Redemption Hill Church

This passage breaks down the life of Abraham and the relationship of God's promises to Abraham with the Law given through Moses. Ultimately all of this relates to Jesus Christ, who brought the culmination of all of God's plans and promises.

Over the past two Sundays we have explored a major conflict between the Apostles Paul and Peter. Paul confronted Peter because the issue of justification was at stake - how we achieve right standing before God. Galatians 2 clearly establishes the importance of our righteousness coming by grace alone, through faith in Christ alone. This Sunday the letter turns back to the churches in Galatia and to the issue of sanctification - how we are made holy. Once we have been given the gift of right standing before God, there are implications for how we live. This Sunday will be intensely personal and practical for us.

In Galatians 2:15-21 the beauty of justification is on brilliant display. Every one of us chases righteousness, right standing. That is shown in the guilt and shame that we all experience as we fall short of it. There is hope in Jesus Christ. I can't wait for us to gather together to celebrate it!

After learning about the unity that developed between Paul and the other Apostles, we read in Galatians 2:11-14 about a public confrontation between Paul and Peter. This was a watershed moment for the early church. It teaches us about the critical foundations for the new community that Christ established, and what is worth defending in the church.

A few times each year Redemption Hill gathers at one service with our families. This means that everyone will be in service – parents, kids, singles, community groups, everyone together. We’ll have a simpler service of extended singing together and a shorter sermon or prayer time. Our hope is that this will be a sweet time of gathering together as the young, the old, and everyone in-between declare the praises of our God and fellowship as a united body. This also gives a chance for our teams to rest, especially our Kids Worship, Band, and Tech teams.

These patterns are formative and fun for our church. It will help us center on Jesus as the most important aspect of gathering together on Sunday and it will give us perspective and opportunity to be the family that God has made us to be.

Paul continues to fill in gaps in the story of his early years as a follower of Jesus Christ. This Sunday we will focus in heavily on 2:4-5. People in the early church slipped in to spy on Christians who exercised different freedoms than those to which they were accustomed. They couldn't believe that other Christians thought differently, or practiced different things - all while clinging to the One True Gospel of Jesus Christ. So, they tried to drag them backward into slavery to unhelpful rules and regulations. Whoa! The same thing happens today. We all can fall victim to it, and to perpetrating it. Let's figure out what real Christian freedom looks like as we dig in together!

We all want to be liked, recognized, appreciated, and loved. When people believe false things about us it messes with our minds and can seep deeply into our hearts, so we slide into self-protection. Last week we saw the firm foundation in the gospel of Jesus Christ, and that there is no other gospel. This week we will see that the gospel frees us from people-pleasing.

October 31, 1517. A monk in a small town in Germany with a troubled soul and much trepidation attempted to invite a theological debate within the church. He didn’t realize that this spark would set off a building powder keg of tensions that would explode and change the course of history. The Protestant Reformation followed. This fall marks the 500th anniversary of that day.

Join us this fall as we take the next few months in a study of Galatians. One of the letters that was vitally important to the Reformation. As we do, we will do so with an eye toward the original context the Apostle Paul’s first letter to the first churches he had planted and an eye toward the Reformation.

The life of David is a constant help where every Christian may find comfort, example, and the gospel. Though faced with fear, anxiety, and hurt David is able to rest in the promise and word of God leading him to trust-fueled worship. We likewise see David’s example, and are drawn to the perfect example of Christ, who endured all things, fear, anxiety, and hurt on our behalf bringing the salvation of God to the people of God.

From Pastor Jon Rees: This Sunday is my last Sunday as your Pastor at RHC. The past five years have been a joy, honor, and privilege to serve alongside you in reaching Capitol Hill and beyond with the gospel of Jesus Christ. As most of you know, the Rees family is moving to Washington, IA where I will be the Senior Pastor of Faith Baptist Church. This is an exciting adventure for us and one we are anxiously awaiting what the Lord is going to do in and through us in this transition. We will pray for you that the light of the gospel will shine bright here in D.C. and that a gospel awaking will break out in this city through all the gospel-preaching churches.

It is such a joy for me that I will be able to preach one more time to RHC this Sunday. Please come and hear God's Word and prepare yourself through prayer and by reading 2 Peter 1:3-11. The call of this passage is to not forget the gospel, something I know you don't want to do. So, come and worship with your church family this weekend and please be sure to say "goodbye" to us as we journey from this place. We love you and we will miss you, RHC.