Redeemer OC Podcast

Do you remember when you first realized that you would die? How did you respond? How did you cope? We live today in society distanced from death and ill-equipped to maintain human dignity and hope in the face of our mortality. Unfortunately this is true both in religious communities as well as in secular. How ironic that we are so unprepared for so ubiquitous a reality; so unprepared and weak, whe...

This is the first ever sermon preview I have written for Redeemer, but I am sort of afraid to tell you what the sermon on Sunday is about. The topic of the sermon is one of the most anxiety-filled callings found in the Bible. Evangelism. But before you start to sweat while reading this preview, hear me out. Sunday’s sermon, Lord willing, will not produce guilt but joy. Seriously. The Apostle Paul...

Want to share a special moment? Do you have something emotionally significant to share? Want to make a deep connection? What would you prefer, a conference call or face-to-face? Sometimes it can feel as if our communion with God is like an awkward conference call. Is he hearing me? Should I speak now or listen? Is anyone on this call yet? Did we get disconnected? Hello? Our communion with God toda...

Nights don’t get much worse than this one. Alone in the wilderness in the dark of night fleeing from your older brother who plans to kill you, hundreds of exhausting miles ahead until safety, Jacob had seen better days. Heaven was hidden. Yet, God knew what Jacob needed, so for the first time heaven opens up. This Sunday we will look over Jacob’s shoulder and see what he sees. Come ready to see he...

What advice would you give a nearsighted baseball player? That seems like the start of a good joke, but I don’t have a punchline. Write one for me and email me back. The truth is if you cannot see the ball you cannot hit it, you cannot catch it, you could not even throw it accurately. You would not be much of a baseball player. Nearsighted Christians have the same struggle. If we can’t vividly ima...

I am a liar. Well, is it a lie if you’re just trying to be polite? Maybe I am just a polite liar avoiding an uncomfortable and long-winded answer. Many of you have asked, “How was the sabbatical?” I have responded it was good and it was, but it was also hard and even miserable at times. Much of the sabbatical was great. The opportunity to read and study was wonderful. I am so grateful for the addi...

Jesus is called Immanuel, which means “God with us.” When we pause and think of Jesus, we are to be reminded that he dwelt among us and is still with us. Repeat those words a few times to yourself, “God with us.” This Sunday we are honored to welcome back Rev. Chad Brewer, the new RUF Campus Minister at UCI, to preach a part two sermon on John 1 in which he will address the practical implications...

Jesus came as the Word made flesh and dwelt among us. In his coming, he came to give us a purpose. What is your purpose? In the words of Henry David Thoreau, “It is not enough to be industrious; so are the ants. What are you industrious about?” ​Join us the next two Sundays as we have the honor of Rev. Chad Brewer, the new RUF Campus Minister at UCI, preach at Redeemer on the text of John 1 and th...

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. The beauty of God is revealed across all of creation. Join us this Sunday for worship as Rev. Joel Pelsue, President/CEO of Arts & Entertainment Ministries in Los Angeles, preaches his second sermon on the topic of beauty in the scriptures. This Sunday Joel will specifically be preaching from Psalm 19 on the revelatio...

A woman comes to Jesus and pours expensive oil on his head. Jesus responds in Mark 14, “She has done a beautiful thing to me.” I am excited to announce that for the next two weeks we have the honor of having the Rev. Joel Pelsue, President/CEO of Arts & Entertainment Ministries in Los Angeles, preach for Redeemer on the topic of beauty in the scriptures. This Sunday Joel will begin by preaching on...

Praise God! Make a joyful noise! He will judge the world! Psalm 98 seems like a normal psalm of praise until we read the final verse when the psalmist speaks of God judging the world. We are not used to seeing praise and judgment going hand and hand, yet this psalm puts them together. Join me this Sunday as we study Psalm 98 and let this psalm teach us and give us words to pray for the life of the...

Be doers of the word, not hearers only. Too often our lives are like that of people who, as James says, look intently at their face in a mirror and then forget what it looks like as soon as they walk away. This Sunday, we are excited to welcome back Rev. Dr. Darian Lockett, Associate Professor of Biblical and Theological Studies at Biola University and a world-class Book of James scholar, as he pr...

Temptation and deception. Two words that automatically, and rightfully so, cause us to pause and reflect a little deeper into what is happening in and/or around our lives. This Sunday we are excited to welcome back Rev. Dr. Darian Lockett, Associate Professor of Biblical Studies at Biola University and a world-class Book of James scholar, as he preaches part two of a three part series on James cha...

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds.” (James 1:2) Wow, James, those are not the most empathetic and caring words that most people would want to hear amidst difficult times in their lives. But they are the words he chooses to use in order for his listeners to have a faith that will endure through their trials. I am excited to announce that we have the honor of host...

God’s ultimate plan is to put the world to rights. As N.T. Wright simply, yet brilliantly states, “How is he doing this? Here is the shock: through us, his followers.” God has chosen us, in all of our depravity, to join him in putting the world to rights, to join Christ in the renewal of all things. What a responsibility, but also, what a gift! Join us this Sunday for part two of a two week series...

Gathered, yet going. As the people of God we don’t just gather each Sunday to hear a good and encouraging word only to leave that wisdom in the chapel. One of the main reasons that God speaks to us is to move us beyond ourselves for the sake of others. To cause us to be a people who apply the wisdom and gift of Scripture to our hearts and spread that wisdom and gift across the culture around us. A...

Vanity of vanities. Vapor of vapors. Meaningless! Meaningless! What a brilliant way to begin a book. King Solomon gets straight to the point with his first words in the book of Ecclesiastes. Life is but a vapor, it comes and goes like the wind, and is often thought to be meaningless. At Redeemer this upcoming Sunday, Rev. Eric Kapur, Associate Pastor at Redeemer Presbyterian Church of San Diego, w...

“Of course I love the human race! I just can’t stand Lucy.” – Charlie Brown. We all laugh at Charlie Brown’s words, but if we are honest, we are far too often like Charlie. At Redeemer this upcoming Sunday, Rev Joe White, RUF Campus Minister at UCLA, will unveil the Charlie in all of us by preaching on the Parable of the Good Samaritan from Luke 10. To best prepare for this week’s sermon, spend 10...

Jesus loved to teach in parables, simple short stories which illustrate instructive lessons. This Sunday and next we have the honor of hosting Rev. Joe White, RUF Campus Minister at UCLA, as he preaches on the parables of Jesus. To best prepare for this week’s sermon, spend 10 minutes by yourself or with your family and friends around the table and read Matthew 13, especially focusing on verses 44...

This Sunday we have the honor of kicking off our Summer Preaching Series with Redeemer’s founding pastor, Rev. Dr. Jim Belcher! Jim will be teaching on the topic of suffering from Luke 8:22-25. To best prepare for the sermon, spend 10 minutes by yourself or with your family and friends around the table to read Luke 8. Then ask the questions, what does this chapter, specifically verses 22-25, have...

The worst illnesses can hide in us until it is too late. If only we could have known. This is true of physical illness and spiritual. As a good father, God sent the prophet Malachi to help his people see their true condition and to call them back to health. Exposing our illness is not an expression of God’s anger, but his love and mercy. This Sunday we finish our brief series on the book of Malach...

Trust. More than anything else trust is the foundation of relationships. We all long for loving relationships with those we can trust. However, each and every one of us falls short of complete trustworthiness. Whether in massive lies or small subtle misdirection of perception, we all cover up the truth, and our relationships are corrupted. What hope do we have to experience the relationships we lo...

Why confess? Why not just take care of that darkness quietly and on your own? This Sunday we take a planned break from our series on Malachi. With Heather serving on the Redeemer Ethiopia Team this week, I took some time off to take care of my kids. Jesse Robinson will be preaching on 1John 1 on the topic of confession. Confession is the doorway to freedom and health. We cannot get healthy where w...

We are paper mache. Paper mache, French for “chewed paper,” a kid crafting staple, is most often made of strips of paper draped over some type of a form, then saturated and pasted together with a wet adhesive. Once the adhesive dries the strips of paper harden together in the shape of whatever form they were draped over. As we continue listening to God through his prophet Malachi this Sunday, we a...

A toddler is running into a busy street, chasing a ball, ignoring the panicked calls of his parents. Parents who love their children will do everything to protect them, but so often a child’s greatest danger is himself. A loving father would never leave his children on the precipice of destruction without a stern warning, a call to return to safety, and intense pursuit. God is a loving father. Thi...