Divine Savior Church-santa Rita Ranch Sermons

Made solid by the undergirding promises of Jesus, the apostle Peter acted boldly and courageously. Sometimes this acting-before-thinking disciple pushed the envelope of courage to its border with foolishness, but Jesus was always there to pull him back.Support the show

Loved by his Lord, John expressed the same kind of love to his Lord and others. His writings in the Scriptures encourage followers of Jesus in that same love.Support the show

This tax collector turned apostle experienced firsthand the loving mercy of the Messiah, who came to save sinners. He turned around and wrote a lot about it in his gospel. Support the show

He vacillated between the twin towers of unshakeable confidence and wishy washy uncertainty. However, faith is as strong as the on whom it rests, and Jesus' loyalty and love bless this apostle with a new resurrection conviction.Support the show

Thaddaeus (also called Judas) asked Jesus, "But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the whole world?" Many ask this same question today, why some and not others? We marvel at God desiring all to be saved and his grace for all, and yet we see the sad reality that those who don’t know him, or who have rejected him won’t be saved. The attitude of Thaddaeus, "I want others to know," is the outward love for the world who do not yet know, the heart of God behind the great commission. This outward looking concern is mirrored in Jesus' answer based on the mystery of the Trinity. Here we see the doctrine of the Trinity unraveled into saving activity, and sought after by a disciple.Support the show

Bartholomew asked, "Nazareth, can anything good come from there?" and found in his shattered hope a fulfilled hope in the promised Savior. In Bartholomew (aka Nathanael) we see our own expectations - too often misunderstood and misplaced, until Jesus meets them and us. So often we expect God to fit our mold and to fit his plans into what we expect and hope for. But God's plan is almost always different than ours. And it's better! Support the show

"We have found the one," Philip proclaimed to Nathaniel, when Jesus actually found him first. Later Philip personally found a gracious Savior at the feeding of the 5,000 when Jesus taught him a lesson about faith. On another occasion, Philip commented to Jesus, "Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us," and Jesus went on to describe the mysterious unity of the Father and the Son. All of this helped Philip find others in search of a Savior.Support the show

Andrew showed care and concern for bringing others to Jesus. Ministry is one on one. Mission is one on one. Parents to children. Husband to wife. You to a friend, family member, or co-worker. We only know Peter, because Andrew sought out his brother. Mission work happens in backyards, picnics, bleachers, and cubicles. One of the main principles of our harvest strategy is "Everyone invite one." There is value in telling just one person. Support the show

With the zeal of thunder, James has glory on his mind, both personal glory and ethnic/national glory and pride. Jesus' zeal to save and serve recovers and redirects this apostle to an evangelical instead of legislative zeal. This is the only place to mention the other apostle, James the Less, about whom we know very little.Support the show

Most people today think the “devil” is a joke. And make jokes about him. But the truth is, the devil is a real and vicious enemy of God and his people. He tempts us to doubt God’s Word. He wants to tear us away from God, and he did so. But Jesus came to defeat the devil. And He did! The church displays that victory in all we do! But the battles rage on… our enemy is real and the daily battles we face with him are too. So Paul reaches the dramatic finale to his letter: “Finally be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” (Eph. 6:10-11) Put on that armor of God and let the Word of truth continue to fill your life! There is no greater hope than what God’s grace in Jesus gives us! Know greater hope!Support the show

From the beginning, God designed people to live in families. He also gave us work to do, a garden to take care of, something to give meaning and purpose. So a lot of our lives are spent at home and at work. As we continue to rebel against God, our homes and workplaces often become the scenes of our most obvious failings and flaws. They can become unhappy or even downright dysfunctional places. When Jesus came here to save us, He was born into a family of a worker, a carpenter. He lived in our place and died on our behalf to give us a new life. So we thank and worship Him. Not just on Sundays. We worship Him Monday to Saturday as well, in our families, homes, and workplaces.Support the show

Marriage has been instilled into human hearts and human society by our loving Creator to stir up human longing and to prepare our hearts for the love of Christ. Marriage conducted in God’s way by his people is a beautiful demonstration of his plan to gather all things under Christ and make us one in Christ. Among God’s people, marriage isn’t a battleground, but a field of victory, where sinners can remain united to each other in the service of Christ. Marriage is a beautiful object lesson of how Jesus loves the people who believe in Him. Today’s text not only speaks of the ways our marriages can be blessed, but also celebrates the spiritual union of all believers with Christ, to whom we will one day be united – the ultimate “marriage made in heaven.”Support the show

The world we live in loves to live in darkness. What people do behind closed doors should be up to them, they say. The world is accepting of all kinds of alternative expressions of gender and sexuality. But the God who loves us created us a certain way to glorify Him. His Word is very clear on how He wants us to live. In the light. Not in the darkness. As we shine this light into the world, it isn’t going to want to hear it. It seems backward and outdated. It sounds unloving and unsupportive. But the truth is, God’s way of living is the only way that is self-less and actually truly loving! Let’s show the world the beauty of God’s way! Let’s share it in a loving way. That’s the way to honor Him for the true light and greater hope He has given us!Support the show

We live in a fashion-conscious world. We see influential people wearing certain styles of clothes and imitate them by trying to keep up with the same fashions. We want to look the same as the world around us. We do the same thing in the way that we live. We imitate the world in the way that we act, talk, and think. Sometimes we blend right in and people don’t even know we’re different. The encouragement in this text is to stop trying to look exactly like the world around us and start imitating God instead. The benefits of being like the world are short-lived. The hope God offers lasts forever.Support the show

We want the church to grow so that we can make a difference in the world around us. But churches not only need to grow in number. We need to grow in holiness. We need to grow in unity. That will show the world what our three-in-one God is like. God’s grace, the hope He gives us in Jesus, generates this growth. There is one body, one church. Our Christian community should reflect that unity. We are like a symphony orchestra and God has given us beautiful music to play. If all the sections of an orchestra were fighting and competing with one another, the music wouldn’t sound so good. But when we play together, we bless the world around us with the beautiful music God plays through us. We speak God’s truth in love to draw people together to the hope in Jesus God gives us!Support the show

When you get married, and that person you love moves in, two wonderful things happen: they start changing everything to reflect their character, and they fill the place with their love for you. That’s what happened when I got married. My ratty dorm furniture got replaced and the décor got cleaned and greatly improved! All these new things were wonderful because I felt loved! Same thing happens for every Christian. When the Spirit of Christ takes up residence in our lives, He redecorates our souls with his holy character. He fills our hearts with more and more of his love. He gives us strength and hope and helps us live a new way. Our text is a prayer that God would do just that.Support the show

Most of us enjoy the suspense of a mystery thriller. Books and movies keep us on the edge of our seats, as do documentaries about unsolved mysteries. Other mysteries are more personal – like figuring out how to fill out your tax form or what to get your mom for Mother’s Day.  The only thing more compelling than a mystery is when the mystery finally gets solved. Today’s text reveals a mystery that had troubled God’s people for centuries – a mystery now solved in the most astonishing fashion by the coming of Christ. The solution to this mystery is displayed so all can admire God’s wisdom. The mystery? The greater hope of Jesus is for ALL people. No one is excluded!Support the show

There is a depressingly relentless cycle of political strife and military conflict between peoples, nations, and religious cultures in our world. There is constant suspicion and segregation in our cities and communities between black and white, rich and poor, right-wing and left-wing. The list goes on. There is even tension between colleagues at work and cruelty and hurt in our homes. Is it possible for human beings to stop fighting? Can there ever be lasting peace within our communities and cultures? The answer is yes. There is a peace and unity that happens between people when they come to know Christ. He unifies us in the only way possible. There is no greater hope for peace!Support the show

Why do Christians get so excited by “grace?” Why do we sing about “Amazing Grace”? We name our churches after it. We name our children after it. What is all the fuss about? God’s “grace” is his undeserved love for us. But why is it so amazing? This text reveals why God’s grace is the most amazing gift we could ever have. We have a problem – we are spiritually dead. We can’t do a thing to make things right with God. We are captive to the ways of this world and how they squash hope right out of our lives. BUT. God loves us. That changes everything. His undeserved love for us brought us back to life! The same power He raised Jesus with… He has raised us with. We were brought from death to life by God’s grace! God’s amazing grace is the greatest gift we could ever have! There’s no greater hope!Support the show

Know Greater HopeWe probably have a lot of relationships that are shallow or even artificial. It is important for us to get to know people better. It is more important to get to know our spouse better. But even more important… is getting to know God better. That is the prayer today. That we might know God better. The more we learn about God and what He has done for us, the more we know the hope God gives us in Jesus. A hope that is based on his power to raise the dead to life! Grasp the awesome scale of God’s love. God brings from death to life by grace. God has done resurrection before. We know He can do it again. There is no greater hope. May we “know greater hope!”Support the show