Rise City Church Sermon Podcast

Do you ever feel fear well up in you and go out of control? Or maybe it's a deep sorrow that seems to plague you - you just can't shake it. You are not alone! We have story after story of biblical heroes walking through seasons of anxiety and depression, it's not uncommon. So, how did they move past it? How are we called to walk through these emotions and deep realities, and find hope in the battl...

Have you ever been hurt by someone, and don't know how to heal from it? Are your own sin and struggles keeping you in a pattern of unhealth? Do you want to break the cycle of pain that has riddled your family and have a different legacy than the generations before you? Whether your own sin, sin done to you or around you — your past has shaped your present, but it doesn't have to determine your fut...

Followers of Jesus look, act, think, speak, and live differently. Why is that? What changes in a person when they choose to follow Jesus with their lives? How do we live in the reality of being a new creation, and not stuck in our old ways? This week, we look at the life transformation of Paul, a man that had a radical encounter with Jesus, and had his life flip upside down. Listen in to learn wha...

How do you work through grief when you feel the loss of friendship? What does it look like to send someone into the next season of life with grace and generosity? How can a church say goodbye to Gospel partners — those who you've served and led alongside? This week's message looks at Paul's parting words in Acts 20 to the church in Ephesus. His example shows us that both deep sorrow and joy can co...

We live in the most hyper-connected generation in history, but a generation more isolated than ever. We crave a deep nearness that can only be satisfied by the counterintuitive practice of getting alone with God. Do you struggle to take time with God? Seeking God out will be as natural as breathing once you catch onto the wonder of His presence. In Exodus 33 Moses displays the pure beauty of God’s...

This week, Jason worked through an incredible teaching from Mark 1 about intentional solitude. Soli-whaaat?! Jesus often went into the desert to get alone before the Father. Solitude is a missing ancient practice from most of our lives, but one we find molded by Jesus and vital to our distracted souls today. What is the value of the spiritual discipline of solitude? What’s the difference between s...

You see Churches in almost every city across America. But what impact should the church have in a city? How should they see the brokenness and needs of their community? What's the impact a church should have on the citizens? Jesus gathered crowds everywhere he went, and when he did he was moved with deep compassion. He was teaching his disciples to bring the Kingdom forth. What do we, 2,000 years...

Have you ever made huge sacrifices to get something? What would make you give up everything, surrender your own will, and make tremendous sacrifices daily? What we find in the pages of Scripture is that Jesus is worthy of losing everything. Discipleship to Jesus always comes with the cost of daily surrender. But what we gain in the process is infinitely better than what we give up. Listen to this...

Do you ever go to make a decision and aren't sure that you're doing the right thing? Do you want to be more reliant on God and less hungry for worldly things? Have you ever considered fasting for spiritual reasons, but don't know where to start? All through Scripture you see God lead and desire our growth toward Him through fasting and prayer. But do you understand why, how, and when to do it? God...

Opportunity isn't something we are lacking these days. Everywhere you turn there is something or someone pitching the latest idea, trying to get on your schedule, and vying to put their priority at the top of your list. God called us to live life abundantly, but how do you live life with abundance without getting caught up in the hurry? How did Jesus model living life to the fullest — a life that...

Most of us want to be used by God, but have we actually positioned ourselves to be usable? In this Team Night message, special guest, Phil Comer, walks our church through 10 things to remember if we want to be used by God. Listen in, and have your heart and passion for ministry stoked as Phil walks our team through a unique night of equipping, growth, and pressing into the mission of the church.

In a technology-driven world that runs on non-stop work, the Scriptures offer an ancient and counter-cultural idea: Sabbath rest. Sabbath is the Hebrew word meaning “to stop” and carries the connotation of delighting in the finished work. For people in a world of overwork and exhaustion, the Scriptures invite us into a weekly rhythm of rest. The deep longing of our hearts is to experience true and...

Does life feel like running a marathon? You're running and running, but never stop to rest? Is your soul tired and weak from never getting the nourishment from pausing, reflecting, and breathing? Jesus walked the perfect life. He ran hard after people that needed healing, redemption, and a peace that only He offered. But after He ministered, He rested, but not like we understand rest. Join in this...

How often do you feel busy, overworked, or overwhelmed? Is your life marked more by stillness, focus, and peace, or rush, exhaustion, and distraction? We live in an age of hurry-sickness; a world where interruption, workaholism, and irritation are the norm. But what if there were another way? To those feeling burned out and anxious Jesus offers the gentle rhythms of grace. Jesus calls us to what h...

Many people think of Bible reading as a task. In reality, it’s anything but that! Scripture offers something nothing else in the world provides. You are designed with a profound longing that nothing can truly satisfy apart from God in Christ. The Bible is the singular location that fully, accurately, and exclusively exposes Jesus. What can satisfy the deep longings of the human heart? Where does r...

Are you trying to get to know God better, but don't know how? Have you wondered how to grow closer to God through Scripture? How do you learn through Scripture if you don't understand it? No matter where you are in your spiritual walk there are steps you can take to help you comprehend the Word and get to know God more deeply. This week, Scott teaches us how to examine the Word thoroughly, not jus...

Everyone longs for deep inward formation, but what is God’s means for shaping us? God’s Word is the most powerful tool for our discipleship and nearness to Jesus. However many people feel at loss for how to read the Bible. In this teaching, Pastor Jason not only casts an inspiring “why” for reading the Bible, but equips us with highly practical tools for HOW to read the Bible.

From the self-help section to life coaches, from salons to gyms, from education to the corporate ladder: we are seeking to make ourselves capable, beautiful, healthy, competent, complete. But where does this longing come from? Deep down, God has designed us with a yearning for a process of deeper spiritual maturity that only discipleship to Jesus will satisfy. Following Jesus means embarking on a...

Each year billions of people gather to celebrate Easter, the day that the tomb was found empty over 2000 years ago. But why? Resurrection Sunday is the day that all of the Christian faith boils down to. It's the culmination of every scripture, the hope in the face of death, it brings deeper meaning to life, and provides proof that Jesus is King — alive and well, reigning on His throne. Listen in a...

There’s nothing more compelling than an authentic life! We’ve talked about winning this city to Jesus, but how can we do so if we don’t personally follow Him? Hypocrisy repels, but authenticity draws us in. So what does it look like, as a Christian, to be the real thing? In Philippians 3:17-4:1, we find what it means to be a sincere follower that draws people to Jesus by example. Listen in as Past...

What the Israelites experienced in Babylon thousands of years ago isn't so much unlike how Christians feel in the western world today. The foundational beliefs, the traditions, and the influence of the Church meant nothing to the place they now lived in. The dominant culture didn't share the values and beliefs of the people who followed God, but how God asked them to live in that culture is likely...

Christians are called to be missionaries to their cities. That means reaching neighbors, family, and coworkers with the good news of the Gospel. But, it's one thing to talk about being on mission, it's another thing to THINK like a missionary. Do you look at your city through the lens of the Gospel? Are you equipped for missionary work here? In this message, Pastor Jason teaches more academically ...

What have you stopped praying for? Some of us quit believing God could make a difference years ago. But in the Scriptures, we find a church that prays with power despite trials and opposition. How do we pray with power? And how do we keep praying when things don’t go as planned? In Acts 4:18-31, we explore what it looks like to pray with expectation. This is a passage that has the potential to re-...

Do you find yourself hearing the word missionary and thinking about faraway lands? What if God's means for advancing His mission is through you? What if you saw your city as the ends of the earth — the very mission field God is calling you to? This week we learn that every circumstance is an opportunity for relationship and every relationship and opportunity for the Gospel. Join us as Pastor Jason...

After Jesus’ death and resurrection, the Kingdom of God has been advancing from that time in Jerusalem to our city today. Last Sunday marked 8 years of our church rising to join in that mission. Rise exists to rise up and saturate our city with the Gospel. God is on a mission and you are a part of it. But what does it look like for us? In this message on our 8 year anniversary as a church, Pastor...