What does Jesus mean by "Take up your cross and follow Him?"
Faith Isn’t a Product — It’s a Practice

What do you do when following Jesus gets harder instead of easier?
When obedience costs comfort, loss stacks on loss, and you start wondering: Is God mad at me? Did I miss something?

In this raw and pastoral message from Matthew 16:21–24, Brandon confronts consumeristic faith head-on. Faith is not a product you purchase or a plate you’re served — it’s something you practice. Church isn’t something you consume; it’s a community you commit to. And discipleship isn’t about self-preservation, it’s about self-denial.

Drawing from a year marked by deep personal loss, unanswered prayers, and painful leadership seasons, this teaching helps you differentiate between trusting God and liking everything God allows. Jesus never promised a kingdom without a cross — and the lie that He did is as old as Satan’s temptation itself.

This episode will help you:
• Understand why suffering doesn’t mean God is absent
• Identify the lie of “extended-warranty” faith
• Learn what it really means to take up your cross
• Discover how trust can survive even when you don’t like what God is allowing

You can trust God without liking everything He allows.
There may be no faith in comfort — but there is glory on the other side of the cross.

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

Is hell real? And if God is truly good, how could He ever send someone there? These aren’t abstract theology questions. These are deeply personal, emotionally loaded, and often the reason many people decide whether or not they will keep following Christianity. In this episode, Pastor Brandon Cobb speaks directly to the tension so many feel but rarely voice. With honesty, biblical clarity, and pastoral care, this conversation clearly and succinctly addresses what Scripture actually teaches about hell, why Jesus spoke about it so often, and how misunderstanding God’s justice can distort our view of His love.

Rather than fear-driven religion or shallow answers, this episode explores how God’s goodness, holiness, and mercy are not competing traits, they’re perfectly united. You’ll hear a grounded, compassionate explanation of judgment, human choice, and the gospel, framed for real people living real lives in a broken world. Whether you’re skeptical, curious, or wrestling with doubts you’ve carried for years, this episode invites you to view hell through the lens of who God truly is. You will find the message of Jesus is better news than you may have ever been told.

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 does it really mean to say Jesus is the Messiah? And why does that confession still matter in a culture full of spiritual options, hot takes, and half-hearted faith? These are questions Jesus handles in Matthew 16:13-21.

In this message, Pastor Brandon Cobb presses into the most important question any person will ever answer: Who is Jesus, really? This teaching challenges the subtle pull of false nostalgia, exposes the limits of consumer Christianity, and calls listeners to examine whether their faith is centered on convenience or conviction. With cultural awareness and biblical clarity, the sermon invites you to reconsider outdated assumptions about God, growth, and spiritual maturity; without romanticizing the past or settling for a faith that never actually transforms the present.

This episode also answers the question, "Do I really need to go to church?" We explored the balance between Jesus saving individuals to building His collective Church.

Rather than offering quick fixes or religious noise, the message calls believers to silence competing voices and become attentive to the Holy Spirit again. It’s a timely word for anyone sensing it’s time to grow up in their faith, step into responsibility, and move from passive belief to active participation. If you’ve ever wondered whether the Church still matters, how spiritual authority actually works, or what it looks like to live with heaven in view right now, this conversation will help reframe the journey and stir a deeper hunger to walk it out together.

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