He Has a Reputation - Mercy Road Church Northwest

Week 4

November 19, 2023 • Chris Dunbar • Daniel 3:8–28

I have been an aspiring woodworker most of my adult life. The problem is that I have never invested in the right tools nor have I asked the right people to show me how to build things. Leaving my early projects...less than desirable. My first table may have stood up and held a cup of water but the second I went to put any legitimate weight on it, the posts started to shake like your grandma's Jello at Thanksgiving. What we see happening in our society today is people clambering and striving to find the right platform to stand on that will reveal their true identity. The problem is that there is nothing in this world that can bear the weight of the world. So what ends up happening is people platform themselves on someone or something that when the pressures and sufferings come, like my first table, the platform gives way under the weight - leaving our identities in pieces. But what if we found a platform worthy of standing on? Something strong - something that does not only bear the weight of the world but has overcome the world? Something or someone so strong that, when the pressures and sufferings come, we are able to stand firm in our identities knowing that we are not alone. Join us for this week's message as we look at the story of three young men staring into a fiery furnace and what they can teach us on how we can stand firm in the face of pressure and suffering without compromising our faith AND without compromising our witness.

Week 5

November 26, 2023 • Raven Moody • Esther 8

Saying yes to God may be hard at times. It may even cost you something, but the discomfort will never compare to the way God will use you when you give Him your yes. God has a plan for each and every one of His children, and desires to reach other people through us. There are people He puts us in close proximity with to bless, but we must be willing to be obedient to the call. God has a reputation of raising up those who raise up others. Will you say yes, or will you discover the consequences to saying no to His call?

Week 3

November 12, 2023 • Luke Edgerton • 1 Samuel 17

Throughout my twenties, I became pretty good at rock climbing. I worked for a camp in Durango, CO where I guided teenagers in the Rocky Mountains, and also in the desert of Utah, on rock climbing adventures. I had received a good amount of training and experience over the years and had spent a lot of my resources investing in high-end gear. I even spent three months in New Zealand getting further training and experience in mountain travel and climbing. I was capable of leading multi-pitch sport climbs where you hook the rope into pre-anchored protective gear on the rock as you ascend, as well as traditional climbing, where you place the safety gear into the available cracks and crevices of the rock as you ascend and then clip your rope into the gear. I had the opportunity to climb in many states and even different countries - Indian Creek, Utah; Joshua Tree, CA; and Red River Gorge, KY, to name a few famous destinations. By all intents and purposes, I was a better-than-average climber - but far from the best. But I had one thing going for me: I was fearless … or at least I thought. Then a friend of mine who had far more experience and far more knowledge of climbing invited me to climb Castleton Tower in the desert of Utah. A 400-foot, 4-pitch tower of sandstone that commands your attention. But here’s the crazy part - he invited me to climb it at night. And nighttime in the desert is complete darkness. To say I was scared didn’t quite capture the reality of it all. I was terrified of that height and petrified we would be climbing it at night with headlamps on. I know you're facing something that you're terrified of. But I think you're better suited to face it than you might think. What’s done is the name of the Lord comes charged with the power of the Lord. The summit of Castleton Tower was breathtaking. Join us this week as we open God's Word and examine the fascinating and incredible story of David & Goliath.

Week 2

November 5, 2023 • Luke Edgerton • Joshua 6:1–20

Creation was a process Canonization was a process Redemption was a process Sanctification is a process Actually, the Bible is full of processes. God’s means of promise-keeping aren’t magical, they're methodical. And often God’s methods don’t move at our speed. Our impatience is a sign of distrust. We look at the story of Jericho in Joshua 6 this weekend. This true story is fascinating at every turn. One thing that this story will reveal among many is that God asks his people to embrace His process before He fulfills his promise. Some of you have been going in what feels like circles - but what if those reps were part of the plan? God has a reputation of fulfilling a promise by means of a process.

Week 1

October 29, 2023 • Luke Edgerton • Exodus 14:10–28

Our perception of God’s goodness more often matches the degree of pain and trial in our lives than that of His reputation. What is God's reputation? Is He trustworthy? Is He dependable? Is He consistent? Is He good? Have we made up our mind about God? The Bible anchors God’s reputation in and by God’s own self-disclosure. The Bible presents a God who is both imminent and transcendent - both merciful and just. God's reputation transcends our present realities and personally invites us to welcome God’s Son, Jesus, into our lives. He is trustworthy. He is dependable. He is consistent. He is good. And your pain and trials don’t compromise that. I know you're going through some stuff today. But God Has a Reputation. Exodus https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69ahxgpq7_i&t=614s "The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still."