Sermons: Recent Episodes
Redemption Church: Chesapeake, VA
In todays sermon, Josh tackles the question of "How can God be good if there is still suffering in this world?"
In todays sermon, Mike talks about the resurrection of Christ and how it is foundation to Christianity.
Is Christianity becoming outdated? Can we really trust that the Bible is true? Join us this summer as we tackle some difficult issues relating to the Christian faith and the culture in which we find ourselves. We will tackle questions regarding the validity of the resurrection, the uniqueness of Jesus, why bad things happen to good people, and the exclusivity of Christianity.
We all love secrets. In this sermon pastor Scott examines the secrets of the kingdom of God. Jesus, for those who have eyes to see, invites us to participate in his quiet yet powerful kingdom.
In the sermon passage today, Jesus draws his followers and us into understanding what it means to be part of the family of the kingdom of God. When we understand this family, it causes us to re-envision and reimagine our own perceptions on family priorities in light of the already coming kingdom of Jesus.
Jesus told the religious leaders of his day that if they blaspheme the Spirit of God, they will not be forgiven. The reason is because words matter since words come from the abundance of our heart. Jesus teaches us that we are to be careful with the words we speak because they reveal our hearts.
In this passage, Jesus is confronted by the Pharisees, who accused him of casting out demons through Satan's power. Jesus not only dismantles their accusation but then highlights how it is only through the Spirit that the kingdom is advancing.
Jesus calls us to realize that in our union with him we live as those who have already died, which empowers us to embrace the hidden realties of life through living out the True Story of God.
In this week’s sermon we examine how Jesus came as the messianic servant to bring justice to the earth. He did not just come to forgive people of their sins to go to heaven, but from his very own mouth he claims to be the One who would restore justice and righteousness back to this earth.
In Matthew 12:9-14, Jesus heals a man with a withered hand on the Sabbath. This use of power helps us to understand what the true intention of the Sabbath is.
In Matthew 12:1-8 Jesus addresses us and the Pharisees by showing how he is the True Sabbath and True Temple, but we learn that realizing that is designed to lead us towards mercy.
In the sermon today, we look at the heart of Jesus and what His heart really means for followers of Christ.
In the passage today, Jesus calls upon the people to reflect on what repentance and standing in the Kingdom looks like.
Everyone has desires. Christians often think of desires as a bad thing that should be suppressed and ignored. However, Scott walks us through how our desires are real, powerful, and can lead us to Jesus.
The most central and integral part of Jesus' ministry is the Kingdom of God. As we return to our series on the Good News Kingdom, we look at the beginning of the opposition to this Kingdom.
If all these Gospel Foundations we have discussed are true, how do we now live that out in Hamptons Roads or wherever we live? How do we apply Romans 12 to our lives today?
As Christians, it is often easy to understand our role in the story of God. However, understanding the Church's role in this story is sometimes more complex. This week, we take a look at the role of the Church in the Story of God.
Our hearts reveal a variety of things. What do our hearts look like when in total rejection of God? How do we come back in the Gospel to over come that rejection?
In the story of the prodigal son, we see that true repentance is not self-serving change. When the love of God comes upon your soul, true transformation happens. But self-righteousness can also keep us away from the party.
Stories have consequences. Stories inform identities, which lead to actions. The American Church is facing an acute identity crisis, and the issue is not methodological but theological. The root of the problem is that western Gospel is too small for the story God is telling. The Church exists for God's mission, and so we must remember the epic story that we have been called into.
Christmas time reminds us that consumerism can consume us. However, experience proves and the Scriptures tell us that the way to find the satisfying, eternal kind of life is in the person of Jesus.
All of humanity echoes that first experience of shame and fear, but Jesus of Nazareth came to restore us so that we no longer have to hide from each other, God, or even ourselves. Because of His victory over sin, we are free to experience what it means to be human.
In today’s Teaching, we consider three biblical perspectives on the darkness sin and how it opens our eyes to the beautiful light of King Jesus.
There is an epic true story we are called to live within. It’s important that this narrative not only shapes our lives but also to be able to articulate that six-part story to properly give witness to the Good News.
In the final teaching on the The Servant Songs, we reflect on how the suffering servant is revealed in the poetry of Isaiah as the one who is for us, not against us.
In Part III of our Advent series, we consider Isaiah the prophet's vision of how Israel's Messiah will achieve victory and rescue His people in the most unexpected of ways.
In the first of an Advent series on The Servant Songs, Dr. Scott Osborne considers the meaning of Messiah's unusual arrival through the writings of the prophet Isaiah.
At the finish of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gives a final challenge to those who have heard His words.
Here's how we can identify false teachers. Is Jesus being elevated as the only way and solution?
Those who travel the narrow path in all its difficulty ask the Father for what they need. They also love as we are loved by King Jesus in order to partner with others in His kingdom.
Perhaps the most misunderstood of the teachings of Jesus, his instruction to "not judge" means that we must walk humbly with our God so that we can show compassion--not condemnation--to our brothers and sisters.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Messiah Jesus presents a vision of life that is free to be present, because our allegiance is properly aligned to our sovereign Father.
Jesus pits the idol of money against allegiance to Yahweh. Serving money means to calculate and maximize all the benefits money can bring to my life. To serve God means to calculate and maximize all the benefits God can bring to my life.
Jesus calls us to listen to him through His words as well as through the spiritual discipline of fasting.
In the prayer that Jesus taught His disciples, we are invited to petition God to work His will in and through us. The Lord's Prayer shapes the very way we live our lives.
Jesus invites us into the quiet place, because our prayer life is not for others. It is for us to meet with God.
As God's redeemed children saved by free grace through allegiance to Jesus alone, Redemption Church strives to live by the Spirit as a family of servant missionaries.
What does it mean to belong to God's covenant family? We believe that--because of Messiah's victory--we are partners together in and through the Good News of King Jesus.
As Redemption Church reestablishes its covenantal partnership, we begin a new series on the Covenantal Life of God in the Church. What do we believe, and why do we believe it?
Far from being merely a past reality, the Good News of the excellent and supreme King Jesus continues to overthrow the suppressive powers of sin throughout our journey with Him.
Because God freely gives us the benefits of His kingdom, we are called to give out of our own abundance without care for what others might think.
As citizens of the Good News Kingdom, Jesus calls us to live a cruciform life. It is only by the presence of His Spirit that we can love those who have harmed us, just as Jesus did.
Today we consider the gift of intimacy in God's presence, three obstacles to godly intimacy, and how He overcomes our selfish disposition with His love.
When we fix our eyes on Jesus, we see that He has our good at heart--even when His words about sexual sin are hard to hear.
When Jesus equated hate with murder, he pointed to the deep reality that because we've been reconciled with the Father, we ought to seek reconciliation with others.
Through the obedience of Messiah, we are declared right with God. Because Jesus fulfilled the covenant on behalf of His people, we are unleashed into a new era, a new kingdom, a new way of living that is free of self-righteousness or facades.
Jesus described his earliest followers as the "salt of the earth" and "light of the world." Before we ask what that means for us, we must first ask what it meant to a 1st Century Jew.
In the conclusion to our series on emotionally healthy spirituality, Pastor Scott considers the deep gladness that is found--even in the midst of life's hardships--when we delight in God and His kingdom.
The biblical authors tell us that marriage is a beautiful witness to the reality of King Jesus and His Church. So how does that play out in the ordinary messiness of life and relationships?
The emotion of guilt is a gift designed to lead us to reconciliation with God and others, but our idolatries can turn it into shame or other unhealthy responses.
A healthy shame shows us that we must humbly reach out for belonging and significance. But there is a toxic shame that leads to isolation.
The emotion of anger can actually be used positively, just as Jesus did. Anger illuminates what we are passionate about, so we can seek how to wisely direct that energy.
When you feel lonely, you are registering a God-given desire for intimacy, whether that be intimacy with others, God, or yourself. However, there is a dark side to loneliness that often leads to evil.
Is fear bad? We believe fear is an important lantern meant to lead us to faith in God and His promises. Because God is good and loves us in the midst of our need, we can openly ask Him and His people for help. What do you need from Jesus, today?
Even in our modern age of technological progress, depression is on the rise. The reality that Jesus walked out of the tomb offers the world a surprising hope for the future and a renewed meaning in the present.
No matter what they believe, by and large humans tend to live with a posture that we must justify or atone for what we've done. But it's never enough. The death of Messiah Jesus on the cross means our mistakes are covered, we have an Advocate in the midst of suffering, and we can live in harmony with God and others by the power of the Spirit.
To be truly human, we must cultivate a capacity to feel and describe what we are feeling to others. Living in this rediscovered freedom, we ultimately find that God is doing what we never could.
Suppressing our emotions or letting them control us are all too common strategies in our human experience. However, Jesus demonstrated a healthy, emotional spirituality that teaches us what it means to truly love and reflect the image of God.
As Messiah Jesus announced the Good News of God's Kingdom, He went about restoring physical bodies, minds, and even family relationships. Something new was happening--Heaven and Earth were coming back together through Him.
Why did Messiah Jesus choose 12 disciples, why did he call them fishers of men, and how does that clarify our own calling?
The Gospel of Matthew emphasizes that geography matters in his story of how Messiah brought a revolution of light to the darkest of places.
The Messiah really did do battle with The Accuser. His victory means there is a new ruler over the cosmos, and we share in the rewards of that victory.
When the lies of Satan break into our minds and lives, Jesus shows us that evil has no power over those who are confident in their Gospel-infused identity.
As we begin to study the temptation of Jesus, we find that He did more than overcome temptation. He acted on behalf of Israel to usher in the Good News Kingdom.
The obedience of Jesus is not just an example for us to follow. Rather, when we realize we are not worthy, Jesus puts Himself in our place.
In opposing the self-interested Pharisees, John the Baptist pointed to the reality that entering the Kingdom of God is not a one-time act of repentance that leads to pride. Rather, the saved life is marked by a continual turning to Jesus and His new world.
Surprisingly, the central message of the Gospel and the early church was not that a prayer gets you into Heaven but that "the kingdom of God has come." What does it look like when the light of God's powerful rule and presence breaks through the darkness, here on earth?
Even as a child, Jesus of Nazareth was hunted by the forces of evil. By God's divine providence, He was preserved to fulfill Israel's vocation and usher in the Good News Kingdom.
Continuing our series on the Gospel according to Matthew, Pastor Nate shares how Jesus rescues us from exile and welcomes us into the Good News Kingdom.
From his earliest moments on earth, Jesus was worshiped as the Good News King. Yet even as an infant, He posed a direct threat to the powers of darkness, including the idolatrous kingdoms that still cry out for the allegiance of our hearts.
How important is the virgin birth in Christian doctrine, and what difference does it make for our lives?
What exactly was the "good news" that Jesus announced? We begin a new series on the Gospel according to Matthew, examining the surprising climax of God's story in the life, message, and victory of the Messiah--the bringer of light.
What would it look like for a community to cultivate a culture of thanksgiving? Join us as we reflect on how Paul's letter to the Colossians speaks to the rhythm of giving thanks to God.
In this final teaching on Redemption Church's vision, we consider how the Missional Community structure helps us to intentionally participate in God's Story.
The fourth practice of God's people is growing into our authentic selves by speaking the truths of Jesus to each other.
The third practice of God's people is "Give." Because Jesus has blessed us with the riches of His kingdom, we can give freely out of that abundance.
As God's chosen people, we get to go be the church by humbly proclaiming and joyfully demonstrating that the New Creation is coming now through the Good News of King Jesus.
As a family of servant missionaries, God's people are exhorted to gather together as a regular rhythm of life.
The Good News of Messiah's victory empowers us to take our role in God's Story, becoming the kingdom people that God declares that we already are: a family of servant missionaries.
How can the church take up its role in God's missional drama if they are ignorant of the story He's telling?
King Jesus brought a Spirit-filled revolution full of rejoicing, thankfulness, and prayer that quietly overthrows Satan's kingdom of hate and bitterness.
As 1 Thessalonians comes to a close, Paul encourages with different ways to live in shalom with one another.
Just as Jesus instructed His disciples to stay watchful, the Apostle Paul's reminds the Thessalonians to be vigilant as we long for the King's appearing.
In the midst of discouragement, depression, and grief, it's our hopeful anticipation of the return of King Jesus that turns the world upside down.
Paul's instruction to lead a quiet life and mind one's own business is a window into the subversive nature of God's new world.
Another way that God's people display Messiah's new world is through our Spirit-led bodies.
Pastor Nate examines the amazing reality that the church family can rejoice in difficult circumstances, because the Spirit of God is still at work and His kingdom is still advancing.
In Satan's fading realm, manipulation and looking out for one's own interests first are the norm. But King Jesus has overthrown that way of doing things and ushered in a new kingdom of childlike innocence, motherly care, and fatherly exhortation.
Turning the world upside down starts in our own hearts. Biblical repentance causes a missionary encounter with idols of the existing culture.