Sermon by Michael Bailey on January 18, 2026.
Key scripture: Genesis 2:4-15
Our world is wary of masculine strength, but the Bible casts a vision for men whose power is channeled toward blessing. This week’s sermon dives into how that vision still shapes and challenges us today.
Sermon by Brandon Clements on January 11, 2026.
Key scripture: Genesis 1:26-28 & 2:18-22
In the West, there seems to be endless discussion about men and women. What do those words mean? Do they matter? Is their distinction even important? All the while, men and women are struggling. Men are not doing well, women are not doing well, and marriages are not doing well either. And we often don’t know how to talk about why.
At times, we lack the clarity to see that some of our biggest problems go all the way to our God-given, gendered design. There is a lot of deep confusion, and the topic of gender differentiation is often incredibly contentious.
But what if it doesn’t have to be? What if a better understanding of our God-given design sheds light on many of our problems?
God’s Word extends an invitation to find our joy in God’s good design for our gender. The Biblical foundation of two genders made with fundamental equality AND unique wiring, skills, and responsibilities is both more in line with reality and more helpful for human flourishing, healthy marriages, and an overall healthy society.
During our Embodied series, we had over 70 questions texted in. To cover these questions more fully, we’re releasing a handful of extra podcast episodes to further equip you.
Timestamps:
1:28 - How do you parent a child with gender identity questions or who experiences SSA?
16:58 - Are you living in sin if you don’t have sex as an older married couple?
19:44 - Why do people elevate sexual desires above all else? What desires should we have?
23:20 - Would you officiate a LGBTQIA+ wedding?
30:15 - How do we think through when churches deny a biblical sexual ethic?
37:13 - Are people who identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community and saved Christians still a child of God?
41:18 - My workplace encourages using pronouns to introduce ourselves. As a Christian, how should I think about this?
46:44 - What do we mean when we refer to “culture”?
51:10 - If you were born to a single-parent does that mean you were born into sin and less worth saving?
BOOKS:
10 Questions Every Teen Should Ask (and Answer) about Christianity by Rebecca McLaughlin
The Prodigal God: Recovering the Heart of the Christian Faith by Tim Keller
SERMONS:
“Incarnation/Agape” sermon by Midtown Fellowship Lexington | Downtown | Two Notch
“Theology of Sex” sermon series by Midtown Fellowship Lexington | Downtown | Two Notch
“Mountains, Molehills, and Which Ones to Die On” sermon by Midtown Fellowship Lexington | Downtown | Two Notch
“Q+A” sermon by Midtown Fellowship Lexington | Downtown | Two Notch
Music by Levvy and Midtown Music
During our Embodied series, we had over 70 questions texted in. To cover these questions more fully, we’re releasing a handful of extra podcast episodes to further equip you.
Timestamps:
0:27 - When did it become a sin in the Bible to have multiple wives?
6:42 - Why does Paul say it’s better to be single if God says it’s not good to be alone?
13:02 - Where’s the hope for Christian singles?
21:10 - Is God’s design for marriage intended to be for one man and one woman?
Music by Levvy and Midtown Music
During our Embodied series, we had over 70 questions texted in. To cover these questions more fully, we’re releasing a handful of extra podcast episodes to further equip you.
Timestamps:
4:40 - Does God have a gender?
10:05 - What does it look like for women to depend on men outside of marriage?
17:35 - How do we address the wage gap?
22:36 - What does the Bible have to say about those who are intersex?
25:58 - If someone is on their death bed and accepts Jesus as Lord and Savior does it make a difference? What if they don’t believe their sexuality was a sin worth repenting of?
During our Embodied series, we had over 70 questions texted in. To cover these questions more fully, we’re releasing a handful of extra podcast episodes to further equip you.
Disclaimer: Please use caution when listening as some of these questions cover heavier topics. To help, please view the timestamps below.
Timestamps:
1:51 - Does God care what I do with my body (how I eat, sleep, etc)?
13:09 - Do the gender/sex arguments fall apart if Adam and Eve are not historical?
16:43 - Is there any theological significance between being buried versus being cremated?
21:15 - What does the Bible say about miscarriage?
26:12 - How do I know my body matters after multiple rapes?
Unbreakable: What the Son of God Said about the Word of God by Andrew Wilson
Four Views on the Historical Adam by Denis Lamoureux, John Walton, John Collins, and William Barrick
“Christians and Their Dead” by Jeremiah Mutie, PhD, Southern California Seminary
Rid of My Disgrace: Hope and Healing for Victims of Sexual Assault by Justin and Lindsey Holcomb
Music by Levvy and Midtown Music
Sermon by Brandon Clements on November 12, 2023.
In the final week of this series, we've chosen a few of the texts we've received throughout these seven weeks to discuss and answer from a biblical perspective.
Disclaimer for Parents:
During this series, we'll be talking about subjects like gender and sexuality. We will strive to make the sermons appropriate for preteens in the auditorium, but we realize this may bring up additional conversations. We wanted to let you know in advance so you aren't caught off guard or thrown into conversations you weren't prepared for.
Sermon by Michael Bailey on November 5, 2023.
Last week, we unpacked 1 Corinthians 15 and how the reality of bodily resurrection fills us with great strength, empathy, and hope. This week, we look at the embodiment of God in the incarnation of Jesus and how it helps us answer the question: “How do we faithfully navigate our particular cultural moment?”
Disclaimer for Parents:
During this series, we'll be talking about subjects like gender and sexuality. We will strive to make the sermons appropriate for preteens in the auditorium, but we realize this may bring up additional conversations. We wanted to let you know in advance so you aren't caught off guard or thrown into conversations you weren't prepared for.
The one sermon that may not be ideal for preteens is the Eros sermon on 10/15. On this Sunday, we will open space in Kidtown for preteens who want to serve the younger children.
BOOKS
PODCASTS
VIDEOS
Sermon by Brandon Clements on October 29, 2023.
Last week, we talked about Genesis 3 and how, because of the fall, we experience breakdown and pain at all levels, including in our bodies. In 1 Corinthians 15, we flash forward to look at the end of the story for our bodies, connecting how knowing the end of the story for our bodies shapes how we live here and now.
Disclaimer for Parents:
During this series, we'll be talking about subjects like gender and sexuality. We will strive to make the sermons appropriate for preteens in the auditorium, but we realize this may bring up additional conversations. We wanted to let you know in advance so you aren't caught off guard or thrown into conversations you weren't prepared for.
The one sermon that may not be ideal for preteens is the Eros sermon on 10/15. On this Sunday, we will open space in Kidtown for preteens who want to serve the younger children.
Sermon by Brandon Clements on October 22, 2023.
For the last few weeks, we’ve camped in Genesis 1-2 and painted this beautiful picture of God’s design, His intent for humanity, and what reality should look like. And yet, these ideals are not the reality of our lived existence. Genesis 3 goes on to tell us why that is.
Disclaimer for Parents:
During this series, we'll be talking about subjects like gender and sexuality. We will strive to make the sermons appropriate for preteens in the auditorium, but we realize this may bring up additional conversations. We wanted to let you know in advance so you aren't caught off guard or thrown into conversations you weren't prepared for.
The one sermon that may not be ideal for preteens is the Eros sermon on 10/15. On this Sunday, we will open space in Kidtown for preteens who want to serve the younger children.
Sermon by Michael Bailey on October 15, 2023.
So far, we looked at Genesis 1-2 and what it means to be embodied and gendered. Last week, we discussed joining those two genders in marriage. This week, we examine Genesis 2 further to discuss the sexual expression of embodied gendered humans inside a covenant union.
Disclaimer for Parents:
During this series, we'll be talking about subjects like gender and sexuality. We will strive to make the sermons appropriate for preteens in the auditorium, but we realize this may bring up additional conversations. We wanted to let you know in advance so you aren't caught off guard or thrown into conversations you weren't prepared for.
The one sermon that may not be ideal for preteens is the Eros sermon on 10/15. On this Sunday, we will open space in Kidtown for preteens who want to serve the younger children.
Sermon by Michael Bailey on October 8, 2023.
This week, we look at Genesis 2 and discuss the origin story of marriage. What’s marriage for? That word, or idea, has been around since the dawn of time. And based on your cultural context, you will get different answers about what that word means. So what’s marriage for? Who or what gets to define marriage? Is it me, my feelings, or is it based on biology or something else?
Disclaimer for Parents:
During this series, we'll be talking about subjects like gender and sexuality. We will strive to make the sermons appropriate for preteens in the auditorium, but we realize this may bring up additional conversations. We wanted to let you know in advance so you aren't caught off guard or thrown into conversations you weren't prepared for.
The one sermon that may not be ideal for preteens is the Eros sermon on 10/15. On this Sunday, we will open space in Kidtown for preteens who want to serve the younger children.
Sermon by Michael Bailey on October 1, 2023.
Last week, we began our new series discussing what it means to be an embodied person. This week, we continue that discussion as we talk about gender. Where does gender come from? Why did God create male and female? What is the ideal relationship between men and women supposed to be? How should men and women treat and think about each other?
Disclaimer for Parents:
During this series, we'll be talking about subjects like gender and sexuality. We will strive to make the sermons appropriate for preteens in the auditorium, but we realize this may bring up additional conversations. We wanted to let you know in advance so you aren't caught off guard or thrown into conversations you weren't prepared for.
The one sermon that may not be ideal for preteens is the Eros sermon on 10/15. On this Sunday, we will open space in Kidtown for preteens who want to serve the younger children.
Sermon by Brandon Clements on September 24, 2023.
Oversimplified narratives about our bodies surround us. Through conversations and airwaves, we are constantly told what we should pursue with our bodies, how we should think about them, and what dangers follow disagreement with the cultural ethos of desire, gender, sexuality, and marriage.
But these messages skip over some very essential questions–questions like: what is your body, exactly? What is your body for? Who created it, and with what purpose? What is the eternal destiny of our bodies, and how does that inform what we do on a normal week?
Join us for an eight-week series unpacking God’s plan for the human body–a majestic story from beginning to end.
Disclaimer for Parents:
During this series, we'll be talking about subjects like gender and sexuality. We will strive to make the sermons appropriate for preteens in the auditorium, but we realize this may bring up additional conversations. We wanted to let you know in advance so you aren't caught off guard or thrown into conversations you weren't prepared for.
The one sermon that may not be ideal for preteens is the Eros sermon on 10/15. On this Sunday, we will open space in Kidtown for preteens who want to serve the younger children.
