Church of The Redeemer - Sermons

Just like news stations interrupt regular programming to bring you special alerts, Malachi disrupts our ways of living so we may hear God clearly. In Malachi's time, God's chosen people still live in the unfaithful ways of their ancestors. They question God's love, despise and defile his temple, pursue unfaithfulness, question justice, neglect proper worship, and remain cynical about wholly servin...

Feats of human endurance can be found all around us; from ultra-marathoners to world records, humans can do incredible things. This is why the author of Hebrews draws on the analogy of running with endurance to describe the Christian life in chapter twelve. Endurance is required as we run the race with faithfulness, keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus.

Our world is filled with fear and discouragement. We are told to follow our hearts and discover our purpose to what end? In Joshua 1, we meet a man who must take on the responsibility of leading a nation to war. God meets him amid any fear and discouragement with the command to be strong and courageous! It was a call Joshua needed then, and it's a call we need today.

Have you ever been so thirsty that you felt the effects of not drinking water? This is the exact spiritual place where the writer of Psalm 42-43 finds themselves. They are desperate for God and long to be in his presence. We often find ourselves in similar circumstances as we enter spiritual deserts. Can there be any hope found in those places? Yes. It is through Christ that we can tend to our lon...

The more we feel the weight of our calling, the greater our feeling of responsibility to live up to that calling grows. In Philippians 1:27, Paul calls the church, "As citizens of heaven, live your life worthy of the gospel of Christ." That call was not just for the church then, but it's for us today. How can we live worthy of the gospel and what are the dangers if we fail in this calling?

In the buzz and excitement of the new year, we must remember that we don't know what will happen in 2024. What happens when our goals or resolutions go unachieved? Deeper still, what happens to our hearts when we encounter affliction instead? How should we respond? From the example of Paul in 2 Corinthians 1:8-11, we see that God gives us the gift of need through trials of affliction as a testimon...

We can all think back to the best gifts received at Christmas. The beauty of gifts is that, in their essence, they are not earned or deserved. Rather, gifts are an overflow of the giver. From John 1:14-18, we remember the greatest gift we have received this Christmas season is Jesus Christ.

C.S. Lewis once wrote that there are only three responses to Jesus: we either think of him as a liar, a lunatic, or Lord. The Apostle John confronts us with this reality in the opening verses of his gospel in John 1:1-13. In these verses, we see that the same person who creates and sustains the world is the same person who comes to transform your life from darkness to light. Your response to the l...

We are living in an anxiety-prone world. With the rise of smartphone technology, unfettered access to media consumption, and endless distractions, we have become known as the anxious generation. So in Matthew 6:25-34 when Jesus commands us not to worry, it almost seems trite and easily skippable. But the command not to worry should be followed not because he is an overzealous command sergeant, but...

Just like a check engine light is a diagnostic for our car's health, God's word acts as a diagnostic for our hearts. But diagnostics are only as good as the actions we are willing to take to fix the issue. Matthew 6:19-24 functions as a diagnostic for our hearts. In examining the role of money and possessions in our lives, Jesus reveals that our allegiance to the king and his kingdom is known by t...

Having outlined the kingdom rhythms of giving and prayer, Jesus now leads his disciples through the rhythm of fasting. Fasting conjures up all sorts of images not just in our time, but in Jesus' time, which need to be corrected and challenged. Here in Matthew 6:16-18, Jesus reveals that in the kingdom rhythm of fasting, believers find their needs satisfied in the presence of the king.

At Jesus ends the Lord's Prayer in Matthew 6:13, we must remember that there are real supernatural dangers in this world. But while there are dangers both outside (Satan) and inside (our sin), Jesus has conquered them so we can pray confidently for perseverance and protection.

When we see moments of forgiveness, we are deeply moved. But how would we respond if we were the one wronged? Should we forgive only when someone repents to us? In the Lord's Prayer, Jesus calls us to receive and extend forgiveness no matter the circumstances.

In our fast-paced modern world, it can be easy to forget that we are not the ones who ultimately provide for our needs. We can't even provide for our biggest need: escape from sin, death, and hell. But even when we recognize this, we fall into spiritual amnesia, forgetting the Father provides not just every spiritual but physical need. But the good news of the gospel is that Jesus rescues us from...

*Due to technical difficulties, the audio may sound different than normal* What is God's will for my life? This is a question many of us have asked before. While we often think of God's will being something we need to discover before we make a decision, that's not how the Bible refers to it. In fact, in Matthew 6:10 Jesus teaches us that we should align our lives and prayers to the Father's will....

As we reach the end of our Unless The Lord Builds capital campaign, we need to reflect on the promises and warnings of Psalm 127. The promise of Psalm 127 is that we'll only succeed at what we're doing unless the Lord builds it. The warning is that if we make our endeavors about ourselves, we build in vain.

One of the worst results of the Fall in Genesis 3 is that instead of pursuing God's kingdom we pursue our own. In the Lord's Prayer, Jesus sets our priorities straight: because of the Father's already and not yet kingdom, we pray for his rule and reign to be known not just in the world, but in our hearts, minds, will, and strength.

What's in a name? A name is significant for many reasons in the Bible, especially for God. So when Jesus teaches his disciples to honor God's name as holy, he does so for a very specific purpose. This approach to prayer shapes how we petition God for ourselves and others. This means that because the Father is holy, we should approach prayer as worship.

In contrast to the insecurity of the hypocrites and anxiousness of the Gentiles in Matthew 6:5-8, Jesus teaches his disciples to pray from a place of intimacy. It's in these four words in Matthew 6:9 that we discover that kingdom prayer begins with childlike comfort and confidence.

Contrary to popular opinion, prayer is not simply about putting our petitions before God or about maintaining a righteous appearance before others. Prayer is about fostering intimacy between us and the God of the universe. It is through prayer that we come face to face with the king. Because Jesus has paid for our access, we can approach the Father humbly and thoughtfully in prayer.

As we explore the rhythms of the kingdom, we cannot help but come face-to-face with the king. In Matthew 6:2-4, Jesus unveils the truth, warning, hope, and rhythm about giving our money. In doing so, we come face-to-face with the heart of the generous God.

We live in a world created for rhythms. From the seasons to team sports, rhythms constitute the ebb and flow of our daily lives. But if we're not careful, we can make participating in these rhythms the markers of our righteousness before others and God, rather than drawing nearer to the One for whom all rhythms point. It is in Matthew 6 that we see what it looks like for kingdom citizens to embrac...

Over the past few weeks, we have examined the different responses to suffering. Job begins well by worshipping God but is immediately confronted by his less-than-helpful friends who think Job must have sinned in order for this level of suffering to enter his life. For over 35 chapters, God remains silent. But in chapter 38, God answers Job's accusations. We see in these final few chapters of Job t...

Due to the rebellion of Adam and Eve, we are all tempted to sin especially when we are suffering. Suffering seems to amplify current temptations or reveal ones our hearts are prone to. There is a temptation to sin in the midst of suffering, but we are reminded through Elihu's speech that we can suffer well because God holds everything together in Jesus Christ.

When suffering hits, it attracts all sorts of people. From huggers to criers and most of all fixers. Many of us believe we can fix suffering like Job's friends, but we can't. We need a better, more sure anchor in our trials. In Zophar's dialogue with Job, we'll see that because God is eternally faithful, we can anchor ourselves to his mercy, wisdom, and strength in the midst of suffering.