Cornerstone West Los Angeles » Sermons

What does it mean to grow as a Christian? Lots of people have lots of different ideas about what it means to be a Christian and how you grow as a Christian. But the Bible is clear that growing as a Christian is not about our effort, nor is it about extra rules we add to our lives to make us seem more religious. Christian growth always happens as a result of holding fast to Christ, trusting in His...

Life is hard and fraught with hardships and struggles. But even in the face of the many struggles of the last year, we can look to the one who has made us alive as the source of our comfort and strength. Application Questions: 1. How have you let the hardships of the last year take your eyes off Jesus? 2. What have you been rooting yourself in other than Christ? 3. How can you let the truth of the...

We all need the basics, but they can be frustrating. It's hard to think that the basics you already have are what you need to face new challenges. In this short passage, Paul teaches us how the basics of the Christian faith go to work in the Christian life, providing us more than we realize to explore, enjoy, and enlist to live life in a challenging world. Application Questions: 1. Have you ever f...

Looking back on a year with so much uncertainty Paul gives us a reminder of the certainties we have in Christ. The certainty of hope, the certainty of suffering, and the certainty of transformation. Our hope in the New Year can't be in circumstances, but we can have great hope in our God who redeems all things for His glory and our joy. Application Questions: 1. Do you have a difficult time findin...

God sent his son to give us more than just personal blessings. He came to reconcile us to himself. When we remember the reason we need Jesus and the amazing work he has done for us, we are compelled to cling tightly to him, whatever the world may throw at us. Andthatmakes Christmas in 2020 one of the most special celebrations ever. Application Questions: 1. How has this past year shown your need f...

The gospel is about the person and work of Jesus. In the gospel Jesus displays that He is the preeminent one, the one by whom and for whom all things were created. This passage focuses on the work of Christ, establishing His church, defeating death, and reconciling sinners (and all things!) to Himself. Application Questions: 1. Why does it matter that Christ is the head of the Church? 2. Where do...

In the midst of his letter to the Colossians Paul breaks into song, singing the praises of the preeminence of Jesus Christ in all things. Jesus is supreme over all things because of His Identity, His Authority, and His Glory. He is the exact imprint and image of the invisible God, is the Creator of the Universe, and all things exist for His glory. Application Questions: 1. What does it mean for Je...

In the book of Colossians God directs our gaze to look closely and intently on his Son. And when our eyes are fixed on Jesus we come to realize that, even in this season of difficulty, God is inviting us into a season of gratitude. In Christ God has given us more than we could ever imagine, but the incredible thing is, he's not done yet! As we look forward to this new series we await with eager ex...

As we wrap up our series on politics (and this entire political season) we ask the question: "Where do we go from here?" As always God's word gives us clear direction, teaching us that we go forward from here together. God has created the church to stand out in a divided world as a light of unity and hope. And the more we are captivated by the grace of his gospel, the more we can extend that grace...

Elections, nations, and world powers come and go. But the reign of King Jesus and his eternal kingdom are forever. Nothing gives us greater perspective and hope than catching the vision of our one true King and of his everlasting kingdom. In a world filled with political prophecies, few of which ever come completely true, God calls our eyes up to-his- prophecies - his promises - and the confidence...

Politics is about who is in charge and who can make change in the world—and it's often connected to status, significance, and victory. But following Jesus gives you a different perspective on power. Jesus asks us to follow him by taking up our cross, which means embracing the humility and struggle that come along with loving our neighbor. Instead of constantly trying to amass power for ourselves,...

Loving God requires using our minds. God loves truth. He is the Ultimate Truth. And He calls on Christians to engage their minds to seek truth, even in the world of politics where truth is often obscure. We love God with our thinking by thinking: Humbly, Spiritually, Deeply, and Graciously. Application Questions: 1. What does it look like to love God with your mind? 2. What are ways that youavoidt...

Politics isn't known for its love. Whether it's online discussions, in person debates, or even our own internal reactions, the political climate is often more about condemning our enemies than loving them. But love is the thing that all Christians are to be known for, in politics and everywhere else. 1 Corinthians 13 gives us a picture of love, showcased in Jesus' love towards us, that teaches us...

Plenty of people are ready to tell you what the "Christian" political platform is. But how do we know what policies, propositions, and candidates are the ones that Christians should vote for? The Bible does provide us with biblical principles that matter for politics. But we also need to know the difference between biblical principles and political policies, which takes wisdom, humility, and grace...

The question of why politics are important really begins with the question of why the government is important. Some see government as a savior. Some see the government as a necessary evil. But, how are we, as Christians, to understand the nature of government from a God-centered worldview? And once we understand the nature of government, how does God call us to relate to the government that is ove...

How should a Christian think about their country if they don't want to worship politics? People talk—and argue—a lot about patriotism, and how it fits into our current political landscape and the Christian faith. In Daniel 3 we get a good look at the ways patriotism can go wrong, and a model for how it can go right. What's more, we get pointed to our heavenly citizenship, which, far from removing...

Political discussion is crazy, and it seems like it's only gotten crazier recently. But why is politics such a heated topic when other important things aren't? It comes into focus when we see that politics can become a kind of religion, dealing with our fears, desires, and hopes for the future. When we understand this dynamic, we see how the gospel frees us to keep politics in its proper place. Ap...

Politics can bring out the worst in people. Division, contempt, and frustration pop up anywhere things "get political," and far too often we ourselves get drawn into the fray. It's easy to be overwhelmed, confused, and hopeless that things can be different. But the Christian faith gives us a vision of political engagement that looks very different: the fruit of the Spirit. Far from focusing only o...

Jonah is a reluctant prophet, who doesn't want to preach God's word to his enemies the Ninevites so he runs away from God. But one can never truly run away from God because the God of the Bible is a God whopursues. God pursues Jonah, chasing him even to the bottom of the sea in the belly of a fish. When Jonah relents and turns back to God, then Godsendshim again to Ninevah and the people of Nineva...

David and Bathsheba is a story about secret sin, consequences, exposure, and unimaginable grace. In a time when we are all isolated, cut off from community, and spending more and more time on our screens, it contains numerous powerful reminders that we all desperately need to hear. Sin may be a secret for a while, but it never stays that way. But when it's exposed, God doesn't meet us with condemn...

David and Goliath may be the single most well-known story in the Old Testament. To read the story is to feel like we've heard it a thousand times. But a more careful look reveals that there's much more to this incredible story than the popular interpretations and applications show. Join us as we dig in and see how the story of David and Goliath not only reveals truth about how we can face our gian...

Ruth is an exemplary woman of faith. She models what perseverance looks like in the midst of suffering, and gives us a picture of what it looks like to possess godly faith, godly humility, godly boldness, and to experience godly redemption. Application Questions: 1. How does Ruth's simple, everyday faith inspire you to trust the Lord more? 2. Why is humility such a powerful virtue in honoring God?...

The story of Samson is strange: he has amazing strength, and is used by God, but is also often foolish and led around by his own desires. How do we make sense of the stories the Bible tells about Samson and what are we supposed to learn from them? When see ourselves in Samson, and reckon with the deliverance he brought, we learn to look to Jesus for something better, and find how God's grace reach...

The battle of Jericho—where the Israelites march around a city for seven days until the walls miraculously fall down—is well-known but confusing. What are we supposed to learn from a story like this? There's more to the story than meets the eye, and there's much to learn from the parts that come right before and right after. When we look at Jericho with fresh eyes, we find lessons on the life of f...

The story of the Exodus is the story of God exercising His mighty hand and outstretched arm to rescue His people from slavery in Egypt. At the beginning of Exodus God's people are enslaved in Egypt, the most powerful and impressive kingdom on the earth. But God's power extends over and beyond the power of the kingdom of Egypt. In rescuing His people out of slavery God shows us His power over the k...