Christ Presbyterian Church

Jesus teaches that prayer is not about saying the perfect words but about approaching God as a loving Father, aligning our hearts with His kingdom and will, and honestly bringing Him our deepest needs. The Lord's Prayer reminds us that we are dependent on God for daily provision, forgiveness, strength against temptation, and transformation, while also calling us to extend forgiveness to other...

Jesus teaches that prayer is not a performance to impress others or a formula to manipulate God, but a relationship with a loving Father who already sees, knows, and cares for us. Pastor Emily challenges us to recognize that both performative prayer and the avoidance of prayer stem from the same misunderstanding of God's character, inviting them instead to trust His love and make space for ho...

This sermon explores the gap many people feel between who they are and who they think they should be, especially when it comes to living out their faith and inviting others to follow Jesus. Drawing from 1 Thessalonians, Pastor Jonathan emphasizes that the Gospel is not just a message to believe but a power that transforms lives through the work of the Holy Spirit, and that genuine invitation flows...

Jesus teaches that His followers should reject retaliation and respond to wrongdoing with grace, generosity, and forgiveness. Emily emphasizes that this is only possible when we remember the abundant grace God has shown us. She challenges listeners to see the humanity in those who hurt them and seek their good rather than revenge.

This sermon teaches that Jesus’ kingdom calls believers to abandon retaliation and revenge, responding to wrongdoing with grace because they are living in the new reality of God’s kingdom. Through examples like turning the other cheek and going the extra mile, Jesus invites his followers to affirm both their own dignity and the humanity of those who harm them, refusing to answer evil with more evi...

In this episode of Pastors Cut, Gabby Gustafson reflects on Jesus’ teaching about oaths and truthfulness in Matthew 5, exploring how both covenant commitments and everyday speech reveal the condition of our hearts. The conversation highlights the importance of honesty, integrity, and vulnerability, emphasizing that truthfulness leads to wholeness while dishonesty fragments us and damages trust.

This sermon challenges the tendency to create “loopholes” around truthfulness, comparing childhood “fingers crossed” promises to the subtle ways adults manipulate words to avoid discomfort, accountability, or commitment. Reflecting on Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 5, she explains that dishonesty fractures relationships, distorts our hearts, and damages our trust in God by leading us into hiding, susp...

Melissa Schaser and Carrie Gleason discuss Petey Crowder’s sermon on Jesus’ teaching about lust and adultery, emphasizing that sin and spiritual deformation happen gradually and begin in the heart long before outward actions occur. They explore how Christian sexual ethics apply across every stage of life — including singleness, dating, and marriage — and stress the importance of accountability, co...

The sermon explores Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 5 that adultery and lust begin in the heart long before outward actions take place, comparing sin to Icarus flying too close to the sun, as the damage starts before the fall is visible. It challenges listeners to take sin seriously while recognizing that true change does not come from rules or self-control alone, but through surrendering to Jesus and...

This sermon reflects on Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 5 about reconciliation, emphasizing that because God sacrificed to reconcile humanity through Jesus, Christians are called to pursue reconciliation in their own relationships, even when it is painful or uncomfortable. Using personal stories about motherhood and conflict with her daughter, the pastor illustrates how pride, fear, justification, and...

This episode explores Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount, emphasizing that He came not to abolish the Old Testament law but to fulfill it, shifting the focus from rule-following to a transformed life rooted in trust in Him. The conversation highlights how Scripture is meant to shape and transform us relationally, not just serve as a checklist, producing righteousness over time as we grow i...

This sermon emphasizes that while rules are good and necessary, they cannot transform our hearts—only a relationship with Jesus can truly change who we are. Jesus came not to abolish the law but to fulfill it, shifting the focus from external rule-keeping to internal heart transformation and a life rooted in connection with Him. Ultimately, the Christian life is about receiving Christ’s righteousn...

This sermon contrasts the “way of the saint” with the pursuit of celebrity, emphasizing that Jesus calls his followers to live as “salt and light” by humbly depending on Him and drawing close to the needs of others. Using biblical imagery and examples, it explains that God’s people are meant to bring transformation and blessing to the world through faithful presence, not personal influence or succ...

This episode explores the final Beatitudes from the Sermon on the Mount, emphasizing that following Jesus may lead to suffering or persecution rather than earthly reward, but ultimately grounds believers in God’s kingdom. Petey Crowder explains that Christians often mistakenly expect comfort, success, or recognition, when in reality living out Jesus’ way—through humility, justice, and sacrifice—ca...

This sermon uses the image of hiking against a crowd to illustrate how following Jesus often puts believers at odds with the world, especially when living out the Beatitudes. It explains that persecution is not something to seek or exaggerate, but something that naturally comes when one faithfully lives in allegiance to Jesus rather than worldly values. Ultimately, while this way may cost approval...

This episode introduces a new sermon series on the Sermon on the Mount, emphasizing the importance of slowly engaging Scripture and trusting God to transform people through His Word. The conversation explores how the Beatitudes are not a checklist for earning blessing, but an invitation to depend on Jesus—revealing both our need for Him and a way of life shaped by His presence and grace. Ultimatel...

This sermon contrasts the world’s definition of a “blessed” life—success, status, and self-achievement—with Jesus’ teaching in the Beatitudes, where blessing means experiencing God’s presence, not perfect circumstances. A truly blessed life begins with recognizing our need for God and grows as His character overflows into others. Rather than striving to earn blessing, we are invited to release sel...

This episode introduces a post-Easter conversation where Melissa Schaser interviews Petey Crowder about his Easter sermon, which focused on baptism and the call to leave behind old patterns of sin to embrace new life in Christ. They reflect on Holy Week traditions—such as Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Watch Night service—highlighting how each service prepares believers to understand Jesus’...

This sermon emphasizes that people often search for fulfillment in places that ultimately leave them empty, like returning to a permanently closed store, rather than turning to Jesus. Through the resurrection story in Luke 24, it highlights that Jesus’ victory over death offers true, lasting life and freedom from old patterns of sin, shame, and dissatisfaction. Easter is presented not just as an i...

Baptism is described as a sacrament that represents God’s saving work and initiating love, serving as an outward sign of an inward grace. This discussion highlights why both infants and adults are baptized, emphasizing that God’s claim on us comes before our response and is nurtured within a faith community. It also encourages believers to be baptized as a meaningful, physical expression of faith...

This sermon reflects on Jesus walking on water in Matthew 14, showing that true courage is not found in favorable circumstances or personal strength, but in trusting Jesus amid fear and uncertainty. Through Peter’s experience, it teaches that courage is a steady commitment to follow Jesus, even when faith falters, because Jesus comes to us, reveals Himself, calls us to be with Him, and saves us wh...