RUF at UNCW

The Apostles Creed is not in the Bible, but it summarizes the big story of the Bible--everything from Creation and Fall to Redemption and Restoration. In this week's sermon, we move from what Jesus has done (past tense) to the present and future tense— what Jesus is doing and will do in the future when he "returns to judge the living and the dead." Scripture teaches us that the prese...

The Apostles’ Creed is the oldest, and most widely accepted statement of faith in Christianity. It wasn’t written by the Apostles (Jesus’s companions) but it became accepted in the early centuries as a faithful summary of what the Apostles taught. In this week's sermon, we are looking the often misunderstood (and sometimes overlooked) part of the Creed which talks about Jesus' descent into...

The Apostles’ Creed is the oldest, and most widely accepted statement of faith in Christianity. It wasn’t written by the Apostles (Jesus’s companions) but it became accepted in the early centuries as a faithful summary of what the Apostles taught. In this week's sermon, we are  looking at Jesus's suffering and death on the cross, and what that accomplishes for us.  As we examine the cruc...

The Apostles’ Creed is the oldest, and most widely accepted statement of faith in Christianity. It wasn’t written by the Apostles (Jesus’s companions) but it became accepted in the early centuries as a faithful summary of what the Apostles taught. In this week's sermon, we are continuing to learn about the second person of the Trinity, Jesus Christ, and the way that his incarnation (taking on fles...

The Apostles’ Creed is the oldest, and most widely accepted statement of faith in Christianity. It wasn’t written by the Apostles (Jesus’s companions) but it became accepted in the early centuries as a faithful summary of what the Apostles taught. In this week's sermon, we move from God the Father to looking at the person and work of Jesus, God the Son.  We will see that the early church saw...

The Apostles’ Creed is the oldest, and most widely accepted statement of faith in Christianity. It wasn’t written by the Apostles (Jesus’s companions) but it became accepted in the early centuries as a faithful summary of what the Apostles taught. The Creed starts where the Bible starts, by reminding us of our place God's created universe. We see that we are not the main character in our stories....

The Apostles’ Creed is the oldest, and most widely accepted statement of faith in Christianity. It wasn’t written by the Apostles (Jesus’s companions) but it became accepted in the early centuries as a faithful summary of what the Apostles taught. Think of the creed like the moon. The moon doesn’t produce light on its own, but because it reflects the sun's light, a full moon can shine quite a bit...

This week we are finishing our Large Group series on Galatians! In this final section, the Apostle Paul closes his letter with a vivid description of the “good life” in Christian community, where both our identity and our ethics flow out of the gracious love of God. In v. 15, Paul uses an important phrase: “a new creation.” The new creation refers to God’s promise to re-make this created world in...

As we continue our RUF Large Group series in Galatians, this weeks passage focuses in on the Gospel's effect on our relationships within the Christian community. In Galatians 5 and 6, Paul reminds us that God the Spirit not only saves us, He also empowers us for loving relationships with others. Practically,  this means that God the Spirit changes us from a “your life for mine” life, to live...

In this week's passage from Galatians, the Apostle Paul begins to explain how salvation by grace through faith in Jesus produces real, lasting change in those whom Christ saves. And that real, lasting change, Paul says, comes not by external works, nor by mere willpower, but by the indwelling power of the third person of the trinity! In other words, the Christian life is a life that only the Spiri...

In this week's passage from Galatians, the Apostle Paul moves from defense of the true gospel to application of that gospel.  He argues that the freedom from condemnation and fear that Jesus gives necessarily leads those who come to faith in Christ to live lives of free obedience to God.   QUOTES:  “The great paradox of the Bible is that the commands of God make spacious p...

In this passage from Galatians 4, Paul closes his argument about freedom and slavery by making an analogy from the book of Genesis. As we follow Paul's logic, we see that gospel reverses the values of the world (and popular religious culture!)--the ‘able’ and the proud are out, the morally sick and sinful are welcomed in. “Christians who are no longer sure that God loves and accepts them in Jesus,...

“A person is a heart soul and strength complex designed for love, who really needs to flourish, to be recognized by other persons as a person, and whether or not we get that recognition is much of the drama of human life.”-- Andy Crouch Our Western world has long emphasized knowledge—factual information and “proof”—over the process of being known by God and others. No wonder, then, that despite al...

In this week's message from our series in Galatians, Paul continues his defense of the Gospel. He demonstrates that because Jesus died the death you should’ve died, you can enjoy the rights and privileges that he alone deserves. On the cross, Jesus was treated the way we deserved to be treated, so that all those who believe in Him could be treated as Jesus deserved to be treated: as beloved sons o...

At the beginning of Galatians chapter 3 we saw that way back in ancient History, God made an audacious promise to a man named Abram. The promise was that God would be with him, and he would bless him in such a way that the entire world would be blessed through Abram and through his descendants. This week, Paul continues to show from the Old Testament Scripture that because Christianity is fundamen...

In this week's message from our RUF Large Group series on Galatians, Paul begins to directly address the teaching that has tripped up the new Christians in Galatia. In the process, he reminds us that we make progress in our relationship with God in the same way we begin: by grace, through simple faith in Jesus Christ.  “God is a vast reservoir of blessing who supplies us abundantly. If we los...

In this week's message from our fall RUF Large Group series on Galatians, Paul argues that the freedom we have through Jesus is so good that it even extends to the ways we mess up after coming to faith.  Our acceptance by God in Christ is not improved by our good deeds, nor is it undone by our disobedience. The gospel means that a Christian can fail, but not be a failure.  “As we sin dai...

In this week's large group message, Paul continues his autobiography. Paul argues that since we are fully accepted by God without anything “added” besides faith in Christ, then we should, without anything added besides faith in Christ, fully accept other Christians.  “The Gospel sets freedom at the very center of existence. It is not an extra, not an option, not a superstructure on a foundati...

In this week's Large Group message, Guest preacher Rev. Jay Denton from Downtown Presbyterian Church teaches on Psalm 139. This Psalm beautifully contemplates the omniscience and omnipresence of God, not in the abstract, but in a way that is deeply personal. J. A. Motyer summarized its theme as “No escape and no regrets.” We hope you'll benefit from this sermon!  DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: Which d...

In this weeks message from Galatians, we see Paul continuing his the introduction to his letter by reminding the Galatian Christians of his own story. In Paul's biography, he highlights both the dramatic change that occurred in his life, and the source of that transformation. This passage shows us that the good news of the Gospel gives us a more powerful motive for change than earning the approval...

In this introductory passage from Galatians, we see Paul reaching out to his friends with both clarity and vulnerability. In this week's large group message, we are reminded that the Gospel is good news, not good advice-- and this seemingly small distinction makes all the difference in the world.  “For there is no middle ground between Christian righteousness and works- righteousness. There i...

In this first message of the semester, we look at the picture of the Christian Life that Jesus himself gives in Matthew 11. In this passage, we learn that Jesus is calling his followers into a lifelong process of growing in grace. We hope you enjoy this episode! 

Q. What is your only comfort in life and in death? A. That I am not my own, but belong—body and soul, in life and in death— to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ. He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood, and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil. He also watches over me in such a way that not a hair can fall from my head without the will of my Father in heaven; in fact, all...

Q. What is the aim of the ninth command?   A. “That I never give false testimony against anyone, twist no one’s words, not gossip or slander, nor join in condemning anyone rashly or without a hearing. Rather, in court and everywhere else, I should avoid lying and deceit of every kind; these are the very devices the devil uses, and they would call down on me God’s intense wrath. I should love...

"In our post-sexual-revolution culture, there seems to be wide agreement among young adults that sex is good and the more of it we have, the better . . . In this landscape, there is only one rule: Get consent from your partner beforehand . . . But the outcome is a world in which young people are both liberated and miserable. While college scandals and the #MeToo moment may have cemented a baseline...