Podcasts by RUF UWM

Summer Conference Seminar: Ethics, Pt. 2 from 2022-06-03T20:26:54

Nick Bratcher discusses how the Gospel provides us an opportunity for an ethical life.

Summer Conference Seminar: Ethics Pt. 1 from 2022-06-03T20:24:10

Nick Bratcher discusses the current ethical crisis in the post-Christian West.

“Ski Lift Debacles and Singing the Mercy of God” (Exodus 5:1–2; 7:1–13; 9:13–17) from 2022-03-16T10:33:05

Part seven of our series in Exodus, “Being Known and Living Free.”

“The Grief of False Gods and the Grace of the Living God” (Exodus 5 & 6) from 2022-03-09T18:07:04

Part six of our series in Exodus, “Being Known and Living Free”

SEMINAR: “Let’s Get Ethical!” from 2022-02-26T16:30:03

Fundamentally, the study of ethics aims to answer the question, how ought we to live? You and I, tragically, live in a moment of severe ethical poverty. We went looking for freedom and found oursel...

“John Knox and Gourmet Dominoes Pizza” (Exodus 4:1-17) from 2022-02-16T21:15:09

Part four of our series in Exodus, “Being Known and Living Free”

“A Game Changing Moment” (Exodus 3:1-17) from 2022-02-09T15:59:55

Part three of our series in Exodus, “Being Known and Living Free”

“Suffering and the Weeping Lion” (Exodus 1:22-2:25) from 2022-02-04T18:15:49

Part two of our series in Exodus, “Being Known and Living Free”

“The Sandlot God” (Exodus 1:1-21) from 2022-01-27T16:26:28

Just as Smalls in the movie, “The Sandlot,” is freed to play the game of baseball by the strength and faithfulness of another, so also were the Israelites freed—and us, by extension. Hear more abou...

“Marriage, Jesus, and Joshua Bassett’s Treachery” (Ephesians 5:21–33) from 2021-12-07T20:50:34

Campus Minister Nick Bratcher unpacks the “Distinctive Drama of Marriage” and the “Deeper Destiny of Marriage” as part of our ongoing series on relationships.

“The One about Dating” (1 Corinthians 7:1-40) from 2021-11-03T15:22:02

Campus minister Nick Bratcher unpacks why we should bother with dating or marriage in the first place, what the biblical category for dating is, and how to date as a Christian.

“The Good Gift of Singleness” (1 Corinthians 7:1, 7-9, 25-38) from 2021-10-31T14:39:34

If many of us were to describe what it means to be “single,” we’d probably describe it as a lack of relationship. But singleness is more than just the first step toward romantic connection. That’s...

"God, Sex, and the Human Body" (1 Cor. 6:12-20) from 2021-10-21T23:12:23

God telling us to forgive people, to work hard for our employers, to love our neighbors. This all seems well and good.

These, we think, are societal matters. They affect everyone. They ar...

“Relating to the Local Church” (1 Cor. 12:4–31; 13:1) from 2021-10-21T23:11:40

The church. Love it or hate it, it's Christ's body. How do we relate to this body with our various experiences of it? Some full of skepticism and pain. Others tell tales of healing and growth. S...

"Friendship, Part III: God's Forgiveness and Ours" (Matt. 18:21-35) from 2021-09-30T21:02:27

True friendship can be awfully messy. We hurt one another and struggle to love those who sin against us. How much are we supposed to take before hitting the proverbial "eject" button on a friend...

“Friendship, Part II: Whom are we to befriend?” (Luke 10:25-37) from 2021-09-22T21:59:20

The third sermon of the relationship series for RUF at UWM by its campus minister, Nick Bratcher.

"Friendship, Part I: What is friendship?" (Proverbs 18:24; 27:10; 16:28; 27:5-6, 9, 17) from 2021-09-15T18:40:10

God has said that it is not good for humans to be alone (Gen 2:18). Friendship is vital in meeting our need for relationship, but what does a healthy friendship look like? What are its challenge...

“The Strain on Relationships” (Gen 2:9-17; 3:1-3:27) from 2021-09-09T15:10:38

As we seek our own happiness and fulfillment, we seem to make quite a mess of it sometimes. The Bible calls this mess, “sin.” In this episode, Campus Minister Nick Bratcher unpacks what sin is and ...

"Why are we here?" (Gen. 1:1-2:3) from 2021-02-03T18:00:25

Origins—the stories of our world—are important for making sense of the present and what ought to come next. We understand the reason for Peter Parker’s crime fighting as Spiderman better when we...

"Not That Long Ago, in a Manger Not So Far Away" (Matthew 1:1-17) from 2020-12-01T15:13:17

Campus Minister Nick Bratcher preaches at Christ Church Milwaukee on 11/29/20 as part of their advent series. He unpacks Matthew's genealogy which tells us at least three things about how Jesus ...

"God’s Love and Our Love" (1 John 4:7-12) from 2020-11-11T15:35:35

In our pain, we often decide that we are only going to love ourselves and those who are enough like ourselves to not be too difficult. We love when it is convenient. Yet God is clear: we are to ...

"Overcoming Antichristian Deception" (1 John 4:1-6) from 2020-11-04T20:09:36

All around us, there are voices with conflicting messages about what our identity is. Is it how much money we have, our sexual preferences, what we look like, or even the opinions of our friends...

"Loved by God, Loving One Another" (1 John 3:11–24) from 2020-11-04T19:58:39

The marker of Christians is not just how they negatively abstain from sin. They are also known by their love for one another. From 1 John 3:11–24, campus minister Nick Bratcher argues that becau...

“Living as the Children of God” (1 John 2:28-3:10) from 2020-10-21T16:52:32

We are all born into a world in rebellion against God. The Bible calls this sin. To our own detriment, we put our own desires ahead of God’s. But by God’s grace, we can be reborn into a new family ...

“Persevering in the Last Hour” (1 John 2:18-27) from 2020-10-14T14:48:08

Because Jesus has risen and will return a second time to earth at the end of all things, we are living in the last hour of human history. In this time, forces arise to oppose Christ. How are we to ...

“Choosing What To Love” (1 John 2:15-17) from 2020-10-08T12:59:56

To love is to be human, but our loves also shape our identities. This is the human dilemma. We long to be “good enough” but our great loves like relationships, careers, and social acceptance are fr...

“God’s Nature, Our Sin, and Our Advocate” (1 John 1:5-2:2) from 2020-09-27T21:09:30

We all have standards that we try to live up to—some sense of morality and some understanding of living the good life as a good person. But where does our understanding of “the good life” eventuall...

“Pursuing True Happiness” (1 John 1:1-4) from 2020-09-16T15:13:05

As part of our Fall 2020 Sermon Series, “That You May Know,” campus minister Nick Bratcher teaches from 1 John 1:1-4. From it, we learn that true happiness is found in the good news of the person J...

“Exclusive Truth in an Open-Minded World” (1 John 5:13-21) from 2020-09-16T15:01:55

As part of our Fall 2020 Sermon Series, “That You May Know,” campus minister Nick Bratcher teaches from 1 John 5:13-21. From the text, we learn that if we have placed our faith in Jesus, we know th...

"A Song for Frustration" (Psalm 33) from 2020-04-22T21:00

We become frustrated when our plan does not line up with God’s plan, and the cure for that frustration is to know the heart of God.

"A Song for Protection" (Psalm 121) from 2020-04-15T14:00

This sermon from Psalm 121 centers around the question, "From where does our help come?"

"A Song for Work and Rest" (Psalm 92) from 2020-04-14T21:00

This sermon from Psalm 92 centers around the question, "How are we to work and rest?"

"A Song for Anxiety" (Psalm 23) from 2020-04-03T16:00

This sermon from Psalm 23 centers around the question, "Why is it good news that God is in control?"

"A Song for Depression" (Psalm 88) from 2020-03-16T21:00

This sermon from Psalm 88 explores two topics: what feels true in depression and what is true in depression.

"A Song for Praise" (Psalm 8) from 2020-03-16T21:00

This sermon from Psalm 8 examines why the God of the Bible is so much better than any other god we can worship.

"A Song for Justice" (Psalm 59) from 2020-03-04T15:00

This sermon from Psalm 59 centers around the question, "How are we to seek this justice?""

"A Song for Repentance" (Psalm 51) from 2020-02-26T19:00

This sermon from Psalm 51 centers around the question, "How are we to repent?"

"A Song for When God Feels Distant" (Psalm 42) from 2020-02-19T23:00

This sermon from Psalm 42 centers around the question, "How do we experience distance from God?"

"How do we satisfy our need for significance?" (Ecclesiastes 2:1-11) from 2020-02-13T22:00

We are all searching for something to give us a sense of worth. What will meet that need?

"A Song for Doubt" (Psalm 34) from 2020-02-12T20:00

Campus Minister Nick Bratcher teaches about "doubt" from Psalm 34.

"A Song for Despair" (Psalm 13) from 2020-02-05T22:00

Campus Minister Nick Bratcher answers the question, "How are we to despair?" from Psalm 13

"The Two Paths" (Psalm 1) from 2020-01-22T17:00

Campus Minister Nick Bratcher explains why the blessed path is one that submits to God's authority.

"How can you be found?" (Luke 15:11-32) from 2019-11-20T15:00

This sermon from Luke 15:11-32 centers around the question, how can you be found?

"Tasting the Kingdom Banquet" (Luke 14:12-24) from 2019-11-15T14:00

This sermon from Luke 14:12-24 centers around the parable of the Great Banquet.

"What is our identity?" (Luke 7:36-50) from 2019-11-15T14:00

This sermon from Luke 7:36-50 centers around the question, what is our identity?

"Why do we pray and not lose heart?" (Luke 18:1-8) from 2019-10-30T14:00

This sermon from Luke 18:1-8 centers around the question, why do we pray and not lose heart?

"What is greatness?" (Luke 16:19-31) from 2019-10-23T16:00

This sermon from Luke 16:19-31 centers around the question, what is greatness?

"What's the condition of your heart?" (Luke 8:4-15) from 2019-10-17T00:00

This sermon from Luke 8:4-15 centers around the question, "What is the condition of your heart?"

"How does your ordinary life fit into God's extraordinary plan?" (Genesis 1:28; 2:15-25) from 2019-10-07T17:00

Nick teaches about work, relationships, and God's supremacy from Genesis 1:28 and 2:15–25.

"How to Become a Poor Fool" (Luke 12:13-21) from 2019-10-02T12:00

Campus Minister Nick Bratcher teaches the Parable of the Rich Man from Luke 12:13-21.

"Where can you place your trust?" (Luke 6:46-49) from 2019-09-25T14:00

This sermon from Luke 6:46-49 centers around the question, "where can we place our trust?"

"How do we find acceptance?" (Luke 15:1-7) from 2019-09-18T04:00

We find acceptance in the joy of our Shepherd, Jesus.

"How do we find security?" (Luke 10:25-37) from 2019-09-11T16:00

This sermon from Luke 10:25-37 centers around the question, how do we find security?

"We're All on the Court" (Luke 18:9-14) from 2019-09-04T18:00

On Sept. 3, 2019, Nick preaches on Luke 18:9-14.