Radiant Church Weekend Sermon

God is once again calling His Church to remember. Remember who we were created to worship. Remember where we were when He came for us. When we again find ourselves pinned down by impossible circumstances and hear the echoes of accusation pursuing us, we must remember that it is He who is fighting for us, leading us and bringing us into a land flowing with milk and honey. In this hour, it’s time for us follow the fire by night and cloud of His presence by day.

In this sermon titled Bitter Into Sweet from our Lessons From the Wilderness series, Lee Cummings teaches on bitterness and how the Gospel is the only solution to turning the disappointments and hurts of our past and make them sweet.

Focus Scripture // Exodus 15:22-27 (ESV)

“Then Moses made Israel set out from the Red Sea, and they went into the wilderness of Shur. They went three days in the wilderness and found no water. 23 When they came to Marah, they could not drink the water of Marah because it was bitter; therefore it was named Marah. 24 And the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” 25 And he cried to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a log, and he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet. There the Lord made for them a statute and a rule, and there he tested them, 26 saying, “If you will diligently listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, your healer. 27 Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they encamped there by the water.”

Sermon Highlights

The only thing that heals bitterness is a revelation of the cross.

Part of our journey towards the promises of God is dealing with the deep issues of our heart.

Bitterness is often the unseen source that is poisoning our lives and limiting our capacity to walk in the promises of God.

The antidote for our bitterness is the cross.

The Gospel is the only thing that can turn the disappointments and hurts of our past and make them sweet.

The cross instructs our hearts that disappointment is not the final word. Healing and peace is.

The testing from the Lord is out of His compassion for us.

Sometimes it takes faith.

The voice of the Lord is greater than the voice of fears.

God is once again calling His Church to remember. Remember who we were created to worship. Remember where we were when He came for us. When we again find ourselves pinned down by impossible circumstances and hear the echoes of accusation pursuing us, we must remember that it is He who is fighting for us, leading us and bringing us into a land flowing with milk and honey. In this hour, it’s time for us follow the fire by night and cloud of His presence by day.

In this sermon called Lessons From the Wilderness, Lee Cummings teaches on the place the Israelites found themselves in the book of Exodus, and how it’s similar to the place we find ourselves in today. The question is, are you going to see it as a blessing or a curse?

Focus Scripture // Exodus 15:22-27 (ESV)

“Then Moses made Israel set out from the Red Sea, and they went into the wilderness of Shur. They went three days in the wilderness and found no water. 23 When they came to Marah, they could not drink the water of Marah because it was bitter; therefore it was named Marah. 24 And the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” 25 And he cried to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a log, and he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet. There the Lord made for them a statute and a rule, and there he tested them, 26 saying, “If you will diligently listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, your healer. 27 Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they encamped there by the water.”

Sermon Highlights

Welcome to the wilderness.

The wilderness was preparation.

Between deliverance from Egyptian bondage and the inheritance of the Promised Land stood the wilderness.

The wilderness represented three distinct purposes for Israel.
1. The wilderness was a test
2. The wilderness was a revelation
3. The wilderness was a highway

God didn’t craft the wilderness just for this moment - the wilderness was always there.

God leads us through natural difficulties to develop supernatural endurance.

The wilderness was designed to refine you, define you, and assign you.

The wilderness was not God’s attempt to destroy you or punish you - the wilderness is God’s crucible to remove the dross of slavery out of you,

God could get the slaves out of Egypt - but He couldn’t get the Egypt out of the slaves.

For all the progress God wants us to experience, there’s a process that we must go through.

The wilderness is actually a blessing

Don’t let the limitations of your faith keep God at a distance.

The process requires us to embrace the wilderness.

God will never waste a crisis. He will be trusted.

In this special Good Friday message called Shelter In Place, Lee Cummings teaches on the Passover and the ultimate sacrifice that Jesus made by dying on the cross.

Focus Scripture // Exodus 12:11-13 (ESV)

“In this manner you shall eat it: with your belt fastened, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. And you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord's Passover. 12 For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the Lord. 13 The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt.”

Sermon Highlights

While in a shelter in place, there was a blessing, joy, and urgency of what was coming.

Pharaoh saw the people as a tool. God saw the people as people.

Jesus became the ultimate fulfillment of Passover.

God was not just delivering the people out of Egypt - He was delivering them from the bondage of Satan.

On the cross, Jesus became the substitute.

Jesus was on the cross rescuing us from an empty life.

Jesus came to ransom and rescue us.

When we connect the dots of Passover, we're left with the cross.

God is once again calling His Church to remember. Remember who we were created to worship. Remember where we were when He came for us. When we again find ourselves pinned down by impossible circumstances and hear the echoes of accusation pursuing us, we must remember that it is He who is fighting for us, leading us and bringing us into a land flowing with milk and honey. In this hour, it’s time for us follow the fire by night and cloud of His presence by day.

On Palm Sunday, Pastor Lee kicks off our Out Of Egypt series with a powerful word on how God is always there to deliver us out of darkness.

Focus Scripture // Exodus 3:1-10 (ESV)

“Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. 3 And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.” 4 When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” 5 Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” 6 And he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.

7 Then the Lord said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, 8 and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 9 And now, behold, the cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. 10 Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt”

Sermon Highlights

You never waste an opportunity.

God is in the midst of retooling, renewing, and reviving the church.

He is the God who performs miracles.

He stepped IN to our Egypt so He could lead us OUT of our Egypt.

We’re all slaves to sin without Jesus, our deliverer.

When the voice of Pharaoh says “it’s never getting better,” Jesus steps in and tears down the lie and sets us free.

God is bringing us out of darkness into light.

In this hour, God is dismantling the idols of our culture.

God doesn’t want happy slaves - He wants joyful sons.

God is awakening His people in this hour.

Delay is not denial.

Week Two of Divine Detour from Lee Cummings challenges us to respond differently in the storm - to arise and shine and trust that God has us every step of the way.

The uncharted, unexpected storms of life will cause you to either sink or rethink.

We have to learn and adapt to this new environment.

This is an hour for us to arise and shine.

We have to respond differently than the world does.

Don’t allow the delay to become a dilemma.

Everything that you need for the next leg of the journey is found in the divine detour.

Embrace the divine detour that God has given you.

Trust God in the midst of the storm.

Responding appropriately in the storm will lead to you being used by God in unprecedented ways.

“May the Lord bless you
and protect you.
May the Lord smile on you
and be gracious to you.
May the Lord show you his favor
and give you his peace.”
Numbers 6:24-26 (NLT)

Need hope in the midst of a storm? Watch this sermon from Lee Cummings that encourages us trust the path that the Lord is taking us on, even when it takes us out of our comfort zone.

Focus Scripture // Acts 27:13-26 (ESV)
"13 Now when the south wind blew gently, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, they weighed anchor and sailed along Crete, close to the shore. 14 But soon a tempestuous wind, called the northeaster, struck down from the land. 15 And when the ship was caught and could not face the wind, we gave way to it and were driven along. 16 Running under the lee of a small island called Cauda, we managed with difficulty to secure the ship's boat. 17 After hoisting it up, they used supports to undergird the ship. Then, fearing that they would run aground on the Syrtis, they lowered the gear, and thus they were driven along. 18 Since we were violently storm-tossed, they began the next day to jettison the cargo. 19 And on the third day they threw the ship's tackle overboard with their own hands. 20 When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned.

21 Since they had been without food for a long time, Paul stood up among them and said, “Men, you should have listened to me and not have set sail from Crete and incurred this injury and loss. 22 Yet now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. 23 For this very night there stood before me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship, 24 and he said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar. And behold, God has granted you all those who sail with you.’ 25 So take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told. 26 But we must run aground on some island.”

Sermon Highlights

God is taking us on a divine detour.

Jesus wants to carry us through the storm.

God’s purposes are always greater. He rarely moves in a straight line.

God is reviving and revitalizing us.

God is reviving the church to our first love.

Prayer is the key to revival.

Our hope is built on nothing less than Jesus Christ.

Trade in your anxiety for thankfulness.

With uncertainty, panic, and fear surrounding the coronavirus in the U.S., Lee Cummings brings a timely word encouraging us to stand firm in the storm and trust that the Lord will get us through.

Focus Scripture // Mark 4:35-41 (ESV)

“35 On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” 36 And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. 37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. 38 But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” 39 And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40 He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no
faith?” 41 And they were filled with great fear and said to one
another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

Sermon Highlights

What was a comfort zone becomes a panic room and a battle ground.

God uses the storm to reveal the other side of Himself and refine the other side of us.

The greatest storms we face are within us.

When the waves and wind come - it reveals lies, doubts, fears, and what we really believe about God

Storms neither shake Him, nor wake Him - they unveil Him!

Jesus took a great storm and turned it into a great calm.

Will we partner with the storm or with the one in our boat that the wind and the waves obey?

Will we be paralyzed or mobilized?

Building A Radiant City is our series that is propelling Radiant Church into a three-year initiative to further the Kingdom of God by expanding to make room for more people to encounter the love of God!

In week two of this series, Lee Cummings focuses on Nehemiah 2 and discusses comfort and the importance of being willing to let go in order to fulfill the calling that God has for our lives, and through our lives.

Focus Scripture // Nehemiah 2:1-8 (ESV)
“In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, I took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad in his presence. 2 And the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, seeing you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of the heart.” Then I was very much afraid. 3 I said to the king, “Let the king live forever! Why should not my face be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' graves, lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?” 4 Then the king said to me, “What are you requesting?” So I prayed to the God of heaven. 5 And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers' graves, that I may rebuild it.” 6 And the king said to me (the queen sitting beside him), “How long will you be gone, and when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me when I had given him a time. 7 And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, let letters be given me to the governors of the province Beyond the River, that they may let me pass through until I come to Judah, 8 and a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the king's forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress of the temple, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall occupy.” And the king granted me what I asked, for the good hand of my God was upon me."

Sermon Highlights

Are you willing to let go of comfort?

Holding on to what you have is the riskiest thing you can do.

You become a magnet for the favor of God when you live for others.

God wants to use us as agents of change.

Believe that God hears you.

Believe that God has positioned you.

Believe that God will use you and desires to use you.

The cause was worth the cost.

Change is hard because people overestimate the value of what they have and underestimate the value of what they may gain by giving up.

“Our greatest fear should not be of failure, but of succeeding at something that doesn't really matter.” D.L Moody

In this sermon from our March Seek First gathering, guest speaker Choco De Jesus teaches on God's presence and the importance of remaining near to His word.

Focus Scripture // Psalm 42:1-5 (NIV)
"1 As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? 3 My tears have been my food day and night, while people say to me all day long, “Where is your God?” 4 These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go to the house of God under the protection of the Mighty One with shouts of joy and praise among the festive throng. 5 Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God."

Sermon Highlights

Abandon your faith in money - put your faith in God.

Where there is no vision, people perish.

You will notice symptoms if you turn away from God.

When God's presence is in you, something becomes different.

Truth alone won't set you free. Knowing the truth will.

Stay in God's presence - that's what makes the difference.

His presence will draw people.

There are millions in the shallow, but only hundreds in the deep.

In this special sermon, Lee Cummings speaks from Nehemiah 1 and shares the Radiant City Vision, a three-year initiative to further the Kingdom of God by expanding to make room for more people to encounter the love of God!

Focus Scripture // Nehemiah 1:1-11 (ESV)

"The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah. Now it happened in the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Susa the citadel, 2 that Hanani, one of my brothers, came with certain men from Judah. And I asked them concerning the Jews who escaped, who had survived the exile, and concerning Jerusalem. 3 And they said to me, “The remnant there in the province who had survived the exile is in great trouble and shame. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are destroyed by fire.” 4 As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven. 5 And I said, “O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 6 let your ear be attentive and your eyes open, to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel your servants, confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Even I and my father's house have sinned. 7 We have acted very corruptly against you and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, and the rules that you commanded your servant Moses. 8 Remember the word that you commanded your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples, 9 but if you return to me and keep my commandments and do them, though your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there I will gather them and bring them to the place that I have chosen, to make my name dwell there.’ 10 They are your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed by your great power and by your strong hand. 11 O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name, and give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.” Now I was cupbearer to the king."

Sermon Highlights

Nehemiah = "The Lord comforts" or "The comforter."

Nehemiah was changed by what he heard.

The city was changed by what Nehemiah did with what he heard.

Will we be spectators or builders?

Spectator = Observes what happens today with little hope of seeing what should be.

Builder = Leverages what they have today to see what must be tomorrow.