Planning for retirement, dating apps, on-the-job performance reviews, gentle parenting, the list goes on — life itself often feels more like finals week on repeat rather than summer vacation. Rounding out Romans 13, we learn why life so often feels like a test and a specific way the gospel leads to a surprising form of exam-free living. RomansDavis…

How are followers of Jesus supposed to understand how to live in our crazy political climate? Does God’s word have anything to help us navigate this? Romans 13:1-7 offers some principles that drastically bring light to a very complex issue. RomansSteve TreichlerHope Community Church - Downtown Minneapolis Download Message Slides For more resources …

In our time, spirituality is portrayed as this unique, hidden puzzle to be solved by each individual. But what if it’s all much more straightforward than this? Wrapping up Romans 12, we discover how God traffics in the ordinary, everyday rhythms and relationships of our lives — and this is good news. RomansDavis JohnsonHope Community Church - Downt…

God gives gifts to his people for the blessing of others. When receiving our gift, we too often fall prey to comparisons or envy or rivalry rather than gratitude. This passage reminds us that these gifts are graces to us from God and that he has given us exceedingly more than we could ever repay. Questions:• Is it our desire for God to become great…

Taylor Swift and Drake both wrote songs at high moments in their careers about how God helps those who help themselves. This may sound like good news when things are going your way, but when the rest of life happens, we need something far stronger than our ability to make good choices. Fortunately for us (and them!), Romans 12:1-2 gives us access t…

When was the last time you had something that was so wonderful, so beautiful, so majestic it took your breath away? This week’s passage is a gift to us, to see God as glorious, merciful, wonderful, wise and worthy of our utmost worship and trust. In and through Jesus Christ, the mighty name of God is both worthy of praise and very accessible. Roman…

Mitch Chase writes, “The death of Jesus was not the end of Jesus. It was no defeat. His death was overcome on the third day. The cross was a victory, and the resurrection proved it.” Are you trusting in the cross and empty tomb for your victory over sin and death? Questions Have you been united to Christ in his death and resurrection through faith?…

If the very people who were supposed to recognize Jesus as the Messiah reject him, what will become of them? This week’s sermon addresses this question, with some real hope for the physical descendants of Israel for the future. RomansSteve TreichlerHope Community Church - Downtown Minneapolis Download Message Slides For more resources or to learn m…

God––after breaking us off from our cursed familiar tree––grafts us by faith into his tree of life and salvation. His plan has always been for his people to live by trusting in him and his promises. So has God’s Plan A failed? Absolutely not! He has the power to graft in anyone whose faith is in him. What great news! Question: Do you know of God’s …

Where do we turn if the greatest barrier to connecting with God is inside us? Our passage this week uses sensory images to describe the shape and cause of hardened hearts. These vivid pictures lead us to ask the most important question: how do you melt a frozen heart? RomansDavis JohnsonHope Community Church - Downtown Minneapolis Download Message …

Often in a mobster movie, we will hear the crime boss say to a person who has betrayed them, “You’re dead to me!” From that point on in the movie, they become persona non grata, which is Latin for “a person who is unacceptable or unwelcome”. Is that what God did to Israel after all her failures and rebellions? Is that what he does to us? RomansStev…

If anyone reads the Scripture carefully, they will find some word, some hidden treasure in the field, which is Christ.” These words are from the 2nd Century and they reflect God’s own idea that the whole Bible is about Jesus and discovering all that the cross accomplishes. This changes not only the way we read the Old Testament but the way we inter…

Paul’s ”twist” to the story Deuteronomy 30:14 (TiPCFGCTTGOGRTOTV)14But the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it realize there is no possible way you can do it (Rom 1, 2). And yet, the law requires perfection (Rom 3:23). So we are in deep, deep doo-doo (Rom 3:19-20). But wait! Along comes someone who di…

What is underneath the universal longing to be enough? Be it our jobs, political beliefs, exercise regimes (or lack thereof), relationships — so much of life is covered by some unwritten code of standards to be kept. Where do these come from and more importantly how can we finally put all these measurements to rest? Romans 10:1-4Davis JohnsonHope C…

There is an ancient passage which predicted the arrival of a stone. This stone, for one group, would become a rock of offense and stumbling. But for another group, it would become the rock of their salvation. Why the difference in response? That is what today’s message is all about. Question Why is Jesus compared to a stone? How is it that Jesus, t…

Our natural impulses are often wrong. That includes when we read the Bible and consider the character of God. We look at our lives and incorrectly believe that He and his Word have failed. This passage shows us that God’s promises are sure and he orchestrates events to make clear his mercy! Questions Do we question our natural impulses recognizing …

Romans 9:1-5Steve TreichlerHope Community Church - Downtown Minneapolis Download Message Slides For more resources or to learn more about Hope Community Church, visit hopecc.com.

As we look forward to a new year, it’s beneficial to look back on where we’ve been. When we do, we see God’s faithfulness throughout the pages of our story. This church is a picture of God’s grace toward his people. And we get the chance in the new year to see more pages added to this book. We look forward to all that God has in store for us! Quest…

Why don’t New Year’s Resolutions work? See how Romans 6:1-4, 11-14 gives a pathway for real life change that is gospel centered, not just an act of willpower. Vision SeriesSteve TreichlerHope Community Church - Downtown Minneapolis Download Message Slides For more resources or to learn more about Hope Community Church, visit hopecc.com.…

This week we looked at the story of Hannah. We connect with her as she deals with life’s disappointments because we too deal with disappointment. In her case, the desperate prayers of a barren woman to have a son are answered. Is that the end of the story? No. For we are cued in on a future son to be born who will be called King and Savior, who wil…

What are we to do when God makes no sense? The account of the birth and sacrifice of Isaac brings us to this very question, as well as foreshadowing another very loved son the very point of sacrifice as well! Born Unto UsSteve TreichlerHope Community Church - Downtown Minneapolis Download Message Slides For more resources or to learn more about Hop…

Paul Tripp writes, “It’s easy to look around and keep score…focusing more on what others have than what God has graciously provided for you causing you to want what they have and to question the goodness of God.” We observe this in the story of Cain and, too often, in our own story. Yet, how wonderful this Christmas season to be reminded of the goo…

The and of Romans 8 is filled with a whole bunch of rhetorical questions that need to be answered out loud (and maybe even memorized). The first of which is siimply life -changing on a daily basis as we ponder “If God is for us, who can be against us?” NO ONE!!! RomansSteve TreichlerHope Community Church - Downtown Minneapolis Download Message Slid…

The Bible reads like a thrilling story with characters, settings, plot lines, problems, and solutions. One of the main themes from beginning to end is suffering giving way to glory. That is true of God’s story as he solves the problem of sin on our behalf and sets the stage for a glorious and forthcoming glory. We wait for that glory with eager exp…

Many of the Old Testament stories can be summarized in three words: “Know Your Enemy.” Like us, the people in the Old Testament were often guilty of mislocating the real problem in their lives, causing things to move from bad to worse. Here in Romans 8, we’re given unequivocal clarity about who our enemy is and a charge to bring this enemy to an en…

In the classic movie The Matrix, Neo says to Morpheus, “I don’t like the idea that I’m not in control of my life.” Perhaps you feel the same way. It’s easier to accept what we can see more than what we cannot. We feel better if we believe we’re in control. Yet God works in unseen and expected ways by his Spirit. Will you trust his Spirit to lead yo…

Romans 8:1-4 brings with it some remarkable statements that are actors for our souls when we are faced with a sense of failure, shame and condemnation. As the devil tries his best to discourage us, we can use these facts from Romans 8 to say, “Not Today, Satan!” "In fact, tomorrow’s not looking very good for you either!" RomansSteve TreichlerHope C…

Where do you turn when life lowers you to the end of your rope? In the second half of Romans 7, we discover a pathway to communing with God that looks less like climbing and more like seeing life as it actually is, and ourselves as those who struggle and stumble. This means Jesus isn’t away and unaware of the dark and scary places of your life that…

In The Greatest Showman the song Never Enough repeats how the world’s lights and stars and gold will never be enough. In this passage the law of God repeats how our best efforts will never be enough. To live by the law requires absolute perfection. Good news comes when we realize only Jesus has lived with absolute perfection and hushed the Law’s lo…

What is the mechanism of how we become right with God AND are given power for living? Our complete and perfect union with Jesus in His life, death and resurrection!! RomansSteve TreichlerHope Community Church - Downtown Minneapolis Download Message Slides For more resources or to learn more about Hope Community Church, visit hopecc.com.…

Should we just sin all the time because we’re not under law but under grace? The second half of Romans 6 addresses this question while, in a way, trolling our Western notion of freedom. Being free isn’t only about being out from under the wrong thing, but being bound to that which is truly good. And this goodness runs on a fuel more powerful than t…

Grace isn’t found only when we sin. Grace protects and heals and blesses and guides and strengthens. Grace frees us from sin as we are united to Jesus in his death and resurrection. So should we continue in sin so that grace might abound? By no means. We are dead to sin and alive to God! Will you let grace abound all the more? RomansCor ChmieleskiH…

You cannot possibly out-sin the grace of God given to us through the gift of Jesus Christ’s obedience on the Cross. That’s not a challenge – it’s simply a fact! RomansSteve TreichlerHope Community Church - Downtown Minneapolis Download Message Slides For more resources or to learn more about Hope Community Church, visit hopecc.com.…

Paragraph DescriptiAll of us have ideas about God that are skewed and even completely backwards at times. This is why, perhaps more than anything, we need him to show us what he’s like and what he’s doing in the world. Fortunately for us, God is not in the business of hiding but revealing and he does just that in Romans 5. Gospel ApplicationIs the …

It's time to stop and smell...the churros (one of my favorite smells). This week we pause to reflect on the effects of the Good News for our lives. Peace, grace, and hope - even amidst sufferings - are all ours because of what Jesus accomplished. Don't forget this. In fact, take time to stop and smell these churros! RomansCor ChmieleskiHope Communi…

Salvation by faith through grace has always been the plan for the very beginning. God didn’t change plans to make it work for Jesus, but the entire storyline of the Old Testament is pre-game to the revelation of Jesus Christ. RomansSteve TreichlerHope Community Church - Downtown Minneapolis Download Message Slides For more resources or to learn mor…

Every murder mystery reveals a twist. Once known, it is enjoyable to re-watch or re-read that story with that twist in mind. The same is true for the bible. This week and next we return to the beginning of the story to see how trusting in God’s promises of salvation brings righteousness––not religious works or sacred rituals or having a certain rel…

In chapter 4 of the book of Romans, Paul will try to defend his explanation of what Jesus has done for us. But, does his answer fit with the Old Testament storyline, and what exactly is he trying to defend. This week, we will discover what Paul saw as God’s ultimate plan for the salvation of his people. RomansSteve TreichlerHope Community Church - …

In the 90’s and early 2000’s there was a dramatic rise in books and movies about the end of the world. Many of these cultural artifacts, however, were more preoccupied with current events than the Bible. In today’s passage, we take a closer look at one of those parables that seems to be about the end of the world, and find some surprising twists in…

In an amazing twist, Jesus informs us that anything that is held on to ‘for dear life’ outside of making him our entire life will ultimately sour and never satisfy the way he does. Putting our entire trust and hope in Jesus is the real only way to have life and have it to the very utmost! Not Just Another StorySteve TreichlerHope Community Church -…

Jesus failed to match expectations that religious leaders had for the Messiah. They expected to see power and affluence and authority; he showed weakness and humility and smallness. This week’s parables make clear how God moves in ways we might consider upside down. Application Will you embrace that God works in upside down ways––amidst the common …

This week’s story works on two levels. On one level, it is an easily accessible story of reversal – the rich (or self-reliant!) becomes poor and the poor becomes rich. On a second level, it communicates the great Christian truth that Jesus (who is rich while being completely God-reliant) becomes poor so the poor (or incapable, helpless, deficient, …

The story from today’s passage often gets ignored. Why? Because it depicts a wasteful and unrighteous manager, on the cusp of being fired, acting “shrewdly” to the detriment of his employer…yet his employer commends him. What? How can such a guy get praised? How can such a character be exemplified by Jesus within his teaching? Questions Are you qui…

About today’s story, Robert Capon says, “The point is that none of the people who had a right to be at a proper party came, and that all the people who came had no right whatsoever to be there…Grace as portrayed here works only on the untouchable, the unpardonable, and the unacceptable.” That grace is ours if we but accept the invitation of Jesus t…

Many of our intuitions around what it looks like to read the Bible often steer toward "how to" -- that is, what does God want me to do. But here in Luke's gospel, Jesus begins to lay his cards down the table for how he interprets the Scriptures. Using the phrase "greater than" he shows us the ways grace changes how we comprehend both the Bible and …

You can always come home no matter what.” My wife, Jill, and I have repeated that phrase countless times to our boys. Why? Because we make mistakes. These mistakes can lead to guilt and shame. And pretty soon we start to believe sin and shame’s lies. This week we hear the good news that Jesus has taken our shame and opened the door for us to come h…

Given the times we live in, it’s so easy to think we know best. This can, occasionally, include knowing best how God should be doing his job. The people of Jesus’s day had this too. They had expectations for how promised rescuer (the Messiah) should act. And Jesus didn’t match all those expectations. Even John, the forerunner to the Messiah, had qu…

Burnout is largely the result of humanity’s complicated (even religious!) relationship with work, which is one of many reasons God required the Israelites to cease from all labor for one day a week in the Old Testament. Jesus uncovers the deeper mystery behind this day of rest when his disciples are accused of breaking this law.Paragraph Descriptio…

In his own hometown, Jesus gives a reading from Isaiah the prophet and uses a story from the Old Testament about two non-Jewish people who experienced God's grace. The response? They try to throw Jesus off a cliff! What about Jesus' sermon made them uncomfortable and how can we read this story to point out our own idols? Application: What about Jes…

Comparison. It is something we do every single day. How am I doing in my job? Do I shovel the walk as good as my neighbors? Are my kids as well behaved as our friend’s kids? It is a constant theme for us. In this sermon we look at the very heart of where all this comes from. RomansSteve TreichlerHope Community Church - Downtown Minneapolis Download…