MESSAGES

Recent Sermons

Watch recent messages from Mercy of God Ministries

This Week's Messages

Hope — Part 5

Hope — Part 5

August 16, 2026 · Pastor Brian Charles

MESSAGE SUMMARY

In this fifth installment of the "Hope" series, Pastor Brian Charles returns to Romans 5:1–5 to unpack how biblical hope is not wishful thinking but confident expectation rooted in God's plan and purpose. He traces the chain Paul lays out — justification produces peace, peace gives access to grace, and grace sustains believers through tribulation, which in turn produces perseverance, character, and ultimately hope that does not disappoint. He opens by tying peace to salvation, noting that new believers consistently describe peace as their first felt change, contrasted with the confusion Satan brings.

From there he moves into grace as both the "empowering presence" and the "unmerited favor" of God, illustrating with Paul's thorn in the flesh and God's answer that His grace is sufficient. He uses the disciples' boat crossing in the storm and Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fire to show God showing up in the middle of trouble rather than removing it. A significant portion of the message addresses tribulation and trials directly — arguing they are not to be avoided but expected, and that they refine character and remove pride rather than being wasted suffering.

He then contrasts earthly hope (money, possessions, health) with hope anchored in God, using Job's story to argue that possessions should never possess the believer. Several personal ministry stories follow — a parishioner nicknamed "Lazarus" healed multiple times over decades, and Smith Wigglesworth's testimony — as real-world illustrations of sustained hope and faith. He closes on 2 Corinthians 10:3–5, urging the congregation to "cast down imaginations" and refuse to let discouraging thoughts ("stinking thinking," reframed as "sinking thinking") take root, ending with an altar call and prayer for those watching online.

SCRIPTURES REFERENCED

  • Romans 5:1-5 the anchor text for the whole series; read and unpacked verse by verse: justification producing peace, access to grace, rejoicing in tribulation, and the chain from tribulation to perseverance to character to hope
  • 2 Corinthians 12 referenced Paul's thorn in the flesh and his three prayers; God's answer "My grace is sufficient for thee" quoted (exact verse not stated, commonly 2 Cor 12:9)
  • Matthew 14 / Mark 6 referenced Jesus sending the disciples across the sea and walking to them in the storm (exact verse not stated)
  • Daniel 3 referenced Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace and the "fourth man"
  • Revelation 12:11 paraphrased: they overcame by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony, and loved not their lives unto death
  • Psalm 34:19 quoted: "many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivereth him out of them all"
  • James 1:2 referenced: "count it all joy"
  • Matthew 11:30 quoted: "my yoke is easy, my burden is light"
  • Jeremiah 17:7 quoted directly: "blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and whose hope is in the Lord"
  • Job 1 referenced God's statement to Satan, "have you considered my servant Job," and Job's wealth and restoration; used to argue possessions shouldn't possess the believer
  • Matthew 6:33 quoted: "seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you"
  • Hebrews 11:1 quoted: "faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen"
  • 1 Corinthians 13 referenced as "the love chapter," recommended for self-examination of motives
  • Ephesians 2:12 paraphrased: before salvation, "having no hope, and without God in the world"
  • Acts 3 referenced Peter and John at the gate called Beautiful; quoted "silver and gold have I none, but such as I have give I thee" (exact verse not stated, commonly Acts 3:6)
  • 1 Corinthians 2:2 paraphrased: Paul determined "to know nothing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified"
  • John 10:10 quoted: "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly"
  • 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 read in full and used to close the message; "casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ"
  • Colossians 2:10 quoted directly: "you are complete in him"
  • Acts 26 referenced Paul before King Agrippa: "I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision," and Agrippa's reply, "almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian" (exact verses not stated)

Last Week's Messages

Hope — Part 4

Hope — Part 4

August 12, 2026 · Pastor Brian Charles

MESSAGE SUMMARY

Pastor Brian Charles preaches "Hope, Part 4" from Romans 5:1-5, teaching that biblical hope is not wishful thinking but the confident expectation of God performing His promises. He contrasts this with the world's misplaced hopes — in money, relationships, politics, health, and careers — all of which eventually disappoint, unlike God's hope, which does not.

Working through Romans 5 verse by verse, he shows that hope begins with peace with God (v.1), secured entirely through Christ's finished work rather than personal performance — reflecting on his own background in legalistic, works-based ministry and the freedom he found in resting in grace instead of striving. Hope then stands in grace (v.2), which he defines as "the empowering presence of God," carrying believers from glory to glory and strength to strength.

The heart of the message covers how hope manifests through trials (v.3-4): tribulation produces perseverance, perseverance produces character, and character produces hope. He illustrates this with Noah building the ark in faith before it ever rained, Enoch walking with God, the blood over the doorposts at Passover, and Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fire — examples of God's glory showing up in the middle of difficulty rather than after it. He shares a personal testimony of going through a season where he no longer felt God's tangible presence, and how God taught him to walk by faith rather than by feelings, since God's love and character never change regardless of what a person feels.

He teaches that trials remove pride, deepen faith, and shape believers into Christ's likeness, and that even death becomes a testimony that brings God glory. The message closes on Jeremiah 17:7 — blessed is the one whose hope is in the Lord — urging listeners to place their hope in God alone, not in people or circumstances, and closes with an invitation to salvation, explaining that being born again through Jesus is the only lasting hope, followed by an altar call for anyone needing prayer.

SCRIPTURES REFERENCED

  • Romans 5:1-5 the sermon's main text, read in full and unpacked verse by verse (peace, grace, hope through tribulation)
  • Proverbs 13:12 paraphrased ("hope deferred makes the heart sick"); reference not stated by name
  • Psalm 23 paraphrased/quoted ("the Lord is my shepherd," "though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death"); reference not stated by name
  • 2 Peter 2:5 Noah called a "preacher of righteousness" for 120 years; reference not stated by name
  • Genesis 5:24 Enoch walked with God and "was no more"; reference not stated by name
  • Exodus 12 the Passover blood over the doorposts/lintel; reference not stated by name
  • Isaiah 61 cited by name; "arise and shine for the glory of the Lord is risen upon you"
  • Psalm 100 cited by name (with some uncertainty — "I think it's the last scripture"); "his truth goes from generation to generation"
  • Luke 10:19 paraphrased ("power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy"); reference not stated by name
  • Jeremiah 17:7 cited by name and quoted directly; "blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and whose hope is in the Lord" — repeated near the close as a summary verse
  • Proverbs 22:6 paraphrased ("train up a child in the way he should go"); reference not stated by name
  • John 3 Jesus' conversation with Nicodemus about being "born again"; exact verse not stated
  • John 10:10 paraphrased ("I have life and have it abundantly"); reference not stated by name
  • 2 Corinthians 12:9 Paul's thorn in the flesh, "my grace is sufficient for thee"; reference not stated by name
  • Acts 7 Stephen's stoning, referenced by story; exact verse not stated
  • Matthew 11:30 paraphrased ("my yoke is easy, my burden is light"); reference not stated by name
  • Romans 8:14 paraphrased ("as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God"); reference not stated by name
  • 1 Peter 5:7 paraphrased ("casting all your care upon him, because he cares for you"); reference not stated by name
  • Proverbs 11:13 paraphrased ("a friend concealeth the matter"); reference not stated by name
  • 2 Corinthians 5:17 paraphrased ("old things are passed away, all things are become new"); reference not stated by name
  • Psalm 34:19 paraphrased ("many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all"); reference not stated by name
  • Ephesians 3:20 paraphrased ("exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think"); reference not stated by name
Hope — Part 3

Hope — Part 3

August 9, 2026 · Pastor Brian Charles

MESSAGE SUMMARY

Continuing the church's mini-series on hope, Pastor Brian Charles returns to 1 Corinthians 13:13 — "faith, hope, love, these three, but the greatest of these is love" — and builds the message around a construction metaphor: hope is the blueprint, faith is the builder, and love is the foundation holding everything together. He defines faith as reliance and confidence in God — "the hand that takes from God" — and hope as confident, biblical expectation rather than wishful thinking, always anchored to what God has actually promised in His Word. Love, he says, both reveals God to a person at salvation and reveals God through that person afterward, transforming character.

A large portion of the message centers on God's love as unconditional and unchanging (Jeremiah 31:3), contrasted with the world's love of money and self. He tells of praying for a grieving wealthy man whose adult children "love money more than they love God," and references a well-known public figure's admission of loving wealth over God, framing both as warnings that misplaced hope leads to "hope deferred" and a sick heart (Proverbs 13:12), while hope anchored in God never disappoints.

Abraham is held up as the model of hope (Romans 4:18) — believing God's promise of a child at age seventy-five "against hope, in hope." Pastor Charles also touches the gifts of the Spirit, noting their identification in 1 Corinthians 12 and manifestation in 1 Corinthians 14, with 1 Corinthians 13's love chapter positioned as the center holding both together. He shares personal testimonies — his own conversion and softened heart, times of backsliding, and moments of prophetic "knowing" in prayer for others — to illustrate hope sustaining a believer through waiting, trials, and even the death of loved ones. The message closes with an evangelistic appeal, quoting Romans 10:13 and the necessity of being "born again," inviting anyone watching who feels hopeless to call on the name of Jesus.

SCRIPTURES REFERENCED

  • 1 Corinthians 13:13 opening text of the message; "faith, hope, love, these three, but the greatest of these is love," used to frame hope/faith/love as blueprint/builder/foundation
  • Luke 1:37 quoted, "with God nothing shall be impossible," on the nature of faith
  • 2 Corinthians 5:17 quoted, "if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature," on transformation at salvation
  • Jeremiah 31:3 quoted, "I have loved thee with an everlasting love," foundation for God's unconditional love
  • John 3:16-17 quoted, "God so loved the world... should not perish but have everlasting life," and "not to condemn the world but that the world through him might be saved"
  • Psalm 34:8 quoted, "O taste and see that the Lord is good," on experiencing God's love firsthand
  • Jeremiah 29:11 quoted, "thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope"
  • Galatians 5:6 quoted, "faith worketh [by] love," tying real faith to love in action
  • Psalm 37:4 quoted, "delight thyself also in the Lord, and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart"
  • Proverbs 13:12 quoted multiple times through the message, "hope deferred maketh the heart sick," warning against misplaced hope
  • Matthew 6:19-20 referenced, "treasures in heaven," on prioritizing eternal over material things
  • Matthew 6:33 paraphrased, "all these things shall be added unto you," on trusting God's provision
  • John 14:2 quoted, "in my Father's house are many mansions... I go to prepare a place for you," on the believer's eternal home
  • Proverbs 3:5-6 quoted, "trust in the Lord with all thine heart... he shall direct thy paths"
  • Proverbs 18:14 quoted, "the spirit of a man sustains him in sickness"
  • Romans 4:18 quoted, "who against hope believed in hope," on Abraham believing God's promise of a child in old age
  • James 4:7-8 quoted, "resist the devil and he will flee... draw nigh unto me and I shall draw nigh unto you"
  • Isaiah 45:15 quoted as "Isaiah 15" in the message ("I am the Lord thy God that hideth from thee"); reference as spoken appears to be a slip, verse content matches Isaiah 45:15
  • 1 Corinthians 12 referenced as where the gifts of the Spirit are identified
  • 1 Corinthians 14 referenced as where the manifestation of the gifts of the Spirit is described
  • Mark 16:17-18 paraphrased without stated reference, "lay hands on the sick and they shall recover... cast out devils," on the believer's authority
  • John 3:3 paraphrased, "except he be born again," on the necessity of the new birth
  • Romans 10:13 quoted, "whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved," in the closing salvation appeal