Cornerstone West Los Angeles » Sermons

Psalm 42 shows us the realities of suffering and despair in our lives, and the path of hope. Our souls are often cast down and in turmoil, but God meets us in our hope, and calls us to remind ourselves of all that He has done for us. Application Questions: 1. In what ways do you feel cast down in your life? 2. In what ways do you see turmoil in your mind and heart? 3. How can lament be incorporate...

David is surrounded by his worst fears, but has strong confidence. How? The beauty of God. When you encounter the beauty of God, it captivates you and satisfies you so that you look to God for who he is in himself, not what he can give you. And yet when you go to God just to behold his beauty, your life will be marked by confidence, hope, and joy. Application Questions:  1. Where do you find beaut...

What is love? Why is love such a powerful concept in our world? As we explore the love of God we find that the reality of love is greater than we've ever dared imagine. And we find that the God of love is the one being in the universe our souls ultimately long for. Application Questions:  1. When you think about being drawn into the presence of God, does that make you excited or nervous? 2. What a...

The psalms put the experiences of life into contact with the reality of God. Nowhere is that more apparent than when the psalms describe the glory of God, and how it infuses joy into our lives.  Application Questions:  1. What do you think of when you think about God’s glory? Does it play a role in your day to day life?  2. How does God’s glory reveal what you worship? Are there any idols in your...

It's easy to see the greetings at the end of the letter as superficial. But in them we see an affectionate grace that we are to receive ourselves and extend to others as God has to us in Christ.  Application Questions:  1. In what ways are you tempted to gloss over greeting?  2. How can you extend an appropriately affectionate greeting to your brother or sister in Christ?  3. How can accepting and...

Paul closes the book of 1 Corinthians with several short discussions on practical matters. But under these practical matters we find a deep theology. On three topics—money, plans, and church—we learn how to apply the gospel and find a better way to live in the practical issues of life.  Application Questions:  1. How does the gospel give you a new way to think about money?  2. How does the gospel...

Following Jesus is not easy, because He asks us to subordinate everything that competes with our love for Him. Our problem begins when we think that we can only follow Him with our imperfect love. When Jesus invites us to follow him, it is an invitation to give up our selfish love to receive his perfect love and when we do so that is when we find true happiness and eternal life. Application Questi...

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is victory over sin and death. We may still feel the sting of death in this life, but the victory of Christ allows us to say, "O death where is your sting!?" Application Questions:  1. How does the future Kingdom of God speak to your present life now? 2. What are ways you distract yourself or cope with the reality of death in this world? 3. What fear(s) do you have...

In a chapter on our future resurrection, Paul anticipates an objection: how are the dead raised? Paul answers our skepticism and also brings us higher up and deeper in to the unimaginable glory of our future in Christ. Application Questions:  1. Do you fight to see the resurrection as realistic? If so, how do you handle that fight? 2. Does an acorn becoming an oak tree help you see the resurrectio...

Paul shows us that the resurrection is a picture of our future. Those who belong to Christ will be raised as Christ was raised one day. Not only that, Christ will remake the heavens and the earth as a returning King claims his kingdom. Seeing this future gives you a hope that can make you incredibly secure, incredibly sacrificial, and incredibly honest in your life now. Application Questions:  1....

Paul puts all of his passion and skill into this final chapter about the resurrection so we might see its importance for our world and our lives. Before he starts in on the effects of the resurrection, he gives us three realities of the resurrection that serve as the foundation for its hope-giving, life transforming power.  Application Questions:  1. How much of a role does Jesus’ resurrection pla...

The gospel is of first importance because it is the center of God’s plan for all of creation. So what is the meaning of the gospel, and how do we see its majesty?  Application Questions:  1. In what way is the gospel “good news”? How are both words necessary to understand the meaning of the gospel?  2. What makes the gospel majestic to you personally? How might you explore the majesty of the gospe...

In one of the most challenges passages in 1 Corinthians, we find a deep lesson in a difficult package. Paul’s commands to the Corinthians contain a rich and even beautiful understanding of how men and women complement each other in ministry. If we take time to listen to the passage closely and put it in conversation with the rest of Scripture, we find a better way for men and women in the church. ...

How do we think about the Spirit and the church? Church is a place to expect the Spirit to move, typically through others around us—and not just Sunday services, but smaller gatherings throughout the week. Yet this isn't excess, emotionalism, or spiritual experience for its own sake—it's done in order, because it's done in love. Application Questions:  1. Do you expect God to be at work when you a...

Paul gives the Corinthians a better way for church: one not focused on flashy spiritual experience but on genuine spiritual substance. Spiritual gifts are not meant for showing off but for building up, which puts a culture of love at the heart of the church community. Application Questions: 1. Do you have any experience with prophecy or tongues? Is it positive, negative, or both? 2. Do you treat s...

The hope of the gospel is the hope of rest. We were designed by God, as finite beings, for rest. But what we often think of as rest is not God's design. Christ shows us the nature, need, and hope of rest. Application Questions: How is rest in Scripture different that what you imagine? In what ways is your soul weary? How does the future hope of eternal rest speak to your life now?

Paul pushes us even further in our understanding of love when he tells us it “never ends.” This is more profound than we realize, showing us how love is the foundation and culture of heaven, transforming our lives now on earth and pointing us to the never failing love of Christ. Application Questions:  1. When you think about heaven, what comes to mind?  2. How can heaven as a world of love guide...

This passage is famous as sweet and inspiring, but the more we listen to it, the more we are confronted by the size and importance of love. Love is what we want and need, but also what we don’t have on our own. Jesus does have it, and enough for us that we can be transformed to love like he does. Application Questions:  1. Why do you think this passage has become so sentimental for so many people?...

Guest Pastor Jim Newheiser preaches on Christian ambition and God's will.

As the recipient of the free gift of God by grace, through the atoning work of Jesus, you are the body of Christ. This identity provides us with a greater appreciation of our unity and diversity, a greater belonging through our interdependence, and a greater understanding of God's love and care for us. Application Questions:  1. In what ways are you tempted to feel that you are not a part of the b...

What are your spiritual gifts? Do you know? How do you find out? How do you exercise them? If we've each been given special gifts by God for the benefit of those around us, these are important questions we all need the answers to. But before we can answer any of these questions we need to know: what are spiritual gifts in the first place? Application Questions:  1. What have you previously underst...

Like the Lord’s Supper, baptism is powerful but often neglected. In Romans 6, Paul shows us how baptism connects us deeply to important spiritual realities, that can help us navigate life even decades after our baptism. Application Questions:  1. How have you thought about baptism in the past?  2. What stands out to you about baptism as a picture of the gospel? 3. If you haven’t been baptized, wha...

When Paul instructs the Corinthian church on the Lord’s Supper, he does more than correct their errors. He explains what the Supper means for us, and how that meaning draws us closer to Christ and to one another. Application Questions:  1. What is your experience with the Lord’s Supper? How were you taught about it? What role has it played in your spiritual life? 2. What stood out to you most abou...

One of the most confusing passages in the Bible is on one of the most confusing topics in our world: gender. The Bible’s approach to gender celebrates the differences between man and woman without denigrating either. Paul encourages the Corinthians to embrace, not deny, those differences in their own lives. Application Questions:  1. Our world has different approaches to gender. What are some that...

Paul gives the Corinthians 3 commands to guide and direct their lives: Flee Idolatry; Seek the Good of Your Neighbor; Do All Things for the Glory of God. What it means to follow Christ is to worship Him and Him alone, love others, and live your entire life for God's glory. Application Questions:  1. Where do you see idols in your life that compete with your devotion to God? 2. How would you flee f...