Looking to Jesus, with Brian G. Hedges

Looking to Jesus, with Brian G. Hedges

“Looking to Jesus” features the preaching ministry of Brian G. Hedges, lead pastor at Redeemer Church in Niles, Michigan. Brian’s sermons are focused on the Christ-centered exposition and application of the Scriptures. His aim in preaching is to be “true to the text, true to the gospel, and true to life.” New episodes are released every week or two. Brian and his wife, Holly, have been married since 1996 and have four children. Brian is the author of Christ Formed in You; Christ All Sufficient; The Story of His Glory; Watchfulness: Recovering a Lost Spiritual Discipline, and other books. He enjoys working out, playing golf, and reading. Among his favorite authors are Saint Augustine, John Calvin, John Owen, Charles Spurgeon, Martyn Lloyd-Jones, and C. S. Lewis.

Episodes

December 26, 2025 42 mins

In this episode, Brian Hedges invites listeners to choose between two paths of life: one flourishing and rooted by streams of water, the other fragile and blown away like chaff—drawing on the vivid imagery of Psalm 1. He then focuses on the spiritual practice of Christian meditation—delighting in God’s instruction and engaging deeply with Scripture day and night. His sermon challenges believers to move beyond mere activity and busy...

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This message calls listeners to respond in faith to the incredible gift of God’s love and to live in humble service and generous devotion. Pastor Brian guides us through four ways of understanding the incarnation of Christ:

(4:14) 1. The Word Became Flesh

(10:35) 2. The Son Became a Servant

(16:31) 3. The Rich Became Poor

(20:36) 4. The Sinless Became the Sin Bearer

Read the transcript of this sermon here.

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December 3, 2025 48 mins

Season 9 — Dressing for Battle: Gospel Armor for the Fight of Faith

Episode 10 —  The Weapon of “All-Prayer”

In this episode, Brian Hedges explores how prayer functions as the ultimate weapon in spiritual battle, drawing deeply from Ephesians 6:10-20 in the concluding message of the series “Dressing for Battle.” Discover how prayer isn’t just an optional discipline but a vital response to spiritual warfare. Whether you’ve struggled i...

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November 19, 2025 46 mins

Podcast Description: Season 9 — Dressing for Battle: Gospel Armor for the Fight of Faith

Episode 9 — Take the Sword of the Spirit

In “Take the Sword of the Spirit,” Brian Hedges examines the image of Scripture as both an offensive and defensive weapon in spiritual warfare, grounded in Ephesians 6:10–20. He teaches how the word of God is uniquely “the sword of the Spirit” — forged by the Holy Spirit and empowered to pierce, defend, an...

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November 5, 2025 43 mins

Season 9 — Dressing for Battle: Gospel Armor for the Fight of Faith

Episode 8 — "Take Up the Helmet of Salvation" In this sermon, Pastor Brian Hedges unpacks the metaphor of the helmet of salvation — what it is, why we need it, and how it shapes our mindset and hope as believers. He emphasizes salvation in its past, present, and future tenses, showing how the hope of future salvation guards our minds, sustains us in hardsh...

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October 22, 2025 41 mins

Season 9 — Dressing for Battle: Gospel Armor for the Fight of Faith

Episode 7 — Take Up the Shield of Faith

In this sermon, Brian G. Hedges emphasizes how faith both protects Christians from spiritual attack and identifies them in battle. He outlines what faith is (involving mind, heart, and will), how it defends against things like fear, doubt, and despair, and he gives practical ways believers can take up this shield through spirit...

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October 8, 2025 40 mins

Season 9 — Dressing for Battle: Gospel Armor for the Fight of Faith

Episode 6 — Put on the Gospel Shoes

Brian Hedges unfolds the metaphor of the “gospel shoes” drawn from Ephesians 6, showing how being justified by faith grants us peace with God—transforming us from enemies into friends and children of God—which equips believers for evangelism, endurance, and spiritual readiness. He emphasizes that the “shoes” symbolize not merely kn...

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September 24, 2025 51 mins

Season 9 — Dressing for Battle: Gospel Armor for the Fight of Faith 

Episode 5 — Put on the Breastplate of Righteousness

Brian Hedges emphasizes that the breastplate signifies practical, Spirit-empowered holiness—not self-righteousness but pursuing godly living rooted in the imputed righteousness of Christ. He explains that while justification (positional righteousness) forms the foundation, the breastplate represents a call to activ...

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September 17, 2025 35 mins

Season 9 — Dressing for Battle: Gospel Armor for the Fight of Faith

Episode 4 — Put On the Belt of Truth

Brian Hedges explores Ephesians 6:14, where Paul urges believers to “stand… having fastened on the belt of truth.” He unpacks the metaphor, illustrating how the “belt of truth” refers to girding up the loins of one’s mind with God’s word — serving as the foundational garment that enables spiritual readiness, clarity, and integrity...

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September 10, 2025 30 mins

Season 9 — Dressing for Battle: Gospel Armor for the Fight of Faith

Episode 3 — The Christian in Complete Armor

God’s word equips the believer for battle. Brian Hedges relates five key aspects of the armor of God.

(4:01) 1. The Armor Is Essential

(9:22) 2. The Armor Is God’s Armor

(13:58) 3. The Armor Is Gospel Armor

(19:01) 4. The Armor Is Complete

(24:02) 5. The Armor Must Be Put On

Read the transcript of this sermon here.

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September 3, 2025 38 mins

Season 9 — Dressing for Battle: Gospel Armor for the Fight of Faith

Episode 2 — Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices

The devil is real, and he’s scheming to deceive you. How can you resist him? Brian Hedges shows you:

(4:36) 1. The Reality of the Devil

(11:14) 2. The Strategies of the Devil

(23:04) 3. The Defeat of the Devil

Read the transcript of this sermon here.

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August 20, 2025 44 mins

Season 9 — Dressing for Battle: Gospel Armor for the Fight of Faith 

Episode 1 — The Christian Warfare

Pastor Brian Hedges opens Ephesians 6:10-20 to remind us:

(6:44) 1. We Are Fighting in an Ongoing War

(15:23) 2. We Have an Evil and Malicious Enemy

(23:17) 3. Christ Has Shown Us the Way to Victory

Read the transcript of this sermon here.

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“There’s a universal longing we all have, whether we’re Christian or non-Christian. If you’re a human being, you have this longing. There are two ways of trying to fulfill this longing: the way of self and the way of Jesus.” ~ Brian Hedges

(5:00) 1. The Universal Longing

(12:36) 2. The Way of Self

(24:24) 3. The Way of Jesus

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The reason you can’t just “follow your heart” is that you have a war going on inside you. Conflicting desires. Brian Hedges helps you understand:

(10:02) 1. The Division of the Self 

(19:04) 2. The Reason for This Division 

(26:15) 3. The Freedom the Gospel Brings 

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You say you’re a Christian, but is Jesus at the center of your thoughts, affections, ambitions, and desires? Brian Hedges encourages you to:

(10:06) 1. Set Your Mind on the Person and Work of Christ 

(16:32) 2. Put on the Character of Christ 

(20:23) 3. Be Faithful to the Body of Christ

(27:55) 4. Be Filled with the Word of Christ 

(35:04) 5. Live for the Name of Christ


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When you travel internationally, your passport is the main proof of who you are and which country you belong to. Brian Hedges draws an analogy to show that, if you’re a Christian, your spiritual passport is your identity in Christ. He takes you to Ephesians 1 to show you:

(9:40) 1. You are chosen in Christ.

(17:38) 2. You are adopted in Christ.

(23:17) 3. You are forgiven in Christ.

(29:57) 4. You are secure in Christ.

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Podcast Description: When you meet Jesus personally, your whole identity is re-centered. It transforms you. That’s what happened to Saul of Tarsus. In this message, see:

(8:04) 1. Identity before Christ

(14:52) 2. A Transforming Encounter with Christ

(33:17) 3. New Identity in Christ

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Everyone longs to be noticed. Known. Cared about. Be comforted and challenged as Brian Hedges shares these powerful principles from Psalm 139:

(7:25) 1. God Knows You Better Than You Know Yourself

(13:56) 2. You Cannot Hide Yourself from God

(23:06) 3. You Are Uniquely Created by God

(31:30) 4. God Loves You with an Immeasurable, Covenantal, Saving Love

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The crisis of identity we face is, at its core, an issue of misplaced worship. Brian Hedges shows us

(9:56) 1. What Idolatry Is

(21:01) 2. How Idols Shape Identity

(30:32) 3. How the Gospel Frees Us from Idols

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It’s common to hear messages like “You do you” or “Be true to yourself” or “Just follow your heart.” Brian Hedges sees them as symptoms of an underlying confusion about who we are and why we exist. In this episode, he explains:

(5:01) 1. The Nature of Identity

(10:23) 2. The Crisis of Identity

(29:07) 3. The Biblical Basis for Identity

Read the transcript of this sermon here.

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