New Hope Bend New Hope Church is a life-giving church in Bend, OR with engaging worship, practical Bible-centered messages, and a kids program your kids will love. https://www.newhopebend.com Wed, 12 Aug 2026 19:28:00 +0000 Wed, 12 Aug 2026 19:28:00 +0000 hourly 1 3600 SnapPages.com Why Do I Feel Alone? https://www.newhopebend.com/blog/2026/09/22/why-do-i-feel-alone Tue, 22 Sep 2026 13:50:21 +0000 https://www.newhopebend.com/blog/2026/09/22/why-do-i-feel-alone

Why Do I Feel Alone?
What the Bible Says About Loneliness & How to Fight It

WATCH THE FULL SERMON HERE
Loneliness is one of the most common human experiences, yet one of the hardest things to admit. Whether you are surrounded by people or sitting in a room by yourself, that quiet ache of feeling unknown is something almost everyone carries. Here is what Scripture says about loneliness, why it happens, and what you can actually do about it.

Why Do I Feel Lonely Even When I Am Around People?

This is one of the most important things to understand about loneliness. It is not simply about being physically alone. You can be at a party, at work, at home with your family, or even sitting in a church full of people and still feel completely alone.

What makes loneliness so painful is not the absence of people. It is the feeling that nobody actually knows you. People may know your name, your job, your kids, your vacation photos. But do they know what keeps you up at night? Do they know what you are afraid of? That gap between being known about and being truly known is where loneliness lives.

Why Do We Hide Our Loneliness?

Loneliness can feel like failure. It can make us think something is wrong with us, that we missed our people, or that everyone else has figured out connection and we have not. So instead of being honest, we default to the easy answer.

How are you doing? Good. How is the family? Good. Everything is good.

We become skilled at the quick, dismissive answer. And over time, those walls we build to protect ourselves become the very thing that keeps us isolated. Loneliness grows in hiding. The more we retreat, the worse it gets.

What Does the Bible Say About Loneliness?

David Felt It Too

King David was arguably the most well-known man in Israel. He was a warrior, a king, a poet, and a legend. He knew thousands of people and thousands knew him. And yet he wrote one of the most honest expressions of loneliness and the longing to be known in all of Scripture.

In Psalm 139, David writes:

"You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely." - Psalm 139:1-4

David is not describing proximity here. He is describing intimacy. God is not simply nearby. God actually sees into Him completely.

The First Problem God Ever Named Was Isolation

Before sin entered the world, before anything went wrong in the garden, God identified a problem. It was not rebellion. It was aloneness.

"It is not good for man to be alone." - Genesis 2:18

God created human beings as relational beings. We are wired for connection. Loneliness is not a personal failure. It is a signal that something we were designed to have is missing.

What Is the Real Answer to Loneliness?

It Is Not Just Being Around More People

We live in the most connected generation in human history. Social media gives us a number, a count of all the people we are linked to. We can know what someone had for lunch, where they went on vacation, and what milestone their kid just hit. And yet loneliness is at an all-time high.

More followers, more friends, more texts, and more events do not cure loneliness. You can have thousands of connections and still feel completely unknown.

The Answer Is Being Known

David does not start Psalm 139 by asking God to bring more people into His life. He starts by saying, "You know me." The answer to loneliness is not more people. It is more people who actually know you, and allowing yourself to be known by them.

Think of intimacy this way: it is "into me, see." True intimacy means someone can actually see into you. That is what David is describing when he says God perceives his thoughts, knows His ways, and is familiar with everything about Him.

You Are Never Truly Alone

David continues in Psalm 139 with a sweeping declaration about the presence of God:

"Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast." - Psalm 139:7-10

The word translated as "depths" in some versions is actually the Hebrew word Sheol , meaning the grave. David is saying that even in death, God is there. There is no place, no season, no valley low enough that God is absent.

Even Jesus Experienced Loneliness

Jesus had twelve disciples, men He lived with, traveled with, and did ministry alongside for over three years. At His most vulnerable moment in the garden of Gethsemane, He asked them to simply stay awake and pray with Him. They fell asleep. Three times.

One of His twelve betrayed Him. Ten of the remaining eleven deserted Him at the cross. Only John stood there with Him at the end. Jesus, fully God and fully human, experienced the sting of abandonment and the loss of friendship.

And yet the promise holds. Scripture does not promise you will never feel lonely. It promises something better:

"Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." - Hebrews 13:5

Loneliness may describe your season. It does not define your relationship with God. You may feel alone, but you are never actually alone.

How Does God Answer Loneliness in Practical Ways?

Through the People He Places Around You

God often answers loneliness through community. The writer of Hebrews puts it plainly:

"Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another." - Hebrews 10:24-25

Church is not a building you attend and leave. It is a community you participate in. And participation requires something from you.

Stop Waiting for Others to Make the First Move

Here is something worth sitting with: everyone is waiting for someone else to reach out. You are thinking, "I wish someone would invite me." The person next to you is thinking the exact same thing. Everyone is in a stalemate, and nobody wants to go first.

What if you went first?

One woman started handing out small notes to strangers at church, inviting them to brunch after the service. She did it for a few weeks. Twenty years later, those strangers are some of her closest friends. They are in a small group together. It changed her life, and it started with a simple invitation.

Three Practical Steps to Fight Loneliness

  1. Stop pretending you are fine. Identify one safe person and tell them what is actually going on. Let someone in. You do not have to share everything with everyone, but you cannot be known if you never let anyone see you.
  2. Take one step toward people. Join the group. Accept the invitation. Offer the invitation. Start the conversation. Ask someone to coffee. Do not pre-decide that people will say no. Give them the chance to say yes.
  3. Remember who is already with you. When loneliness says nobody sees you, remind yourself that God sees you fully. He knows your thoughts, your fears, the things you have never said out loud. You are not invisible to Him.

Why Serving Others Helps You Feel Less Alone

One of the fastest ways to build connection in a community is to serve in it. Greeting people at the door, making coffee, volunteering at an event, these are not small things. They put you in proximity with people consistently, and consistency is where real relationships are built.

Couples who started greeting at church reported getting to know more people in two months than they had in the previous two years. Simply showing up and saying hello to people changed everything.

If you are waiting for community to come to you, you may be waiting a long time. But if you become the person who initiates, who invites, who stays a few extra minutes after the service ends, you will find that people respond. Most people are just waiting for someone to go first.

Life Application

This week, choose to go first. Identify one person you have been meaning to reach out to and actually do it. Send the text, make the call, or extend the invitation. If you have been hiding behind "I'm fine," find one safe person and tell them something real about where you are. And if loneliness has been whispering that nobody sees you, spend time in Psalm 139 and let the truth of it settle in.

You are fully known by God, and that is the foundation from which real community is built.

Ask yourself:

  • Am I confusing being around people with actually being known? What would it look like to let someone truly see me?
  • Is there someone in my life right now who I could reach out to this week, not waiting for them to come to me?
  • When loneliness tells me I am alone, am I turning to the truth of Scripture, or am I letting that feeling define my reality?
]]> https://www.newhopebend.com/blog/2026/09/22/why-do-i-feel-alone#comments 4 Why Am I So Anxious? https://www.newhopebend.com/blog/2026/09/15/why-am-i-so-anxious Tue, 15 Sep 2026 14:09:54 +0000 https://www.newhopebend.com/blog/2026/09/15/why-am-i-so-anxious

Why Am I So Anxious?
What Jesus Says About Worry and How to Trust God Today

WATCH THE FULL SERMON HERE
Anxiety has a way of creeping into everyday life, whether it's back-to-school stress, financial pressure, health concerns, or uncertainty about the future. Jesus addressed this directly in one of His most well-known teachings, and what He said is both challenging and deeply freeing.

What Does the Bible Say About Worry and Anxiety?

In Matthew 6:25, Jesus says: "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?" - Matthew 6:25

That sounds simple enough. But if you've ever struggled with anxiety, you know it's not as easy as flipping a switch. Jesus wasn't being dismissive. He was pointing to something deeper.

The Apostle Paul echoes this in Philippians 4:6-7: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 4:6-7

Why Do We Worry So Much?

Worry tends to show up around the things that matter most. You don't stress about things you don't care about. The fact that something keeps you up at night usually means it's deeply important to you.

We worry about our kids. We worry about finances, retirement, and whether we're making the right decisions. We worry about health, about what others think of us, and about decisions we haven't even made yet. We play the "what if" game endlessly, running through scenarios we can't control, convinced that if we think about something long enough, we can somehow manage the outcome.

But here's the truth: anxiety is an illusion of control. It feels productive, but it rarely changes anything. It just steals your peace today.

Can Worrying Actually Change Anything?

Jesus asks a pointed question in Matthew 6:27: "Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?" - Matthew 6:27

The honest answer is no. Worry doesn't fix the problem. It doesn't give you more control. It doesn't change tomorrow. It just makes today harder to live.

There is an important distinction worth making here between concern and worry:

- Concern sees a problem and asks, "What should I do?" It leads to action and responsibility.
- Worry sees a problem and asks, "What if?" It leads to obsession and exhaustion.

You can plan responsibly without worrying obsessively. Being concerned about something and taking action is healthy. Spiraling over things outside your control is not.

What Can You Actually Control?

There are things within your control and things that are not. It helps to be honest about the difference.

Things within your control include your choices, your attitude, how you respond to others, your obedience to what God has called you to do, and how you prepare for what's ahead.

Things outside your control include other people's decisions, what others think of you, the economy, a medical diagnosis, and the outcomes of situations you've done everything right to prepare for.

You were never meant to control everything. You were meant to trust the One who does.

Anxiety grows when we try to control what God is asking us to trust Him with..

This is the core of what Jesus is teaching. When we take back the things we were meant to give to God, anxiety grows. When we say, "I don't trust You with my future, so I'll manage it myself," we take on a weight we were never designed to carry.

Jesus isn't saying planning is wrong or that responsibility doesn't matter. He's saying that worrying about the things you can't control won't help. It only adds to the burden.

How Knowing Who God Is Reduces Anxiety

Jesus gives two illustrations in Matthew 6 that are easy to overlook but are incredibly powerful.

First, He points to birds: "Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?" - Matthew 6:26

Then He points to flowers: "See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these." - Matthew 6:28-29

Notice what Jesus says. He doesn't call God "their" Heavenly Father. He says "your" Heavenly Father feeds the birds. Your Heavenly Father clothes the fields. If He cares that much about birds and grass, how much more does He care about you?

Anxiety isn't ultimately solved by knowing what will happen. It's transformed by knowing who God is. The more you understand His character, the more your trust grows. And as trust grows, anxiety shrinks.

The Connection Between Trust and Anxiety

Think of it like a teeter-totter. As trust in God goes up, anxiety tends to go down. As trust decreases, anxiety increases. They move in opposite directions.

Jesus uses the phrase "you of little faith" in Matthew 6:30. In the original Greek, the word for faith here is pistis , which means trust. He's essentially asking: why do you trust God so little?

Following Jesus doesn't guarantee that nothing painful will happen. Christians lose jobs. Christians face illness. Christians experience loss and hardship. But faith in God gives you confidence that whatever happens, you won't face it alone. Your Heavenly Father is present, and He cares deeply.

What Should You Do Instead of Worrying?

Jesus doesn't just say stop worrying and leave it there. He gives a replacement. In Matthew 6:33-34, He says: "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." - Matthew 6:33-34

The instruction is to shift your focus. Instead of fixating on what you can't control, redirect your attention to what God wants for you today. What does faithfulness look like right now, in this moment, with these people?

Peace comes when we trade tomorrow's worries for today's obedience.

Practical Steps to Stop Worrying and Start Trusting

Here are three practical steps drawn from what Jesus teaches in this passage:

  • Identify what you're trying to control. Be honest about what you're worrying about that is actually outside your control. Name it.
  • Do what is yours to do. Focus on what you are actually responsible for. You can't control other people's decisions, but you can control how you respond. Take the next faithful step.
  • Give God what belongs to Him. Release tomorrow. Your Heavenly Father already knows what you need. Trust that He will take care of what you cannot.

You don't need enough grace for the rest of your life today. You just need enough for today. And then tomorrow, you do it again.

Life Application

This week, try starting each morning with a simple prayer of surrender. Before the to-do list, before the worry spiral begins, pause and say: "Lord, I trust You with today. Show me how to be faithful with the people and moments in front of me."

Then pay attention to who you cross paths with. The coworker, the neighbor, the person in line. Instead of rushing through the day consumed by what you can't control, ask God what He might want from you in each moment.

String one day of this together, then another. Let trust build slowly, one day at a time.

Ask yourself these questions as you reflect this week:

  • What am I currently worrying about that is actually outside of my control?
  • Is my level of trust in God going up or down right now, and what is driving that?
  • What is one faithful step I can take today instead of spending energy on a "what if" I can't control?
  • Do I actually believe that God knows what I need and cares about the details of my life?

You cannot control tomorrow. But you can trust God today. That is where peace begins.
]]> https://www.newhopebend.com/blog/2026/09/15/why-am-i-so-anxious#comments 3 Build a Life That Lasts https://www.newhopebend.com/blog/2026/09/08/build-a-life-that-lasts Tue, 08 Sep 2026 14:11:36 +0000 https://www.newhopebend.com/blog/2026/09/08/build-a-life-that-lasts

Building Your Life on the Rock: What Jesus Really Wants From You

WATCH THE FULL SERMON HERE
Jesus ended the greatest sermon ever preached not with a theological argument or a call to learn more. He ended it with a story about two builders and a storm.

The parable of the wise and foolish builders in Matthew 7 is a direct challenge to anyone who has ever heard the words of Jesus and assumed that hearing was enough.

What Is the Parable of the Wise and Foolish Builders?

In Matthew 7:24-27, Jesus says:

"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built His house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, yet it did not fall because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the wind blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."

This story closes out the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew chapters 5 through 7. After three chapters of some of the most well-known teaching in all of history, Jesus wraps it up with a simple but sobering question: now what are you going to do about it?

Why Did Jesus End His Sermon With This Story?

Jesus understood that more than content, more than information, people need to act. He had just finished teaching on loving your enemies, forgiving others, not storing up earthly treasures, seeking God's kingdom first, and treating others the way you want to be treated. Then He looked at the crowd and essentially said: knowing all of this is not the point. Doing it is.

The crowd was amazed at His teaching because He spoke with authority, not like the religious teachers of the day who constantly quoted other rabbis. But amazement alone does not build a foundation.

Can You Tell the Difference Between Someone Built on Rock and Someone Built on Sand?

Here is something that should stop us in our tracks. From the outside, both houses looked the same. Both builders heard the words of Jesus. Neither could claim ignorance. Both experienced the same storm. And yet only one survived.

This means you cannot tell if someone has built their life on Jesus or on sand just by looking at them. Lives of faith can look identical on the surface. The difference only becomes visible when the storm hits.

Hearing Jesus Is Not the Same as Following Jesus

This is where it gets uncomfortable. Many of us who have grown up in or around the church are very good at the church game. We show up. We take notes. We know the right answers. We listen to sermons, highlight verses, join Bible studies, and say amen in all the right places.

And we can do all of that while still building our house on sand.

Agreement can give us the illusion of obedience. We hear Jesus say do not worry, and then immediately start worrying about tomorrow. We hear Him say forgive, and we hold tighter to a grudge. We hear Him say seek first His kingdom, and then we fill our calendars with almost everything else. We hear Him talk about generosity and spend our money on ourselves.

The question is not whether you heard what Jesus said.

The question is: what changed in you because you heard it?

What Actually Separates the Wise Builder From the Foolish One?

Both builders heard the words of Jesus. The difference was one obeyed and one did not. One put it into practice. One did not.

You are not building your life on Jesus because you know what He said. You are building your life on Jesus when you do what He said. That is a significant difference.

Obedience when life is easy is manageable. It is when things get hard, when the storm rolls in, that obedience gets tested. Following Jesus is not dependent on how comfortable your life currently is. He asks us to obey not because we always agree, but because we trust that He is right.

Does Following Jesus Mean You Are Protected From Storms?

No. And this is one of the most important things to understand.

Jesus is not telling a story about a wise man who built His house in a storm-free zone. Both builders experienced the same storm. Following Jesus does not exempt you from difficulty.

- Christians get cancer.
- Christians lose jobs.
- Christians experience betrayal.
- Christians walk through grief.
- Christians face financial pressure and broken family dynamics.

Anything that can happen to someone who does not follow Jesus can happen to someone who does. The difference is not whether the storm comes. The difference is whether what you have built will stand or collapse when it does.

Why You Need to Build Your Foundation Before the Storm Arrives

You do not pour a foundation while a hurricane is hitting the house. You build before the storm. By the time the storm arrives, the foundation is already done.

This means:

- You develop a prayer life before the diagnosis, not after.
- You read Scripture before the temptation comes.
- You build Christian community before the crisis hits.
- You learn forgiveness before someone wounds you deeply.
- You practice obedience in ordinary moments so it becomes a pattern.

Storms do not build foundations. They reveal them.
When crisis comes, it shows what was actually there all along. Some people discover during a storm that what they called faith was really just comfort. As long as God answered prayers the way they wanted, they trusted. As long as life made sense, they followed. And then the storm hit and the house fell.

Every act of obedience is another piece of the foundation. 
Every time you trust God instead of trying to control things, every time you forgive when bitterness would be easier, every time you follow Jesus when you do not understand what He is doing, you are building. You build in the calm what you will eventually need in the storm.

What Are You Actually Building Your Life On?

It is easy to build a life that looks solid from the outside but is resting on sand. A career. A personality. A family. A business. Financial security. These are not bad things, but when they become the foundation, the thing you get up for in the morning, the thing that defines you, they are sand. And when the storm comes, they will not hold.

The man who built on sand knew what he was doing. He heard the words of Jesus. He cannot stand before God and say He did not know. He knew. He chose sand anyway.

Jesus is not warning us about a house that needs minor repairs after a storm. He is describing a complete collapse. The story does not end with water damage or a hole in the roof. It ends with a great crash. There is no renovation. There is no fixing it after the fact.

The question is not whether you are building. You are building. Everyone is building a life. The only question is what you are building it on.

Life Application

This week, take an honest look at where your obedience actually shows up. Not your knowledge, not your church attendance, not how many verses you can quote. Where in your daily life are you actually doing what Jesus said?

Pick one specific area where you have been hearing Jesus but not obeying. Maybe it is forgiveness toward someone who hurt you. Maybe it is worry you keep holding onto. Maybe it is generosity you keep putting off. Take one concrete step of obedience in that area this week.

That is how you build on the rock. One act at a time, before the storm arrives.
]]> https://www.newhopebend.com/blog/2026/09/08/build-a-life-that-lasts#comments 3 Faithfulness is the Assignment https://www.newhopebend.com/blog/2026/09/01/faithfulness-is-the-assignment Tue, 01 Sep 2026 13:15:14 +0000 https://www.newhopebend.com/blog/2026/09/01/faithfulness-is-the-assignment

Stop Waiting for More: What the Parable of the Talents Teaches Us About Faithfulness

WATCH THE FULL SERMON HERE
One of the easiest ways to waste your life is to spend it wishing you had someone else's.

Jesus told a parable that cuts right through that temptation and challenges us to ask a harder question: what are you doing with what God has already given you?

What Is the Parable of the Talents About?

In Matthew 25:14-30, Jesus tells the story of a master who entrusts His wealth to three servants before going on a journey. He gives one servant five talents, another two, and another one, each according to his ability.

Two of the servants go out and double what they were given. The third buries his in the ground out of fear. When the master returns, the first two are celebrated. The third is rebuked.

The story ends well for two and not for one. And the reason why matters deeply for how we live our lives.

Why Do We Keep Comparing What We've Been Given?

It is tempting to read this parable and feel sorry for the servant who only received one talent. But consider what a talent actually was. In the original Greek, a talent represented roughly 20 years of wages. One talent was not a small thing. It was an enormous investment.

If someone walked up to you today and said, "I believe in you so much that I'm handing you 20 years of your salary to go invest," you would not feel shortchanged. You would feel trusted.

Yet we do this constantly. We look at what others have and think, "If I only had their platform, their influence, their gifts, their opportunities, then I could really do something." We compare what we received instead of being faithful with it.

The parable makes something clear: the differences in what each servant received were intentional. The master knew his servants. He gave each one what they could handle. God does the same with us.

Does God Promise Everyone the Same Gifts or Opportunities?

No. And that is actually good news.

The New Testament describes the church as a body made of many different parts. Some are eyes, some are hands, some are feet. They are not all the same, and that is what makes the body work. A foot cannot say, "I am not a hand, so I am useless." An eye cannot say, "I am not a mouth, so I have no purpose."

God's kingdom needs every one of us. You have been gifted in specific ways that are unique to you. Your responsibility is not to carry out someone else's assignment. You do not need someone else's gifts to be faithful with your own.

Comparison does not motivate us. It makes us resent what God has given us.

Why Do We Bury the Gifts God Has Given Us?

The third servant does not bury his talent because he is lazy in the way we typically think of laziness. He buries it because he is afraid. Afraid of risk. Afraid of failure. Afraid that if he tries and loses, he will have nothing to show for it.

So he plays it safe. He digs a hole, hides the talent, and plans to hand it back exactly as he received it. No risk. No loss. No failure.

But also no faithfulness.

We do this more than we realize. We bury conversations we know we should have because we are afraid of how they might go. We bury generosity because we are afraid of what we might lose. We bury our gifts because we are afraid of what people might think if we step out and fall flat.

We even dress fear up as wisdom. We tell ourselves we are being careful, being smart, not wanting to offend anyone. But in doing so, we never actually move.

Faithfulness does not look like avoiding risk. It looks like stepping out and trusting God even when you might fail.

What Happens When We Wait for God to Give Us More Before We Act?

Many of us are waiting. Waiting for more influence before we use the influence we have. Waiting for more responsibility before we take seriously the responsibility already in our hands. Waiting for God to use us for bigger things while doing nothing with the things He has already given us.

Here is the hard truth: God cannot multiply what we keep burying. He cannot use what we stuff down and hide away.

The question is not, "What would I do if I had more?" The question is, "What am I doing with what I already have?"

What Does It Mean to Be Faithful With What God Has Given You?

When the master returns, he does not compare the servants to each other. The servant who doubled five talents and the servant who doubled two talents receive the exact same response:

"Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful with a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness." - Matthew 25:21

Five talents. Two talents. Same praise. Same reward.

God is not measuring the amount you produce. He is measuring your faithfulness with what He has already placed in your hands. The servant with two talents was not a failure because he did not produce as much as the servant with five. He was just as faithful and just as rewarded.

Success is not having the most talent, the most influence, or the biggest platform. It is being faithful with what God has put in your hands.

How We View God Changes How We Live

There is a striking difference between how the first two servants and the third servant viewed their master. The first two saw him as someone worth investing for, someone who would reward their faithfulness. They went out with confidence and purpose.

The third saw him as harsh and demanding. And that view shaped everything. He lived his entire life out of fear rather than faith.

How you see God will determine how you live. If you see Him as a hard master waiting to catch you failing, you will bury everything He has given you. If you see Him as a good Father who has invested in you and wants to see you flourish, you will step out in faith.

What Will God Ask You When You Stand Before Him?

According to Jesus, a day is coming when every one of us will give an account. The master in this parable returns after a long time, which is to say, after a lifetime. And when he does, the question is not how much you produced compared to the person next to you.

The question is: what did you do with what I gave you?

Not what did they do. Not how did you compare. What did you do with the life, the gifts, the relationships, the opportunities, and the time that I entrusted specifically to you?

Life Application


This week, stop waiting for more and choose to be faithful with what God has already given you. That might mean having a conversation you have been avoiding. It might mean using a gift you have been sitting on. It might mean showing up somewhere, giving something, or saying something you have been too afraid to do.

Take a few minutes this week to honestly answer these three questions:

  • What has God entrusted to you, whether that is time, relationships, financial resources, skills, or influence, and are you actually using it for Him?
  • What have you been burying out of fear, and what would it look like to take one small step of faithfulness with it this week?
  • Do you see God as a good Father worth investing your life for, or as a harsh judge you are trying to avoid disappointing? How is that view shaping the way you live?

The goal is not to do more than everyone around you.

The goal is to stand before God one day and hear the words: well done, good and faithful servant. That starts today, with what He has already placed in your hands.
]]> https://www.newhopebend.com/blog/2026/09/01/faithfulness-is-the-assignment#comments 4 God Changes the Humble https://www.newhopebend.com/blog/2026/08/18/god-changes-the-humble Tue, 18 Aug 2026 11:29:07 +0000 https://www.newhopebend.com/blog/2026/08/18/god-changes-the-humble

Are You Praying Like the Pharisee or the Tax Collector?

WATCH THE FULL SERMON HERE
Jesus told stories that cut straight to the heart. One of His most convicting parables is found in Luke 18, and it is aimed directly at religious people who have grown impressed with themselves. If you go to church, read your Bible, and consider yourself a person of faith, this one is for you.

What Is the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector?

In Luke 18:9-14, Jesus tells the story of two men who go to the temple to pray. One is a Pharisee, a respected religious leader. The other is a tax collector, someone considered a traitor and a cheat by his own people. Both show up. Both pray. But only one goes home right with God.

"To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other people, robbers, evildoers, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.' But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.' I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted." - Luke 18:9-14

Who Is This Parable Really For?

Jesus does not tell this story to people who already know they need help. He tells it to those who are confident in their own righteousness and who look down on others. In other words, He tells it to religious people.

If you go to church, if people would call you a person of faith, this parable is written to you. It is not written about you, but it is written for you.

What Was the Pharisee Actually Doing Wrong?

Here is what makes this parable so uncomfortable. The Pharisee was not doing bad things. He was fasting twice a week. He was tithing. He was avoiding sin. These are all things believers are encouraged to do. The problem was not his behavior. The problem was his heart.

His prayer started well enough with gratitude, but it quickly turned into a list of personal accomplishments. He used the word "I" five times. His prayer was not really directed at God. It was a performance review of himself.

He turned obedience into evidence of his own superiority. And that is something you and I are capable of doing too, even without saying it out loud.

Do You Compare Yourself to Others to Feel Better About Your Faith?

Most people would never say, "Thank God I'm not like that person." But most people think it. You pick someone you know you are better than, and you measure yourself against them. It makes you feel like you are doing okay spiritually.

The problem is that other people are the wrong measuring stick. The real question is not whether you are better than someone else. The real question is whether you are righteous enough to stand before a holy God on your own. And the answer to that is no. Not even close.

There will always be someone lower you can point to and feel better than. But that comparison is a trap. If you have to look down at someone else to feel good about your spiritual life, pride has already taken root.

God Will Not Fill a Heart That Is Already Full of Itself

This is the core of what Jesus is teaching. Pride can make you religious enough to believe you do not need repentance. You can be morally disciplined and completely blind to the condition of your heart. You can know scripture, serve faithfully, give generously, and still be full of pride.

The Pharisee walked into God's presence carrying His great life and said, "Look at what I've done." The tax collector walked in carrying only his need.

What Did the Tax Collector Do Differently?

The tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up toward heaven. He beat his chest and said one simple thing: "God, have mercy on me, a sinner."

No excuses.
No comparisons.
No list of accomplishments.

His entire resume before God was, "I am a sinner."
And Jesus says that man went home justified. Not the Pharisee.

This is the posture of the gospel. You do not come to God explaining why you deserve an answer. You come admitting that you do not deserve salvation. You are not there to negotiate or impress. You simply surrender.

Do You Ever Graduate From Needing God's Grace?

One of the most important truths in this parable is that you never outgrow your need for mercy. You never reach a point in your faith where you can say, "I've got this now." The mature Christian is not the one who needs God less. The mature Christian is the one who increasingly understands how much they need Him.

The gospel is not self-improvement. It is not about reaching your full potential with God's help. It is about recognizing that without Jesus, you go right back to who you were. You need Him now just as much as the day you first believed.

Pride Says "Look What I've Done."

Humility Says "Look What I Need."

When you live by mercy rather than merit, something changes. You stop needing to prove you are better than others. You can celebrate when someone else gets it right without feeling the need to one-up them. You can admit when you are wrong without defending yourself. You can extend compassion to people who are struggling because you know you struggle too.

Grace does not produce people who say, "Look how good I am."
It produces people who say, "Look at what God has done in my life."

How Do You Actually Fight Pride in Your Daily Life?

1. Pay Attention to How You View Other People
Notice when you look at someone and your first thought is judgment. Notice when you catch yourself thinking, "At least I'm not like them." That instinct is worth examining honestly.

2. Become More Teachable
Pride tells you that you already have the answers. Humility keeps you open to learning. You will never reach a point where there is nothing left to learn or be challenged by. Stay curious. Listen before proving your point. Receive correction without getting defensive.

3. Practice Quick Repentance
Do not let pride linger. When you mess up, admit it quickly. Confess without excuses. Ask God for mercy without waiting until it is the last resort. Repentance is not a sign of weakness. It is a sign that you understand the gospel.

Life Application

This week, pay attention to the moments when you catch yourself comparing your life or your faith to someone else's. When that thought shows up, stop and redirect it. Instead of measuring yourself against another person, bring that moment before God and simply say, "God, have mercy on me, a sinner." Let that be your posture, not just in prayer, but in how you see yourself and how you treat others.

Ask yourself these questions as you go through the week:
  • Who do I tend to look down on, and what does that reveal about my heart?
  • Am I coming to God with a list of what I have done, or with an honest awareness of what I need?
  • Is there something I need to confess or repent of that I have been avoiding or defending?
  • Do I treat my spiritual disciplines as evidence of how good I am, or as a response to how good God is?

You do not become right with God by showing Him your resume. You find His grace by coming to Him with open hands and an honest heart. God will not fill a heart that is already full of itself. Empty it, and let Him fill it instead.
]]> https://www.newhopebend.com/blog/2026/08/18/god-changes-the-humble#comments 5 Stop Making Excuses https://www.newhopebend.com/blog/2026/08/12/stop-making-excuses Wed, 12 Aug 2026 19:38:24 +0000 https://www.newhopebend.com/blog/2026/08/12/stop-making-excuses

Why Do We Make Excuses About Our Faith? Lessons from the Parable of the Great Banquet

WATCH THE FULL SERMON HERE
Jesus told a story about a man who threw a great banquet and invited many guests. One by one, they all made excuses for why they couldn't come. It sounds simple enough, but the message cuts deep. This parable from Luke 14 is not just about a missed dinner. It is about what we truly value, what we worship, and whether we will accept the invitation God has placed in front of us.

What Is the Parable of the Great Banquet?

In Luke 14:15-24, Jesus tells this story in response to someone at the table who said, "Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God." Jesus replied with a parable:

"A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, 'Come, for everything is now ready.' But they all alike began to make excuses." - Luke 14:16-18

The first guest said he just bought a field and needed to see it. The second said he bought five yoke of oxen and needed to try them out. The third said he just got married and couldn't come. The master became angry and told his servant to go into the streets and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame instead.

Were the Excuses Actually Wrong?

Here is what makes this parable so convicting. None of the excuses were sinful. Nobody was doing something terrible. They bought property. They invested in their work. They got married. These are good things.

That is exactly the point Jesus is making.

The tragedy is not that they were doing something wrong. The tragedy is that something else mattered more to them than being with the host. They traded the banquet for things that could never truly satisfy them the way the host could.

What Do Our Excuses Really Reveal?

Every Excuse Exposes What You Truly Value

When we make excuses, especially about our faith, we are not hiding the truth. We are revealing it. Every excuse is a window into what we actually prioritize.

Nobody says out loud, "I reject God because I love my comfort more than Him." Instead, we say things like "It's just not the right season" or "When things slow down, I'll get more serious about my faith." But life never slows down. The next season will be just as full as this one.

The real message behind "I don't have time for God" is simply this: God is not my highest priority right now.

Good Things Can Become Idols

Jesus intentionally chose good things in this parable because good things are the greatest competition for our devotion. Your family, your career, your comfort, your success, even your ministry can become an idol. Not because these things are bad, but because when they rise above God in your life, they take His place.

When good things get placed in the wrong position, they become idols. And we use those good things to make very reasonable, very logical excuses for why we cannot focus on God right now.

Who Actually Makes It to the Banquet?


The People Everyone Else Overlooked

When the invited guests refused to come, the master sent his servant to bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame. These were the people with nothing to offer. They had no status, no leverage, and no reason to think they deserved a seat at the table. But they knew they had a need.

That is the key. They knew they needed it.

The banquet is filled not with people who have it all together, but with people who recognize they are spiritually broken. Spiritually lame. Spiritually blind. Spiritually poor. Once you recognize that you are that person, the invitation is wide open.

Pride Keeps People from Jesus More Than Failure Does

People tend to reject Christ for one of two reasons. Some think they are too good and simply do not need Him. Others think they are too broken and too far gone to be forgiven. Both are wrong.

The kingdom is filled with people who simply came when they were invited. Grace means nothing to those who believe they have already cleaned themselves up. Grace is for people who know they cannot.

Does God's Invitation Stay Open Forever?

The Invitation Has a Deadline

One of the most sobering parts of this parable is how it ends. Jesus says clearly:

"I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet." - Luke 14:24

The guests probably assumed there would be another banquet. Another chance. Another opportunity down the road. But Jesus shows us something alarming. God's invitation is not open forever.

God's patience is incredible, but it is not endless. We are not promised tomorrow. We are promised today. Every one of us has a last day, and we do not know when it is. Delaying a decision long enough eventually becomes denying it altogether.

What Should You Do With Your Excuses?

Step 1: Identify Your Excuses

What is the reason you give for not reading your Bible, joining a community, serving others, or growing in your faith? Be honest. You will be very good at making it sound reasonable. But underneath the reasonable excuse is a real priority being revealed.

Step 2: Ask What the Excuse Is Protecting

Are you protecting your schedule? Your reputation? Your comfort? Your independence? For many people, the real fear is giving up control. If you truly surrender to God, you do not know what He might ask of you or where He might lead you. That fear is real. But it is still an excuse.

The apostle Paul, who gave up everything to follow Christ, said this:

"I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord." - Philippians 3:8

Step 3: Respond to the Invitation Today

Everything has been prepared. Jesus did the work at the cross. The empty tomb proves it. The banquet is ready. The only question is whether you will come.

Do not let an excuse cost you what only God can give you.

Life Application

This week, pay attention to the excuses you make about your faith. When you catch yourself saying "I don't have time" or "I'll get more serious about this later," stop and ask what that excuse is really saying about your priorities.

The challenge this week is simple but honest: identify one specific area of your faith that you have been making excuses about, whether that is reading Scripture, joining a community, serving others, or simply spending time with God. Then take one concrete step toward it this week, not when things slow down, but now.

Ask yourself these questions as you reflect:

  • What excuses have I been making about my relationship with God, and what do those excuses reveal about what I truly value?
  • What good things in my life have slowly moved above God in my list of priorities? 
  • If I am honest, what am I afraid will happen if I give God full control of my life?
  • Am I treating God's invitation as something I can respond to later, or am I taking seriously that today is the day to respond?
The banquet is ready. The invitation is open. The only thing standing between you and the table is the excuse you are still holding onto.
]]> https://www.newhopebend.com/blog/2026/08/12/stop-making-excuses#comments 2 Forgiven People Become Forgiving People https://www.newhopebend.com/blog/2026/08/12/forgiven-people-become-forgiving-people Wed, 12 Aug 2026 19:28:00 +0000 https://www.newhopebend.com/blog/2026/08/12/forgiven-people-become-forgiving-people

The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant: What Jesus Says About Forgiveness

WATCH THE FULL SERMON ONLINE HERE
Forgiveness is one of the most personal and difficult topics in the Christian life. Jesus addressed it directly in one of His most convicting parables, found in Matthew 18. This parable does not just teach a lesson. It is meant to transform the way we live.

Why Did Jesus Tell the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant?

The context matters. In Matthew 18, Jesus had just finished explaining how to handle conflict and sin within the church. He outlined a process: go to the person privately, then bring witnesses, then involve the church. It was a framework for accountability.

Peter heard all of this and asked a follow-up question: "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?" (Matthew 18:21). Seven times was generous by the standards of the day. Rabbis typically taught that forgiving someone three times was sufficient.

Jesus answered: "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times." (Matthew 18:22). In other words, stop counting. Then He told a story.

What Happens in the Parable?

A king decides to settle accounts with his servants. One servant is brought forward who owes 10,000 talents. One talent represented about 20 years of labor. Ten thousand talents is an amount so large it is essentially impossible to repay. In today's terms, it would be roughly six billion dollars.

The king orders the man, his wife, his children, and all his possessions to be sold. The servant falls to his knees and begs for patience. And then something remarkable happens. The king cancels the entire debt and lets him go free.

That same servant then goes out and finds a fellow servant who owes him 100 denarii, roughly $20,000. A real amount, but absolutely payable. Instead of showing mercy, he grabs the man by the throat and has him thrown into prison.

When the king hears what happened, he is furious. He calls the servant back and says: "You wicked servant. I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?" (Matthew 18:32-33). The servant is then handed over to be tortured until the debt is repaid.

Jesus closes with this: "This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart." (Matthew 18:35).

What Is the Spiritual Debt We Owe God?

The six-billion-dollar debt is not a literal financial story. It is a picture of what every person owes before a holy God because of sin.

We tend to minimize our own sin. We think we are not that bad. But if people could hear our thoughts, our judgments, our bitterness, our hidden motives, they would be shocked. The debt is real and it is enormous.

God is a God of love, and that is exactly why He must also be a God of justice. You cannot have genuine love without justice. If someone you love deeply is wronged, you demand that wrong be made right. That is not hatred. That is love for the victim.

God loves His creation so much that He cannot allow sin to go unaddressed. The problem is that none of us can pay what we owe. No amount of church attendance, good works, or religious effort can begin to cover it.

How Does the Gospel Connect to Forgiveness?

This is where the gospel enters the story. God did not reduce the debt. He canceled it entirely.

Jesus came into the world, lived a sinless life, and went to the cross to pay a debt He did not owe. The cross is not simply a symbol of selfless love. It is the moment where the eternal Son of God absorbed the full weight of human sin and purchased freedom for those who could never earn it.

When you place your faith in Christ and ask for mercy, the debt is gone. You are set free. That is the gospel.

And here is the tension the parable creates: you cannot keep marveling at that kind of forgiveness and simultaneously refuse to forgive someone else. If you do, it reveals something important about your heart.

What Does Unforgiveness Reveal About Us?

Holding a grudge and harboring bitterness reveals that you have forgotten the gospel. Somewhere along the way, in the effort to grow and improve, the weight of what God has forgiven has faded. The debt feels smaller than it actually was.

Unforgiveness keeps rehearsing the offense. The gospel rehearses grace.

Bitterness has been described this way: it is drinking poison and hoping the other person gets sick. When they do not get sick, you drink more. It does not hurt them. It destroys you. It is picking at a wound so that the scab never heals. The wound never becomes a scar. The pain never settles.

The person you refuse to forgive often ends up controlling the part of your heart that belongs only to Christ. Unforgiveness gives them power over you that they do not deserve and that you never intended to hand over.

What Forgiveness Is Not

Before going further, it is worth being clear about what forgiveness does not mean:

- It is not pretending the hurt never happened.
- It is not calling evil good.
- It is not automatically restoring trust.
- It is not removing all boundaries.
- It is not placing someone back in a position where they can hurt you again.

Forgiveness is not reinstatement. Accountability and consequences can still exist. Both can be true at the same time.

So What Is Forgiveness?

Forgiveness is releasing your right to revenge because you have entrusted justice to God. It is saying, "Making them pay is not my job." It is letting go, not because they deserve it, but because you do not want to live in that prison anymore.

It feels like losing. It feels like giving up. But it is actually freedom.

Forgiveness is what allows a wound to become a scar. The scar is still there. It still tells a story. But it is healed. And eventually, that scar becomes something you can use to help someone else heal.

If Jesus can forgive an insurmountable debt, He can empower you to forgive a much smaller one.

How Do You Actually Begin to Forgive Someone?

Step 1: Remember Your Own Debt

Before focusing on what someone owes you, remember what you owed God and what He forgave. The size of your debt matters here. When you understand how much has been canceled on your behalf, the debt someone else carries toward you looks different.

Step 2: Name the Person

This is where it becomes real. You know who it is. It is probably someone close, because the closer the relationship, the deeper the wound. It could be a family member, a former friend, or someone from a past church experience. Name them. Do not wait until you feel like forgiving. That feeling may never come on its own.

Step 3: Take One Step Toward Freedom

You do not have to arrive at full forgiveness today. Depending on the depth of the wound, it may take months or longer. But you can take one step. That step looks like this: pray for them by name. Not the prayer you want to pray. Pray that they would experience God's love. Pray that He would bless them.

If you can pray good things over the person who wounded you, you are on the road to forgiveness. It gets a little easier and a little freer each time you do.

And for those whose offender has passed away or is completely out of reach, that does not release you from the work. You can still release the bitterness before God, even if you never speak to that person again.

Forgiven People Become Forgiving People

This is the heart of the parable. When you truly understand what God has done for you, it changes how you treat others. Forgiven people become forgiving people. It is not a requirement you earn salvation by. It is evidence that the gospel has actually taken root in your life.

If bitterness has become part of your identity, if you imagine revenge, if you hope they feel the pain you feel, it may be worth asking whether you have truly grasped the grace that has been extended to you.

Life Application

This week, take the three steps outlined above in a real and specific way. Think of the person you have been withholding forgiveness from. Write their name down if it helps. Then pray for them by name, asking God to bless them and let them experience His love. You do not have to feel it fully yet. Just take the step.

Ask yourself these questions as you reflect:

  • Have I truly grasped the size of the debt God has forgiven me, or have I minimized my own sin?
  • Is there someone in my life I have been holding in a prison of unforgiveness, and what has that cost me?
  • Am I willing to take one step toward forgiveness this week, even if I do not feel ready?
  • What would it look like for me to release the bitterness I have been carrying and trust God with the justice?
Forgiveness is not easy. But it is possible. And it begins with remembering that you have already been forgiven far more than you will ever be asked to forgive.
]]> https://www.newhopebend.com/blog/2026/08/12/forgiven-people-become-forgiving-people#comments 4