What does it really mean to be a disciple of Jesus? Paul gives us a beautifully simple answer: “I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.” Discipleship does not begin with our effort to reach Jesus, but with the grace of Jesus taking hold of us. On All Saints Sunday, we remember that we belong to a great family of saints who, because Christ made them his own, spent their lives pressing on to know him—and now we are called to do the same.

Most Wednesdays, we’ll share a short devotional drawn from the previous Sunday’s sermon. Our hope is that Between Sundays helps you carry God’s Word into the week—remembering what we’ve heard, reflecting on what God may be saying, and putting it into practice in everyday life.

Paul warns the Philippians about anything that would add something to the sufficiency of Jesus Christ. Even good things—religious devotion, accomplishments, reputation, family, success, or ministry—can steal our joy when we ask them to prove our worth or secure our standing before God. Paul willingly counts his impressive spiritual résumé as loss because he has discovered the surpassing worth of knowing Christ and receiving a righteousness that comes from God through faith. The Christian life is not about carefully maintaining the frame while losing the treasure: Christ himself is the treasure.

Philippians 2:5–11 takes us to the center of the Christian faith and reveals Jesus Christ in his eternal glory, astonishing humility, and ultimate exaltation. Though he possessed all the glory of God, Jesus did not grasp for power but emptied himself, became a servant, and was obedient even to death on a cross. Therefore, God highly exalted him, and one day every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Paul invites us to stop placing ourselves at the center and instead allow every part of our lives to find its proper orbit around Jesus. Pasted text

Paul writes Philippians from prison, yet his life is marked by a joy that circumstances cannot take away. In Philippians 2:1–4, he tells the church that this joy is made complete as they become united in Christ and learn to put the interests of others ahead of their own. But true humility is not something we manufacture by trying harder; it grows as we fix our eyes upon Jesus and remember how deeply he has loved and served us. The more we look at Christ, the less we have to make life about ourselves. Pasted markdown

When Christ is at the center, circumstances don’t get the final word—Christ does. Writing from prison, Paul shows how belonging to Jesus transforms the way we live, stand together, and suffer. His confidence rests in the help of the Holy Spirit and the prayers of fellow believers, even as he faces an uncertain future. This sermon invites us to center our lives on Christ and become a church family that stands side by side in faith, love, and a shared mission.

How can someone in prison pray with joy? In Philippians 1:1–11, Paul finds joy in Jesus and in the fellowship of people who partner in the gospel and share God’s grace. His prayer invites us to trust that God will complete the work he began and to grow in love marked by wisdom, discernment, and practical care. As Good Shepherd begins gathering at two service times, we share one Savior, one gospel, and one calling to make room for others to experience the grace we have received.

Conflict is inevitable, but followers of Jesus are called to handle it differently from the world around us. Through Ezekiel 33, Romans 12, and Matthew 18, Scripture gives us a purpose of restoration, a posture of genuine love, and a practical way to address broken relationships. The goal of Christian confrontation is not winning an argument, exposing another person, or proving ourselves right, but gaining our brother or sister. Because Christ has come toward us in grace and reconciled us to God, we can become a community where truth is spoken in love and grace is stronger than conflict.

Isaiah 56 answers a surprising question: Who gets gathered into the kingdom of God? God promises a future to the eunuch who believes he has none, a place to the foreigner who assumes he does not belong, and declares that there are still “others yet” whom he intends to gather. These promises point us toward Jesus Christ, in whom outsiders are welcomed, sinners are grafted into God’s people, and the weary find their true Sabbath rest. Once we realize that we ourselves have been gathered entirely by grace, we begin looking differently at the people around us and asking not “Who belongs?” but “Who’s next?”

This sermon challenges the shallow picture of God often called Moralistic Therapeutic Deism and turns our attention to the true center of Matthew 14:22–33—Jesus Christ. By walking on the sea, declaring “I AM,” and receiving the disciples’ worship, Jesus reveals that he does what only God can do, says what only God can say, and receives what only God deserves. Even when Peter loses sight of Christ, Christ never loses sight of Peter, reaching out immediately when he cries, “Lord, save me.” The passage calls us to see Jesus as he truly is, call upon him in the storm, and worship him as Lord over every part of our lives.

Romans 8 confronts the fear that suffering, uncertainty, or loss might mean that God has stopped loving us. Paul does not deny the reality of hardship but declares that none of it can separate believers from the love of Christ. Christian victory does not always mean that our circumstances change; sometimes it means discovering that Christ will hold us securely within them. Because nothing in all creation can separate us from God’s love, we can face every burden with confidence, courage, and hope.

Jesus closes his teaching in Matthew 13 with five vivid pictures of the kingdom of heaven. The mustard seed and leaven teach us not to underestimate the kingdom, because God often begins with what appears small, hidden, and easily overlooked, yet his reign grows, spreads, shelters, and transforms. The hidden treasure and pearl of great price teach us not to undervalue the kingdom, revealing both its immeasurable worth and the joyful love of Christ, who gave everything—even his own life—to redeem his people and bring them into his reign. Finally, the parable of the net reminds us that the kingdom is moving toward a promised conclusion. History is not wandering without purpose: Christ will return, evil will be judged, and the presence of sin will finally be removed. Until that day, Christians are called to live as joyful citizens, faithful ambassadors, and farsighted people, trusting that God’s hidden work is neither weak nor wasted. The kingdom is growing; it is worth everything, and its King is coming.

Jesus often described God's Kingdom through stories rather than lectures because stories reach both the mind and the heart. In the Parable of the Wheat and the Weeds, Jesus reminds us that God's kingdom doesn't arrive with spectacle but quietly, like a seed planted in a field. While evil continues to exist alongside God's work, Christ calls His followers to trust His wisdom and timing.

This sermon explores three encouraging truths about the Kingdom of Heaven. First, God's kingdom begins quietly through ordinary people and faithful obedience. Second, God's kingdom grows patiently because His delayed judgment reflects mercy, giving people time to repent and come to Christ. Finally, the kingdom will one day be gloriously revealed when Jesus returns, evil is finally defeated, and God's people shine in His everlasting kingdom.

For Christians living in a broken world, this parable offers hope rather than fear. Though injustice, suffering, and evil remain real, they will not have the final word. Jesus reigns even now, and history is moving toward the day when His kingdom will be fully revealed. Until then, His people are called to live faithfully, shine brightly, and pray with confidence, "Your kingdom come."

Jesus begins His teaching on the Kingdom by telling a story that leaves everyone confused until He explains it Himself. The Parable of the Sower is less about identifying four different kinds of people than recognizing the different ways God's Word encounters our own hearts. Rather than labeling ourselves or others, Jesus calls us to continually become receptive soil that bears lasting fruit. The Christian life begins and grows through learning to hear the Word with attentive hearts.

Every person knows the tension of wanting to do what is right while struggling with the reality of sin and a divided heart. In Romans 7, Paul honestly describes this inner conflict and cries out for deliverance. Jesus answers that cry in Matthew 11 by inviting weary and burdened people to come to him for rest. True rest is found not in achievement, entertainment, or escape, but in continually returning to Christ, who is gentle and lowly in heart.

Jesus refuses to offer a "too-good-to-be-true" version of discipleship. He warns that following him may bring division, even within our closest relationships, because allegiance to Christ ultimately supersedes every other loyalty. Yet Jesus also teaches that rightly ordered love does not diminish our love for others but enables us to love them more faithfully. As we surrender ourselves to Christ and receive others in his name, we discover the abundant life found only in his Kingdom.