Light On A Hill Church

09/04/2026

For the last few days I’ve been talking about remaining faithful to Christ and asking some difficult questions about where our hearts really belong. But there is something important we need to remember: our faithfulness to God begins with His faithfulness to us.

The story of Hosea gives us a powerful picture of this. Hosea’s wife was unfaithful to him, but Hosea remained faithful to her. God used that broken relationship to show us something about His relationship with His people. Even when we wander, God remains faithful. He continues calling us back: Leave behind the things that have drawn you away. Come back. Return to Me. Christ loved us when we were still sinners. He went to the cross for us when we had nothing to offer Him in return. And He has remained faithful each time our own faithfulness has wandered.

So if you recognize that your heart has drifted, the answer isn’t simply more effort. It isn’t “try harder” or come up with a twenty-point plan to fix yourself. The answer is much simpler: return to your first love. If you know you have drifted away from Christ, what is keeping you from returning to Him?

09/02/2026

Yesterday I asked the question, “Does my heart still belong to Christ?” That leads to another question: What is competing for my heart?

There are a lot of things that can compete for that place. Work. Money. The approval of others. Comfort. Hobbies. Our activities. Family. Even ministry can take the place of Christ. That doesn’t mean these things are bad. We should love our families. We need to work. There is nothing wrong with enjoying the blessings God has given us. The problem comes when one of those things begins to interfere with our relationship with God. We may never carve an idol out of stone or wood and worship it, but we can still build idols in our hearts.

Sometimes we need to take an honest look at what has become too important to us. What do I feel like I have to have in order to be happy? What am I afraid of losing? And maybe the hardest question of all: What am I unwilling to sacrifice or hand over to Christ, even when I know it is hindering my relationship with Him?

09/01/2026

Yesterday I talked about how easy it is to drift in our relationship with Christ. Usually it doesn’t happen all at once. It happens a little at a time, sometimes so slowly that we don’t even realize how far we have moved.

In 2 Corinthians 11, Paul describes the church as a bride promised to one husband, Christ. But then he says he is concerned that their “pure and undivided devotion to Christ” will become corrupted. Notice what Paul is worried about. He isn’t simply worried that the church is going to break a bunch of rules or commit some terrible sin. He is worried that their devotion is going to shift. Their hearts are going to begin to wander. Something else is going to start taking the place that belongs to Christ.

We can go to church, read our Bible, and do all kinds of Christian things while our hearts are slowly moving further away from Him. So maybe the question isn’t simply, “Am I doing the things a Christian is supposed to do?” The more important question is: Does my heart still belong to Christ? What has begun to take a place in my heart that once belonged to Him?

08/31/2026

When we hear the word “faithful,” we often think about something somebody hasn’t done. A husband or wife didn’t commit adultery, so we say they were faithful. But faithfulness is about more than what we don’t do. A couple can still be married, still live in the same house, and yet their hearts can grow further and further apart.

The same thing can happen in our relationship with Christ. We don’t usually wake up one morning and suddenly decide we don’t need Jesus anymore. It happens gradually. We drift a little bit, then a little bit more, and sometimes we don’t even notice it happening. Other things begin to capture our attention. Life gets busy. Things that once seemed important begin to get pushed aside. None of it seems like a big change at the time.

But over time, that little bit of distance can become a pretty big gap. We can look back and remember a time when we were closer to Christ, when we were more hungry for the things of God, and realize that somewhere along the way something changed. That doesn’t mean there is no way back. But before we can turn around, we have to recognize that we have drifted.

So here is the question I think we need to ask ourselves: How far have I drifted from where I once was with Christ?

08/27/2026

New Sermon Podcast

Listen at:

To See The Kingdom Of God We Have To Actively Seek It Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.   Matthew 7:7 For you died,&n…

08/16/2026

This morning was a special morning at Light On A Hill Church.

During our morning worship service, our Associate Pastor Jesse Loew brought a message titled “More Like Jesus, Less Like Me.” He preached from the Sermon on the Mount and focused on Jesus’ words, “Blessed are the poor in spirit.” He reminded us of something we all need to remember—that we need Christ in our lives. We can't do this on our own. We need Jesus.

After the service, we got to see that message lived out in a special way.

Jesse’s son, River Loew, had made the decision to be baptized. When asked why he wanted to be baptized, River gave a pretty simple answer:

“I want to be baptized because I want to be more like Jesus.”

It’s hard to think of a better way to follow a message called “More Like Jesus, Less Like Me.”

River was baptized in our church baptistry by his dad. It was touching to watch Pastor Jesse have the opportunity to baptize his own son—not only as his son, but now as his brother in Christ.

Sometimes the special moments in church aren't complicated. This was one of those moments. A young man wanting to follow Jesus, a dad getting to baptize his son, and a church family getting to be there to witness it.

River, we are proud of you and thankful we got to share this day with you. Our prayer is that you will keep following Jesus and keep wanting to become more like Him.

08/15/2026

New Sermon Podcast
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Time Is A Human Construct But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.   2 Peter 3:8 We Live Moving F…

08/14/2026

The Bible begins with a wedding in Genesis, and it ends with a wedding in Revelation. From beginning to end, Scripture tells the greatest love story ever told—a Bridegroom who loved His bride so much that He gave His life to redeem her.

That's why the return of Christ is called our blessed hope.

Sometimes people focus so much on trying to figure out the details of the end times that they begin to live in fear. Jesus never told us to live in fear. He told us to keep watch and be ready. Our hope isn't found in knowing exactly when He will return. Our hope is found in knowing that He will return.

I've said this throughout this series, but it's worth remembering one more time: the bride is not recognized by the ring on her finger, but by the anticipation in her heart. As the church, we shouldn't simply be known as people who believe Jesus is coming again. We should be known as people whose lives have been changed because we are looking forward to seeing our Bridegroom.

Every day is another opportunity to faithfully follow Christ, to love others, to share the gospel, and to live in anticipation of the One we are waiting for. We're not waiting for a date. We're waiting for a Person.

Challenge: If Jesus returned today, would He find you faithfully living in anticipation of His coming?

Listen to the full sermon at https://loah.org/marsd/sermons/what-does-it-mean-to-be-the-bride-of-christ-2-waiting-for-the-bridegroom/

Part 5 of a 5-part series

08/13/2026

When we talk about waiting for Christ's return, I think a lot of people hear the word wait and picture standing still. They think of waiting in line or waiting at a stoplight until it's time to move.

But that's not the kind of waiting Jesus calls us to.

The early church believed Jesus was coming again, yet they didn't sit around doing nothing. They shared the gospel wherever they went. They served others. They gave generously. They endured hardship. Some even gave their lives because they believed the return of Christ gave urgency to everything He had called them to do.

The same should be true for us. Waiting for Christ isn't about doing less. It's about making every day count. Whether you're at work, at school, retired, or simply going about your daily routine, God has placed you there for a purpose. Every conversation is an opportunity to reflect Christ. Every interaction is an opportunity to show His love. Instead of seeing people as interruptions, we need to see them the way Christ sees them—people who need to know they are loved.

We aren't waiting for an event. We're preparing for the return of our Bridegroom. Until that day comes, let's faithfully do what He has called us to do.

Challenge: Who has God placed in your path today that needs to see Christ through the way you live?

Listen to the full sermon at https://loah.org/marsd/sermons/what-does-it-mean-to-be-the-bride-of-christ-2-waiting-for-the-bridegroom/

Part 4 of a 5-part series