"What A Mess: Gideon” | Rev. Vicki Harrison
New Hope Tampa Bay Sunday Sermon Podcast
Release Date: 09/14/2025
"What A Mess: Gideon” | Rev. Vicki Harrison
New Hope Tampa Bay Sunday Sermon Podcast
If you've ever stood in the middle of a mess and thought, “Where do I even begin?”—you’re not alone. Week 2 of our What a Mess series takes us into the chaotic world of the Judges and the unlikely leadership of Gideon. From Chaos to Calling Pastor Vicki began with a relatable visual: a messy teenager’s room. It’s overwhelming, disorienting, and just like the time of the Judges—where “everyone did what was right in their own eyes.” That kind of self-reliance never ends well. “Our inner compass fails us. We need direction—specifically, God’s direction.” When we meet...
info_outline
Seeing Beyond The Limits | Rev. Lavetta Pope
New Hope Tampa Bay Sunday Sermon Podcast
“Seeing Beyond the Limits” explores how God redefines boundaries not to restrict us, but to expand us. Preaching from Zechariah 2:1–5, Pastor Lavetta Pope reveals how God calls us to put down our measuring tools and trust Him to build beyond what we can see. Through the Perception of Possibilities, the Promise of Protection, and the Vision of Hope, this message challenges us to stop limiting God's work in our lives. Just like Jerusalem, God desires to make our lives places of limitless expansion, surrounded by His fire and filled with His glory. We are invited to stop merely surviving...
info_outline
"God Never Said When He Will Return” | Rev. Roberto Chaple
New Hope Tampa Bay Sunday Sermon Podcast
In God Never Said When He Will Return, Pastor Roberto Chaple dives into one of the most debated and misunderstood topics in Christian faith—the Second Coming of Christ. While many try to predict the end times, Pastor Chaple reminds us that Jesus explicitly said, “no one knows the day or hour” (Matthew 24:36). Instead of speculation, Jesus commands us to keep watch—to live prepared, focused on our spiritual readiness rather than worldly timelines. This message is a powerful call to shift from prediction to preparation. To keep watch means to pursue holiness, stay alert in our faith, and...
info_outline
“God Never Said There Are Many Ways to Heaven” | Rev. Dr. Vicki Harrison
New Hope Tampa Bay Sunday Sermon Podcast
God Never Said There Are Many Ways to Heaven confronts the increasingly popular idea of universalism—the belief that all roads lead to God. Pastor Vicki Harrison compassionately challenges this with Scripture, grounding her message in John 14:6, where Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” This isn’t just a comforting verse—it’s an exclusive claim of divine truth. The sermon reminds us that bad theology leads to bad decision-making and distorted views of God, often fueled by cultural narratives rather than Biblical truth....
info_outline
God Never Said Things Will Be Easy | Rev. Vicki Harrison
New Hope Tampa Bay Sunday Sermon Podcast
In God Never Said Things Will Be Easy, Rev. Vicki Harrison unpacks Jesus’ words in John 16:33, reminding us that the Christian life is not a path of comfort, but a journey of faith, endurance, and trust. Bad theology can lead to poor decisions and wrong assumptions about , causing us to believe that faith guarantees a trouble-free life. Instead, Jesus calls us to follow in His footsteps—even when it means facing pain, challenges, and sacrifice. Drawing on the Apostle Paul’s trials, Rev. Vicki reassures us that God will give us all the grace we need for every situation, abundant life in...
info_outline
God Never Said Follow Your Heart | Rev. Vicki Harrison
New Hope Tampa Bay Sunday Sermon Podcast
In her message “God Never Said: Follow Your Heart,” Rev. Vicki Harrison (she/her) dismantles the cultural myth that our feelings are always trustworthy. Drawing from Jeremiah 17:9, Matthew 15:19–20, and Proverbs 3:5–6, she reminds us that our hearts can be deceptive and self-serving. When we base our decisions on flawed theology or fleeting emotions, we risk misunderstanding who God truly is and what He calls us to do. Instead of following our hearts, Rev. Vicki challenges us to ask deeper, faith-forming questions like: Why am I here? Whom do I serve? She urges us to lean not on our...
info_outline
Why I Believe - Testimonies from New Hope
New Hope Tampa Bay Sunday Sermon Podcast
This week’s message in our Use Me series, led by Rev. Vicki Harrison, powerfully highlights how God continues to use real, broken people to build His Kingdom. Centered around 2 Corinthians 5:17, we witness four deeply personal testimonies—from Stan Cope, Garnette Stohr, Matt Yeo, and Donna Terrell—who share how Jesus met them in moments of fear, self-doubt, complacency, and helplessness. Their stories reveal a central truth: when we say “yes” to God, He transforms our ordinary lives into vessels for His extraordinary work. Feeling stirred? Join a or share your story—God wants to...
info_outline
Use Me: Paul - Rev. Roberto Chaple
New Hope Tampa Bay Sunday Sermon Podcast
This week, Pastor Roberto brings us the powerful story of Paul—a man whose life was radically transformed by the grace of God. Once a fierce persecutor of the church, Paul became one of its greatest missionaries. His story confronts us with this challenging question: Why might God have chosen someone like Paul, a former persecutor of the Church to become a central figure in its growth? Paul’s past was marked by violence, legalism, and pride. He hunted down believers and sought to destroy the movement of Jesus. But on the road to Damascus, everything changed. Jesus interrupted his path and...
info_outline
Use Me: Mary Magdalene
New Hope Tampa Bay Sunday Sermon Podcast
This week in our Use Me series, Pastor Vicki shares the remarkable story of Mary Magdalene—a woman healed by Jesus, a leader among the disciples, and the first witness to His resurrection. Her story invites all of us to ask: What does God want to do through our brokenness? Scripture tells us that Mary was afflicted by seven demons before encountering Jesus (Luke 8:1–3), but from that moment on, her life is changed. She becomes one of the women supporting Jesus' ministry and is consistently listed first among them. She’s there at the cross when the others flee (Matthew 27:55–56) and the...
info_outline
"Use Me: Simon Peter: A Rocky Character” | Rev. Roberto Chaple
New Hope Tampa Bay Sunday Sermon Podcast
This week we begin our new series Use Me: Beauty in the Broken with a powerful message about the disciple Simon Peter. Pastor Roberto reminds us that God doesn’t wait for us to be perfect before calling us—He meets us in our mess and shapes us into vessels for His mission. Peter’s story is deeply human. A fisherman turned apostle, he was impulsive, passionate, courageous, and flawed. He walked on water and then sank in doubt. He declared loyalty to Jesus, then denied Him. But through grace, repentance, and restoration, Peter grew into a steadfast leader of the early church. This message...
info_outlineIf you've ever stood in the middle of a mess and thought, “Where do I even begin?”—you’re not alone. Week 2 of our What a Mess series takes us into the chaotic world of the Judges and the unlikely leadership of Gideon.
From Chaos to Calling
Pastor Vicki began with a relatable visual: a messy teenager’s room. It’s overwhelming, disorienting, and just like the time of the Judges—where “everyone did what was right in their own eyes.” That kind of self-reliance never ends well.
“Our inner compass fails us. We need direction—specifically, God’s direction.”
When we meet Gideon in Judges 6, he’s hiding in a winepress. Not exactly a mighty warrior, right? But that’s where God shows up.
A Hesitant Hero
Gideon is fearful, skeptical, and full of excuses:
“How can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest…and I am the least in my family.”
Yet God says, “Go in the strength you have.” Not someone else’s strength. Not future-you. You, right now. That’s powerful.
Even then, Gideon asks for signs—again and again.
“Maybe Gideon was slightly OCD,” Pastor Vicki joked, “but God is patient with him.”
This story reminds us that God doesn’t demand perfect faith. He simply asks us to keep showing up.
Down to 300
From 32,000 men… to 10,000… to just 300.
“God wanted to ensure that in no way at all could the Israelites think this was their victory.”
We often think we need to be more—stronger, braver, smarter. But God uses less to do more.
“God isn’t just an odds defier—He’s an odds smasher.”
Trumpets Over Weapons
The turning point? Trumpets. Not swords.
“Gideon didn’t question. He didn’t argue. He just obeyed.”
That’s faith in motion. Faith not in ourselves, but in God’s power through our weakness.
So, What About You?
“What’s going on in your life? How is God asking you to trust Him, to have faith?”
You may be trying to fix it your way. But what if God’s asking you to surrender, step back, and watch Him move?
Faith doesn’t have to be big—it just has to be real.
Jesus said, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed… nothing will be impossible for you.” (Matthew 17:20)