Redemption Church - Sermons

“Our hearts are restless until they find their rest in you.” This was Augustine’s confession, and this is why he is a fitting guide for us nearly 1600 years later. This Sunday, Augustine’s life and teaching will help us make sense of our experience of the grip of sin, the gift of grace that brings forgiveness and freedom, and the wonder of God’s presence in our spiritual lives.

Have you ever wondered why your spiritual life is an ongoing battle? Can you relate to the words of Romans 7:15: “I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate”? For 2000 thousand years, Christians have struggled to understand how to make sense of our divided hearts. Trying to make sense of this tension, Martin Luther, the great Reformer, famously taught that we are simultaneously saints and sinners. In this series, we are going to explore pivotal teachings from church history that will serve as guides for how we can think more deeply and more biblically about how we grow. We will learn from the lives and teachings of key figures like St. Augustine, John Bunyan, John Owen, and others as we seek to become more like Jesus.

How do you finish well in this life? A faithful finish means bouncing back when you’re broken down, finding friends to walk with you, and focusing on the Lord all the way to the unpredictable end of your journey.

How does prayer work? Should we claim promises from God in prayer? Why does God seem to answer some prayers and not others? These are questions many of us ask about the mystery of praying to God. This week, we will look at the role of prayer in Elijah’s life, and we will seek to uncover important realities for our lives and our praying.

How often do you think about your baptism? The Reformer Martin Luther encouraged Christians to remember their baptism each day. That probably sounds strange to you. Because for most of us, baptism is something that happened in the past with little relevance for the present. But what if Luther was on to something? What if baptism, properly understood, changes everything about your life? This week, we explore the meaning and significance of baptism.

Do you ever feel hopeless? Like it’s time to throw in the towel? We all get overwhelmed sometimes in the pressure of life. This week, we look on as Elijah comes down from his mountaintop victory and runs into the depths of discouragement. But in his moment of panic, God responds to him with compassion, grace, truth, and a bigger vision of who God is.

Have you ever had to choose between two paths — a fork in the road moment that decides your course? In a great battle on Mount Carmel, Elijah calls God’s people to stop limping between two opinions. When the prophets of Baal prayed — nothing. When Elijah prayed, fire falls! And when fire falls from heaven, we know who is worthy of our trust.

Is God calling you to stand firm in the face of spiritual challenge? This week, we watch as God sends Elijah directly into the fray of a faithless world. In a time of compromise and fear, Elijah stood firm no matter the cost and shows us what faithfulness looks like. Join us Sunday as we seek to become men and women who stand strong by faith even when it's costly.

Do you ever feel a gap between what you say you believe about God and your everyday experience? This week, we watch Elijah trust God in a foreign town with a widow who has nothing left. Twice God invites Elijah to trust him, twice God provides, and Elijah's faith grows. When we see that faith is less like a switch and more like a muscle, it frees us from wondering whether we have enough and invites us to start exercising what we've got.

Can you really count on God in the day-to-day stuff of life? This week, we watch the Lord send Elijah to an uncomfortable and uncertain place. God promises to care for his needs, but Elijah is totally dependent on God and his grace. When we learn to hide ourselves in his grace, it frees us from performance and pretending.