Redeemer Weekend Sermons

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Walking The Way | Evangelism | Week 12 | July 28, 2024

Teacher: Adam Barnett

/>  Evangelism – to bring (declare or show) the good news of Jesus Christ.  

/> “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” – Luke 10:2

/> 1 Corinthians 9:19-23… Though I am freeand belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone,to win as many as possible.
/> Our personal rights and preferences must be put aside for the sake of evangelism.

/> 20 To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews.To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law),so as to win those under the law.21 To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law),so as to win those not having the law.22 To the weak I became weak, to win the weak.I have become all things to all peopleso that by all possible means I might save some.

/> 23 I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings. 

/> 1.    Pray. 

/> 2.    Build, not burn bridges. 

/> 3.    Start with love, not truth. 

/> 4.    Seek dialogue, not a monologue.

/> 5.    Avoid Christianese.

/> 6.    Slow down. 

/> Sharing starts with seeing. 

/> 7.    Be patient, yet persistent.

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Walking The Way | Prayer | Week 11 | July 21, 2024

Teacher: David Nunn

/>  Luke 24:50-53   When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. Then they worshipped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God.       

/> Acts 1:24-25  Then they prayed, "Lord, you know everyone's heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen to take over this apostolic ministry, which Judas left to go where he belongs."  

/> Acts 4:29-30   “Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”        
>/ Acts 1:14  They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.  

>/ Acts 2:46-47      Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.           

>/ Acts 4:32-34   All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them.  NIV
>/ Ephesians 4:3 says, “Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, through the bond of peace.”

>/ Acts 13:2-3 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them."              

>/ Acts 14:23 "Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust."

>/ Acts 21:5  All the disciples and their wives and children accompanied us out of the city, and there on the beach we knelt to pray.             

>/ Attitude of Prayer

>/ 1.              Desire of and acceptance of God’s will.

>/ 2.              Stillness

>/ 3.              Expectancy

>/ Psalm 138:7-8  "Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and your right hand delivers me. The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever."

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Walking The Way | Simplicity | Week 10 | July 14, 2024

Teacher: Dave Brown

/>  We must shift America from a needs to a desire culture…People must be trained to desire, to want new things, even before the old have been entirely consumed.  We must shape a new mentality.  Man’s desires must overshadow his needs.

—Paul Mazur

>/ The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society.  Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country.  We are governed, our minds are molded, our tastes formed, our ideas suggested, largely by men we have never heard of.

—Edward Bernays

>/ “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

>/ “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

— Matthew 6:19-24

>/ Contemporary culture is plagued by the passion to possess.  The unreasoned boast abounds that the good life is found in accumulation, that “more is better.”  Indeed, we often accept this notion without question, with the result that the lust for affluence in contemporary society has become psychotic: it has completely lost touch with reality…Christian simplicity frees us from this modern mania.  It brings sanity to our compulsive extravagance, and peace to our frantic spirit….It allow us to see material things for what they are—goods to enhance life, not to oppress life.  People once again become more important than possessions.

—Richard Foster

>/ The goal is to live with a high degree of intentionality around what matters most, which, for those of us who apprentice under Jesus, is Jesus himself and his kingdom.

—John Mark Comer

>/ 1. Before you buy something, ask yourself, what is the true cost of this item?

>/ 2. Never impulse buy.

>/ 3. When you do buy, buy quality over quantity.

>/ 4. Start giving things away.

>/ 5. Live by a budget

>/ 6. Spend more time in nature

>/ 7. Learn to enjoy the simple things in life.

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Walking The Way | Sabbath | Week 9 | July 7, 2024

Teacher: Dave Brown

/>  Ultimately, nothing in this life, apart from God, can satisfy our desires.  Tragically, we continue to chase after our desires ad infinitum.  The result? A chronic state of restlessness or, worse, angst, anger, anxiety, disillusionment, depression—all of which lead to a life of hurry, a life of business, overload, shopping, materialism, careerism, a life of more…which in turn makes us even more restless.  And the cycle spirals our of control.

—John Mark Comer

/> “Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the Lord your God has commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns, so that your male and female servants may rest, as you do. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.

—Deuteronomy 5:12-15

/> The Deuteronomy reason for Sabbath-keeping is that our ancestors in Egypt went four hundred years without a vacation.  Never a day off.  The consequence: they were no longer considered persons but slaves…Not persons created in the image of God but equipment for making bricks and building pyramids.  Humanity was defaced.  Lest any of us do that to our neighbor or husband or wife or child or employee, we are commanded to keep a sabbath.  The moment we begin to see others in terms of what they can do rather than who they are, we mutilate humanity and violate community…Sabbath keeping is commanded to preserve the image of God in our neighbors so that we see them as they are, not as we need them or want them.

— Eugene Peterson

/> By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.

— Genesis 2:2-3

/> Divine rest on the seventh day of creation has made clear that YHWH is not a workaholic, that YHWH is not anxious about the full functioning of creation, and that the well-being of creation does not depend on endless work.

— Walter Bruggemann

/> There is a realm of time where the goal is not to have but to be, not to own but to give, not to control but to share, not to subdue but to be in accord.  Life goes wrong when the control of space, the acquisition of things of space, becomes our sole concern.

—Abraham Heschel

/> Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods. But now that you know God—or rather are known by God—how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable forces? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again?…It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

—Galatians 4:8-9; 5:1
 

/> R.I.G. (Rest In God)

/> 1. Exchange one weekly commitment for an hour of time with God

2. Block Out 10-minutes everyday to sit with God

3. Give your phone, tv, and computer boundaries

4. Work towards establishing a Sabbath

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Walking The Way | Secrecy | Week 8 | June 30, 2024

Teacher: Garland Tackett

/>  Matthew 6:5-6 (ESV) "And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites.  For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others.  Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you."

/> Jesus is always probing deeper. Into the Heart. Into the Soul.

/> W.A.I.T. = Why Am I Talking? 

/> A.W. Tozer

"What comes into our mind when we think about God is the most important thing about us."

/> Jesus replies in the Gospel of John:

"Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?"  John 14:9
 

/> 5 minutes of silence

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Walking The Way | Fasting | Week 7 | June 23, 2024

Teacher: Adam Barnett

/>  “In many ways the stomach is like a spoiled child, and a spoiled child does not need indulgence, but needs discipline.”   - Richard Foster

/> Fasting – the deliberate abstinence from physical gratification for a greater spiritual goal.

/> 1.    Should we fast? 

/> “When you fast…” – Matthew 6:16

/> 2.    Why should we fast? 

/> Then John’s disciples came and asked him, “How is it that we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?” Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.  - Matthew 9:14-15

/> “Fasting helps us to express, to deepen, and to confirm the resolution that we are ready to sacrifice anything, even ourselves, to attain the Kingdom of God.”– Andrew Murray

/> 3.    Why should we not fast? 

/> “When you fast, do not look somberas the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face,so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. – Matthew 6:16-18

/> “The world is not a stage. When you practice some appetite-denying discipline to better concentrate on God, don’t make a production out of it. It might turn you into a small-time celebrity, but it won’t make you a saint.”  - Eugene Peterson

/> 4.    How to start a fast? 

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Walking The Way | Solitude | Week 6 | June 16, 2024

Teacher: Adam Barnett

/>  Psalm 103:1-5, New International Version: 

/> 1 Praise theLord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
/> 2 Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—
/> 3 who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,
/> 4 who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion,
/> 5 who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

/> Psalm 103:1-5, Amplified Bible: 

/> 1 Bless and affectionately praise theLord, O my soul, And all that is [deep] within me,blessHis holy name.
/> 2 Bless and affectionately praise theLord, O my soul,And do not forget any of His benefits;
/> 3 Who forgives all your sins,Who heals all your diseases;
/> 4 Who redeems your life from the pit,Who crowns you [lavishly] with lovingkindness and tender mercy;
/> 5 Who satisfies your years with good things,So that your youth is renewed like the [soaring] eagle.

/> Psalm 103:1-5, Message Translation: 

/> 1 O my soul, blessGod.From head to toe, I’ll bless his holy name!

/> 2 O my soul, blessGod,don’t forget a single blessing!

/> 3 He forgives your sins—every one.He heals your diseases—every one.
/> 4He redeems you from hell—saves your life!He crowns you with love and mercy—a paradise crown.
/> 5 He wraps you in goodness—beauty eternal.He renews your youth—you’re always young in his presence.

/> 1.    Comparison. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above…” - James 1:17

/> Comparing leads to coveting. Coveting is lethal to contentment.

/> Focus (daily) on appreciation, not accumulation.

/> 2.    Complaint. “Do everything without grumbling or arguing.”  - Philippians 2:14

/> “How are we landing robots on Mars, but our Wi-Fi is so slow?” - Adam Barnett

>/ 3.    Calamity.“Give thanks in all circumstances…” 1 Thessalonians 5:18 

>/ God did not do this to me. God allowed this for me. He is with me.

/> "For years, I subscribed to the notion of an 'attitude of gratitude.' I've since learned that an attitude is an orientation or a way of thinking and that 'having an attitude' doesn't always translate to a behavior.It seems that gratitude without practice may be a little like faith without works. It's not alive. So, we don't so much want to know if you have a grateful heart, but do you have grateful habits?” - Brené Brown 

/> 1.    Focus on where you see the gracious and active presence of God in the story of your life.

/> 2.    Talk about where you see the gracious and active presence of God in the story of your life.

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Walking The Way | Solitude | Week 5 | June 9, 2024

Teacher: Adam Barnett

/>  May you be covered in the dust of your rabbi. 

/> When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers. Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”  - Matthew 20:24-28

>/ Greatness in the kingdom of God is the polar opposite of greatness in the world.

>/ Διάκονος – a household servant (specifically, a waiter); a minister.

>/ Greatness is service. To be first, be a servant. 

>/ “Jesus turns this noble ideal on its head and in one of cultural history’s dramatic reversals he asks, in effect, ‘How can anyone be happy unless one is the slave of everyone else?’”  - Dale Bruner

>/ Philippians 2:3-4… Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves,not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

>/ 1.    Slow down

>/ 2.    Seek opportunities

>/ 3.    Start new rhythms

>/ 4.    Serve at Redeemer

>/ 5.    Spiritual Gifts Assessment

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Walking The Way | Solitude | Week 4 | June 2, 2024

Teacher: Dave Brown

/>  Sacrament is from the Latin word sacramentum which originally referred to a soldier’s sacred oath of allegiance. 

/> Two sacraments

1. Baptism
2. Communion

/> 3 Names to Communion

1. The Lord’s Supper
2. Communion
3. Eucharist

/> And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.”

—Luke 22:19-20

/> Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke them. Then he gave them to the disciples to distribute to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.

—Luke 9:16-17

/> 4 Verbs of the Lord’s Supper

1. Take:  Jesus takes what we bring him. This offering that Jesus take from us is the first movement of the Eucharist; it sets salvation in the ambience of sheer acceptance.  God receives us and what we bring to him, just as we are.

2. Bless:  What we offer to Jesus, Jesus offers to God with thanksgiving.  He doesn’t examine it for flaws, doesn’t evaluate and appraise it, criticize or reject our offerings. He prays these offerings and the lives that back them up, offering what we offer to the Father. This prayer of blessing gathers all of us and everything we are into everything that Christ is and does for us.

3. Break:  Our gifts don’t remain what we bring.  At the Table we are not permitted to be self-sufficient.  The breaking of our pride and self-approval is not a bad thing; it opens us to new life, to saving action.  We soon discover that God is working deep within us, beneath our surface lies and poses, to bring new life.

4. Give:  Jesus gives back what we bring to him, who we are; and we receive what he gives.  But it is no longer what we brought.  It has been changed into what God gives, what we sing of as “amazing grace.”  Everything we bring to Jesus is given back, but lavishly…Everything on the Table and everyone around the Table becomes gospel and is distributed to all who hunger and thirst after righteousness.

—Eugene Peterson

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Walking The Way | Our Practice | Week 2 | May 26, 2024

Teacher: Dave Brown

/> Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.

—Matthew 13:18-23

/> Music and silence—how I detest them both! How thankful we should be that ever since Our Father entered Hell—though longer ago than humans, reckoning in light years, could express—no square inch of infernal space and no moment of infernal time has been surrendered to either of those abominable forces, but all has been occupied by Noise—Noise, the grand dynamism, the audible expression of all that is exultant, ruthless, and virile—Noise which alone defends us from silly qualms, despairing scruples and impossible desires. We will make the whole universe a noise in the end. We have already made great strides in this direction as regards the Earth. The melodies and silences of Heaven will be shouted down in the end. But I admit we are not yet loud enough, or anything like it. Research is in progress.

—C.S. Lewis

/> Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses.  But Jesus often withdraw to lonely places and prayed.

—Luke 5:15-16

/> In the world there are many other voices speaking—loudly: “Prove that you are beloved. Prove you’re worth something.  Prove you have any contribution to make.  Do something relevant.  Be sure you make a name for yourself.  At least have some power—then people will love you; then people will say you’re wonderful, you’re great.’  These voices are so strong.  They touch our hidden insecurities and drive us to become every busy trying to prove to the world that we are good people who deserve some attention.

—Henri Nouwen

/> Solitude confronts our escapism.

/> In solitude we not only encounter God but also our true self.

—Clowning in Rome

/> The discipline of solitude allows us gradually to come in touch with the hopeful presence of God in our lives, and allows us also to taste even now the beginnings of the joy and peace which belong to the new heaven and the new earth.

—Henri Nouwen

/> We practice solitude to know and be known.

/> Why is it so important that we are with God and God alone on the mountain top? It’s important because it’s the place in which we can listen to the voice of the One who calls us the beloved.  Jesus says to you and to me that we are loved as he is loved…To pray is to let that voice speak to the center of our being and permeate our whole life.  Who am I? I am the beloved.  If we are not calming that voice as the deepest truth of our being, then we cannot walk freely in this world.

—Henri Nouwen

/> We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check….The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

—James 3:2-8

/> Why do we insist on talking as much as we do?  We run off at the mouth because we are inwardly uneasy about what other think of us.

—Dallas Willard

/> The practice of silence helps us to listen and to observe, to pay attention to people.  How rarely are we ever truly listened to, and how deep is out need to be heard.  I wonder how much wrath in human life is a result of not being heard.

—Dallas Willard

/> We practice silence to listen and to serve

/> Far too often we are busy trying to “do something.”  Perhaps it would be better if instead we learned to “be something.”

/> We cannot be human if we are not existing in the present, for the present is where God meets us.  If we avoid the details of the actual present, we abdicate a big chunk of our humanity.

—Eugene Peterson