Radiant Church Visalia

Scripture References: Revelation 21:1-5; 1 Corinthians 15:20-22; Philippians 3:20-21; Luke 24:39-43; Romans 8:18-23; John 11:25-26; Romans 10:9 Intro: Welcome back to our sermon series on "Forever." We've established that aiming past this life is essential for living faithfully in this life. Last week, we clarified that Present Heaven (Paradise, where believers go at death) is wonde...

Scripture References: Colossians 3:1-4; 1 Corinthians 2:9-10; Revelation 6:9-11; Luke 23:43; Philippians 1:23; 2 Corinthians 5:8; Revelation 21:4 Intro: Welcome to this sermon in our series on "Forever." We often hear, "We can't know what heaven is like, but it's better than you imagine." While well-intentioned, this view brings little comfort and contradicts Scriptur...

Scripture References: Ecclesiastes 3:11; Colossians 3:1-2; 1 Corinthians 2:9-10; Revelation 21:1-5; 1 Corinthians 15; Colossians 1:15-20 Intro: Welcome to this sermon on "Forever." The belief in life after death has shaped nearly every human culture throughout history. Despite modern skepticism, a deep longing for transcendence persists – what Ecclesiastes calls "eternity set in our...

Scripture References: Colossians 3:1-4; 2 Corinthians 4:16-18; Philippians 3:10-21; Hebrews 11:13-16, 24-26; John 17:3; John 3:16 Intro: Welcome to the first sermon in our series on "Forever." A recent, challenging conversation with my brother asked: "Do you really believe what you say?" It highlighted a crucial point: there's often a gap between our professed faith (espec...

Scripture References: Psalm 19; 2 Timothy 3:14-17; Isaiah 40:8 Intro: Welcome. Speaker Dave Moore shares his journey of discovering the Bible as a young, non-Christian adult during the Jesus Movement. Initially a strange "new world," Scripture became an expansive, life-shaping reality. Today focuses on Psalm 19, celebrating God's revelation through creation and, more importantly, th...

Scripture References: Ephesians 4, 1 Corinthians 12, Revelation 2, 1 John 2:15-17, 2 Corinthians 10:5, Colossians 3:1-4, 2 Corinthians 4:16, Psalm 27:4, 2 Samuel 14:25, 1 Peter 3:3-5, Isaiah 53:2-6 Intro: Humorous opening about clothing and the nature of church. Introduction to the series focus: the church as the bride of Christ. Emphasis on intimacy and the need to move beyond a purely functional...

Scripture References: Proverbs 17:17, Genesis 12, 2 Samuel 13, Proverbs 11:22, Proverbs 6:25, Ezekiel 28:17, Hebrews 12, Ezekiel 16, Isaiah 61 Intro: Acknowledge the potential for difficult truths. Emphasize speaking as a friend, with love. Proverb 17:17: "The wounds of a friend are trustworthy." Call to open hearts and press into the Lord. Key Points: Beauty as a Gift to Steward: God-gi...

Scripture References: Psalm 27:4, Psalm 139:14, 2 Samuel 14:25, 1 Peter 3:3-5, Isaiah 53:2-6 Intro: Personal story about struggling with beauty and aging. The question: "Where does your beauty come from?" Acknowledging that experiences and influences shape our beliefs about beauty. The desire for God to interrupt lies and reveal truth. Key Points: The Longing for Beauty: Humans are fasci...

Scripture References: Colossians 3:17, 22-24; Genesis 1:28; Genesis 3:17-19; Ephesians 4:11-12; 2 Corinthians 5:18-20; 1 Peter 2:9; Philippians 2:5-15; 1 Corinthians 7:17-24 Intro: Welcome! We continue exploring work, building on last week's idea that work, though originally good (Gen 1), often feels broken due to the Fall (Gen 3). Today, we focus on how Christ redeems work. This requires red...

Scripture References: Colossians 3:17, 23-24; Genesis 1:28; Genesis 3:17-19; 1 Peter 2:9; Ephesians 4:11-12; 2 Corinthians 5:18-20; Luke 5:1-11 Intro: Welcome. Many of us experience frustration with work – feeling unemployed, underemployed, overworked, or that our work lacks meaning. Work often "doesn't work" for us, a consequence of the Fall (Gen 3). But work was originally good! T...

Scripture References: Romans 11:33-12:8; Matthew 22:37; Revelation 2:1-7 Intro: Welcome! We're exploring fundamentals of the Christian life. Today: Worship. Every pastor is essentially a worship pastor because most problems are worship problems – misplaced devotion. Worship isn't just singing; it's fundamental to being human. You are a worshiper. The question isn't if you worsh...

Scripture References: Romans 12:13; Hebrews 13:2; 1 Peter 4:8-10; Leviticus 19:34; Acts 2:42-47; Genesis 18:1-8; John 14:2-3 Intro: Welcome! We're in our "Fundamentals" sermon series, focusing on foundational Christian practices. Today's fundamental: Hospitality . It's not just about entertaining or casseroles; it's a command, a spiritual gift, and reflects God's...

Scripture References: Matthew 6:25-34 (main text); Mark 4:35-41; 1 Peter 5:7; Romans 1:20; 2 Corinthians 4:18 Intro: Welcome. This sermon addresses a topic crippling many: worry and anxiety. While common, Jesus directly commands us, "Do not worry" (Matt 6:25). He takes it seriously, not because He lacks compassion, but because worry misrepresents God's character and chokes our faith...

Scripture References: Luke 6:43-45; Proverbs 4:23; James 3:2-12; Proverbs 18:21; Ephesians 4:29; Psalm 51:10 Intro: Welcome. This concludes our sermon series on the heart. We've explored guarding, trusting, forgiving, and taking heart. Today: Knowing the heart. How can we understand our own deceitful hearts? Jesus gave two key indicators: our money (last week) and our mouths. Today, we focus...

Scripture References: Hebrews 10:23-25; Acts 27:21-26, 33-36; Psalm 27:14; Hebrews 3:12-13; Romans 8:31-39 Intro: Welcome. Concluding our series on "The Heart," we address the challenge of taking heart (letting our hearts take courage - Ps 27:14) amidst life's storms. The Christian life is a "good fight of faith," battling unbelief which undermines our trust in God's...

Scripture References: Matthew 6:12, 14-15; Colossians 3:13; Romans 12:17-21; John 8:1-11 Intro: Welcome. We continue our series on the heart, today tackling forgiveness. It's central to Christianity, yet often difficult and messy. Jesus, teaching us to pray, linked receiving God's forgiveness directly to our forgiving others (Matt 6:12, 14-15). This isn't optional. But what does for...

Scripture References: Proverbs 3:5-6; 1 John 2:15-17; Genesis 3:1-7; Luke 4:1-13; Philippians 2:3-8 Intro: Welcome. Continuing our series on the heart, today we focus on Proverbs 3:5: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart." What pulls our trust away? What does wholehearted trust look like practically? 1 John 2 warns against loving the world's system, identifying three key temptatio...

Scripture References: Proverbs 4:23; Luke 6:45; Matthew 6:21; Mark 7:20-23; Jeremiah 17:9; Ezekiel 36:26-28; 1 Samuel 16:7 Intro: Welcome. Today begins a new sermon series focusing on The Heart . We talk about it constantly ("follow your heart," "heart of the matter," "ask Jesus into your heart"), but what is it biblically? It's more than emotion; it's our c...

Scripture References: Luke 3:3-14; Isaiah 40:3-5; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 Intro: During seasons of preparation and anticipation like Advent, we look to John the Baptist, the forerunner sent to prepare the way for Jesus. His message wasn't just for his time; it speaks powerfully to us about readiness for God's work and how we live out our mission to seek, share, and serve. Key Points: The...

Scripture References: Mark 12:41-44; 1 Timothy 6:17-19; 2 Corinthians 8:9; Matthew 6:21; Hebrews 11:24-27 Intro: Continuing our series on Radiant's mission ("Beholding Jesus... obedient, surrendered, devoted..."), we focus today on being devoted to His mission through sharing . Specifically, how we share our resources matters deeply to Jesus. He watched people give (Mark 12), demons...

Scripture References: Luke 15:1-32; Psalm 1:1; John 10:11; Isaiah 53:4-6 Intro: Great stories often come in threes – trilogies capture something epic. Today, we explore the greatest trilogy ever told: Jesus's parable in Luke 15. Often broken up, the stories of the Lost Sheep, Lost Coin, and Lost Son(s) form one powerful narrative answering the question posed by religious leaders: "Why do...

Scripture References: Genesis 1:1-3, 26-27, 31; Exodus 31:1-11; Acts 2 Intro: As we continue exploring our church's mission (Beholding Jesus...), focusing on living surrendered to His Spirit, we highlight a key value: Creativity. Many assume "creative" only means "artistic," feeling excluded. Today, we'll broaden that definition, showing how all believers are called t...

Scripture References: 1 Thessalonians 1; Acts 17:1-9; 1 Corinthians 2:4-5; Hebrews 2:4; 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 Intro: As we explore our church's mission ("Beholding Jesus..."), it's helpful to look at biblical models. Today, we examine the church in Thessalonica, planted by Paul in just three weeks amidst opposition, which he called a model for all believers (1 Thess 1:7). What...

Scripture References: John 14:16-27; John 16:7-15; Acts 2; 1 Corinthians 12:1; Romans 8:9; Ephesians 5:18; Ephesians 4:30; Galatians 4:6 Intro: Continuing our focus on the church's mission, specifically being "surrendered to the Spirit," we address a topic often marked by confusion, fear, or controversy. Last week highlighted that surrender requires trust, and trust requires knowing...

Scripture References: John 16:7; Romans 8:9; Ephesians 5:17-18; Ezekiel 47:1-12; Acts 1:4-8 Intro: Welcome. We're exploring our church's mission: "Beholding Jesus, putting his brilliance on display by living lives obedient to the Word of God, surrendered to the Spirit of God, and devoted to the mission of God..." Today, we focus on that vital middle piece: what it means to be s...