Redeemer Christian Church in Amarillo: Recent Episodes
David Ritchie
Redeemer Christian Church exists to declare the gospel of Jesus Christ with our words and to display the gospel of Jesus Christ with our lives to our neighbors and to the nations. For more information, please visit us at www.redeemerchristianchurch.com
Join us as Pastor David A. Ritchie begins a thought-provoking journey
through the Book of Daniel, where we learn about the theme of “Faithfulness
in a Foreign World.” In this sermon, we will discover how Daniel and his
friends resisted Babylon's influence and maintained their commitment to
God. Learn about the hidden power of the world and how spiritual practices
can help you stay faithful.
Our mission is to declare the gospel of Jesus Christ with our words and display the gospel of Jesus Christ with our lives to our neighbors and to the nations. Visit redeemerchristianchurch.com/give and join in our mission through your generous financial assistance - every gift and donation we receive goes to this goal!
Work and Rest are rhythms of worship that God has woven into the fabric of creation. As we participate in the life of the Triune God, let us explore how Work and Rest relate to God’s people by exploring three practical applications from Genesis 2:1-3.
Our mission is to declare the gospel of Jesus Christ with our words and display the gospel of Jesus Christ with our lives to our neighbors and to the nations. Visit redeemerchristianchurch.com/give and join in our mission through your generous financial assistance - every gift and donation we receive goes to this goal!
The Apostle John has written the letter of 1 John so that we might know and
behold the real Christ and forsake anything that would seek to substitute
itself in place of him. As we conclude our exploration of 1 John, we explore
three practical applications of the Apostle John’s Christ-centered vision:
prayer as a response to knowing God, perseverance amidst challenges, and
protection that is available to us because of God’s power.
Our mission is to declare the gospel of Jesus Christ with our words and display the gospel of Jesus Christ with our lives to our neighbors and to the nations. Visit redeemerchristianchurch.com/give and join in our mission through your generous financial assistance - every gift and donation we receive goes to this goal!
1 John 5:1–12 is a mystifying passage. But, in Scripture, wherever there is
mystery there is often great reward. As we plumb the depths of this section
of Scripture, we will learn how it is possible to keep going and endure when
the powers of this world seem insurmountable. The Apostle John teaches us
“How We Overcome” by resting in the promise of God’s victory, receiving the
testimony That Jesus is the Christ, and being renewed by the practice of the
sacraments.
Our mission is to declare the gospel of Jesus Christ with our words and display the gospel of Jesus Christ with our lives to our neighbors and to the nations. Visit redeemerchristianchurch.com/give and join in our mission through your generous financial assistance - every gift and donation we receive goes to this goal!
I John 4:7-21, 1 John Pt. 9 // When Christians quote the Bible and say "God is love" (1 John 4:16b), they are quoting one of the shortest, but deepest, phrases in all the Bible. But what does it mean that "God is love"? Is "God" just a fancy term we give to this beautiful and wonderful thing called "love"? Or is "God" something far more glorious and incomprehensible than we can understand, and "love" is the closest thing that comes to it? And more importantly - what does it mean for those who worship this God? If God is love, how should his disciples and followers live?
Our mission is to declare the gospel of Jesus Christ with our words and display the gospel of Jesus Christ with our lives to our neighbors and to the nations. Visit redeemerchristianchurch.com/give and join in our mission through your generous financial assistance - every gift and donation we receive goes to this goal!
1 John 4:1-16 // "I'm spiritual, but not religious" - many people today would say this phrase describes their religious beliefs. Spirituality can mean different things to different people, and the Bible speaks of its own kind of "spirituality" as well. But how do you know whether something spiritual is a good thing? How do you know whether something supernatural is from God? How do you know which "spirituality" will lead you to life, and which "spirituality" promises life - but leads to darkness and death?
Our mission is to declare the gospel of Jesus Christ with our words and display the gospel of Jesus Christ with our lives to our neighbors and to the nations. Visit redeemerchristianchurch.com/give and join in our mission through your generous financial assistance - every gift and donation we receive goes to this goal!
What did Jesus Christ come to do? Some say that Jesus came to show us the power of love, peace, and forgiveness. Others might say that Jesus came to overthrow oppressive systems of injustice. But what did Jesus think about why he came? What was his understanding of what he came to do? Jesus, the self-aware Jewish Messiah, knew that he came to fulfill all the prophecies of the Old Testament, and that he would die and rise again to save sinners - people like you and me - from our sin, guilt, and shame by taking it on himself!
Our mission is to declare the gospel of Jesus Christ with our words and display the gospel of Jesus Christ with our lives to our neighbors and to the nations. Visit redeemerchristianchurch.com/give and join in our mission through your generous financial assistance - every gift and donation we receive goes to this goal!
Jude 24-25 // All of us worship something, and all of us sing songs to the things we worship. Whether its romance, money, success and triumph, the songs and music we hear every day give glory to the things our hearts want more than anything else. For Christians, the songs we sing glorify God for who he is and his power to do things only he can do. Only he can keep us secure in this life and the life to come. Only he is the unchanging Rock in a world of tumultuous ups and downs. We are kept for Jesus by the power of God, what should our response be? "Amen"!
Our mission is to declare the gospel of Jesus Christ with our words and display the gospel of Jesus Christ with our lives to our neighbors and to the nations. Visit redeemerchristianchurch.com/give and join in our mission through your generous financial assistance - every gift and donation we receive goes to this goal!
Jude 17-23 // The church is under siege, both from within and without. Wolves that seek to devour and destroy do not just come at Christians from outside the church, but from inside the church as well. How should Christians respond? Jude makes clear that we cannot fight fire with fire, or return evil for evil. Instead, in order to defend and preserve the faith, we must stand on Christ as our solid rock and obey his commandments as we proclaim the Gospel!
Our mission is to declare the gospel of Jesus Christ with our words and display the gospel of Jesus Christ with our lives to our neighbors and to the nations. Visit redeemerchristianchurch.com/give and join in our mission through your generous financial assistance - every gift and donation we receive goes to this goal!
Jude 5-16 // We live in a world obsessed with safety. From food and drug warnings, to sensors on our cars and homes, we go to great lengths to keep our bodies and belongings safe from harm. But what about the safety of our mind, or our soul? The book of Jude is a safety warning for the minds and souls of believers about the dangers of false teaching, and the danger of God's judgment, sensuality, and division. These dangers are serious, but in Christ, we are far more safe and secure than we could ever make ourselves in this life!
Our mission is to declare the gospel of Jesus Christ with our words and display the gospel of Jesus Christ with our lives to our neighbors and to the nations. Visit redeemerchristianchurch.com/give and join in our mission through your generous financial assistance - every gift and donation we receive goes to this goal!
Jude 1:1-4 // The book of Jude is a small, weird book. It only has 25 verses in it, and it can go off on some strange tangents that are weird and bewildering to us today. But God has given us Jude to be a part of his divine revelation to us, so what does he have to say to us in it? Hidden in these 25 verses are some treasured gems of how God keeps his people, even in the midst of the trials and temptations of the world! We should place our confidence in him because we are called, kept, and beloved in him!
Our mission is to declare the gospel of Jesus Christ with our words and display the gospel of Jesus Christ with our lives to our neighbors and to the nations. Visit redeemerchristianchurch.com/give and join in our mission through your generous financial assistance - every gift and donation we receive goes to this goal!
1 John 3:11-24a
Our mission is to declare the gospel of Jesus Christ with our words and display the gospel of Jesus Christ with our lives to our neighbors and to the nations. Visit redeemerchristianchurch.com/give and join in our mission through your generous financial assistance - every gift and donation we receive goes to this goal!
1 John 2:28-3:10 // We live in a cultural moment where the stories that captivate us struggle to end well - if they ever get to end at all. If the stories around us do not have good or happy endings, it can be hard to believe that our lives will have good or happy endings as well, and what we should do in the meantime. But what happens when you know the end of the story? When you know that Jesus Christ will return to make all things new, how does that empower us to live with courage and confidence in Christ today?
Our mission is to declare the gospel of Jesus Christ with our words and display the gospel of Jesus Christ with our lives to our neighbors and to the nations. Visit redeemerchristianchurch.com/give and join in our mission through your generous financial assistance - every gift and donation we receive goes to this goal!
1 John 2:18-28 // What exactly is the Antichrist? Even outside of Christian circles, the word "Antichrist" is a well known term that evokes mystery, suspicion, and even mockery. Unfortunately, Christians can and do contribute misunderstandings or caricatures of what the Bible has to say about the Antichrist, and can portray the Antichrist as an unstoppable force to fear. John has a lot of serious things to say about the Antichrist, but you might be surprised at what John has to say about how we can fight the Antichrist - not in our own power, but through the power of the risen Christ!
Our mission is to declare the gospel of Jesus Christ with our words and display the gospel of Jesus Christ with our lives to our neighbors and to the nations. Visit redeemerchristianchurch.com/give and join in our mission through your generous financial assistance - every gift and donation we receive goes to this goal!
1 John 2:15-17 // Is the world going to end? There is no shortage of end-times scenarios for both religious and non-religious people alike. How about when the world is going to end? Is the world going to end sooner rather than later, or vice versa? What does the Bible say about the end of the world - and what kind of future can we hope for as the world already begins to end because of what Jesus has done for us?
Our mission is to declare the gospel of Jesus Christ with our words and display the gospel of Jesus Christ with our lives to our neighbors and to the nations. Visit redeemerchristianchurch.com/give and join in our mission through your generous financial assistance - every gift and donation we receive goes to this goal!
Pentecost Sunday 2023 // "Why should I bother with coming to church?" Many people today wonder what the point of church is and why they should care. Sure, there are some positive benefits associated with church attendance, but is church meant to simply make our lives a little more comfortable or less stressful? A look at a surprising and confusing scene in the New Testament - the day of Pentecost - shows us that the purpose of church is so much bigger and more important than we can even imagine!
Our mission is to declare the gospel of Jesus Christ with our words and display the gospel of Jesus Christ with our lives to our neighbors and to the nations. Visit redeemerchristianchurch.com/give and join in our mission through your generous financial assistance - every gift and donation we receive goes to this goal!
Ascension Sunday 2023 // The Gospel of Jesus Christ focuses on the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ from the grave. But that's not the end of the story of everything Jesus has accomplished for us - there is even more good news! How can this often overlooked teaching offer us comfort and assurance that we need today as Christians?
Our mission is to declare the gospel of Jesus Christ with our words and display the gospel of Jesus Christ with our lives to our neighbors and to the nations. Visit redeemerchristianchurch.com/give and join in our mission through your generous financial assistance - every gift and donation we receive goes to this goal!
1 John Pt. 3 // Can you truly know that you're saved? So many people claim to be Christian, but how can someone truly know that they are saved? Jesus himself tells us that if we love him, we will keep his commandments, and that we will love one another. The apostle John zeros-in on these very simple truths to remind us that new and novel ideas or beliefs cannot give us what the fundamental truths of the Gospel give us. It is when we rest in the simple truth of the Gospel that we can truly know that you know him and have salvation in him!
Our mission is to declare the gospel of Jesus Christ with our words and display the gospel of Jesus Christ with our lives to our neighbors and to the nations. Visit redeemerchristianchurch.com/give and join in our mission through your generous financial assistance - every gift and donation we receive goes to this goal!
1 John, Pt 2 // Are Christians hypocrites? It can sure seem like Christians do not practice what they preach today, but to the apostle John, this isn't new or surprising. Christian hypocrisy is something that has plagued Christianity since the early church, but the solution to Christian hypocrisy isn't to throw away Christianity. The solution to Christian hypocrisy is the same Savior who saves us from all our sin - including our hypocrisy - and offers us freedom from hiding in our sin by giving us a new life in Christ!
Our mission is to declare the gospel of Jesus Christ with our words and display the gospel of Jesus Christ with our lives to our neighbors and to the nations. Visit redeemerchristianchurch.com/give and join in our mission through your generous financial assistance - every gift and donation we receive goes to this goal!
1 John 1:1-4, 1 John Pt. 1: The apostle John lived through many trials and tribulations. He has watched all his friends, his fellow apostles, martyred for their faith. He has witnessed the explosive growth of the early church, and has contended for the faith against false teachers who threaten to tear the church apart. Now nearing the end of his life, John writes a letter to a group of Christians who are dismayed and confused about who Jesus is. Was he real? Did he actually come in the flesh? Why should we suffer for someone who may or may not be the real deal? As John opens his famous letter, he says "Yes. Jesus is real. I know because I saw him. I've heard his voice, and I've touched his resurrected body. Jesus isn't just an abstract idea - he is a real person, and he is with you in your sufferings!"
Our mission is to declare the gospel of Jesus Christ with our words and display the gospel of Jesus Christ with our lives to our neighbors and to the nations. Visit redeemerchristianchurch.com/give and join in our mission through your generous financial assistance - every gift and donation we receive goes to this goal!
Matthew 9:9-13, 35-38 // Jesus tells us that the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Not only are we to pray for the Lord to raise up laborers for the harvest, we should not be surprised when the Lord calls us to participate in his harvest. This was the case of Dr. Ryan Pennington, director of Refugee Language Project, and his family, who were called to the Ma Manda people of Papua New Guinea to provide the Scriptures in their own language. As the director of Refugee Language Project, Ryan and his team work with refugee communities every day to provide translation services, education, and many other services to serve Amarillo's diverse refugee populations. Ryan tasks us to pray for the Lord of the harvest to send laborers to this harvest - will you pray, and if God calls you to serve, will you serve?
Our mission is to declare the gospel of Jesus Christ with our words and display the gospel of Jesus Christ with our lives to our neighbors and to the nations. Visit redeemerchristianchurch.com/give and join in our mission through your generous financial assistance - every gift and donation we receive goes to this goal!
Psalm 16 // What gives you confidence in life - and how do you know your confidence won't be misplaced?
Death is everywhere. Death is certain and permanent. Nobody has ever been able to earn enough income, popularity, or security to escape their mortality. If we put our confidence in these things to escape death, we will be sorely disappointed when these things fail to deliver us from that fateful day. But what if we put our confidence in someone who died - but was raised from the dead? And what if that person promised that he would raise us from the dead as well? Instead of putting our confidence in our money, our careers, our kids, or anything else - what if we put our confidence in Jesus Christ, the one who defeated death on our behalf by his death on the cross? How would our lives change if Jesus was the true source of our confidence in life?
Our mission is to declare the gospel of Jesus Christ with our words and display the gospel of Jesus Christ with our lives to our neighbors and to the nations. Visit redeemerchristianchurch.com/give and join in our mission through your generous financial assistance - every gift and donation we receive goes to this goal!
John 20:1; 11-18
Our mission is to declare the gospel of Jesus Christ with our words and display the gospel of Jesus Christ with our lives to our neighbors and to the nations. Visit redeemerchristianchurch.com/give and join in our mission through your generous financial assistance - every gift and donation we receive goes to this goal!
John 19:1-30
Our mission is to declare the gospel of Jesus Christ with our words and display the gospel of Jesus Christ with our lives to our neighbors and to the nations. Visit redeemerchristianchurch.com/give and join in our mission through your generous financial assistance - every gift and donation we receive goes to this goal!
Matthew 21:1-11 // If you got to pick your salvation, what kind of salvation would you want God to give you?
As Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey, the people cry aloud "Hosanna!" The long-awaited king had come to overthrow the Roman Empire and deliver the people from their oppression - or so they thought. Jesus was coming to bring salvation, but it was not the salvation that they were expecting or seeking. Instead of political salvation, or material salvation, Jesus came to bring eternal salvation that is greater than anything we could ever hope for. The question is: do you want the salvation that Jesus brings, or would you prefer a salvation of your own choosing?
Our mission is to declare the gospel of Jesus Christ with our words and display the gospel of Jesus Christ with our lives to our neighbors and to the nations. Visit redeemerchristianchurch.com/give and join in our mission through your generous financial assistance - every gift and donation we receive goes to this goal!
Nahum, Pt 3 (Nahum 3:1-7, 18-19) // How could such a small, weird book in the Old Testament have anything to say to Christians today?
Nahum is a book that foretells divine wrath against the city of Ninevah, a city built on violence, bloodshed, and oppression. Assyria was one of the most powerful empires of the ancient world, and Ninevah was its crowning jewel to its citizens - and the dread and terror of those who opposed Assyria. But Nahum isn't just foretelling the downfall of one wicked empire; Nahum is using Ninevah as a demonstration of what will happen to every evil nation when the Lord returns. He will not let evil go unpunished, and the pain and grief we feel in our world today is not lost or ignored by him. When Christ returns, he will create a new heavens and a new earth free of pain, suffering, sadness, and evil forever!
Our mission is to declare the gospel of Jesus Christ with our words and display the gospel of Jesus Christ with our lives to our neighbors and to the nations. Visit redeemerchristianchurch.com/give and join in our mission through your generous financial assistance - every gift and donation we receive goes to this goal!
Nahum, Pt. 2 - Nahum 1:15-2:13 // Why is God's justice something to look forward to?
Our sin is not just an individual problem. Sin is a problem that plagues all of humanity, and the creation we live in. When we talk about "salvation", we often narrow it to our individual salvation and miss out on how Scripture talks about salvation. God's salvation includes our personal salvation, but also the salvation of his people and all creation from sin and death. While we look forward to God's final justice, where Satan, sin, and death are destroyed forever, we are given small glimpses of God's judgment and salvation through the Old Testament prophets. The destruction of Nahum shows us that the mightiest empires of man cannot lift a finger against God, and that all who oppose the Lord in their sin will see their evil judged by the perfect judgment of God - and the salvation and deliverance of those who put their trust in Christ!
Our mission is to declare the gospel of Jesus Christ with our words and display the gospel of Jesus Christ with our lives to our neighbors and to the nations. Visit redeemerchristianchurch.com/give and join in our mission through your generous financial assistance - every gift and donation we receive goes to this goal!
Nahum, Part 1: Nahum 1:1-14 // How can the wrath of God be a good thing?
The idea of a "wrathful God" seems like an archaic view of God from the distant past. If God is love, then he can't be wrathful - that would make him an abusive tyrant! But God's wrath is not like the wrath we know from sinful man. His wrath is an extension of his love and perfect goodness. His wrath is based not on sin, but on his holy power and authority - and his wrath is a shelter for those who turn away from evil and turn to the Lord. For those who belong to Christ, the wrath of God is one of the strongest comforts that the Lord will not let Satan and his kingdom triumph over the people of God, and we can take comfort that "the Lord is a stronghold in the day of trouble"!
Our mission is to declare the gospel of Jesus Christ with our words and display the gospel of Jesus Christ with our lives to our neighbors and to the nations. Visit redeemerchristianchurch.com/give and join in our mission through your generous financial assistance - every gift and donation we receive goes to this goal!
Standalone - John 3:1-21
Our mission is to declare the gospel with our words and display the gospel with our lives to our neighbors and to the nations. Visit redeemerchristianchurch.com/give and join in our mission through your generous financial assistance - every gift and donation we receive goes to this goal!
Matthew 4:1-11
How does Jesus Christ respond to the devil's testing?
After Jesus' baptism, he is immediately driven into the wilderness for 40 days. What may seem like an abrupt break in the exciting action of the Gospel account is actually leading us to one of the most important events in Christ's entire ministry. After 40 days, the devil visits Jesus to test him. Exhausted from fasting for 40 days, how does Jesus respond to the devil's testing - and what happens if he fails?
Our mission is to declare the gospel with our words and display the gospel with our lives to our neighbors and to the nations. Visit redeemerchristianchurch.com/give and join in our mission through your generous financial assistance - every gift and donation we receive goes to this goal!
Jonah 4Jonah 3:10-4:11// How can God be a God of mercy and justice at the same time?After God commands the fish to spit Jonah out on to dry land, Jonah reluctantly goes to Nineveh. As a Hebrew Israelite, currently experiencing the boot of the Assyrian empire, walking into Nineveh was a dangerous and life-threatening thing for Jonah to do, and yet he finally went - and began preaching a terrible sermon. Jonah wanted to see God's justice, and preached a bare-bones message of repentance with no hope of grace and mercy for Ninevah. But even through Jonah's message was weak, God worked miraculously in the hearts of everyone in Nineveh. From the king to the citizens, the city repents and puts their faith in the God of Jonah in the hope of receiving mercy from God. In Christ, we do not simply have hope that God will show mercy towards us - we have a guaranteed promise that because Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins, that there is no longer any condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus!Our mission is to declare the gospel with our words and display the gospel with our lives to our neighbors and to the nations. Visit redeemerchristianchurch.com/give and join in our mission through your generous financial assistance - every gift and donation we receive goes to this goal!
JonahJonah 2:10 - 3:9//How can God be a God of mercy and justice at the same time?After God commands the fish to spit Jonah out onto dry land, Jonah reluctantly goes to Nineveh. As a Hebrew Israelite, currently experiencing the boot of the Assyrian empire, walking into Nineveh was a dangerous and life-threatening thing for Jonah to do, and yet he finally went - and began preaching a terrible sermon. Jonah wanted to see God's justice, and preached a bare-bones message of repentance with no hope of grace and mercy for Ninevah. But even through Jonah's message was weak, God worked miraculously in the hearts of everyone in Nineveh. From the king to the citizens, the city repents and puts their faith in the God of Jonah in the hope of receiving mercy from God. In Christ, we do not simply have hope that God will show mercy towards us - we have a guaranteed promise that because Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins, that there is no longer any condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus!Our mission is to declare the gospel with our words and display the gospel with our lives to our neighbors and to the nations. Visit redeemerchristianchurch.com/give and join in our mission through your generous financial assistance - every gift and donation we receive goes to this goal!
Genesis 9:5-6// The doctrine of the sacredness of human life doesn’t only have implications for society at large. It has deeply personal implications that reach down into the very motivations of our hearts. Murder is the fundamental denial and discretion of the image of God. It is why it is forbidden even in the Ten Commandments of Moses. But Jesus drills down deeper. He shows us that murder is rooted in hatred within our hearts. When we are wounded and wronged, we are tempted to respond by wounding and wronging. We are tempted to hate. We are tempted to view our enemies as less than human. In Genesis 9, God fiercely threatens a reckoning for bloodshed. But the gospel announces that Jesus’s blood was shed so that whoever trusts in him will be reckoned as righteous. Genesis 9 shows us that murder is an abomination against God, but the Gospel reveals that the murder of God’s Son on the cross has become the very symbol of God's glory and the means of our redemption. When we honor the sacredness of human life in one another and in those whom we would consider our enemies, we honor our Redeemer, who united himself with humanity so that humanity might be united with God. We honor the one who loved us and died for us while we were still his enemies!Our mission is to declare the gospel with our words and display the gospel with our lives to our neighbors and to the nations. Visit redeemerchristianchurch.com/give and join in our mission through your generous financial assistance - every gift and donation we receive goes to this goal!
EpiphanyIsaiah 60:1-14// Human beings long to be home. In each of us there is a sense of restlessness and eagerness to find that place where we belong, where we are at peace, and where we are at rest. At the end of every journey and adventure is the hope of arriving at a place we can call home. The Bible offers an account of why we hunger for home: human beings were created by God in the garden of Eden. Eden was a place of peace, provision, and flourishing, but even more, it was a place where humankind experienced unbroken union and fellowship with our Creator. Eden was our home. We lost this home because instead of living in submission to God, we chose to rebel against God. Instead of embracing loving fellowship with God, we chose fellowship with sin and the serpent, and the story of humankind’s exile from Eden and the longing for return is arguably the most important storyline of the Bible. But Isaiah tells us that there is a day coming when the longing for home will find its completion. There will be a day when an eternal light dawns and the people of God will be given an eternal home, where we will find our rest with the Savior who tells us, "“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matt 11:28–29)!
Advent 2022 (Part 4)Matthew 1:18-25'// As a man, Jesus has experienced all of our disappointments. He experienced the heartbreak of loss as he was told that John the Baptist had been murdered by Herod. He experienced the sting of betrayal as every one of his disciples fled from him when he was arrested. He knows the pain of what it feels like to have a friend like Peter curse the very mention of his name. He knows our disappointment. And that is why he is qualified to heal it. But even more, as God, Jesus accomplishes our ultimate hope. He lived a perfect life we could not live. He suffered death on the cross. But he overcame even the power of death, and one day he will return. He will make all things new, and he will wipe away all tears. Disappointment will be a forgotten dream because the kingdom of Christ will be the realization of our greatest hope and more. Jesus is the only one who will fulfill your deepest desires, and the promise of this gospel is a hope that will not disappoint!Our mission is to declare the gospel with our words and display the gospel with our lives to our neighbors and to the nations. Visit redeemerchristianchurch.com/give and join in our mission through your generous financial assistance - every gift and donation we receive goes to this goal!
Advent 2022 (Part 3)Matthew 11:2-11// John the Baptist was the forerunner for Jesus, the long-awaited Messiah. And yet, despite spending his entire ministry preparing the way for Jesus, John began to have some doubts as he languished in his prison cell. What if Jesus wasn't the Messiah? What if he was preparing the way for the wrong person? John sends his disciples to inquire of Christ whether he ought to be looking for someone else, and in his response, Jesus answers him that he is the one John was looking for, but that he was different than what John expected. Quoting the prophet Isaiah, Jesus says he came to "to bring good news to the poor" and "to bind up the brokenhearted", but that John should not expect "the opening of the prison to those who are bound". But despite losing his life in prison to the whims of a wicked tyrant, John gained a future greater than anything he could've expected in this life. Sometimes our lives do not shape up to what we hope or expect, but as followers of Christ, even defeat and death turns to victory. In not meeting our worldly expectations, Jesus offers something even greater than our expectations - his eternal kingdom which cannot be shaken, one free from sin and death forever!Our mission is to declare the gospel with our words and display the gospel with our lives to our neighbors and to the nations. Visit redeemerchristianchurch.com/give and join in our mission through your generous financial assistance - every gift and donation we receive goes to this goal!
Advent 2022 (Part 2)Matthew 3:1-12// Sometimes we need sharp reminders to shake us out of the stupor of our comfortable lives. John the Baptist's warning to the Pharisees and Sadducees - and to us today - is absolutely necessary. He sees through the pretension and the pride and lies that we construct to bring ourselves false comfort and he’s going to be able to separate the wheat, the fruit of a life oriented toward God and toward repentance, from the chaff, the excess useless part of the wheat that gets turned into fuel for the fire and represents ourself righteousness. But the warning also makes the comfort all the more sweet. Because as deep as your sin seems, as painful as your life situation is, as oppressive as your oppressors feel, nothing compares to the hope of Christ our comforter coming to meet us in our where we are at, in the Wilderness, rather than demanding that we claw our way before his throne. He has come for you! He is returning for you! He is coming to dwell with you!Our mission is to declare the gospel with our words and display the gospel with our lives to our neighbors and to the nations. Visit redeemerchristianchurch.com/give and join in our mission through your generous financial assistance - every gift and donation we receive goes to this goal!
Advent 2022 (Part 1)Matthew 1:1-17// Matthew shows us that, more than entering the story of Israel, Jesus perfected it. Jesus succeeds where Israel fails. Jesus is the true Abraham who leaves a place of comfort to go forth in faith and find a home for his family, so that through him blessing might come into the whole world. He is the true David who fights the true giants of sin, Satan, and death on our behalf, and who will rule and reign with a kingdom that knows no end. Jesus is the one who brings home from our spiritual exile and gives us peace. Jesus is the true and better Abraham, the true and better David, and the true and better Israel. But even more than that, the good news for you is that Jesus is the true and better you. He has lived the perfect life you should have but could never have lived. As a loving substitute, he has died the death your sin deserved. He has victoriously risen from the dead, and as the true Lord and King he will one day return to heal and restore all that is broken and wrong!Our mission is to declare the gospel with our words and display the gospel with our lives to our neighbors and to the nations. Visit redeemerchristianchurch.com/give and join in our mission through your generous financial assistance - every gift and donation we receive goes to this goal!
Thanksgiving - Psalm 107Psalm 107:1-32// When we look out on nature, we see God’s goodness everywhere. Whether it is the glory of the Palo Duro Canyon, the beauty of snow, the joy of music, the taste of pizza, the wonder of children, the majesty of the universe, we see the good blessings of God everywhere around us. These are all examples of gifts God gives to all freely which reveal his nature to us. But the one place we see the goodness of God most clearly is in the gift of his only son to save sinners. Nowhere do we see the goodness of God more on display than in the person and work of Jesus Christ. In Jesus we see the sum total of God’s goodness as he becomes a human, lives a life of complete obedience to God and then willingly goes to the cross to die and pay the penalty in the place of the disobedient. Nowhere to we see the steadfast love of the Lord more in display than when we were still sinners Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). The gospel of Jesus is the greatest expression of God’s goodness and his loyal love towards us. The world is full of God’s goodness, but Jesus is the fullest expression of God’s goodness!Our mission is to declare the gospel with our words and display the gospel with our lives to our neighbors and to the nations. Visit redeemerchristianchurch.com/give and join in our mission through your generous financial assistance - every gift and donation we receive goes to this goal!
The Deathless Sermon - Orphan Sunday 2022James 1:27// Sunday, November 13th, 2022 is Orphan Sunday, a day where we highlight God's call for the church to care for the orphan and the fatherless as one of the most important and vital practices of our faith. We are so incredibly thankful for Dr. Milton Jones of Christian Relief Fund and for the work they do around the globe to bring water, medicine, and education to orphans all over the world!Our mission is to declare the gospel with our words and display the gospel with our lives to our neighbors and to the nations. Visit redeemerchristianchurch.com/give and join in our mission through your generous financial assistance - every gift and donation we receive goes to this goal!
Romans: The Power and Glory of the Gospel (Part 31)Romans 16:1-27// Romans 16 gives us a type of candid photograph of Paul and certain church members in Rome in the middle of the first century. It provides us with a window into the real lives of real Christians who have gone before us in the faith. Yet, it is in and through the lives of ordinary Christians that the gospel of Jesus Christ has gone forth. It is in and through the lives of ordinary Christians that the supernatural power of God has changed entire families, communities, and even the fabric of history. For it is in the lives of ordinary Christians that we are able to behold the great mystery of the church!Our mission is to declare the gospel with our words and display the gospel with our lives to our neighbors and to the nations. Visit redeemerchristianchurch.com/give and join in our mission through your generous financial assistance - every gift and donation we receive goes to this goal!
Romans: The Power and Glory of the Gospel (Part 30)Romans 15:14-33// Jesus is the one who was despised and rejected by men. He is the man of sorrows who has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. He is the one who was "pierced for our transgressions and crushed for our iniquities". At the cross, Jesus endured the "chastisement that brought us peace" (Isa 52:13—53:12). Yet, here in Romans 15, Paul is connecting his own ministry to that of the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 52 and 53. Is this blasphemy? No. Paul knows that to suffer for Christ is to suffer with Christ (Rom 8:17). He knows that it is in giving that we receive (Acts 20:35) and that in losing our lives, we find them (Matt 10:39). Yes, the mission of God is costly. But the mission of God is worth it because Jesus is worth it. He has redeemed us so that we might participate in his enduring mission of redemption. The God who saves us is also the God who sends us!Our mission is to declare the gospel with our words and display the gospel with our lives to our neighbors and to the nations. Visit redeemerchristianchurch.com/give and join in our mission through your generous financial assistance - every gift and donation we receive goes to this goal!
Romans: The Power and Glory of the Gospel (Part 29)Romans 14:13-15:13// The Bible is a book that recounts many miracles and epic moments in history. We think of Moses dividing the Red Sea, Elijah calling down fire from heaven, and Jesus rising from the dead. Miracles are important. And miracles can and do happen. But the primary way that the kingdom of God has advanced is through the simple faithfulness of the people of God as displayed in the profoundly practical and small moments of life. The kingdom of God advances when we speak the truth with one another in our disagreements, but we do so in a way that exudes love. We stand against the kingdom of darkness when we refuse to give way to bitterness and resentment. We exude the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit when we walk in grace and practice forgiving well and repenting well. We glorify God with one voice when we reject the temptation to judge one another or provoke one another into stumbling. We show the watching world a glimpse of the character of Christ when we use our freedom to serve others and live in a way that pleases unto God. All these ordinary actions of the church of Jesus Christ are the means through which the extraordinary power of God, prophesied for ages, has gone into every continent and culture of the globe!Our mission is to declare the gospel with our words and display the gospel with our lives to our neighbors and to the nations. Visit redeemerchristianchurch.com/give and join in our mission through your generous financial assistance - every gift and donation we receive goes to this goal!
Romans: The Power & Glory of the Gospel (Part 28)Romans 14:1-12// Justification is the doctrine that we have been declared righteous through faith in Christ alone. We do not earn righteousness through our good works; we are made righteous through the perfect work of Jesus Christ. Justification means that for those who have faith in Jesus, the verdict of our final judgment has already been rendered because Christ has taken all condemnation for our sin and he has given the gift of his righteousness to all who trust in him. When we do not rest in justification alone, our hearts will try to find justification through other means. And one of false means of justification is walking in judgment upon others. We create a list of actions and beliefs that we believe makes us righteous and —it could be what we eat, what we drink, how we worship, or how we vote. Then, we compare ourselves to others based on that that list. But such a mentality is not justification on faith. We are not justified through what we eat or what we drink. We are not justified through how we worship or how we vote. We are justified through faith alone in Christ alone. Thus, we must zealously refuse to judge one another ground but Christ; for all other ground is sinking sand!Our mission is to declare the gospel with our words and display the gospel with our lives to our neighbors and to the nations. Visit redeemerchristianchurch.com/give and join in our mission through your generous financial assistance - every gift and donation we receive goes to this goal!
Romans: The Power & Glory of the Gospel (B-Side)Isaiah 45:14-25// In Romans, Paul leans heavily on the prophet Isaiah and shows how Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of several different different "characters" in Isaiah. Jesus is the suffering servant; he is also the conquering king. Jesus is the mighty savior; he is also the righteous judge. How can Jesus be all of these things, especially when they seem opposed to each other? While we believe that God can be known, we also believe that he cannot be fully or completely known - but that everything we need to know about him for our salvation is found in the person and work of Jesus Christ. We cannot know everything that can be known about God, but we can know today that Christ is our treasure, and our hope for the future is that Christ shall come to judge the living and the dead and save us once and for all!
Romans: The Power & Glory of the Gospel (Part 27)Romans 13:8-14// “Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, ‘You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,’ and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.”
Romans: The Power & Glory of the Gospel (Part 26)Romans 13:1-7// Christians need to see ourselves in tension between Romans 13 and Revelation 13. We are to practice godly submission alongside appropriate suspicion toward the kingdoms of men. We are to honor the authority of our governing officials. Still, we must be mindful that the government's authority is not the ultimate authority. We can seek to have a rightly ordered love for our nation in the form of a godly patriotism. But we are to be ever cautious of idolatrous nationalism that would seek to steal our heart's ultimate allegiance, highest love, and worship from Christ. While we live in one nation here and now, our truest citizenship is in heaven, and our highest hope is in a kingdom that cannot be shaken!
Romans: The Power & Glory of the Gospel (Part 25)Romans 12:14-21// It can be easy to hear phrases like “bless those who persecute you” and pass over them without a second thought, especially if you grew up in the church or know the Bible well. But as our cultural moment actively disciples us towards towards other ethics - to hit back harder when hit, to find strength in pride and harshness, and to use ends to justify unrighteous means - Christians must re-discover the shocking truth behind the commands to bless those who persecute you, repay no one evil for evil, and to love our enemies. We must not let “the peril of a familiar truth” obscure the radical nature in which Christ loves us and treats us, and how we have been raised in Him to do the same as those who are conformed to his image!
Romans: The Power & Glory of the Gospel (Part 24)Romans 12:9-13// God’s love is central to the gospel, and our love is central to Christian obedience. Love is integral, not optional. Love is necessary, not a luxury. One of the greatest needs within the human soul is to be truly known and truly loved. That love is a gift that the church is meant to give to one another and to those we are inviting to be a part of our family of faith. For our love, as finite and failing as it is at times, is a central way of pointing unto the greater love that God has revealed in Christ. The love of God revealed to us in the gospel that is stronger than hate, stronger than sin, stronger even than the power of death. It is a love made possible only by the resurrection of the Son God. It is a love that is the foundation of our hope, and it is a love that change the world!
Acts 2:42-47// From the very beginning, the people of God have always been just that - a group of people. Community has always played a vital and foundational part of what it meant to worship the Lord, from the Israelites in the Old Testament all the way to the early church in the New Testament. Sharing our lives with one another can be difficult and painful, but also life-giving and transforming. We gather together to worship the Lord each week and spend time with one another throughout the week not just to check a box off a task list, but because we desire to see the Lord work in our lives and in the lives of others through the relationships we have with one another in Christ!
Genesis 1:26 - 2:17// The God who worked in creation and works for our salvation will not settle for a world where work is broken. While our work has been marred by sin and selfishness, the good news is that Jesus took our sin upon himself, including our sin in work, and he returns to us his righteousness. After his death and resurrection, Jesus now sits at the right hand of the Father because his work is done, will return and make all things new - including work! In the new creation, we will work without distortions and chaos, because work, being a part of God’s creation before the fall and invested with the dignity that comes from us being image bearers, is a good thing. This vision of peace, where work is oriented to God and satisfying for people, where our labor is given to us to enjoy and return to the Lord without it being stolen, eroded, or fruitless, is coming!
Proverbs 22:6// Proverbs are not promises. Proverbs advises the listener in ways that are most likely to lead them to desired consequences; they are not recipes we use to get the lives we want. Parents cannot give their kids the perfect program of Christian discipleship that guarantees your child never strays from the faith, but parents can be committed to giving their children Jesus first and most above everything else. For children that are young and still at home, give them Jesus. For children that are grown and gone, give them Jesus. For children that are easy and pliable, give them Jesus. For children that can be difficult and hard to deal with, give them Jesus. For children that obey, give them Jesus, and for children that stray, give them Jesus. And for parents, when you are weak and tired in parenting, give yourself Jesus!
Romans: The Power & Glory of the Gospel (Part 23)Romans 12:1-8// Worship is not less than our singing—but it is so much more than our singing. True worship touches every component of our life, and God has gifted each member of his body with different gifts to be used to that end. These gifts are not mutually exclusive, but they are interdependent. They overlap and connect as members of the human body connect and work together. What binds all these gifts together is, of course, how they point us to Christ, help us mature in Christ, and help us rest in Christ as our Lord!
Romans: The Power & Glory of the Gospel (Part 22)Romans 11:1-31// Israel matters because Jesus matters. Through Israel, God folded himself into humanity and lived among us. However, Jesus did not only come to us through Israel. He is the embodiment of the true and better Israel. He is the true seed of Abraham through which the nations will be blessed. He is the true Isaac who was offered as a sacrifice on the mountain. He is the true Jacob who was sent to claim a bride for himself. As Moses spoke the word of God, Jesus is the word of God. As David the shepherd was chosen to be king, Jesus is the good shepherd who is the King of all kings. Like Israel passed through the Red Sea, Jesus passed through the waters of baptism. Like Israel walked through the desert for forty years, Jesus was tempted in the desert for forty days yet without sinning. As Israel was composed of twelve tribes, Jesus called to himself twelve apostles who would make disciples of all nations. As Israel endured judgment for their sins in exile, Jesus endured judgment for our sins on the cross. Jesus is the completion of the story of Israel. He is the fulfillment of all Israel’s promises. His resurrection, ascension, and the truth of his return are the pinnacle of all Israel’s hopes - and ours!
Romans: The Power & Glory of the Gospel (Part 21)Romans 9:30-10:21// God has a mission. He has launched a rescue operation to redeem and restore all that has been fractured and broken by the powers of sin and death. The people of God declaring the gospel of God is God's sovereignly appointed means through which his mission will go forth. The people of God are not called to be mere containers of the gospel; we are called to be conduits through which the power of the gospel flows. We are called not only to be beneficiaries of God's grace, but agents of that grace within the world around us. Participation in the mission of God is part of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus!
Romans: The Power & Glory of the Gospel (Part 20)Romans 9:1-2// If we read Romans 9 honestly, it is a passage that should break us. It is a passage that is mean to stretch our minds and challenge the tidy categories in which we want to organize our ideas about God. Romans 9 is a difficult passage to understand, but even more, what Romans 9 is saying is difficult for us to receive when we understand exactly what it is saying. Nevertheless, we believe with conviction that all Scripture is inspired by Holy Spirit. We believe that what God reveals is truth that stands above all truth. We believe even more that his truth sets us free, and that honestly, humbly, and determinedly wrestling with the truth of Scripture leads us to the truth of God’s unfathomable goodness. Even in the hardest parts of the Bible, we do not rest in our own wisdom or understanding - we rest in the kindness of his character, trust in the perfection of his wisdom, and worship in light of the love God displays to us in the cross of Jesus Christ!
Summer of Psalms 2022 (Part 4)Psalm 51// David’s confession of his sin has driven him to ask God to deal with his sin. He asks God to be “cleansed" or "purged” of his sin, and the Hebrew word for purge literally means to “de-sin.” David doesn't want to just forget about his sin - he wants every mark of sin to be removed. He asks for his iniquity to be blotted out, as if to remove writing from a book, and he asks to be cleansed with "hyssop", the same plant the Lord prescribed for use in the Passover. David was confident of the forgiveness of the same God who confronted him with his sin, and the hope and confidence David had in the shadow of the Passover we can now have because of the finished work of the final Passover sacrifice, Jesus Christ!
Summer of Psalms 2022 (Part 3)Psalm 32// The secret to a joyful life is to know the forgiveness and love of God in Jesus Christ. Our sin promises to give us life and joy, but it robs us of these blessings and replaces them with groaning and decay. Instead of ruining our fun, confession and repentance frees us to thrive and flourish in the shelter of God's forgiving love. As David says, the blessed are not those with possessions, prestige, or protection; instead, "“Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man against whom the LORD counts no iniquity"!
Summer of Psalms 2022 (Part 2)Psalm 69// Psalm 69 is a psalm of shame, and freedom God gives us from our shame. David is in a difficult situation, but despite the ongoing pain, he is able to find freedom in a future hope of the goodness of God. Even in the midst of our shame, God is rescuing you and will rescue you. If you’re humble, he’ll bring you gladness. If you are a seeker, he will revive your heart. If you are needy, the Lord hears you. If you are in prison, the Lord does not despise you. He doesn’t add to your shame. He doesn’t pile on; he has freed us from our shame through the cross of Jesus Christ!
Summer of Psalms 2022 (Part 1)Psalm 19// There are over a billion galaxies estimated in existence, and over 400 billion stars just in our galaxy alone. There are over 352 quintillion gallons of water in the ocean. Our bodies could receive energy in any number of ways, but the same God who created those billions of galaxies, billions of stars, and quintillion gallons of water created us to receive energy through enjoying the gift of food. Psalm 19 is a text that shows us that no matter where you go in this universe, all of creation is singing “who is like our God? He is the most important person in all existence, and no one else could even come close!”
Romans: The Power & Glory of the Gospel (Part 19)Romans 8:31-39// Trust Jesus more than you trust your shame. Jesus died for our sin in our place. More than dying in our place, he rose from the grace, declaring victory over the powers of sin and death. More than rising from the grace, he ascended into heaven, where he rules and reigns! And there in heaven, where he is enthroned in glory and authority, stands interceding and praying for us. Allow his love to change you and wash over you. Rest in the truth that when he said, “It is finished,” he meant it. Remember: there is a difference between what you may feel and what is real. And this is what is real: there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. None!
Romans: The Power & Glory of the Gospel (Part 18)Romans 8:18-30// Our flesh will die. We deeply feel that reality. The pain of aging, the persistent weight of chronic illness, the dreaded diagnosis that casts a dark shadow over the future—all of these speak to the truth of bodies that are yearning for redemption. But death is not the end of the story. Rather than seeing our bodily suffering as a source of persistent annoyance, anxiety, and dread, the word of God is inviting us to see our bodily suffering as a universal sign that points toward something profoundly true: our bodies are not longing for just a better quality of life, our bodies are longing for the glory of resurrection. For with those whom the Spirit has given eyes to see Jesus for who he is, the suffering of Christ speaks to the hope that all our suffering will come to an end and the beginning of never-ending glory!
Acts 1:1-9// In our moments of wondering where God is, or how much easier life would be if Jesus were physically right in front us, Jesus himself tells us that he has gone away so that the Helper, the Holy Spirit, will come and bring the presence and power of God to his people. We do not have to travel across the world to encounter God, nor create the "right" conditions in our own effort to discern God's presence, because the Holy Spirit dwells in the hearts of every single Christian!
Psalm 110:1-4// The ascension of Jesus Christ to the right hand of the Father can often be an overlooked “extra” of the Good News. Our salvation has been accomplished by the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ from the grave - what does his ascension have to do with my salvation today? In celebrating the ascension of Jesus Christ, we are celebrating the fact that Jesus Christ is actively mediating and interceding on our behalf to God the Father every moment of every day. In this present moment, Jesus continues to make intercession for his people, because Jesus is just as committed to our salvation right this very moment as he was when he was dying on the cross for us! Nothing can separate us from the love of God and the advocacy of our risen Lord!
Romans: The Power & Glory of the Gospel (Part 16)Romans 8:1-11// All of us feel vulnerable. All of us face crushing insecurities. All of us have felt like failures, and have felt the self-defeating power of shame. But we must never forgot that there is a crucial difference between what we feel - and what is real. When we feel like a failure, or hopeless, or that you're unworthy or unlovable, we must remember that this is only what we feel - what is real is that "there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1). Where there was once condemnation, now, there is justification. Where there was there was once bondage; now, there is freedom. Where there was once impossibility with the flesh; now, there is now triumph in Christ who came in the flesh and the possibility of new life in the Spirit!
Romans: The Power & Glory of the Gospel (Part 15) Romans 7:7-25 // Sin is not a friend who desires for you to have fun. Sin is a tyrant that wants to claim dominion over you and lead you into captivity and death. Sin is a judo-master and an expert in reverse psychology, seizing the law of God that was meant to protect us against evil and instead uses it to provoke us toward evil. Though the law of God is good and holy, we cannot save ourselves from sin through our imperfect obedience, but because Christ is the one who fulfilled the law to perfection and was not deceived into sin, the dominion of sin and death has been broken! And although Christ’s victory over sin does not mean the process of our sanctification will be easy, it does mean that the end of our sanctification is certain, and we can look forward to the day when sin is destroyed forever!
Romans: The Power & Glory of the Gospel (Part 14) Romans 7:1-6 // In the light of the Gospel, we understand that the law of God in the Old Testament can be a wonderful guide, but it can never be a Savior. The law expose our radical inability to merit righteousness through our good works, but it also points us to Jesus Christ, who alone is righteous and true. The law testifies to the Lamb, who was slain to take away the sins of the world, and to a true and better High Priest who intercedes for us. The Gospel is not the law - it is not meant to inspire us to be better people, but transforms us into new people not by our work, but by Christ's!
Romans: The Power & Glory of the Gospel (Part 13) Romans 6:12-23 // A famous songwriter once wrote "Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord / But you're gonna have to serve somebody.” Two thousand years prior, the Apostle Paul asks his readers: which somebody will you serve? Will you serve sin, your former enslaver and abuser that only leads toward death and bondage? Or will you embrace true freedom and liberty by submitting to Christ's Lordship? In Part 13 of our Romans series, Pastor David explains that in our own strength, we could not free ourselves from the tyranny of sin, but at the Cross, Christ has defeated the powers of sin and death. It is his grace that saved us, and it is grace that will sanctify us!
Romans: The Power & Glory of the Gospel (Part 12) Romans 6:1-11 // For Christians, baptism is not just a religious ritual. Baptism is a visible, tangible means by which we witness and experience the grace of Christ. Baptism is a gift through which the Holy Spirit ministers to us and publicly declares our participation in Christ through faith. Baptism is a sacrament that tells and retells the story of the gospel; it is a declaration of freedom that we are no longer under the dominion of sin. In baptism, we renounce the powers of death and darkness and we pledge our allegiance to live for Christ. For these reasons, baptism is to be not only cherished, valued, and observed—it should be remembered, moment after moment and day after day. Remember you baptism. Remember all that it means. Remember its power!
Romans: The Power & Glory of the Gospel (B-Side) Genesis 3:8-19; 24 // Adam and Jesus are contrasted in several ways in the book of Romans. For every good thing that Adam did, Jesus has done better. For every bad thing that Adam did, Jesus has done the opposite - where sin entered the world through one man's sin, grace has abounded all the more through Jesus' obedience! In this B-Side of our Romans series, Aaron Reyes explains how we do not have to hide behind the flimsy fig or palm leaves of our self-righteousness, because Jesus Christ has exposed our sinfulness in order to save us from our sins by his sacrifice on the cross!
Romans: The Power & Glory of the Gospel (Part 11) Romans 5:12-21 // Romans 5 shows us how Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection are not only impactful and life-changing on an individual level. Rather, what Jesus has accomplished is cosmic in nature—it has shifted the course of human history and reshaped the very fabric of creation. In Part 11 of our Romans series, Pastor David Ritchie explains how one day the true King will return, the light of redemption will shine, and God’s blessings will flow “Far As the Curse is Found"!
Romans: The Power & Glory of the Gospel (Part 10) Romans 5:1-11 // Our lives of full of suffering and disappointment. The good news of the Gospel gives us hope in the midst of hardship and trial, but how is it that God can save us entirely by his grace? In Part 10 of our Romans series, Pastor David Ritchie explains how justification by faith alone is one of the most empowering, life-transforming truths of Scripture based entirely on the love of Christ!
Romans: The Power & Glory of the Gospel (B-Side) Genesis 15 // God's promise to Abram and Sarai to give them more descendents than there are stars in the sky was a truly incredibly promise - if Abram and Sarai were young and able to have children. To this old husband and wife, childless in a culture that prizes children as a blessing, God's promise seemed too good to be true. In this B-Side entry of our Romans series, Pastor Jacob Cates explains how God cannot fail to make good on the promises he makes, and guarantees his promises on his very existence as God!
Romans: The Power & Glory of the Gospel (Part 8) Romans 4:13 - 25 // Abraham was not a perfect man. He was realistic about his situation - how could God possibly provide a son to him at such an old age, much less make him the father of many nations? In Part 9 of our Romans series, Pastor David Ritchie explains how faith is confidence in the promises of God, and that He is good and capable of doing all that he promises to do!
Romans: The Power & Glory of the Gospel (Part 8) Romans 3:31 - 4:12 // Because of Jesus Christ, a new righteousness has been made available to us that is able to save us. But how do we attain this righteousness if it is not through works? In Part 8 of our Romans series, Pastor David Ritchie explains how God justified Abraham through faith, and how it is through faith that we are justified today!
John 7:1-10 // Our dear friend and brother Bennie Anderson, pastor of New Hope Baptist Church, celebrates 22 years of faithful preaching by testifying to how God is in control even amid chaos, disappointment, and discouragement. Because Jesus is the Lord of all things, we can face hardship and struggle with hope because we know that Jesus is good!
Romans: The Power & Glory of the Gospel (Part 7) Romans 3:21-30 // Paul has made clear that there is no hope for us saving ourselves with a righteousness we can secure for ourselves. God is holy, and we have broken his law in every way and sin corrupts our lives at every point. Our only hope then is for someone else's righteousness to cover our unrighteousness, and for someone else to do what all humankind has failed to do. In Part 7 of our Romans series, Pastor David Ritchie explains how God has provided a perfect righteousness for sinners not based on what they could do for themselves, but what Christ has accomplished for them!
Romans: The Power & Glory of the Gospel (Part 6) Romans 3:1-20 Paul has opened the book of Romans with the most blistering argument against human righteousness one could muster. Before Paul can explain why the Gospel is such good news, he must make clear that there is no possible hope any of us have for righteousness based on ourselves. In Part 6 of our Romans series, Pastor David Ritchie explains how human righteousness will always fail us - and how another righteousness, the righteousness of Christ, has been made available to us in the Gospel!
Romans: The Power & Glory of the Gospel (Part 5) Romans 2:1-29 Self-righteousness and self-justification are among the worst effects of sin. We are easily prone to standing over in judgment and condemnation of others for their sins - while being guilty of the exact same sins. We are equally prone towards constructing our own righteousness through our own works or beliefs, not realizing that apart from Christ, we remain dead in our sin In Part 5 of our Romans series, Pastor David Ritchie explains how only the righteousness that comes through faith alone in Christ alone can free us from self-righteousness and empower us to live in holy obedience based on Christ's righteousness!
Romans: The Power & Glory of the Gospel (Part 4) Romans 1:24-32 Because of sin, we desire things that we believe will give us life, meaning, and happiness - but will actually destroy us, and be the death of us. Our sin knows no limits to the number of ways it manifests in our lives and in the lives of others. In Part 4 of our Romans series, Pastor David Ritchie explains how a life apart from Christ is a life ruled by the tyranny of sinful desires and spiritual darkness, but how Jesus Christ is a lot better at saving than we are at sinning!
Romans: The Power & Glory of the Gospel (Part 3) Romans 1:18-25 As Paul begins the letter of Romans, he starts with the bad news: because of our sin, we are under the wrath of God. We have broken his law in countless ways, and we have worshiped countless other gods instead of giving him the worship he is due. In Part 3 of our Romans series, Pastor David Ritchie explains how in order for the Gospel to be truly good news, we must first understand the severity and magnitude of our sin - and it is only then that we will begin to understand the incredible love of Christ in saving us!
Romans: The Power & Glory of the Gospel (Part 2) Romans 1:8-17 It is a miracle that Paul is able to write a letter to a church in the Roman empire. Victims of Roman crucifixion were not celebrated, much less worshiped, but Jesus turned everything upside down. In Part 2 of our Romans series, Pastor David Ritchie explains how only the Gospel of Jesus is able to do the impossible and create a new community of transformed individuals centered around a crucified Messiah!
Romans: The Power & Glory of the Gospel (B-Side) Ephesians 3:1-13 The apostle Paul, the author of the book of Romans, writes about the power and glory of the Gospel because he has experienced it firsthand. Paul's life was completely transformed after he met Jesus on a road to Damascus, and a man who once persecuted Christians would now give his entire life to suffering joyful as he labored to build Christ's church. Our church planting resident, J.R. Favela, explains who Paul is and how a description of himself in the book of Ephesians can help us better understand the book of Romans!
Romans: The Power & Glory of the Gospel (Part 1) Romans 1:1-7 The book of Romans is one of the most influential and important books of all Scripture. It has transformed countless lives and changed the course of human history, from Augustine and Luther all the way to John Wesley and Karl Barth, and continues to change lives today. Pastor David Ritchie explains how Paul's introductory remarks at the beginning of Romans give us a roadmap for understanding the entire book, and how Paul's emphasis throughout the whole book is the power and glory of the Gospel of Jesus!
Isaiah: The Glory of God in a World of Chaos (Part 5) Isaiah 13:9-11; 14:3-6, 12-17; 25:6-9