February 9, 2025 | "Celebrating Healing From Addiction” | Pastor Vicki Harrison and Will New
9:30 AM Service
Summary:
In the second week of the God's Healing series, Pastor Vicki Harrison introduces the topic of addiction, sharing key statistics and a biblical perspective on its impact. Addiction is described as both a physical disease and a spiritual affliction, highlighting the importance of God's role in healing. Pastor Vicki emphasizes that while addiction changes the brain's reward systems, it also enslaves individuals spiritually, making it impossible to fully love God and others as commanded in Matthew 22:37-39.
The sermon transitions to a powerful personal testimony from Will New, who shares his journey from addiction to sobriety. Will recounts his struggles with alcohol, how it affected his family, and the pivotal moment when he realized the need for change. He emphasizes that true healing began when he allowed God's light into his life, supported by his family, friends, and church community. Will's story is a testament to God's grace, unconditional love, and the power of accountability in overcoming addiction.
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More Sermons in this Series
Other Sermons from Pastor Vicki
Vicki Harrison opens What's My Next Step, God? with prayer — the early church, released from custody and warned to stop preaching, asking God not for safety but for boldness. Three questions to locate where your own prayer life actually is, and a next step from wherever that turns out to be.
Vicki Harrison closes Learning from Jesus with the end of the Sermon on the Mount — false prophets known by their fruit, the warning that words alone are not enough, and two houses built by the same builder on different ground.
Vicki Harrison opens Matthew 6:19-24 and makes the case that this passage is not really about money — it is about treasure, the thing we have the hardest time letting go of, and the direction our hearts travel once we have chosen one.
Pastor Vicki Harrison opens Matthew 5:13-16 and shows us that being salt and light isn't something we do — it's who we already are as followers of Jesus.
Jesus opens the most famous sermon in history by calling the poorest people in the room blessed. Pastor Vicki Harrison launches New Hope Church's fall series in Matthew 5, and the Beatitudes turn every rule about who counts upside down.
Rev. Vicki Harrison opened Matthew 12 with a question that would have stunned the room in Jesus' day: "Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?" Jesus points to the people around him and redefines family for good. "The church is not like a family," Vicki said. "The church is a family." On Promotion Sunday and the day before school started back, she showed what that means at New Hope Church — a household of households, led by Jesus, where the mask comes off and we actually learn to love each other. Then the whole church gathered for a family photo and prayed over its teachers.
On Communion Sunday, Rev. Vicki Harrison opens Matthew 26 — the night before the cross, where Jesus takes the oldest meal of God's people and fills it with new meaning. "This is my body… this is my blood of the covenant, poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." The message walks through what actually happens when we come to the Lord's Table: we experience the grace of Jesus, we come together as one body, all people are welcome, and we return to it again and again. It is not a ritual to observe from a distance — it is grace we receive with open hands.
The water was at the front of the room, and one by one people stepped in to say it out loud: I belong to Jesus. Here's what Pastor Vicki Harrison taught about baptism on Sunday — and why the old really is gone.
James 1:19 is one of those verses that's easy to memorize and hard to live: "Be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry." In this message from the Words Matter series, Rev. Vicki Harrison pairs that command with James 3:13-18 — where James contrasts earthly wisdom (bitter jealousy, selfish ambition, disorder) with wisdom from above (pure, peaceable, gentle, full of mercy). The result is a conviction not just about the tongue, but about the heart posture underneath it.
James 3 opens with one of the most arresting images in the New Testament: a small rudder steering a great ship. A tiny spark setting an entire forest ablaze. The tongue. In this message from the Words Matter series, Rev. Vicki Harrison opens James 3 to explore why the words we speak are not a minor issue — they reveal the state of our hearts, they wound or they heal, and they cannot be tamed by willpower alone. Only the gospel reaches deep enough.
Discover biblical principles for healing and restoring relationships as Pastor Roberto Chaple explores Peter’s reconciliation with Jesus. Learn how to take the initiative, show sacrificial love, and pursue true reconciliation through faith and humility.