Cornerstone West Los Angeles » Sermons

God has been so good to us in so many ways that it is not that hard to be thankful to Him for our families, our jobs, our children, our careers, our health, etc. We also are thankful for things that we own, like our cars, homes, computers, cell phones, etc. It is good to cultivate a thankful heart for all those things we have received from Him. But what about our great salvation that He has given...

Jesus concludes his sermon with a stark illustration about the eternal implications of where we put our faith. The bless-ed life that Jesus has been describing isn't just about fulfillment and joy in this life, but is the basis for eternal human flourishing as well. In Jesus we find the fulfillment of our humanity both in this life and in the life to come. Application Questions: 1. Have you put yo...

As a fruit tree, the world will know us by our fruit. Our actions and responses to the things around us is an indicator of our heart. If we continually produce bad fruit, we need God to transform our hearts, and if we are producing good fruit, we need God to maintain it. Application Questions: 1. Why do believers need to examine their hearts? 2. What is the fruit believers need to be producing? (G...

The call to love our enemies is one of the most difficult and paradoxical commands in Scripture. It neither makes sense nor comes natural to us. But when we look to Jesus, and understand the true nature of love, we find ourselves more appreciative of the love that we've received and are better able to extend that love to others - even our enemies. Application Questions: 1. What is your honest reac...

As our Savior and Creator, Jesus is concerned with even more than our trust and our obedience, he has created us to flourish.  But he has designed us to flourish in ways that are very different than what flourishing looks like on the surface.  In fact, they're often the very opposite.  In his most famous teaching Jesus pulls back the curtain and reveals that we've been seeing our entire world upsi...

John concludes the letter of 1st John by reminding us of the truths that assure our hearts: Jesus protects us from the evil one, we are from God, and we know Him who is true. These truths give us confidence to follow Christ in the midst of a fallen world, keeping ourselves from idols by abiding in Jesus. Application Questions 1. Why is it so important that in Christ we have a new nature? 2. How do...

When we talk to God we can know that he hears us and that he will answer us.  And when we ask for his kingdom to come and transform our hearts, we can know that he will do it.  Therefore, when we pray for one another we can do so expecting God to produce the redemption we desire.  Prayer is the Christian's superpower. Application Questions: 1. In what way might God be drawing you deeper into your...

Application Questions: 1. What is prayer, and why is it an essential spiritual discipline? 2. If God has answered your greatest need (you being separated from Him), what are some of the reasons that keep you from bringing your other concerns and needs to Him? 3. What does it mean to ask anything according to His will (1 John 5:14)?

Like the lame beggar, we all have needs that often go unmet, and we are far off from where we feel we ought and want to be.  But Jesus offers far more than we could ever ask or imagine, and setting our minds and hearts on him profoundly changes us in a way that we can revel in and invite the world to enjoy as well. Application Questions 1. What are some of the things in life you think you need but...

The message of the gospel has been validated by the testimony of God - the person and work of Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. As Christians we carry that testimony in us, and in us it produces eternal life. Application Questions: 1. How do the water, blood, and Spirit testify to the person and work of Jesus Christ? 2. If you reject God's testimony you reject God Himself - why is this so crucial...

In response to the gospel we are called to two actions: believe in God, and love God. Trusting in the message of the gospel is what it means to believe in God, and loving God above all else is what it means to love Him. Though the world may try to undermine our belief, and draw us away from Christ with false loves, in Him we have victory over the world.

As John continues his meditation on the power of love, he invites us to think deeply about the abiding nature of God's love.  What does it mean that God's love abides in us?  What does it mean that we abide in Him?  And how does this abiding love give us the confidence and the selflessness that every soul ultimately longs for? Application Questions: How does the abiding nature of love change how y...

God is love.  He defines and perfectly demonstrates love.  And while God's love was demonstrated most radically through the cross, the cross did not mark the end of the pouring out of God's love.  His love pours out uniquely in each generation and is being poured out uniquely today. Application Questions: How can you take time this week to meditate on the reality of God's trinitarian love? How can...

The path from joy to truth comes through fellowship with God. In order to abide in Him we must be able to distinguish between truth and error, and in a world of deception where the spirit of the world vies for our attention and affection, we must hold fast to His truth in His Word, so that we can abide in Him and live in His joy. Application Questions: Why is it crucial for you to be able to disti...

Doubt creeps into our hearts in all sorts of different ways.  Sometimes we mess up and doubt the reality or extent of God's forgiveness.  Sometimes we feel alone and doubt the reality of our relationship with God.  But God meets us in the moments of doubt with a gentle confidence, upholding us and reminding us (again) that we are his, and nothing will ever change that. Application Questions: When...

John has taught us that being a Christian means being adopted into the family of God. God’s family has a family dynamic: righteousness and love. This week John begins a long conversation on loving one another as Christians. He deepens our understanding of love and then shows us how to move towards it ourselves. Application Questions: 1. Do you struggle most to love other with your actions, attitud...

John speaks strongly about righteousness and being a child of God. In that language, we find a call to holy living and a motivation that is different than any other philosophy.  Application Questions: 1. Are there ways you don’t want God’s parental input in your life? What do you normally do when you feel that way?  2. Do you regularly think of yourself as a child of God, apart from your performan...

In the midst of a rich passage, John gives us the different elements that we need for real, deep, meaningful change and growth. They range from the new birth to eternal hope, but all center on the person of Christ and the transforming love God has for his children.  Application Questions: 1. If you want to change or grow, how do you normally go about trying?  2. Do you feel like you have a relatio...

When we are insecure about our faith, how do we rest assure in the Father’s arm? John reminds us to find our home in the Father’s love as we abide in Him and see His love. God sees us as His beloved children even with our faults, and John also encourages us to live lives that reflect our Father. Application Questions: 1. Do you view remembering the sabbath as an optional command? if so why? How do...

Today is a day of remembrance in multiple ways. Our country gathers every year on this day to remember an event that took place in Philadelphia, determining the trajectory of our country. The church also gathers every week on this day to remember the event that took place in Jerusalem that changed the course of human history. Today we gather to remember that more significant historical moment and...

With all the division and controversy in the world, how do we think about truth? John makes it clear that spiritual truth doesn’t adjust to fit our preferences or desires. While we shouldn’t be overconfident in ourselves, the truth about God is secure and stable. This means it shouldn’t rattle us when people reject Jesus, and we can hold onto the truth about Jesus without shame. Most of all, John...

The world around us is filled with distractions and temptations. It draws us and seduces us. How do we continue to live in the world without being lured into its traps? How do we even know what its traps are? And how do we navigate life in the midst of the world in confidence instead of fear? John gives us an exhortation and a vision for the path forward in our passage today. Application Questions...

Having heard the first section of the letter of first John, it is normal for any of us to feel somehow discouraged. Especially when we read sentences like “…whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness…” John’s sentences are loaded with razor sharp truth that could shake the foundation of even a mature believer. John now takes time to assure his church family that they ar...

What does it mean to be a single multi-lingual church?  When we take the time to look back at the very first iteration of the local church we see a group of brothers and sisters that bear a striking resemblance to who we are today, and who God is continually calling us to become. Application Questions 1. How are you tempted to neglect living out your faith as a part of a "gathered" community? 2. W...

Being in fellowship with the God who is Light radically changes the life of the Christian. God's disarming love changes us from the inside out, bringing us further into the Light of His love, and demonstrating that love to brothers and sisters in Christ around us. Application Questions: 1. How have you seen the love of God disarm you? 2. Does your experience of God's love lead you to love others a...