This exploration of joy challenges us to reconsider what we truly mean when we talk about being joyful. Drawing from Galatians 5:22, we discover that joy is fundamentally different from happiness. While happiness depends on what happens to us—our circumstances, successes, and comforts—joy is a settled assurance rooted in knowing who God is.

The message takes us into the lives of two remarkable women: Mary, the mother of Jesus, who faced tremendous uncertainty when told she would bear the Son of God, and Naomi, who walked through devastating loss and pain.

Mary's response to an uncertain future wasn't denial or fear, but worship—she praised God even when she couldn't see the full picture. Naomi's story reminds us that pain can tempt us to rename ourselves after our struggles, to let our identity become defined by our suffering. Yet God was working in the background, orchestrating redemption through Ruth and Boaz.

This sermon launches a nine-week series on the Fruit of the Spirit, focusing specifically on love as the foundation of all spiritual fruit.

Pastor Jeff challenges the congregation to move beyond passive Christianity to active, sacrificial love that mirrors Christ's love for us. He contrasts the "acts of the flesh" (plural, scattered, self-gratifying) with the "fruit of the Spirit" (singular, unified, God-glorifying), emphasizing that true Christian identity is demonstrated through fruit, not just religious activity or appearance.

The message calls believers to surrender their hearts fully to Jesus, recognizing that spiritual fruit grows naturally from an abiding relationship with God rather than through human effort. The sermon emphasizes that love is not sentimental or weak but active, intentional, and sacrificial—demonstrated supremely in Christ's death for us while we were still sinners.

This message takes us into Matthew chapter 8, where we encounter an unexpected hero of faith: a Roman centurion. What makes this story remarkable is not just the healing that occurs, but Jesus' amazement at the faith displayed. Have we become so familiar with Jesus that we no longer truly believe in his power?

Are we comfortable with our patterns of sin, our coping mechanisms, our busy schedules that we use as crutches? The centurion's faith calls us to humble ourselves and ask a crucial question: do we want a new story?

Jesus stands ready to heal, to transform, to renew, but our familiarity and lack of faith can close the door to what he wants to do in our lives.

This powerful message draws us into the transformative encounter between Jesus and a man suffering from leprosy in Matthew 8:1-4.

We're invited to understand leprosy not just as a physical disease, but as a profound metaphor for isolation and lost identity. Just as the leper experienced progressive separation from family, community, and worship, we too can find ourselves isolated by circumstances, labels, and the voices around us that tell us who we are.

The sermon brilliantly connects this ancient story to our modern experience of isolation, particularly drawing parallels to the COVID-19 pandemic and how separation has affected our mental health and sense of community.

This sermon can be broken down in three points: taking a step of faith despite what others say, trusting in God's authority and willingness to heal, and following through with action.

The leper didn't just receive healing; he was restored to community and given back his identity. Jesus didn't simply cure a disease; He touched the untouchable and brought someone back from the margins.

This reminds us that God's work in our lives isn't just about fixing problems, but about complete restoration and giving us renewed purpose. The challenge we face is moving from encounter to action, from feeling called to actually stepping forward into what God has placed on our hearts.

Easter isn’t just another holiday—it’s the day that changed everything. On this Resurrection Sunday, we unpack the miracle of the empty tomb and invite you to discover what it truly means that Jesus is alive. Through Mary Magdalene’s encounter and the story in John 20, you’ll see how:

Because He lives, I am free—“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV);

Because He lives, I am safe—“I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand” (John 10:28-29 ESV);

Because He lives, I will rise—“I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live” (John 11:25-26 ESV).

Break out of empty traditions and celebrate the real hope of Easter—because Jesus lives, you can have freedom, security, and the promise of resurrection.

This week on the Hope Church Frankfort podcast, Pastor Jeff brings a fresh word for Palm Sunday with his message, "The Lord Needs It."

As Jesus entered Jerusalem, the crowds were filled with holy anticipation and hope for the Messiah. But, like waiting for that long-desired gift only to find it isn’t what you expected, Pastor Jeff challenges us: What if what Jesus wants most is our obedience and surrender, no matter our expectations?

Drawing from Luke 19, this episode explores the power of letting go, why true followers lay everything before the King, and how even the rocks would worship if we remain silent.

Be inspired to give Jesus what He deserves—your worship, your surrender, your whole life—because the Lord needs it, and the Lord deserves it.

What is the church really all about, and why does being “planted” matter?

Drawing from Psalm 1, Pastor Jeff unpacks how church is meant to be more than a place to attend—it’s where we’re invited to deep-rooted health, wholeness, and holiness.

Just as healthy things grow and growing things change, discover why being planted in God’s Word and among God’s people leads to true spiritual flourishing.

Whether you’ve felt like a hospital patient in crisis, a rehabber in need of steady growth, or an athlete ready for training, this message calls you to move beyond surface involvement into a life of real transformation: it’s time to plant.

In this message, we looked at Jesus’ final words in the Sermon on the Mount, where He shares the illustration of two builders. One builder builds his house on a solid foundation—the rock—while the other builds on a weak foundation—the sand.

Aaron used the picture of ancient Israel’s dry riverbeds to help illustrate what Jesus was describing. When the ground looked firm on the surface but had no real foundation underneath, it would collapse when the storms came. Jesus teaches that He is the solid rock—the only foundation strong enough for us to build our lives on.

He ended with an illustration using ping pong balls in a jar, asking the question: What are we building our lives upon? Our lives can easily be filled with hollow things that don’t truly satisfy. But when we allow the Spirit of God—like living water—to fill us, He brings the fullness and foundation our lives truly need.