Redeemer Weekend Sermons

EPHESIANS – WEEK 6 Pastor: Dave BrownSeries: Ephesians Ephesians 3:1–13 | Administrators of Grace What does it mean to receive God's grace—and then live it out? In Ephesians 3, Paul shares his own story as an example of a life transformed by the Gospel. Once a persecutor of the Church, Paul became an administrator of God's grace, carrying the good news of Jesus to people who had previously been considered outsiders. This message explores the mystery now revealed in Christ: that people from every nation, background, and culture are invited into one family of God. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, believers are called not only to receive grace but to embody it, extending Christ's love, reconciliation, forgiveness, and hope to the world around them. The Church is more than a gathering place—it is God's living witness to His Kingdom, a community where His wisdom becomes visible through transformed lives. Scripture: Ephesians 3:1–13 Additional References: Ephesians 1:13–14 Acts 7:58–60 Romans 8:38–39 2 Corinthians 5:17 1 Corinthians 11:1 Revelation 7:9 Key Takeaway: We are called not merely to admire God's grace, but to administer it—becoming disciples who embody Christ and help others encounter His transforming love.

Maundy Thursday April 02, 2026 Teacher: Pastor Dave Brown “Again the high priest asked him, ‘Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?’ ‘I am,’ said Jesus. ‘And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.’ The high priest tore his clothes. ‘Why do we need any more witnesses?’ he asked. ‘You have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?’ They all condemned him as worthy of death.” —Mark 14:61–64 “The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium) and called together the whole company of soldiers. They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him. And they began to call out to him, ‘Hail, king of the Jews!’ Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him.” —Mark 15:16–19 “At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon.” —Mark 15:33 “At three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ‘Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?’ (which means ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’).” —Mark 15:34 “And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died, he said, ‘Surely this man was the Son of God!’” —Mark 15:39

Lamentations March 22, 2026 Teacher: Pastor Leanne Benton Summary of “Your Kingdom Come: From Lament to Participation” (Based on “Lamentations March 22 2026 Final.docx” by Leanne Benton) The sermon reflects on Lamentations 5 as the closing message in a series on lament, showing how honest grief becomes a pathway to restoration and renewed participation in God’s kingdom. 1. Context of Lamentations Jeremiah writes after Jerusalem’s destruction in 586 BC. The temple is burned, leaders killed, families exiled, and the monarchy ended. The chapter outlines a progression of losses—inheritance, leadership, dignity, joy, and spiritual strength. 2. Honest Grief Is the Beginning of Restoration Israel begins their prayer with raw honesty: “Remember, Lord, what has happened to us.” They recount their losses: land, family security, dignity, joy, and the desolation of Mount Zion. Lament is described as an act of faith—standing between painful reality and God’s promises. 3. God Still Reigns In the center of the complaint rises a theological anchor:“You, Lord, reign forever.” Empires fall and temples crumble, but God's throne is immovable. This echoes Psalm 48 and shifts the focus from devastation to divine sovereignty—lament begins turning into hope when we move our eyes from what we see to who God is. 4. Participating in God’s Restoration The people pray:“Restore us to yourself… renew our days as of old.” The sermon emphasizes that restoration starts with returning to God—not rebuilding walls. Lament leads to acknowledgment of sin, repentance, and a desire for renewal. A proverb captures the shift from lament to participation: “Pray… and move your feet.” Believers become agents of justice, hope, and worship as they join God’s restoring work. 5. Surrendered Suffering Softens the Heart Suffering can either harden or soften a heart. When surrendered to God, suffering produces perseverance, character, and hope (Romans 5), and matures faith (James 1). Jesus reminds His followers that trouble is inevitable, but peace is found in Him (John 16). The sermon underscores that how a person responds to pain determines whether they become bitter or grow deeper in faith. 6. Hope Grows in the Soil of Lament The sermon highlights the spiritual mystery that when someone grieves without becoming cynical or closed-hearted, hope takes root. A heart that stays open in seasons of loss becomes softer, more compassionate, and more spacious. This becomes the very place where hope grows and where a transformative “pivot” in one’s story often occurs. 7. The Larger Biblical Arc Lamentations ends without closure, offering instead a plea for restoration. But Israel’s story continues—decades later, the exiles return under Cyrus, the temple is rebuilt, and hope rises again. The sermon emphasizes that lament is not the end but a doorway through which God’s kingdom enters. 8. Final Invitation The message ends with a reflective invitation: Some listeners are in seasons of loss and are reminded that God welcomes their lament. Others have come through seasons of pain and now carry softer, more compassionate hearts; they are encouraged to move toward others in need. A closing prayer asks God to meet His people “on the pile of rubble,” helping them grieve honestly, surrender fully, trust deeply, and step into renewed hope and participation in His kingdom.

Lamentations March 08, 2026 Teacher: Pastor Dave Brown The message explains that many people look forward to Lamentations 3 because it finally introduces hope, but that hope has to be understood within the structure and emotional movement of the entire book. Lamentations doesn’t offer quick fixes or simplistic spiritual answers; instead, it honestly portrays how real grief works. The book follows a chiastic structure — a literary “mountain” that rises toward a central point and then descends in reverse order. In Lamentations, the structure looks like this: A: Devastation B: Accusation C: Remembrance (the central peak) B’: Reflection A’: Petition This structure mirrors how sorrow actually feels: pain → hope struggle → pain again — but the second pain is different because it has been reshaped by remembrance. To illustrate, the speaker tells a story of a brutal bike climb up Smugglers Notch in Vermont. Reaching the summit felt like it should be the end, but instead the road immediately plunged downward into danger, rain, cold, and exhaustion. The lesson: reaching the “summit” didn’t end the struggle, but it changed everything. That experience parallels the emotional journey of Lamentations 3. In the chapter, we hear an exhausted “strongman” voice say, “But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope…” This moment is the theological summit — but the book doesn’t end there. Pain returns in chapters 4–5. The city is still ruined. Exile is still real. But the heart posture has changed. Before remembrance, God felt like an enemy; after remembrance, the people can say, “Restore us, O Lord.” Hope doesn’t erase hardship — it reorients the heart within it. Lamentations 3 shows that hope is not automatic. The strongman speaks hope to himself: “This I call to mind…” “I say to myself…” Hope is fought for, practiced, and rehearsed, not simply felt. The passage reveals three essential truths about biblical hope: Hope is intentional remembrance. He chooses to recall God’s covenant love. Hope doesn’t replace lament — it deepens it. Even after declaring God’s faithfulness, he continues to speak honestly about affliction and waiting. Hope provides endurance, not instant relief. Waiting “quietly” for God is active, anchored perseverance. By the end, the writer’s circumstances remain unchanged — Jerusalem is still in ruins — but something inside him has stabilized. That inner steadying is itself an act of grace. The message concludes by reminding us that many of us are somewhere on that mountain: climbing, descending, exhausted, or caught in unexpected weather. Lamentations gives permission to tell the truth about pain. Hope is not pretending everything is fine but speaking covenant truths into unfinished stories. The lament tree in the lobby symbolizes this: a communal place to name sorrow and reach for hope together. Finally, the message points to Christ, who personally entered lament and suffering. So when we rehearse hope through clenched teeth, we are not failing— we are walking the same honest path God Himself walked. The storm may persist, but God’s mercies remain new every morning, and that is enough.

Lamentations February 22, 2026 Teacher: Pastor Daniel Bunn LAMENTATIONS 1:1-7 Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem (587 B.C.) Tisha B'Av Lamentations is meant to be felt. "How?" Lamentations names the pain and looks it in the face. When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long (Psalm 32:3) What is hidden cannot be healed. How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? (Psalm 13:1) Lamentations invites us to name our pain before God. Truthfulness is not the absence of faith. Truthfulness requires deep faith. Where are you pretending everything is fine? What would it look like to be a little more honest? REVELATION 21:1-4

Teach Us To PrayFebruary 08, 2026Teacher: Pastor Dave BrownAsk and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!— Matthew 7:7-11 (Luke 11:9-13)3 Reasons for Unanswered Prayers:Not “no” but “not yet”Complex GoodsEvil ExistsGod does not delay to give what he has promised; rather, by delaying he stretches desire. By stretching desire he enlarges the soul. By enlarging the soul he makes it capable of receiving what he is preparing to give.— AugustineGod always gives us just what we need, himself. He even works to stretch our hearts so that we are able to receive what he gives.Safety and security are two idols we let go unchecked in the American church.“Safe? ... Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you”— C.S. LewisGracious Father,you are the God of peace,the sovereign King who gathers one Kingdom from many nationsand calls us to belong wholly to you and to one another;Teach us to be with you before we strive to do for you.Quiet our anxious hearts,loosen our grip on lesser allegiances,and form in us the mind of Christ.Where opinions differ, give us charity.Where fears rise, give us trust.Where we are tempted to divide, make us one.As we seek the future of Redeemer Church,guide us by your Spirit.Grant us wisdom in discernment,patience with one another,and courage to follow wherever you lead. Make us a praying people before we are a decisive people,that our life together may reflect the peace and unity of your Kingdom.Through Jesus Christ our Lord,who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,one God, now and forever.Amen.

My WitnessesJanuary 18, 2026Teacher: Pastor Michael WhiteThe golden ruleMatthew 7:12 Intro:“We are an underwear family”I need you to get on board with this.It’s the done thing in our familyI would assume that we are all underwear people, if not, please don’t tell me. Families have characteristics. Ways that they do things, things they don’t do, values they have. When you think about your family, now or in the past, what things characterized your family?Maybe you’re a camping familyOr maybe you’re a “we watch a movie on Friday night family”Maybe you’re a “we say grace even in restaurants family” There are things that you do, that show what your family values.“Remember who you are!”You’ve been given an identity.A set of valuesYou’re not just you, you represent a group of people. Super familiar verseBut I want to put it into its context and that’s going to add a layer to its meaning. ScriptureMatthew 7:1212 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. Context is kingThis comes at the end of the sermon on the mount, Matthew 5-7That’s importantWhat’s the sermon on the mount?RiffJesus greatest concentrated teachingImportant because he starts out with this.He is defining what his purpose isShowing what is important to himFor the next 3 years he lives this out When we get down to our verse…7:12 Doesn’t really feel related to vv. 7-11. 7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! Then the golden rule comes and it doesn’t seem to follow.It goes back to 5:17 17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. That’s the overall rubric, What does it look like to fulfill the law and prophets? Jesus takes 2 chapters to illustrate how you do that.then it culminates in the Golden ruleThe law and the prophets are fulfilled in how we treat other people.That’s what the 2 chapters of the sermon on the mount are all about, how Jesus’ disciples should relate to other people.The proof of a relationship with Jesus is a changed heart that results in changed behavior toward other peopleNeed to understand This is a verse about Christian community, the churchIt’s not about being an individual. It does affect individual behavior, but in the sense of how we as individuals fit into the group.This is about how the family behaves.Just like your family of origin has certain characteristics,The Golden rule characterizes the family of GodThis is how the family behaves as God fulfills his plan and purpose for the world.The movement of God from the moment sin entered into the worldUntil the point where evil is finally defeated once and for allStory arc that God is making a new creation. The church. We are living into God’s plan and purpose and we do that by acting like the family of God.It’s fundamentally about redemption.As people come to know the good news of Jesus, God is gathering them/us together, creating a new people, a new community of people who are living into the reality of God’s new creation. It’s like this taste of heaven.Here’s where the Golden Rule comes inThose people are pointing to a world where only good is done to each other. Can you Imagine what that would be like?People wouldn’t hurt each otherNo one would say terrible things to each otherThere wouldn’t be any warNo one would need to be afraidIt sounds like heaven…This is the profound point.This is the answer to the line of the Lord’s PrayerThy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heavenA world where only good is done to each otherThat’s the kingdom of God. That’s what we point to.That’s how disciples of Jesus liveDo to others what you would have them do to you.This is the done thing. This is how the family behaves. This is how the new community reflects the character of God.This is how we live into the day when God’s rule is complete.That’s what the Golden rule is all aboutThe Golden Rule in historyNobody really knows how it became known as the “Golden Rule” But the story I like best is that the Roman Emperor Severus Alexander 222-35, was so impressed by the saying that he had it inscribed in gold on the wall of his chamber. Severus Alexander You’ve probably never heard of him, but he has a very famous descendentSeverus SnapeThe Golden Rule isn’t original to Jesus.It exists in Judaism, particularly in Rabbi Hillel, I’d show you a photo of him, but he doesn’t have any famous relativesand many other places, Here’s the thing: it is almost always in the negative. Don’t do to other people what you don’t want them to do to you.That’s a great rule. Would you like it if someone did that to you?No? Then don’t do that to them.Cutting people off on the freeway.Jesus takes that rule and does something interesting with it.Jesus puts it in the positiveTakes it away from being passiveAs long as your not doing anything bad, you’re doing fine.By putting it in the positive makes it more demanding.Therefore everything you would like others to do to you, your yourselves be doing to them.It’s proactive“Hey, here’s this person in this situation.” If I was in that situation, I would want someone to do this for me.You can’t meet everyone’s need. It’s impossible. But don’t use that as an out.There will be people God places in your field of visionMe in the supermarketYou look lost can I help you.In the negative way of understanding the rule, he didn’t have to do that. In the positive sense that Jesus introduces, this was a great way.It has little implications and it has huge implications.Maybe it means you open the door for someone who is caring an armful of packages.Maybe you stop and help someone who looks like they need help.Maybe you grant charitable assumptions instead of assuming the worst.Maybe you put yourself into the position of people who are affected by policies and procedures that don’t affect you and ask yourself, what would I want someone to do for me if I was in that situation?Water at ChautauquaWe take the initiative to love people.It doesn’t say treat others as they treat you.We are called to live by a higher standard, a greater righteousness, a deeper ethic than “pay each other back in kind”quid pro quoFeels like there could be this complex morality.But Jesus boils down to something super simple.There are 622 laws in the Old TestamentAll the teaching of the sermon on the mount is caught up in this summary. This one thing…Whatever you would like other people to do to you be doing that to other people. Raises issues of identityWhose family do you belong to?Maybe the more revealing question is: Whose family do you look like? What are the things that characterize your life?Some of us, need to decide which family we want to belong to.Others of us, need to decide that we are going to be more serious about reflecting the family priorities.You can’t just dabble with JesusIn the public square there are people saying Jesusy things but whose lives don’t reflect anything of the Jesus that I know.What family are you reflecting?Whose family do you look like?Just because you show up at church, doesn’t mean that you are reflecting God’s family.The biggest problem to be overcome? Our angerInside and outside the church.We are all Jesusy until something happens that makes us mad or that we don’t like.Sajan and the capital fund.We grow. We get mentored. We watch other people liveThe longer you hang out with the family, the more you figure out what the done thing is.Which means that some us need to make sure that we are setting a good example and all of us need to continue to grow into the image and likeness of JesusThis happened in our family.Brian 3 criteriaI’m a girl dadHe’s a guy. He contacts his parents 3 times a year.I have heard from Rachel and AllieOur family is not like that.Brian has learnedThat’s the done thing in our familyI’m sure his parents don’t know he was deployedThey’ll have three kidsBut he has learned what our family looks likeWe sink our roots in deeply into the family and we participate with the Holy Spirit in the creation of the new communityI am a part of a group. I am not just me. I am an extension of us.All about relationships. How we treat each other.How we love God, by loving othersHow does this help you make decisions?The Golden Rule is like a compass. It doesn’t address every single situation. But, it points you in the right direction.It might not tell you how long you need to do something or what the exact process should be, but it helps you find the right path.Friend is dealing with a difficult employee. They do just the bare minimum to get by. They are passive aggressive. They are not actively undermining things.They seem to know just where the line is and they push it but don’t cross it.Before you put your management hat on. It’s complicated. And I haven’t told you the whole story.The Golden Rule doesn’t tell you when to involve HR, or when to start a performance improvement plan. But it does tell you what your posture should be as you approach the situation. An application point would be to look at your relationships and ask “Who am I not treating like I would like to be treated?”Context of the series on missions. Uniquely positioned to affect peoplePlace of hospitality and warmthKeeping the main thing the main thing.All sorts of churches who have become characterized by all sorts of things that are not the gospel.God is inviting everyone into a new community. That’s the evangelistic opportunity.We have this to offer people. Showing people a different way, a better way. A way that leads to peace and joy and fulfillment.We do this by living differentlylives are Characterized by the things that characterized Jesus’ life.Holding as important what Jesus held iimportantI want to go back to something I said early about two very important teachings of Jesus.The Golden Rule and the Lord’s prayerDesire is in the golden rule Do the thing that you would desire other people to do for you.It’s also key to the Lord’s PrayerI desire that Your kingdom come, your will be done.In my life and on earth in the same way it is done in heaven.Our hearts is a not good judge of what is best. But our hearts can be changed to desire the things that God desires.Encourage us as a group to think about that. What are our hearts desiring?Who or what is forming our heart? The gospel or our preferred news outlet?What would your friends, your children or your grandchildren say forms you more, your commitment to Jesus or your party affiliation?We have this amazing gift which we have been given that we can offer people. Changed lives, changed hearts, a community where we are striving to honor God by faithfully working in our relationships to bring about a kingdom where only good is done.Sermon question:Who or what is forming your heart?Who do you need to treat differently?How can the golden rule help you make decisions this week?