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, vulnerable, forgotten, and overlooked, and challenges believers to respond with compassion and action. Whether you're searching for a sermon on serving others, Christian compassion, caring for the poor, or what Jesus teaches about helping those in need, this message offers biblical insight and practical application. This sermon is for anyone who wants to grow in Christlike love, carry one another's burdens, and become the hands and feet of Jesus in a broken world.

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 we think and live. If you've ever struggled with anxiety, pride, self-deception, or feeling stuck in unhealthy patterns, this sermon offers biblical insight into how God brings healing, conviction, and lasting spiritual growth. Discover why the most dangerous prayers are often the most transformative prayers and how surrendering to God's search can lead to freedom, repentance, and deeper faith in Jesus.

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, this Memorial Day message addresses spiritual exhaustion, suffering, anxiety, cultural pressure, and the hope of God’s faithfulness in seasons of exile. Pastor Mike shares how God uses hardship to shape our hearts, deepen our trust, and grow us in spiritual maturity through a relationship with Jesus Christ. This message is for anyone wrestling with discouragement, numbness, grief, cynicism, or wondering how to keep following God faithfully in difficult seasons.

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 transforms our identity and allegiance. Whether you’re exploring Christian baptism, struggling with sin, or wondering what it means to live as a faithful Christian in today’s culture, this message offers hope, clarity, and a powerful reminder that through Jesus, the old life is gone and a new life begins. This sermon is especially meaningful for anyone considering baptism, renewing their faith, or searching for deeper spiritual transformation through Christ.

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 faithful in hostile environments, raise resilient children, and stand firm against spiritual opposition. This sermon speaks directly to parents, mothers, spiritual leaders, and anyone trying to follow Christ faithfully in a culture that feels increasingly distant from biblical values. If you’ve ever searched for a sermon on courage, parenting in today’s culture, spiritual resilience, or trusting God in difficult times, this message offers biblical encouragement and practical wisdom.

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, discouragement, burnout, and despair. This sermon speaks directly to anyone battling spiritual exhaustion, anxiety, depression, doubt, or the feeling that they are carrying their faith alone in a shifting culture. If you’ve ever searched for a sermon on loneliness, Christian encouragement during hard seasons, Elijah in the wilderness, or how to trust God when you feel alone, this message offers hope, perspective, and the reminder that God meets us in our weakness and never leaves us isolated.

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 blessing, cursing, and how God’s people bring healing and truth in spiritually hostile environments. If you’ve been searching for a sermon on how to live out your faith at work, respond to evil biblically, or be a light in a broken culture, this message offers practical and challenging insight. Designed for anyone navigating faith in today’s world, it shows how to solve real problems in God’s power while leaving ultimate judgment in His hands.

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 promises are tied to intentionally pursuing Him in prayer, worship, and obedience. This message speaks directly to Christians feeling spiritually distant, overwhelmed by cultural change, or struggling to maintain a biblical worldview. If you’ve been searching for a sermon on Jeremiah 29, how to seek God with all your heart, or how to stay faithful in a shifting culture, this teaching offers clarity, conviction, and hope.

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, and trust His sovereignty even in difficult seasons. This message speaks directly to those wrestling with frustration, cultural tension, anxiety about their environment, or feeling stuck in a place they wouldn’t choose. Discover how to bloom where you’re planted, live with eternal perspective, and follow God’s call to faithful presence in the middle of uncertainty.

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, disappointment, or unmet expectations in life. Addressing real-life struggles like grief, anxiety, and the cycle of hope followed by letdown, it presents the resurrection as the only source of lasting, resilient hope. This message is especially for anyone searching for meaning, questioning faith, or longing for a hope that can endure even the hardest seasons.