Divine Savior Church-santa Rita Ranch Sermons

We have heard Jesus speak words of forgiveness, words of compassion for his family and friends, and words of eternal salvation for a sinner. Today, we hear something very different from Jesus. We hear “Why?” There’s a word we would never have expected to hear from Jesus. Jesus cries out in the middle of his suffering: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Let’s hear what this means, and what this means for us. Its implications are huge!Support the show

How do you handle your guilt? Do you cover it up? Feel bad for a couple days? Does it keep you up at night? Depending on who you ask, there are many different ways to handle guilt. Psychologists might try to track it back to your childhood. Talk-show hosts might tell you to believe in yourself. But in the Bible today we are going to learn the only true way to handle guilt. It comes from the third word Jesus said from the cross, “Today you will be with me in paradise.”Support the show

Many people have spoken “famous last words” before they died. What “Famous Last Words” would Jesus speak? His first words, instead of bitter words of anger, were words of love, asking his Father to forgive those who were wronging Him. In his second words from the cross, Jesus turns his love and compassion toward his family and friends. He wants to make sure they are taken care of in ways that are good for their bodies and souls. What tender love He shows, even while dying for us!Support the show

Many people have spoken “famous last words” before they died. What “Famous Last Words” would Jesus speak when He was being killed mercilessly on a cross? You might expect bitter words of anger, with the way He was being treated. But… instead of bitter words of anger, He asked his Father to forgive those who were wronging Him! Who would have expected that? How can these words comfort us? What can we learn from this?Support the show

Jesus' transfiguration changes the way we view him and what it means to be a disciple. Support the show

In his book Making Sense of God author Tim Keller quotes postmodern novelist David Foster Wallace who is an atheist: “In the day-to-day trenches of adult life, there is no such thing as…not worshipping. Everybody worships. The only choice we get is what to worship.” Is this true? If so, what implications does this have for the choices we make in life? Our relationships? Our attitudes? Does it really matter who or what we worship? In this concluding message in our series, we’ll see how a Christian worldview inspires a lifetime of joyful worship. Our relationship with God gives us a stable identity on which to build our lives and a generous, loving spirit towards Him and others. Support the show

Is there life after death? If there is, what will that life be like? From a completely human perspective, it would appear as though this life is all there is. When you die, you’re dead. In the Scripture, however, we discover that death was not a part of God’s original plan for the world, that death is God’s judgment against sin. That makes death frightening and ugly, but God found a way to destroy death forever. We now look forward to Paradise restored!Support the show

Who determines what’s right and wrong? Shouldn’t the individual have the right to determine that for himself or herself? That sounds good to me. But how is that actually going to work in the real world? Is morality subjective or objective? A scriptural world-view makes no bones about it. The Creator calls the shots.Support the show

What have I been put on earth for? Am I here to have fun? Am I here to somehow make the world a better place? Is there no way for me to know why I’m really here? The answers we come up with aren’t really satisfying. In the end what I come up with seems so, well, meaningless. But when the Bible talks about why we’re here, it makes sense. I begin to see that I have meaning and purpose that reaches far beyond myself and this broken world.Support the show

Am I just here by chance, a random lucky draw of the straw? Is there nothing special about me other than the fact that the genetic mutations of my ancestors produced the “me” I am today? God says “No.” God says that I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wow! That changes everything. Support the show

How do we maintain Christmas joy all year long? Simeon and Anna give us a stirring picture of what it means to wait on the Lord and finally experience the joy of God’s promises fulfilled. How have you experienced the joy of God’s promises fulfilled? Support the show

On Christmas Eve, God gave us the greatest gift ever; the gift of his Son. He is the greatest gift you'll receive this Christmas. Support the show

God promised that he would send a forerunner who would prepare the way for the coming Savior by proclaiming our need for deliverance. How is God preparing your heart for your Deliverer?Support the show

God’s people were waiting for a Prophet like Moses. The prophet brought God’s word to the ears of God’s people. God sent his Son into this world to reveal His truth that you might see and understand his promises fulfilled.Support the show

God’s people were waiting for the promised great High Priest. The priest was the representative of God before the people, offering the required sacrifices for sin. Jesus came into the world to represent you in his life and his sacrificial death and bring you God’s promised salvation. Matthew 1:18-25Support the show

God’s people were waiting for the promised King of kings. The king was the protector and the deliverer of God’s people. God came into the world so that he could keep his promise to protect and deliver you. Support the show

Never could there be a king like Christ, our king. Beyond all comparison is the rule he exercises in time and in eternity. Incomparably great therefore is also our joy in worshiping him even now as we await his triumphant return to transform our worship in faith and under the cross to worship in sight and in glory.Support the show

Today our message series on the book of Judges comes to a close. A very sad close. A dark and disturbing look at how far God’s people had gone in living life in a way that was right in their eyes… but not His eyes. People doing whatever they wanted to do. And we aren’t talking about unbelievers. We are talking about God’s own people. Even if we haven’t done things as outwardly awful as these people, have we been any different? Do we also have dark secrets? Have we been guilty of inaction when we needed to do something? Are we guilty of telling a better story about ourselves than what is true? These are spiritual problems. We need a spiritual solution. We need a spiritual King. We need Jesus as our King.- Judges 19Support the show

Rock bottom and guardrails. Messy People… No one plans on making a huge mess in their life, but plenty of people do. Often big messes happen when you begin to think that you are invincible. This was the case for Samson. He thought he was invincible and ended up hitting rock bottom in life. The sinful nature inside of us is dangerous and destructive. Merciful God… As Christians, we need to call upon Jesus for forgiveness even when we hit rock bottom.Support the show

Do we realize that the sinful world around us is actually our spiritual “enemy”? Or have we gotten all too comfortable with it? Have we just accepted the fact that things are the way they are? Do the things that should bother us no longer bother us? That is the way things were in Israel during the time of Samson. The people weren’t even crying out to the Lord to help anymore. They had just surrendered to the enemy around them. We are going to see how God works not only in spite of the flaws of someone like Samson, but even through his flaws. Today’s text reads like a summer blockbuster action hero movie. We are going to see how God uses the act of “Settling Scores” to accomplish his purpose!Support the show