Weekly Sunday sermons from the Champions Campus. www.championforest.org
Jarrett Stephens teaches from Psalm 62 in a message called "When the Ground Beneath You Shakes." Life brings moments that unsettle us: a difficult diagnosis, a broken relationship, a job loss, or prayers that seem to go unanswered. David wrote this Psalm out of his own experience with enemies, distress, and God's apparent silence. Jarrett shows how the Psalms of Jeduthun reveal three common sources of shaky ground and how our typical escapes, numbing, busyness, entertainment, even wealth, cannot hold us steady. Instead, David gives three faithful responses: wait on God in silence, trust Him at all times, and pour out your heart in prayer. Through the moving story of a friend who loved his wife faithfully through dementia and death, we see what it looks like to stand on the Rock when everything else gives way.
Dr. Brent Taylor teaches from Exodus 20:7 in a message called "Don't Lose Weight." The third commandment warns against taking the Lord's name in vain, and Dr. Taylor explains that this means far more than avoiding certain words. God's name has weight and worth, and treating it lightly empties it of its meaning. This message asks us to examine how we speak about God, pray in His name, and represent Him in daily life. Do our words and actions add to the weight of God's name, or do they treat it as something common? The call for God's people is reverence, care, and a life that honors the holiness of who God is.
Join Emory Cothen at Champion Forest as he continues the Life Lessons series with a powerful message from Romans 4:19-21. Drawing from Abraham's unwavering faith, the courage of early martyr Perpetua, and his own journey of a broken leg that redirected his calling, Cothen asks: Are you fully convinced that God is able to do what He has promised? This message challenges believers to move beyond circumstance-driven living and embrace a faith that is filled to the brim with confidence in God's character and promises.
Kal Kilgo teaches from Psalm 90 in a message called "True Satisfaction." Moses wrote this psalm in a season of deep personal loss, yet he turned to the everlasting God in prayer. Kal walks through how Moses faced the reality of human frailty, our lives are like grass that flourishes in the morning and withers by evening, without losing hope. The message exposes the enemies that steal our satisfaction: pride, greed, comfort, control, comparison, and bitterness. These temporary pursuits cannot carry the weight of our deepest longings. Only God's steadfast love can. Kal invites us to pause before we pray, to consider who we are speaking to, and to ask God to teach us to number our days so that we might live in His fullness. True satisfaction is not found in easier circumstances but in a love that remains steady through every trial.
Message from Connor Bales on July 12, 2026
Connor Bales teaches from Romans 8:16-18 in a message called "Suffering is not Singular." Every believer will face hardship in a world fractured by sin, but the Bible is not silent on how to navigate it well. Paul tells the church in Rome that the Holy Spirit helps believers in seasons of suffering and that present difficulties cannot compare with the glory to come. Pastor Connor shares honestly from his own family's journey with two daughters who have a rare genetic diagnosis, explaining how God has used suffering to shape his faith and unlock purpose he could not have known otherwise. He encourages believers to stop comparing their pain, stop expecting a one-and-done resolution, and instead steward suffering with eyes fixed on God's promises and the hope of eternity.
Retired Major General Doug Carver teaches from Joshua 1 in a message called "Life Lessons." On this July 4th weekend, he brings firsthand experience from deploying to Iraq, surviving missile attacks in a bunker, and walking alongside wounded warriors like Greg Gadson and Travis Mills. Through these stories, he shows how God's promise to Joshua is for every believer facing an impossible task. God sees us in our darkest moments and promises never to leave or forsake us. Doug reminds us that courage is not the absence of fear but confidence that God is at work. Whether our challenge is visible like combat wounds or hidden like strained relationships or health struggles, we can trust that God who began a good work in us will bring it to completion. Jesus endured the cross so we would never be ultimately abandoned, and He intercedes for us still.
Message from Jarrett Stephens on June 28, 2026
Jarrett Stephens teaches from 2 Timothy 4:6-8 in a message called "Fight to the Finish." Paul's final inspired words were written from a Roman prison as he faced imminent death, yet they overflow with confidence and hope. He had fought the good fight, finished the race, and kept the faith, and he wanted Timothy to do the same. Jarrett explores what motivated Paul to persevere through suffering and what enables believers to finish strong today. He warns against six common barriers that derail Christians and offers three practical commitments: live with the end in mind, expect life's challenges rather than being surprised by them, and remember the people watching your life. The message points us to Jesus as both the reason and the reward for finishing faithful.
Daniel Ritchie teaches from Romans 15:1-7 in a message called "Believers are Builders." Daniel shares his own story of being born without arms, the father who fought for his life in the delivery room, and the student pastor who shared the gospel with him as a broken teenager. He reminds us that Jesus is the hero of our stories, not ourselves. From Romans 15, Daniel unpacks three truths: believers are builders who step into others' weakness, believers are built up by the Word of God for daily endurance, and believers live with Jesus as the hero of their lives. He challenges us to move beyond a once-a-week spiritual meal and to let Scripture shape how we respond to a discouraging world. When we are built up by God's Word, we have something to give to others.
Message from Daniel Ritchie on June 21, 2026
Jarrett Stephens teaches from 2 Corinthians 4 and Romans 8 in a message called "Fighting Through Suffering." Suffering touches every life, and the question of why can derail our faith if we let it. Jarrett shows from Scripture that suffering runs on two tracks: the glory of God and the refinement of our faith. God's glory rests on us in the middle of suffering, not just after it ends, and our faith is tested and matured in ways nothing else can accomplish. Suffering also brings gifts we could not receive otherwise: God's power when we are weak, purpose that reaches beyond ourselves, and perspective that looks to unseen eternal realities. Jarrett closes with four certainties from Romans 8 that anchor us in hardship: God is not condemning you, God is praying for you, God is working for your good, and nothing can separate you from His love. The path through suffering is to hold fast to what we know rather than be consumed by what we do not.
Message from Jarrett Stephens on June 14, 2026
Message from Mark Lanier on June 7, 2026
Mark Lanier teaches from Isaiah 1:17, Deuteronomy 10, and Jeremiah 22 in a message called "Fighting for the Weak." God's people are called to more than sympathy for the vulnerable. We are called to active advocacy, to seek justice, correct oppression, and defend the rights of the poor and needy. Lanier brings his experience as a trial lawyer to show how Scripture's legal language calls us to fight, not merely pity. From the social media addiction case he argued against multi-trillion-dollar companies to the opioid litigation in Ohio, he illustrates what it looks like to go to the mat for those who cannot fight for themselves. Because we bear God's image and because Christ died for us while we were still weak, we carry His commission to see, defend, and love those the world overlooks.
Message from Jarrett Stephens on May 31, 2026
Message from Jarrett Stephens on May 24, 2026
Message from Steven Morris on May 17, 2026
Jarrett Stephens teaches from 1 Samuel 1 in a message called "A Mother's Surrender." Hannah lived in a spiritually dark time, personally barren, publicly mocked by her rival, and misunderstood by her own husband. Still, she kept making the journey to worship and took her deepest pain directly to God. Jarrett shows how Hannah addressed God as "Lord of hosts," the all-sovereign ruler over every seen and unseen power, and asked specifically for a son, promising to give him back. The same Hebrew word means both "asked" and "lent," capturing the heart of her surrender. Samuel became a great leader, but his story began with a mother who prayed and released. This message calls parents, grandparents, and anyone who loves a child to the fight of prayer and the freedom of surrender. Our children belong to God first. When we release them with open hands, we are freed to worship and trust the One who holds them better than we ever could.
Message from Jarrett Stephens on May 10, 2026
Message from Jarrett Stephens on May 3, 2026
Jarrett Stephens concludes the series "So What: Why the Resurrection Matters" with a message from Matthew 28 and Acts 1 called "Jesus Sends on Mission." The empty tomb does more than secure salvation. It sends every follower of Jesus into the world as a witness. Jarrett shows how the resurrection gives us three things for this mission: the presence of Christ, the power of the Holy Spirit, and the promise of his return. He tells how a Sunday school teacher reached a teenage D.L. Moody in a Boston shoe store, and how ordinary believers planted churches that now saturate that same city. The scope is global, but the starting point is local. Our Jerusalem is wherever we live, work, and play.
Message from Emory Cothen on April 26, 2026
Message from Jarrett Stephens on April 19, 2026
Message from Jarrett Stephens on April 12, 2026
Message from Jarrett Stephens on April 5, 2026
Message from Jarrett Stephens on March 29, 2026
What if the greatest moment in history was happening right in front of you… and you missed it? On Palm Sunday, as we step into Passion Week, Pastor Jarrett Stephens takes us through Luke 19 to explore the "mega theme" of the entire Bible: God's relentless desire to be in a relational presence with His people. This was not just a parade; it was the fulfillment of a promise that runs from Genesis to Revelation. From the Garden of Eden to the Tabernacle, and from Ezekiel's visions to Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, we see a God who is committed to keeping His promise to be with us forever. This message is a call to move beyond a casual treatment of God's presence and instead find a right response. Pastor Jarrett shows us how we can welcome Jesus into our daily lives, celebrate Him as our Messiah, and ultimately surrender everything to the King of Glory. At Champion Forest, we believe that when we truly see Jesus for who He is, we can't help but be changed by His love. Whether you are walking through a difficult season or looking for a fresh start, there is a place for you here at our church to experience the life-transforming power of the Gospel.
What does it look like to celebrate what God has done without losing sight of why it matters? In this message from Nehemiah 12, Pastor Jarrett Stephens walks through Celebration Sunday at Champion Forest and reminds us that true success is not just about reaching a goal, but about coming through the journey stronger in faith, deeper in unity, and more surrendered to the Lord. As the church reflects on the NEXT Initiative, this sermon points back to God's faithfulness through every prayer, every sacrifice, and every step of obedience. It is a message about consecration, joy, and giving God all the glory for what only He can do. Whether you have been part of this journey from the beginning or are just now tuning in, this sermon is a powerful reminder that when God's people attempt something great for His glory and devote it back to Him, He fills them with great joy.
Message from Jarrett Stephens on March 22, 2026
Guest Pastor Jeremiah Porter 03.15.2026
Message from Jarrett Stephens on March 8, 2026
What happens after the walls are rebuilt? In Nehemiah 8–10, the people of Israel discover that the greatest rebuilding was not physical but spiritual. The walls of Jerusalem had been restored in just 52 days, yet the real work was only beginning. Hearts needed renewal. Lives needed repentance. God's people needed to return to His Word. In this message, Pastor Jarrett walks through the powerful spiritual revival that unfolds when the people gather to hear Scripture, confess their sin, and recommit themselves to living holy lives. Their response shows us a timeless truth: rebuilding what matters most always begins with a renewed commitment to God.
Message from Jarrett Stephens on March 1, 2026
Message from Jarrett Stephens on February 22, 2026
Message from Jarrett Stephens on February 15, 2026
Message from Jarrett Stephens on February 8, 2026
Message from Jarrett Stephens on February 1, 2026
Message from Jarrett Stephens on January 18, 2026
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