All Souls Presbyterian Church

The Apostle Paul ends his letter to the Philippians by sharing the secret of contentment: to be dependent on Christ regardless of the circumstances. His focus was on Christ, and through this passage we learn what it means to see Christ clearly in all of life’s situations. Listen as Pastor Josué Pernillo concludes his series on Philippians with this sermon on Philippians 4:10–20, showing what conte...

If you grew up in a church——if your parents are believers, members of a church, disciples of Jesus——what does that mean for you? It doesn’t mean that you don’t have to own Christianity for yourself. You, too, need to repent and believe, to turn your life over to Jesus, to take up your cross and follow him. Esau was a covenant child, and while his story could be considered tragic, we ultimately fin...

Where do you need renewal to happen in your life right now? Where are you weary, tired, numb? Where are your relationships stale or taken for granted? How is your relationship with God, your Father in Heaven? Is it growing, exciting, and thriving? Or does it feel static? In Genesis 35, Jacob’s story proper comes to an end and we see that it’s a sort of climax of Jacob’s life, a renewal. As we look...

Where does confidence come from? So many of us live with doubts, fears, and hesitations, constantly second guessing and unsure of the next best move. The devil wants us to live in this state of doubt, discouragement, and despair...but that clearly isn't where God wants us to live, as Scripture frequently reminds us. But where does courage and boldness come from? What stops us from running away whe...

There was once a young man who was persecuting the church. He was so efficient at it that he was sent to another city, and on the way Jesus appeared to him, saying, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” When Saul was persecuting the church, Jesus took it personally: “Why are you persecuting *me*.” Jesus loves his people. After his encounter with Jesus, this same young man, Saul, went on to bec...

How do you respond to the troubles of the present age? Do you stick your head in the sand and hope for the best? Or do you come out swinging, hoping to win one for your team? We live in a morally complex and confused age. In Genesis 33:12–34:31 Jacob’s daughter Dinah is defiled, and we find Jacob and his sons responding to the horrific situation with compromise and combativeness. But those are not...

In C.S. Lewis’ beloved classic, “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe,” we find a boy, Edmund, trapped under the law of the deep magic of the land. A wrong had been committed, a debt was owed. Edmund was a traitor and his blood must be spilled. If Aslan, king of Narnia, refused, Narnia itself would be overturned. In this Good Friday sermon on Matthew 26:39, Pastor Luke Herche delves into the iron...

In the children’s book “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe,” C.S. Lewis writes of the White Witch who claims her right to execute a traitor according to the laws of the “deep magic” of the land. The witch was correct about the deep magic and its governance of justice. But Narnia’s good king Aslan knew of a deeper magic: “When a willing victim who had committed no treachery was killed in a trait...

Some lessons take virtually a lifetime to learn. The Christian life is a life of being gradually conformed to the image of Jesus in both his character and his work, daily taking up your cross and following him. In Genesis, we see Jacob slowly learning to walk with God over a period of more than 20 years, and in his life we have both a preview of the life of our Savior and a pattern which we, too,...

We live in a generally mobile age. People rarely stay in one place for long. Because of that it is hard for us to understand the value of “place” in Scripture. But in the Scriptures, the promises of God hinge on place. In the beginning, God made a place, a garden in Eden. Because of their rebellion, man and woman were removed from the holy place, and they became exiles, homeless, wanderers. In Gen...

Pastor Luke Herche preaches on Ephesians 6:16, showing that the Lord is our Shield, therefore we can turn to him in all circumstances, knowing he is enough. Part of a series, Dress for Battle. From Sunday Evening Worship, March 10, 2024. allsoulspca.org

Pastor Josué Pernillo preaches on Philippians 4:1–3, in which the Apostle Paul summarizes the major themes of the letter, calling the Philippians to stand firm in the midst of external pressures, to remain united in the midst of internal tensions, and to do this all side by side. Part of a series on Philippians. From Sunday Worship, March 10, 2024. allsoulspca.org

Where do you look for wholeness? Living in a world that is under God’s curse, we find that things don’t work as they were intended. Our present age is broken. We are broken, longing to be made whole again, to no longer sin or be sinned against, to no longer suffer or get sick or old or weary. We long for things to be put right, to be as they were intended from the beginning. But in our longing to...

The book of Genesis is a discipleship primer. It is the ABCs of the faith. In Genesis we learn about the power of God in creation and the beginnings of his covenant relationship with his people. Through the accounts of the patriarchs and matriarchs of Israel’s early history, we see what it looks like to walk with God. In this sermon on Genesis 29:1–30, in which Jacob marries Leah and Rachel, Pasto...

Every human heart longs to meet with God. It’s a longing we were born with and cannot fully escape. Many attempt to fulfill this longing by our own methods and means. Whether by moral deeds or seeking signs from heaven, through mind-altering drugs or ritual and tradition, we create all kinds of ladders and stairways to attempt to make our way into the presence of God. In Genesis 28, we find Jacob,...

Christianity can often be falsely represented as a means of getting good stuff for yourself: a trophy wife, a big house, all the recognition “you deserve,” if you just pray for your blessing and claim it in Jesus’ name. But this false gospel misunderstands the nature of blessing and the timing of blessing. God’s true blessing is everything that is good *according to God’s will and God’s timing*. I...

What does it look like to walk as a Christian? Whose example should we imitate? The book of Philippians was written by the Apostle Paul to his friends at Philippi. Theirs was a church established by Paul and nurtured by his ministry, through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, and the love and affection between Paul and the believers at Philippi is evident throughout the letter. In chapter three P...

God doesn’t bless you simply to bless you. He does delight in his people and desires to bless them. But God doesn’t bless you simply for you. God blesses you for his glory and for the good of those around you. Despite human rebellion, our fallen nature, and the wrath we deserve, God is determined to bless. In Genesis we see that the blessing of God comes to and through the seed of Abraham. We see...

The Apostle Paul depicts the Christian life as a long, hard race. It’s a marathon. And to run any marathon well, the runners need encouragement along the way. The good news for Christians is that we have a wise and caring God who has provided for us to have strength for the journey. Listen as Pastor Ethan Brown preaches from Philippians 3:12–16, showing us how God equips us with what we need to fi...

C.S. Lewis wrote in “The Screwtape Letters”, “There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors and hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight.” Whether you are skeptical or sup...

The book of Philippians is perhaps the Apostle Paul’s most personal letter. It is a beautiful epistle filled with beautiful verses, and in chapter 3 we find a beautiful, succinct summary of the Gospel. In just five verses Paul both explains how sinners are reconciled to God and illuminates the promises that are theirs in Christ Jesus. Listen as Pastor Josué Pernillo preaches on Philippians 3:7–11,...

We all want a good life, to be what we were made to be, to experience what it is to be fully alive, to see our friends and family flourish. The Bible calls this kind of flourishing “blessing.” Blessing is one of the main themes of Genesis, beginning with God’s abundant blessings on creation in the first two chapters. But by the third chapter, a new word enters the vocabulary of Scripture: curse. B...

**We apologize for the poor audio quality, but hope that you will still benefit from this sermon.** At the start of each year people commonly make New Year's resolutions with hopes, dreams, and goals for self improvement in the coming year. It is nearly as common to find that these resolutions never come to fruition. But should this make Christians skeptical of the possibility of growth in the Chr...

Gardening is difficult. There are the weeds and the waiting and the garden pests... but eventually you get to experience the wonder of watching something new grow. The book of Isaiah describes a shoot growing from “the stump of Jesse.” It’s a passage that comes bearing Advent promises: Jesus is that righteous branch, the shoot of the stump of Jesse, a branch that will bear much fruit. Listen as Pa...

Who is the Son of David? Listen as church elder Brian Aldridge preaches on 2 Samuel 7:12–13, showing us the promise of the Son King, the identity of the Son King, belief in the Son King, and the sons of the Son King. Part of a series for Advent 2023. From Sunday Worship, December 17, 2023. allsoulspca.org