RUF at Illinois

This is the first sermon in a series called "Made for Relationship." We see from Genesis 1 and 2 that God made us for relationship with him and with others. But sin has deformed these relationship. The good news is that Jesus came into the world of deformed relationships to remake the world and restore our relationships. This good news shapes every part of our lives, including the ways we think about friendship, dating, marriage, sex, singleness, and relating to parents & family.

In Ephesians 3:1-13, the Apostle Paul teaches us that the Church of Jesus Christ is a Community of Suffering and a Community that Shines. In these words, we hear a call to love the Church - warts and all - for two big reasons: because God has determined to use the Church in his great plan for the universe and because Jesus loves his Bride.

RUF intern, Tim Sandridge, shares from Ephesians 2:11-22: though we were once far off, we have been brought near, and joined together by the cross of Jesus.

This seminar was prepared for the RUF Midwest 2023 Fall Conference in Grand Junction, MI.

Just as stars shine more brightly when you're in the darkness of a valley, so does the good news about Jesus become more clear when we understand the bad news of our human condition apart from Christ. Ephesians 2:1-10 shows us that there is no one who is so good to be beyond the need of God's grace, but there is also no one so bad to be beyond the reach of God's grace.

Prayer often feels like a spiritual chore, a task to check-off from our religious to-do list. But does it have to be this way? The good news of this passage helps us to move beyond mere duty in our prayers to joy and delight. When this message sinks home, we can live all of life before God's face: for his honor, for our satisfaction, and for the sake of the world.

In Jesus, God has given us a new identity and a new purpose. We can grow into that new identity and purpose as we behold the beauty of God and the abundance of his blessings. The result is that we can live for the glory of God and become a blessing to others.

What if the things we so often find ourselves desiring are not bad in themselves, but are simply insufficient? The good news is that God offers us something much greater and more satisfying than our mundane ambitions. In Jesus, God not only meets all our needs; he also satisfies our deepest longings. This is the first sermon in our new series on Ephesians 1-3, "Become Who You Are."

We can't begin a relationship with the God of grace without knowing our sin, which makes his grace necessary. But to persevere in a relationship with God, we need to see the fruit of God's grace in the midst of a world overrun by the fruit of sin. 2 Samuel 12 helps us to see that God's grace bears fruit even now in our broken world: in lamentation, in adoration, and in consolation.

If you don't know the sickness, you can't know the solution. Looking at our sin isn't fun. But when we look carefully at the ugliness of our sin, we can see more clearly the beauty of our Savior.