Redemption Church - Sermons

Throughout the summer, we've been journeying through the Psalms of Ascent seeking to find time-tested direction for our own lives as we move towards maturity in our life with God. Join us this week, as wrap up our series exploring Psalm 133 as it points us to a critical, but often neglected, ingredient in our spiritual journey.

As complex people in a confusing world, we find it easy to fluctuate between extremes of pride (I have it all figured out!) and panic (I don’t know anything at all!). This week, Psalm 131 calls us to calm and quiet our own souls, even in the middle of the great mysteries of life.

Ever feel out of your depth? Like there is no way out of the hurt, fear, and brokenness? For many of us, it feels like the night will never turn to day and we're stuck in the situation at hand. What do we do? Join us on Sunday as we unpack a reason for hope - not just for today or tomorrow, but for eternity. 

The abundance of self-help books and life hacks in our world is a testimony to the fact our lives are not quite right and that we desire a better way forward. But like any problem, before we jump to solutions we need to understand what's gone wrong. Join us Sunday as we seek to understand the problem, and, in the process, discover a blueprint for life far more transcendent and helpful than the lat...

This week, we see how three great endeavors of human existence — significance, security, and restful sleep — all fall under God’s providence. No matter how diligently we work, how carefully we protect, how intensely we seek a way forward, our striving is meaningless “unless the Lord” shows up for us. But the Lord love to give to his beloved.

Laughter is essential to Christian faith. This week, we see the importance of celebrating the goodness God brings in our lives: “the Lord has done great things for us; we are glad.” These gospel memories strengthen us for tougher times that are sure to come, and they increase our faith in God’s promise that joy has the final word in our lives.

Where do you find confidence for your life that is lasting and strong? In contrast to our world of fickle feelings and temporary highs, God's people are confident because they are surrounded by God himself. Join us this weekend, as we learn ancient wisdom for all those who seek to walk with trust in the Lord.

As we journey through life we will regularly encounter great difficulty, which sometimes leads us to question our faith and doubt God. In these moments we often turn away from God, but when we turn towards God in difficulty and doubt we often find fertile soil for our faith to grow. Join us Sunday as we learn from David's experience how to seek the Lord in times of pain and suffering.

In contrast to our instant-everything world, spiritual growth is a slow, winding journey on the long road to a God-given destination. Christians often use the metaphor of a journey to describe what it’s like to move toward maturity in life with God. In ancient times, the people of God would literally travel together on the road to Jerusalem for worship. Since the city was at the highest elevation...

Do you believe you have a Heavenly Father who cares for you but still find yourself anxious and discontent? You're not alone. Because beliefs are important but they aren't enough to change us. As we conclude our series this Sunday, we'll consider Jesus' climatic invitation to bring all of life into alignment with his kingdom as the surprising catalyst that helps us move from anxiety towards conten...

Where do you go with your worry? Scripture tells us to go to God, “casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7). We find freedom from our striving for significance, image, and external validation by cultivating personal, soul-strengthening life with God. This week, we will explore how we can deepen our relationship with the Lord.

What keeps us from enjoying more contentment in our lives? When we become stuck in a mindset of comparison, criticism, or cynicism, we will find that contentment is impossible to find. In our search to be content in all circumstances, Jesus will point us to Gospel truth and confidence in the care of our Heavenly Father.

Jesus said, “Do not be anxious about your life.” Well, that’s easier said than done! We all feel the pull toward some version of the good life—however we choose to define it. In our own way, we each want to be noticed, respected, seen, secure. Modern technology and social media exploit our impulse to perform, increasing the pressure to play the comparison game. Against this constant struggle, let’...

Do you view all of life through the lens of grace? This week, we conclude our series looking at the end of Jacob’s life. After all the twists and turns, fits and starts, ups and downs of his life, the mature Jacob becomes a billboard for grace, recognizing God’s care through all that lies behind and rejoicing in God’s blessing for all that lies ahead. It’s one thing to run to grace in a moment of...

Have you ever made such a mess in your life that you wondered if God was done with you? After a dark season of spiritual drift in Jacob’s life, God intervenes again. Over and over in Jacob’s journey, God’s relentless grace seeks Jacob out. This week, we are reminded that the Lord pursues us wherever we go, keeps his promises, and invites us to dwell with Him. Note: Please note that this chapter in...

Do you ever think that small decisions won’t lead to big trouble? It seems like Jacob’s troubles are behind him, now that Laban and Esau are out of the way. But sometimes, a place of comfort can become a place of compromise. In Genesis 34, it all takes a tragic turn as one devastation follows another. Scripture does not hide the ugly side of human nature, and we are left looking for God’s delivera...

What does it look like to have a life-changing encounter with God? It’s an important question, maybe even an intimidating question. This week’s sermon looks at one of the most famous scenes in all the Bible: Jacob wrestling with God. God engages Jacob at the point of his greatest weakness and transforms his life completely while also leaving him limping toward home.

An Easter Sunday message from Jeff Lawrence, Lead Pastor of Redemption Church.

Does life feel like a roller coaster sometimes? Jacob's life certainly did. This week, we'll look at another twist and turn in Jacob's life as he prepares to meet his brother Esau again after 20 years. Jacob's situation will give us an honest picture of the difficulties of life in our world, but it will also point us to hope in the midst of whatever life throws our way.

How do the routine frustrations of life teach us to lean on God? This week, we continue our journey with Jacob as he experiences both professional success and business corruption in his partnership with his father-in-law Laban. In our study, we will see how common conflicts of life, though annoying in the moment, can be used by God to shape our faith and bless our lives.

What do you want from life? We all have heart longings that demand our attention and drive our emotions. This is a normal part of life. But things get messy when we set an inordinate amount of hope on someone or something that can never fulfill us. This week, we watch Jacob’s wives seek to win affection, appreciation, and significance in all the wrong ways. It’s a complete mess! Yet God works thro...

Have you ever set your heart on some great goal only to be disappointed in the end? This week, we see Jacob’s disillusionment in the very moment he thought would be the highlight of his life. Yet even when the trickster gets tricked, God is at work to bring about his good. Join us as we see how our disappointments reveal desires that only find their fulfillment in God.f

What kind of people does God love? It’s an important question that this passage answers for us. To this point in Genesis, we’ve not seen anything admirable about Jacob — not his character, not his morality, not his spirituality. When Jacob is on the run, unsuspecting, and fast asleep, the gate of heaven opens to reveal God’s grace. Jacob was not looking for God, but God came looking for Jacob.

To be experts in grace, we must first admit we are experts in sin. Of course, none of us like to talk about our failures, but they’re still there. In some ways, things are complicated because good and evil keep showing up together, side-by-side, in our lives. So, we dress up our good intentions and do the best we can. But what if grace offered us a better way?

In the Age of Amazon, we've grown accustomed to having whatever we want delivered to our doorstop in two days or less. And it's not just Amazon. We can order food, stream movies, and communicate with others in an instant. But have you ever wondered what this instant, easy access to everything is doing to our spiritual lives? In week two of our series, we'll look at Jacob's dad Isaac and see how li...