Redeemer Weekend Sermons

Mike explores the way Redeemer has served the city of Tulsa and shares how we are called in Jeremiah to do so. Serve Our City DNA | Week 4 May 22, 2016 | Mike King John 20:21 (NIV) As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you. Mark 10:45 (NIV) did not come to be served, but to serve… Serve Our City Jeremiah 29:4-6 (NIV) This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. Jeremiah 29:7-9 (NIV) "Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” Yes, this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “Do not let the prophets and diviners among you deceive you. Do not listen to the dreams you encourage them to have. They are prophesying lies to you in my name. I have not sent them,” declares the Lord Serve the City and Pray to the Lord Insist on Comfort and Boredom is Inevitable

Bill Clark speaks to and over the next generation and discusses the idea of our limitless choices, and the guidelines we are to use to make those choices. Choices DNA | Week 3 May 15, 2016 | Bill Clark The Tyranny of Choice 285 Varieties of Cookies 175 Salad Dressings 230 Types of Soup 40 Kinds of Toothpaste Deuteronomy 6:1-9 (NIV) These are the commands, decrees and laws the Lord your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the Lord your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life. Hear, Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, promised you. Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. Matthew 22:37-39 “Here, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God will all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” The second is this: “Love your neighbor as yourself." Joshua 24:15 (NIV) …choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the river, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living.

We are called to live together in a spiritual family. Adam breaks this down in the second week of our DNA series. The Spiritual Family DNA | Week 2 May 8, 2016 | Adam Barnett “Hospitality is not so much a singular act of welcome, as it is a way, an orientation that attends to otherness, listening and learning, valuing and honoring. The hospitable one looks for God’s redemptive presence in the other, confident it is there, if one only has eyes to see and ears to hear.” — Amy Oden “Family is usually considered to be the most important agent of socialization. As infants, we are completely dependent on others to survive. Our parents, or those who play the parent role, are responsible for teaching us to function and care for ourselves. They, along with the rest of our family, also teach us about close relationships, group life, and how to share resources. Additionally, they provide us with our first system of values, norms, and beliefs - a system that is usually a reflection of their own social status, religion, ethnic group, and more.” — Erin Long Love and humility strip us of our pride and lead us to promote unity, spread joy & restore peace. Philippians 2:1 (NIV) If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion… Philippians 2:2 (NIV) then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit & purpose. Philippians 2:3 (NIV) Do nothing out of selfish ambition/vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Philippians 2:4 (NIV) Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interest of others. Philippians 2:5 (NIV) Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus. Love and humility strip us of our pride and lead us to promote unity, spread joy & restore peace.

Mike King and Denise McKinney open up our discussion of Redeemer's DNA by talking about how we are called to live lives of radical hospitality. Radical Hospitality DNA | Week 1 May 1, 2016 | Mike King & Denise McKinney Radical Hospitality God’s hospitality welcomes. God’s hospitality invites the stranger in and helps the one who is struggling. Isaiah 61:1 (NLT) The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, for the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed. God’s hospitality is shown through a shared meal. Philippians 2:6-8 (NLT) Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. 1 Thessalonians 2:5-8 (NIV) You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed—God is our witness. We were not looking for praise from people, not from you or anyone else, even though as apostles of Christ we could have asserted our authority. Instead, we were like young children among you. Just as a nursing mother cares for her children, so we cared for you. Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well. He was sharing the essence of his life with them. 1 Thessalonians 2:7b (NIV) Just as a nursing mother cares for her children, so we cared for you. To Grow and Thrive People don’t get left behind. The run leaders take people under their wing. 1 Thessalonians 2:9-12a (NIV) Surely you remember, brothers and sisters, our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of God to you. You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous and blameless we were among you who believed. For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God... Living Hospitality Experiment They take good care of each other and they work tirelessly to make sure everyone finishes the race. “Hospitality is not so much a singular act of welcome, as it is a way, an orientation that attends to otherness, listening and learning, valuing and honoring. The hospitable one looks for God’s redemptive presence in the other, confident it is there, if one only has eyes to see and ears to hear.” - Amy Oden Who do we already run into in our regular routines that we could spend a little more time getting to know? What’s one question we could ask them that would help us express care to them? What can we do to listen to and learn about the people we meet so that God can show us his redemptive presence their lives? What kinds of things can we do to open up spaces on our legos so that we can help other people make life-giving connections? Where could we value and honor someone by imitating God’s example of welcome?

Hope is incredibly powerful and God gives us great reason to put our hope in Him. Bill concludes our Living series by talking about that hope encouraging us to Live Hopefully. Living Hopefully Living | Week 4 April 24, 2016 | Bill Clark Romans 8:22-25 (NIV) We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. Hope is not the same thing as optimism. Hope is forged in the furnace of Scripture and the promises of God’s Word. “Our souls were made for hope like our hearts were made to love and our brains were made to think.” - Lewis Smedes God gave us the power to imagine the future, but He gave us no power to control it. Jesus doesn’t answer all the hard questions, but instead He took all the pain and all the loss and He put it on Himself. Ephesians 2:12-13 (NIV) Remember that at that time you were separated from Christ…and foreigners to the Covenants of the promise, WITHOUT HOPE and WITHOUT GOD in the world. But NOW in Christ Jesus you who were far away have been brought NEAR through the blood of Christ. We become hopeful people by choosing faith over fear. We remember seasons of life when God helped us and believe He can do it again. We look for signs of hope around us and join in. We forgive ourselves for past mistakes and accept the promise of grace. We remember that we have a future that has been secured by the Cross and the Resurrection of Jesus—and when we remember He is coming again.

Finding joy amidst our trials can be difficult, but it is imperative. Adam Barnett talks about the call to live joyfully! Living Joyfully Living | Week 3 April 17, 2016 | Adam Barnett James 1:2 (NIV) Consider it pure joy my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, James 1:3 (NIV) because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 1 Peter 1:6-7 (NIV) In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith – of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire – may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. James 1:4 (NIV) Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1:2-4 (RTVT) Consider it absolutely terrible, unfortunate and disastrous, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face any trial, because you know that the testing of your faith produces frustration, discomfort and pain. Don’t persevere… just give up… you’ll just remain immature, incomplete, lacking something

Mike King continues our Living study by encouraging us to live confidently in the promises God has made! Living Confidently Living | Week 2 April 10, 2016 | Mike King If someone promises to do the impossible and pulls it off, you can bet they’ll come through on every promise they make. Matthew 27:62-63 (NIV) ...the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate and said, “Sir, we remember how that impostor said, while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise.’ He was making a promise that was absolutely impossible. 1 Corinthians 15:1-2 (NIV) Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 (NIV) For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 1 Corinthians 15:5-8 (NIV) and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also... 1 Corinthians 15:17-19 (NIV) And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. We can have confidence that all that Jesus promised would come true. 1 Corinthians 15:20 (NIV) But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, 1 Corinthians 15:58 (NIV) Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. John 14:27 (NIV) Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 (NIV) ...do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. Deuteronomy 31:6 (NIV) Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” Philippians 4:19 (NIV) And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.

The Resurrection changed everything, including how we are called to live. Adam Barnett explores the calling on our lives to live victoriously! Living Victoriously Living | Week 1 April 3, 2016 | Adam Barnett Ephesians 6:10-11 (NIV) Finally, be strong in the Lord and his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. Ephesians 6:12 (NIV) For our struggle is not against flesh & blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world & against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Ephesians 6:13 (NIV) Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Ephesians 6:14-15 (NIV) Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. Ephesians 6:16 (NIV) In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all of the flaming arrows of the evil one. Ephesians 6:17 (NIV) Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Ephesians 6:18 (NIV) And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

Bill Clark speaks about Jesus' presence in our lives by exploring the story of Cleopas and his friend on the road to Emmaus. There All Along Easter 2016 March 27, 2016 | Bill Clark Luke 24:13-35 (NIV) Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; but they were kept from recognizing him. He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?” They stood still, their faces downcast. One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” “What things?” he asked. “About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel.And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus.” He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on as if he were going farther. But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them.When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together and saying, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.” Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread. What are you two talking about? What things? Their eyes were opened and they recognized the stranger was in fact Jesus. He was alive again and with them all along. There is a universal longing to bridge this world, the one we’re living in, to the other world — the world we cannot yet see. - C.S. Lewis At Easter, we remember the power of His moral and spiritual beauty.

The Problem Behind the Problem Reset | Week 6 March 20, 2016 | Mike King There’s a problem behind your problem. John 11:39 (KJV) …he stinketh… John 11:45-50 (NIV) Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him. But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin. “What are we accomplishing?” they asked. “Here is this man performing many signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our temple and our nation.” Then one of them, named Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, spoke up, “You know nothing at all! You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.” John 12:12-13 (NIV) The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Blessed is the king of Israel!” John 12:17-19 (NIV) Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word. Many people, because they had heard that he had performed this sign, went out to meet him. So the Pharisees said to one another, “See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!” They thought their deepest problem was the Romans. Their deepest problem is that they were separated from God. What’s really going on? Is there a problem behind the problem? Are we part of the problem behind the problem? Romans 5:8 (NIV) But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. We are all more broken than we can ever know, but we are more loved that we can ever imagine.

Bill Clark continues our study on Reset with a word about how most of life is lived at the base of the mountain, rather than the mountaintop. At the Base of the Mountain Reset | Week 5 March 13, 2016 | Pastor Bill Clark Matthew 17:1-13 (NIV) After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus. Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified. But Jesus came and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Don’t be afraid.” When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus. As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus instructed them, “Don’t tell anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.” The disciples asked him, “Why then do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?” Jesus replied, “To be sure, Elijah comes and will restore all things. But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but have done to him everything they wished. In the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.” Then the disciples understood that he was talking to them about John the Baptist. “This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well-pleased." Most of our life is lived at the base of the mountain. “Life is Not an Accident” by Jay Williams “Nobody did anything to me, I did it to myself and that was way more painful than anything.” Jay Williams “Life is all about who you decide to surround yourself with. I started to look at my life as a company and about who’s on my board. And I had a teenage drug dealer on my board, I had people who were drinking and partying a lot. It wasn’t until I put people on my board who actually held me to higher standards that I started to heal and become closer to God.” - Jay Williams

Adam Barnett continues our series of Reset by discussing how are are to face temptation when it comes. Temptation Reset | Week 5 March 6, 2016 | Adam Barnett Romans 3:23 (NIV) For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, Romans 3:24 (NIV) and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. James 1:13 (NIV) When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone, 1 Corinthians 10:13 (NIV) No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. James 1:14 (NIV) but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. James 1:15 (NIV) Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death 1 Peter 5:8 (NIV) Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. The progression of temptation: Evil Desire → Temptation → Sin → Habitual Sin → Death James 1:12 (NIV) Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. 2 Corinthians 4: 17-18 (NIV) For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever. So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.

As we continue the Reset sermon series, Mike King shares with us on the call on our lives to care for the poor and fatherless.

Adam Barnett shares with us a message about fasting as we seek to reset our understanding of various spiritual disciplines.

We'll be taking the season of Lent as an opportunity to reframe our understanding of various disciplines in the Christian faith. To open this up, Bill Clark brings a good word about prayer.

Mike King continues our look at the weird practices of the church by talking about the season of Lent and what it really means to the church.

As we approach the season of Lent, Bill Clark kicks off a two week series on some of the practices of the church that can seem odd to new church goers. This week he discusses the topic of communion.

Paul Phipps concludes the Fight Club series by discussing the issue of human sexuality.

Adam Barnett shares a special message about engaging with others on the issue of racism.

Mike King continues to discuss Fight Club and addresses the sometimes touchy issue of how we are to deal with those of the Muslim faith and how we can engage them in healthy discussion.

Pastor Bill Clark kicks off our series Fight Club by establishing some ground rules for how we are to engage others in discussions.