Redeemer Downtown Sermons

We live in an age where our awareness of the self and identity formation is front of mind: Identity politics is huge, slogans like, 'You do you' and, 'Be true to yourself' abound. But are our identity projects helping us to flourish or hindering us? By thinking about the need to have a secure and liberating identity, we'll reflect on our culture's approach to identity, including gender and sexual identities and explore how the Good News of Jesus Christ can uniquely give us the type of identity we long for. Join us and invite your friends to our Guest Sunday next Sunday, February 11 at both the 10am and 5pm services.

The hardest idols to recognize are the ones that seem the most practical.

In this sermon from the series, "Formed," Charles Chung explores Jesus' teaching in Matthew 6:19-24 and the deeper question beneath our finances: what has captured our hearts? In a city where wealth often promises power, security, approval, and control, Jesus offers a different vision of true treasure.

Rather than calling us to guilt or fear, this sermon points to the generosity of Christ, who became poor so that we might become rich in Him. When we discover that we are God's greatest treasure, generosity becomes more than a financial habit, it becomes a response to His grace that frees us to use money instead of being used by it.

Pain doesn't have to define you. It can refine you.

In this sermon from the series, "Formed," Pete Nicholas explores Jesus' words in John 15:1-11 and the invitation to abide in Him through daily time in Scripture and prayer. While many of us have a plan for advancing our careers or achieving our goals, we often give far less attention to the formation of our character. Yet Jesus teaches that lasting fruitfulness isn't produced by striving harder, but by remaining deeply connected to Him. Even seasons of suffering can become places where God refines rather than defines us.

This sermon offers a compelling vision for personal devotions, not as another religious obligation, but as a daily practice through which God's love transforms us.

Everyone worships something, even those who don't consider themselves religious.

In this sermon from the series, "Formed," Pete Nicholas explores Psalm 100 and why worship is not simply a religious activity but the defining reality of every human life. We all give our hearts to something, whether it's success, approval, beauty, or God, and what we worship ultimately shapes who we become.

This sermon unpacks how corporate worship reorients our hearts away from idols and toward the God whose steadfast love and faithfulness never fail. Far from being an obligation, gathering with God's people is an invitation to lasting joy and deeper spiritual formation through the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The things that capture our attention eventually capture our hearts.

In this sermon from the series, "Formed," Jeff White explores Deuteronomy 6:1-9 and Jesus' greatest commandment: to love God with all our heart, soul, and strength.

Beneath every ambition, habit, and desire is a deeper question of what we love most. But love for God isn't sustained by willpower or religious performance. It begins with discovering that He first loved us.

As we behold God's unfailing love revealed in Jesus, our hearts are gradually transformed, reshaping not only our relationship with Him but every other love in our lives.

Most of us spend our lives trying to become better, yet still wonder why lasting change feels out of reach.

In this sermon from the series, "Formed," Pete Nicholas explores Galatians 2:17-21 and the foundation of genuine spiritual formation. While our instinct is often to rely on greater effort, discipline, or willpower, the Christian life begins somewhere entirely different: union with Christ. Through faith, His death becomes our death, His life becomes our life, and His grace becomes the power that transforms us from the inside out.

This is the first sermon in the "Formed" sermon series preached by Rev. Pete Nicholas.

Real change is harder than a typical New Year's resolution.

In this sermon from the series, "He Will Be Called...", Will Anderson explores Isaiah 11:1–9 and the promise of a King who brings lasting justice, peace, and restoration. Isaiah's vision of a shoot growing from the stump of Jesse points to Jesus, the humble King who enters hopeless places and begins making all things new.

Rather than offering temporary self-improvement, Jesus transforms hearts from the inside out. This sermon invites us to trust that the hope of Christmas extends beyond a season, anchoring us in the promise that God is faithfully at work.

This is Redeemer Downtown's live stream 10 a.m. worship service on Sunday, December 31, 2023. You can find all the various upcoming gatherings on the Events page of our website - redeemerdt.com/events.

We're thankful to have you join us for worship!

- Today's worship bulletin: redeemerdt.com/ambulletin

- Give to the ministry of Redeemer Downtown: redeemerdt.com/give

The third sermon in the sermon series, "He Will Be Called", was preached by Rev. Will Anderson.