Renewal Church Podcast

WARNING: This sermon contains mature themes that may not be suitable for children. Please use your discernment when listening. As the consequence of his sin, David is now confronted with the destruction and chaos of his family. The question for us is how we should respond when confronted with the consequences of our sin. First, we see David admitting his fault, and it is in that position that we c...

Sin usually begins small and, if embraced, evolves into something destructive. So far, we have watched the rise of David; he's been faithful to God, conquered kingdoms, and lived a life of triumph in the Lord. However, we can see in this moment that none of us are immune to the traps of sin. If we are not vigilant, we are all capable of succumbing to temptation. The question is, do our deepest sin...

For the first time in David's life, he is in a position to follow his heart and do whatever he wants. David's desire is to build a house for the Lord. David goes to bed one night with a plan and a desire, but God has different plans for him. He informs him that he will not be the one to build a house for the Lord, but that God has a different plan. We've all done it: we make plans in the name of t...

We witness David transporting the Ark of the Lord in 2 Samuel 6, and as they journey, a man named Uzzah reaches out to grab the Ark to save it from falling to the ground. As a result, God struck Uzzah and killed him. What follows are some of the most interesting Scriptures in the Bible. Why would God punish Uzzah for trying to do what appears to be a good and noble thing? Even David shows his ange...

While Saul is set on killing David, David is set on obedience to the Lord. When the moment of opportunity comes for David to have his revenge against Saul, David submits himself to complete obedience to the Lord. In this moment, David could kill Saul and no one would blame him, but David knows taking Saul’s life would be an act of disobedience towards God. Instead of revenge, David chooses to trus...

Imagine losing your career, your family, your best friend, your safety, and the respect of everyone who knew you all in one day. That all of a sudden the walls around you began to close in, and life as you knew it became a thing of the past, leaving you alone and unclear of God's plan. This is where David is found in 1 Samuel 22 – alone and in a cave. What exactly does David do? He does the only t...

Friendship is one of the most influential relationships in our life. A good friend can provide us encouragement, joy, and growth, whereas a bad friend can bring us sin, despair, and a great deal of grief. By looking at the friendship of David and Jonathan, we will see what it looks like to have a true friend in the Lord. Visit us online at: www. RenewalChurch.net

True courage comes from trusting in God, not in what we are capable of achieving. David trusted God as he stepped up to defend his God and his people from the giant, Goliath. Goliath's defeat foreshadows what is to come. Years later, the enemy of God would be defeated on the cross by a King, and the people of God would see victory and freedom. Visit us online at: www. RenewalChurch.net

We meet David the shepherd in Chapter 16. He is the one God would anoint as king, yet to Samuel and the rest of his brothers, he lacks the appearance of a king. However, as we will see, appearances are not always what they appear to be. Even today, having the appearance of a leader does not guarantee that you will be a good leader. God is not looking for intelligence, gifts, or looks, but rather,...

The book of 1 Samuel begins with the prayers of a lowly woman named Hannah, not with a great King. Her prayer at the start of the book is essentially a synopsis of 1 and 2 Samuel. At the start of the book, the people of Israel demand that God provide them with a king. The book of 1 Samuel is the story of Israel’s search for a king. Ultimately, only God could be their true King, but He had allowed...

Worship matters - it is what we are made for and it is what makes us who we are. Liturgy is a formative, love-shaping ritual - or simply put: the means by which we shape and form our hearts and minds, and consequently our behavior. Who we are right now is the product of liturgies, whether they are holy and correct or not, because we are creatures of habit; and liturgy habituates us. We must be car...

We all want to belong, and the beauty of the gospel is that God has not called us to follow Him as individuals in this world, but He has called us to belong to the family of faith. As Ephesians says, we are “members” of the household of God. God has called us to belong to Him, belong to each other, to encourage, love, and display the gospel to the world. Visit us online at: www. RenewalChurch.net

In Acts 6, the church is growing. With every growing church, there are growing pains. There are things that must be addressed and adjusted as time goes on. The issue in the early church was that the physical needs of the church had increased. This had created a situation where the Elders of the church were being forced to limit the ministry of prayer and teaching so that those physical needs could...

Who is responsible for leading God’s people? Scripture makes it clear that the church is under one chief Shepherd — Jesus Christ. Jesus is building and leading His people for the glory of His name. We also see in Scripture that God has called “under-shepherds” to lead His people to know, learn, and to see His goodness and grace. These leaders are known as Elders, Overseers, and Shepherds. The offi...

Where did the idea of the “church” come from? The idea of church has taken on many different meanings throughout history. How can we know that we are living out the Biblical call to belong and be God’s church? By looking closely at God’s Word, we will attempt to define what the church is and what the church isn’t. Visit us online at: www. RenewalChurch.net

Renewal Church exists so that people will be made new in Jesus, grow in Jesus, and be released into the world for Jesus. Visit us online at: www. RenewalChurch.net

Death was not the end for Jesus, and death will not be the end for us. Jesus has risen! That statement has the same power today as it did many years ago. There is no grave that could contain Him and no chains that can constrain Him. As we read through the resurrection text, we will ask the question, “How should we think about and respond to the resurrection of Christ in 2023?” Visit us online at:...

One thing is clear in Mark’s account of the death of Jesus — none of this is by accident. This is all according to the plan of God: the arrest, the trial, and the crown on His head. All of this is purposed by God, and in His purposed death we find our freedom from sin. Visit us online at: www. RenewalChurch.net

As the disciples point out the great architecture of the buildings around them, Jesus takes a moment to warn them about what’s coming: each of those buildings will be destroyed, there will be false prophets and much tribulation, families will be divided, and, ultimately, the Son of Man will return. Jesus’ primary warning to the disciples, and to us, is that we should “stay awake.” We do not know w...

In this section we see the religious leaders trying to trap Jesus. Their main goal is to discredit Him in front of the crowds, and with each question Jesus masterfully responds with grace and truth. What is astonishing is that all throughout their questions they never stopped to ask, “What if He really is the Messiah?” Their questions had one motivation — they wanted to keep the power they had. At...

As Jesus passed by a fig tree on His way to the temple, He took a moment to curse the tree as a reminder to the disciples (and us) of the state of the temple. The purpose of the temple was simple — worship — but it had lost its purpose. The temple in Jesus’ day had come to represent the business and socio-economic dealings of Jerusalem, and it had long since lost its posture of worship. The cursin...

The triumphal entry begins the final act of the gospel of Mark. The last five chapters of Mark cover one week in the life of Jesus. Jesus has finally arrived in Jerusalem, and the triumphal entry is a great declaration of intent to His people. In the past He has been careful not to openly declare His kingship. But when He shows up in Jerusalem, He openly declares who He is. Everything in this stor...

As Jesus gets closer and closer to Jerusalem, he begins to speak more and more about what is about to happen: He is to be delivered, mocked, and killed. The disciples have failed to grasp the mission of Jesus, a failure demonstrated by the question James and John ask Jesus. They are looking to be celebrated – looking to rule – but the kind of kingdom and rule that Jesus is walking towards is not l...

In this text we see two groups: Those who receive the kingdom and those who don’t. Jesus focuses on a group of babies to demonstrate what it looks like to be fully dependent. A baby is fully reliant on its parents to survive. Jesus says that those who approach God like a baby will receive the kingdom. Jesus then focuses on a man who has it all — the title, the money, and the prestige. But even tho...

Divorce is one of the topics that has been both painful and divisive for the church. Jesus is clear and decisive as He teaches about divorce, and as the people of God, we must be careful to listen and obey His Word. While Jesus is clear in His words, we must admit that the teaching can be painful and hard to embrace for some. But the promise, if we would have the faith to believe it, remains: marr...