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MESSAGES

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THIS WEEK'S SERMON

Never Back Down

September 14, 2025

Some moments in our lives are watershed moments—where tragedy strikes so deep we know our world will never be the same. This week was one of those moments in our Nation. The public assassination of Charlie Kirk is now etched into our national memory. Not a head of state, not a military leader—but a voice for truth, faith, and conviction, cut down not for political position because of Biblical conviction. This moment is more than political—it’s spiritual. And how we respond will define a generation.

The Church must not cower in fear, rage in retaliation, or retreat into silence. Like Paul in 1 Thessalonians 2, we’re called to courage in the face of opposition—fueled by the fear of God, not man. Courageous Christians speak truth no matter the cost, love each other like family, and protect the mission at all costs. Evil will rage—but it cannot win. Our task is clear: live bold, holy lives; preach Jesus with conviction; protect one another in love; and hold fast to the hope that God will avenge, redeem, and restore.

  • PREACHER
    Jason Clarke
  • PASSAGE
    1 Thess 2:1-8
Group Questions
Series: No Matter The Cost

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Weapons For A World Against You

September 02, 2025
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Agape The Church

August 25, 2025
Stacey Cutshall
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SERMON SERIES

Rise Preaching Values

A Christo-Centric Hermeneutic

This may sound complicated, but, what it means is we interpret all of scripture through the life and teachings of Jesus.

We learn this from the New Testament epistles as they interpret all of Scripture through the lens of the Gospel. Without a Christo-Centric Hermeneutic (a.k.a. “Jesus-Centered Interpretation”) we can find ourselves teaching deistic moralism on one end, or feel-good self-help on the other. Ultimately, both fail us practically and eternally. In reality, Jesus is the only hero of Scripture—therefore, Jesus should be the culmination of every single sermon. 

Expositional Preaching

What this means is the message of the sermon comes from the meaning of the text. John Stott says this: “To expound Scripture is to bring out of the text what is there and expose it to view. The expositor opens what appears to be closed, makes plain what is obscure, unravels what is knotted, and unfolds what is tightly packed.”

Paul admonishes the young church planter Timothy to “Preach the Word.” The power of preaching does not come from man-made wisdom or creative ideas; the power of preaching is in the Spirit-empowered exposition of the truths of who God is, how He loves, and how we are to respond to His Word. At Rise, we teach both through the books of the Bible and expositionally through themes found within the Scriptures.

Real-Life Application

Lastly, preaching must be applied to our actual, every-day lives. Preaching is not teaching people about the Bible; preaching is teaching people the way of Jesus with the Bible as our only authority.

The power of the Gospel is that it reaches into every aspect of our lives: from marriage and sexuality, to work and purpose, to wounds and broken relationships. When the Bible presents theological truth, it almost always weds that revelation to relational application. To paraphrase James 1:22, we are not just attempting to understand scripture, as followers of Jesus, we are called to live it out.