Vista Community Church

Message from Sean Palmer on July 25, 2021 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joseph finally reveals himself to his brothers in Gen. 45. It's one of the most beautiful expressions of forgiveness anywhere in the Bible. Joseph forgives his brothers completely and they are reconciled to their brother. nnAs humans who sin against one another, forgiveness is one of the most difficult things we must learn. For believers in Jesus, it's not a mere suggestion... it's a command. As w...

As we continue to look at the life of Joseph, we see a transformation take place in his brother Judah. He goes from being someone who is completely selfish, hard-hearted, cruel, and far from God, to being someone who is willing to sacrifice himself for his brother and help heal his family. Like much of the Old Testament, this points us to Jesus (the Lion of the tribe of Judah) who will also sacrif...

Joseph's brothers come to Egypt to find food during the famine. Joseph recognizes them, but they don't recognize Joseph. Rather than getting even with them or revealing to them who he is, he decides to test them to determine if they have changed. By the end of the chapter, we see that they really haven't changed much. It begs the question for us... how much have we grown/changed in our own spiritu...

In Gen. chapter 41 Joseph goes from prison to powerful. He ultimately ends up as the second most powerful man in all of Egypt. Joseph is a great example to us all of not letting our circumstances dictate our attitude in life. Joseph learned to grow where he was planted and despite many unfair situation that he was put in, he continued to serve God and the people around him. Hosted on Acast. See ac...

If we were reading Joseph's story for the first time a question we might have is, "So, when does this guy become the villain?". In our culture, seeking retribution for suffering and wrongs committed against us is normal. But, life with Jesus implies that we live with patient faithfulness. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joseph ends up in Egypt in the house of an important man named Potiphar. Joseph proves himself to be trustworthy and is put in charge of all of Potiphar's dealings. Not long after this Potiphar's wife tries to seduce Joseph. Joseph repeatedly refuses her advances and ultimately flees from her grasp. After being rejected she lies and accuses Joseph of assaulting her and Joseph is then thrown in pri...

As the story of Joseph opens in Gen. 37 we see a family full of disfunction, jealousy, hatred, and bitterness. In many ways Joseph's story is about overcoming these things and learning to be faithful wherever God places us. Joseph is a dreamer and he does indeed live his dream, but he is dealt some difficult and unfair circumstances along the way and like many of us, he must learn to not let bitte...

One of the primary responsibilities of the church is to provoke one another to love and good works, especially in a difficult season. We do this through close, personal relationships where we confess struggles, and speak words of encouragement. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With Beyonce's song "Sandcastles" serving as our jumping-off point, we talk about infidelity, betrayal, and God's eternal faithfulness towards even unfaithful people. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In a youth-obsessed society, we often associate aging with stagnation, inconvenience, and irrelevance. But in Scripture, aging is a gift and not a burden, and the aged among us are essential and not irrelevant. Indeed, when God wants to do something new, he first enlists the services of the old. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Being a human is hard and somebody should do something about it! This week we listen to the song "Lost" by NF & Hopsin, and then discuss why being a human is hard and Jesus has done something about it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Modern Americans are the freest and loneliest people who have ever lived. Exploring Galatians 5, we discuss how true freedom is enslaving ourselves to each other's good by learning how to belong to a people and a place. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Using Coldplay's song, "Daddy", as a jumping off point, we explore the fatherlessness dilemma afflicting American culture, and the prophet Malachi's assertion that God desires to turn the hearts of parents and children back toward one another. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As the gospel of Luke ends, it's clear that Luke's purpose in writing is so that the reader will love Jesus, trust Jesus, follow Jesus and worship Jesus. Luke reminds us that Jesus gives his followers a big responsibility as he leaves them and that they can only carry out that responsibility by the power of the Holy Spirit. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Immediately after the resurrection, Jesus joins a few guys who are walking along a road. Through conversation with them he unpacks the Old Testament scriptures and reveals that the scriptures are about Him. Then he joins them for dinner and they finally recognize Jesus as he has dinner with them. In the story we see that Jesus is made known through scripture (because scripture is ultimately about...

Jesus is risen, but the apostles struggle to believe it. Why? Not because they need more evidence, but because of their joy. The resurrection is such good news that it's supposed to be (almost) unbelievable! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Message from Austin Fischer on April 2, 2021 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In Luke 19 we see Jesus finally arrive in Jerusalem. The atmosphere is one of joy and celebration during the triumphal entry where Jesus is praised and treated as a King. However the next day, we see Jesus is sad as he weeps over Jerusalem because of their unbelief. Then, we see Jesus at the temple where he gets very angry because of all the buying and selling that was going on in the temple. We s...

Jesus has a short conversation with a rich ruler and quickly reveals this man's heart... or better yet, he reveals this man's idol. Idolatry can be very sneaky in our lives, but it can quickly take over our hearts. We need to able to spot it and get rid of it before we are consumed by it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jesus tells the Pharisees a shocking parable to reveal their spiritual blindness and prideful unbelief. The disciples overhear and Jesus has a word for them (and us) too. Don't be like those guys! Rather in humility, show unending forgiveness, have the right faith, and be obedient as an unworthy servant. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sinners loved to be around Jesus because Jesus loved sinners. This bothers the Pharisees, who would rather grumble about sin than celebrate repentance. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jesus tells the parable of the Great Banquet while sitting in the home of a prominent Pharisee. In many ways, this parable is told to rebuke the Pharisees... which probably made the dinner party pretty awkward. In so doing, Jesus gives us a picture of what heaven will be like, who will be there, and how we can live life preparing for the future party. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for mor...

Jesus' road trip to Jerusalem gets off to a bumpy start, and he teaches his disciples that they don't have the right to reject people who reject Jesus. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

So often when it comes to prayer the focus is on prayer itself.... (how do we pray? What do we say? Styles of prayer, the philosophy behind prayer, etc...) But when Jesus taught his disciples to pray through this very short and succinct prayer in Luke 11 he seems to be teaching his disciples more about who God is. Maybe the secret to prayer is less focus on prayer itself and more focus on delighti...