Redeemer Church Champaign-urbana, Illinois

True faith is not evidenced in our manipulating the use of God’s power. True faith is resting in God with our whole being: in his person, in his power, in his plan and purposes, and in his promises. This text identifies four evidences of true faith and none of them include getting what you demand or ask for. True faith rests in the identity of Jesus, true faith trusts in the power and purposes of God, true faith is confident in prayer and true faith forgives.

In short, we have a vision and mission because God has a vision and mission.

Jesus Christ is the risen Lord. By believing this in your hearts you will be saved

You and I are not the judges of worship. The rightness or fruit of worship is not determined by our wants, our desires, or our personal preferences. It’s not measured by the excellence in presentation, or by the security and affluence of a building, or the number of people that show up on Sunday, or by how it makes you feel. God is the one who determines whether or not God is pleased by our worship. He alone is the judge of worship.

Believing partial truths, following religious practices, and having emotional experiences are not enough to save us. To be saved we must know, we must love, we must follow the true King. And that king is Jesus.

Prayer is essential for God's people. In prayer, we demonstrate we belong to God. In prayer, we are protected from pride. In prayer, we seek God personally, and are moved to repentance. And in prayer, we actively participate in God's purpose.

Often our reliance upon sight can leave us blind. In Mark 10:46-52 the only person who can truly see who Jesus is and why he came is a blind man.

We've been called to care for one another's souls. Listen to find out why it is so important.

Christianity is not about our service, but his sacrifice. It's not ours to repay but his to ransom.

Sometimes we can take a worldly pursuit in our path of following Christ. When we do, we use Jesus for worldly gain. But true Christian privilege is not seeking glory by serving Christ, but serving out of the abundance of glory we have already received in him. We get to serve as Christ served.

Many will tell you that Jesus came with a message of morality, teaching us to love and be at peace with one another. They say he never claimed to be the son of God, his death was an accident, his resurrection a lie, and that discipleship is merely following his moral example. But the message from Jesus mouth is quite different. Jesus taught who he is, why he came, and what it means to follow him.

Jonah points forward to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In it, you see God, Man, Christ, and Response.

Have you forgotten God's grace like Jonah? It can be identified when your knowledge about God is not impacting your relationship with Him, when you are self-centered rather than God-centered, when you possess a judgmental attitude, when you forget about God's past mercies to you, and when you forget that salvation belongs to God.

God's kindness is displayed through warnings, repentance, and salvation.

We learn from Jonah that you cannot hide from God. But there is more we can learn in his prayer.

When the sovereign and holy God seeks and calls you out you can respond in one of three ways: fear, resentment, or reverence.

The key to moving from despair is to fix our desires in delighting in God.

Do not trust in earthly possessions, nor in the act of giving them up. Instead receive Christ as your possession.

We are called as followers of Christ to love children, lead children to Christ, and enter the kingdom of God as children.

In this sermon, we consider what Peter has to say about a woman's complimentary role in marriage.