Risen Church Nc

In this message, we look at one of the earliest and greatest tests that God ever brought on someone. After waiting years for God to answer his prayers for a son, God finally provides - and then instantly asks Abraham to render the child back to Him. Listen as we wrestle with this test and seek out the purpose in our own.

In this message, we listen Jeremiah's lament over Jerusalem in the aftermath of its destruction. Filled with great sorrow, he finds comfort and perspective in God's sovereignty.

In Paul's most personal and passionate letter, he defines and defends the Gospel. Listen as Paul pours out his heart and shares his testimony, laying a clear foundation for what it means to be in an authentic relationship with God.

In this message we reflect on Abraham's imperfect journey as he learned what it meant to trust and follow the Lord. What is made obvious in his story - and any of our stories - is that God is the main character. He bears with our shortcomings and sin in order to magnify and underscore His grace. As His grace has its perfect work on us, we are progressively sanctified and discover our source of joy.

The story of King Saul is earmarked by unreached potential and repeated mistakes. Perhaps the most tragic part of it all is fate of his loyal son, Jonathan. In this message, we dig into the complicated relationship between father and son, and discover one of the greatest Christ-like examples in Jonathan. With all that went wrong for Jonathan and as unfair as his story went, he remained full of hope and trusted that God was still sovereign and good.

As we near halfway in our Genesis study, we take the opportunity to recap God's faithfulness to Abraham and the nature of the covenant He made with him. In this message we discuss the broader, longterm implications of the Abrahamic Covenant and how it is still in effect to this day. We discuss both the spiritual and terrestrial aspects of the covenant, with looks at Galatians 3 and Romans 11 with regards to how it applies to every generation since Abraham. Listen for insight about Israel's role throughout history and its purpose in God's eschatological plan.

Genesis 19 is one of the most infamous chapters in the Bible. The story of hostility, immorality, and compromise echoes thousands of years later. Overlooked by many, a similar scenario plays out within Israel's own borders a few generations afterwards. As we discover, this parallel story actually ties into the story of Sodom and Lot in multiple ways. Listen as we discuss the sin of Sodom, Lot's family, and one of the greatest redemption stories of all.

Life is full of letdowns. It can be hard to recover and bounce back from some of our toughest falls and failures. There are so many factors that influence how quickly any of us will be able to get back up. No matter how great the letdown and how difficult the recovery, could it be possible to look up immediately? Is there a way to find the strength and faith to look up to God, even when we're still navigating the fallout? In this message, we wrestle with life's greatest letdowns with the story of Joseph as our guide. We seek out the Goodness and Sovereignty of God which persists in spite of our struggles. Listen and discover how we can find the faith to always look up to Heaven's Light and be lifted up by God's own hand.

Every season of life is finite. Some may seem to last longer than others, but ultimately everything exists within a short window of time. In this message, the prophet Jeremiah brings one final warning to Judah, which nears the end of a long, grueling summer. After suffering from famine and pestilence, the outlook for the winter months appears grim. At this eleventh hour, a turnaround seemed unlikely. Listen as Jeremiah's message reminds us that our opportunities to serve and respond to God are likewise short. How is God trying to get your attention? What is He calling you to? How can we ignore the invitation of a lifetime?

Humanity has a long, complicated history of pretending to worship God, but all the while, we're really just worshipping ourselves. Since the beginning, we have been crafting idols and stamping God's name on them, insisting that we are living for Him, but our devotion and behavior suggests otherwise. In this message, we look at the infamous story of an impatient Israel at Mt. Sinai's base, wherein they rebel against the God who was actively delivering them. We see how God uses Moses to bring conviction regarding how they had replaced Him with golden calves. Although they asserted that they were still honoring God, they were actually wrapped up in the false promises of this world. We hear God's call to repentance and then hear Jesus outline what true repentance is and isn't. Listen as we consider these questions and more: - Why do we shift our trust to worldly leaders and systems? To objects, images, ideas? - Why can’t we imagine a life where our faith isn’t propped up, supported by, supplemented by m

In our final Passion + Purpose study, we discover the endgame of our Salvation. From justification to sanctification, the endgame of our maturation in Christ is the passion and purpose laid for us in Romans 14 and 15. Listen as we hold up our broken world to these passages and seek God's grace and truth to navigate us through these days. In this message we discuss: - How Christians have always been on the margins of society, culture, and political power and how Jesus instructs us to respond - How we might maintain our voice and maximize our witness, choosing to make a impactful difference rather than just make witty points - How the litmus test of our sanctification is found in our desire to and determination to love and serve others, especially those who are not like us - How we should continue to love and endure no matter what comes against us. Just as Christ bore our reproach, so we must bear one another's weaknesses

God invites us to trade pressure for purpose, to exchange stress to perform for power to serve God.

The first 8 minutes contains a reflection on recent tragedies in our country. "Lord haste the Day, but until then may we continue to seize the day." --- At the 8:15 mark, our message on Sodom and Gomorrah begins. Listen as we discuss the outcry against those cities and the severity of their sins. We hear from Romans and Ezekiel on what led these cities down this dark road and we answer questions about how to respond to similar cases in our world today.

In this message, we study Lot's drift away from God into darkness and learn how we should conduct ourselves as lights and witnesses for Christ.

We often pray for God to hold up the systems and institutions of the world wherein we have placed our hope. However, the Bible invites us to shift our hope entirely - out of this world, on to Christ alone. When everything around us moves and fails, Christ remains secure.

God promised Abraham and Sarah that their prayers for a son would be answered soon. When God appeared to their homestead in Genesis 18, Abraham was determined to make the most of this opportunity. In this message, we look at the template for true worship that is presented and modeled in this text. We also discuss how the long wait was part of a necessary process to prepare their hearts for this moment. It's never a matter of difficulty for God, but that He is waiting for the right opportunity and for us to be best positioned to take full advantage of it. God is waiting on us: - To elevate Him to first place, regardless/without results - For our delight in Him and desire for Him to match/surpass all else - For us to make the most of the wait and be prepared for the opportunity Questions to consider after listening: - Does Genesis 18 resemble your approach to God in worship?
 - Does your response reflect doubt or anticipation and readiness? - Are you making the most of it, from prayer to answer?

In this message, we discuss the Scripture's call over all of us to pursue and find our prophetic voice for our generation. Listen as we learn the following: - The Biblical Prophets did much more than predict the future - To prophesy is to speak God's Truth with boldness, clarity, and purpose - The New Testament encourages us all to seek this gift "above all" - Have you ever asked God to anoint your words for His glory? - How a prophetic voice is key to becoming a powerful witness for Jesus

Everyone wants to be independent and autonomous. Unfortunately, this just isn't a reality for humanity. We all are dependent on something. We all take orders from someone. In this message, we discuss our sinful nature and how we are often unaware of sin's influence and grip on us. We learn that in order to achieve true, lasting victory over sin we must find a new and better master. Listen as we hear the Bible's invitation to embrace and exalt Jesus as our King and how only through active, intentional submission to Him can we obtain Resurrection Life. We must see how Jesus died because and for our sin and then see that our victory is directly connected to His reign over our lives.

God reaffirms His covenant with Abraham after a series of setbacks and struggles.

In this message we see Abraham continue along in his faith journey and cover the following topics: - How Salvation always precedes Sanctification - How Circumcision was a sign of the Covenant, and how it correlates to our faith - How we can navigate our waiting periods and possess a true heart of worship