Beltway Weekend Services (audio)

In the second series of "Coffee Cup Christianity" David McQueen explores the misunderstood concept of God's love using John 3:16 as a central theme “For God so loved the world…” In looking at this scripture outside of context, one can interpret God's love in ways that align with personal desires, rather than its true meaning. Pastor David emphasizes the need to surrender to Jesus' leadership to receive God's love. He draws parallels between natural birth and spiritual rebirth, highlighting the importance of a fresh start and being forgiven. God's love is received through embracing the reality of being condemned and perishing due to sin. The cross's significance is explained as a symbol of God's love, paying the price for humanity's sins. Listen to understand more about God's love and its transformative power for your life! Sermon from August 13, 2023 To watch this sermon or other sermons, subscribe to our YouTube Channel: "⁠⁠Beltway Park Church⁠⁠"

Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." is a widely known and quoted verse, one that you light find printed on a coffee cup. But not understanding this verse in the full context of how it was written can lead to unrealistic expectations and potential crises of faith. David McQueen shares a personal experience, where he believed this verse would lead his team to victory but ended up facing failure, causing doubts about God's trustworthiness. David emphasizes the importance of understanding the immediate context of the verse and using the entirety of Scripture for accurate interpretation. He highlights the Apostle Paul's situation when writing this verse from prison, indicating that it's not a promise of guaranteed success or comfort, but rather a call to find contentment and strength in Christ regardless of circumstances. Be encouraged to find peace and strength in Christ, trusting that His grace is sufficient for whatever challenges lie ahead. Sermon f

Leif Hetland discussed the emotional burdens of guilt from the past, shame in the present, and fear of the future. He emphasized that fatigue is a significant weapon used by the enemy, often attacking when we are worn out. Leif encouraged self-love as God loves us and advised against dwelling in the past but embracing the transformation process. Belief in Jesus leads to salvation, and believing that Jesus believes in us leads to transformation. He highlighted that free individuals can help free others. In the book of Revelation, Jesus is referred to as a lamb 24 times, but only as a lion once. He encourages us to love like Jesus, depending on the Holy Spirit to show us when to approach and love as a lamb. Sermon from July 30, 2023 To watch this sermon or other sermons, subscribe to our YouTube Channel: "⁠⁠Beltway Park Church⁠⁠"

Faith is more about staying the course than starting the race. The culture of quick results causes us to emphasize the beginning. Yet the Word of God seems to reveal the opposite. The Bible seems to hammer this idea of staying, persevering, and finishing. In Haggai chapter 2, God calls the people to rebuild the temple. As they begin to build, they fall into comparison, becoming discouraged and eventually giving up. The quickest way to destroy something is to compare it to something else. Yet, another discouragement the people of God face is despising small beginnings. So again, they were discouraged. Hear how God responds and encourages them to be strong and do the work! When facing discouragement, we must remember that we are never alone in our journey because Jesus changed everything. Through Jesus and His resurrection power, we can accomplish everything He calls us to do and stay the course! By relying on the power of the Holy Spirit, we can be strong and do the work, step by step, brick by brick. Sermon f

John 2:1-11 takes us to a wedding in Cana, where Jesus performs His first recorded miracle, turning water into wine. This miracle reveals not only the miraculous power of Jesus but also speaks to deeper spiritual truths like the goodness of God, the sufficiency of Jesus, and abundant joy. As children of God, our joy is not dependent on our circumstances; rather, it flows from the heart of God. It is a gift that springs forth from knowing and experiencing the goodness and love of our Heavenly Father. God's goodness is unwavering, and His desire is for us to experience abundant joy in all aspects of life. Jesus, in His miraculous act, showcases His sufficiency. He takes the ordinary, represented by water, and transforms it into something extraordinary. This serves as a powerful reminder that Jesus is more than enough to meet our needs, desires, and longings. He has the power to transform our lives, bringing fulfillment and abundant blessings. Moreover, the passage teaches us that God's best follows obed

Have you ever worked hard for a long time at something that was good and right, but it just didn’t pan out like you thought it would? You thought things would be better by now, but they’re not. We have this tendency to expect big and fast results, especially when we’re doing the good thing, the God thing. And when we don’t see the expected results, it can cause disappointment and make us question if it was God’s will to begin with. Often we think if God is calling me to do something, He’ll make it easy. But what we need to understand is that the closer we get to doing something that matters to the heart of God, the more likely we are to face opposition. When we’re trying to follow God’s will, difficulty isn't a sign that God's against us. Often, it's a sign that we’re on the right track. When opposition comes, ask God to enable you, empower you, and lead you to choose the difficult right over the comfortable wrong. But what if it doesn’t work? Results are God's responsibility, but obedience is

There are many times our lives can feel like a sandcastle. We spend time worrying about the wrong wave coming at the wrong time and potentially wiping out our sandcastle. But Jesus tells us if we build our foundation on the Rock, we can wave-proof our life! Jesus further tells us how to build our foundation on the Rock – by hearing the words of Jesus and doing them. A byproduct of truly hearing the words of Jesus is action. The wise man is a doer, and the foolish man is only a hearer. Jesus warns us to not be like the foolish man, building his house on the sand. If our foundation is anything other than in Jesus, it is sand, and we are susceptible to every storm of life. The storms of life cause us to lean into Jesus even more. Every testimony we share is a testimony of a weathered storm. Jesus offers us a house built so securely on the Rock that no matter what waves, winds, or storms come our way, we’re secure. Sermon from July 2, 2023 To watch this sermon or other sermons, subscribe to our YouTube Channel: 

It is impossible for us to have the life God has for us if we don’t learn to hear Him. Learning to hear the voice of the Lord in the middle of the storm changes everything. The invitation to hear the Lord is for you. Scripture is one of the primary ways that the Lord is speaking to us. However, we don’t read scripture so we can check off a box. We read scripture so we can hear the still small voice of the Lord. The Holy Spirit in the life of the believer is one of the main ways we hear His voice. Sermon from June 25, 2023 To watch this sermon or other sermons, subscribe to our YouTube Channel: "Beltway Park Church"

God calls us to radical faith. Hebrews 11:1 says "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." Faith is taking the step God is calling us to even if it doesn't make logical sense. When we step out in faith, we experience God's power and provision. In Matthew 14:22-33, the disciples are on a boat in the middle of the night on the Sea of Galilee and they see Jesus walking on top of the water coming toward them. They were terrified and cried out in fear. Jesus says (v. 27) "Take heart, it is I. Do not be afraid." Then Peter answered Him saying (v. 28-29) "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water." Jesus said to come and Peter got out of the boat and came to Jesus walking on top of the water. But, Peter took his eyes off of Jesus because he was distracted by the wind and waves. He began to sink and called to Jesus to save him. So Jesus immediately reached out His hand and took hold of Peter. The wind ceased and the disc

We all experience storms. A situation or circumstance that just feels like it is overwhelming or all consuming. In Mark 4:35-41 Jesus was with his disciples on a boat in the Sea of Galilee, when a great windstorm arose. The waves were breaking into the boat, the disciples were scared and overwhelmed but Jesus was asleep on a cushion. So they woke Him up asking "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” We can relate to “do you not care,” because many of us have said those exact same words whenever the storm in our own life have felt too great. Colossians 1:16-17 "For in Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together." Everything is subject to the “Peace, be still” of the Lord. We can never allow the presence of a storm to cause us to doubt the presence of God. Just because Jesus isn’t phy

Sermon from June 4, 2023 To watch this sermon or other sermons, subscribe to our YouTube Channel: "Beltway Park Church"

More courage is required. If we truly desire to live in the abundant life of Jesus – if we hunger for that not only for ourselves but our kids, our grandkids, our friends and co-workers – there is a foundational facet of our faith we must actively put-on. The journey of following Jesus is us actively becoming who we already are. In Jesus we’ve been made a new person – born again.  But we must mature – grow – into everything we already are. God so longs for us to have everything He designed us to have that His heart aches when we say no to what is needed for abundant life. And the reason we typically say no to the Spirit, the reason we grieve the Holy Spirit, is…fear. Courage is foundational to productive faith. Joshua 1:9 "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” It takes courage to live a life of obedience, a life seeking to not grieve the Spirit. Life as a follower of Jesus isn’t for the faint o

Kindness is compassion in action (Ephesians 4:32). A key part of putting on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness, is extending kindness to one another. Unfortunately, many wrongly associate being kind with weakness. God demonstrates both kindness and righteousness, both kindness and power (Psalm 23:6; Jeremiah 9:24). He shows that it is possible to have boundaries and be kind, to disagree with someone and be kind, to take decisive action and be kind, to be angry at injustice and still be kind. In fact, when were powerless against sin, God in His kindness sent Jesus. And because we are recipients of God’s kindness, we are called to be instruments of kindness to others. Sermon from May 21, 2023 To watch this sermon or other sermons, subscribe to our YouTube Channel: "Beltway Park Church"

Jesus came to give us abundant life (John 10:10). In fact, Jesus boldly proclaims that He is the bread of life (John 6:35), which was a hard teaching for many of His disciples at the time. Jesus makes the promise that those who come to Him hungry and thirsty will be blessed and filled (Matthew 5:6). Jesus even taught His followers to ask their Heavenly Father for their daily bread (Mathew 6:11). This echoes Proverbs 30:8-9, where Agur son of Jakeh declared to the LORD: give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Sermon from May 14, 2023 To watch this sermon or other sermons, subscribe to our YouTube Channel: "Beltway Park Church"

Followers of Jesus are called to no longer steal but to work hard for God’s glory (Ephesians 4:28). If we have given our lives to Jesus, we are engaged in a spiritual battle to put off the old self and to put on the new self, to think and act differently from the world around us. Part of putting off the old self means we should no longer steal. We should no longer take things that do not belong to us, falsify expense reports, not pay our bills, cut financial corners, oppress our employees financially, live in idleness or laziness, etc. Instead, we should put on the new self that works hard to build, create, and cultivate for the glory of God, seeking to steward all that God has given us so that we can be a blessing to others. Sermon from May 07, 2023 To watch this sermon or other sermons, subscribe to our YouTube Channel: "Beltway Park Church"

God-like purity is seen through the way we use words (Ephesians 4:29). The Bible is clear: God is holy and is like no other. In particular, God is like no other in purity. Putting off the old self and putting on the new self (Ephesians 4:22-24) means becoming like God in purity. Such purity is intimately connected with our words because what we speak reveals what is truly in our hearts (Matthew 12:33-34). Words are undeniably powerful, not just in what we say but in how we say it. When it comes to our words and becoming like God, we must ask ourselves some critical questions: am I being truthful, am I being helpful, am I angry, and am I building others up? Sermon from April 30, 2023 To watch this sermon or other sermons, subscribe to our YouTube Channel: "Beltway Park Church"

We cannot be like God and not be angry (Ephesians 4:26-27). In fact, we are commanded in Ephesians 4:26 to be angry and to not sin. Anger is either a destructive or protective energy released in defense of something we love. Jesus – who was without sin – became angry at religious leaders for keeping people away from God (Mark 3:5). Loving, righteous anger is redemptive and zealously seeks to act on behalf of the orphan, the unborn, the exploited, and the lost. However, losing control in our anger is far from being like God. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we can absolutely control what we say and do when we become angry. God calls us to aggressively repent of the sins we do when we are angry, to repent of the things we say and of the destructive chaos that erupts. He longs to fill us with His Spirit that produces the fruit of peace and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). Sermon from April 23, 2023 To watch this sermon or other sermons, subscribe to our YouTube Channel: "Beltway Park Church"

Speaking truth is foundational to being like God (Ephesians 4:21-25). While we instinctively long for honesty and integrity within ourselves, our children, and our leaders, we each have a propensity to lie. As we embrace Jesus and say yes to Him, we begin a lifelong journey of becoming like Him. When we grow in our likeness to God, that propensity to lie, as part of the old self, is put off like a garment as we put on the new self. Of first importance in putting on the new self and becoming like God is speaking the truth. In fact, our relationship with God is based on speaking truth, on confession that leads to freedom. Not only this, but our healthy relationships with one another also involve speaking truth and building trust. As we become more like God – as we embrace honesty – we will experience a greater measure of the abundant life God has in store for us. Sermon from April 16, 2023 To watch this sermon or other sermons, subscribe to our YouTube Channel: "Beltway Park Church"

Jesus defeated death that we might live in increasing peace now (John 20:19-21). But often our idea of peace is wrong. In an anxious, uncertain, chaotic, depressed, and angry world, we tend to think that peace is that rare moment when things are circumstantially perfect without any conflict (which means we never have peace). But what if peace is not the absence of something but the presence of someone? Real peace comes when we radically focus on Jesus (Isaiah 26:3). Our lives are full of constant stimuli - social media, TV, videos, texting, emails, calendars - that are vying for our attention and focus. We need habits of faith that turn our mind's eye towards Jesus and heaven. Those habits include worshipping together, engaging in God's Word together, praying and listening for His voice, and participating in true Biblical community and fellowship. Sermon from April 9, 2023 To watch this sermon or other sermons, subscribe to our YouTube Channel: "Beltway Park Church"

We cannot truly live until we are ready to die (Matthew 27:52-53). This certainty is highlighted by one of the Easter eggs – a small detail – in the account of Jesus’ crucifixion. As Jesus yielded up His spirit on Good Friday, an earthquake takes place that opens the tombs of many dead. And after the resurrection of Jesus on Easter Sunday, the bodies of many saints who had died were raised. They come out of their tombs that the earthquake opened, go into the holy city, and appear to many. They come out after Jesus was resurrected because He was the first fruits of those who have died (1 Corinthians 15:20). Like Jesus, we will all be resurrected when He returns. At that time, we will be judged first with how we responded to Jesus (to life or to death) and then those in Jesus will be judged secondly and rewarded for how they lived this life. It is the promise of our resurrection and the rewards of heaven that give us courage to walk in faith now and to sacrifice in this world. It is our future thinking of heave