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...
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Staying Grounded: Gate Change
Broadway Church of Christ Sermon Series
In his sermon concluding the "Staying Grounded" series, Karl Ihfe addressed the challenge of unexpected life redirections, which he called "gate changes," drawing from the familiar frustration of airport gate changes. Using Acts 16 as his foundation, Ihfe examined Paul's second missionary journey, where despite doing fruitful gospel work, Paul encountered closed doors when "the Holy Spirit" and "the spirit of Jesus" prevented him from preaching in Asia and Bithynia respectively. Ihfe emphasized that these weren't rejections but redirections, noting that "sometimes God's no isn't a rejection,...
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Staying Grounded: Divine Delays
Broadway Church of Christ Sermon Series
In this sermon launching the "Staying Grounded" series, Karl Ihfe addresses the frustration we all feel when life doesn't go according to our timeline. Drawing from personal experiences with flight delays, he transitions to the deeper question of life delays - those seasons when relationships, jobs, or circumstances don't unfold as expected. Karl asks a pivotal question: "What if God isn't being late? He's just being patient. And we're struggling with impatience." The heart of the message centers on Moses' story from Exodus 3, particularly the 40 years Moses spent in the wilderness after...
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Holy Night: Great Joy
Broadway Church of Christ Sermon Series
Karl 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...
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Holy Night: For All People
Broadway Church of Christ Sermon Series
Jeremy Smith delivers an Advent sermon focusing on how we prepare for Christ's second coming by understanding his first arrival. Smith explains that the Biblical concept of peace (shalom) differs significantly from our modern understanding—it's not merely inner tranquility or absence of conflict, but rather wholeness, completeness, and right relationships as God intended. Using Exodus 22:3-4 and Isaiah 9:6-7, Smith illustrates how shalom means making things whole and right. When angels announced "peace on earth" to the shepherds in Luke 2, they were proclaiming that God's wholeness had...
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Let the Children Come
Broadway Church of Christ Sermon Series
In this sermon, Karl Ihfe highlights Broadway church's long-standing partnership with the Children's Home of Lubbock, whose mission is "manifesting Christ through excellence in childcare." He shares sobering statistics about Lubbock County being the fourth highest for child abuse in Texas, with 783 confirmed victims last year, emphasizing that these aren't just numbers but children created in God's image who need healing and hope. Karl connects this ministry to Jesus's teaching in Mark 10, where He was "indignant" when disciples tried to prevent children from approaching Him. Jesus taught that...
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Holy Night: Dawning in the Darkness
Broadway Church of Christ Sermon Series
Karl Ihfe begins the Advent season by examining the challenge of waiting, particularly how God's people waited 400 years between the Old Testament prophecies and the fulfillment of God's promise to send a Messiah. During this silence, many likely wondered if God had forgotten them or if His promises were merely myths. Yet God's "impossible plan" unfolded through ordinary people—a young girl named Mary and a carpenter named Joseph—who chose to believe despite the impossibility of their situation. The sermon highlights how Mary and Joseph “borrowed courage” by remembering God's...
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Overflow: Can I Get a Witness?
Broadway Church of Christ Sermon Series
Dr. David Fraze explores how generosity serves as a powerful witness to the world in his sermon "Overflow: The Witness of Generous Living." Using a children's demonstration with pennies and the song "Love is something if you give it away," he establishes that generosity isn't about personal gain but about mission. Dr. Fraze contrasts the kingdom values of service (John 13) with the misinterpreted prosperity gospel, emphasizing that God promises to meet our needs, not necessarily our wants. Through stories like the Good Samaritan, John D. Rockefeller's transformation, and personal anecdotes,...
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Overflow: Sacrifice
Broadway Church of Christ Sermon Series
In this sermon, Dr. Jordan Tatum begins by acknowledging how our culture conditions us to be selfish through advertising and cultural messages that tell us to prioritize our own desires and needs. He then examines Jesus's teaching in Luke 20-21, where Jesus contrasts the selfish religious leaders who "devour widows' houses" with a poor widow who gave everything she had. Dr. Tatum highlights a profound truth: "The value of the gift is not in the amount given. The value of the gift is in how much it costs me." From this foundation, he offers three progressive challenges: give something (for...
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Overflow: Amazing Grace
Broadway Church of Christ Sermon Series
In this sermon launching the "Overflow" series, Karl Ihfe examines the connection between grace and generosity through the lens of 2 Corinthians 8. He establishes that grace is the source of generosity, pointing to how God always gives first—"For God so loved the world that he gave" (John 3:16). The Macedonian churches exemplify this principle, as they gave generously despite their extreme poverty because they had first experienced God's transformative grace. Karl highlights Paul's surprising equation: severe trial + overflowing joy + extreme poverty = rich generosity. This counterintuitive...
info_outlineKarl 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 doubted.
Karl distinguishes between "precious beliefs" (head beliefs we hold) and "core beliefs" (body beliefs that hold us), explaining how misalignment between these creates spiritual gaps. He shares personally about his own core belief that "if it's to be, it's up to me," which conflicts with his precious belief in Jesus' promise to send the Holy Spirit as our guide (John 16). The series aims to help people mind these gaps—becoming aware of them rather than stumbling over them—and learn to experience God's love, presence, and spiritual progress more fully. Karl concludes with practical steps: treating ourselves with the same kindness we show others and replacing negative self-talk with truth about our identity as God's beloved disciples.