HOPE Sermons

Senior Pastor David Dwight continues our journey through The Sermon on the Mount with a teaching from Matthew 5: 21-37, exploring Jesus' teaching on the value of human life, the dignity of the human person, the sanctity of marriage, and the integrity of our promises. These four topics interact and hold each other up like the four legs of a table. They speak to our integrity as people and we bring glory to God when we offer this integrity to each other. Find all sermons from this series at hopechurchrva.com/sermons

The Beatitudes are first for people in bad situations, not for people with good attitudes. Jesus is on our side. Jesus blesses people not because of their virtues but because of their inadequacies. This is the first part of our Summer series on the Sermon on the Mount.

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. These words in Galatians 5 remind us that our salvation is in Christ alone.Senior Pastor David Dwight concludes our sermon series with the reflection that we remain yoked in slavery when we try to portray a certain image to the world that our internal lives do not reflect, but this is not part of freedom in Christ. When we receive liberation in Christ, our hearts are set free to worship him.

Children who are set to receive an extraordinary inheritance cannot prove themselves worthy to receive it by their own actions. Their best posture is to live humbly, gratefully, generously. In the forth sermon of "Freedom People," Senior Pastor David Dwight reminds us that through adoption as children of God, we can claim the extraordinary inheritance of salvation in Jesus and eternal life to come. In the knowledge of this gift, we can live free.Find all sermons from this series at hopechurchrva.com/sermons.

"Let me ask you this one question: Did you receive the Holy Spirit by obeying the law of Moses? Of course not! You received the Spirit because you believed the message you heard about Christ." In the third sermon in our series, Family Ministries Pastor Kyle Freedman reminds us of Paul's words to the Galatians.In our faith journey, we can start to believe that our faith is based on an "if I...., then you will..." exchange, but this is patently false. We remind ourselves that the gospel is complete and our salvation is through Christ alone. We have been credited as righteous by Jesus's death on the cross and we can rest there.Find all sermons from this series at hopechurchrva.com/sermons.

“We...know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified." Senior Associate Pastor Pete Bowell continues the sermon series in Galatians 2, reminding us that we are set free from the law and are justified by Christ alone. "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." Let us live in this power and dwell in the freedom Christ offers us. Find all sermons from this series at hopechurchrva.com/sermons

What is the gospel and what does it mean for us? Romans 1 tells us, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile." Senior Pastor David Dwight kicks off a new sermon series examining the full reality of what the gospel of Jesus offers us and what it means for our lives. Over the next five weeks, "Freedom People" will explore what the gospel means for those of us who have been set free in Jesus. Find all sermons from this series at hopechurchrva.com/sermons

"Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and Son and Holy Spirit." Missional Pastor Matt Hartman reminds us that as Christ-followers, we are called to go and share the gospel with others.Rounding out our series, Anchors: Seven truths about the God who made us and loves us and intends for our flourishing, Matt speaks on the seventh essential of our faith, inviting us to consider the commandment that we go and share the good news of Jesus with the whole world.Find a copy of the Apostle's Creed: https://tinyurl.com/2ht9z6e4Find all sermons from this series at hopechurchrva.com/sermons

The second coming of Christ matters in the everyday matters of life. In the midst of our day to day lives, we don't always stop to reflect on the return of Christ. We can become so preoccupied with the urgency of our to-do list, that we forget to have a heart fixed on eternity. As we wait for the second coming of Christ, Senior Associate Pastor Pete Bowell invites us to watch, wait, work, forgive and hope.Continuing in our series, Anchors: Seven truths about the God who made us and loves us and intends for our flourishing, Pete speaks on the sixth essential of our faith, inviting us to consider the reality that "Jesus is coming and it might be today."Find a copy of the Apostle's Creed: https://tinyurl.com/2ht9z6e4Find all sermons from this series at hopechurchrva.com/sermons

"God does not have a mission for his church; God has a church for his mission." The church is a body with many parts and it exists to accomplish the work of God here on earth. We may have complex feelings about the church as an institution, but if we align with God's work here on earth, we have the chance to cooperate in the work God has here on earth through the church.Continuing in our series, Anchors: Seven truths about the God who made us and loves us and intends for our flourishing, Senior Pastor David Dwight speaks on the fifth essential of our faith, inviting us to ponder the complexity and mystery of the church and God's calling to us to be a part of it.Find a copy of the Apostle's Creed: https://tinyurl.com/2ht9z6e4Find all sermons from this series at hopechurchrva.com/sermons

The gospel is just "one beggar showing another beggar where to find some bread." No matter how long we walk in faith and how mature we might like to think we are, we are all beginners in the gospel because we are working to understand the magnitude, bigness, and beauty of God. Continuing in our series, Anchors: Seven truths about the God who made us and loves us and intends for our flourishing, Senior Pastor David Dwight speaks on the fourth essential of our faith. We are reminded that on our own merit, we are all sinful, but that God's perfection offers us redemption, adoption, and acceptance in his family. Our faith journeys are a life-long pursuit of the understanding of that truth. Find a copy of the Apostle's Creed here.Find all sermons from this series at hopechurchrva.com/sermons.

The trinity is always complimentary, co-operating in our lives together. The Holy Spirit works to draw our attention to Jesus and invite our hearts to say yes to Christ's offering. When we say yes to Jesus and submit to him as Lord of our lives, the Holy Spirit dwells within us. The Holy Spirit continues his work in us by equipping us for our faith journey; he is our companion and guide and he will one day raise us to eternity. Senior Pastor David Dwight continues our sermon series, Anchors: Seven truths about the God who made us and loves us and intends for our flourishing, with a thoughtful exploration of the Holy Spirit and our relationship with him. Find a copy of the Apostle's Creed here.Find all sermons from this series at hopechurchrva.com/sermons.

"Doing God's will is adopting Jesus' way." Family Ministries Pastor Kyle Freedman continues our series, Anchors: Seven truths about the God who made us and loves us and intends for our flourishing, with the reminder that Jesus came to earth to show us how to live. Often when we face a challenging situation, we want to jump from the beginning to the end and skip the hard work in the middle. Kyle reminds us that Jesus came to do the work with us and he steps in to fill in the gaps where we fall short. God's will for us is to live out Jesus' way in the places we find ourselves: in our work, in our homes, with our families, and in relationships with people whom we may find challenging. Jesus shows us the way when we walk with him. Find a copy of the Apostle's Creed here.Find all sermons from this series at hopechurchrva.com/sermons.

"We believe in one God, the sovereign Creator and Sustainer of all things, infinitely perfect and eternally existing in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit." Senior Pastor David Dwight begins a new sermon series, Anchors: Seven truths about the God who made us and loves us and intends for our flourishing, with this first essential of our faith. Anchors are unseen, but they are attached to the boat by a rope. Our faith is the rope that connects us to our anchors. For the next seven weeks, we will examine these core ideas that anchor our faith, and remind us of what we can hold fast to when storms of life try to drive us off course.Find a copy of the Apostle's Creed hereFind all sermons from this series at hopechurchrva.com/sermons

In the final sermon of our Anticipation series, Discipleship Pastor Dan Yoon reminds us that we like new things: new houses, new cars, new relationships, new babies...and the list goes on. And while we love the feeling of "new things," we live in a reality that our earthly lives are often challenging, tiring, and full of ways things can break down.Dan points us to the words of Revelation 21: "And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” Take heart, friends, God has gone before us to prepare our eternal home, where all things will remain new.Find all sermons from this series at hopechurchrva.com/sermons.

"For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down, we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing." Preaching from the opening verses of 2 Corinthians 5, Senior Associate Pastor Pete Bowell reminds us that our earthly bodies are temporary tents and our heavenly bodies will be permanent dwellings.Pete speaks of the tension of this series between a vision for heaven and knowing the painful reality of death in our present world. While we live in this present world, we can balance looking forward to heaven with the pleasure of this life: extending kindness to ourselves because God has been kind to us, celebrating the joys of life on this earth, and living in the fullness of this life as we prepare for the greatness of eternal life with God.Find all sermons from this series at hopechurchrva.com/sermons

C.S. Lewis wrote, "Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you get neither." Senior Pastor Dr. David Dwight continued our series on heaven with an exploration of the realities of our heavenly lives. The scriptures indicate to us that "earth is a place we are on and heaven is a place we are in." On earth, we live a primarily physical experience with spiritual elements; in heaven we will be fit with bodies to engage in spiritual lives for eternity. These concepts can often feel larger than our minds can grasp, bound in our present reality. But when we are in Christ, we can look forward to moving from our earth-bound existence to the heavenly reality of being fully in Christ and Christ in us. This vision of heaven can shape our life on earth.Find all sermons from this series at hopechurchrva.com/sermons

"Are we too heavenly-minded to be useful on earth or too earthly-minded to be useful in heaven?" In the first sermon of Anticipation: Just Beyond the Door, Senior Associate Pastor Pete Bowell leads us to ponder whether our heart posture focused on present earthly concerns instead of our heavenly future.In John 14, Jesus tells us, "Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also." With this assurance, we can set our hearts on our future in heaven and offer proper perspective to the concerns of our earthly lives. As we live in the hope of our future in heaven, we have greater joy and peace here on earth.Find all sermons from this series at hopechurchrva.com/sermons

What is your vision for the pain in your life? David Dwight asks this provocative question as we closes out the sermon series with a focus on lament. Through our hard seasons, God invites us into lament, where we can co-operate with him to turn our pain into healing, our ashes into beauty, and our despair into praise.In Habakkuk 3, we are reminded of the power of "YET": "Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior." The "yet" moment turns our complaint into a lament, as we praise God even in the midst of our trials. This heart posture gives God the opportunity to work in us and with us.Find all sermons from this series at hopechurchrva.com/sermons

When we experience suffering and anguish, we are tempted to wonder "what's the point of living a "good life" if hardship comes to us anyway?" David Dwight reminds us that many of us experience this kind of frustration. In Psalm 73, the psalmist writes, "Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure and have washed my hands in innocence. All day long I have been afflicted, and every morning brings new punishments."So what is the invitation in our suffering? If we are willing to take our suffering to the God, he will use it to write a redemption story in our lives. He will not let our present darkness be our death, but will redeem evil for good to use us further in his kingdom. "Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory."Find all sermons from this series at hopechurchrva.com/sermons

Pete Bowell continues "The Way Through," a sermon series about grief, with the reminder that we are blessed in hardship. The Lord meets us in our lament and does not waste our seasons of suffering. He uses these challenges to deepen our faith and draw into closer relationship with him. Preaching from 2 Corinthians 1:3-5, Pete reminds us that God comforts us in our troubles so that we may in turn comfort and encourage one another. We can be good listeners, good question askers, and provide help and comfort to ease each other's burdens.Find all sermons from this series at hopechurchrva.com/sermons

David Dwight begins "The Way Through," a sermon series about grief, with the encouragement that our hardships are normal. Jesus is acquainted with us in suffering and he walks with us in the valleys of life. Centering on Isaiah 61:1-3, David spoke about three things to take with us in our grief: perspective, faith, and support. As we walk by faith with the Lord in our trials and cling to his promises, we will become, "oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor."Find all sermons from this series at hopechurchrva.com/sermons

Matt Hartman shares reflections on the power and beauty of praying for one another from Colossians 1:9-13. God posts us as watchmen on a city's wall to pray the gospel into each other, so that the gospel comes out in our lives. In this way, we grow in our faith as we grow together in community.Find all sermons from this series at hopechurchrva.com/sermons

Pete Bowell shares reflections on the holy ground of forgiveness from Psalm 51:1-12; 17. The cost of seeking and giving forgiveness is vulnerability. God’s unfailing love and great compassion is strong enough to blot out our sins. Seeking God’s forgiveness through prayer requires us to be vulnerable but draws us closer to him in authentic relationship. Pete reminded us that “ours is the forgiveness religion.” Forgiveness is part of the work we are called to as growing believers. Find all sermons from this series at hopechurchrva.com/sermons

In the third teaching for our series, Senior Pastor Dr. David Dwight explores prayer in three different dimensions. All our prayers are valued and received by God, but he most desires immersive prayer in which we are fully present and vulnerable before him, when we can grow in intimacy with him. Intimacy with God creates a deep desire for unity, which leads us to God’s glory. Scriptures referenced: John 17:20-26; Luke 3:21-22; Romans 8:38; Colossians 1:27

In the second teaching for our series, Senior Pastor Dr. David Dwight explores the concept of Lordship, starting in 1 Samuel 2:1-10. In Lordship, we align our lives in submission to the things that are most important to us. Through prayer, we align our hearts to God's Lordship, which leads to life and pursuit of our highest calling.

Start the new year with a deep breath. Senior Pastor Dr. David Dwight kicks off a new sermon series, Breathe, with an invitation to explore prayer as described in Ephesians 1:15-20. Prayer is an invitation to an intimate relationship with the creator of the universe who offers us his hope, his inheritance, and his power.Through prayer, God offers us deeper relationship and greater intimacy with him. We have an opportunity to grow, leaving our greatest concerns with God in prayer and trusting him to bring resolution in his wisdom and timing.Find all sermons from this series at hopechurchrva.com/sermons.

Today, Senior Pastor David Dwight continued our Advent sermon series The Surprise of Christmas with a message called "Big in the Small." He reminded us that though Christ's birth was humble and small in relation to all that was going on in the world, Jesus' birth harkened back to the promise made back in Genesis that God would defeat the powers of evil and death. The Creator had entered his creation and will redeem it all. This amazing and baffling plan of God is his love at work among us. May we have eyes to see the ongoing fulfillment of God's kingdom, as we willingly submit our own hearts and "kingdoms" to him -- our Good Shepherd, the Everlasting King, our Good Father. Today's main passage was John 1:1-5. Find all sermons from this series at hopechurchrva.com/sermons

It's week three of our Advent sermon series, and today's sermon from Senior Pastor David Dwight focuses on the humble shepherds - the disregarded ones whom God chose to tell first about the birth of Jesus. In the Christmas story, it becomes apparent very early on that God is doing something big in unexpected ways - His kingdom is unfolding and it is not how we expected at all. May we have willing and humble hearts to respond to His invitation to "come and see" what the Lord is doing and the surprising ways He is bringing life into our world. Today's main passage is Luke 2:8-20.Find all sermons from this series at hopechurchrva.com/sermons

In week two of our Advent sermon series The Surprise of Christmas, Senior Pastor David Dwight teaches on the manger — the feed trough where our newborn Savior was laid in place of a crib or cradle. There's something significant about this, though... the modest being used for the most majestic, this space where food was placed being used for Jesus, who we know as the Bread of Life, the Passover Lamb, the Giver and Sustainer of Life in ways not even Mary could have known or understood when she laid her baby down to sleep.In today's sermon, we unpack more of the surprising depth and meaning of the manger, using Luke 2:6-12 as our key passage.Find all sermons from this series at hopechurchrva.com/sermons

Advent is here — the season of anticipating the coming of our Savior, Christ the King. There’s much that is surprising about Christmas, and we’ll be exploring that throughout our new sermon series, The Surprise of Christmas! Pastor Pete Bowell kicks off the series with "Bethlehem" focusing on Matthew 2:-12. A key thought from this message: Don't despise the day of small beginnings.

“Come here, angel! Good boy! Who wants his tummy rubbed?” said no one ever. Angels might sound cute but they’re actually zealous, protective messengers from God. Senior Pastor David Dwight shares the purpose God gives to angels, and the passion they have for serving God. Spoiler alert: we don’t get wings when we die. Scripture referenced: Matthew 4:6-7, Psalm 34:7Happy Thanksgiving from all of us to all of you. We’ll be back next week to begin our advent sermon series. Want to join us at the Altria Theater for Christmas Eve? Get your tickets on our website: https://www.hopechurchrva.com/christmas/.

Ever seen a “swing angel?” You know, the times when your (or someone else’s) kids just barely got out of an obstacle headed right at them? Family Ministries Pastor Kyle Freedman tells us about the times he’s seen swing angels and where we might see angels caring for us in our lives. Scripture referenced: Psalm 91:11-12, Hebrews 1:14, Matthew 13:39-42, 2 Thessalonians 1:7-8 For more information or ways to get involved, visit hopechurchrva.com

Hollywood and pop culture have depicted angels as supernatural, always-present beings, but what do angels actually do? Executive Pastor Wes Peterson walks through the workings of angels in both the Old and New Testament, and how they bridge the gap between holy and human.Scripture referenced: Luke 1:26-28, 38, Psalm 91:11-12For more information or ways to get involved, visit hopechurchrva.com

Hope Church began in 1997 in an elementary school cafeteria; 25 years later, Pete and David reflect on two and a half decades of making a great place to find life.We're making a book of letters for the Dwights and Bowells. Letters can be submitted here.

Scripture referenced: Hebrews 4:1-3, Psalm 1:1-3

This week, Pastor Pete talks about the hope we have in Christ, our anchor. He is the only true anchor and he holds – no matter the storm we may face. May today’s message provide comfort and steadfastness for those feeling weary and burdened.Scripture referenced: Hebrews 6:17-20

This week, Pastor David reads and teaches from Psalm 42. He talks about how our souls were made by God to be tethered to, integrated with, and fulfilled by him and him alone.

Pastor David continues our sermon series, Flourishing Soul, as he teaches about what it means to have a contented soul. He reads from the book of Philippians and uses Paul’s words and teaching to reorient us to our only source of true contentment – regardless of our circumstances.Scripture referenced: Philippians 4:4-13 / Matthew 6:7 / Psalm 42:5 / Luke 10:40-42

This week, Pastor David begins our new sermon series: Flourishing Soul. He comes alongside us in the difficult task of defining what a soul is and how we take care of it or how we often don’t take care of it well. He invites us into a space of communion with God and to the truth of God’s love as the way to a nourished soul.Scripture referenced: Psalm 103:1-5

This week, we heard from our new West Creek Campus pastor, Matt Hartman, for the first time. He brings a powerful and authentic word on the hope we have in Christ. He talks about how this hope can be misunderstood and mistakenly defined by our culture. Instead, we’re offered a real hope that brings life in Christ alone and it is only through Christ that we have this hope at all.Scripture references: Acts 26:1– 23 / Acts 1:8 / Acts 20:21-24 / 1 Timothy 1:12-16

This week, Pastor Pete teaches from Acts chapter 17, reminding us that in God, we live and move and have our very being. God is not far from us. God is always present with us, even when God isn’t apparent.Scripture referenced: Acts 17:16-28a

This week, Pastor Wes teaches from Acts chapter 15, when the early Church experiences division among themselves. He talks about the problem of disunity in the Church today and helps bring us back to the Cornerstone of our faith: salvation that is found in Christ alone.Scripture referenced: Acts 15:22-31

This week, Pastor Dan teaches about the story of Peter’s miraculous escape from prison in Acts chapter 12. He talks about the power of Christ compared to the power of man, the power of our prayer, and the freedom available to us in Jesus.Scripture referenced: Acts 12:1-19

This week, Pastor David talks about how the persecution of the early church caused Christians to scatter out from Jerusalem. Ultimately, this began the spread of the gospel to unreached places. This sermon helps us to see the importance and the beauty of moving outward into the world instead of staying put.Scripture referenced: Acts 8:1-8

Pastor Dan Yoon continues our sermon series teaching from Acts chapter 5, when the disciples of Jesus declare their position to witness to the world about all that Christ had done and is doing. He invites us to consider what it would look like for us to be witnesses of these things too.Scripture referenced: Acts 5:17-42

This week, Pastor Kyle continues our sermon series on the book of Acts and teaches from chapter four. He talks about how the disciples’ witness and testimony of the gospel was built on the cornerstone of this good news – the life and love of Christ and when we are aligned with Christ, the Cornerstone, we are able to live the way he intended us to.Scripture referenced: Acts 4:1-13

This week, Pastor David continues our sermon series about the book of Acts. He talks about the importance and impact of sharing the Gospel with all nations, all people, and all places. We’re invited into this life-giving and God-given mission and into a new perspective that our life is not about us.Scripture referenced: Acts 2:1-11