A New Nation and Race - Spiritually Defined

From September through December of 2018, 5 men from within Sovereign Grace Church of Santa Ana underwent a 6-session course titled “the preachers club”. Any man who aspired to or even thought about growing in the gift of preaching and teaching was invited. For four months, through discussion, reading and actual sermon preparation, the members of this “club” grew in their understanding of the craft of preaching God’s holy, inerrant Word. Whether or not these men become pastors; whether or not they each preach the sermons they’ve written, God is glorified as members of this local church seek to grow in their gifts for the building up of His church.

This past Sunday, we had the treat of hearing God’s Word preached from one of those men - Mike Alvarez. Listen to his sermon from 1 Peter 2:9-12.

Listen to the sermon here.

You Came To This Hour For The Glory of God

This past Sunday, as Kyle preached John 12:27-50, we heard the last words of Jesus’ public ministry. The emphasis was on time and glory. Jesus’ “hour” had come. The time had run out to hear the words of the Son of Man. The decision was before them: live for the glory of God or for the glory of man? The same decision is before us.

Listen to the sermon here.

To Follow Jesus Is To Follow Him On The Hard Road To Glory

There were many who wanted to follow Jesus while He was on earth. As He entered Jerusalem thousands hailed Him as King. They wanted to follow Him as their leader. But Jesus made it clear what exactly it means to follow Him. In John 12:12-26, we discover that following Jesus leads to glory - even honor from God the Father. But it also requires walking a hard road. And Jesus was about to demonstrate just how hard that road can be. Listen to last week’s sermon to learn more.

Listen to the message here.

There Is No Limit To The Love You’re Allowed To Show For Jesus

Mary poured $26,000 worth of oil on the feet of Jesus. Was this display of love too extravagant? Judas seemed to think so. Jesus, however, stopped Judas in his tracks and commended Mary for her actions. How much love should we demonstrate to Jesus in our lives? How worthwhile is He of our love in concrete terms? Listen to last week’s sermon from John 12:1-12.

Listen to the message here.

(Plus, apparently, last Sunday was also red shirts and jeans day. Sorry to those who missed the memo)

Whatever Your “It” Is

This past Sunday, we had the joy of hosting Eric Turbedsky, senior pastor of Sovereign Grace Church of Orange. He preached from Matthew 13:44. One verse. One short parable. One simple concept: Jesus is worth it. Like the man who sold everything to purchase the treasure he found in a field, so it is our joy to give everything not to get, but because we’ve already found and have the greatest treasure this world has ever known.

Listen To The Sermon Here

You Can’t Make This Stuff Up

God uses sin to beat sin by substituting the sinless in the place of the sinner. Oftentimes in the world around us, it looks like sin is winning. Yet, John 11:45-57 teaches us that sin has no power over God’s purposes. What appears to be the most evil, sinful words ever spoken were in fact words that God used to carry out the death of His Son, which in turn accomplished the defeat of sin. In sin’s most evil moment, God made sin commit its own suicide. While sin may appear to be thwarting God’s purposes in the world around you and within your heart, God’s purposes will always prevail.

Listen To Sunday’s Message Here

In our return to our series in the book of John, Kyle preached from John 11:1-44 concerning a theme that very few of us enjoy thinking about: death. It’s the single greatest human sorrow and we shudder to for a moment consider that even those whom we love most will one day die. While many comforting words are offered to dull the pain following the death of a loved one, few actually hold out any true hope. Yet, what we find in the story of the resurrection of Lazarus is a story of love - love found in the most unlikely of places - love that reaches into the deepest of sorrows and offers a hope more substantial than any other.

Listen to the message here.

Dependence On The Holy Spirit

The power of God’s Spirit is the power of this local church. As Sovereign Grace Santa Ana heads into its second calendar year of existence, what we ultimately need is not more money, more people, more resources or more effort. We need a greater and deeper dependence on God. Click below to listen to the last sermon of 2018.

Listen to the message here.

Jesus is With You In Between Your Rock and Hard Place

This past Sunday, Cristopher Erkelens continued our four-message series concerning “The Cast of Christmas” by looking at the life and circumstances of Joseph. When Matthew 1:18-25 is read honestly, we realize the Joseph was caught in between two awful, life-altering decisions. There seemed to be no good solution. But when the Angel, Gabriel appeared to him in a dream, it was revealed to Joseph that the baby his fiancé was pregnant with was God come to be present with him - even in that lonely space between a rock and a hard place. Furthermore, what Joseph would come to find is that that baby would give Himself for Joseph in between an even greater rock and hard place. The message Joseph received is the same message for us today,

Listen to the message here.

God Gives Grace To Those Who Need Grace

In the second message in our Christmas series, Pastor Kyle preached from Luke 1:26-38 concerning a young girl named Mary. This young girl is considered by many the world over as sinless and able to dispense God’s grace. Hardly an ordinary person. However, the Biblical account rather teaches us about a Mary who, rather than being able to dispense grace, is desperately in need of it. More importantly, it teaches us about a God who delights to give grace and to give it through a King whose Kingdom will never end.

Listen To The Message Here