Divine Savior Church-Santa Rita Ranch Sermons

He vacillated between the twin towers of unshakeable confidence and wishy washy uncertainty. However, faith is as strong as the on whom it rests, and Jesus' loyalty and love bless this apostle with a new resurrection conviction. Support the show

Thaddaeus (also called Judas) asked Jesus, "But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the whole world?" Many ask this same question today, why some and not others? We marvel at God desiring all to be saved and his grace for all, and yet we see the sad reality that those who don’t know him, or who have rejected him won’t be saved. The attitude of Thaddaeus, "I wa...

Bartholomew asked, "Nazareth, can anything good come from there?" and found in his shattered hope a fulfilled hope in the promised Savior. In Bartholomew (aka Nathanael) we see our own expectations - too often misunderstood and misplaced, until Jesus meets them and us. So often we expect God to fit our mold and to fit his plans into what we expect and hope for. But God's plan is alm...

"We have found the one," Philip proclaimed to Nathaniel, when Jesus actually found him first. Later Philip personally found a gracious Savior at the feeding of the 5,000 when Jesus taught him a lesson about faith. On another occasion, Philip commented to Jesus, "Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us," and Jesus went on to describe the mysterious unity of the F...

Andrew showed care and concern for bringing others to Jesus. Ministry is one on one. Mission is one on one. Parents to children. Husband to wife. You to a friend, family member, or co-worker. We only know Peter, because Andrew sought out his brother. Mission work happens in backyards, picnics, bleachers, and cubicles. One of the main principles of our harvest strategy is "Everyone invite one....

With the zeal of thunder, James has glory on his mind, both personal glory and ethnic/national glory and pride. Jesus' zeal to save and serve recovers and redirects this apostle to an evangelical instead of legislative zeal. This is the only place to mention the other apostle, James the Less, about whom we know very little. Support the show

Most people today think the “devil” is a joke. And make jokes about him. But the truth is, the devil is a real and vicious enemy of God and his people. He tempts us to doubt God’s Word. He wants to tear us away from God, and he did so. But Jesus came to defeat the devil. And He did! The church displays that victory in all we do! But the battles rage on… our enemy is real and the daily battles we f...

From the beginning, God designed people to live in families. He also gave us work to do, a garden to take care of, something to give meaning and purpose. So a lot of our lives are spent at home and at work. As we continue to rebel against God, our homes and workplaces often become the scenes of our most obvious failings and flaws. They can become unhappy or even downright dysfunctional places. Whe...

Marriage has been instilled into human hearts and human society by our loving Creator to stir up human longing and to prepare our hearts for the love of Christ. Marriage conducted in God’s way by his people is a beautiful demonstration of his plan to gather all things under Christ and make us one in Christ. Among God’s people, marriage isn’t a battleground, but a field of victory, where sinners ca...

The world we live in loves to live in darkness. What people do behind closed doors should be up to them, they say. The world is accepting of all kinds of alternative expressions of gender and sexuality. But the God who loves us created us a certain way to glorify Him. His Word is very clear on how He wants us to live. In the light. Not in the darkness. As we shine this light into the world, it isn...

We live in a fashion-conscious world. We see influential people wearing certain styles of clothes and imitate them by trying to keep up with the same fashions. We want to look the same as the world around us. We do the same thing in the way that we live. We imitate the world in the way that we act, talk, and think. Sometimes we blend right in and people don’t even know we’re different. The encoura...

We want the church to grow so that we can make a difference in the world around us. But churches not only need to grow in number. We need to grow in holiness. We need to grow in unity. That will show the world what our three-in-one God is like. God’s grace, the hope He gives us in Jesus, generates this growth. There is one body, one church. Our Christian community should reflect that unity. We are...

When you get married, and that person you love moves in, two wonderful things happen: they start changing everything to reflect their character, and they fill the place with their love for you. That’s what happened when I got married. My ratty dorm furniture got replaced and the décor got cleaned and greatly improved! All these new things were wonderful because I felt loved! Same thing happens for...

Most of us enjoy the suspense of a mystery thriller. Books and movies keep us on the edge of our seats, as do documentaries about unsolved mysteries. Other mysteries are more personal – like figuring out how to fill out your tax form or what to get your mom for Mother’s Day.  The only thing more compelling than a mystery is when the mystery finally gets solved. Today’s text reveals a mystery that...

There is a depressingly relentless cycle of political strife and military conflict between peoples, nations, and religious cultures in our world. There is constant suspicion and segregation in our cities and communities between black and white, rich and poor, right-wing and left-wing. The list goes on. There is even tension between colleagues at work and cruelty and hurt in our homes. Is it possib...

Why do Christians get so excited by “grace?” Why do we sing about “Amazing Grace”? We name our churches after it. We name our children after it. What is all the fuss about? God’s “grace” is his undeserved love for us. But why is it so amazing? This text reveals why God’s grace is the most amazing gift we could ever have. We have a problem – we are spiritually dead. We can’t do a thing to make thin...

Know Greater Hope We probably have a lot of relationships that are shallow or even artificial. It is important for us to get to know people better. It is more important to get to know our spouse better. But even more important… is getting to know God better. That is the prayer today. That we might know God better. The more we learn about God and what He has done for us, the more we know the hope G...

Every Spiritual Blessing I love seeing people wearing the T-shirts that say “Blessed.” Do you feel “blessed” even when nothing is going right?  In this glorious passage that begins the letter to the Ephesians, Paul launches an avalanche of praise for God.  In the original language, it is one long breathless sentence. He begins by summarizing what he is so excited about: “Praise be to the God and F...

A message for Easter Sunday. Support the show

Jesus rides into Jerusalem to accolades and cries of joy. But he also rides into Jerusalem as the promised Son of David sent as the sacrificial Lamb of God. To many in the crowd, nothing was more scandalous than this. It’s the same for so many in the crowds of this world today.  Support the show

How often in this life we see justice turned upside down. The innocent are condemned as guilty and the guilty are set free. But that is our story as we witness the scandal of the innocent One being condemned in our place.  Support the show

The lies at his trial: He opposes payment of taxes! He’s like all those other riot-starting Messiah/Kings! The hypocrisy of the Sanhedrin to accuse Jesus of starting a riot and then starting one themselves. Pilate and Herod become friends. All of these opposing political forces working together in the end. This doesn’t smell right.   Support the show

Jesus taught that sin loves darkness. It’s no surprise, then, that his betrayal and arrest would take place in the cover of night. But Jesus forces the darkness of sin into the light. His words, “you betray the Son of Man with a kiss” reveal the scandalous truth that Jesus was betrayed by someone in whom he has put his trust, someone he loved. Support the show

There are many times when it’s just best for us not to know the future. Yet, Jesus was fully aware of how God intended to redeem this world from its rebellion and sin. God’s plan is so scandalous (that the Father was willing to sacrifice his Son) that Jesus asks for another way. There is no other way and Jesus is resolute in his determination to move forward.  Support the show

Ever since the Enemy first rebelled, his greatest goal has been the destruction of everything and anything good that God has made. As a liar and deceiver, he has succeeded in leading us astray time and again. But now Satan has set his sights on the ultimate prize—the Son of God, the promised Savior of the world Support the show