purposefully respond with blessing and kindness, choosing to pray for those who are persecuting us rather than responding in harshness or hatred. Sermon from May 5, 2024 To watch this sermon or other sermons, subscribe to our YouTube Channel: "⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Be

God goes to extraordinary lengths to bring peace to our chaos, to heal our brokenness. Part of our response to how God works and moves in us to bring peace is to testify to what He has done, to share with others how He has brought wholeness (Psalm 107:2; Mark 5:18-20). Another part of our response is carrying the peace God has given us into the chaotic, fragmented situations and environments of those around us. God loves, honors, and blesses when we intentionally do this. Though we have a real enemy who desires nothing more than our death and destruction, we can confidently face the battle knowing that we possess the shalom of God and have been given the weapons we need to effectively resist the enemy (Ephesians 6:11, 1 Peter 5:8). Sermon from April 28, 2024 To watch this sermon or other sermons, subscribe to our YouTube Channel: "⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Beltway Park Church⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠"

Blessed homes do not wish for peace; they make it (Matthew 5:9). Every person experiences conflict in their relationships; it is inevitable, especially in our homes with those we are closest to and spend the most time with. Even mature followers of Jesus can have disagreements and struggles (Acts 15:36-40). It is a reality that if we are pursuing Jesus diligently, peace in relationships does not just happen. We must be intentional in taking steps to create peace with others. We become peacemakers in our relationships by utilizing the acronym P.E.A.C.E. P – Prayerfully plan a meeting.E – Empathize with their opinions and feelings. A – Attack the problem, not the person.C – Cooperate as much as possible.E – Emphasize reconciliation, not resolution. Sermon from April 21, 2024 To watch this sermon or other sermons, subscribe to our YouTube Channel: "⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Beltway Park Church⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠"

A pure heart is a vital ingredient to a blessed life and home (Matthew 5:8). In fact, the condition of our heart – that place of our desires, emotions, choices, and motives – is so important that we are taught to guard it above anything else (Proverbs 4:23). Jesus is clear that those with a pure heart not only receive blessing, but they will see God. The challenge, however, is that there is no such thing as partial purity; something is either pure or impure. If we are not careful, we can easily believe the lie that we are mostly pure, that if we polish up our behavior externally that we are deemed pure internally. Jesus rebuked the scribes and Pharisees for being clean on the outside but full of greed and self-indulgence on the inside (Matthew 23:25-26). Thankfully, Jesus offers us purity and cleansing through relationship with Him. When we confess our impurity and sin in repentance, it is His blood that cleanses us from all sin and unrighteousness (1 John 1:7 -10). His desire for us is that we give Him all o

Christ-centered homes are blessed (Matthew 5:6). Though most people desire happiness (or blessing), it seems exceptionally elusive. Experiencing circumstances that are consistently pleasant and a life relatively free from trouble is nearly impossible. In contrast, Jesus teaches that blessing has more to do with being on the right path than good circumstances. Even if the road is challenging, Jesus makes the promise that those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be satisfied. Unfortunately, we tend to look for satisfaction in the wrong places: in pleasure, performance, possessions, positions, and popularity. None of these are intended nor have the capacity to satisfy our deeper longings. If we want to see blessing in our homes, we must be willing to change our priorities, our use of time, and our use of money. Having a Christ-centered home that is blessed means giving each member of our family the best opportunity to love God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength. Sermon from April 7, 2024 To

Surrender to God imparts resilience (Matthew 26:36-39). We daily navigate the chaos and uncertainty of the world around us, leaving many hopeless, worried, and anxious. Jesus experienced a similar struggle, saying to some of His disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane that His soul was overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Despite this mental and emotional distress, Jesus still had the resilience and resolve to go to the cross. He had the hope necessary that enabled Him to face the grave. That hope and resilience came through His surrender to God. In His agony, Jesus modeled to us surrender by embracing God’s will over His own. When we embrace Easter as Jesus embraced Easter – giving up control and surrendering to God fully – God imparts resilience, strength, hope, peace, and joy to us. Sermon from March 31, 2024

Communion connects us to the resurrection power of Jesus (1 Corinthians 10:16; 11:17-30). The practice of communion is a great equalizer and unifier. It reminds us that we all need a savior, regardless of our socio-economic status, nationality, race, or history. We take communion together simply as a community of the forgiven. When we engage in it, we are experiencing the presence of Jesus in a special way (contrary to either extreme of transubstantiation or mere symbol). It positions us before our Heavenly Father to receive power to say no to sin and yes to His ways, to have courage to stay in step with where He is leading us, and to have faith to ask Him to meet every need and desire we have in our lives, even if He says no. We take communion in humility and weakness – and not casually – because we need the power of the resurrection to be and live more like Jesus.

Jesus gives us a clear guardrail on the narrow road that leads to abundant life: beware of false teachers (Matthew 7:15-20). Jesus gives this warning because He knows how susceptible we are to the teachings and influence of false teachers. When we embrace false teachers and their ideas, we begin to make small, subtle decisions that eventually lead us significantly away from the life God has for us. The good news is that truth – namely, Jesus – silences false teachers and their philosophies (John 14:6). We recognize and illuminate what is false by knowing what is authentic and real, by knowing Him. As we seek to know Jesus, He leads us to greater understanding and acceptance of His Word and the core pillars of our Christian faith. It is Scripture and these core tenets of our faith that help us identify and resist false teachers. Sermon from March 17, 2024

Carefully examining our lives and minimizing distractions protects us and acts as a guardrail on the narrow road that leads to abundant life (Ephesians 5:15-21). One of the primary tools the enemy uses against us is distractions, which often lead us to choosing what is good over what is best. We know with confidence that we are prioritizing what is best and eliminating distractions when we are seeking Jesus first and His kingdom. Seeking Jesus first and His kingdom means we are spending time in His presence, engaging His Word and actively praying. It means we are purposefully and regularly investing into Biblical community and participating in the services and ministries of the church. It also means we are looking for ways to serve and bless others. Sermon from March 10, 2024

Growing in both grace and truth acts as a guardrail on the narrow road of following Jesus (Mark 8:14-21). Jesus warns His followers to watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod (Mark 8:15). Jesus is saying that there are small, subtle yet sinful ideas and beliefs that can carry significant influence in our hearts and run us off the narrow road that leads to life. The yeast of Herod represents the idea that we get to decide what is true for us. It minimizes or even rejects God’s truth. It dismisses temptation and sin, and anyone who calls out sin is being judgmental. The yeast of the Pharisees emphasizes external rules and behaviors. It looks down on others in pride, which ultimately leads to hypocrisy. Walking in both grace and truth guard against either of these extremes. Those growing in grace and truth know God as holy and forgiving, hate sin immensely and love people radically, and want to be like Jesus and know it can only happen by God’s power at work in them. Sermon from March 3, 2024

The fear of the Lord is a guardrail keeping us on the narrow road (Matthew 10:17- 30). Though we are created for relationship with God and with others, sin has drastically affected our God-given desire for acceptance. If we are not careful, we will want human praise more than praise from God. Without guardrails, we will seek the approval of others by obsessively trying to please them, by performing in such a way as to garner their attention. Having a healthy fear of God – where we are utterly in awe of who He is – keeps us from perpetual people-pleasing and positions us to receive the abundant life He has to offer us (Matthew 10:28-30; John 10:10). We grow in our fear of God by intentionally spending time getting to know Him better, by focusing on who He is and who He is revealed to be in Scripture.

God’s abundant blessing as we live generous lives is tied to our hearts (Mark 12:41-44). Jesus makes it clear to His followers, when He highlights a poor widow who gave all she had (two copper coins) into the temple treasury, that the amount of our giving is significantly less important than the condition of our hearts when we give. In seeking to live a life of generosity, it is not just the act of giving that we need to focus on. The position of our hearts as we give matters. If we practice generosity on any level (i.e., relationally, financially, in serving, etc.), we will experience blessing. This is the law of sowing and reaping, and it is undefeated and irrefutable. But how we reap, and the totality of what we reap is intricately tied to the heart behind it. God calls us to be a cheerful giver, not a bitter or reluctant giver (2 Corinthians 9:6-7). God offers more blessing, or fuller blessing, when we are generous with the right heart. Sermon from February 18, 2024

To be truly Christ-like is to excel in generosity (2 Corinthians 8:7). Jesus is (and has been) generous beyond what we can imagine. Out of His incredible love for us, He set aside His heavenly place to enter our sinfulness and messiness so that we could know Him and have eternal life (John 3:16; Philippians 2:5-8). Though He was rich, for our sake He became poor, so that by His sacrifice we could become rich (2 Corinthians 8:9). As His followers, we desire to be like Him in heart, character, and action. This is why we are encouraged in Scripture to excel in the grace of giving, to have the same mindset as Jesus, especially in generosity. Because of the generosity of those who gave to Beltway Park in 2023, we as a church were able to serve and bless countless lives within our church family, within our local community and region, and to the ends of earth. Sermon from February 11, 2024 To watch this sermon or other sermons, subscribe to our YouTube Channel: "⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Beltway Park Church⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠"

We cannot outgive God (Acts 20:32-35). Though it seems upside down from what is normal in our culture, we find provision and abundance when we embrace firstfruit generosity with our finances. From Malachi 3:10, firstfruit generosity means tithing 10% of our personal profit or income to the storehouse (e.g., your local church where you go for spiritual provision and mission). The giving of our finances and personal resources is the only place from Scripture where we can test God. His promise is that if you practice firstfruit generosity He will throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it (Malachi 3:10; Luke 6:38). We take steps of faith in this area by planning a percentage to give, making generosity a priority, and always prayerfully listening to how God may be leading you to be generous beyond tithing. Sermon from February 4, 2024 To watch this sermon or other sermons, subscribe to our YouTube Channel: "⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Beltway Park Church⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Every follower of Jesus is a tool – used in tandem with other Jesus followers – to be the church and reach people for Jesus (1 Corinthians 12:12-14). Or as Paul wrote, we are the body of Christ, made up of many parts. Each part as God’s workmanship has a significant role to play, created intentionally to accomplish good works. When any part does not function as it should, it affects and hurts the whole body. But when we discover what kind of tool God has made us to be and give of ourselves in serving as that tool, we experience fulfillment and become more blessed.

Saved people serve people (1 Peter 4:7-11). The call for all Jesus followers, even at the end of the age, is not to simply hang on and survive. We are challenged to serve, to use a portion of our time, talents, and skills to give to others. In fact, Jesus taught His disciples that the greatest among His followers is the one who serves (Luke 22:24-26). It is what Jesus modeled, who did not come to be served but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many (Matthew 20:26 -28). When we receive salvation through Jesus by faith, we accept it by following and emulating His life and heart of serving. Sermon from January 21, 2024 To watch this sermon or other sermons, subscribe to our YouTube Channel: "⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Beltway Park Church⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠"

Found people find people (Acts 1:4-8). The world is desperate for all that Jesus offers, and it is our responsibility as His followers to be a witness to the people around us. If we truly care about them, we cannot keep the good news of all that Jesus has accomplished for us to ourselves. Even if being a witness looks weird, makes us uncomfortable, or even puts a relationship at risk, it is worth the possibility that someone lost be found. Thankfully, we can be witnesses for Jesus to those around us through the power of the Holy Spirit. He gives us strength, especially when we feel inadequate, unprepared, and afraid. And a helpful tool in being a witness is the acronym BLESS (Begin with Prayer, Listen, Eat, Serve, Share your Story). Sermon from January 14, 2024 To watch this sermon or other sermons, subscribe to our YouTube Channel: "⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Beltway Park Church⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠"

It is more blessed to give than receive, especially in friendship (Acts 20:35). The research is clear: good relationships keep us happier and healthier. It is what Paul modeled and taught the elders of the church in Ephesus. We are not just blessed but more blessed (i.e., doubly blessed, blessed squared) when we give of ourselves for the sake of others. The way up is by going down, having a heart of a servant in total dependance upon God (Philippians 2:5-7). We find ourselves when we lose ourselves (Matthew 16:25), particularly in relationships. When we make friendships about us, with the intent to control the benefits and outcomes of the relationship, we become increasingly lonely. It simply does not work. But when we give in friendship with deep love, care, and affection – when our mindset is giving rather than receiving – it produces powerful and lasting connection (Acts 20:36- 38).