Storyline Seoul

The Kingdom Wins When We Lose Well

Christian Lee (2025 March 30, Sunday, Storyline Church)
As we pray, “your kingdom come,” here in the already-not yet period, we rest on what is already true of us in Christ and we fight til the day we receive the fullness of everything in the not yet. But the way that we fight and win looks different than the way the world fights and wins. The way we win in the kingdom is through following in Christ’s steps of servanthood and sacrifice. And in a fallen and broken world that is hostile to God, that often means the kingdom wins through losing. When the kingdom is consummated at Christ’s return, Christ will win by triumphing militarily and in justice over his enemies. But until then, Christ seeks to sanctify and prepare a bride that is pure, spotless, and loves him for him. This means the kingdom comes by losing. And this can only happen by... not just losing, but losing well.
Passage: Matthew 6:6, 9-13 (NIV)
Sermon Series: The Lord's Prayer, 3 of 4

Your Solitude Reveals What You Hallow

Christian Lee (2025 March 23, Sunday, Storyline Church)
Why would Jesus find it imperative to teach us to pray, “hallowed be your name?” Why? Because humans have a tendency to hallow everything but God. To hallow something means to regard something as sacred and ultimate. What do you hallow? What captivates your heart and imagination?
Passage: Matthew 6:5-13 (ESV)
Sermon Series: The Lord's Prayer, 2 of 4

The Biggest Mistake People Make with Prayer

Christian Lee (2025 March 16, Sunday, Storyline Church)
Before Jesus begins teaching the Lord's prayer, he warns us against the biggest mistake people make with prayer. Pagans cannot pray like Christians. But Christians continually fall back into praying like pagans. Many Christians these days seem most concerned about protecting our religious liberties from irreligious liberals. But we see here that Jesus' primary concern was not between religious and irreligious but between religious and Christian. This sermon was inspired and adapted from Tim Keller's 1995 sermon "Basis of Prayer: Our Father."
Passage: Matthew 6:6-15 (NIV); Romans 8:15 (ESV); I John 3:1 (NKJV); Luke 11:1-10 (ESV)
Sermon Series: The Lord's Prayer, 1 of 4

Shining Light on False Stories

Christian Lee (2025 March 9, Sunday, Storyline Church)
Our habits often feed lies and false storylines that distort reality and keep us in bondage to fear and anger. This message calls us to open up the curtains and shine Christ's light upon the first moments of our day so we can live in the reality of his love and truth.
Passage: Genesis 1:1-4; John 8:12 (ESV)

Leave It In Your Rearview

Christian Lee (2025 March 2, Sunday, Storyline Church)
There's a reason why the rearview mirror is small. What's in front of you is far more important than what you've left behind. In regards to certain matters in life, dwelling incessantly on our past can hinder us from embracing the new thing God's doing in our lives. 
Passage: Philippians 3:12-14; Isaiah 48:18-19 (ESV)

Sheep Need Sheperding

Christian Lee (2025 Feb 23, Sunday, Storyline Church)
The Bible calls believers sheep and likens church leaders to shepherds and our Lord Jesus as the Chief shepherd. We have a lot in common with sheep than we'd like to admit. To be a good follower of Christ, we must humbly admit our need of shepherding in our lives. The sermon touches upon the two traps of shepherding, who we should to look for shepherding, and what makes gospel-fueled Christian shepherding distinct and more powerful than the shepherding of all other religions and moral communities.
This is a sermon adapted from a message by Tim Keller called "Members of One Another."
Passage:  Hebrews 3:13; 13:17, 20-22 (ESV)

Redemption with the Eagles

Christian Lee (2025 Feb 16, Sunday, Storyline Church)
We all face pain and loss in life. But our God doesn't just try to help us from a distance. He enters into our world and mess and redeems our most painful losses. He makes all things new and promises that those who sow in tears will reap with shouts of joy. He'll turn our mourning into dancing. In this year's Super Bowl, Jalen Hurts' story has all the marks of divine intervention and redemption. If we do our part to prepare and believe, God writes the most beautiful stories for those who are in Christ.
Passage: Psalm 126:5 (ESV)

Resisting the Culture Wars

Christian Lee (2025 Feb 9, Sunday, Storyline Church)
Our world today is incredibly fractured. Cancel culture and identity politics make civil discussions difficult to come by. In this divisive climate, many churches lean heavily liberal or heavily conservative and add fuel to the polarization. But what does the Bible say about how the church ought to relate to the world and to culture? And where do we get the power to live as a holy nation of aliens and exiles? This message was inspired by and adapted from a sermon by Dr. Timothy Keller.
Passage: I Peter 2:4-12 (ESV)

Anchored in Hope

Erin Lee (2025 Feb 2, Sunday, Storyline Church)
Entering the new year brings fresh hope and expectations for what’s to come but for some, reflecting on the past may lead to disappointment, discouragement and hopelessness. Discover what the author of Hebrews meant when saying, ‘This hope is an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.’ Learn about a hope that isn’t shaken by the storms of life and the currents of the world but rather enables you to remain steadfast in trusting God’s word and His promises.
Passage: Hebrews 6:13-19 (ESV)

No Place Like Home

Christian Lee (2025 Jan 26, Sunday, Whitestone Church in Long Grove, IL)
Have you ever felt uninvited, unwelcome, or excluded for looking different or speaking with an accent? Have you ever felt like an outsider? Feeling like an outsider is painful. It amplifies a deep longing for home, a place of safety where we belong and are accepted for who we are. Why is it so hard to experience home in our world? What are false homes we look to? And how do we find our true home?
This is a sermon preached at Whitestone Church outside of Chicago, IL where Pastor Christian was invited as a guest speaker. 
Passage: Jeremiah 29:4-7, 10-14 (ESV)