Redwood Church Preaching
180 episodes — Page 2 of 4
Judges 2, part 1: how to keep a new generation from bowing to the world
To understand what happens in the book of Judges as a whole, we must understand what happened immediately after Joshua died. Every time Israel is oppressed, it is because a new generation arises that prostrates to the world, rather than to God. Why? Because their parents failed to teach them to remember who God is, and what he has done…and what he requires of them. The church, too, is in the same danger — in just the past 5 years, 50% of young people with a biblical worldview have abandoned it. And the solution today is the same as the solution then: a return to God’s model of family discipleship, over the world’s model of secular education. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit redwoodchurch.substack.com
A vision for living another year in the world
Christ is Lord over all things — so we must submit to his rule over every part of life. Christ’s lordship is mediated through his infallible word — so we must learn to read it as he reveals. Christ is sovereign to choose whom to save (and who not to) — so we can rely on him to build his church through our preaching. Christ intends to save the world — so Christianity will surely conquer the world in the end. Christ rules through three spheres of authority: family, church, state — so these must all be led by Christ, to achieve his peace in the world. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit redwoodchurch.substack.com
Judges 1, part 4: compromise by covenants of convenience
Like Israel, we have been given a command to drive out the Canaanites. Like Israel, we have failed. Like Israel, the reason is the same: we have compromised our ability to build God’s city, because we have formed covenant bonds of convenience with those who hate God’s religion and culture, and want to build their own cities instead. Judah’s compromise at Luz is the toe in the door that leads to Israel’s complete failure of take the rest of the land, and being dispossessed from their own inheritance. How will our compromises affect our Great Commission, and the inheritance of Christ—and will we respond with repentance as Israel does? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit redwoodchurch.substack.com
What Mary Knew
A common Christian trope is to wonder what Mary knew when she pondered the baby in her arms. Scripture tells us that she knew a lot. Many of her responses to the angel Gabriel are unintuitive and surprising to us, but reveal an extraordinary knowledge of scripture, of God’s plan, and of the implications for her own life. Examining the Magnificat can help us to become more like Mary in our own responses to God and his word. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit redwoodchurch.substack.com
Judges 1, part 3: Fear & faithlessness in Israel and the church
Judah’s failure to conquer key territory planted the seed for Israel’s later division. In the same way, spiritual compromises today can produce disastrous long-term divisions in the church. We have mirrored Israel’s failures in fearing worldly opposition like COVID-era shutdowns, more than fearing God. Correcting these errors is necessary to restore the church’s ability to fulfill the Great Commission. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit redwoodchurch.substack.com
Psalm 98: The wondrousness of Christmas
Psalm 98 calls all creation to a joyful celebration of God’s salvation, kingship, and coming judgment. These are not hidden, but proclaimed to the nations, and established in history through the birth of Christ. In his cross, he promises salvation; in his reign, he restores both humanity and creation; and in his coming judgment, he assures us that justice, righteousness, and peace will prevail. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit redwoodchurch.substack.com
Judges 1, part 2: Israel’s success as the Church’s success
Many details in Judges are perplexing if we don’t know how to read symbolically. The Canaanite City of Records is captured and renamed Word—a picture of the church replacing the false identities of the nations through the gospel. Aksah is given a field and asks for the upper and lower springs—a picture of the Church seeking the Spirit from God, to make the world fruitful. The burning of Charamah, and coming on a donkey, similarly are pictures fulfilled in Christ. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit redwoodchurch.substack.com
Judges 1, part 1: Judges as typological of the church age
In an age where the church has taken much ground, but failed in the last hour to fulfill the Great Commission, perhaps the record of Israel’s prior failure will be of help to us in understanding our times—and what we ought to do. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit redwoodchurch.substack.com
Repentance, part 16: the forward-looking nature of biblical happiness
As with all sanctification, the pursuit of happiness is already and not yet. It is a forward-looking anticipation of the perfection we already have in Christ, which will become ours when we are glorified. By faith, we anticipate the perfect bliss of eternal union with God, but we also know we already are united to him in Christ. And so we seek to participate in that union now, as practice for what will become fully ours then. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit redwoodchurch.substack.com
Rightly ordered affections: natural vs covenantal identity
As Western civilization collapses, Western Christians are struggling for identity. For some, the pendulum is swinging from woke radical individualism to ethnic allegiances. But without recovering these natural bonds as covenantal categories, we are trading one form of identity politics for another. To rightly order the bonds of blood and soil, they must ultimately be fitted together under the covenantal arche of Christ. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit redwoodchurch.substack.com
What does it mean to pray in faith?
How can it be true that “ask ye whatever ye may wish, and it shall come to be for you,” when our prayers so frequently go unanswered? The answer is that we do not pray as we ought—either continually enough, persistently enough, or with true faith: i.e., a living participation in Christ, discerning what God desires in him. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit redwoodchurch.substack.com
How we overcome by faith…even (especially) when we fail
Though we seek continually to work out our salvation through righteous deeds, we often fall. How can we not be discouraged? By clinging to Christ, even in failure and humiliation—because in doing so, we share in his victory. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit redwoodchurch.substack.com
Repentance, part 21: individual transformation through Christ’s body
It is impossible to become like Christ without being attached to his body, just as it is impossible for your finger to keep reflecting your will and intention if it is cut from your hand. Outside the church there is no ordinary possibility of salvation. The transformation of our minds is therefore not just a question of “what am I becoming,” but also fundamentally, “what are we becoming?” This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit redwoodchurch.substack.com
The biblical lawlessness of IVF
IVF violates three different biblical laws: (1) gross negligence, as many embryos die; (2) adultery, by introducing a third party into the sex act; (3) presumption, by creating life without the certainty of birth. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit redwoodchurch.substack.com
Repentance, part 19: we are all Cretans now
Cretans are liars, sluggards and gluttons—and from this, Paul infers that they will desire to go after fables and myths. Why? Because they want to waste themselves on consumption, without care for whether it is false. Unfortunately, social media algorithms and on-demand entertainment is now shaping us all into Cretans. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit redwoodchurch.substack.com
Repentance, part 18: fasting—scripture’s answer to consumerism
The consumerism of our age shapes our souls, by instant gratification, to covetousness and impatience. These are antithetical to contentment and faith, and leave us numb. The biblical remedy is not to ascetically resist the urge to indulge—but rather to reorder our desires toward God. Fasting teaches us how to do this. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit redwoodchurch.substack.com
Repentance, part 15: what is happiness?
Scripture has much to say about the happiness of those who consume God’s word. But how should we understand this, when antidepressant usage is common among Christians and non-Christians alike? Part of the answer is that biblical happiness is not a feeling, but an action of faith ordering the affections. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit redwoodchurch.substack.com
Repentance, part 14: three applications of biblical meditation
To consume God via his word, he tells us to be speaking the scriptures to ourselves, singing the scriptures to ourselves, and dialoging the scriptures between ourselves. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit redwoodchurch.substack.com
Covenant bodies & hospitality
Hospitality is a natural function of bodies. Giving the best of yourself for others works out not just at the personal level of individuals or families, but also in churches and even nations. What are some ways that New Zealand is hospitable, what does this hospitality reveal about its religion — and how should we then live? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit redwoodchurch.substack.com
Repentance, part 13: to consume God, he must first consume us
We become like God by consuming him. But this pattern does not originate with us. To understand what it means to eat God — and how to do it — we must first know what it means that he eats us. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit redwoodchurch.substack.com
Receiving your national inheritance with gratitude
Our nation, and everything that makes it unique, is Christ’s own inheritance. We therefore cannot despise it, ignore it, or reject it—but rather love it and build it up for him. An exposition and application of Deuteronomy 21:1–9. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit redwoodchurch.substack.com
Psalm 132: Driven to establish worship
An exposition and application of Psalm 132. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit redwoodchurch.substack.com
Repentance, part 11: we’re always consuming either life or death
Even more elemental than light and eyes are food and mouth. Scripture teaches us that we are always consuming something, and that the first sin was a sin of consumption. In the modern day, we are especially tempted by the unearned wisdom, and unearned glory, of the tree of knowledge. But we must learn first to feed upon the tree of life. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit redwoodchurch.substack.com
Romans 1: Why idolatry makes you gay
Rejecting the creator/creature distinction logically and naturally leads to rejecting the male/female distinction. This follows necessarily from the biblical logic of “you become what you worship.” This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit redwoodchurch.substack.com
Psalm 124, part 2: Cannibalism—not whether, but which
An exposition and application of Psalm 124. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit redwoodchurch.substack.com
Repentance, part 10: attention as worship
All of life is worship, and we become what we worship; therefore, we are continually being conformed to the image of whatever it is we serve. Let us make sure that this is God, and not a black mirror. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit redwoodchurch.substack.com
Romans 1: A Christian response to pride month
An exposition and application of Romans 1:14-32. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit redwoodchurch.substack.com
Psalm 124, part 1: God sides with the baptised
An exposition and application of Psalm 124. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit redwoodchurch.substack.com
Repentance, part 9: sanctification via sustained attention
When we fix our attention on something, we are caring for it. This is why the heart follows the eyes, and our affections are transformed by our attention. Unfortunately, we live in an age where sustained attention and deep thinking are harder than ever. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit redwoodchurch.substack.com
Repentance, part 12: the fallen vs redeemed pattern for consumption
Mankind fell through an act of thankless, selfish consumption: take, eat, give. Christ gives us a redeemed pattern of thankful, sacrificial consumption in the Lord’s Supper: take, bless, give, eat. We should cultivate this liturgical pattern in everything we take hold of to consume. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit redwoodchurch.substack.com
2 Timothy 3, part 3: the scope of the postmil pulpit
An exposition and application of 2 Timothy 3. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit redwoodchurch.substack.com
Acts 16: How a household is saved
An exposition and application of Acts 16. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit redwoodchurch.substack.com
Repentance, part 7: how Christ models peace and joy in Gethsemane
Gospel peace and joy are not necessarily tranquility or happiness in very situation. Christ models for us how to rejoice in God and find peace even in circumstances where what we naturally feel is great turmoil and agony. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit redwoodchurch.substack.com
2 Timothy 3, part 2: Timothy’s lesson from the last days
An exposition and application of 2 Timothy 3. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit redwoodchurch.substack.com
Repentance, part 6: war as the precondition of peace
Whereas the modern church has become convinced that appeasement and avoiding confrontation are required to ensure peace, scripture requires us to wage war against everything that opposes Christ in order to be peace-makers. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit redwoodchurch.substack.com
Repentance, part 5: why peace surpasses understanding
Whereas we tend to think of peace as just one of many fruits of the Spirit, it is in fact central and foundational to the gospel itself. The gospel is described as the gospel of peace, and this peace is said to exceed our ability to understand it, not just experientially, but doctrinally. This is because biblical peace gathers up every blessing of God’s presence, and in fact is shorthand for heaven itself. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit redwoodchurch.substack.com
Repentance, part 8: look where you want to go
Man is designed to go where he looks, and to become like what he looks at. For this reason, scripture instructs us not only to fix our attention on God through prayer and reading of his word, but also to think upon whatsoever things will direct our attention upward to the true and the good and the beautiful. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit redwoodchurch.substack.com
2 Timothy 3, part 1: Wolves are after our women
An exposition and application of 2 Timothy 3. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit redwoodchurch.substack.com
Repentance, part 3: its sorrow
While God leads us to repentance through discipline, we must be careful not to let our obedience become a matter of mere outward observance, nor be deceived into thinking that he is far from us. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit redwoodchurch.substack.com
Psalm 134: Blessing the members of your body
An exposition and application of Psalm 134. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit redwoodchurch.substack.com
Repentance, part 2: its exhaustiveness
Our deceitful flesh would have us treat repentance as one-and-done, or at best intermittent. But unless we are continually working at it, we are in grave danger. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit redwoodchurch.substack.com
Repentance, part 1: what actually is it?
Whereas Christians tend to think of repentance as an occasional act, scripture describes it in terms of the continual renewal and transformation of the mind. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit redwoodchurch.substack.com
Psalm 126 (part 2): Covenantal Concern for Disobedient Brethren
An exposition and application of Psalm 126. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit redwoodchurch.substack.com
Repentance, part 4: the head, the chest and the belly
To live in repentance, our reason must rule over our appetites. But this is only possible if we become men with chests, ordering our affections and passions toward the true and the good and the beautiful, so that they in turn can rule over our animal desires. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit redwoodchurch.substack.com
Psalm 126 (part 1): The laughter of the liberated
An exposition and application of Psalm 126. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit redwoodchurch.substack.com
Walking into a new year of wicked days
An exposition and application of Psalm 121. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit redwoodchurch.substack.com
How we participate in Christ through gift-giving and Christmas trees
Since we should be celebrating Christmas, the question is how. Are the forms of our celebration good? What spiritual patterns do they embody? We examine the scriptural symbolism of gift-giving and Christmas trees, to show that they are indeed good forms of liturgical practice that involve us in the incarnation of Christ. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit redwoodchurch.substack.com
Liturgical conquest through celebrating Christmas
Since Christ is Lord over time as well as space, and the church is authorized to act on his behalf to establish his reign on earth, it is our responsibility to determine the liturgical times and seasons to observe. The church throughout history has included Christmas in this. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit redwoodchurch.substack.com
The subtle snare of lifted eyes & false tongues
Bnonn preaches from Proverbs 6:16–19 on how to avoid being someone God hates in 2024, focusing especially on the subtle ways in which modern culture tempts us toward lifted eyes and false tongues. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit redwoodchurch.substack.com
Psalm 121 (part 2): Who does God keep?
An exposition and application of Psalm 121. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit redwoodchurch.substack.com