In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Nate and Sam bring a message about God’s kingdom and racism. Nate shares that condemning and eradicating racism is a reflection of God’s character. God’s people is not one race or one culture, but is made up of every tribe, language, and race. Sam describes ways that we as Christians can carry on MLK’s legacy in how we live, pray, and worship.
Standalone Sermons: To Such Belongs the Kingdom
Our children are being swept away by world systems of unbelief. The majority of children raised in the Church fall away from faith. Most young people are not interested in serving the Lord. Instead, they are caught up in the current of the world. The Bible clearly states that the Kingdom of God is for children; God can move in their lives and transform them. Pastor Scott preaches a message about what God wants to do in the upcoming generation, and our role in our families and communities.
Standalone Sermons: Where is Ellyn Now?
On Wednesday, May 25, the Renaissance Church community tragically lost a beloved member in a terrible accident. At times like this, we can't help but ask God, "Why?" We may never be able to answer that question to our satisfaction, but Pastor Scott delivers a heartfelt and powerful message about grief, loss, and hope.
Standalone Sermons: Make Sure We're Not a Stumbling Block
Paul Moon delivers a Passover sermon on Matthew 21:12-13, when Jesus enters the Court of the Gentiles in the temple, and defends them and removes the stumbling blocks holding them back from experiencing God in a deeper way. We avoid being a stumbling block by being filled to overflowing with the Spirit, glorifying God, and becoming a clear path to Him without restrictions. Paul then offers some practical steps to achieve this in deeper ways.
Standalone Sermons: What's So Great About The Great Commission?
John Michaelson delivers a compelling and inspiring sermon about Matthew 28:18-20, and explores five reasons why it's great: 1. Jesus is great, 2. disciples of Jesus are great, 3. the news is great, 4. the Holy Spirit is great, and 5. being commissioned is great.
Standalone Sermons: The Cross and Communion
John Michaelson opens up his sermon with a description of his experience with Easter Encounter, and the powerful culmination of beholding the cross. He then discusses the progression and culmination of Jesus's life on earth: to teach, to model holiness, to heal sickness and disease and infirmity, but the main reason Jesus was born, was to die. Jesus resolutely understood His calling and purpose. John reminds us about the significance of the cross, and what Jesus did for us, and exhorts us to never weary of keeping what Jesus really did (and continues to do) for us, forefront in our minds and hearts.
Standalone Sermons: The Royal Rumble at the River
Using the life of Jacob and scripture references from Genesis 32, guest speaker Jacqui Strothoff preaches a sermon about wrestling with God. Jacqui exhorts us to learn about endurance and remaining steady under difficult circumstances in our prayer lives alone in the dark with God, because even though wrestling with God can hurt, the struggle is revealing and transformative. No one truly wrestles with God and stays the same.
Standalone Sermons: Fighting the Enemy
In this message, Renaissance Elder John Michaelson preaches about the enemy that stands in opposition to us. As the Bible says, our enemy is not flesh and blood but it is the spiritual forces of darkness, we are opposed by Satan. We need to be awakened to this reality and be sober minded about this opposition. John ends the sermon by chronicling what are defense against Satan is as we have been given spiritual weapons through our identity and empowerment by God.
Standalone Sermons: God's Love Song
There's nothing we can do to separate ourselves from the transformative love of God. All too often we disqualify ourselves from His compassion because of self-doubt or feelings of unworthiness, but God never ceases to seek after us – He adores us and sings love songs over us. We have only to receive. This recording contains the message from both the 9AM and the 11AM services.
Standalone Sermons: The Call to Pursue
One of our missionaries to Africa returns this summer to tell us not only about her stories and experiences, but more importantly, to tell us about God's heart – His heart to pursue. And just as God called Hosea to pursue a faithless spouse, He calls every one of us to take on the relentless pursuit for 2.8 billion people who live without hope in their lives.