Weekly sermons from Risen Church in Virginia Beach. Risen exists to share life in Christ our Risen Lord with each other, Hampton Roads, and the nations.
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Jonah 4 exposes the heart of the whole story: Jonah wants mercy for himself but justice for his enemies. His anger and bitterness reveal that he knows God’s character, but doesn’t trust God’s mercy when it reaches people he believes don’t deserve it. God keeps pursuing Jonah’s heart, showing him that comfort isn’t the goal—transformation is. And ultimately, Jonah points us to Jesus: Jonah waited outside the city for judgment to fall, while Jesus went outside the city and took that judgment himself. At the cross, justice and mercy meet.
Jonah 3 is a story about second chances, reluctant obedience, and what it really means to know God. Jonah knew a lot about God, but his heart still didn’t reflect God’s heart. Meanwhile, an entire wicked city hears God’s warning, repents, and throws itself on his mercy. It’s a reminder that knowing the right things about God isn’t the same as truly knowing him. And ultimately, Jonah points us to Jesus—the greater Jonah—who didn’t run from sinners, but gave himself to save them.
Peter tells us to cast our anxieties on God because he cares for us. Anxiety often exposes our desire for control—the belief that we know better than God. Jonah shows where that belief leads. He ran because he knew God was merciful, and he did not want mercy for Nineveh. But God pursued Jonah through the storm. What looked like judgment was actually mercy, because sin always takes us down. Jesus is the better Jonah. Jonah went into the sea for his own sin, but Jesus took the judgment for ours. The cross is the clearest proof that God is both in control and deeply cares for us.
Peter reminds believers living under pressure that their hope is not found in comfort, circumstances, or returning to the way things used to be. Through God’s mercy, they have been born again into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus and given an inheritance that cannot perish, fade, or be corrupted. Though trials bring real grief, God uses them to refine faith and form his people. Christians may feel like exiles, but God has placed them where they are for a purpose: to trust him, reflect his glory, and make disciples.
Psalm 67 reminds us that baptism isn’t the finish line, it’s the starting line. Like Jonah stepping onto the shore with a new calling, we’ve been given a new identity and a new purpose: we’re blessed to be a blessing. God’s grace isn’t something we earn; it’s something we receive through Jesus, whose face is the full display of God’s favor. From that secure identity, our witness naturally overflows. The greatest need in the world isn’t better systems—it’s hearts that worship the true King. As we delight in Christ, we invite others to do the same.
Romans 6 shows us that sin does not bring freedom. It acts like a tyrant, promising life while keeping us stuck. Jesus is Savior and King. Through his death and resurrection, he frees us from the power of sin and gives us new life. That is what baptism points to. It is a public way of saying, “I belong to Jesus now.” True freedom is not doing whatever we want. True freedom comes when Christ reigns in our hearts.
Message from John Allen on June 28, 2026
Fatherhood carries a weight no dad can fully bear: reflecting the heart of the Father. That’s why dads don’t have to pretend to be enough. Jesus is enough. The call is simple and lifelong: look to Jesus and point to Jesus. In Mark 5, we see the Father’s heart through Jesus’ care for Jairus, the bleeding woman, and Jairus’ daughter. To the hidden, Jesus says, “You belong.” To the grieving, “Do not fear.” To the lifeless, “Arise.” So we look to Jesus, point to Jesus, and remember that nearness with God is the true reward.
Acts begins with the good news that Jesus is alive and still working. Luke shows us a risen King who teaches, leads, and sends his people out by the power of the Spirit. Jesus gives his disciples a clear call: trust the King, wait on the Spirit, join the mission, and live for his return. Because Jesus conquered death, we can trust him with every part of our lives. Because the Spirit is promised, we do not have to manufacture God’s power. Because the mission is clear, we start where we are and carry the gospel outward. And because Jesus is coming again, we live awake, urgent, and faithful until
Jesus calls his people to live awake, steady, and surrendered. Mark shows us that the last days have already begun. The fall of the temple was a real fulfillment in history, but it also points us forward. We live in the birth pains, which means we can have urgency without panic and patience without checking out. Until Jesus returns, the church’s assignment is clear: stay awake by staying on mission. Make disciples. Love people. Speak the gospel. Obey today, because no one knows the hour.
Jesus’ parable of the vineyard shows us a God who has given everything needed for His people to flourish. But instead of trusting the Owner, the tenants reject His messengers and finally His Son. The warning is clear: we are not the owners — God is. True life is found in receiving Jesus, the rejected Son who became the Cornerstone, and surrendering every part of our lives to Him.
Jesus doesn’t just reflect God’s glory - He reveals it. On the mountain, Moses and Elijah point to Jesus as the One who fulfills every promise and finishes what the Law and Prophets never could. When the Father says, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him,” the call becomes clear: don’t build your life around moments or experiences — build it around Jesus. Real discipleship doesn’t stay on the mountain. It follows Jesus into the valley, carrying the hope of the gospel into ordinary struggles, trusting that his finished work changes everything.
Jesus warns us in Mark 8 to beware of the quiet influences that shape our hearts. The leaven of the Pharisees turns faith into performance, while the leaven of Herod tempts us to look for fulfillment in comfort, approval, and the things of this world. But Jesus calls us back to himself. His gifts - bread, children, success, and provision are good, but they were never meant to carry the weight of our hope. Through prayer, we learn to surrender, trust the Father, and entrust every blessing back to him. Jesus is better, and life with him is the freedom we were made for.
Jesus sends ordinary people with his authority to carry the good news forward. In Mark 6, Jesus is rejected in his hometown, but rejection does not stop the mission. His disciples are sent to preach repentance, bring healing, and depend fully on God. The call is clear: don’t let familiarity, fear, rejection, or personal agendas keep you from faithful obedience. Because Jesus is worthy, we put our yes on the table and keep going.
Jesus meets us in the middle of our fear, not by pretending the storm isn’t real, but by showing us He is greater than it. In Mark, we see Jesus calm a raging sea and deliver a man bound by demons. Both stories reveal the same truth: we are not as in control as we think, but Jesus is sovereign over every kind of chaos, around us and within us. Real courage isn’t the absence of fear. It’s trusting Jesus when fear is loud. And as we see His power, our fear begins to shift into holy awe - the kind that leads us to worship, trust, and tell others what He has done.
Message from John Allen on April 19, 2026
Easter interrupts life as usual with a simple but world-changing truth: Jesus is alive. And if that is true, then our lives have to be reordered around him. Mark shows Jesus calling people to respond now, not later, revealing that true faith does not just admire him but follows him. He is not just someone who speaks truth, but truth in the flesh—the King who restores the broken, welcomes the outcast, and sends his people out with purpose. The question of Easter is not just whether Jesus rose, but whether we will surrender our lives to his rule.
John 20 shows Mary Magdalene coming to the tomb full of grief and leaving full of hope when the risen Jesus calls her by name. The resurrection isn’t just proof that Jesus is alive—it means death is defeated, access to the Father is open, and everything has changed. And for everyone who meets the risen Christ, the response is the same: go and tell, because resurrection hope always sends us out on mission.
Jesus is the promised King who gives life its true meaning and purpose. Through the gospel, we are called to glorify God, enjoy Him, and join His mission. Palm Sunday reveals the right response to Jesus: praise, worship, and urgent witness. As the people cried, “Hosanna,” they declared their need for salvation, and through His death and resurrection, Jesus secured the victory that gives us lasting hope.
Nehemiah ends by showing that outward reform cannot change the heart. Even after renewal and covenant promises, the people quickly fall back into compromise, exposing their need for something deeper than rules and structure. Ultimately, Nehemiah points beyond itself to the greater hope of the gospel: only Jesus can give a new heart, transform worship and desire from the inside out, and empower lasting obedience.
In a broken world, God’s people are called to respond with worship, honest confession, and confident trust in his mercy. Nehemiah shows that true confession names both God’s goodness and our sin, leading not to shame, but to repentance, joy, and renewed obedience. And the gospel gives us the hope to live this way, because in Christ, we are fully loved, forgiven, and being made new.
Hosea shows us both the heartbreak and the faithfulness of God. Even when His people chase other loves, God continues to pursue them with mercy. At the heart of the book is this truth: our deepest problem isn’t just bad behavior—it’s misplaced love. But God doesn’t leave us there. He redeems, restores, and draws us back to Himself. Hosea reminds us that real change doesn’t come from trying harder, but from being loved by the God who buys us back and makes us new in Christ.
Nehemiah was called to rebuild a broken wall, but the deeper battle was in the inner struggles of the people - fear, greed, distraction, and compromise. Kingdom work always means building and battling. Nehemiah didn’t fight for identity, he fought from it. He refused to come down, refused to give in, and led with courage and integrity. And God finished the work. That’s our call too. In Christ, our identity is already secure. Perfect love drives out fear. So we stay focused, we resist the noise, and we build what God has placed in front of us — because we are doing a great work for a risen King
The call to follow Christ is a call to both build and battle. In Nehemiah, God’s people rebuild Jerusalem’s walls while facing mockery, threats, and fear. Kingdom work is never passive. It requires a trowel in one hand and a sword in the other, building from a victory already secured by God. Christ is the greater Nehemiah. We labor from His finished work, not for it. Spiritual warfare looks like putting on the armor of God: truth in our mouths, holiness in our hearts, readiness with the gospel, faith under fire, confidence in salvation, and Scripture prayed in dependence on the Spirit. Grace r
Nehemiah shows us how God calls His people from comfort into restoration. The rebuilding of Jerusalem’s walls points to the gospel, God entering what sin has broken to restore His dwelling among His people. This work is not for a few heroes but for a united people. Ordinary faithfulness, shared labor, and sacrificial love are what strengthen the church and bear witness to the world. Choosing comfort over participation fractures the mission; God calls us instead to show up and build one another up. Practically, the call is to notice whom God has entrusted to each believer’s stewardship- spouse,
