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This Sunday, we will celebrate Reformation Day: observing the marvelous work God began when Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany. One of Luther’s best known hymns, “A Mighty Fortress is Our God,” is a paraphrase of our sermon text: Psalm 46. The hymn is a majestic song of praise; the Psalm expresses our deep need for God’s protection and strength in times of trouble. Do you often feel like praising God when facing trouble? How can we understand our circumstances in such a way that leads to hope and trust, rather than despair? This Sunday, our eyes will be drawn to the city Psalm 46 celebrates, the city of God that is already in our midst but yet to come in its fullness. It’s a city in which we will finally and forever celebrate our mighty God, a bulwark never failing.

Message from Rev. Bryce Waller on October 18, 2026

In this section of Romans 12, the Apostle Paul quickly lists a variety of ways that Christ’s Church (1) relates to each other, followed by how we (2) relate to a hostile world. In both directions, the Christ of the Gospel is put on display by the Spirit’s cultivation of something Paul sees as a special kind of “goodness:" we relate to one another in genuine love rather than manipulation or rivalry, and we entrust ourselves to our just God rather than carry out vengeance in the face of the world’s threats. But Christ is not only put on display in terms of his holy character; he is also put on display in terms of his victory over sin, death, and evil, as his great conquest finds mysterious but real expression in the Church’s goodness which truly and actively “overcomes" evil and advances the interests of Christ’s kingdom.

This Sunday is the first Sunday in Redeemer's new fiscal year and, providentially, we’ll be studying Paul’s command in Romans 12 to give ourselves to God as living sacrifices. God doesn’t just require generosity; he requires absolute commitment of body and soul and of material goods and spiritual interests. How does this command flow from the rest of Paul’s letter to the Romans? And, what does it have to do with the gospel? This Sunday, we’ll celebrate the good work we have already accomplished as a church and prepare ourselves for a new year of sacrificial living and giving as our spiritual worship to God.

In Romans 11, Paul wraps up his counter-argument to the concern that maybe the resistance of Israel to the gospel is proof that the gospel isn’t the power of God for salvation. Already, he has demonstrated that just being a physical descendant of Abraham isn’t enough and that God had always intended for the gospel to go to the gentiles and that God can even use a temporary hardening of Israel for his own purposes. But now, he tells us that the story of Israel isn’t over yet. At various times in their history, it looked like Israel was abandoned and forgotten but God was always faithful to rescue and redeem—and that will happen again! This is more than a chapter about Israel. This is a promise that we ourselves need to claim when our friends and family seem far from God or when we can’t understand what God is doing in our lives: the story isn’t over yet!

Guest Preacher Rev. Chris Fisher delivers a sermon over Romans 9

Reformed Christians are known for their love of deep Bible study, mining the riches of God’s Word. There is no mine deeper than Romans 9-11, the section of the letter we are now entering. But we must also be careful not to miss the forest for the trees. Paul isn’t writing a systematic theology designed to answer all our theological questions. He is a pastor, writing to a church about the power of God’s gospel. And like any good pastor, Paul anticipates an objection—a concern: if the gospel is the power of God for salvation, then what happened to God’s ancient people Israel? Did the gospel not work for them? Has God failed? Suddenly, the deep theological questions become intensely personal: can God be trusted? Are his promises sure? Will the gospel work for me? Join us this Sunday as we begin our study of Romans 9-11.

Amidst the weight of suffering, we are all prone to believe lies that plague our souls and pull us away from the grace and glory of God. This Sunday we will explore three lies that Romans 8 directly counters, so that we might know the truth of God's love for us, be full of the joy of Christ, and walk in the glory of God's grace.

This Sunday, we taking a short break from our sermon series in the book of Romans to celebrate our life together as a church. As part of our fall ministry launch, we’ll consider the Apostle Peter’s list of gifts that build up the body of Christ and glorify God. As those who have been loved to life by the Lord Jesus Christ, we have been given gifts to bless the world and those around us. Let’s celebrate together what the Lord is doing in our midst and encourage one another in our service.

As Christians, we have much to learn from criminals as we are all guilty before God of breaking his law. As a result, we face three challenges: the condemnation of the law, the corruption of our past lifestyles, and the relational alienation that comes from sin. Yet God, in his mercy, has given us his spirit that liberates us from condemnation (8:1), enables us to live Spirit-led lives (8:5-11), and assures us of our adoption and union with Christ (8:12-16), that we might share the glory of Christ and abide in eternal fellowship with him (8:17). This Sunday we will explore the spirit's work in salvation and celebrate the freedom we have in Christ to love, know and worship our Redeemer and King.

Romans 7 is one of those chapters that will either make or break your Christian life. Depending on your interpretation, it is either an extremely encouraging chapter because you can see your own life mirrored in the life of the Apostle Paul or it is a discouraging chapter that leads you to question whether you have been saved at all. In some of the most personal language he uses in his letters, Paul describes the normal Christian life. It’s not always pretty or victorious, but it is always centered on the person and work of Jesus for us.

At the end of Romans 5, Paul said something that probably infuriated his Jewish readers and confounds religious people to this day: where sin increases, grace abounds all the more. Many people think the main benefit of religion (any religion) is to make bad people better, but Paul says Christianity is ultimately about bad people getting what they don’t deserve: grace! So, now in chapter 6, Paul addresses two potential points of confusion. As we saw last week, he first addressed the absurd conclusion that some people had about his teaching about grace and the gospel. This week, we’re continuing his argument with a second point of potential confusion: that without the law, believers will inevitably lead sinful lives. Paul answers that objection by saying there are only two ways to live and we must choose which master will determine the course of our lives.

As humans, we cannot help but make excuses for ourselves. After all, we’re only human, right? This Sunday we will examine the first of two excuses Paul addresses in Romans 6: “Should we sin so that grace may abound all the more?” The immediate answer is absolutely not, but the reason Paul provides is far deeper than we would expect: if you’re making excuses for sin, you have forgotten your union in Christ. This Sunday we will explore three pictures Paul uses to describe our union with Christ as we remember and savor our identity in him.

In this profound passage, the Apostle Paul answers one of life's most important questions: What is wrong with us and the world we live in? Paul's answer is both sobering and hopeful. Our problem is found in Adam, but our solution is found in Jesus Christ. Join us as we consider our miserable condition in Adam and the superabundant grace that is ours through union with Christ.

Does God’s justification of sinners make any practical difference to daily life? Is it simply a doctrine to be believed or is it a doctrine that makes a difference—both to our status and in our experience of God? This week, we turn to the first half of Romans 5 and see the difference justification makes. In some of the most joy-filled verses of Paul’s letter, he lays out several ways that justification matters in the life of a Christian today, demonstrating that sound doctrine makes a difference in real life.