Episodes
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Both/And | 1 Thessalonians: A Hope That Holds | Week 2
In Week 2 of our sermon series "1 Thessalonians: A Hope That Holds", guest preacher Dan Erickson explores what it means to share the gospel through both our words and our lives. Looking at 1 Thessalonians 2:6–12, this message challenges Christians to move beyond simply talking about faith or...
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Real Hope | 1 Thessalonians: A Hope That Holds | Week 1
In Week 1 of our sermon series “1 Thessalonians: A Hope That Holds”, Pastor Mike Lotzer explores what biblical hope really means and how trusting in God’s promises transforms the way we live. Drawing from 1 Thessalonians 1:1–10, this sermon reveals how real hope in Jesus Christ produces endurance...
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The Call to Connection | Following Jesus in an Age of AI | Week 5
In the final message of our series "Following Jesus in an Age of AI", guest preacher Corey explores how staying connected to Christ, the true vine, is essential in a world increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence. Drawing from John 15:1–8, this sermon examines the dangers of turning to...
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Real Relationships Matter | Following Jesus in an Age of AI | Week 4
In Week 4 of our “Following Jesus in an Age of AI” series, Pastor Chad Murphy explores why real human relationships matter in a world increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence. Drawing from Genesis 1:26–27, Ecclesiastes 4:9–12, Hebrews 10:24–25, and Matthew 22:37–40, this sermon examines how...
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Test Everything | Following Jesus in an Age of AI | Week 3
In Week 3 of our “Following Jesus in an Age of AI” series, Pastor Mike Lotzer explores what it means to test everything and practice biblical discernment in a world where anything can be faked. Drawing from 1 Thessalonians 5:19–22 and Daniel 6, this message identifies the warning signs of...
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More than a Machine | Following Jesus in an Age of AI | Week 2
In Week 2 of the “Following Jesus in an Age of AI” series, Pastor Mike Lotzer explores what it means to remember that we are more than a machine in a world increasingly shaped by AI. Looking at Daniel 2 and the creation account in Genesis 1:26–27, this message addresses artificial intelligence…
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Don't Fear the Future | Following Jesus in an Age of AI | Week 1
In Week 1 of our “Following Jesus in an Age of AI” series, Pastor Mike Lotzer explores how Christians can respond to the rapid rise of AI without fear, panic, or losing sight of what it means to be human. Drawing from Isaiah 41:10 and Daniel 1, this message examines AI, anxiety about the future,...
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Make Every Effort | Come Away | Week 4
In Week 4, the final week of our “Come Away” series, Pastor Mike Lotzer explores the biblical gift of Sabbath and what it means to intentionally make room for rest, worship, and the presence of God. Drawing from Exodus 20:8–11 and Hebrews 4:9–16, this message challenges us to rest in the finished...
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Daily Sabbath Rest | Come Away | Week 3
In Week 3 of our “Come Away” series, Pastor Chad Murphy explores the gift of daily Sabbath rest and what it means to intentionally make time for God in the middle of a busy life. Looking at Mark 1:35, Luke 5:16, Matthew 11:28–29, Hebrews 4:9–11, and Revelation 3:20, this message examines how…
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Receive the Gift | Come Away | Week 2
In Week 2 of our “Come Away” series, Pastor Mike Lotzer explores what it means to receive Sabbath as a gift from God rather than viewing it as a burdensome rule or restriction. Looking at Exodus 20:8–11, Mark 2:23–28, and Matthew 11:28, this message addresses hurry sickness, productivity and...
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The Gift Of Sabbath Rest | Come Away | Week 1
In Week 1 of our “Come Away” series, Pastor Mike Lotzer explores why Sabbath rest is a biblical command, an act of trust, and a gift from God—not a reward for finishing everything on our to-do lists. Looking at Mark 6:30–32 and Exodus 20:8–11, this message examines how Sabbath helps us break free...
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When Frustration Becomes Disobedience | Failing Forward | Week 6
In the final message of the “Failing Forward” series, Pastor Chad Murphy explores “When Frustration Becomes Disobedience” through the story of Moses in Numbers 20. This powerful sermon examines how grief, pressure, anger, and repeated frustration can leave us vulnerable to spiritual failure, and...
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The Failure of a Team of One | Failing Forward | Week 5
In Week 5 of our “Failing Forward” series, Pastor Chad Murphy explores “The Failure of a Team of One” and what happens when we try to carry every responsibility, burden, and challenge by ourselves. Looking at Exodus 18:13–27, this sermon examines Moses’ struggle to lead Israel alone and…
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The Failure of Entitlement | Failing Forward | Week 4
In Week 4 of our “Failing Forward” series, we examine “The Failure of Entitlement” and how unrealistic expectations, selective memory, and a lack of perspective can distort the way we see God, our circumstances, and the blessings in our lives. Looking at Numbers 11, this sermon explores the...
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The Fear of Failing God | Failing Forward | Week 3
In Week 3 of our “Failing Forward” series, Pastor Chad Murphy explores “The Fear of Failing God” and how fear, self-doubt, and feelings of inadequacy can keep us from following God’s calling. Through Exodus 3–4, we look at Moses’ encounter with God at the burning bush and discover that our...
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From Failure to Faithfulness | Failing Forward | Week 2
In Week 2 of our “Failing Forward” series, Pastor Paul Marzahn explores how our failures do not have to define our future, but can become opportunities for spiritual growth, grace, and deeper dependence on God. Walking through Exodus 2–3, the story of Moses shows how self-reliance, fear, and...
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When Others Fail You | Failing Forward | Week 1
In Week 1 of our "Failing Forward" series, Pastor Chad Murphy explores how God brings healing and redemption through the failures of others. Looking at Exodus 1–2 and Hebrews 11:23, this message examines Moses' early life to reveal how God works even in seasons of betrayal, brokenness, and...
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Real Freedom
In this message, we explore the often-overlooked New Testament book of Philemon and reveals how true freedom is found through forgiveness rather than fighting for what we're owed. Teaching through Philemon 1:1–25, this sermon unpacks biblical forgiveness, reconciliation, Christian freedom, and…
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Make Me Bold | Dangerous Prayers | Week 5
In the final week of our "Dangerous Prayers" series, Pastor Kerry Davison challenges us to pray one last life-changing prayer: "Make Me Bold." Through Acts 4:13–31, this sermon explores where true biblical boldness comes from, the difference between cultural boldness and Christ-centered boldness,...
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Speak To Me | Dangerous Prayers | Week 4
In Week 4 of our “Dangerous Prayers” series, Pastor Chris Book explores the life-changing prayer, “Lord, Speak to Me,” and why hearing God's voice requires courage, action, and spiritual attentiveness. Drawing from passages including Genesis 2, Ephesians 6:4, 1 Timothy 6:12, 1 Peter 2:9, and…
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Send Me | Dangerous Prayers | Week 3
In Week 3 of our “Dangerous Prayers” series, Pastor Chad Murphy explores the powerful prayer, “Send Me,” and what it means to fully surrender your life to God’s purposes. Through Isaiah 6:1–8, this message examines Isaiah’s encounter with the holiness of God, his recognition of personal sin, the...
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Break My Heart | Dangerous Prayers | Week 2
In Week 2 of our “Dangerous Prayers” series, Pastor Chad Murphy explores the powerful prayer, “Break My Heart,” and what it means to ask God to break our hearts for the things that break His. Looking at Matthew 25:31–46 and Galatians 6:2, this message reveals God's deep concern for the hurting,...
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Search Me | Dangerous Prayers | Week 1
In Week 1 of our “Dangerous Prayers” series, Pastor Chad Murphy explores the life-changing prayer, “Search Me, God.” Looking at Psalm 139:23–24 and Jeremiah 17:9, this message challenges us to invite God to examine our hearts, reveal hidden sin, expose spiritual blind spots, and transform the way...
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Remembering In Exile | Thriving In Exile | Week 7
In the final week of our “Thriving In Exile” series, Pastor Mike Lotzer explores the biblical command to remember and what it means to remain faithful to God while living in a broken and distracted world. Teaching from Jeremiah 29 along with passages from Jeremiah 2, Ezekiel 36, and 1 Peter 2…
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Alive In Exile | Thriving In Exile | Week 6
In this special baptism Sunday message from Week 6 of our “Thriving in Exile” series, Pastor Mike Lotzer explores what it means to be spiritually alive in a broken world. Teaching from Romans 6, this sermon unpacks the biblical meaning of baptism, freedom from sin, and how following Jesus...
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Public Courage, Private Faithfulness | Thriving In Exile | Week 5
In Week 5 of our “Thriving in Exile” series, Pastor Mike Lotzer explores what it means to live with public courage and private faithfulness in a culture that opposes God’s truth. Through the stories of Elijah and Obadiah in 1 Kings 18, this message examines how followers of Jesus can remain...
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When You Feel Alone | Thriving In Exile | Week 4
In Week 4 of our “Thriving in Exile” series, Pastor Chad Murphy explores what it means to keep trusting God when faith feels lonely, exhausting, and overwhelming. Teaching from 1 Kings 19, this message follows the prophet Elijah after his victory on Mount Carmel as he falls into fear,...
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Blessing & Cursing In Exile | Thriving In Exile | Week 3
In Week 3 of our “Thriving in Exile” series, Pastor Mike Lotzer explores what it means to be a blessing in a culture that doesn’t share your values while also responding to real evil with discernment. Teaching from Jeremiah 29:1–14 alongside 2 Kings 2:19–25, this sermon unpacks biblical themes of...
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Seek Me And You WIll Find Me | Thriving In Exile | Week 2
In Week 2 of our “Thriving in Exile” series, Pastor Chad Murphy teaches on what it means to seek God wholeheartedly while living in a culture that often pulls us away from Him. Centered on Jeremiah 29:11–13, this sermon reframes a commonly misunderstood Bible passage and emphasizes that God’s...
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Thriving In Exile | Thriving In Exile | Week 1
In Week 1 of our “Thriving in Exile” series, Pastor Mike Lotzer explores how to live faithfully in a broken world that doesn’t feel like home. Teaching from Jeremiah 29:1–14, this sermon unpacks what it means to thrive in exile, seek the peace and prosperity (shalom) of where God has placed you,...
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Easter Sunday: Living Hope
In this Easter message, “Living Hope,” Pastor Mike teaches through Luke 24:1–8 and 1 Peter 1:3, exploring how the resurrection of Jesus offers a hope that doesn’t fade or fail. Part of an Easter Sunday message at Mercy Road, this sermon speaks directly to those wrestling with doubt…
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Palm Sunday: The King They Wanted vs The King They Needed
In this Palm Sunday message, Pastor Chad Murphy explores “Two Kingdoms Collide” and what it reveals about the kind of King Jesus truly is. Looking at Matthew 21:6–11 and Luke 19:41–42, this sermon unpacks the tension between the kingdom people wanted—power, control, and immediate rescue—and the...
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You Can't Lose | The Devil's Playbook | Week 7
In Week 7 of our “The Devil’s Playbook” series, this message focuses on spiritual warfare, identity in Christ, and the unshakable victory believers have through Jesus. Centered on Romans 8:35–39, it explores how the enemy uses loss, shame, and lies to define us—and how God’s truth declares that...
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Lukewarm & Unaware | The Devil's Playbook | Week 6
In Week 6 of the “The Devil’s Playbook” series, this message “Lukewarm and Unaware” explores how lukewarm faith can quietly weaken a believer’s relationship with Christ. Looking at Revelation 3:14–22, Jesus’ warning to the church in Laodicea reveals how prosperity, comfort, and self-sufficiency…
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The Noise Of Distraction | The Devil's Playbook | Week 5
In Week 5 of our series, The Devil’s Playbook, we explore how distraction can quietly pull us away from what matters most. Looking at Luke 10:38–42, the story of Mary and Martha, this message reveals how the enemy often works not through obvious sin, but through busyness, noise, and constant...
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The Trap of Pride | The Devil's Playbook | Week 4
In Week 4 of our series “The Devil’s Playbook,” Pastor Chad Murphy explores the trap of pride and how spiritual overconfidence can quietly lead to a fall. Teaching from Luke 22:31–34, this sermon examines Peter’s denial of Jesus and how Satan “sifts” believers through self-reliance rather than...
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The Isolation Strategy | The Devil's Playbook | Week 3
This is the third week in our "Devil's Playbook Series" where Pastor Mike is looking at how the devil seeks to isolate us from community. The devil wants lone Christians; Jesus wants a connected family.
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The Lure Of The Forbidden | The Devil's Playbook | Week 2
In Week 2 of our “The Devil’s Playbook” series, Pastor Chad Murphy tackles the question, “Is God really good?” by examining Genesis 3:1–7 and the serpent’s temptation of Adam and Eve. This message explores how the devil tempts us by making us question God’s goodness, distort His Word, and believe...
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Know Your Enemy | The Devil's Playbook | Week 1
In this weeks message we learn satan’s primary weapon is deception, not destruction. He wins when we stop believing truth. The battle isn’t out there; it’s in here. The enemy plays on our desires more than our fears. To stand firm, you must know God’s truth intimately. Scripture is not for…
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Listen to the weekly messages from Mercy Road Church!
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