Resurrection City Church - St. Paul Minnesota

Philippians | The Holy Work of Reconciliation

In ballet, there are basic movements that you learn immediately and which are the basic movements you will use in all other ballet routines for the rest of your career. These are movements which you practice over and over.

Christianity is like ballet, where to grow is to master, apply, and reapply the movements that come from the gospel itself. In this sermon, Pastor Joel walks us through the movements of reconciliation: acknowledgment, repentance, forgiveness, and restoration. Sin breaks God's world. Reconciliation like what we experience through Christ is God's response to the work of sin.

Philippians | Enemies & Citizens

The Philippians are in the midst of facing "enemies of the cross", but Paul doesn't want them to be afraid of them. Instead, Paul is "in tears" over their opposition to the gospel. In this sermon, Res City Worship Director Zach Dohmen explains how we--ambassadors or citizens of heaven--should search ourselves and ask if our unwillingness to live as ambassadors often comes from the same motives that make people enemies of the cross. 

Philippians | Living Up To What Has Been Attained

Paul urges the Philippians to "live up to what we have already attained" (3:16). He means that while we still await the resurrection that has been attained for us by Christ, we are to take seriously who we have been made in Christ.

In this sermon, Pastor Joel unpacks what it means to "press on" (3:14) towards the goal of resurrection, navigating the daily tension of life in the weird in between space of the present age.

Philippians | The Surpassing Worth of Christ

Paul shifts his tone in this part of his letter to the Philippians as he braces for outsiders on their way to the community who are critical of Paul’s gospel. To help them respond to what these outside teachers will say he tells his story and he establishes the weight of glory found in God’s self-disclosure, Jesus, against all other claimants on that glory.

Pastor Joel helps us sift through the complexity of this passage, as well as consider what it means for us to consider Christ as of surpassing worth. This sermon will challenge you with whether or not God is calling you to die to something that challenges for where your glory lies.

Philippians | A Posture of Welcome

Posture is important for our bodies, both in the short and long term. Posture is also a helpful way to think about our relation to the world around us as Christians living within it. When we recognize that God truly works in the midst of our church, it gives a sense of meaning to all of our actions, and a desire to invite people in to experience it themselves. This leads us to adopt a posture of welcome rather than fear or consumption towards culture. This sermon is great if you're wondering how Christians ought to face the world around us. 

Philippians | Radical Unity

The center of Christianity is Christ, and the center for our relations to each other in the church is his sacrifice for us. How do we live out his sacrifice for us? Through radical unity. Res City elder Miles Trump shares how we can center and live out our relations to each other by focusing on and following the model of Jesus. 

Philippians | The Life & Death Pattern of the Gospel

The Apostle Paul is in a rough situation. He's stuck in prison (and everyone knows it's because of Jesus) and there are some people who have jumped into take over his duty with motives of influence and fame. Yet, despite all that, Paul is encouraged because he knows the pattern of the gospel's spread is the same as how it works: death, pain, hardship, and more lead to life, fruit, and hope. His situation looks similar to our own, as the church and gospel now experience similar bad press flowing from bad motives. In this sermon, Pastor Joel unpacks Paul's mindset and why it matters so greatly for us today.

Philippians | Deep Friendship, Same Direction

When you open the letter to the Philippians, you find Paul the apostle in prison thanking the congregation of the church in Philippi for helping him out, and speaking of their "partnership in the gospel." This idea of "partnership" is fundamental for Paul when thinking of Christian relationships within churches, and in this sermon Pastor Joel explores what it means and how it's lived out. 

Philippians | God Finishes What He Starts

It's baptism Sunday at Res City, and also the week where we kick off our new sermon series in the book of Philippians. Pastor Joel begin by asking if God finishes what he starts, something Paul says God does indeed do. It's a perfect question to consider as we celebrate baptism. What follows is a consideration of that statement by reflecting on God's purposes throughout all of Scripture, considering what we learn about how he approaches what he begins.

Seeking Wisdom: Wisdom Applied | Anxiety

As we wrap up our Seeking Wisdom series, Pastor Julie preaches on how wisdom applies to the problem of anxiety--something we all feel sometimes and something many people struggle with on a regular basis. Practical while also theological, you don't want to miss this sermon!