Cornerstone West Los Angeles » Sermons

One of the things Jesus encounters in his ministry is a spiritual blindness that keeps people from understanding his identity and his mission. It affects his enemies, his fans, and even his disciples. In this passage, we see the disciples are blind to what Jesus has come to do: die on the cross and rise from the grave. In the following story, we get a picture of what it looks like for use to be he...

In a famous passage, Jesus interacts with a rich and moral man who feels he is missing something. He shocks the man by asking him to sell all his possessions, and the man leaves sad. What do we learn from a passage like this? We all are looking for eternal life, and can't seem to get hold of it. We all have things that compete with Jesus for our love, and leave us sad. And by a miracle of God's gr...

Jesus tells a parable that hits at the heart of the human experience. Comparison feels like an innate part of being human. We are constantly trying to figure out how we measure up and how we might justify our own actions (or our own existence). But Jesus shows us that comparison is a trap, and that true freedom and confidence can only be found in trusting him with the confident trust of a child. A...

What do we do when we are overwhelmed by injustice? How do we cope and where do we turn when it seems like there is no answer to our pleas to God to make things right? Jesus tells a parable that gives us simple and powerful guidance for these big questions and reminds us of not only his power, but his compassionate kindness to us while we wait for justice to come. Application Questions:  1. What p...

Jesus teaches us to pray, "Your kingdom come," and we get a sense of what that means in this passage. When the Pharisees ask Jesus when the kingdom of God will come, he says it is right in front of them. Because he is the King, his person and ministry shows them what the kingdom is like: freedom from sin, suffering, and death. He tells his disciples that he came into the world in humility, to suff...

Jesus, on the way to Jerusalem, teaches His followers the marks of true faith: Forgiveness, Humility, and Worship. Application Questions:  1. What are the differences between the world's forgiveness and the Bible's forgiveness? 2. Why is forgiveness so hard? Why is that necessary for understanding the gospel? 3. How can you seek reconciliation in your life? 4. What would it look like to cultivate...

Jesus is always teaching on the kingdom of God, and in this passage he talks with the Pharisees about what gets you into the kingdom—and what can keep you out of it. What you need, Jesus says, is to be justified by God. In other words, you can't make a name for yourself as a way of entering God's kingdom, you need God to give you a name. When he does, it lasts forever, and it changes your life her...

Jesus makes it clear that following him will impact your whole life, including how you handle your money. Using a story about a dishonest manager shrewdly investing in his own future, he teaches his disciples to think about how they use their money in light of eternity. We find a way of relating to the resources in our lives that is unique and radical: we view ourselves as stewards, not owner; we...

In one of Jesus' most famous parables, we learn what makes Christianity so radical among other religions and philosophies. Jesus teaches that God is not distant and withdrawn but seeks after lost and broken people. In a surprising turn, it is not just the prodigal son who is lost. The outwardly obedient older brother is also lost. Both need the grace and love of the Father to draw them into the fe...

The cost of discipleship is high, and Jesus uses harsh language to communicate it. But underneath the harsh words, we find healthy reminders of the supremacy of Christ and our souls' deepest desires being met in him and his kingdom.  Application Questions:  1. Do Jesus' words about hating your loved ones offend you?  2. How often do you consider Jesus' call to bear your own cross in following him?...

Who is the kingdom of God for? What kind of people are a part of his kingdom? Jesus uses an exclusive dinner party as an occasion to confront people's assumptions about God and his kingdom. And as he does he confronts many of our assumptions as well. Application Questions:  1. What types of position or status are you tempted to pursue? 2. How have you seen those pursuits leave you spiritually bloa...

Jesus begins his ministry saying he is bringing the kingdom of God. In this passage, he tells us more about it. Jesus compares the kingdom to seeds and leaven, things that do not look impressive but eventually produce powerful effects. Entering the kingdom means going through a narrow door—so narrow that you can carry nothing with you, not even your own righteousness. Only through Jesus Christ him...

Repentance is at the heart of following Jesus, but it's very easy to forget. In this passage, Jesus hears of a nearby tragedy and insists that his hearers take it as an opportunity to repent themselves. In his comments, and in the following parable and miraculous healing, he shows us our need for continual repentance and gives us the tools to pursue it ourselves.    Application Questions:  1. Is r...

Jesus regularly says things we find surprising, even shocking. It keeps us from thinking we have him under control or that we can shape him after our own preferences. Here, Jesus shocks us awake to spiritual reality by making it impossible to stay neutral when it comes to his identity. He presses us to see that he is God in the flesh, making claims no one else makes. He will bring fire—cleansing j...

The return of Christ is a very practical doctrine, because we all base our lives on what we think the future will hold. In this passage Jesus teaches us about the future so that it can shape our present: he tells us what his return will be like, he tells us about the timing of his return, and he tells us how we should live in the meantime.  Application Questions:  1. How often do you think about t...

We live lives filled with anxiety. The question isn't: how do we not experience fear? The question is: where do we turn when we're afraid? Jesus gently reminds us of who he is and the fullness of his love so that we can learn to trust him in every situation - even the scariest. Application Questions:  1. What form has anxiety over provision, security, and the future taken most recently in your lif...

Jesus talks about money more than almost anything else. He regularly presses people to see that the way we handle our possessions tells us a lot about what we truly believe. That's why when someone asks Jesus to settle a property dispute, he instead tells a story about the danger of coveting. Greed and envy invade our lives and make us fools, like someone who looks for their life in money only to...

Jesus is on the road to Jerusalem, and he teaches his disciples what it means to follow him in a difficult world. With crowds surrounding them and enemies plotting against them, the disciples will be tempted to hypocrisy—trying to show people only what they want to see. Jesus says this is the one thing they must not do, and he gives them a lesson on fear, forgiveness, and how the gospel makes you...

The final line of the Lord's Prayer is about the tests of life. How do we face them, and how can we make it through them? The Bible tells us that the tests of life can grow us in deep and beautiful ways, and the Lord's Prayer shows us how. When we pray about these tests, we see them more clearly, understand them more deeply, and learn to move through them with grace, grit, and trust in our Father...

In teaching us to pray, Jesus leads us to develop the habit of asking for forgiveness. But this habit doesn't just set us free from the impact of our own sin, it also sets us free from the pain and bitterness of the sin that is committed against us. Application Questions:  1. How often do you confess your sin to God and ask for his forgiveness? 2. What are examples of ways you have engaged in dist...

When most people think of prayer, they think of asking for things. In the middle of the Lord's Prayer, Jesus tells us to ask God for our daily bread, which means we are to bring our needs to God and expect that he will meet them as a Father cares for his children. When we meditate on this, we find that the way we ask changes: we ask in a way that is far more confident, grateful, generous, humble,...

The third line of the Lord's Prayer invites God to have his way in our lives and our world. For many of us this runs against the grain—we want more control over our lives, not less. But when we understand God as our Father in Heaven, and see his son Jesus Christ pray this same prayer in Gethsemane, we find ourselves desiring God's kingdom and will from the heart.  Application Questions:  1. What d...

Jesus continues to teach us how to pray by reminding us of who it is that we're praying to: A God who is holy. And, as we approach him, we are reminded that his holiness is not only overwhelming but also our greatest comfort. Application Questions:  1. How do you view God when you come to him in prayer? 2. How does the combination of God's fatherhood and his holiness shape how you relate to him? 3...

When Jesus teaches his disciples to pray, he gives them the Lord's Prayer. This short prayer shows us how to relate to God and gives us a window into the whole Christian life. It begins in a way that would shock Jesus' audience: addressing God as Father. Christian prayer is unique because in Christ, God is our Father. This provides a different foundation for prayer than any other religion or philo...

Romans 8 is one of the most radical expressions of joy that you can find, and it's all based on the resurrection of Jesus Christ. When the resurrection lands on your mind and your heart, this joy goes to work in your life, connecting you to God's own love now and forever. Application Questions:  1. Why do you think Jesus did or did not rise from the dead? What difference does that make to your dai...