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.

In C.S. Lewis’ beloved classic, “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe,” we find a boy, Edmund,... trapped under the law of the deep magic of the land. A wrong had been committed, a debt was owed. Edmund was a traitor and his blood must be spilled. If Aslan, king of Narnia, refused, Narnia itself would be overturned. In this Good Friday sermon on Matthew 26:39, Pastor Luke Herche delves into the ironclad justice of God, looking at Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemane with a focus on four words: “if it be possible.” Since God’s answer to this prayer is in the negative, we must ask what is not possible for God? Why is it not possible? And what difference does it make?

Note: The audio quality improves after the first three and a half minutes.

In the children’s book “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe,” C.S. Lewis writes of the White Witch... who claims her right to execute a traitor according to the laws of the “deep magic” of the land. The witch was correct about the deep magic and its governance of justice. But Narnia’s good king Aslan knew of a deeper magic: “When a willing victim who had committed no treachery was killed in a traitor’s stead, the Stone Table would crack and Death itself would start working backward.”

Though the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is just a story, the “deep magic” of justice it portrays is real—and the “deeper magic” is no less real. Though God’s justice must be satisfied, when sinless Jesus died in the stead of sinners, it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. Try as it might, death’s power had met its limits. Listen as Pastor Luke Herche preaches on Acts 2:24, addressing three questions surrounding the resurrection: What is not possible? Why is it not possible? And what difference does it make?

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.

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.

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

C.S. Lewis wrote in The Screwtape Letters, “There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race... can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors and hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight.” Whether you are skeptical or superstitious, both are errors. So what does Scripture have to say about standing against the schemes of the devil? In this sermon on Ephesians 6:10–13, Pastor Luke Herche looks at the spiritual battle we are facing, showing that the battle is real, the battle is spiritual, the battle is won, the battle is mundane—and exhorting us to be strong and stand firm!

Pastor Luke Herche preaches on Ephesians 6:16, showing that the Lord is our Shield, therefore... we can turn to him in all circumstances, knowing he is enough.

Where does confidence come from? So many of us live with doubts, fears, and hesitations, constantly second... guessing and unsure of the next best move. The devil wants us to live in this state of doubt, discouragement, and despair...but that clearly isn't where God wants us to live, as Scripture frequently reminds us. But where does courage and boldness come from? What stops us from running away when the battle rages most fiercely? And how do we stand in the evil day—the day of tragedy or temptation—with confidence? Listen as Pastor Luke Herche expounds on the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit from Ephesians 6:17, explaining what they are, how to take them up, and why they are so important.

In chapter two of his letter to the Philippians, Paul reminds the believers in Philippi of who they are and how their identity... impacts their actions. Like the Philippians, believers today can know that because we have been saved by God, we can now live as those that are saved, with new identities in Christ that overflow into our actions. Listen as Josué Pernillo continues his series on the book of Philippians, expounding on this passage in three points: The Source, The Direction, and The End.

The first two chapters of Philippians are filled with beautiful and lofty truths about who Jesus is and how he impacts the... world. But at the end of Philippians chapter 2, Paul comes down to some real and practical implications of these truths, seen through the examples of Timothy and Epaphroditus. Listen as Josué Pernillo preaches on Philippians 2:19–30, helping us to see that the gospel allows us to grow in our concern for others, to grow in our service of others, and ultimately to have deep gospel friendships.

Joy is one of the main themes of Paul’s letter to the Philippians—and one of the main themes in all... of Scripture. As we examine the first verse of Philippians chapter 3, in which Paul exhorts his brothers and sisters at Philippi to “rejoice in the Lord,” we begin to understand that Christians are a people of joy in Jesus Christ. Listen as Pastor Josué Pernillo expands on this theme in three movements: the obstacles and opponents, the command of joy, and the source of joy.

We live in a confusing time. Deception is rampant. It is hard to discern truth from error. And this is not just... true in our time. Deception is an enemy as old as the Garden. In the book of Philippians Paul ties joy and truth and salvation together, helping us to clearly see through the lens of the gospel and of scripture who we are and how we should understand the world. Listen as Pastor Josué Pernillo preaches on Philippians 3:1–3, focusing on the fruit of joy, the enemy of joy, and the power of joy.

Where does your confidence lie? You have to put your confidence in something. Everybody does. We put our confidence... in things that make us feel worthwhile, important, right, blameless, because in our hearts and in the heart of every person there is a longing for righteousness. In Philippians 3:4–7 Paul shows this pattern working out in his own life through one of the most interesting self-disclosures in Scripture. Listen as Pastor Josué Pernillo preaches on this passage, showing how we are tempted to put confidence in who we are and in what we do—but what we need is an external confidence found only in Christ.

The book of Philippians is perhaps the Apostle Paul’s most personal letter. It is a beautiful epistle... filled with beautiful verses, and in chapter 3 we find a beautiful, succinct summary of the Gospel. In just five verses Paul both explains how sinners are reconciled to God and illuminates the promises that are theirs in Christ Jesus. Listen as Pastor Josué Pernillo preaches on Philippians 3:7–11, helping us to see Christ Jesus more clearly by showing the treasure of the gospel (the worth of Christ), the heart of the gospel (faith in Christ), and the promise of the gospel (resurrection and life).

The Apostle Paul depicts the Christian life as a long, hard race. It’s a marathon. And to run any marathon well,... the runners need encouragement along the way. The good news for Christians is that we have a wise and caring God who has provided for us to have strength for the journey. Listen as RUF Campus Minister Ethan Brown preaches from Philippians 3:12–16, showing us how God equips us with what we need to finish the race that we’ve begun by making us secure, steadfast, and self-aware.

What does it look like to walk as a Christian? Whose example should we imitate? The book of Philippians... was written by the Apostle Paul to his friends at Philippi. Theirs was a church established by Paul and nurtured by his ministry, through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, and the love and affection between Paul and the believers at Philippi is evident throughout the letter. In chapter three Paul, as a caring older brother, calls these believers to imitate him, encouraging them to keep on the right path. Listen as Pastor Josué Pernillo preaches on Philippians 3:17–21, drawing out Paul’s exhortations to be aware of who you imitate (v 17), to beware of who you imitate (vv 18–19), and to remember the one we imitate is the Savior (v 20–21).

Pastor Josué Pernillo preaches on Philippians 4:1–3, in which the Apostle Paul... summarizes the major themes of the letter, calling the Philippians to stand firm in the midst of external pressures, to remain united in the midst of internal tensions, and to do this all side by side.

There was once a young man who was persecuting the church. He was so efficient at it that he was sent... to another city, and on the way Jesus appeared to him, saying, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” When Saul was persecuting the church, Jesus took it personally: “Why are you persecuting me.” Jesus loves his people.

After his encounter with Jesus, this same young man, Saul, went on to become a leader in the church, the apostle Paul. Paul loved the church. Paul loved God’s people, with the affections of Christ Jesus. In his letter to the Philippians Paul continually expresses his love and concern for the believers at Philippi in the midst of external pressures and internal tensions. Now at end of the letter, we find Paul beginning to summarize the themes of the whole letter, encouraging the believers at Philippi to stand firm in the midst of eternal pressures and to remain united in the midst of internal tensions. But in what context does this happen? Listen as Pastor Josué preaches on on Philippians 4:4–9, showing that the context of all of this is gospel-built community, and describing both the characteristics of community and the practice of the community.

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.

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”).