Beltway Weekend Services (Audio)

Gratitude shapes how we view everything (Colossians 3:16-17). The enemy we face, and the world around us, invites us into a life burdened by ingratitude. We are exceptional in carrying (and sometimes verbalizing) our frustrations and discontentment, with a heart of criticism. God calls us to thankfulness, which is a powerful shift of our attitude and perspective. When we engage the Word of God, we begin to see and understand the nature and heart of God for us and for the world around us. When we have this encounter with God and who He is, it pulls us into a place of gratitude. That gratitude shapes how we view Him and how we worship Him. Gratitude also shapes how we view the world and people around us, and how we view the church. Sermon from February 2, 2025 To watch this sermon or other sermons, subscribe to our YouTube Channel: "⁠⁠⁠Beltway Park Church⁠⁠"

02-03

27:50

Without action there is no love (1 John 3:16-18). This truth is seen most clearly in Jesus, who demonstrated His love for us by laying down His life for us; while we were still sinners, Jesus died for us (Romans 5:8). In other words, God did for us in Jesus what we could never do for ourselves. In response, we choose to love God with all that we are and to love the people around us. Freely we have received, so freely we give (Matthew 10:8). The enemy, however, wants to deceive us into believing that we can love God and others without any personal responsibility or action. The truth is that we are saved and redeemed in Jesus for good works (Ephesians 2:10). The goal of our faith is to love God and people in action and in truth (1 John 3:18). Sermon from January 26, 2025 To watch this sermon or other sermons, subscribe to our YouTube Channel: "⁠⁠⁠Beltway Park Church⁠⁠"

01-27

48:21

A transformed mind aligns us with God’s greatest plans, purposes, and promises (Romans 12:1-2). We all want to fit in and to feel accepted by others; it is hardwired into us. We naturally want to be liked and affirmed by those around us, and sensing the breakdown of acceptance is instantly overwhelming and uncomfortable. God has a better way! He challenges us: do not love the world or the things in the world (1 John 2:15-17). Instead of being conformed to the world to fit in, God calls us to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. We experience that transformation by the power and filling of the Holy Spirit. When we engage the Word of God, surround ourselves with others who also desire transformation, confess our sin and our negative thought patterns, and actively pray, we position ourselves for the transformative power of the Holy Spirit to work and move in us. As our transformation takes place, we begin to embrace the will of God in our lives (in our thoughts, desires, motives, actions, choices, etc.). Sermon from January 19, 2025 To watch this sermon or other sermons, subscribe to our YouTube Channel: "⁠⁠Beltway Park Church⁠"

01-21

35:23

The Platinum Rule: be to others as Jesus is to me (Luke 6:27-36). Our natural tendency, when we are hurt or oppressed by others, is to respond in kind. Our default reaction to our enemies and to those who persecute us is an eye for an eye. But God calls us to a different response, to a better way. The golden rule that Jesus gives us is to do to others as you would have them do to you. This is choosing to treat them the way I would want to be treated, even if it is not what I feel towards them. A step further is to embrace what we might call the platinum rule: to be to others as Jesus is to us. It is overwhelming to think of all that Jesus endured for us because of His deep love for us (John 3:16; Romans 5:8). We can embody the platinum rule by praying for those who abuse us in words and actions, by blessing those who curse us, and by doing good to those who hate us. Sermon from January 12, 2025 To watch this sermon or other sermons, subscribe to our YouTube Channel: "⁠⁠Beltway Park Church⁠"

01-13

37:25

The peace of God overcomes our anxiousness (Philippians 4:5-9). We all have situations and relationships that are producing tension, restlessness, and anxiousness. Thankfully, God proclaims that we do not have to live continually in that place. We can quit our anxiousness, and can have hope and peace, because He is near. God sees, knows, and cares about us. He is on His throne, and we can boldly approach Him with confidence in prayer and supplication (Hebrews 4:16). The promise is that when we come to God with our anxiety, He will give us a peace that surpasses all understanding and that guards our hearts and minds. Our part to continually live in God’s perfect peace is to have the right focus: to intentionally set on our minds on what is true, right, pure, lovely, honorable, excellent, and praiseworthy. Our responsibility is to set our minds on the things of the Spirit and not on the things of the flesh (Romans 8:5-11). Sermon from January 5, 2025 To watch this sermon or other sermons, subscribe to our YouTube Channel: "⁠Beltway Park Church⁠"

01-06

34:55

Hearing God’s voice unlocks the life He designed for us (Luke 1:39-45). After her angelic encounter and becoming supernaturally pregnant, Mary hurriedly travels to visit her relative, Elizabeth. As Mary enters the home of Elizabeth and greets her, Elizabeth – without knowing Mary is pregnant – is filled with the Holy Spirit, hears from the Spirit of God, and powerfully encourages Mary. Like Elizabeth, we too can be filled with the Holy Spirit and hear the voice of God. In fact, every person who has said yes to Jesus has been filled with the Holy Spirit, who graciously gives us the ability to hear, understand, and act on the voice of God. God speaks to us through His Word, through other followers of Jesus, and through divine impressions and whispers to our heart and mind. To hear God through these ways (and others) requires focus, practice, and an abundance of grace. Sermon from December 15, 2024 To watch this sermon or other sermons, subscribe to our YouTube Channel: "⁠Beltway Park Church⁠"

12-17

35:30

The Holy Spirit – the true Spirit of Christmas – empowers the impossible (Luke 1:26-38). Just as the Holy Spirit participated in the supernatural creation of the world, the Holy Spirit also came upon the virgin Mary and supernaturally placed the incarnate Son of God (Jesus) into her womb (Genesis 1:1-2, 26-28; Luke 1:35). God accomplishes the impossible, the miraculous, through His Spirit. For followers of Jesus today, when we say yes to follow Him, we are utterly changed and begin to house the Spirit of God within us (1Corinthians 3:16). It is the Holy Spirit that produces in us the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). Not only this, but the Spirit of God helps us share the hope of Jesus with others (Acts 1:8). The Spirit guides us and empowers us to walk faithfully in difficult situations, to become how we were originally designed to be. And it is the Holy Spirit that enables us to be victorious over sin, to forgive those who have hurt us, to experience healing and restoration, to live a life of obedience and surrender. When we say yes (and keep saying yes) to the Spirit, God takes our everyday, normal lives and does impossible things through them. Sermon from December 8, 2024 To watch this sermon or other sermons, subscribe to our YouTube Channel: "⁠Beltway Park Church⁠"

12-09

40:50

True joy and fulfillment in our lives will never happen without a life of gratitude (Luke 17:11-19). In fact, gratitude changes the way we see the world around us. When Jesus heals ten lepers, only one (a Samaritan) immediately turns back towards Jesus and falls at His feet to give thanks and praise. Before anything else, this one leper offers gratitude. Unfortunately, most of us are like the other nine lepers. We find ourselves believing we either deserve what we do not have or deserve more than what we have been given. The call and challenge for us is to lead with gratitude to our Heavenly Father, like the one leper. When we do, we can begin to experience the continual feast of blessing and start to recognize opportunities to verbalize our gratitude to God and to others. Sermon from December 1, 2024 To watch this sermon or other sermons, subscribe to our YouTube Channel: "⁠Beltway Park Church⁠"

12-02

40:05

Sermon from November 24, 2024 To watch this sermon or other sermons, subscribe to our YouTube Channel: "Beltway Park Church"

11-28

37:04

Anyone who wants to be first or the greatest must be the very last, and the servant of all (Mark 9:33-37). These words of instruction and correction come after Jesus asks His disciples: what were you arguing about on the road? Jesus is direct with His disciples, knowing that they had been arguing about who is the greatest among them as they traveled to Capernaum. His point is that true greatness in God's kingdom is not about power or position, but about humility and service. He emphasizes this by placing a child in front of His disciples, saying that whoever welcomes a child – generally considered one the lowest in social status at that time – welcomes Him, and by doing so, welcomes God the Father. Sermon from November 17, 2024 To watch this sermon or other sermons, subscribe to our YouTube Channel: "Beltway Park Church"

11-18

45:05

When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth (Luke 18:1-8)? The book of Hebrews makes it clear that faith is the assurance of things hoped for – the conviction of things not seen – and that faith pleases God and leads to rewards only He can give (Hebrews 11:1-6). One of the primary ways that faith is expressed is through prayer. How we pray and our persistence in prayer is evidence of faith in our lives. Trusting the goodness of God, hoping in things not seen, and continuing in prayer diligently is the essence of faith. A faith-filled life will be a prayer-filled life. Paul encouraged followers of Jesus to pray without ceasing, to become conversational with God throughout each day regardless of our circumstances or environment (1 Thessalonians 5:17). In our relationship with Him, God wants to hear from us, and He wants to speak to us. It is in this place of prayer, of ongoing conversation and communion with God, that our faith deepens and matures. Sermon from November 10, 2024 To watch this sermon or other sermons, subscribe to our YouTube Channel: "Beltway Park Church"

11-13

34:11

There is more to your story than your present reality and struggles (John 8:1-12). Our past, our failures, our weaknesses, our lack, our circumstances, and our pain do not have the final say in the story of our lives. Paralyzed by the fear of either being exposed or never being able to change, we can easily believe we are stuck in our misery and shame (i.e., determinism or fatalism). Thankfully, Jesus is the light of the world who makes clear the path to life (John 8:12). Like the woman caught in the act of adultery, His heart is to neither condone our sinfulness nor condemn us. His intent is to make a way out of our condemnation, to establish a new story and trajectory for our lives. He wants to cleanse us from all our sin and lead us to a place of freedom, healing, restoration, and joy. Sermon from November 4, 2024 To watch this sermon or other sermons, subscribe to our YouTube Channel: "Beltway Park Church"

11-04

34:59

At the end of our lives we all want to be able to say the words of Paul “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7–8). This week we get to hear from Don Finto, an elder advisor to Beltway, who has faithfully served the Lord for eighty-three years. Join as we conclude our Think Ahead series with seven decisions God has placed on Don Finto’s heart that will encourage us to say: I am a finisher. Sermon from October 27, 2024 To watch this sermon or other sermons, subscribe to our YouTube Channel: "Beltway Park Church"

10-29

36:29

In a world often focused on immediate pleasure, the decision to embrace consistency is vital. Becoming a follower of Jesus means being born again and becoming a vessel for the Holy Spirit. As stated in 2 Timothy 1:7, “For God did not give us a Spirit of timidity, but a Spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline.” By walking in step with the Spirit, self-discipline becomes possible, allowing for the fulfillment of Paul’s encouragement to “train yourself for godliness” (1 Timothy 4:7). It is clear that godliness, which brings the greatest value, requires training; and training means priority, effort, and discipline. Join us for this message as we explore how, with the help of the Holy Spirit, we can grow in godliness by pre deciding: I will be consistent.  Sermon from October 20, 2024 To watch this sermon or other sermons, subscribe to our YouTube Channel: "Beltway Park Church"

10-21

36:31

This week we explore the true meaning of generosity beyond just financial giving. In a world that trains us to make everything about ME, God calls us to something different. He calls us back to the design of the universe. He calls us back to be like Him. Out of all the decisions we've discussed through the Think Ahead series, this decision is the most radically opposed in our society. You will have to make a pre-decision "I'm going to be like Jesus. I'm going to be generous!!" 2 Corinthians 9 makes the point that when we sow sparingly, we reap sparingly; BUT when we sow bountifully, we reap bountifully. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God! God can change eternity through the weakness of our generosity. It's generosity that creates true riches! This message will encourage you to embrace God's generosity and apply it to every area of your life. Sermon from October 13, 2024 To watch this sermon or other sermons, subscribe to our YouTube Channel: "Beltway Park Church"