What happens when life shakes you? In this message, we confront a hard but freeing truth: what spills out of you reveals what’s already inside you. Leaning on Jesus’ words in Matthew 15:7-11, this sermon exposes the danger of legalism, shallow spirituality, and “doing what looks right” without real heart transformation. If you’ve ever wondered why you keep reacting the same way, why growth feels stuck, or why church division keeps repeating, this message speaks directly to that tension.

This teaching unpacks the difference between behavior modification and spiritual transformation, showing how pride, judgment, and lack of biblical understanding quietly undermine our faith. Addressing common questions like How do I grow spiritually?, Why does legalism feel exhausting?, and What does real Christian maturity look like?, this sermon calls believers to growth, humility, and deep learning rooted in Scripture and grace.

This is the year the church resists division by growing and learning in Jesus Christ. If you’re longing for a faith that doesn’t collapse under pressure, a faith that responds with grace instead of anger, wisdom instead of judgment, and love instead of fear, this message will challenge and encourage you. When life shakes you, living water can flow instead of a mess. Growth is possible. Change is real. And Jesus is still transforming hearts from the inside out.

Support the show

Pull up any Sunday at 11 am
Eden Church NJ (in the FiveSix School)
321 State Street, Hackensack, NJ 07601

• Follow @eden.jersey
• And plan your first visit

What if I only have a little bit of faith? Does tiny faith accomplish anything?

What if I have a lot of faith, but the stress, noise, and pressure of this season is drowning it out? In this Christmas message, we explore how biblical hope, faith in Jesus, and the meaning of Christmas get lost when anxiety, disappointment, and cultural pressure pile up.

Drawing from Matthew 14:24-33 (when Jesus and Peter walk on water), this message reframes why so many people still believe in God but struggle to trust Him publicly, boldly, or expectantly. It’s an honest conversation about why faith often fades during the holidays that should be filled with faith. This is an encouragement about how even a small, imperfect belief can still hold real power. How do you protect your faith when life feels loud? And what does it look like to make room for hope again in a season that’s supposed to be full of it?

If you want to find peace that lasts this Christmas, we need to have this honest conversation together.

Thank you to HacPac for hosting Eden Church for this incredible day!!

Support the show

Pull up any Sunday at 11 am
Eden Church NJ (in the FiveSix School)
321 State Street, Hackensack, NJ 07601

• Follow @eden.jersey
• And plan your first visit

Have you ever stopped to think about where you’re actually sending your hope?

And what if the reason you feel worn down lately isn’t failure, but direction?

In this message, we have a real conversation about misplaced expectations, quiet disappointment, and the subtle ways we learn to cope instead of believe. Using a familiar Christmas image and a well-known moment from the life of Jesus (Feeding the 5000), this sermon out of Matthew 14:13-20 invites you to slow down and reconsider what you’re counting on when life feels tight, relationships feel strained, or faith feels thin.

It’s not a hype message or a five-steps to -- it’s an honest reflection on pressure, provision, and what changes when Jesus is factored into places we’ve gotten used to handling on our own. If you’ve felt spiritually tired, emotionally stretched, or unsure why your effort never seems to be enough, this might help you name what’s really going on, and point you toward a better way forward.

Support the show

Pull up any Sunday at 11 am
Eden Church NJ (in the FiveSix School)
321 State Street, Hackensack, NJ 07601

• Follow @eden.jersey
• And plan your first visit