Risen Church Nc

Presiding over every kingdom of man, permeating the structures on every level of society is the spirit of Babylon. This agenda has long been leveraged by the Enemy to solidify and further the separation between God and man. In this message, we look at how the beastly kingdoms have always deceived the masses with illusions of power, treasure, and pleasure. These all have proven to be empty promises to every generation that falls for the traps set by the devil. What outwardly presents as beautiful, appealing to our flesh and pride, only ever leads to loss and death.

In an age of multitasking, we are also prone to multi-worship - that is, split our devotion between God and many other masters. We may not bow at idols like the ancient pagans, but we certainly order our lives around vain, lifeless rulers. In this message, we examine the many idols we have elevated above God and realize that much of our behavior reveals the altars we bow at. If we are going to follow Jesus, we must unfollow any and all that competes for first place in our lives. Good things that we've made ultimate. People that we've elevated to unholy heights. The things that our time, talent, and treasure flows to. All of these can become idols that not only rival God, but take His place in our hearts.

Revelation 16 gives us a glimpse of the day on which Earth's last mortal kingdom will fall. No matter how peaceful, prosperous, or powerful any nation or empire of this world may seem, there is an expiration date on them all. In this message, we look at the series of plagues that will fall on the earth in the last days. These all serve as judgements on a world that has believed itself to be invulnerable and self-sufficient. Truthfully, our world is pummeling towards a final day of distress and conflict. Our only hope is in the King above all kings, and His Kingdom to come.

Are you really following Jesus? It's one thing to say we believe or to obey certain religious commands, but following Jesus is truly measured in how we behave and live out our daily lives. In this message, we hold ourselves up to the ultimate litmus test of Christianity - The Sermon on the Mount. In this famous message, Jesus lays out a practical path for every disciple to walk. If we are truly His followers, it will show up in our real lives.

There have been many reminders of our world's fallen, fragile nature throughout the generations. As the Day of the Lord draws near, nature and society will fracture and crack even more. All of these things should cause us to look up... for our redemption is coming soon.

In this series, we go back to the basics (and the Bible) to discover the most essential truth about Christianity. That is, there is no version of the Christian faith where following Jesus is not at its heart. Our modern world defines Christianity dozens of different ways, with various degrees of severity and flexibility. However, according to God's Word, there is only *one way* to be a Christian- Be a Follower of Jesus. What does that mean? What does that look like? Listen to find out the simple, yet convicting foundation of our faith.

In this message, we consider the justice, severity, and necessity of God's wrath.

As merciful as our God is and as many chances as we are all afforded, eventually our earthly lives will come to an end. This doesn't take anything away from His grace, but points to God's sovereign plans and our finite nature. He's given us an opportunity to live for His glory and eventually, that opportunity will end. Our lives may end, but our stories will go on and be remembered forever. How we respond to God's grace all throughout our lives will determine how our stories play out and the legacy that will go with us into eternity. Listen as we consider the tragic story of Israel's last king and how a series of foolish decisions eventually led to the entire nation's defeat. Nobody in the story believed that the end would come so soon, until it was unfortunately too late. At that point, there would be no "come backs", but a reckoning for all that had led to this moment.

This message spotlights some of the most forgotten heroes of our faith who all experienced rejection and disappointment. God sent special revelation and comfort to them- which continues to serve as inspiration to us. Listen as we hear God's promises to raise us up from life's lowest moments and sustain us by His grace. In Christ, there is acceptance and a belonging that even our greatest disappointment can't undermine or overshadow.

In this message, we study the difference between those marked by the Beast vs those marked by the Lamb. Revelation 14 gives us a description of those redeemed by God, in contrast to those who have fallen completely away. Listen as we discuss God's image and what our lives look like when we've been restored through Christ.

Bitterness and resentment can be like an albatross around our neck- dead weight that will only drag us down and hold us back. Of course, nobody becomes bitter or resentful because they want to. In most cases, these emotions are the overflow of other peoples' actions. We would have much rather done without the hard feelings. In this message, we look at two powerful stories which spotlight the power of trusting in God and forgiving others. When life deals us an unfortunate, unfair hand, our instinctive response will almost always distance us from God's plans to redeem and restore us. Listen as we marvel at the likes of Jospeh, Joshua, and Caleb - who all took their hurt and betrayal to God and pressed on in spite of all that was stacked against them. They removed the weight from their necks and they allowed God to heal their hearts.

"God helps those that help themselves" This is an old proverb that is often repeated and even assumed to be rooted in the Scriptures. However, it couldn't be any further from the Bible and its truth. In this message, we study the life of a man who couldn't stop trying to help himself and brute force his way in life. It took decades of trying and continually overcomplicating everything for him to finally surrender to God's way. Many of us realize we need to improve and have obstacles to overcome, but if we don't follow God's path to recovery we will only make matters worse.

Satan has been attempting to copy and counter God since the Fall. He offers us up counterfeit, imitations to deceive people, and ultimately destroy them. Satan has long been desired to be worshipped in the place of God and has lured many to give the praise that only God deserves. In this message, we learn about his ultimate copy and what will be the culmination of all his schemes. When the Holy Spirit pulls back from this world and everything descends into chaos - the devil will revel in his chance to bring humanity down with him. His final act of deception will be through an antichrist- a knockoff messiah whose endgame will be everything but saving. Listen as we imagine a world that could fall for such a ploy and see how it's not as unlikely as it may first seem. There's much to speculate about concerning Revelation 13, but one things for sure - it represents a future point of no return for this world and everyone left in it.

Looming over every generation is a shadow of evil and deception. Our fallen world has been a domain of beasts- wild, unruly kingdoms with short-sighted vision and man-centered goals. In Revelation 13, John sees a vision of a world overran by a kingdom destined for judgement. Behind the nations, corporations, and institutions that lead people astray is a dragon- the same devil who has attempted to usurp God and destroy His people from the beginning. While most of the world is always bowing to the beast and its dragon overlord, a remnant of believers is called to persevere and keep the faith. Although oppression be fiery and obstacles be aplenty, the reward for the faithful is eternal. Listen as we talk about how Revelation 13 reflects our current world back at us and discover how we are all tempted to serve the beast every day. While certainly previewing the end of this age, this text proves to be a sobering reminder of the evil influence at work today and the call for us all to patiently endure.

We can't always start over or obtain a clean slate. Most of our lives are built on top of many sins, mistakes, unwelcome circumstances - but these don't have to be the end of us. Jesus invites us to put these things behind us and walk by faith, however limited it may be. He also calls for us to identify our sin and guilt and allow Him to extract it from our lives. Listen as this first message in our new series shows us the path forward from our most challenging, frustrating seasons of life. Indeed, we can take heart knowing that Jesus promises healing and restoration.

Revelation gives us a glimpse at the future reckoning which will come against our fallen world and the powers of darkness that overshadow it. We even get a brief look into the Spiritual realm, where God will once and for all bring an end to Satan and every force of evil. This short passage in Revelation 12 details the end of Satan as our accuser and promises an end to Satan as our stumbling block. In this message, we search the Scriptures for reasons as to why God has allowed him to be either of these throughout time. We hear conclusive truth on these matters and much more. Listen and be encouraged by God's sovereignty over evil and learn how we might endure and overcome every obstacle and trial for His glory.

When distresses come, is your initial response to worship the Lord? There probably isn't a more unnatural suggestion, right? Nonetheless, the Bible instructs us to do this again and again. Psalm 118 doesn't just tell us to do this though, it explains why we should and the blessing that's found when we do it. In this message, we learn why God sovereignly allows our lives to enter valleys and trials. We gain perspective on the prevailing goodness of God and His unfailing love. Listen as we find both comfort and challenge from God's Word on this ever-relevant subject. In our distresses, we can find refuge in the Lord. When troubles surround us, we can actually take solace knowing that we are right where we need to be, with God on our side.

Christians are called to seek out and set their minds on the better pathways made accessible through God's grace. Jesus has opened up to all of us a brand new way of life, whereby we walk in true fellowship with God and reflect Him to our world. In this message, we look at the most important of all the pathways laid out for us by God's Word: the Christian standard for our relationships. Listen as we unpack the selfless, humble way taught by Paul and demonstrated by Jesus Himself. We cannot be authentically, convincingly Christian if we are not Christ-like in this core, essential area of our lives. If we are going to truly walk with God and have relationships that endure and thrive, there is no other way than this... The health of our families, friendships, churches, and communities depends on every one of us embracing and committing to Philippians 2:3-5.

Nobody ever intends on getting lost, but we've all been there. Not just in our travels, but figuratively speaking. We've all arrived at places in our lives that are less than the best we dreamed about. As much as we'd like to hope otherwise, good intentions don't matter if we're going in the wrong direction. In this series, we discuss how if our hearts are not submitted to God's truth, then we will always find ourselves drifting and straying from the right path. Our emotions and senses deceive us and distract us again and again, disconnecting us from the good and right path. Listen as we discuss how we might confront our nature to perceive life and respond based on how we feel, by submitting our whole heart to God's rule. By seeking Him and setting our affections on Him, we can follow new rules for life and stay on His perfect path.

Lights in the Darkness - Revelation 10-11 by Risen Church NC