What Sermons Shaped You in 2024?
The preaching of God’s word stands at the heart of our Sunday gatherings. Each and every week, the Father welcomes us to hear the gospel of his Son in the power of the Spirit. As the word goes forth from an ordinary wooden pulpit - and the very ordinary and imperfect pastors who stand behind it - God does an extraordinary work. Filling our hearts with faith, hope, and confidence in his promises. Assuring us of his love. Comforting us in sorrow. Convicting us of sin. Building up the household of God that is Cross of Grace and making our church an increasingly beautiful place to be.
We had the privilege of sitting under 53 sermons in 2024. Which ones did God use to shape your life and year?
HERE’S WHAT OUR PASTORS HAD TO SAY
Jeff
Ephesians 6:1-4 - Parenting - As someone in the thick of life with little ones, the truth that “children are a blessing from the Lord and not a burden to our lives” is a much needed reminder that bears frequent repeating. This sermon gave me fresh ambition to embrace the amazing responsibility of raising up children in the fear and admonition of the Lord and to enjoy my kids as God’s good gifts.
Galatians 5:14 - Neighbors - This sermon answered the question “why do we exist as a church?” in ways that were deeply soul-stirring and eminently practical. We exist to spread the joy of Jesus to our Santa Ana neighbors, and to do this, we must be neighbors to them. The kind of people who know them, love them, go out of their way to serve them. The kind of people they would be sad to see leave. This is the kind of message that’s worth revisiting again and again, year after year.
Isaiah 36-39 - Complacency - This sermon spoke to where we’re so many of us likely find ourselves: not on the verge of quitting the difficult race of the Christian life, but just wanting to stop for a little while. Tempted to slow down, presume upon grace, and coast through life instead of running hard after God all the way to the end. The categories for complacency offered in this sermon were helpful lenses to look at my own heart and examine where I’m prone to settle for “bare minimum Christianity.”
Kyle
Acts 2:42-46 - Ordinary - This sermon served as a sweet reminder of the fact that there’s nothing impressive about us as a church, but that what IS impressive about us is our Savior.
Isaiah 6:8-13 - Holiness - This sermon captured my attention and “drove the nail” into my conscience of the importance of holiness both as a Christian and as a Christian leader.
Isaiah 40:1-31 - Comfort After Collapse - This sermon itself was God’s mercy, declaring, in the midst of my own compromise and sinfulness, just how eager God is through His Son to welcome me back into relationship with Him.
Jason
1 Corinthians 12:1-11 - Spiritual Gifts - Great reminder to pray boldly for the gifts and celebrate them among us, because God delights in giving them.
Isaiah 7-9 - Courage - Courage is a quality of a Christian not often talked about. To see it exemplified in Scripture and the God who is its the source was of great encouragement to press into it even when the danger is real.
WHAT ABOUT YOU?
Which sermons did the Spirit use to make an impact on your life last year? To jog your memory, here’s a list of all the sermons we heard in 2024. Go back and listen to one or two. Catch up on any you missed. Share the sermons that God used in particularly powerful ways with us on Slack or sending an email to the church office and let us know how his word shaped your life, changed your heart, and blessed your walk with Christ last year. We’d love to celebrate his grace alongside you!
In addition to the web links below, you can find every Sunday sermon on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
1/7/24- Ephesians 5:15-21 - Wear your new clothes everywhere
1/14/24- Ephesians 5:22-33 - Marriage is a picture of the beauty of the gospel
1/21/24- 1 Corinthians 4:1 - What is a pastor?
1/28/24- Ephesians 6:1-4 - Children are a blessing from the Lord, not a burden to our lives
2/4/24- Ephesians 6:5-9 - Every Christian is a slave of Christ
2/11/24- Ephesians 6:10-20 - Spiritual Warfare: We are new people in an old, embattled world
2/18/24- Ephesians 6:18-24 - Prayer: The armor of God and the blessings of God need God to work
2/25/24- Revelation 19:1-10 - From beginning to end, marriage is intended for your joy
3/3/24- Revelation 12:1-17 - Know Satan’s Story. Know Satan’s Strategies. Know Christ’s Victory.
3/10/24- Matthew 26:26-29 - Communion Homily - The Past, Present, and Future Tense of Communion
3/17/24- 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 - Spiritual Gifts: Earnestly desire all the grace that God has to give
3/24/24- 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 - Membership Series: Our Gospel & Doctrine
3/31/24- Matthew 28:1-10 - Easter Homily - The old has really gone and the new has truly come
4/7/24- Philippians 3:7-9 - Membership Series: We are joyful
4/14/24- Romans 8:32 - Membership Series: We are generous
4/21/24- Psalm 119:89-96 - The Mighty Word of God
4/28/24- Acts 2:42-47 - Membership Series: We are ordinary
5/5/24- Galatians 5:14 - Membership Series: We are neighbors
5/12/24- Isaiah 1:1-31 - We need to be an uncompromising church
5/19/24- Isaiah 1-66 - How the story of Isaiah fits together
5/26/24- Isaiah 2:1-22 - Live now in light of then
6/2/24- Isaiah 6:1-7 - Why does God take our sin so seriously? Because he is uncompromisingly holy.
6/9/24- Luke 19:28-44 - Jesus is the King of Peace
6/16/24- Isaiah 6:8-13 - God wants us to be at home with holiness & really live in his house
6/23/24- Isaiah 7-9 - God with us puts courage in us
6/30/24- Isaiah 13-23 - The whole world needs the whole gospel
7/7/24- Isaiah 24-27 - There is a real heaven, and you can’t get it without getting God
7/14/24- Isaiah 14:12-16 - Behind every collapsing culture is the influence of the Original Compromiser
7/21/24- Isaiah 30-31 - Turning to Egypt is never the right decision, but trusting in God is always the right decision
7/28/24- Isaiah 35:1-10 - The uncompromising path to uncompromising life will be worth it in the end
8/4/24- Isaiah 36-39 - Don’t let your weariness or your confidence keep you from running hard after God
8/11/24- Isaiah 40:1-31 - Comfort after Collapse: We may grow weary, but the King never does
8/18/24- Isaiah 41-48 - God vs. Idols: God alone is worthy of our trust because God alone is: The Creator of the heavens and earth, the Redeemer of all mankind, and the Author of all history
8/25/24- Isaiah 49:1-7 - The most uncompromising thing about us is our uncompromising need for Christ
9/1/24- Isaiah 52:13-53:12 - You need an uncompromising substitute to be crushed in your place and heal your compromising heart
9/8/24- Isaiah 54 - The New Covenant: the unbreakable promise of uncompromising love
9/15/24- Isaiah 55 - God invites the worst, offers the best, and guarantees the result
9/22/24- Isaiah 58 - God is the goal and great reward of our worship
9/29/24- John 6:1-15 - What it means to be spiritually satisfied
10/6/24- Isaiah 61 - The grace of God is never in decline
10/13/24- Isaiah 65:17-25 - One day, we’ll do nothing but live in God’s world, in God’s way
10/20/24- Proverbs 1 - Wisdom is how you do life in God’s world right
10/27/24- James 1:1-4 - God’s wisdom leads us down the path of spiritual wholness
11/3/24- James 1:5-11 - To get wisdom, all we have to do is ask
11/10/24- James 1:12-18 - God-given trials are the surprising friend of happiness
11/17/24- James 1:19-27 - On the path of wisdom, faithful hearing always travels side by side with obedient doing
11/24/24- Titus 2:11-14 - God has given you what you need to run well: past, present, & future grace
12/1/24- James 2:1-13 - Love your neighbor regardless of what they can do for you
12/8/24- James 2:14-26 - We are saved by faith alone, but true saving faith is never alone
12/15/24- James 3:1-12 - Resting between your teeth is the rudder of your entire life
12/22/24- James 3:13-18 - The world’s wisdom climbs to the top. God’s wisdom kneels to serve.
12/24/24 - John 1:14-18 - Christmas Homily - You need to see Jesus Christ
12/29/24- James 4:1-12 - To wisely respond to conflict, we must think rightly about ourselves