This message focuses on the great gift of pardon that was purchased by Christ’s own blood. Unless we understand our desperate need for the gift of pardon we won’t cherish it. Many people hear about the gift and either neglect it or passively receive it because they have no comprehension that they are in danger of perishing for eternity. But when a person understands their desperate need they receive the gift with great joy and cling to it with heart and soul. They go out and tell the world what they found. The end of the message gives application to those who are not yet Christian, as well as to those who are in Christ.
Standalone Sermons: Fear God
It has become common for Christians to disregard the clear commands of God. Not only is sin practiced but not much is thought of it. There’s no brokenness, no shame. Pastor Scott breaks down the message of Jesus to the church in Sardis (Revelation 3). Sardis had a reputation of being alive but the Lord said they were dead and their works were incomplete. It’s a reminder that man looks at the outward but God sees the heart. In a sidebar Scott lays out ten of the most commonly disregarded commands that he’s seen in this generation. The call of God to the dead Sardis Christians is to wake up, remember what God has done for them and repent. The call to get right is not presented as optional but comes with a grave warning that if they don’t make things right God will come against them in judgment. This is an unusually sobering message bearing down on anything in the life of a Christian that is dead. When the church fully aligns with God’s Word the glorious result is that the Spirit rests upon her and life is manifested.
Standalone Sermons: Rescue Mission
This day featured multiple speakers. Pastor Scott kicked it off with a short message about the importance of being in proximity to the local poor. Then the service was handed off to Tony Carew from the Rescue Mission who brought a strong message from the Parable of the Talents. This was followed by three separate testimonies of people who were transformed by Jesus and now serve at the Mission in various capacities. God’s compassion for the local and global poor was displayed beautifully.
Baptism: Fall 2018
Water baptism services are joyful and this one was electrifying! Just before the baptisms took place Pastor Scott spoke a very brief message on the most important things a Christian needs to hear before setting out on the long journey of walking with Christ. The anchor verses are from 2 Timothy 2:1-7 but a wide array of exhortations were given regarding identity, purpose, hardship, entanglement with the world, focus on Jesus, knowing God’s will, hating sin, diligence, boldness, the importance of the local church, perseverance, infilling of the Spirit, remembering the cross and knowing God’s love. The message is relevant to anyone who wants to live a fruitful Christian life in an ever-increasing way till the end.
Standalone Sermons: Teen Challenge 2018
Several ladies from the local Teen Challenge share their stories of how the Gospel of Jesus transformed their lives. Tabatha Mello, one of the directors and also the leader of Ren’s ministry of prayer, preached a powerful message about counting the cost of following Jesus.
Standalone Sermons: Making Space for the Spirit
As followers of Christ we are commissioned by Jesus to bring the Gospel whenever we are planted. That may be in a far away land where people have never heard about Jesus, or it may be at work, in our school or our neighborhood. In order to be effective in this mission we must be filled with the Spirit. And in order to be filled we must make room for the Holy Spirit. Special guest Jeremy Ugumba, a campus missionary at Brown University with Inter Varsity, expounds these important ideas with passion, clarity and with inspiring stories. Jeremy lays out several practical ways we can make space for God at the end of his message.
Standalone Sermons: Moving Forward
In Philippians 3, Paul sets forth a lofty standard of how we ought prioritize Jesus above all else. He also recognizes that he has not obtained it or arrived at this standard. Undaunted by his past, he presses on toward the goal. In this sermon, we look at some of the roadblocks in growing in our life with Christ. How should we deal with our sin (as well as our success) in order to “move forward”?
Standalone Sermons: Waiting
This is a message taken from Acts chapters 1-2 addressing the great need of the Church to receive spiritual power in order to be effective witnesses. Jesus told his disciples not to rush out and try to reach the world until first waiting for the promise of Holy Spirit power to come upon them. The disciples already had a measure of the Spirit’s power to pray, to believe, to love one another, to joyfully worship, and so on. But Jesus revealed that there was a greater power needed that would only come to them as they waited in prayerful anticipation for it. About 120 disciples spent 10 days hungering and thirsting for God’s Spirit to be poured out. On the day of Pentecost the Spirit came like a mighty rushing wind and with tongues of fire! This was the birth of the Church and the beginning of turning the world upside down. 3000 people were added to the Church. Pastor Scott exhorts at the end to continue pressing into prayer during this season for the power of God to fall upon the church in such an extraordinary way that the city would be transformed.
Standalone Sermons: Kingdom Reality
How do we live in the tension between the brokenness we see, feel, and touch, and the reality that Jesus is the King? We must identify what’s broken, identify the King, and live into His Kingdom. This sermon was given by one of our REN missionaries who serves with the Campus Ministry of Cru, which is mobilizing students and faculty to reach the world with the love of Jesus.
Standalone Sermons: Fuel
This is a message aimed to motivate from Hebrews 12. The call is to run the race with endurance. The simple metaphor encourages us to live the Christian life with a similar intensity a runner in a race would have. The problem we often have is that we find ourselves fatigued, discouraged, confused about God, not motivated, and so on. Where will the drive come from to press forward with passion? Hebrews 12 contains several rich truths that can motivate us to run the race with fierce determination.