RESCUE: Learning to Live Free
Broadway Church of Christ Sermon Series
Karl Ihfe opens his sermon with the movie "The Shawshank Redemption," focusing on the pivotal moment when Andy tells Red to choose between "get busy living or get busy dying." This sets up the central theme that while getting free from bondage is one challenge, learning how to live in that freedom is often much harder. Ihfe connects this to Israel's experience in Exodus and Numbers, where God rescued them from Egyptian slavery but then had to teach them how to live as free people during their wilderness journey. Throughout the sermon, Ihfe demonstrates how fear consistently tempted the...
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RESCUE: We Need a Bigger Boat
Broadway Church of Christ Sermon Series
Karl Ihfe opens his sermon with references to the movie Jaws and the dramatic Thai cave rescue to illustrate his central theme: God's rescue operation requires "a bigger boat" because it encompasses far more than individual salvation. Using Exodus 3 as his foundation, Ihfe demonstrates how God heard the collective cries of the Israelites in Egypt and came down to rescue them as a people, not just select individuals. He emphasizes the communal language throughout Scripture, noting how God says "my people" and uses plural pronouns when describing His rescue mission. Ihfe argues that Western...
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Rescue: Promises & Previews
Broadway Church of Christ Sermon Series
In this Lenten sermon from the "Rescue" series, Karl Ihfe uses the analogy of movie trailers to explain how the Old Testament points to Jesus' ultimate rescue mission. Beginning with Abraham's call in Genesis 12, where God promises to bless all nations through him, Karl traces the thread of rescue throughout Scripture. He shows how Abraham had to trust a promise he couldn't see, and how generations later, when Israel was enslaved in Egypt, God's rescue came through the blood of a spotless lamb during Passover - a preview of the greater sacrifice to come. Karl then connects this to Isaiah's...
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Rescue: And So It Begins...
Broadway Church of Christ Sermon Series
In this sermon, Karl Ihfe uses personal stories of helplessness—his son Gabriel's premature birth and his father's heart transplant—to illustrate humanity's need for rescue. He traces God's rescue plan back to Genesis 3, arguing that salvation didn't begin at the cross but immediately after the fall. Drawing on theological insights about Adam and Eve being like children who were "sinned against before they ever sinned," Karl explains how the serpent acted as a groomer, exploiting their innocence. When sin entered the world, the first consequence wasn't punishment but shame, causing Adam...
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The Expectation Gap: Home and Shalom
Broadway Church of Christ Sermon Series
In this concluding message of the Expectation Gap series, Karl Ihfe tackles the challenging topic of sin and punishment by examining Luke 15 and the famous parable of the prodigal son. He poses a crucial question: when we sin, who punishes us - God or sin? Through the story of the father and his two lost sons, Karl illustrates that the father's loving posture never changes toward either son, whether the one lost in rebellion or the one lost in self-righteousness. Both sons misjudged their father because sin distorts our vision of who God really is, making us see Him as a judge or accuser...
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The Expectation Gap: Would You Rather?
Broadway Church of Christ Sermon Series
Karl Ihfe concludes the "Expectation Gap" series by addressing our tendency to focus on self-improvement rather than allowing God to transform us through His love. Using the fruit of the Spirit passage from Galatians 5, he explains that qualities like patience don't come from willpower but from the Spirit working in us. Instead of asking "How can I be more patient?" we should ask "What belief is shaping my impatience?" This shifts our focus from behavior modification to heart transformation through encountering God. Ihfe distinguishes between viewing the gospel as primarily redemptive versus...
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The Expectation Gap: Are We There Yet?
Broadway Church of Christ Sermon Series
Karl Ihfe continues the "Expectation Gap" series by tackling the third gap: we believe God wants us to grow, but we're often disappointed by our progress. Speaking honestly about his own 37-year journey with Christ, Karl admits he thought he'd be "a little further along" by now - more patient, less selfish, quicker to forgive. He suggests that part of our struggle comes from misusing Scripture by always asking "What should I do?" instead of first asking "What does this teach me about God?" Using the familiar story from Matthew 14 of Jesus walking on water, Karl offers a fresh perspective....
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The Expectation Gap: BeliefSight
Broadway Church of Christ Sermon Series
Karl Ihfe continues the "Expectation Gap" series by examining the second gap: believing God is with us while struggling to see His presence. Using the story from Matthew 12 where Jesus heals a man's withered hand on the Sabbath, Ihfe illustrates how different "gospels" shape our perspective. He shares Stephen Covey's subway story about a widowed father and his disruptive children, demonstrating how our paradigms can shift when we understand someone's full story—reminding us that "everybody has a story" and "we never know someone's whole story." Ihfe identifies the "gospel of anxiety" as the...
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The Expectation Gap: BeliefFeelings
Broadway Church of Christ Sermon Series
Karl Ihfe continues the "Expectation Gap" series by exploring why we believe God is loving but don't always feel loved. Drawing from Steve Cuss's insights, Karl explains that every "gospel" has three elements: a path, a promise, and a payment. While worldly gospels make us pay for empty promises, Jesus's gospel reverses this - God pays the price and we receive the benefit. Karl identifies how our "inner critic" preaches false gospels, telling us we're frauds, disappointments, or incapable. This voice condemns our identity rather than convicting our behavior like the Holy Spirit does. Using 1...
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The Expectation Gap: Mind the Gap
Broadway Church of Christ Sermon Series
Karl Ihfe begins a new series called "The Expectation Gap: Where Faith and Life Meet," inspired by Steve Cuss's book. He addresses the reality that followers of Jesus often experience a gap between core beliefs—like "God loves me" and "God is with me"—and their actual lived experience. Drawing from Mark 9, where a desperate father brings his tormented son to Jesus and declares "I believe, help me overcome my unbelief," Karl demonstrates that even Jesus' disciples experienced this tension between faith and doubt, as seen in Matthew 28 where some worshiped the risen Christ while others...
info_outlineKarl Ihfe continues Broadway's Advent series "Holy Night" by examining joy through the lens of Luke 2 and the shepherds' encounter with the newborn Jesus. Using a clip from The Chosen to illustrate the scene, Karl distinguishes between surface-level happiness and the deeper contentedness that characterizes true joy. He points out that the first Advent joy came amid difficult circumstances - Mary and Joseph alone in a barn, shepherds who were social outcasts - yet joy was found in trusting God's faithfulness.
Karl shares personal stories that illustrate joy in unexpected places, including his mother's battle with cancer where she held onto the truth "I don't know what the day holds, but I know who holds the day," and his son Gabe's 11-day stay in the NICU where they experienced profound joy even in a place no parent wants to be. He connects these experiences to Jesus' teaching in John 15 about remaining in God's love so that "my joy may be in you and your joy would be complete." Karl emphasizes that when certainty isn't possible, faithfulness is still on the table, and that joy comes from staying connected to God's love even through trials. He concludes by challenging the congregation to choose joy this holiday season - to be God's joyful people who engage the world with hope rather than despair, contentment rather than complaint, trusting that God is doing something bigger and inviting us to be part of it.