Ridgepoint Sermon Audio
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Pastor Brent explains that Jesus came to provide three types of peace: permanent relational peace with God, fellowship peace (that can be disrupted by sin), and situational peace amid difficult circumstances--which is the hardest to attain. Brent encourages us to persistently pray and remind themselves of God's promises in order to receive the situational peace that Jesus offers.
As we continue this year's Easter series, Pastor Brent reminds us that Jesus came to rescue us not only for eternal life, but also to give us purpose and meaning in our present lives. He encourages us to find our personal "zeal point" that aligns with our gifts and God's leading. Embracing this purpose brings confidence, anchors us through difficulties, and leads to a vibrant, fulfilled faith.
As we kick off our Easter teaching series, Pastor Andy draws parallels between the dramatic rescue of the Thai soccer team trapped in a cave and how Jesus rescues us from the dominion of sin and darkness. Andy unpacks the layers of sin that entrap us and calls believers to humble surrender, consistent repentance, and walking in the light.
The right response to sin is always repentance. This week Pastor Brent looks at the closing chapters of Ezra where the Israelites confessed their sins to God and found freedom in forgiveness. We should also be disciplined in following good teachers and regularly practicing confession and repentance.
As the Israelites continued to rebuild the temple after exile, they soon began to drift from God's mission and focus more on their own comfort. In this message, Pastor Brent outlines the "Paneled Houses Principle" of giving generously to God's work FIRST before focusing on our own agendas or lifestyle. Do you need to realign your priorities?
This week Pastor Brent provides a template for overcoming life's setbacks and challenges, based on the story of the Hebrew people from Ezra 3-6. Brent outlines four suggestions: prayer, focusing on what you can control, seeking help, and cultivating grit. With faith, we have what it takes to endure significant hardship, just like Ezra, Haggai, and the Hebrew people.
After 70 years in exile, King Cyrus allowed the Israelites to return home to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple. Like Cyrus, we should lead with kindness, acting on God's nudges to move. And against all odds and through all adversity, we're called to worship.
As we dive into a new teaching series through the books of Ezra and Haggai, Pastor Brent begins with a big picture overview of the story of the Old Testament. Through thousands of years of history, God remained remarkably patient and kind--and that's still who He is today.
Pastor Brent continues our Second Mile series with a message stressing the importance of mentoring. We have so much to learn from those who have wisdom from going before us. Beyond mentoring, we want everyone in our city to become devoted disciples of Jesus, so Brent also shares a compelling "why" behind our strategy.
Continuing our "Second Mile" series, Pastor Kyle speaks on the importance of mentoring the next generation. We believe everyone has something valuable to offer to a younger believer, even if you feel unqualified. Our experiences are like treasure chests, and it's up to us to decide how we will invest and share our talents.
This week Pastor Brent calls us to "second mile discipleship" -- going beyond the minimum requirements and excelling in faith and service. He introduces our new three-part plan to spur spiritual growth at Ridgepoint: growing in community, serving others, and mentoring. These practices require effort, but also reap worthwhile rewards.
From the beginning, Christians have been tempted to live within the boundaries of a first-mile Christianity: having a personal and private faith. But Jesus, the early church leaders, and countless Christians through time have invited us to go a second-mile, to have an unusual interest and enthusiasm for a deeper, Christian life. Today we'll discuss that invitation as we begin a four-part series about what a second-mile type of the Christian life looks like at Ridgepoint Church.
Reading the Bible won't make your life worse! And if you do read it and consistently obey it, your life will be better. Guaranteed.
God so loved the world that He GAVE the best gift of all time. That love is good news, and it offers us hope today.
A lot of the songs we sing around Christmas time talk about joy. We often think of joy as "happiness," but true, biblical joy is a lot deeper than that. This week Pastor Andy talks about joy that comes from the Holy Spirit, and our responsibility to put it on display to the world.
The Bible describes three types of peace: relationship peace, fellowship peace, and situational peace. Throughout Scripture, God promises to give us peace, but sometimes that calm, tranquil feeling can be very elusive. What does it mean for Jesus to be the Prince of Peace, and how can we actually experience it in our day-to-day lives?
Kicking off our Advent teaching series, Pastor Brent focuses on the theme of hope. We all wish for things, but biblical hope is confidently anchored in God and His perfect plan. By definition, hope requires waiting. But while we wait, we can rest in the promises of Scripture.
In this final message of the "Words Matter" series, Pastor Brent reminds us of the importance of backing up our words with genuine action. We shouldn't be hypocrites who merely pay lip service to God (and others); we need to walk the narrow road and ensure our words match our deeds.
Jesus gave us the Golden Rule as a starting point for relating to others. We'd all love encouragement from others, so we might as well decide to be as kind and encouraging as possible. As we continue our Words Matter series, we'll be reminded of the opportunity to be kind and encouraging.
We all get angry. Jesus did too. There's a difference between righteous anger about injustice and inappropriate anger about trivial matters. Good anger leads to constructive action, while bad anger only hurts others. How can we distinguish between the two, and how can we increase our self-control to handle anger the way Jesus taught?
When those around us sin or hurt us, should we confront them? There seems to be biblical support for confronting AND not confronting... so what should we do? Generally, wise people confront with love, honor, and humility--and they're also open to correction themselves.
No one can fully tame the tongue, but Jesus warns that one day we'll give an account for every careless word we speak. We can still stand confidently in God's grace, but we must learn to surrender our tongues daily with the help of the Holy Spirit.
We all experience stress, tension, and difficult relationships. In those moments, what we choose to do with our words really matters. How can we learn to "tame our tongues" and control our speech? What does it look like to aim for "relational ties"? Pastor Joe dives into this and more as we explore spiritual maturity and relational health.
What happens when we die? Are heaven and hell real, and what are they like? Belief in any kind of afterlife requires faith, but Pastor Brent outlines several sections of Scripture that explain what we can expect. We're left with many difficult questions, but this we know: Heaven will be a wonderful place where we experience and worship God fully.
What is morality, and who sets the rules? There are only two options--either people or God. If God is who He says He is, then He is the logical and correct source for moral truth.
This week, Pastor Brent unpacks the Christian perspective on our purpose in life. Are you living for your own self-determined purposes, or God's? How you can you discern God's "general will" versus His specific plans for you? Watch or listen this week as Brent encourages us to keep a soft heart and open ears to discern and follow God's will.
Who are we as humans? What is our identity? Where does it come from, and why does it matter? Pastor Brent unpacks Mark 1 to give us helpful context and answers to these foundational questions.
Where did life and our universe come from? What is the origin of life? In this week's message, Pastor Brent contrasts three views: special creation (God created each species), atheistic evolution (no God), and theistic evolution (God used evolution).
Christianity requires faith in a God we cannot see. Still, there is significant evidence for a Creator, and this week Pastor Brent unpacks three defenses for the existence of God, and what that means for us today.
It doesn't matter who you are or what you've done. God's love for you will endure forever. God is love, and He loves you.
