Divine Savior Church-Santa Rita Ranch Sermons

One of the biggest reasons we get hooked by Satan's lures is because we undestimate the power of sin. Instead of swimming away, we let the lure hang around us. But Satan's lures are powerful and once he hooks us, it is more deadly than we could ever imagine. Genesis 4:1-12 Support the show

The devil is pure evil. He hates you. When he offers "more" he only does so to rob you of joy, strip your blessings, and destroy your soul. Like the first temptation, every temptation is a deception that looks good and promises us "more". Unfortunately, they are all lies. Learn how the deception of getting "more" only leads to hurt, guilt, and death.- Genesis 3:1-24 S...

The amount of her offering was tiny, but her self-sacrifice was total. She gave until she had nothing left—and at that very moment she still had absolutely everything. She had her Lord. She had God’s promises and God’s gift of faith to trust them. The big point today? She gave even beyond her ability, because she trusted her Lord’s ability to care for her. What if we truly believed that God will t...

God wants to open our minds to consider the magnitude of his blessings. Each of us has been blessed in different ways and at various levels. What should our thoughtful, prayerful response be to these blessings? The only key that will ever turn over the engine and take us down the road of devoting ourselves to serving him with those gifts is how much Jesus loves us. In this all-encompassing arena o...

We’ll take care of ourselves right now, so that we’ll be in a better position to take care of God’s house later. That’s what seems to make sense. Giving to God first doesn’t make a bit of sense. But what if it isn’t our giving that makes no sense, but rather it’s God’s giving that makes no sense? The prophet Haggai will help us see that the real issue for us is not one of our resources, but of the...

Ever since the fall into sin, death has become an inevitable reality. We have all experienced funerals and know the sadness of losing a friend, family member, coworker, etc. At such times, tears are common and expected for us just as just as they were for the grieving widow of Nain. Yet Jesus reveals himself as the one who can say "Don't Cry" to the grieving. Why? Because he holds p...

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The idea of going to church regularly can be common for some and seem strange to others. What's the point or gathering together and reading from old texts? What a display of power that Jesus demonstrated as gathered at the synagogue in Capernaum that Sunday! As he amazed listeners with his word and displayed authority in his actions, Jesus is revealed. We are blessed to see that same power an...

Weddings can be wonderful celebrations...and also sources of stress! What couple wouldn't want everything to go perfectly?! But...problems happen. At a wedding and reception, all eyes are normally on the bride and groom and yet in Cana, we gladly look to Christ as he "revealed his glory" in an unusual, but comforting way. Jesus reveals himself as a Savior who shows care for his peop...

Trusting Jesus is easy when things are going well in our lives. However, it is a lot more challenging when hardships come. How do we remove doubts in these circumstances? Jesus teaches us that today in Matthew 11:2-6. Support the show

Christmas is over and now staring us in the face are our troubles and problems. But the joy of Christmas doesn't end when the decorations are put away. The joy of Christmas continues as we realize God is present with us. Luke 2:25-35 Support the show

We look at our lives and the world and it is easy to wonder if God really loves the world. But at Christmas we see that he absolutely loves the world including you! John 3:16-18 Support the show

With all the benefits that this Child brings, we might think that everyone would welcome him. And at Christmas it might appear that everyone does welcome Jesus. But the reality is that even for us as believers, there is something about Jesus that makes us uncomfortable. Isaiah warns in advance that the Child born on Christmas is the God whom no one wants.  Support the show

“And they all lived happily ever after.” Many families do not experience this fairy tale ending. Especially at Christmas, many are burdened with a sense of disappointment that their family is torn apart. Others are dreading that Christmas party where we will all try to “make nice.” Hard to imagine that Isaiah saw a child who could make peace in your family!  Support the show

Don’t you wish that you could be a child again? For a child, Christmas is coming and they can’t wait because they don’t have a care in the world. But for us adults, there are so many heavy responsibilities to carry – not just the Christmas preparations but the day to day pressures of life. How ironic that Isaiah saw that God would become a child to take all that weight off of our shoulders! Suppor...

Sometimes our troubles are so big, that we can’t see around them. We think that we are facing them all alone. But Isaiah saw that Jesus is the God who is near. Whether we believe it or not, Jesus came near to us in his birth and he still comes near to us today.  Support the show

Moms say things to their children and then don’t follow through.  Dad’s make promises that go unfulfilled.  It happens in every facet of life.  Except when it comes to our Savior.  Already in the Old Testament, God used the Prophet Jeremiah to foretell his arrival, even going so far as to say, “This is the name by which he will be called: The Lord Our Righteous Savior.” (23:6)  That’s our Savior. ...

Death is ugly. It does not matter if someone dies after a long fight with illness or if they die peacefully in their sleep, those left behind mourn their passing and their absence is noticed. Death would be overwhelming were it not for the fact that, for the believer, Christ has completely transformed death. Death is not the end. For those who are part of Christ’s forever family, death is rather t...

Twenty-one billion dollars. That is how much Americans spend annually on home security. We want our homes to be a place where our family feels safe from everything that can hurt them. However, the reality is no amount of locks, alarms or cameras can keep you perfectly safe. Jesus, though, not only can.  He promises to do so. In his Church on earth, Jesus has given us a home that is perfectly safe....

We begin our Welcome Home series with one of the most comforting passages found anywhere in Scripture. To an individual- to a world- in turmoil, God says to us, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28) God is a loving Father. He does not pretend we have no brokenness or sin, but he paid for it all by the death and resurrection of Christ. Scripture...

We are all too familiar with evil. We watch the news and see all the different evils that take place every day. But there's a greater evil that threatens us, but compared to all the other evils, it doesn't seem so bad. That's exactly why Jesus ends his prayer asking God to deliver us from evil.  Support the show

We haven’t even earned the privilege of talking with God. Our sins have separated us from Him. But He forgave us through Jesus. So this request is as important to us as breathing. We humbly ask God to forgive us for all the ways we failed Him. But before we ask Him to forgive us, we have to be willing to forgive others. This prayer reminds us of the importance of extending grace before asking for...

Do you ever wonder why God answers some of your prayers with "yes" and others "no"? Do you ever wonder why you get stressed out and worried? In the 4th petition of the Lord's Prayer, we learn how to pray in a way that leads to contentment, but also in a way that relieves stress, worry, and anxiety.  Support the show

We all want peace, security, and contentment. Often times, events in our lives and circumstances dictate whether we have them or not. But how do we pray in such a way that no matter if God answers "yes" or "no" we can have peace, security, and contentment? Jesus answers that for us in two petitions (requests) in the Lord's Prayer. If we can pray these from the bottom of ou...

God’s name is everything He reveals to us about Himself in his Word. It is holy. Sacred. We can’t make it holy. It already is. But we can keep it holy by living in such a way that honors and thanks Him. We can keep his name holy, or sacred, when we share it with others, and tell them how awesome He is!   We begin this prayer with worship… letting God know He means everything to us. Support the sho...