Divine Savior Church-Santa Rita Ranch Sermons

In any great story, there's always a villain, victims that he takes captive, and a hero. Every story depicts the hero physically conquering the villain in order to free the people. Sometimes that's what we think we need, isn't it? Wouldn't it be better if the devil wasn't around to tempt us and cause terror in our lives? Wouldn't it be great if Jesus destroyed the dev...

The love of money and what it can buy can be destructive, but the shrewd use of the resources God gives can bring immeasurable blessing. God wants us to be rich in good deeds and generous. Support the show

The God-lived life is a life of showing God’s love. Last month, we focused on letting that shine in serving others, doing things for them. This month, the emphasis shifts a bit, and we look at the God-lived life as one that not just does for others, but opens up our lives to them. As we invite people into our lives and our homes, God shows through us and gives us opportunities to share what we are...

There are two temptations when it comes to serving others in our community. One is not to do it because you consider your time and sacrifice more important than them. The other is to do it because you consider yourself better than them, so they need your help. In the Good Samaritan and in the teller of the parable we don't see judgment, but the love of God. May we show the same! Support the s...

Work has been hard for us ever since our first parents rebelled against God. Work has caused sweat and stress ever since we were kicked out of Eden. Sabbath is the opportunity to return to Eden. To the rest of God. Sabbath is about being free from slavery. God has set his people free from slavery, from being driven by taskmasters. Sabbath is the refusal to go back to Egy Taskmasters don’t like res...

Time is so important to us. Seconds are ticking off the clock while you read this. We are people of calendars, dates, times, schedules. We are driven to get as much done in the time we are given. But do we actually leave time to do what matters? If someone needs you to pray with them, do you have time to do it? Sometimes our drivenness erodes our purposefulness.  Sometimes we have to stop followin...

We are always busy. We are always in a hurry. And since we are always in a hurry, we miss important things. We think our busyness and efficiency in getting to everything helps us experience more, but we actually experience less. We try to do it all and end up really doing nothing When we get too busy, we either dread things or rush to get done with them and check them off a list. We get bored with...

The worst thing busyness does to us is fooling us into thinking we are God. “All depends on me. How will all the right things happen at the right time if I am not working, pushing, pulling, watching, and worrying?” Unless we trust that God is in control, we won’t dare risk Sabbath…rest. In sleep, we become utterly vulnerable, completely defenseless, totally dependent. Not in control. That kind of...

Most of us feel completely wiped out. Endless demands on our time crush us. Even our “vacations” are manic. If we only had more time! We have forgotten the ancient wisdom of Sabbath, rooted in God’s own rhythm of work and rest. Sabbath means rest. The gift of Sabbath (rest) is essential to our full humanity and faith. Since God knows how much we need Sabbath and how easily we might neglect it, He...

Jesus' birth is a very significant event for the entire world, but only if it actually happened. The Apostle Matthew starts his gospel in a way that gives us confidence and joy in the fact that Jesus came to us that first Christmas!  Support the show

We get frustrated and disappointed when companies don’t deliver on what they promise. But it really hurts when someone we care about breaks a promise they made to us. And we have broken plenty of promises ourselves. A promise gives us something to look forward to. To hope for. That hope is the energy source that powers us to do what we do. We need hope! We need promises to come true! In a world wh...

Living in the country we do, freedom is important to us. We don’t like to be held back. We don’t like to be told what to do. There are worse things that hold us back and restrict our freedom though… weaknesses, fears, uncertainty, lack of trust, hopelessness, insecurity, anger, grudges, guilt… All of these things restrict our lives and keep us from living in the freedom God designed us to live in....

No one’s perfect. How many times have we made the rude comment that hurt feelings we wish we wouldn’t have made? How many times did we think of our own selfish wants while trampling on someone else’s needs? Break a promise to our kid? Get caught doing something we shouldn’t do? Wouldn’t it be nice to get a second chance? We don’t live in a world where second chances or “do-overs” are too common. B...

The Roman world was full of many temptations just like ours is today. Casual sex was a way of life for many. Finding a Christian spouse was difficult. Being lazy and freeloading off of others was commonplace. It wasn’t easy to live a sanctified life pleasing to the Lord. But that didn’t stop the Thessalonians from trying. More and more with God’s help they learned what God’s will is and through th...

To be a Christian in Thessalonica was not easy. They faced persecution and many trials. But they endured because life was different now. They knew they didn’t face these challenges alone. They had the encouragement of their church family. This made them want to stand firm in the Lord as they looked for ways to love and support each other. So too in our world it's easy to feel isolated and alo...

When the Thessalonians first heard the gospel, they realized it was wonderfully different than any message they’d ever heard before. That’s why they received it as they did—not as the words of mere human beings, but as God’s Word—life changing and worth holding onto for dear life. We also want to take all of God's truth seriously because even in our modern world it's the Word of God that...

The Thessalonians turned away from the idols they used to serve. Why? The power of the gospel! Idols are demanding. But Jesus is different! Unlike idols, Jesus is the only living God who, even when you fail him, will not punish you and doesn’t demand more from you. He is the only Lord who even when you fall short, forgives you freely by his grace. Live for him and you will never be let down in the...

There are false gods battling for the place of honor in our lives. We can’t live the life God wants us to live when we are pursuing something else. Behind the sins we struggle with, the discouragement we deal with, and the lack of purpose we live with, are false gods that are winning the battle for our hearts. They are vying for our attention. But so is our gracious God, through his Word. Through...

The last couple years showed us more than ever how divided we are as a people. We are divided along racial lines, political lines, gender lines, religious lines, and economic lines. It is too easy for us to think in terms of “us and them.” We judge others on this basis, and we feel superior. We tend to emphasize the weaknesses of those on “their” side and minimize the weaknesses of those on “our”...

“They must be doing something right!” Have you ever thought or muttered that when someone roared past you in their sports car or fancy boat? Or while you were watching a professional sports contest or singing contest? Or browsing the blog or YouTube channel of a successful influencer? We spend lots of time at the “altar of influence” worshiping gods of people, celebrities, influencers, and culture...

Would you do anything for love? “Falling in love” with another person often keeps us from thinking straight. It takes a high place of importance. It isn’t hard for that kind of infatuation to take a place higher in our hearts than it should. We spend lots of time at the “altar of love” worshiping gods of romance, family, and our own ego. These things are actually good gifts and blessings from God,...

It is easy in this world to think that the “best life” or “life to the full” means binging on all the things that bring us temporary pleasure. Didn’t the year of shut-down show us how powerfully addicting binging on Netflix, snack foods, and alcohol can be? We were made to worship God, but we often end up spending lots of time at the “altar of pleasure” worshiping gods of food, sex, and entertainm...

We live in a world where everyone wants to be “King of the hill,” right? Climb the ladder. Be on top. Be the highest paid whatever we are. We were made to worship God, but we often end up spending lots of time at the “altar of power” worshiping gods of success, money, and achievement. These false gods, which are so attractive to our world, keep us from the real relationship with Jesus that we need...

There are false gods battling for the place of honor in our lives. We can’t live the life God wants us to live when we are pursuing something else. Behind the sins we struggle with, the discouragement we deal with, and the lack of purpose we live with, are false gods that are winning the battle for our hearts. We were made to worship God, but we often end up valuing and honoring the idols of succe...

We believe that Jesus is the fulfillment of all God's promises. Through Him, we utter our Amen to God. The creed summarizes the many promises God has made to us. It's appropriate we conclude with our "Amen." In the end, we are still and know that our Lord is God. In the end, we have confidence in his promises because of Christ.  Support the show