Cornerstone West Los Angeles » Sermons

Deliverance is what every heart yearns for through the various suffering and struggles of life. Seeing God move in the life of Moses from his birth is meant to encourage us that God is always at work in the lives of his people and has nothings but the best in store for them, no matter the circumstances of life. Application Questions: 1. What are some of the things in your life you want to be deliv...

When we look carefully at the biblical story of Joseph and his brothers, we find that the story is much more difficult, dramatic, and unpredictable than we tend to assume. In a time when all of life seems to similarly be more difficult, dramatic, and unpredictable for most of us it is the perfect story for this moment. It reminds us that not only is God always in control, but that is plan is perfe...

Throughout the story of Abraham and Sarah, God continually initiates. God chooses Abram and calls him to leave his homeland. God unilaterally makes promises and commitments to Abram. God enters into a covenant with Abram on His own terms. God changes Abram's name to Abraham. God fulfills the promise of a descendant for Abraham. And God provides a substitute sacrifice for Abraham's chosen son. Abra...

The story of the tower of Babel is about a lot more than language. It's about two ways of viewing the world, and two ways of finding security and significance. One comes from a city we try and build to keep our life safe and important apart from God. The other comes from God by grace. Christianity offers a city to come, that is built by God for us through Jesus Christ. Application Questions: 1. Wh...

We usually think of Noah and the ark as a kids story, especially the animals going on the ark two by two. But a closer look at the story shows us a rich message about what God is like, how we can be delivered from our sin, and how we find hope and a future. What's more, we see the kind of refuge God provides us in Jesus Christ that we can turn to now and forever. Application Questions: 1. What par...

We're probably all familiar with the story of Adam and Eve. There's a tree, and an apple (or a "fruit"), and a couple of fig leaves. But when was the last time you took the time to really look carefully at what God was revealing about himself through this incredible historical story. When we slow down and walk through this story with our eyes fixed on God we begin to see things we never saw before...

God's glory is the weightiness of his nature and character—the summary of what we've been learning in the entire series. When Moses asks God to show him his glory, he teaches us all about what we really needs, and what it means to be close to a God this significant. Application Questions: 1. How has this series helped you get to know God better? How has that affected your life? 2. Where do you try...

In a world where pain, struggle, and difficulty continue to mount, we instincitvely turn in all sorts of directions looking for comfort. But, we so seldom find it. What does it mean that God is the "God of all comfort?" And how can we access that true comfort when the waves of suffering keep coming? In our passage today God teaches us about the true nature of comfort, and about the ultimate purpos...

God is sovereign over the entire universe. He is sovereign over the natural world, He is sovereign over individual people, and He is sovereign over the spiritual realm. His sovereignty is one of His perfections that makes Him absolutely unique in all the universe, and absolutely powerful over all things. Application Questions: 1. How does the biblical picture of God's sovereignty over all the univ...

The author of Hebrews writes to people who are weighed down and struggling, and at the end of chapter 6 he points them to God's faithfulness as the anchor that can hold them fast even when the world is spinning around them. We also need God's faithfulness, not just in a pandemic but all the time. Without it, we have no anchor that can really hold. When we know God's faithfulness, we enjoy his secu...

Knowing God means knowing his justice, an often misunderstood aspect of God's character. Far from being something that repels us, God's perfect justice invites us to joy, comfort, and even a new way of being in the world. Application Questions: 1. How do you react to the idea that God is just? Is God's justice compelling or dry, troubling or joyful? 2. What makes God's judgment different from our...

As we continue to set our eyes on God, being reminded of his never-changing nature in the midst of an ever-changing world, we are given hope and peace. But hope and peace don't come simply from recognizing God's holiness, love, and power. For these characteristics to be truly comforting the God of holiness, love, and, power must be near. He must be with us. Application Questions: 1. How can you pr...

Power is something we all look to as a means of having purchase on our lives. But God's power is overwhelmingly greater than anything else in the universe, which rightly elicits fear. But God's power is for us and changes everything in our lives, providing comfort and peace that nothing can touch. Application Questions: 1. What are some ways you have related to power poorly or looked to it in the...

Christianity is not about following a bunch of rules, or practicing a bunch of rituals. Christianity is fundamentally about having a relationship with God. There is a difference between knowing thingsaboutGod, and knowing Godrelationally. To know Godrelationallymeans to know Him deeply and personally,andit means to be knownby Himdeeply and personally. Jesus calls us to this kind of vibrant relatio...

Easter is the event that gives Christians hope that can't be taken away. When we look closely at the resurrection, letting it challenge our assumptions, and see what it means for our lives, we can be grounded and stable in a new way whatever comes next. In the midst of a global pandemic, the resurrection points a way forward, not just to this life but beyond. Application Questions: 1. How have you...

In times of uncertainty and crisis, more than anything we need to be reminded of the truth of who God. But we need to know more than justaboutGod. We need to know God himself. To know God is to be loved, because God is love. This week we look at exactly what that means, and how it gives us comfort and hope in the midst of any storm. Application Questions: 1. What sources, other than Scripture, ten...

As we begin our series on Knowing God, we look at one of the overarching attributes of God: his holiness. While we often diminish the idea of God being holy as though it's not a very big deal, Isaiah teaches us differently: the holiness of God is something that comes uncomfortably close to us and changes us when we are exposed to it. It's an overwhelming and undoing experience, and it leads us to...

Knowing God is what anchors Christians in good times and bad. As we begin a series on the attributes of God, we first have to learn what it means to get to know God. Instead of learning more about God, the Bible teaches us to learn more of God in relationship with him. When we see how deeply and widely we can know the God of the universe, we find stability in unstable times and joy in places we di...

As we wrap up the book of James, we find a closing exhortation to take what we've learned and strive to love those around us with it. In most sermons you would normally be encouraged to refrain from thinking about the person sitting next to you, and to instead make sure you're considering your own heart. But in today's passage we are called to take all that we have learned over the past six months...

James closes his letter exhorting us to pray—and not just when things are bad. Prayer is a recognition that we have a Father who gives good gifts, and who is available to us any time in any situation. What's more, prayer actually has effects in the real world. James invites us to experience the power of a relationship with God in our own lives as we bring everything to God in prayer. Application Q...

In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus tells us to "let our yes be our yes", and James reiterates the same command. In Jesus's day people would swear oaths on things of the earth in order to get out of their commitments, and in order to manipulate others. Christ calls Christians to keep their commitments (and only make commitments we plan on keeping), and He calls Christians to speak with humble truthfu...

James tells us that Christians are a waiting people, but we struggle to wait today. We are used to instant gratification, and so when things don't come quickly we are easily frustrated. But life is full of things that take time, and James shows us that anchoring ourselves in the future return of Christ can give us patience in the here and now. Application Questions 1. Where are some places you nee...

Navigating our world's economy can be confusing and frustrating. Sometimes we feel like we don't have enough money. Sometimes we feel like we shouldn't desire money as much as we do. Sometimes we feel oppressed and powerless under the thumbs of those that have more money than we do. But in this week's passage, God shows us the way forward by providing a stern warning for the rich, and a promise of...

James explains the way humility works itself out in our life in a surprising area: the way we plan. We are usually over-confident in our ability to plan our lives, even though our plans rarely work out as intended. James teaches us that the Lord's will is bigger and better than our will, and when we ground ourselves in the gospel our plans will be made from a place of security and peace. Applicati...

True Christian faith is lived out vertically (in relationship with God) and horizontally (in relationship with others). Judging others shows that we misunderstand who they are, who we are, and who God is. Application Questions 1. What are the subtle ways that you “speak evil against others” in your life? 2. What is the difference between “discernment" and "judging” ? 3. How does judgmentalism misu...