Divine Savior Church-Santa Rita Ranch Sermons

“And they all lived happily ever after.” Many families do not experience this fairy tale ending. Especially at Christmas, many are burdened with a sense of disappointment that their family is torn apart. Others are dreading that Christmas party where we will all try to “make nice.” Hard to imagine that Isaiah saw a child who could make peace in your family!  Support the show

Don’t you wish that you could be a child again? For a child, Christmas is coming and they can’t wait because they don’t have a care in the world. But for us adults, there are so many heavy responsibilities to carry – not just the Christmas preparations but the day to day pressures of life. How ironic that Isaiah saw that God would become a child to take all that weight off of our shoulders! Suppor...

Sometimes our troubles are so big, that we can’t see around them. We think that we are facing them all alone. But Isaiah saw that Jesus is the God who is near. Whether we believe it or not, Jesus came near to us in his birth and he still comes near to us today.  Support the show

Moms say things to their children and then don’t follow through.  Dad’s make promises that go unfulfilled.  It happens in every facet of life.  Except when it comes to our Savior.  Already in the Old Testament, God used the Prophet Jeremiah to foretell his arrival, even going so far as to say, “This is the name by which he will be called: The Lord Our Righteous Savior.” (23:6)  That’s our Savior. ...

Death is ugly. It does not matter if someone dies after a long fight with illness or if they die peacefully in their sleep, those left behind mourn their passing and their absence is noticed. Death would be overwhelming were it not for the fact that, for the believer, Christ has completely transformed death. Death is not the end. For those who are part of Christ’s forever family, death is rather t...

Twenty-one billion dollars. That is how much Americans spend annually on home security. We want our homes to be a place where our family feels safe from everything that can hurt them. However, the reality is no amount of locks, alarms or cameras can keep you perfectly safe. Jesus, though, not only can.  He promises to do so. In his Church on earth, Jesus has given us a home that is perfectly safe....

We begin our Welcome Home series with one of the most comforting passages found anywhere in Scripture. To an individual- to a world- in turmoil, God says to us, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28) God is a loving Father. He does not pretend we have no brokenness or sin, but he paid for it all by the death and resurrection of Christ. Scripture...

We are all too familiar with evil. We watch the news and see all the different evils that take place every day. But there's a greater evil that threatens us, but compared to all the other evils, it doesn't seem so bad. That's exactly why Jesus ends his prayer asking God to deliver us from evil.  Support the show

We haven’t even earned the privilege of talking with God. Our sins have separated us from Him. But He forgave us through Jesus. So this request is as important to us as breathing. We humbly ask God to forgive us for all the ways we failed Him. But before we ask Him to forgive us, we have to be willing to forgive others. This prayer reminds us of the importance of extending grace before asking for...

Do you ever wonder why God answers some of your prayers with "yes" and others "no"? Do you ever wonder why you get stressed out and worried? In the 4th petition of the Lord's Prayer, we learn how to pray in a way that leads to contentment, but also in a way that relieves stress, worry, and anxiety.  Support the show

We all want peace, security, and contentment. Often times, events in our lives and circumstances dictate whether we have them or not. But how do we pray in such a way that no matter if God answers "yes" or "no" we can have peace, security, and contentment? Jesus answers that for us in two petitions (requests) in the Lord's Prayer. If we can pray these from the bottom of ou...

God’s name is everything He reveals to us about Himself in his Word. It is holy. Sacred. We can’t make it holy. It already is. But we can keep it holy by living in such a way that honors and thanks Him. We can keep his name holy, or sacred, when we share it with others, and tell them how awesome He is!   We begin this prayer with worship… letting God know He means everything to us. Support the sho...

Not everyone knows how to pray. As followers of Jesus, we want to know how to talk to our loving God. Jesus gives us a template that teaches us how to pray. His template, the Lord’s Prayer, reminds us that  because Jesus gave us access to his Father, we are talking to our loving heavenly Father when we talk to God. We are children of God who can approach Him with joy and confidence! Support the sh...

As Christians, we have many freedoms. There are plenty of areas in life that God hasn't told us what to do or what not to do. It's a matter of Christian freedom. But is exercising my freedom always the right thing to do? Paul tells us how church members are to live with other church members when they don't agree on matters of Christian freedoms.  Support the show

Living in this 21st American political climate can be tough. The political arena and the government cause all kinds of emotions. How are God's people to behave? Maybe more important, why are they to behave that way? The Roman Christians had a similar situation and Paul answers both of these questions in Romans 13.  Support the show

What is your purpose in life? At times it seems to be so clear, but other times it's a bit blurry. It doesn't matter if we are 3 or 93, we all have the same purpose in life. Paul tells us what that is and why in Romans 12.  Support the show

Why do bad things happen? Tragedies, health issues, natural disasters all leave us wondering why? Why do we suffer? How are we supposed to feel about God? Paul answers all these questions as he tells us grace wins and gives us an escape.  Support the show

Have you ever wondered why you keep sinning? Have you ever wondered why other Christians continue to sin? Why can't we just stop? Grace isn't just for those outside of God's family, but we need it every moment of our lives. That's what we find our Jesus.  Support the show

There's a tension that exists for the life of a Christian. If Jesus has forgiven us all of our sins, why not just go ahead and sin? Paul tells us that reason in Romans 6.  Support the show

Our hearts have so much conflict weighing on them. They long for peace from the noise, pressure, chatter, and responsibilities. We long for peace from the conflicts we inflict on our hearts of needing to be better, smarter, thinner, and prettier. Peace doesn't come from any of those things. Instead, Paul tells us peace comes from our status.  Support the show

Have you ever wondered how God can be both forgiven and just? How can a God pardon sins and let people "get away" with them? But if God is just, what does that mean for you and me? Are we really forgiven? Paul answers these questions for us as we look at the place where God's love and justice meet.  Support the show

Can bad news be good news? Absolutely. In Romans 1-2, Paul has a lot of bad news for us. Yet, it is through this bad news that we see the good news. That good news is grace: God's undeserved love through Jesus.  Support the show

Could you use some good news? Life seems to be filled with situations and stories that cause worry, fear, anger, anxiety, and depression. We're all desperate for good news. Not only does Romans 1:16-17 give us good news, it gives us the best good news ever.  Support the show

As people that come from all different backgrounds and upbringings, how do we maintain unity within a Christian congregation? It starts by stressing what God wants us to stress.  Support the show

All people who believe in Jesus as their Savior are united in the Holy Christian Church. If that's the case, why are there so many different Christian churches? Why aren't we all united? How does God feel about it?  Support the show