RUF at Wake Forest

Hear Rev. Jonah Hooper preach that when Christ is all in all for us, Jesus plus nothing is everything. He is our prize, and that changes everything. 

Hear Rev. Kevin Teasely preach that being full of faith means that we’ve give up on ourselves completely and are clinging to Jesus because he’s all we’ve got. Being full of faith is not something that we do, so much as it is something we are.

Hear Rev. Ethan Smith preach that the fear of the Lord drives out all other fear. We fear the Lord not from a place of anxiety, but confidence in His kindness.

What is the core of the Christian faith?  Hear Rev. Derek Radney preach that love and repentance are the core of the faith. As the beloved of God, Christians are called to love one another.

Who are our enemies?  Hear Matt Williams preach that our enemies are those who would take from us, and that Jesus calls us to give to anyone who would take from us.

Hear Rev. Jonah Hooper preach that Christians are not just great friends in Christ, but that they are a family in Christ. So, Christians have family obligations to love, serve and reconcile with one another.

Hear Rev. Chris Horne preach that if you are a Christian, you are God’s child, and he is well pleased with you.

In his last sermon for RUF at Wake Forest, hear Rev. John Bourgeois preach that Jesus’ resurrection has changed everything. God is at work, and he is bringing His resurrection life to bear on the world as far as the curse is found.

Is there still glory in the world?  Hear Matt Williams preach that Jesus’ transfiguration gives us a taste of glory. While we’re on the road of suffering, a taste of glory is like food for the journey.

How can we be healed?  Hear Rev. John Bourgeois preach that while we have a spiritual sickness we can’t heal ourselves, Jesus came to take the full force of evil on himself to free those he loves. Satan was cast into the pit of hell forever through Jesus’ suffering on the cross.

Does life feel like a storm right now?  Hear Rev. John Bourgeois preach that while our lives are full of legitimately scary storms, Jesus was thrown into the one storm that can actually sink us: the storm of sin and death. He did not abandon us in the ultimate storm, so we can have confidence that he will never abandon us in the smaller storms we are feeling right now.

How can we change?  Hear Rev. John Bourgeois preach that Jesus can change your life. He can give you the transformation that you long for. His method of change is organic and not mechanical. When you receive his word deep in your heart, it supernaturally produces fruit that changes you from the inside out.

What is your “if only”? Hear Rev. John Bourgeois preach that our deepest need is to receive forgiveness, but we tend to think our needs are much shallower. If only we could get that MCAT or LSAT score, or if only we could be in with that group of people, then our lives would be okay. Thankfully, Jesus sees through our shallow diagnoses and extends the forgiveness that our hearts truly long for.

Have you ever been in a crisis?  Hear Rev. John Bourgeois preach on a text about a crisis—the crisis of the true King of Creation announcing the arrival of his kingdom. The true King, Jesus, calls us to drop our pride and follow him.

Why does life so often feel so hard?  Hear Rev. John Bourgeois preach that God sends us into the wilderness because we are His beloved children. In the wilderness, God strips us of our spiritual pride and busyness so we can finally rest in him. He makes His power perfect in our weakness.

Seniors in RUF share about how they have seen God at work during their time at Wake Forest.

Can Jesus really handle our mess? Hear Ellis Keifer reflect on how Jesus did not wait for her to get her mess together, but that he met her in the midst of it. Hear her teach that He will meet you, too.

What does God actually think about us? Hear Rev. John Bourgeois preach that God delights over and rejoices in those who believe in Jesus. Judgement day has passed—God enjoys being with you.

Why did a good God allow sin into his good world? Hear Rev. John Bourgeois preach that God allowed sin into the world because redemption is better than perfection. God is not waiting for you to finally get it right; He wants to redeem you to be a part of his kingdom that comes as far as the curse is found.

What does God think of you? Hear Rev. John Bourgeois preach that we are all covered in the excrement of our sin, Jesus cleans us and clothes us in garments of white. And so we can live with him, unashamed and unafraid.

Will God deal with evil in the world? Hear Matt Williams preach that we experience evil everyday, both evil that is done to us and evil that we do to others. We all deserve judgement. But on the cross, Jesus broke the power of evil and saved us in the process.

Why do Christians repent? Hear Rev. John Bourgeois preach that Christianity is fundamentally about repentance. It is a lifestyle of confessing our sin to God and each other, knowing that we will be met with forgiveness and restoration.

How can I be happy? Hear Rev. John Bourgeois preach that happiness comes from remembering God’s goodness. The only way to remember is repetition—continually being reminded that God is good. Seeking happiness anywhere else will just torture us because we are not our fantasy selves.

Do you want justice to roll down? Hear Rev. John Bourgeois preach that yes, we all yearn for justice on a deep level, but we find in the Bible that we ourselves are the perpetrators of injustice. The Christian is the one who’s injustice has been forgiven, and who works alongside Jesus for justice in this world.

Does God love you like Hosea loves his wife? Yes! Hear Rev. John Bourgeois preach that we have been sold like slaves on the auction block of sin, but when all seemed lost, God sent Jesus Christ to buy us at the cost of his own life. We are his.