Divine Savior Church-Santa Rita Ranch Sermons

Letting God’s light shine as we live in this dark world can be pretty difficult. As we follow Jesus in a world that doesn’t, we will face opposition. So we need a thick skin if we are going to do what God calls us to do. But we also need a loving heart toward people. Love moved Jesus to do what He did for us, and it is love for people that will move us to live out our purpose. This rare combinatio...

Pastor Stephen Apt shares a message for Easter Sunday based on 1 Corinthians 15. Support the show

Pastor Apt shares a message for Palm Sunday. Support the show

Life often calls us to take a stand. Whether it's standing up for what we believe in or making a statement about who we are, these moments shape and define us. As followers of Christ, we’re sometimes called to take a stand that speaks to our relationship with our Savior. It’s not always easy, is it? Take Peter, for example. He was one of Jesus' closest disciples, someone who boldly decla...

Two things in life are certain—death and taxes. Taxes are due in just a few weeks, and most of us are already preparing for that. But what about the other certainty? Death is something no one can predict. Who knows when it will overtake us? One thing is for sure: at that moment, we’ll stand before the ultimate Judge of all. That might sound sobering or even intimidating, but there’s incredible hop...

Everyone has their price. We’re all chasing something—whether it's success, love, purpose, or peace—and we’ll often pay almost any price to get it and keep it. But have you ever stopped to think about what price someone else might pay for you? Jesus had something incredible on His mind—you. When everyone else fled from the fight, when the cost was far too high for anyone else to pay, Jesus di...

Family ties are some of the closest and most powerful bonds we experience. We know the deep joys they bring—and the heartbreak when trust is broken. Few things are harder to mend than a shattered relationship, especially when one has been unfaithful. Yet, in a love greater than anything we’ve known, Jesus chose to bind Himself to us—not with a fragile promise, but with His own blood. Though we’ve...

We were stuck in a mess we couldn’t escape—trapped by fear of the cost, unwilling to pay it, and unable to find the way out. Deep down, we thought we could handle it on our own, but the truth? We couldn’t. Only one could—and He already did. Jesus stepped in, paying the price we couldn’t afford, wouldn’t choose, and didn’t even realize we needed. One Savior, one sacrifice, one ransom—for everyone w...

Pastor Apt shares a message for Transfiguration Sunday. Support the show

We’re going to talk about sex! But it’s not going to be a shameful, embarrassing conversation. God loves sex. He created it and designed it for our enjoyment. He loves it when we enjoy sex the way he designed it. But good sex takes work. It’s not quite as movies and TV and porn represent it. Sex is a beautiful gift from God that can bring amazing blessings, but its power can also bring harm and pa...

Depression feels so overwhelming. Many times, there’s the feeling of having no hope. Here, we see the psalmist feel despair, his soul thirsting for the Lord. But then he talks to himself. Why am I so down? Even in this desperate situation, he is my Savior and my God.  If only that was the silver bullet. However, depression can be like a yo-yo; wrestling match in the mind. One minute we know our ho...

Anxiety is prevalent in so many people today. Worrisome thoughts fill our minds and it leads to a bodily response. As Christians, God’s Word tells us again and again not to be anxious and not to worry. Why? Because we have a God who is in control. More than that, we get to call this God Father. Just like a loving father protects, provides, and loves his children, our Heavenly Father protects, prov...

How do Christians participate in the transgender conversation? How does God want Christians to feel about the topic, and more importantly, the people? Too often, the topic of transgender makes us think about ideologies, progressive societal trends, and angry debates. But what about people? How can we help people who struggle with transgender feelings? How does the gospel apply to this issue? God’s...

We live in a country of extremes. How many of us have seen online posts that rip apart those with opposing political views? We tend to avoid politics in conversations because we know how fast such a topic can cause anger to flare quickly, even between Christians. But what would it look like if we loved across the aisle? What if our focus was less about proving our political points and more about p...

As we celebrate Baptism Sunday, we rejoice that our true identity as children of God is a divine gift through baptism, not a self-made achievement. Baptism, empowered by God’s Word, welcomes us into God’s family and grants us a new, unshakeable identity beyond our achievements or status. Unlike our culture that insists on earning worth through personal success, we find our true value at the cross...

Who gets the final say in your life? That question is a matter of authority. In a culture where we are raised to live out our truth, the Bible calls us to the exact opposite. We conform ourselves to the truth of God’s Word. That’s what it means to call Jesus Lord. Support the show

Pastor Apt shares a message for Epiphany Sunday based on Matthew 2:1-12. Support the show

Where have you been before?  What is your background and experiences?  These questions serve in evaluating candidates for leadership. They help us form our opinions, and the stronger the background and experiences, the better.  What we celebrate at Christmastime is the one whose background and experience answer all our questions and give us security and peace.  The one we worship and adore is bego...

When your leader is strong, you are strong. When your leader is weak, fear and despair overtake his followers, because there will always be enemies and adversity. Fear and despair creeps into our lives because of the adversity and unknowns we face, but God calls you to rejoice, shout aloud, and sing, because your leader is a mighty warrior. Jesus came as an infant, lowly, and humble, yes, but he w...

The anticipation of a new leader comes with new expectations for those who follow.  Are we prepared in our own hearts to welcome the one for whom we prepare?  God’s expectations stand for all time – they don’t change. Which means, we must change. All change is hard. This change is impossible – for us. Thank God his grace and mercy never change. He sends the refiner – the one who applies the heat s...

Lineage matters. Family trees tell us of the values and strengths. We might look at family members of the past to gain an understanding of a person in the present, and especially their pedigree when it comes to leadership. What if the family tree leaves much to be desired. What if there is weakness and immorality and brokenness there. This was the case with the family tree of the royal line of Dav...

“Eyes on the prize.” That axiom stresses that when pursuing some good goal, focus is important. You don’t want distractions or a lack of self-discipline to keep you from obtaining whatever that prize might be. “Eyes on the prize.” You summon the willpower to fixate on that good thing. You let nothing divert your attention from obtaining the prize. The prize that we want most is spending eternity w...

Have you ever experienced that uncomfortable feeling that others are watching you, trying to find something to criticize? We don’t want others judging us. It is bad enough listening to the voice inside our own head, whispering that we aren’t worthy. How do we overcome the fear of judgment? It begins by realizing that there is only one person whose opinion ultimately matters—the Judge. Everyone is...

Perhaps you have heard the axiom, “Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die.” In other words, while you still can, use what you have in order to enjoy life to the fullest. If this life is all there is, St. Paul agrees that would be a good philosophy. Paul wrote, “If the dead are not raised, ‘Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die’” (1 Corinthians 15:32). However, note the “if.” Paul was sa...

“It will get better.” We say that to try to comfort someone who is having a bad day (or maybe a whole string of bad days). Perhaps tomorrow will be better. But perhaps it’s worse. In this life, there really are no guarantees that things will get better. That isn’t the case with the life that is to come. That life isn’t just going to be better. It will be perfect. Support the show