Cornerstone West Los Angeles » Sermons

The Old Testament takes time to reflect in the wisdom literature, five books in the very center of the Bible. Instead of telling more history, these wisdom books examine how to live life well in light of what God has done in history. As we look through three of the wisdom books, we find the importance of wisdom to give our lives meaning, the center of wisdom in the fear of the Lord, and how to cul...

Israel asks God for a king, but Samuel warns them that while a king defeats your enemies, he also has absolute authority over you. God then promises to King David that an eternal King is going to come, and we too must ask ourselves- are we ready for King Jesus to defeat our enemies AND have all authority over our lives? Application Questions 1. How does Hannah's prayer in 1 Sam. 2:10 reflect a tra...

The book of Judges gives us a long-range historical perspective that is difficult to find anywhere else. It provides realism about life and human nature apart from God. The people of Israel's rebellion continues in a downward spiral that is both shocking and tragic. However, through it all, God is weaving his redemptive story, and story that highlights his patience, grace, goodness, and power to r...

The book of Joshua shows God's people receiving the gift of a land to call their own. Originally settled by Abraham, after 400 years God delivers Abraham's family back home. While there are difficult issues to deal with in the conquest of Canaan, the book of Joshua shows us a God who keeps his promises—and points us to a Jesus that brings us a better gift of salvation, rest, and changed life. Appl...

Deuteronomy sums up the first five books of the Bible on the edge of the promised land, with God renewing his promises to a people that so far have been stubborn and sinful. Before the go into the promised land, Moses gives them a long sermon on what it means to be in a covenant relationship with God. Deeper, wider, and broader than any other relationship we can know as humans, God's covenant draw...

In the book of Numbers the people of God set out to enter the promised land but were derailed repeatedly by their own sin and idolatry. Each instance of the people's sin was followed by a consequence given by God. While the sin and consequences were ever present in the lives of God's people, so was God himself. The generation that left Egypt may have lost the privilege of entering the Promised Lan...

Now that God's people are set free from slavery, God must show them what it's like to have a relationship with Him. But how can a holy and perfect God have a relationship with sinful people? Leviticus shows us what that relationship looks like, both for the people of Israel and for us today: our need for a substitute, our need for forgiveness, and ultimately our need for God Himself. Application Q...

The book of Exodus continues the story of Genesis, following Abraham’s descendants into Egypt where they are delivered from slavery with God’s own power. God reveals more of himself as he rescues his people. We see God’s ultimate deliverance in Jesus, who brings a new exodus from slavery to sin and death. When Jesus is our deliverer, we find true freedom. Application Questions: 1. Why is it powerf...

Genesis is an origin story, explaining where our universe and our species come from. It tells us why we are the way we are, and what we are meant to be. Surveying the book of Genesis shows us what it means to be human, and accounts for how complicated our hearts and our world really are. But more than anything, Genesis shows us the beginning of the plan of God to pursue us through promises that ar...

Jesus calls Christians to an upside down kind of life in how we treat other people. The world lives by law, and the law always leads to judgment. But in Christ we live by the gospel, and in the gospel we can see one another, and ourselves, through God's eyes. Application Questions: 1. What does judging look like in your life? 2. How do you see the world living by "the law"? 3. Why is it so counter...