Hope Lake Country

The final plague on Egypt was the one that would finally bring deliverance. Judgment from God was going to come down on every firstborn. Unless, the lamb was sacrificed in his place. In every home, death was going to come to the first born, or to the lamb. This foreshadows the Lamb of God who was slain, so we can have life.

Religion is complicated. Religion is a system of rules and regulations that we must follow in order to be right with God. We think that if we believe right and behave right, then God will accept us. And many people in our generation have walked away from religion because of this. Maybe you’re one of them. But Jesus didn’t come to give us religion. He came to give us grace. In this message, we’ll look at an encounter with Jesus that shows us that he didn’t simply come to show us the way to Heaven. Jesus is the way to Heaven.

We know what we want and need from God. It could be health, finances, or even help with a relationship. So, we go to God in prayer and ask him to give us more of what we want and need. But Jesus is so good and so wise that, as important as our wants and needs are, Jesus knows how to address our greatest need. But we can’t see this without first encountering Jesus. Come and see—come and encounter.

Is there an area of your life where you’re feeling stuck? To what lengths do you think God would go to save you? In this message we’ll see just how far God goes to save us from ourselves, and that there is one way you can fully and finally break free from your hopeless situation. Get ready to get out.

Does God not seem all that real to you? Do you feel like you don't really know who he is? Maybe it's because you believe he exists, but you haven’t met him yet. In this message, we'll see that God wants to meet you. All you need to do is come and see.

Whether you're a Christian or not, when bad things happen to you, it can feel like God doesn't care. Or maybe like he isn't even there at all. But what about those times where we have to admit that those bad things happened because of something we did? Then it can make us feel like God won't rescue us because we're getting what we deserve. As the Exodus story begins, some really bad things are happening to God's people, and Moses enters the picture just in time to make it worse, yet. But none of the bad things could negate God's plan for their exit strategy. In this message, we'll see that God often uses our failures and hardships to save us. And he tells us that we won't truly be free from the hardships that enslave us until we become fully subservient to him. And we'll discover that your journey to freedom isn't underway until you are fully surrendered to worship God.

Politics has become an incredibly divisive topic within American culture. As a nation, we're at odds over immigration policy, gun laws, and more. What's odd is that Christians have taken up both sides of the divisive issues and even argue with one another. In this message, we'll see that the church is the institution that can set the standard of how to have healthy and constructive political dialogue.

Many of us have been scarred by suicide. When a loved one commits suicide, it's devastating, leaving a wound that never fully heals. It leaves us asking why. It leaves us wondering if we could have done anything differently. And it leaves us wondering about our loved one's eternal destination. How do we process suicide? And perhaps more importantly, what does God have to say to those of us who contemplate suicide? Many of the people in the Bible got to a place in life where they wanted to die, yet they managed to find hope. But how did they do it, and where did it come from?

Depression is a complicated struggle that can have chemical, spiritual, and emotional components to it. It's incredibly powerful, and it can feel like it's completely consuming us. Depression can sometimes even feel worse for Christians since we are to "rejoice in the Lord always." But the truth is that sometimes we walk through dark valleys. That's why we're going to be looking at some hopeful handles to help us with depression in this message.

The first-century church had significant divides over race. And too often, the modern church does as well. We live in a suburb of one of the most segregated cities in America. Phrases like "white privilege" are bound to cause arguments and debates. In this message, we'll see what causes racism and, more importantly, how to move past it.

There is, perhaps, no greater indicator of our shifting cultural norms than the topic of sexual identity. In a remarkably short amount of time, same-sex relationships went from "disgusting" to "beautiful" in the eyes of society. And shortly after, gender quickly transitioned from being a binary reality to a spectrum of choice. The cultural norm that has complicated this taboo topic is that meaningful dialogue about it is considered threatening. In this message, we'll talk about a gospel-based view of sexual identity, and how it has the power to influence the world around us.

Divorce is messy. It fractures families. There’s no such thing as a pain free divorce. Unfortunately, it’s worse than that. According to Jesus, a divorce not only complicates your future relationships, it can also complicate your relationship with God. In this message we’ll explore what Jesus said about divorce and how to rebuild your relationship with God if you’ve been through one.

Half of the drunkest cities in America are in Wisconsin. Fish don’t recognize what water is—it’s normal. In Wisconsin, we don’t recognize how abnormal our drinking habits are—it’s normal. Should Christians consume alcohol? What does a healthy and wise relationship with alcohol look like? We’ll find out as we tackle our first taboo topic on this series.

Stuff we don’t talk about in church.

Easter Message

Western society is becoming increasingly isolated and lonely because we have valued the autonomy of the individual. Yet, we were created for community. So was the Church

Western society is becoming increasingly isolated and lonely because we have valued the autonomy of the individual. Yet, we were created for community. So was the Church.

Jesus was set apart for a rescue mission. His followers have also been set apart for a rescue mission. We cannot live for ourselves, but for him who died for us and was raised again.

Jesus’ love for the Church is so great, he mentions the Church 43 times in this 26-verse prayer. The Church matters to Jesus. The Church is an institution like no other. It is both an organization and an organism. It’s for insiders and for outsiders. It is to assimilate into the culture, yet live distinctly from the culture. In this message, we will see that the Church is at its best when it is a movement characterized by love.

Jesus’ purpose was to bring glory to the Father. In fact, that has always been his purpose. This message will explain who God is, what glory is, and what it is that glorifies God in our lives.