New Hope Church, Hertford, NC

06/12/2026

He’s Been Doing This Since the Beginning Friday, June 12, 2026
SCRIPTURE: “He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” — John 8:44 (NLT)

Satan is the father of lies. The very first recorded lie in Scripture comes from the serpent in Genesis 3. And what makes it so effective is how it’s worded. He doesn’t come to Eve with an outright false claim. He starts with a question:
Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?
It’s misleading on purpose. Worded just wrong enough to plant doubt, but not so outright wrong that it’s obviously a lie.

That’s where he starts.
It Looks Good. It Tastes Good.
By the time he’s finished, the lie is a fully woven web: You won’t die. God knows your eyes will be opened and you’ll be like Him.

Not only will there be no consequence — you’ll actually come out ahead. The thing you’re not supposed to want? It looks good. It tastes good. You deserve it.

We Fall for It
We’ve been falling for this version of the lie ever since. The shape changes but the logic doesn’t. The enemy takes something God has said no to, and he tells you what you want to hear about it. He tells you the consequence isn’t real. He tells you the upside is worth it. He tells you God’s been holding out on you. He tells you that you can have God's stuff without really needing God.

This is who Jesus is describing when he talks about the father of lies. This is the character you are dealing with — not a tempter who plays fair, but a liar who has been at this since the beginning of time and knows exactly which version of the lie works on you.

Know his tactics. They haven’t changed.

PRAYER: Lord, open my eyes to the lies I’m most likely to believe. Remind me of what You’ve actually said — and give me the courage to trust it. I choose You over every other option. In Your Holy Name I pray. Amen.

06/11/2026

Your Bloodline Won’t Help You Here Thursday, June 11, 2026
From the sermon on June 7, 2026
SCRIPTURE: “If you were really children of Abraham, you would follow his example.” — John 8:39 (NLT)

"We are descendants of Abraham." The group Jesus was speaking to said it like it settled the argument. Like it was a trump card they could play whenever the conversation got uncomfortable. We’ve got Abraham in our bloodline. We're covenant people. We're in.
Jesus doesn’t dispute the family tree. He disputes what they’re assuming that family tree guarantees.

What Abraham Actually Did
Abraham was not perfect. Scripture doesn’t present him that way. He made mistakes, ran from hard situations, and tried to rush God’s plans when he got impatient. He was not a model of flawless obedience.

But he received God. When God spoke, Abraham listened. When God said go, Abraham went — left everything he knew, walked into the unknown, and trusted. And when God’s messengers came with news that seemed impossible, Abraham received them. He worshiped. He obeyed. He put God ahead of his family, his possessions, and his own plans.

That’s the example Jesus is pointing to. Not perfect genetics. Active, costly, responsive faith.

It Doesn’t Work Like That
Think about what it would mean to claim that someone else’s faith gets you into heaven. To say, “My mother was a godly woman. She raised me in the church. She lived it out. That ought to count for something.”

It doesn’t work like that. Not according to Jesus. A parent’s faith cannot be transferred like a name on a deed. God has many children, but no grandchildren. You are either His child or you are not a member of the family.
This is not harsh news. It’s actually incredibly good new. It means that no matter where you came from, no matter what your family history looks like, this is still available to you.

It's the faith of Abraham, not faith in Abraham that sets people free. Believe in the Son who makes you free and you are free indeed!

PRAYER: Father, I thank you that you have blessed me to hear the Gospel and believe in You. I can’t coast on someone else’s faith. Teach me to have the faith of Abraham. Faith that is demonstrated by my daily walk — trusting when I can’t see, receiving Your word, going when You say go. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

06/10/2026

06/10/2026

Only the Son Can Do That Wednesday, June 10, 2026
From the sermon on June 7, 2026
"Everyone who sins is a slave of sin. A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son is part of the family forever. So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free." — John 8:34–36 (NLT)

When Jesus told the crowd they needed to be set free, they pushed back immediately. We've never been slaves to anyone. This is a remarkable claim from a people standing in a city occupied by Rome, living under Roman law, paying Roman taxes, subject to Roman ex*****on. But they said it anyway. And they believed it.

We do the same thing. We don't call it slavery. We call it a habit. A pattern. Just the way I am. We give it a more comfortable name, and we convince ourselves it's manageable. It's not that bad. I can stop whenever I want.

One Slave Can't Free Another
Jesus doesn't accept that framing. He says clearly: everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Not a weak person. Not someone struggling. A slave. And a slave cannot free another slave, no matter how long they've known each other, no matter how much they care, no matter how hard they try. One person chained to sin cannot unchain another person chained to sin.

Only the Son can do that.
That's not a theological nicety. It's the most practical thing in this passage. It rules out every other option. Discipline won't do it. Willpower won't do it. A better environment won't do it. Church attendance alone won't do it. Only the Son sets you free.

What You're Actually Chained To
The harder part of this is being honest about what we're chained to. The crowd wouldn't name it. They said "we've never been slaves" and kept moving. But Jesus wasn't letting it go, because He couldn't help them until they admitted what they were carrying.

What are you carrying? What's the thing you've renamed so it's easier to live with? That's the conversation Jesus is trying to have.

He's not asking so He can condemn you. He's asking because He's the only one who can do anything about it. And He wants to.

The Son sets you free. That means you're free. Not someday. Not after enough effort. Now, and permanently — if you'll let Him do what only He can do.

Lord, help me to be honest about what I'm chained to. I can't free myself. I've tried. Let the Son do what only the Son can do.
In Jesus' name, Amen.

06/09/2026

The Final Word Tuesday, June 9, 2026
From the sermon on May 31, 2026
John 8:28 — "When you have lifted up the Son of Man on the cross, then you will understand that I AM he, and that I do nothing on my own but say only what the Father taught me."

Throughout this confrontation, the Pharisees kept pressing the same questions. Who do you think you are? Where does your authority come from?

Who is your Father?
Jesus gave them answers which they didn't accept.
But the ultimate proof of His identity would come in a form that no one expected.

"When you have lifted up the Son of Man on the cross, then you will understand that I AM he."
Have you ever thought of the cross as the ultimate proof of who Jesus is? How can that be so?

The Cross Answers the Question
The cross is where the Father's heart is most fully revealed. It is where every question about who God is and how He feels about us gets its clearest answer.

The cross has the final word on whether or not God loves us. The silence of heaven over the cross was not the Father abandoning the Son. It was the Son taking on what we deserved so that the Father never had to be silent toward us again.

That is the Father. That is what He is like.

Then You Will Understand
Jesus says "then you will understand."
There is something about the cross that, when you really look at it — not just as a doctrinal transaction but as an event, as a person refusing to come down, as God choosing to stay — something becomes clear that could not have been clear any other way.

You see how far the Father and the Son were willing to go for you. What arguments cannot accomplish, the cross puts to rest. The cross is the great disruptor. Regardless of how man accuses God of not being good, or good enough — the cross has the final word.

Lord, let the cross show me the Father. I don't want to just know what happened there — I want to understand who You truly are. In Your Holy Name I pray. Amen.

06/08/2026

The Father Has Not Deserted Me Monday, June 8, 2026
From the sermon on May 31, 2026
John 8:29 — "The one who sent me is with me — he has not deserted me. For I always do what pleases him."

During this public debate with the Pharisees, Jesus made a statement that reveals yet another layer of what it means to truly know the Father.
"The one who sent me is with me — he has not deserted me."
This points to the fact that knowing the Father is not just knowing facts about Him. It is knowing His presence. Knowing that He is intimately involved in our lives.

There is a difference between knowing that God is omnipresent — everywhere, always — and knowing that the Father is with you. The first is a doctrine. The second is a relationship. Jesus had both. There is a concern that many church people have only the former.

For I Always Do What Pleases Him
Having the presence of God in your daily life, however, is not just theoretical. It is practical. Notice that Jesus says: "For I always do what pleases him."
This is the other side of knowing the Father. When He is present in our lives, we live in response to His presence.

Orienting every decision, every move, every position and motive of the heart around the question: does this please Him?

That is a very different center of gravity than most of us are living by. Are you close enough to know His presence the way Jesus did?

Father, I want to know Your presence the way Jesus did — not as a doctrine but as something real that translates into actions in my life. Don't let me drift. I ask to walk with the awareness of how close you are to me today. In Jesus' name, Amen.

06/06/2026

Good Saturday morning New Hope.
Looks like summer is finally trying to arrive. Temps in the mid 90's for today and tomorrow, BUT cooler weather returns for the work week.

Today we lift up in our prayers the Ernie Camilleri Jr. Family. We pray God will wrap is loving arms around Ernie, and that he will abide with God forever. Pray for family and friends who mourn today.

Tomorrow (Sunday, June 7, 2026) in our Worship Service we will continue our study of the Gospel of John 8:31-59. Jesus is once again under attack by the religious leaders in the temple where Jesus is teaching the crowds. They are smart and they have learned to be better prepared and do their homework when facing Jesus. But they lose again, and are angered to the point of picking up stones to kill Jesus. But it is not yet His time. "Sons Of The Devil" at 10 AM in the Sanctuary.

Worship with us on Sunday Mornings
New Hope Church gathers at the intersection of New Hope Road and Woodville Road. 2098 New Hope Road, Hertford.

*9 AM Sunday School in the Fellowship Hall
*10 AM Children's Church in the Fellowship Hall
*10 AM Worship in the Sanctuary and Facebook Live

Christ Is Risen! Christ Is Risen Indeed!!

06/05/2026

You Judge by Human Standards Friday, June 5, 2026
From the sermon on May 31, 2026
John 8:15 — "You judge me by human standards, but I do not judge anyone."

The Pharisees were evaluating Jesus by every standard they had — legal, theological, political, social. Does He follow the proper procedures? Does He have the right credentials? Does He fit the profile?

Of course, He didn't. So He told them, "You judge me by human standards."
When your framework for knowing God is entirely human — built from tradition, expectation, and what makes sense to you — you can miss God completely.

The Wrong Measuring Stick
You and I would not likely think that we measure the things of God — including His people — with the sort of standards that the Pharisees used. But, in fact, we have our own measuring stick.

We measure based on tradition — how we've always done it. We measure based on comfort — whether we are used to the style and format of worship. We have a set of expectations for church, church people, music, pastors, and the list goes on.

It is worth noting that the Pharisees were staring at God in the flesh face to face, and they were telling Him He wasn't measuring up to their standards of righteousness, holiness, and godliness.

Surely we could make the same mistake.

What Knowing the Father Actually Requires
The answer to this potential danger is not to throw all of our expectations out of the window. Church, tradition, music — all of them have earned their place. None of them, specifically, are wrong.
But the only way to continue to recognize what God is doing in our midst is to have a deep, ongoing relationship with the Father through Jesus. Knowing the Father causes us to recognize Him when He challenges our personal expectations.

Truthfully, walking in this degree of discernment is hard work. It is always easier to move to the extremes than it is to stay in relationship close enough that when He moves, we recognize it. Not because it matched our expectations, but because we know His voice.

Lord, show me where I've been measuring You, Your people, my church, and anything else against what I expect instead of simply knowing You. I will follow You wherever and however You lead, if I know Your voice. Teach me to hear You, in Your Holy Name I pray. Amen.

06/04/2026

I Know Where I Came From Thursday, June 4, 2026
From the sermon on May 31, 2026
John 8:14 — "I know where I came from and where I am going. But you don't know this about me."

In the middle of a heated exchange, the Pharisees challenged Jesus' testimony about Himself: "You are the only witness to your own claims. That doesn't count."
Jesus didn't retreat. He said something profound that impacts you and me.
"I know where I came from and where I am going."

Jesus is resting on the validation of His identity in the Father. He knew who He was because He knew the Father who sent Him. His identity certainty didn't come from the validation of the religious crowd.

The Confidence of Knowing the Father
There is a kind of security that only comes from knowing who you belong to and where you stand with God.

We live in a world where our identity is constantly challenged by society. Perhaps by past failures. Or by character flaws. Or by the number of digits in our bank account — or whatever it may be that accuses us of being "less than."

That goes for people, too. The unshakeable quality — the ability to stand in a hostile room and speak truth calmly — comes from one place.

Knowing the Father. And knowing that the Father knows us. That is enough.
Do You Know Where You Came From?
Do you know that you were known before you were formed, chosen before the foundation of the world, that the same Father who sent Jesus sees you and has not looked away?

And if you have a relationship with Jesus, you have a relationship with the Father. Resting in that changes how you live from day to day. It changes what you need from people.

The Father knows those who are His own.

Father, I want to know where I stand with You right now. I must live in the assurance of my relationship with You. Ground me in Your love so I stop needing possessions, achievements, and even others to validate who I am. In Jesus' name, Amen.

06/03/2026

You Don't Know My Father Wednesday, June 3, 2026
From the sermon on May 31, 2026
John 8:19 — "Since you don't know who I am, you don't know who my Father is. If you knew me, you would also know my Father."

The Pharisees thought they had Jesus cornered. "Where is your father?" It was meant as a legal challenge — His claim about two witnesses required producing the second one.
Jesus turned it around on them completely.

"Since you don't know who I am, you don't know who my Father is."
Aside from the shock that Jesus was implying His Father was none other than God Himself, consider that the Pharisees would have dedicated their entire lives to knowing God. And Jesus told them, plainly, that they had missed Him.

They were rigorous. They had memorized the Torah. They fasted, they tithed, they kept every law they could find and added more on top of those just to be safe.
And they did not know God.

Knowing Jesus Is the Way
The good news is that Jesus indicates there is a solution. He tells them exactly where the problem is and exactly where the solution is, in the same breath: "If you knew me, you would also know my Father."

The path to knowing the Father runs through Jesus. Not through more religious discipline. Not through church attendance or getting the theology exactly right. Through Him.

This is not just a doctrinal claim — it's a relational one. Jesus is saying that knowing the Father is something that happens in relationship with the Son.

Where Are You Getting Your Picture of God?
It is worth asking honestly: where does your picture of God the Father actually come from? Jesus says: look at me. If you want to know what the Father is like, look at what I do, what I say, who I eat with, what I refuse to do. I am showing you the Father.

And, therefore, if you want to truly know the Father, you can only do so through a relationship with the Son.

Jesus, thank you that You demonstrated who the Father is, and provided a way for me to know Him. Because of this, I want to know You as You actually are. Draw me closer in relationship to You. In Jesus' name, Amen.