Archive for February, 2010

Eat Truth, Live Sent, Do Something, In Community

By Rob Berreth

Redeemer Church uses four “handles” to describe what it means for us to be worshipers of Jesus. These four handles are not comprehensive but illustrative of what it means for us to be the Church in love with Jesus (because He first loved us).

Eat Truth (Learners)
We are disciples of Jesus who want to know and obey everything He has commanded. We want to be humble and contrite learners who tremble at God’s Word. We long to dwell in the Word of Christ as we breathe in the Word of God. We listen quickly, speak slowly and by God’s grace, do what the Word tells us to do. We are equipped for every good work as the God-breathed word teaches, reproofs, corrects and trains us in righteousness. We Eat Truth. (Matthew 28:18-20; Isaiah 66.1-2; Colossians 3.16; 2 Timothy 3.14-17; James 1.19)

Live Sent (Missionaries)
We are sent by Jesus, just as Jesus was sent by the Father. We are new creations in Christ Jesus, called ambassadors for Christ and given a ministry of reconciliation. We are commissioned by King Jesus to go into the entire would and make disciples of all nations. We are jars of clay carrying the Gospel for God’s glory and the good of His people. We are empowered by the Holy Spirit to witness from here to there and everywhere in between. We Live Sent. (John 20.21; 2 Corinthians 5.17-21; Matthew 28.18-20; 2 Corinthians 4.1-18; Acts 1.8)

Do Something (Servants)
We serve because Jesus first served us and gave His life as a ransom. We are servants of Jesus and in the name of Jesus. We have been set free from bondage and healed from decay and planted to point to Jesus as we rebuild, renew, and repair our neighborhoods. We believe we are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus alone, but that that kind of faith will always produce works. We give what we have because Jesus has given us Himself. We serve our cities with good works so the Father will be glorified and those who don’t love Jesus may learn to worship God. We do whatever we can for whomever we meet with whatever we have because Jesus has given us everything we need. We Do Something (Matthew 20.28; Matthew 25.31-46; Colossians 3.17; Isaiah 61.1-4; James 2.14-17; Matthew 5.13-16; 1 Peter 2.11-12; Philippians 2.1-11)

In Community (Family)
We are children of God who belong to each other. We are His sons and daughters, predestined for adoption, heirs to God and fellow heirs with Christ. We are devoted to one another as family because Jesus devoted Himself to us. We share all things with each other because Jesus gave Himself. We are exiles here until we are home with God, and we wait patiently to be with Him in the perfect city that He is building. We Are His. (Galatians 3.23-4.7; Romans 12.3-8; Ephesians 1.3-6; Romans 8.14-17; Acts 2.38-47; Hebrews 11.9-16; John 14.1-3; Revelation 21-22)

How Sin Makes Us Addicts (Sermon By Tim Keller)

By Rob Berreth

“The definition of sin is when you replace God with something or someone, and the result is an addiction of spirit. There is an attraction at the spiritual level every bit as powerful as sexual attraction at the physical level: You cannot produce your own meaning in life, your own worth, your own security. Spiritually speaking, if it’s not God who is the source of your meaning, then you’re in bed with something else.”

Tim Keller follows his sermon, “Sin As Slavery,” with a look at how sin replaces God and results in an addiction of spirit.  Keller looks primarily at three major areas; the dynamics of spiritual attraction, the dynamics of spiritual addiction, and the dynamics of spiritual restoration. We learn in this message how to escape our “lover gods” by personalizing our understanding of sin, remembering grace, and looking at how Jesus transforms us into something beautiful.

“How Sin Makes Us Addicts”

Sin As Slavery (Sermon By Tim Keller)

By Rob Berreth

“Why do we sin, even when we know right from wrong? Sin is a power that enslaves us, but we can be freed from its power by encountering God through worship.”

Tim Keller’s sermon on Numbers 11:4-6,10-20 is a powerful message that speaks to the soul shriveling effects of sin while pointing us to the hope that comes from our only Savior Jesus Christ. Keller demonstrates how sin shrinks our emotions, overwhelms our thinking, and dries up our strength. He also draws a powerful connection between the similarities between sin and addiction. Keller powerfully concludes the sermon by showing how God gets us out of sin’s slavery through intervention an ultimately through the Incarnation of Jesus.

Listen to the sermon for free here:

“Sin As Slavery”