Friends Church Yorba Linda

In this message from Unlikely Heroes, Andrew McCourt looks at the familiar story of David and Goliath and points us beyond David to the true Champion, Jesus Christ. Goliath reminds us that giants still show up in our lives today through fear, anxiety, temptation, insecurity, sin, and situations that feel too big to overcome. David shows us what faith looks like when fear is loud. He was young, ove...

In the opening message of Unlikely Heroes, Pastor Matthew looks at Moses and the parting of the Red Sea to remind us that God uses ordinary people surrendered to an extraordinary God to do impossible things. Moses did not feel qualified, courageous, or ready, yet God chose him to lead Israel out of slavery and into freedom. Through Exodus 13 and 14, we see that God does not always lead us by the e...

This Father’s Day message looks at the life of King David and what it means to lead with courage, conviction, and humble dependence on God. While Saul built monuments to himself, David built his life around worship, obedience, and trust in the Lord. Through 2 Samuel 2 and 5, Pastor Matthew reminds fathers, grandfathers, and future fathers that true leadership is not about titles, success, or havin...

In this message from Nehemiah, Pastor Andrew reminds us that drift happens when we stop paying attention to the condition of our hearts. Nehemiah 13 shows that rebuilding walls was easier than rebuilding people, and the same is true in our lives. Through humor, honesty, and Scripture, this message calls us to recognize sin, refocus on God’s house, reset our finances, restore rest, reprioritize mar...

We live in a world of incredible progress and incredible brokenness. Technology advances, systems improve, and opportunities expand, yet loneliness, anxiety, division, and despair remain. In Nehemiah 8–10, we discover that rebuilding what is broken around us is not enough. True renewal begins when God rebuilds what is broken within us. As the walls of Jerusalem were completed, the people gathered...

Life is hard. Following Jesus doesn’t remove every struggle, it often places us in the middle of a spiritual battle. In Nehemiah 4-6, we see God’s people facing opposition from every direction: ridicule from enemies, conflict within the community, exhaustion, fear, and attempts to derail their mission. Yet through it all, they persevered. Dr. Eric Thomas walks through the story of Nehemiah and sho...

Nehemiah was an ordinary man with an extraordinary burden. When he heard that Jerusalem’s walls were broken down, he didn’t rush into action. He wept, fasted, prayed, waited, and trusted God to open the right door at the right time. In Nehemiah 2, we see how God strengthens faith in the waiting, forges faith through prayer, and activates faith through obedience. Nehemiah’s burden became conviction...

Nehemiah was a real man, in a real place, facing a real burden. When he heard that Jerusalem was in great trouble, its walls broken down and its gates destroyed, his first response was not strategy, control, or panic. He wept, fasted, prayed, confessed, and turned to the God of heaven. In this message, we begin a study through Nehemiah and look at the kind of person God uses: ordinary people with...

Words are never neutral. They can build up or tear down, bring healing or cause harm, speak life or speak death. Scripture reminds us that “the tongue has the power of life and death,” and our words often reveal what is really happening in our hearts. This message challenges us to ask: Do my words sound like someone who has been with Jesus? Do my conversations build people up or tear them down? Wo...

What if anger isn’t the real problem… but how we handle it is? In this message, we take an honest look at anger, not as something to ignore or suppress, but something to understand and transform. Because the truth is, anger can either destroy relationships or reveal what we truly care about. Drawing from Proverbs and the character of God, this message explores the difference between sinful anger t...

This message from 1 Kings 3 looks at the wisdom of Solomon and reminds us that every decision carries weight. Our choices rarely affect only us. They shape our families, relationships, churches, workplaces, and the people God has placed around us. Through Solomon’s early mistakes and his humble prayer for wisdom, we see that true discernment begins with dependence on God. Solomon did not ask for w...

This message from Proverbs 3 challenges us to live with open hands and a fully surrendered heart. True wisdom is not just knowing God’s Word, but trusting Him enough to let it shape how we live, give, serve, and steward everything He has placed in our hands. Through the call to “trust in the Lord with all your heart,” we are reminded that generosity is not just about money. It is about our time, t...

Why is self-control such a big deal in the Christian life? In this message from our Art of Living series, we look at Proverbs and discover that self-control is not optional fruit for a follower of Jesus, it is essential to a wise life. This sermon unpacks how true wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord, why self-control is about rightly ordered loves rather than repression, and how God uses His W...

What does it mean to truly fear God, and why is that the starting point for wisdom? In this message launching the Ancient Wisdom in Modern Times series, we open Proverbs 1 and discover that the fear of the Lord is not about being terrified of God, but standing in awe of Him in a way that changes how we live. This sermon explores the difference between knowledge and wisdom, why God’s Word is meant...

Why does Easter matter, and why should it matter to you personally? In this powerful resurrection message, we look at 1 Corinthians 15 and the heart of the Christian faith: Jesus Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again on the third day. This sermon unpacks why everyone lives by faith in something, why the resurrection is not just a religious idea but a history-shaping event, and why i...

Is Jesus really worth everything? In this powerful Good Friday message from Hebrews 9–10, we see why weary, persecuted believers were urged to keep trusting Christ: because Jesus is not just another priest or sacrifice, He is the great High Priest and the Lamb of God who fully accomplished what no other sacrifice ever could. He lived for us, died for us, and even now lives to intercede for us. Thi...

What is your life really centered on? As Holy Week begins, this message invites us to refocus on what matters most: Jesus, His cross, and His kingdom. Looking at Palm Sunday through Matthew 21, Luke 18, and Luke 19, we see the shocking tension at the heart of the gospel — the Messiah arrives as King, but He rides in with humility, headed toward suffering and the cross. This sermon unpacks why Jesu...

What if the shame you’ve been carrying doesn’t have to define you anymore? In this message from the Made New series, we walk through Jesus’ encounter with the woman at the well in John 4 and see how He meets people in their deepest pain, not to condemn them, but to heal them. Shame tells you to hide, stay silent, and keep carrying the weight of your past. Jesus offers something completely differen...

What does real freedom actually look like? In this message, we explore Jesus’ declaration in Luke 4 that He came “to proclaim freedom for the captives.” For centuries, God’s people lived under oppression and longed for a Messiah who would bring liberation. But Jesus reveals that our deepest captivity isn’t political or external, it’s the bondage of sin in our own hearts. The good news of the gospe...

What does it really mean to be adopted by God? In this message from the Made New series, we explore one of the most powerful identity truths in Scripture: if you are in Christ, you are a child of God. Adoption doesn’t just change your present identity — it secures your eternal future. Through John 1, Romans 8, and Ephesians 1, this sermon shows how God gives us a new position, a new relationship,...

Series: Made New: Beautiful Key Verses: 1 Peter 2:9-12, Matthew 5:16, Romans 15:13 Teaching Pastor: Matthew Cork March 1st, 2026 _____________________________ New to Friends Church? We're so glad you're here! We stream live every week: SUNDAY 9A / 11A PT Subscribe to The Friends Church YouTube channel to watch this message again later this week! Website: https:// www.friends.church Instagr...

Series: Made New: KnownKey Verses: Pslams 139:1-18Teaching Pastor: Erik ThoennesFebruary 22nd, 2026_____________________________New to Friends Church? We're so glad you're here! We stream live every week:SUNDAY 9A / 11A PTSubscribe to The Friends Church YouTube channel to watch this message again later this week! Website: https://www.friends.church Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frie...

Series: Made New: LoveKey Verses: 1 John 4:8, John 13:1-5, John 13:12-17, 2 Corinthians 5:14-15Teaching Pastor: Matthew CorkFebruary 15th, 2026_____________________________New to Friends Church? We're so glad you're here! We stream live every week:SUNDAY 9A / 11A PTSubscribe to The Friends Church YouTube channel to watch this message again later this week! Website: https://www.friends.chur...

Series: Made New: Image Bearer Key Verses: Matthew 12, Matthew 22, Proverbs 2, Genesis 1:26-27, Genesis 5:1-2, Teaching Pastor: Erik Thoennes February 8th, 2026 _____________________________ New to Friends Church? We're so glad you're here! We stream live every week: SUNDAY 9A / 11A PT Subscribe to The Friends Church YouTube channel to watch this message again later this week! Website: htt...

Series: Made New: TransformedKey Verse: Romans 12Teaching Pastor: Erik ThoennesFebruary 1st, 2026_____________________________New to Friends Church? We're so glad you're here! We stream live every week:SUNDAY 9A / 11A PTSubscribe to The Friends Church YouTube channel to watch this message again later this week! Website: https://www.friends.church Instagram:   / friendschurch