Sermon Series
Non-Series Sermons 2023
January 2023 – December 2023
In Romans chapter 6, the apostle Paul answers a question posed by the church in Rome by essentially asking in return, “Have you forgotten who you are?” The great and glorious truths of this passage are amazing in their implications about our identity. Paul tells the Romans that their being is in Christ. We are “in Christ”—that is our identity—and the truth of this identity is manifest in what we do and how we live. Listen as Brian Aldridge teaches on Romans 6:1–14, focusing on three key points: identity forgotten (1–2), identity rescued (3–10), and identity lived (11–14).
How can you be made right with God? How can you be justified, or declared righteous? How can a sinner be made right with the Holy One? In Romans chapter 4, we see that Paul’s answer is: through faith.
Faith is at the very heart of Christianity. Faith is how we are saved, how we defeat Satan, how we overcome the world. Christianity is nothing if not about faith. Listen as Pastor Luke Herche helps us to explore the topic of faith through three questions: What is the opposite of faith? What are the benefits of faith? And how do we grow our faith?
What place do good works have in the Christian life? Listen as Pastor Luke Herche explains in this sermon on James 2:14–26, showing what good works are, why they are necessary, and what to do if you don't have them.
You might be tempted to hear the opening words of Ephesians and think of them as a perfunctory greeting: Paul is just explaining who he... is and who he is writing to. But these words contain far more than a mere greeting. In them we find the gospel being presented to us, the beginning and the end of the Christian life being put on display. Listen as RUF campus minister Ethan Brown takes a closer look at Ephesians 1:1–2, answering three questions: Who is Paul? Who are we? And what is the gospel?
Who is worthy to come to the king’s table? In 2 Samuel 9, we find a seemingly small moment: King David shows kindness to Mephibosheth, the... son of Jonathan and grandson of Saul. But in this story of a faithful king and a dinner we catch a glimpse of something more profound. Listen as Josué Pernillo preaches on this passage, showing that because of the king’s faithfulness the messy can come to the king’s table, because of the king’s faithfulness the needy can come to the king’s table, and because of the king’s faithfulness the unworthy can come to the king’s table.
God has quite a lot to say about worry and anxiety, and in Matthew 6:24–34 we find one of the most well-known Biblical... passages on the subject. Listen as church elder Todd Doehring teaches through this passage that you cannot serve both God and worry; when we worry, we overlook God’s care for his creation; and only when we put God first can we be sure of anything.
The hope of the Christian presented in 2 Corinthians 4:13–18 is not a vague or abstract hope—it’s real. And... because it’s real it meets us in our very real needs. Our sin curves us inward on ourselves and makes us selfish and idolatrous, seeking satisfaction everywhere but in Christ. But the good news is that through the gospel God has provided for us a hope that meets us in these needs. Our isolation from sin can be turned into integration, our selfish hearts can be turned into hearts of love toward God and others, and our false worship and idolatry can be turned into praise. Listen as RUF campus minister Ethan Brown preaches on this passage, showing that our hope is corporate, our hope is current, and our hope is concrete.
In the book of 2 Timothy, the Apostle Paul writes to Timothy to encourage the young pastor in his... pastoral work. By this time, Paul had been living—and suffering—for the gospel for thirty years, and with his impending death looming he wants to pass the baton on to his protégé. Listen as Pastor Luke Herche preaches from 2 Timothy 4:1–8 on the occasion of the ordination and installation of Josué Pernillo, echoing Paul’s exhortation to “preach the word,” and drawing our attention to the challenge of gospel ministry (“people with itching ears”), the call of gospel ministry (“preach the word”), and the hope of gospel ministry (“the crown of righteousness”).
Repentance is the secret, often forgotten power of the Christian life. It is one of the primary tools... the Holy Spirit uses in our lives to bring about spiritual growth and change. It is not something you do once and then put it aside, but it’s a daily part of Christian life and a secret power of daily growth in grace. Listen as Pastor Luke Herche preaches on 2 Corinthians 7:5–13a, breaking down this secret power of change into five parts:
• The Simple Act of Repentance
• The Instrumental Cause of Repentance
• The Internal Source of Repentance
• The Ultimate Result of Repentance
• The External Fruit of Repentance
Every one of us faces troubles of one kind or another. Troubles from without, troubles from within. Bodily illness, mental illness, emotional...turmoil, relationship strife, vocational stress, financial uncertainty, international discord... Parents and children, husbands and wives, employers and employees—everyone’s lives are touched by troubles. But how do we face this suffering? Listen as Pastor Luke Herche preaches on 2 Corinthians 5:7, showing us where not to look in suffering, where to look in suffering, how to look in suffering, and how looking shapes life.
At the start of each year people commonly make New Year's resolutions with hopes, dreams, and goals... for self improvement in the coming year. It is nearly as common to find that these resolutions never come to fruition. But should this make Christians skeptical of the possibility of growth in the Christian life? Listen as Pastor Luke Herche shows from 1 Timothy 4:7 the necessity of discipline, the program of discipline, the goal of discipline, and the power of discipline.
