Del Rey Church Sermons: Recent Episodes
Del Rey Church: Playa Del Rey, CA
1 Timothy 2: 1-8 | Politics, Providence, and Prayer Part 2 | 11/10/2024| Pastor Matt Jones. You may be happy about the results of the election, you may not, or you may be indifferent. Regardless, what does God say in His word about how we should think about and interact with the political powers that He has ordained for us? Pastor Matt explores God’s Sovereignty, preaching through 1 Timothy.
Various Scripture | Politics, Providence, and Prayer Part 1 | 11/3/2024 | Pastor Matt Jones. With the national elections approaching this season, Pastor Matt will take us through the doctrine of election - the doctrine of how God chooses those He will save, by His grace and out of mercy alone, not by any of our words or merit.
Romans 5:6-8, 13:1-7 | 10/27/2024 | Pastor Matt Jones. Two Sundays ago, we acknowledged our local law enforcement on Faith & Blue Sunday. Today is First Responder Sunday, where we commemorate firefighters, paramedics, and others who leap to action in dangerous circumstances. Jesus is the ultimate first responder who responds to our greatest and most pressing need: our sinfulness that separates us from God and incurs His wrath.
Acts 9-13, Acts 20:15-38 | 10/20/2024 | Pastor Matt Jones. Today is a special Sunday, as we say goodbye to our beloved Ryan Richards family. Pastor Matt offers a sermon on friendship, mission, and the emotions of moving from the book of Acts.
Romans 13:1-7, Proverbs 21:15, Micah 6:8 | 10/13/2024 | Pastor Matt Jones. Faith & Blue Sunday is a program to foster closer ties between local law enforcement and faith communities. Today we welcome leaders and officers from Los Angeles Airport Police (LAXPD). Pastor Matt preaches from the Bible about what God wants us to understand about the role of government in restraining evil and crime, and the role of God and Christ in saving and forgiving sinners who have committed evil; that is to say, us. We do not deserve salvation and forgiveness, but God is gracious.
Colossians 1:24-2:5 | Christ: The Hope of Glory, Part 3 | 10/6/2024 | Marcelo Pinell. Marcelo continues his series on the epistle to the Colossians. The mission of the church is to spread the good news of Jesus the Messiah to a sinful world who needs to (but often doesn't want to) hear it, even at great personal cost to ourselves.
Luke 18:1-17 | 8/29/2024 | Pastor Matt Jones. Pastor Matt teaches from the Gospel of Luke Jesus presents two parables, the persistent widow and the Pharisee and the tax collector, both intertwined with a profound lesson on salvation.
Luke 8:40-56 | 8/22/2024 | Pastor Matt Jones. As the old adage goes, “Desperate times call for desperate measures.” Pastor Matt shares a timely message from the Gospel of Luke where two people in desperate circumstances, leaned on Christ as desperate measured were required.
Psalm 68:33-35 | Won't HE Do It?! Part 4 | 8/15/2024 | Pastor Matt Jones. In the fourth and final sermon on Psalm 68, Pastor Matt explores God as the One who rides in the heavens, the ancient heavens.
Colossians 1:15-23 | 9/8/2024 | Marcelo Pinell. Brother Marcelo continues his Colossians series examining Christ as the Lord of the Cosmos, the Church and Creation.
Psalm 68:20-32 | Won't HE Do It?! Part 3 | 8/31/2024 | Pastor Matt Jones. In the third sermon on Psalm 68, Pastor Matt explores God as a God of deliverances - delivering those who believe in Him from their enemies.
Psalm 68:8-19 | Won't He Do It?! Part 2 | 8/25/2024 | Pastor Matt Jones. In this second sermon on Psalm 68, Pastor Matt explores the power and graciousness of God.
Psalm 68:1-7 | Won't HE Do It?! Part 1 | 8/18/2024 | Pastor Matt Jones. Pastor Matt begins a short sermon series on Psalm 68, to the glory of God the Father and His Son the Lord Jesus Christ.
John 12:12–19 | 8/11/2024 | Pastor Mike Nazarian. Guest speaker Pastor Mike Nazarian of Hope Chapel Hermosa Beach teaches from the Gospel of John on the King who has come, Christ Jesus, the courageous king who came to His people Israel in the midst of political expectation, unrest, and hopelessness that they didn’t fully realize they needed rescue from.
Colossians 1:1-14 | 8/4/2024 | Marcelo Pinell. Our brother Marcelo preaches the glory of Christ from the opening of Paul's letter to the Colossians.
Romans 8:31-39 | 7/28/2024 | Pastor Anthony Kidd. Pastor Anthony Kidd of Community of Faith Bible Church preaches from Romans chapter 8 on how God gives us everything we need for His glory, how God acquits us of anything that would disqualify us from His glory, and He keeps us through things that could block us from His glory.
The Book of Proverbs | 7/21/2024 | Pastor Tony Shen. The book of proverbs is full of practical wisdom that both believers and non-believers can benefit from. Pastor Tony teaches through selected proverbs that contrast the differences between the wise and foolish. Ultimately, wisdom does not save; we cannot earn or think our way into heaven. God must grant faith and repentance in Jesus for salvation.
Joshua 6:22-25 | 7/14/2024 | Pastor James Iglesias. Our brother James Iglesias from Community of Faith Bible Church teaches through Joshua 6 reflecting on the story of Rehab and how even through her past sin she was able to find peace with God.
Philippians 12:12-26 | 12/18/2022 | Marcelo Pinell. This Lord’s Day, our brother Marcelo takes us through the Book of Philippians examining the apostle Paul’s charge to the Philippian church to give all of themselves through any circumstance for the sake and cause of the Gospel of Christ.
Exodus 1-40 | 6/30/2024 | Pastor Matt Jones. Pastor Matt follows up last Sunday's sermon on freedom in Christ with an exploration of Exodus - how God set His people free from slavery with power and glory. This is not merely a historical event. We all need to be set free.
John 8:31-53 | 6/23/2024 | Pastor Matt Jones. Our nation celebrates Juneteenth, commemorating the enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation in Texas after the Civil War. In this sermon, we explore a different kind of slavery - a slavery that all humankind has been subject to for its entire history. And we explore a different kind of emancipation - a kind proclaimed and effected by only one Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Genesis 11-27; John 5,8,17; Malachi 1-4 | Father's Day 2024 | 6/16/2024 | Pastor Matt Jones. Pastor Matt delivers a stirring message of biblical fatherhood - both a description from the Bible of what fatherhood should NOT be, and prescriptions of what fathers SHOULD be.
1 Thessalonians 5:11 | 6/9/2024 | Micah Anglo. Our guest preacher, Pastor Micah Anglo of Pillar Bible Church in Long Beach, shares a timely message on how we can encourage each other and build one another up.
John 11 | 6/2/2024 | Pastor Matt Jones. Pastor Matt shares awful personal news. The Lord Jesus comforts us in our distress, as He too dealt with the death of a friend.
Acts 8:25-40 | 5/26/2024 | Pastor Tony Shen. This Sunday is Baptism Sunday! To celebrate, Pastor Tony preaches through Acts 8 where we meet a man who after hearing the Gospel wants to participate in the faith and asks the heartfelt question, “what prevents me from being baptized?”
Acts 1-2 | 5/19/2024 | Pastor Matt Jones. In celebration of Pentecost Sunday, Pastor Matt teaches through Acts 1 and 2, examining the origin of the church body, the ordinance of Christian baptism, and the organization of Christ's believers.
2 Timothy | 5/12/2024 | Pastor Matt Jones. Happy Mother’s Day! In celebration of the women of our church, Pastor Matt guides us through a survey of 2nd Timothy highlighting the actions and attributes of mothers of the Christian faith in the early church.
Hebrews 10:19-25 | 5/5/2024 | Pastor Derek Berry, Gospel of Christ Church. Pastor Berry preaches from the book of Hebrews examining the blessed gathering of the saints each time we meet for church to focus on Christ, drawing near with confidence, holding fast to our confession of faith, and considering each other in community.
Acts 1-2 | 4/28/2024 | Pastor Matt Jones. Pastor Matt gives an overview of the birth of the Church in Acts 1 and 2, which chronicles how the Lord Jesus Christ began to fulfill his word to build his church. This message will cover how the church began, how it grew, and what our role today in the Lord’s mission. All hands on deck!
Luke 4-5, 14 | 4/21/2024 | Pastor Matt Jones. As Pastor Matt has preached the gospel of Christ's death and resurrection on Good Friday and Easter, he now turns to the question of what happens after we put our trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation. We become disciples - that is, learners and followers of Jesus. What does it look like to be faithfully following and flourishing?
Matthew 28:16-20 | 4/14/2024 | Pastor Matt Jones. Pastor Matt preached on Good Friday and Easter Sunday about Christ's death and resurrection. Last week, he taught us the first part of Matthew 28, more on the resurrection of Jesus. Today, he teaches us from the rest of Matthew 28, where Jesus commands us to go out into the world. But He also stays with us and gives us the power to carry out His mission.
Matthew 28:1-15 | 4/7/2024 | Pastor Matt Jones. As a follow-up to Easter, celebrating the resurrection of Jesus the Christ, we learn more about His resurrection from Scripture in the last chapter of the gospel according to the apostle Matthew.
Luke 24 | Easter | 3/31/2024 | Pastor Matt Jones. Pastor Matt preaches the glorious resurrection of Christ on this Resurrection Sunday.
Psalm 22 | Good Friday | 3/29/2024 | Pastor Matt Jones. Pastor Matt preaches on Good Friday, commemorating the crucifixion and death of Jesus, His atonement for humanity's sins.
John 11:55-12:36 | Pastor Matt Jones | Palm Sunday, March 24, 2024. In our study through the book of Esther, we learned that the festival of Purim was established as part of that narrative. This year, Palm Sunday and Purim fall on the same date. How are they linked?
Esther 8-10 | Faithful to Fulfill, Part 23 | 3/17/2024 | Pastor Matt Jones. Pastor Matt concludes the Book of Esther by emphasizing the grace of God to protect His people, even when His people neglect Him and disobey Him. How gracious is the Lord!
Esther 4:1-6:13 | Faithful to Fulfill, Part 21 | 3/3/2024 | Pastor Matt Jones. Mordecai, having provoked the murderous and Haman to start a genocide against the Jews in Persia, now pressures Esther into trying to influence the king. Many role reversals show that God is ultimately in control of the situation.
Esther 2:19-3:15 | Faithful to Fulfill, Part 20 | 2/25/2024 | Pastor Matt Jones. We continue our Faithful to Fulfill series on Israel's history after the exile to Babylon with the continuing story of Esther. This week, we see how Mordecai, having gained inside information to thwart the king's assassination, then makes an enemy of Haman. Haman then manipulates the king into ordering the genocide of Jews in Persia.
Esther 1:1-2:18 | Faithful to Fulfill, Part 19 | 2/18/2024 | Pastor Matt Jones. "Faithful to Fulfill" is Pastor Matt's study of God as revealed in post-Exilic Scripture, namely the Old Testament books of Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. The Exile refers to the captivity of the southern Jewish nation of Judah by the world power Babylon for 70 years, and subsequent release by the Medo-Persian Empire under God's sovereignty and providence. In the opening two chapters of Esther, we see men exercising oppressive power over women for nefarious desires and agendas. How will God use for good that which others have intended for evil?
Acts 17:26 and Other Scriptures | 2/11/2024 | Pastor Matt Jones. Last week, our guest speaker Dr. Tuvya Zaretsky preached on “Why Israel Still Matters.” This week, Pastor Matt builds on this foundation with “Why the Nations Matter.” What is God’s plan for the nations in coordination with Israel? With the Super Bowl today that attracts nations around the world to watch our culture, it is a unique Sunday for us to consider how Christ’s church and the people of Israel are used by God to attract a much bigger global audience to display something far greater than American football, that is, the Savior of the Nations—Jesus the Christ.
Our guest preacher Tuvya Zaretsky of Jews for Jesus tells us why Israel still matters. The modern state of Israel has been in the news a lot in recent months with the attack by Hamas and its counter-attack. Tuvya will explain why Israel matters in God's unchanging, eternal plan. Because God chose Israel. Because God shows His love and loyalty in His relationship with Israel. Because God proves His character to Israel His people.
Psalm 121-122 | New Year, Same Ol’ Thing, Part 4 | 1/28/2024 | Pastor Matt Jones. Pastor Matt continues through this series emphasizing our commitment to God’s everlasting ways rather than newfangled trends. With this in mind, this message explores the way ahead in the New Year with all of the new Sundays that our great and gracious God has given us for our good and His glory.
Psalm 139 | New Year, Same Ol’ Thing, Part 3 | 1/21/2024 | Pastor Matt Jones. Pastor Matt teaches through Psalm 139 and discusses some implications that is pertinent to today's culture. Even in a new year, we celebrate the immutable, triune God who is omniscient (all-knowing), omnipresent (everywhere), and omnipotent (all-powerful).
Various Scriptures | New Year, Same Ol’ Thing, Part 2 | 1/14/2024 | Pastor Matt Jones. In part two of this study, Pastor Matt continues to admonish Del Rey Church in 2024 to stick to the same ol’ plan God has clearly laid out in His word, preach the Gospel.
Various Scriptures | New Year, Same Ol’ Thing, Part 1 | 1/1/2023 | Pastor Matt Jones. Happy New Year! As we embark on a new year, Pastor Matt wants to remind us that even though we’ve turned the page on a new year, Del Rey Church intends to keep proclaiming the same gospel of God, from the same Bible of old, about the same Lord and savior, Jesus Christ.
Luke 2 and other Scriptures | Christmas Christology, Part 5 | 12/31/2023 | Pastor Matt Jones. In this conclusion to our Christmas series, we explore the early years of Jesus and what His earthly life means for humanity. What was the purpose of the Word of God becoming incarnate, and how does this relate to us?
Various Scriptures | Part 4 | 12/24/2023 | Pastor Matt Jones. It's Christmas Eve! Christmas, of course, is about a baby being born. A birth doesn't happen without conception. And in this special, indeed unique, case, the conception happened in a virgin. Why did God make that happen? How do we know it is historically true and not a fairy tale? Why is it important that Jesus was born after a miraculous conception? How does this affect our theology, in particular our Christology, and our daily lives in practice?
Various Scriptures | 12/17/2023 | Pastor Matt Jones. We can best enjoy Christmas if we understand who Jesus is. Jesus is fully and completely God. Jesus is also fully and completely human. The divine and human natures of Jesus are distinct. The divine and human natures of Jesus Christ are completely united in one person. This is a wonderful doctrine called the hypostatic union.
Various Scriptures | 12/10/2023 | Pastor Matt Jones. In our Christmas Christology series, we turn this week to the affirmation that Jesus is fully human. If Jesus is not human, we have no revelation of God. If Jesus is not human, we have no salvation. So Christmas is of first importance to us.
Various Scriptures | 12/3/2023 | Pastor Matt Jones. It’s Christmas time, which means it’s time to commemorate and celebrate the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God who became a human being, starting off as a little baby born in Bethlehem. As this concept can be confusing, Pastor Matt will teach on who Jesus is and His nature in the Christmas Christology series.
Various Scriptures | 11/26/2023 | Pastor Matt Jones. Pastor Matt concludes our National Adoption Month series, A Family Made In Heaven, with a message explaining how our adoption into the family of God is the mission and heart of God and how that should always lead us to celebrate the Savior together.
1 John 3 | 11/19/2023 | Pastor Matt Jones. In part 3 of our sermon series A Family Made in Heaven, Pastor Matt explains how our adoption as sons is much more than a metaphor. Because of our sinfulness, we are children of the devil. But through the loving act of adoption, we’re made children of God through the will and work of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, by grace alone.
Various Scriptures | 11/12/2023 | Pastor Matt Jones. In part 2 of our sermon series A Family Made in Heaven, Pastor Matt explains the Spirit’s role in our adoption into God’s family. In order to fully understand what our adoption means, we must understand God as the Trinity and the work of the Spirit as a person in the Godhead.
Various Scriptures | 11/5/2023 | Pastor Matt Jones. In honor of National Adoption Month, Pastor Matt begins a sermon series on adoption. Why do we adopt? Because our Heavenly Father in heaven adopts his enemies as sons and daughters through Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Pastor Matt explains how even if you are not called to adopt, you can still support in the care of orphans, most notably by prayer.
1 Timothy 3, Titus 1 | 1029/2023 | Pastor Matt Jones. October is Pastor Appreciation Month. As it draws to a close, we learn about the qualifications and roles of pastors in the church.
Gen. 12, 15, 17; Deut. 7:6-9; Matt. 1-28; Rom. 9-11 | 10/22/2023 | Pastor Matt Jones. God planned and executed the origination and growth and purposes of the nation of Israel, including the rise of the Messiah who would die for the sins of humankind. What is God's plan for Israel? It is good for us to understand in light of the current war between the modern Israel and Hamas.
Matthew 3:13-17 | 10/25/2023 | Pastor Matt Jones. Today we celebrate and perform the baptisms of 5 new believers, Ernesto and Jessica, Corbin, David, and Setareh. What does baptism mean? What does repentance mean? How do they go together along with the Good News of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus the Messiah, our Lord and Savior?
Matthew 1:1-3:12 | 10/8/2023 | Pastor Matt Jones. In preparation for Baptism Sunday next week, we explore the ministry of John the Baptist. He is the audacious forerunner preparing the way, calling for repentance. His audience responded to the gracious invitation to repent. Will we?
Matthew 8:14-22 | 10/1/2023 | Pastor Matt Jones. In today's sermon, we learn about the sufficiency of Christ (anyone can come to Jesus); the efficiency of Christ (but who actually will come to Christ); and the discipleship of Christ (who will follow Christ). Jesus Christ is in fact Lord, and while being gracious to save us out of mere mercy, He nevertheless does demand that we follow Him.
Mark 9: 30-10:31 | 9/24/2023 | Pastor Matt Jones. Brat-like behavior resides in all of us, no matter age or status. Pastor Matt teaches that through discipleship, we can examine our bratty tendencies and confront them with the Gospel of Christ.
Luke 15:11-32 | 9/17/2023 | Pastor Matt Jones. This Lord’s Day, pastor Matt takes a fresh look at the parable of the Prodigal Son, examining the meaning of the word “prodigal,” how each person the parable is prodigal, and how the parable addresses our sin, self-righteousness, and God's grace towards us.
Various Scriptures | 9/10/2023 | Pastor Matt Jones. God’s word teaches that the heart is deceitful above all things. Yet the culture pushes the idea that you should always follow your heart. Pastor Matt explores the problem of the heart, the origins of our fallen hearts, and the solution to the heart which come from the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Ecclesiastes 5 | 9/3/2023 | Pastor Matt Jones. God is holy, and He is wholly different and distinct from everything else, which is His creation. The book of Ecclesiastes was written to reach unbelievers through a "cultural apologetic" so that they might straighten out their thinking, acting, and values, and prepare for God's judgment of sin. It was also written to explain to believers and unbelievers about the meaning of life, the fear of God, and the vanity of worldly pursuits.
Various Scriptures | 8/27/2023 | Pastor Matt Jones. It is said that blood runs thicker than water. In other words, we should be prioritize relationships with blood relatives over relationships with people we are not related to genetically. But the Bible says, essentially, that Spirit runs thicker than blood. Or put another way, those joined together by the blood of Jesus are in a stronger bond than even those who are biological siblings or parents-children. How do we live by this biblical teaching, both in our daily and strategic long-term life choices we make?
Mark 1:1-20 | 8/20/2023 | Pastor Matt Jones. Mark 1:1-20 | 8/20/2023 | Pastor Matt Jones. In today's message, we read from the opening of the Gospel of Mark. Pastor Matt exposits the biblical text where Jesus gave his early followers a mission, and we ask and answer the question, how do we apply His commands to understand our mission in the modern world?
Psalm 51:1-19 (cf. 2 Samuel 11-12) | 8/13/2023 | Pastor Matt Jones. Today we baptize a few new believers in Christ. From Psalm 51, we learn that God is holy and thus naturally distant from sinners. God is gracious and thus freely cleansing sinners. God is joyful and thus happy to renew sinners. And God is worthy and thus we worship Him and share His good news.
1 Corinthians 10, 11, 15; and Romans 6:3-7 | 8/6/2023 | Pastor Matt Jones. In this Lord's Day sermon, we focus on the essentials of the gospel and how we picture them in the church. This sermon will lead into our upcoming baptism Sunday on August 13, and prepare us for our mission in the month of August.
Psalm 54 | 7/30/2023 | Michael James Warren. Our guest preacher Michael James Warren from Sovereign Grace Church in Bakersfield teaches us from Psalm 54 important lessons from when King David was fleeing for his life. David asked the LORD for salvation and vindication, and he praised the LORD for His help.
Philippians 1:1-14 | Pastor Matt Jones | 7/23/2023. Pastor Matt preaches to us from the book of Philippians, reminding us of our calling in Christ to advance the gospel through giving our time, talents, and treasures.
Mark 10:17-31 | 7/16/2023 | Pastor John Lee, Bethany Baptist Church. Pastor Lee preaches from the Gospel of Mark examining Jesus’ encounter with the rich young ruler and the one thing he lacked in his walk.
1 Timothy 3 and Titus | 7/9/2023 | Pastor Matt Jones. What sort of mentality should we endeavor to have as Christians who live in a major metropolis? Pastor Matt examines this question as we consider our own calling in our own city as our missionaries have returned to their work out in the field.
Acts 20:13-21:2 | 7/2/2023 | Paster Matt Jones. As our congregation sends missionaries back out into the field, Pastor Matt preaches a message from the book of Acts, focusing on an example of believers coming together to say goodbye to a beloved missionary for the last time.
Various Scriptures | 6/25/2023 | Brad Buser. Brad Buser, founder of Radius International shares on his mission work in obeying Jesus’ command to go into all the word and proclaim the Gospel to the nations in all their languages.
John 8:30-59 | 6/18/2023 | Pastor Matt Jones. On this Father’s day, Pastor Matt reflects on Jesus’ teaching in John 8 that everyone on earth belongs to one of two fathers, namely to God the Father or to the fallen father, i.e., the Devil.
Various Scriptures | 6/11/2023 | Pastor Matt Jones. Building on last week's message, Pastor Matt brings us a message on biblical love and how it contrasts with our culture’s view of love, but more importantly how biblical love and the gospel stands to free our fallen world from confusion and debt against a holy and loving God.
Various Scriptures | 6/4/2023 | Pastor Matt Jones. Pastor Matt offers a timely message to help believers navigate the month of June in this 2023, which has become a contested and cancelling season for those with a commitment to biblical sexual ethics and traditional marriage.
Various Scriptures | Pentecost Sunday 5/28/2023 | Pastor Matt Jones. Pastor Matt leads us in our celebration of Pentecost Sunday, teaching on how God The Father poured out His Holy Spirit after the ascension of our risen Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and how the Holy Spirit indwells and empowers us to do the Father’s will.
Various Scriptures | Ascension Sunday 5/21/2023 | Pastor Matt Jones. In today's worship service, we celebrate the Ascension of Jesus. Pastor Matt invites us to consider the importance of this holiday in our faith calendar. He preaches on the significance of Jesus coming to the earth and leaving it, which has immense bearing on our daily lives.
Genesis 16 | 5/14/2023 | Pastor Anthony Kidd. Guest Pastor Anthony Kidd shares a word of comfort for struggling mothers on this Mother’s Day Sunday. In a time in our culture where motherhood can be undervalued, Pastor Kidd looks to the story of Hagar and how God sees her struggles and promises to provide through her struggles in motherhood.
John 15:1-17 | 5/7/2023 | Marcelo Pinell. Brother Marcelo preaches on Jesus the Son’s identification as the True Vine and God the Father’s role as the Gardener and how these truths are good news full of hope and encouragement in the midst of the disciples’ fear, confusion, and uncertainty.
Psalms 63 | 4/30/2023 | Pastor P.J. Tibayan. This Lord’s day, Pastor P.J. Tibayan of Bethany Baptist Church preaches from the book of Psalms a message of looking to God, praising God, trusting God, and hoping in God in order to find true hope when you feeling like you’re stuck in the wilderness.
Hebrews 10:19-29 | 4/23/2023 | Pastor John Lee, Bethany Baptist Church. Pastor Lee unpacks more from the tenth chapter of the book of Hebrews by examining some commands, consequences and confidence the author leaves believers with in our Savior Jesus Christ.
Various Scriptures | 4/16/2023 | Pastor Matt Jones. At the end of today's worship service, we baptized three new believers in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. What is baptism, and why do we do it? In short, it is because of the Sovereign, the situation, the subjects, and the scandal. So what? Let's find out.
1 Corinthians 15:1-19 | Easter Sunday 4/9/2023 | Pastor Matt Jones. Our current culture is inundated with what has been called "fake news" - fabricated narratives that obscure the truth. The resurrection of Jesus, however, is true - despite thousands of years of efforts of those who disbelieve the credible and plausible historical narratives.
Various Scripture | 4/7/2023 | Pastor Matt Jones. In this Good Friday sermon, Pastor Matt talks about the immutability of God and his unchanging plan to provide forgiveness of sin.
Luke 19:28-40 | 4/2/2023 | Marcelo Pinell. Happy Palm Sunday! Fellow Del Rey Church member Marcelo Pinell preaches his first Sunday sermon on Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem as King on Palm Sunday over two-thousand years ago.
Ezra 7:1-28 | Faithful to Fulfill, Part 18 | 3/26/2023 | Pastor Matt Jones. Sometimes the LORD demonstrates His power by turning the hearts of pagan foreign powers so that they do His work more zealously than His own people do. In Ezra 7, we see the non-Jewish government of Persia freely giving massive amounts of funding to the Jews - and also granting tax-exempt status to the worship of the LORD. How does this relate to our current day as Christians in America?
Ezra 6:13-7:10 | Faithful to Fulfill, Part 17 | 3/19/2023 | Pastor Matt Jones. The LORD was faithful to restore Israel to the Promised Land. Israel faced temptations and opposition to rebuild the Temple of God. The application for us is we also face competing temptations and opposition to do our work - to preach the gospel, make disciples, and thereby build the church or the temple of God, which is made of people and not building materials. How will we respond to a good and faithful God?
Ezra 5-6 | Faithful to Fulfill, Part 16 | 3/12/2023 | Pastor Matt Jones. It has been a while since Part 15, but now Pastor Matt takes up once again the history of post-exilic Israel. In this Part 16 of the series, we learn that Israel is being opposed by pagan forces, but the LORD is faithful to fulfill His promises, even ordaining foreign kings to make His plan come together.
Micah 6:8 | Work, Part 6 | 3/5/2023 | Pastor Tony Shen. Imagine a world in which we never had to deal with ethical problems at work. Is it possible? Not this side of heaven. But how do we deal with ethical challenges in business in the meantime, in today's world? What should our attitude and response be when we witness, or even participate in, sinful behavior and unjust systems? The prophet Micah preached and prophesied against unethical business practices in his day, and the word given to him by the LORD still instructs us today.
Eph. 4:17-25 | 2/26/2023 | Pastor Matt Jones. The Apostle Paul uses a clothing metaphor to illustrate how we must be transformed, by the grace and power of God, into new selves.
Ephesians 4:7–16 | 2/19/2023 | Pastor Matt Jones. In Today’s sermon, Pastor Matt talks about the make up of Christ’s church with regard to it’s Order, Ordinances, and Orthodoxy, and how the gifts given to the church should add to our unity in the Gospel and in Christ.
Revelation 1-3 | 2/12/2023 | Pastor Matt Jones. The President of our nation gave his State of the Union address earlier this week. Jesus, the Lord of the "holy nation" of believers in Him, has also given a State of the Union address to the church in the first few chapters of Revelation. Pastor Matt surveys the letters to the church and address the Church’s needs in Christ.
1 Corinthians 10:23-11:1 | Work, Part 5 | 2/5/2023 | Pastor Tony Shen. In part five of our study on Work, Pastor Shen explores three godly motives for our work and how we can imitate God in our work for His’ glory, for others’ good, and our own joy.
In this message, with our encouragement for folks to read through the Bible in 2023, Pastor Matt offers a sermonic overview of the entire Bible. The sermon outline (which you can find on our app or website) is loaded with helpful content that will make for a nice bookmark for reading through the Bible this year.
1 Samuel & 2 Samuel 1-12 | 1/22/2023 | Pastor Matt Jones. We continue where we left off last Sunday, in 2 Samuel chapter 12. Pastor Matt ties the ancient text of Scripture to our contemporary moment, especially with this being "Right to Life" Sunday. Several United States Presidents, who opposed the legalization of killing babies in the womb granted by the Supreme Court in Roe v. Wade, declared this weekend a national somber remembrance and reflection, acknowledging one of our nation’s greatest corporate sins. We seek the Lord for our nation’s transgressions and our own personal sins, giving thanks that our triune God has chosen to be so gracious to us in Jesus Christ.
1 Samuel & 2 Samuel 1-11 | 1/15/2023. God says in the Scriptures that David was "a man after My own heart" (1 Samuel 13:14). But David also sinned greatly against the LORD, and so he is not only a positive example for us, but a negative one as well. And his great sin of adultery, lying, coveting, and murder is probably worse than you've previously been taught.
Acts 1:1-11 | Dr. Craig Ott | 1/8/2023. Dr. Craig Ott of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (TEDS) teaches us from the first chapter of Acts what the Lord Jesus wants us to do to be witnesses as we eagerly await for Him to establish the coming Kingdom.
Romans 8: 1-39 | The Conceiving of Christmas, Part 5 | 1/1/2023 | Pastor Matt Jones. Pastor Matt concludes our five part Christmas series reviewing the Book of Romans and explaining how virgin conception in Christmas past prepares believers today for Christmas future.
Hebrews 1-13 | The Conceiving of Christmas, Part 4 | 12/25/2022 | Pastor Matt Jones. Happy Lord’s Day and Merry Christmas from Del Rey Church! Continuing through our Christmas sermons series, Pastor Matt explores our relationship to Christ as high priest in the Book of Hebrews.
Titus 1-2 | The Conceiving of Christmas, Part 3 | 12/24/2022 | Pastor Matt Jones. In part three of our Christmas series, Pastor Matt continues to unpack the importance of the virgin conception to our Christian faith.
Genesis 3 | The Conceiving of Christmas, Part 2 | 12/18/2022 | Pastor Matt Jones. In part two of our Christmas series, we examine the doctrine of the virgin conception and establish how it is crucial to our faith and how it ties the biblical story of redemption together.
Genesis 2 & 3 | The Conceiving of Christmas, Part 1 | 12/11/2022 | Pastor Matt Jones. We unpack the importance of the virgin conception of the Son of God that we celebrate at Christmas.
Selections from Ecclesiastes | Work, Part 4 | 12/4/2022 | Pastor Tony Shen. Is work pointless? For that matter, is life pointless? If not, then what gives life and work meaning? We turn to the book of Ecclesiastes to gain insight from God's word.
Psalm 106 | 11/27/2022 | Pastor Tony Shen. Psalm 106 is a song of thanksgiving and praise for the almighty LORD. In it, the people sing of God's repeated love, mercy, and discipline despite His chosen people's repeated sins and unfaithfulness. How can we learn from ancient Israel's experiences?
Hebrews 10:1-18 | Pastor John Lee, Bethany Baptist Church. Trust in Jesus, the better, true, finished sacrifice. Turn away from useless shadows. Turn to the sanctifying sacrifice. Trust in the seated Savior.
Lk 18:18-30, 2 Thes 3:6-13, Col 3:22-4:1, Eph 6:5-9 | Work, Part 3 | 11/13/2022 | Pastor Tony Shen. Work is very important in our society and our lives. Is it too important to us? Alternatively, maybe work is something we barely tolerate and consequently slack off on. How does God help us how to understand how to avoid both errors?
1 Samuel 8 | 11/6/2022 | Vincent Bacote. Our guest preacher takes us to the Israelites' sinful decision to reject the LORD as their king in favor of a human king. How does their idolatry compel us to examine the idolatry in our own hearts, in our own culture, in our own times?
1& 2 Timothy ; Titus | Part 4 | 10/30/2022 | Pastor Matt Jones. In this final sermon in the series, we learn from the Pastoral Epistles how we as ambassadors of Christ are organized into embassies. In other words, with the pastors (elders) leading, the partners (deacons) helping, and the people (in membership) serving.
Luke 11:14-26, Acts 16:16-24 | 10/23/2022 | Pastor Matt Jones. Demons are real. The Bible speaks a lot about them. How should we as Christians face challenges that come from the enemy?
Luke 16:1-13 | 10/26/2022 | Pastor Matt Jones. The Scriptures call us Christians "ambassadors of Christ." What happens when the ambassadors get affluenza - the "psychological malaise supposedly affecting wealthy young people, symptoms of which include a lack of motivation, feelings of guilt, and a sense of isolation" ? Luke chapter 16 gives us insight.
2 Cor. 5:14-21 | 10/9/2022 | Pastor Matt Jones. In this week's sermon, we explore the biblical concept of God's Kingdom and how we represent it on earth while we await the return of our King Jesus.
Exodus 31, 35-38 | Work, Part 2 | 10/2/2022 | Pastor Tony Shen. We often think of "vocation" as "occupation," "job," or "career"; like "vocational education." But the original and theological meaning of vocation comes from the Latin word "to call." It is a calling. How can we understand God's calling? We explore examples from the building of the tabernacle to help us learn.
Luke 16:1-31 | 9/25/2022 | Pastor Matt Jones. In this sermon, we give attention to the neglected topic of hell, specifically what the Bible says about it, and our hope in Christ who rescues His people from this just punishment in the afterlife. We also reflect on the practical significance of this doctrine for our life, witness, and worship.
Psalm 23 | 9/18/2022 | Pastor Matt Jones. Psalm 23 is very well known - "The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want" - but poorly understood. In this sermon, Pastor Matt places this beloved psalm in its proper cultural and Scriptural context.
1 Peter 4:7-11, Psalm 100 | 9/11/2022 | Pastor Matt Jones. We human beings were made to serve. Primarily, we were made by God to serve Him. In this text, Peter speaks of the end of all things, and in that light, we should have self-control over our minds, love and be hospitable to one another, use our gifts to serve others, gospelize our neighbors, and glorify God in all that we do. This, in turn, is in the context that God through Christ has served us: "For the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45).
Genesis 1-3 | 9/4/2022 | Pastor Tony Shen. On this Labor Day weekend, we consider work. In what ways do we think about it, ordinarily? How did God work to create the heavens and the earth and humankind? How did He make us to work? How does sin affect our work? How is the gospel of Jesus Christ the solution to our work troubles?
Luke 18:9-34 | 8/28/2022 | Pastor Matt Jones. It's a joyous day at Del Rey Church as four young believers are being baptized for their faith and trust in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of their sins. What does Jesus have to say about children and the role of grown-ups who are around them?
James 1, 4; Psalm 13; John 11 | 8/21/2022 | Pastor Matt Jones. Pain is an inevitable part of life. God knows this. The Lord Jesus, God in the flesh, experienced both emotional pain and physical pain. How should we understand and process the reality of pain with God and with each other?
Psalm 62, 77 | 8/14/2022 | Pastor Matt Jones. How do we process a terrible loss? One of our dear church families experienced just such a loss this week, and by extension, our entire church family also grieves this loss. Therefore, we turn to God our Father and His Son the Lord Jesus Christ, our Refuge and our Redeemer. May the LORD have mercy as we mourn.
Various Scriptures | 8/7/2022 | Pastor Matt Jones. Baptism is for believers in Jesus Christ as a symbol of the inner washing from sin that we experience. Baptism is also a symbol of our security in our Lord and Savior. And many are not saved even though the wrath of God is coming. So we ought to share the Good News of Jesus with everyone we know.
James 4:1-12 | 7/31/2022 | John Lee. Our guest preacher, Pastor John Lee of Bethany Baptist Church in Bellflower, teaches us this piercing message from the Scriptures that is clear to understand, but difficult to obey. May the Holy Spirit empower us to do so, and may we turn to the cross of Christ for grace and mercy when we miss the mark.
Isaiah 36-37 | 7/24/2022 | Eric Zeller. Our guest preacher Eric Zeller of Gulf Theological Seminary reminds us that those who oppose Christianity in our day believe that their victory in the battle of ideas is inevitable. But drawing from the invasion of Judah by Assyria in the prophet Isaiah's time, he teaches us that theological challenges require theological courage.
2 Cor. 3:1-4:6 | 7/17/2022 | Ryan Richards. In this sermon, we learn of the glory of God and the grace He has given us to be forgiven of sin through the Lord Jesus Christ His Son. We who were once perishing then proclaim the Good News to a perishing world - all to God's glory.
Psalm 23 | 7/10/2022 | Bobby Scott. Our guest preacher, Pastor Bobby Scott of Community of Faith Bible Church in Los Angeles, explores Psalm 23 with us and shows us how Jesus cares for His sheep.
Proverbs 6 and 21 | 7/3/2022 | Pastor Matt Jones. In this week’s sermon, Pastor Matt equips us to think about the recent rumblings in our culture around Roe v. Wade. He gives us a careful look into the sacred text of Scripture with consideration of the scientific data regarding human life. We learn common sense rationality in response to the godless, unscientific rhetoric of our day. More than an apologetic engagement, the sermon levels us all at the foot of the cross of Calvary, as we see our sin and need for the Savior, who has graciously come.
Matt. 28:18-20, Luke 24:46-49 | 6/26/2022 | Chad Vegas. What is the message of the mission that the Lord Jesus has given to us Christians? What is the scope of that mission? Our guest preacher, Pastor Chad Vegas of Sovereign Grace Church in Bakersfield, leads us as we learn the answers to these questions.
Genesis 6, 19; Revelation 16, 19 | Making Sense of Violence, Part 4 | 6/19/2022 | Pastor Matt Jones. We conclude our series on understanding why God allows violence and evil, reviewing the varieties of theodicies (justifications of God) and showing from the Scriptures that God will in fact use violence at the end of all things to bring about justice.
John 3, 9; Job; Genesis 3; Romans | Making Sense of Violence, Part 3 | 6/12/2022 | Pastor Matt Jones. How do we make sense of when natural disasters strike? Is God not in control? If He does, why doesn't He stop them? We continue our theodicy (a defense or justification of God) in this edifying sermon.
Various Scriptures | Making Sense of Violence, Part 2 | 6/5/2022 | Pastor Matt Jones. When horrible evil takes place, where is God? Does God not have enough power to stop it? Does God not see evil coming? Have we misunderstood the relationship of evil and power? How do we reconcile God's omnipotence and the existence of evil?
Genesis 1-3 | Making Sense of Violence, Part 1 | 5/29/2022 | Pastor Matt Jones. Once again this week we are confronted with horrific evil, this time the mass murder of 19 schoolchildren and 2 teachers in Texas. We can justifiably ask, where was God on Tuesday? Was He somehow unable, or perhaps unwilling, to prevent such evil? As Christians, what is a biblical answer we can give to ourselves and to others?
Various Scriptures | 5/22/2022 | Pastor Matt Jones. Recent mass murders once again shock us. Why do things like this happen? What's going on? God through the Scriptures tells us that it's our fallen, depraved, sinful natures. Not only those who commit shocking murders, but all of us. We are all depraved and sinful. And that is why all of us need Jesus.
Various Scriptures | 5/15/2022 | Pastor Matt Jones. Pastor Matt takes us on a scriptural study of salvation and mission. The basic message of Christianity is that God, out of only His grace and not due to any goodness on the part of any human beings, chooses some sinful human beings to be saved by believing in Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, who became a man so that He could die on the cross to atone for those sins. How then should those who have been saved now live? What is the mission that God and Christ have given us?
1 Samuel 1-2 | Mother's Day 5/8/2022 | Pastor Matt Jones. On Mother's Day, we turn to the Scriptures concerning Hannah, the mother of the prophet Samuel. What can we learn from her suffering and godly example? How can we apply what we know to today's societal upheaval over pregnancy, motherhood, and gender?
1 Peter 1-2; Matt. 16:13-28 | 5/1/2022 | Pastor Matt Jones. Our church is now half the size it was two years ago. COVID, economic and political conditions in LA and California, and other factors have caused many people to move - and of course, others to join. But we are not called to discouragement. We are called to faithful preaching and discipleship and prayer, trusting in the Lord, because the Scripture teaches us that Christ will build His church.
Various Scriptures | 4/24/2022 | Pastor Matt Jones. "First fruits." Strange phrase. What does it mean and why is it important for us to know this concept from the Bible, especially in light of Jesus' resurrection on Easter?
Various Scriptures | Easter 4/17/2022 | Pastor Matt Jones. Death is dead, love has won, Christ has conquered. The story of the resurrection of Christ, which we celebrate on Easter, is a story of God's love.
Various Scriptures | Good Friday 4/15/2022 | Pastor Matt Jones. Jesus was not a victim, but a volunteer. Jesus was not a sinner, but a substitute. Jesus was not merely an example, but an expiation.
Luke 19:28-20:26 | Palm Sunday, 4/10/2022 | Pastor Matt Jones. On Palm Sunday 2000 years ago, Jesus entered Jerusalem. Many supposed that He was there to become the Messiah King of Israel. They misunderstood His purpose at that time. If we are not careful, we too may misunderstand the identity and work of Jesus.
Luke 19:1-27 | 4/3/2022 | Pastor Matt Jones. As we approach the most important date on the Christian calendar - Easter - so do the Scriptures. In this episode from the gospel of Luke, we learn about Jesus' encounter with Zaccheus the tax collector. What can we learn - including what have we missed - regarding Zaccheus?
Gen. 1-3; Ezek. 38-39; Dan. 2, 7-12; Matt. 24-25; Rev. 19-21 | 3/27/2022 | Pastor Matt Jones. The Russian invasion of Ukraine is the latest in many armed conflicts over recent decades. We Christians are often aware that the Bible speaks of the proliferation of war as one of the signs of the end times. How should we think of what's going on today?
Psalm 100:1-3 | 3/20/2022 | Kevin Kidd. The Scriptures encourage us to worship God joyfully!
Colossians 1:15-23 | 3/13/2022 | Andrey Gorban. Our guest preacher Andrey Gorban reflects on the difficulties of COVID and the tensions of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and asks, what joy and hope can be found amidst such struggles? Ultimately, only the joy and hope of Jesus, who is both preeminent as God, and our Redeemer as man who died for our sins and resurrected to overcome death.
Zechariah 12-14 | Faithful to Fulfill, Part 15 | 3/6/2022 | Pastor Matt Jones. Zechariah 12-14 prophesies the destruction of those who oppose and attack Jerusalem; the grace of the LORD toward Israel and those nations that stand with her; His cleansing of His people; and the deliverance leading to peace, security, and prosperity. It is a glorious future worthy of us turning to the LORD through His Son the Messiah!
Zechariah 9-11 | Faithful to Fulfill, Part 14 | 2/27/2022 | Pastor Matt Jones. Zechariah 9-11 tells us the word of the LORD regarding conflicts among world powers, the coming of the Messiah, and God's heart for the spiritually lost but also His wrath toward the unrepentant.
Zechariah 7-8 | Faithful to Fulfill, Part 13 | 2/20/2022. In Zechariah 7-8, we explore the topic of fasting. Israel obeyed the command to fast, but with mixed motives. What good things do we do with mixed motives?
1 John 4:19, John 13:34-35,15:12-17 | 2/13/2022 | Pastor Tony Shen. "No greater love..." God loves us. God has Super Love for us. On this Super Bowl Sunday and the day before Valentine's Day, what are a few things we can we learn from the Scriptures about how the Lord loves us and how we should reflect that love to Him and extend that love to our neighbors and to one another?
1 Timothy 6:6-10,17-19 | 2/6/2022 | Pastor Tony Shen. Our culture is obsessed with money, getting rich, spending, and consuming. God, by stark contrast, wants us to be content with what we have and to be generous and ready to share. "For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil." How can Christians, already blessed by the unspeakable riches of Christ our ultimate treasure, be encouraged to share our treasure?
Mark 10:17-45 | 1/30/2022 | Pastor Matt Jones. Jesus is not merely "a" way; He is "the way." He is so gloriously valuable above anything else in this life that it is worth giving up everything we have in this life in order to follow Him and be with Him.
Exodus 1-2 | 1/23/2022 | Pastor Matt Jones. As the Book of Exodus opens, God's people are under oppression and slavery by the Egyptians. Pharoah goes so far as to order the death of all of the male babies to prevent the continued growing and strengthening of the Jewish population. How does this relate to the slaughter of many innocents by abortion in our day?
1 Corinthians 3:5-9 | Pastor Matt Jones | 1/16/2022. Jesus commissioned it. The Holy Spirit empowered it. The church continues it. What is it? Gospel growth. Healthy things grow. Let's understand the message, the method, and the mindset of the mission.
Various Scriptures | Pastor Matt Jones | 1/9/2022. In this sermon, Pastor Matt teaches us a biblical theology of the mission of the church and discipleship through catechism. A catechism is a method of teaching using questions and memorized answers. It has been in wide use in both the Roman Catholic and Protestant traditions for centuries. Del Rey Church is following a catechism throughout the year as we have the past several years. Why? Let's find out.
Matt. 10:32-29, Luke 2, 14 | Fake/Fact Christmas News, Part 5 | 12/26/2021 | Pastor Matt Jones. Reading and understanding the Bible challenges our commonly held (mis)conceptions about Christmas, doesn't it? "Peace on Earth?" continues to challenge us as we consider WHY the Son of God became a man and WHAT we should do with our knowledge of that glorious Good News.
Various Scriptures | Fake/Fact Christmas News, Part 4 | Christmas Eve 2021 | Pastor Matt Jones. Merry Christmas! Considering the traditional Christmas carol "Away in a Manger," how have our conceptions of the Advent birth of our Lord, and more importantly the theology of the incarnation of the Son of God itself, been shaped by this and other songs? What can we learn from the Bible about the true nature of Christ our Lord, the God-man?
Matthew 1-2 and Luke 1-2 | Fake/Fact Christmas News, Part 3 | 12/19/2021 | Pastor Matt Jones. Christmas week is here! Our knowledge of the early event of Jesus' life may be colored by Nativity scenes, church re-enactments, and even Christmas movies. How do the historical accounts in the New Testament gospels say it all really happened?
Jer. 10 and Luke 1-2 | Fake/Fact Christmas News, Part 2 | 12/12/2021 | Pastor Matt Jones. Continuing our Advent series, we explore the historical realities of our Christmas traditions and compare them to the false narratives that have arisen. In today's sermon: are Christmas trees actually pagan?
Assorted Scriptures | 12/5/2021 | Rich Freeman. What's the greatest day in Jewish history? The day the Jewish Messiah came to earth. The Scriptures tell us how the Messiah would come, where the Messiah would come, when the Messiah would come, and why the Messiah would come.
Acts 17:10-34 | Fake/Fact Christmas News, Part 1 | 11/28/2021 | Pastor Matt Jones. Advent 2021 has come. We Christians are celebrating the coming of the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. Yet in our culture, many people misrepresent Christianity and Christmas. How do we interact with our culture to share the love of Christ with everyone?
2 Timothy 4 | 11/21/2021 | Pastor Matt Jones. As we mourn the recent passings of loved ones, we turn to the Apostle Paul's writings at the end of his life in his second epistle to his beloved spiritual son Timothy. What are the most important things Paul wants to convey? Preaching the word of God. Persevering to the end. Withstanding the suffering brought on by people who desert the mission and people who oppose biblical teaching. Being strengthened by God, directly and through His church.
Rom. 8:18-25; 1 Cor. 16; 2 Cor. 4-5; 1 Thes. 4:13-18 | 11/14/2021 | Pastor Matt Jones. We as a church are mourning the passing of one of our longest-serving members. Today's texts explain our suffering, expose our sin, extend our hope, exalt the gospel, and expect the return of Jesus.
Daniel 6, 9, 10 | 11/7/2021 | Pastor Matt Jones. Prayer is a non-negotiable. Prayer changes our surroundings. Prayer is about relationships. Prayer penetrates the darkness.
Mark 5:21-43 | 10/31/2021 | Pastor Tony Shen. October 31 is both Halloween and Reformation Day. How does the account of Jesus healing a bloody illness and raising a young girl from the dead relate to our culture's celebration of blood, gore, death, the occult, and zombies? How does it relate to the doctrines of God's grace, specifically salvation by grace through faith?
Zechariah 6:9-15 | Faithful to Fulfill, Part 12 | 10/17/2021 | Pastor Matt Jones. In this section of Scripture, the LORD tells Zechariah of a future man who will both rule from His throne as King and serve as High Priest. That future Man, of course, is Jesus.
Zechariah 4:1-6:8 | Faithful to Fulfill, Part 11 | 10/10/2021 | Pastor Matt Jones. Pastor Matt continues his exploration of the prophet Zechariah's visions. The first four visions are mirrored by the second four visions, showing us the Lord's grace to save and power to punish unrighteousness.
Zechariah 1:7-3:10 | Faithful to Fulfill, Part 10 | 10/3/2021 | Pastor Matt Jones. In this installment of our study of God as revealed in Post-Exilic Scripture, Pastor Matt delves into the prophet Zechariah and the first four of several visions given to the prophet as foretelling and forthtelling to Judah, the only remaining tribe of the nation of Israel.
Zechariah 1:1-6 | Faithful to Fulfill, Part 9 | 9/26/2021 | Pastor Matt Jones. In Part 9 of our sermon series “Faithful to Fulfill,” Pastor Matt begins surveying the prophetic book of Zechariah which calls the people of God to avoid the sins of their fathers and to return to faithfulness to rebuild the temple.
Haggai 2: 10-23 | Faithful to Fulfill, Part 8 | 9/19/2021 | Pastor Matt Jones. In Part 8 of our sermon series “Faithful to Fulfill,” Pastor Matt finishes the book of Haggai by looking at the themes of Pettiness and purity in Israel during the post exilic period.
Haggai 2: 1-9 | Faithful to Fulfill, Part 7 | 9/12/2021 | Pastor Matt Jones. Pastor Matt continues our sermon series “Faithful to Fulfill” where we have been studying the post-exilic history of God’s people Israel in the book of Ezra. In this Sunday’s sermon, we begin studying our first prophet in the series, Haggai.
Leviticus 23:34-42 | 9/5/2021 | Tuvya Zaretsky. Guest preacher Tuvya Zaretsky of Jews for Jesus prepares us for the Jewish High Holidays of Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot by showing us how Christ fulfills three themes of the Hebrew Scriptures: I will be your God; you will be My people; and I will dwell among you.
Nahum 1:1-15 | 8/29/2021 | Pastor Matt Jones. 2,300 years ago, the ancient Hebrew prophet Nahum declared God's judgment against Assyria, the enemy of Israel. What can we learn to apply to today's unfolding human tragedy in Afghanistan?
Titus 2:11-3:7 | 8/22/2021 | Pastor Matt Jones. "Cleanliness is next to godliness." It's not in the Bible, but we've all heard this common saying. Yet it is true that God wants His people to be clean. In the Hebrew Law, He instituted many ways in which the chosen people were to be physically clean. In giving His Son, He institutes the one and only way we can become spiritually clean.
Hebrews 10:11-25 | 8/15/2021 | Pastor Matt Jones. According to this letter written to Messiah-believing Jews in the 1st century, Jesus is the perfect priest to supplant all priests, in that He provides the payment for our sins, He fulfills the promise God made with the people of Israel, and He enables our presence before God. How then should we spend our time together?
2 Peter 3:10-18 | God's Power and Promises, Part 6 | 8/8/2021 | Pastor Tony Shen. Since the Bible tells us that the world as we know it could end at any moment, what should you change about your life? What should you start doing? What should you stop doing? What should you keep doing? These are not hypothetical questions. We conclude our study of 2nd Peter with the challenge: since we know these things, what sort of people should we be?
2 Peter 3:1-9 | God's Power and Promises, Part 5 | 8/1/2021 | Pastor Tony Shen. "Repent, for the end is near!" Such a well-known phrase that it's basically a joke in our culture. And if we're being honest with ourselves, we Christians don't take it as seriously as we should. But the Bible commands it. Why? And how?
2 Peter 2:10-22 | God's Power and Promises, Part 4 | 7/25/2021 | Pastor Tony Shen. In the 2nd chapter of 2 Peter, the Apostle Peter leaves no doubt about the evil of false teachers. How are we to understand the danger that they pose, especially in our day?
2 Peter 2: 1-10 | God's Power and Promises, Part 3 | 7/18/2021 | Pastor Tony Shen. Part three of this six-part sermon series, takes us to the second chapter of 2nd Peter. Pastor Shen will explore the major themes of the chapter emphasizing that the Bible is true, God is just and God is gracious.
2 Peter 1:12-21 | God's Power and Promises, Part 2 | 7/11/2021 | Pastor Tony Shen. The Apostle Peter reminds us of important truths of Jesus. We can often be distracted from these most important things. How can we be diligent to pay attention to Scripture? How can we be better disciples and witnesses of Jesus to others?
2 Peter 1:1-11 | God's Power and Promises, Part 1 | 7/4/2021 | Pastor Tony Shen. We begin a six-part sermon series on the epistle of 2 Peter, in which we learn about God's power and promises - and what our response should be. In this first part, we learn how our gracious and powerful God grants us everything we need for life and holiness, and He also grants us magnificent promises. How then should we live in response?
Proverbs 16:1-33 | 6/27/2021 | Pastor Matt Jones. God is sovereign. He is in control. Yes, we affirm it with our lips. But do we really believe it in our hearts? Do our lives reflect our faith in Him?
John 14:1-31 | Father's Day | June 20, 2021 | Pastor Tony Shen. On the eve of His crucifixion and death, Jesus gives the Upper Room Discourse to His disciples. In John 14, we learn that the Father is gracious to adopt us spiritual orphans, and He gives us a happening, a Helper, and a home.
Haggai 1 | Faithful to Fulfill, Part 6 | 6/13/2021 | Pastor Matt Jones. After the Israelites were discouraged by adversaries in Ezra 4, the LORD sent the prophet Haggai to warn the Israelites of the dangers of neglecting worship in order to prioritize their selfish interests.
Ezra 4:1-24 | Faithful to Fulfill, Part 5 | 6/6/2021 | Pastor Matt Jones. In part five of this series in the Book of Ezra, we study what happened to God's people when they returned from exile in Babylon. In chapter 4, outside adversaries intimidated God's people and manipulated the ruling governmental authorities to distract them and cause them to stop worshiping God and stop doing His work.
Ezra 3:8-13 | Faithful to Fulfill, Part 4 | 5/30/2021 | Pastor Matt Jones. In part four of this series in the Book of Ezra, we look into the theological significance of the Temple in the history of Israel and in the Bible. While the priesthood and the Temple were ordained by God to call the people to worship and witness to the surrounding nations, in our current age God ordained for the church to be a priesthood who likewise call the world to come in repentance and faith to their creator.
Acts 8: 25-40 | 5/24/2021 | Matt Jones. In today’s sermon, Pastor Matt teaches on Phillip’s encounter with the Ethiopian official on the road from Jerusalem. This portion of scripture is helpful in evaluating our own personal witness to non believers and how we engage others with the Gospel and sharing Jesus.
Various Scriptures | 5/16/2021 | Matt Jones. In the western Christian calendar, today marks Ascension Day: the day our Lord returned to heaven. Pastor Matt discusses the doctrine of the ascension of Christ using various texts from the Bible and the significance it bears on us today as believers united in the risen Lord Jesus.
2 Timothy 1:1-10 | 5/9/2021 | Matt Jones. Happy Mother’s Day! In today’s sermon, Pastor Matt teaches from 2nd Timothy and about how God can use mothers in the home for bringing faith to their children and grandchildren by the power of the gospel.
Isaiah 40:1-31 | 5/2/2021 | Matt Jones. Feeling as if God isn’t present is an honest struggle for many. Pastor Matt teaches from the book of Isaiah which provided Israel with comfort while waiting on the Lord by reminding them of the covenant made between them and God.
Col. 1:13-23 | Firmly Established and Steadfast, Part 3 | 4/25/2021 | Brian Criscuolo. What does it mean to be in the “domain of darkness”? Why do we need to be rescued from it? This week, our pastor discusses that although we believers in Jesus have been rescued from the domain of darkness, we may still struggle with periods of living in darkness.
Mark 14:12-26 | 4/18/2021 | Matt Jones. Pastor Matt teaches on the importance of communion in the body of Christ and how communion is a reenactment, reapplication, reality, remembrance, and reexamination of faith in the work of the historical Jesus of Nazareth.
Various Scriptures | 4/11/2021 | Matt Jones. Join us on this Baptism Sunday as Pastor Matt teaches on Christian Baptism then witness local members get baptized in obedience to Christ.
John 1, 19-20 | The Rona & The Resurrection | 4/4/2021 | Matt Jones. He is risen! Today we celebrate the resurrection of the historical Jesus of Nazareth. Pastor Matt takes us through John’s gospel as we reflect on the the lost paradise but look forward to the coming peace that the resurrection has guaranteed.
Various Scriptures | From Paradise to Passover and Passion | 4/2/2021 | Pastor Matt Jones. In our Good Friday study, Pastor Matt surveys through Genesis, Exodus to Mark to guide us in remembering, to reflect on the work of Christ, repent of sin, and receive His grace.
Psalm 118: 1-26 | Psalms, Palms & Passion | 3/28/2021 | Pastor Matt Jones. In our study this Lord’s Day, Pastor Matt teaches through Psalm 118, which is used by the gospel writers in their accounting of the spiritual and scriptural significance of Palm Sunday.
Ezra 3:1-7 | Faithful to Fulfill, Part 3 | 3/14/2021 | Pastor Matt Jones. After the Israelites return to Jerusalem, they build an altar and make offerings and sacrifices to worship the LORD and provide for the expenses to rebuild the temple. What can we learn from their experience and how can we apply it to our current lives?
Ezra 2:1-70 | Faithful to Fulfill, Part 2 | 3/7/2021 | Pastor Matt Jones. Continuing our study of the Scriptures regarding the nation of Judah after its return from exile in Babylon, we find that only a small, faithful remnant chose to return to Jerusalem. How can we apply Judah's experience to our own as the church? How should we respond, even if the mission that we are called to is difficult, or even dangerous?
Ezra 1:1-11 | Faithful to Fulfill, Part 1 | 2/28/2021 | Pastor Matt Jones. We begin a new sermon series exploring the LORD's faithfulness to His covenant people, the Israelites, after disciplining them by forcing them into exile for 70 years. What happens upon their return to Jerusalem? What does God reveal about His character? What does this mean for the church today?
Col. 1:3-12 | Firmly Established and Steadfast, Part 2 | 2/21/2021 | Brian Criscuolo. The main theme of the opening of the letter to the Colossian church is the priority of prayer for Paul and his team praying for the church in Colossae. How can we pray for one another to increase our faith, increase our comprehension of God's word, increase doing good, increase our steadfastness and patience, and increase our thankfulness to the Lord?
Matt. 23:13-36 | 2/14/2021 | Ryan Richards. The charge of hypocrisy is a frequent criticism of Christians today. Studying a passage about the hypocrisy of religious leaders of Jesus' day should lead us to examine ourselves. That way, we can strive to be good ambassadors of Christ in a fallen world whose watchful eyes are always on the church.
1 Corinthians 12 | 2/7/2021 | Pastor Tony Shen. One of the metaphors that the Bible uses to describe the church is that we are the body of Christ. Jesus is the head, and the church is the body. Who decides who's in the church? How do the body parts - the members of the church - relate to each other? What abilities does God give us as gifts? What should be our motivation in using them? We explore these questions and more.
Col. 1-4 | Colossians Introduction | 1/31/2021 | Brian Criscuolo. In this introduction to the epistle to the Colossians, we learn of the Apostle Paul's authorship, audience, and aim of the letter. We also briefly overview the themes of the letter, and how it applies to our lives in the current day.
Mark 1:1-8, 6:7-32 | 1/24/2021 | Pastor Matt Jones. This Sunday is Sanctity of Life Sunday. In today's message, Pastor Matt addresses life, abortion, and biblical ethics. Just as John the Baptist spoke out against the sin of powerful leaders of his day, so ought we to speak out against the sin of our leaders today, and preach the good news of Jesus, which is the only power to change hearts.
Daniel 4 | 1/20/2021 | Pastor Matt Jones. Our pastor takes a look at the recent events in our nation's capital and looks to what the Scriptures say about how our witness should look in today's climate.
Matt. 1-2, Luke 1, and other Scriptures | Christmas Peace, Part 2 | 12/13/2020 | Pastor Matt Jones.
Genesis 1-3 and other Scriptures | Christmas Peace, Part 1 | 12/6/2020 | Pastor Matt Jones. As we enter the Christmas season, we celebrate Advent - the coming of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. God made a world that was at peace. That peace was destroyed by the sin of our first parents, Adam and Eve. We in turn have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Therefore, we need the "rescue plan" of God the Father through God the Son, Jesus the Christ.
Hebrews 12:1-13 | 11/29/2020 | Pastor Matt Jones. Hebrews chapter 12 teaches us that discipline for wrongdoing, while an unhappy occasion, ultimately results in positive rewards. We are grieving that we find it necessary to discipline a member of the church family. But we pray it will ultimately lead to restoration, and turning away from sin.
1 Cor. 5:1-6:20 | 11/22/2020 | Pastor Matt Jones. Discipline is never fun. Church discipline, as commanded by the Lord Jesus Christ, is highly regrettable. Yet it is sometimes necessary. What can we learn from the Apostle Paul's letter to the church in Corinth about a case of church discipline in the early years of Christianity?
Matt. 11:28-30 | 11/15/2020 | Pastor Matt Jones. The yoke of sin is heavy; it is slavery. Sin also affects those around the sinner with heavy burdens. But Jesus says that His yoke is easy and His burden is light. In the midst of sin and suffering, how can we be comforted by Jesus?
Phil 1,2,3,4; Eph 1:3-12, 2:19-22, 4:1-6 | In God We Trust: Civic Saints in Uncivil Seasons, Part 3 | 11/8/2020 | Pastor Matt Jones. The 2020 election has been held. Joe Biden has been declared the next President of the United States. In the conclusion to our series on government and politics, Pastor Matt teaches us from Scriptures how we can be civil citizens, draw together in community, and act with charity toward all our neighbors.
Ro 13:1-14, Ti 3:1-2, 1 Pt 2:13-14, Ac 5:17-42 | In God We Trust: Civic Saints in Uncivil Seasons, Part 2 | 11/1/2020 | Pastor Matt Jones. The Scriptures often remind us that God sovereignly establishes all governments. He commands His followers to obey and honor the authorities. Yet when they conflict, we obey God rather than government. How can we apply the word of God in today's heavily polarized atmosphere?
John 19:11-12, Matt. 18 | In God We Trust: Civic Saints in Uncivil Seasons, Part 1 | 10/25/2020 | Pastor Matt Jones. Pastor Matt Jones kicks off a new sermon series focused on the topic of God and government. In a time when tensions and divisions are growing, Pastor Matt looks at the what Bible says on these topics and how Christians should respond in these difficult times when different groups mistake the meaning of our historic gospel message.
Ephesians 6:10-18 | 10/18/2020 | Brian Criscuolo. War in the spiritual realm. Spiritual warfare. Not the kind we're used to with guns and bombs and explosions. But very real nonetheless. How can we prepare ourselves for spiritual warfare in these times of upheaval? God in the Bible gives us the answer, of course.
Judges 21 | The True King Reigns, Part 19 | 10/11/2020 | Pastor Tony Shen. Our sermon series in the Book of Judges concludes with the tragic decision-making of the elders of Israel trying to make up for their earlier disastrous decisions to go to war against their fellow tribe of Benjamin. The conclusion of the book is a lament for the nation of Israel and especially its women. Yet God is still sovereign, He is ever gracious, and He has sent His Son to atone for the sins of whoever believes in Him.
Judges 20:18-48 | The True King Reigns, Part 18 | 10/4/2020. The nation of Israel mobilizes against one its own tribes, Benjamin, leading to a civil war that wipes out nearly the entire tribe. What can we learn from such a grievous turn of events?
Judges 20:1-17 | The True King Reigns, Part 17 | 9/27/2020 | Brian Criscuolo. In Judges 20, Brian unpacks the sin committed to the Levite's wife from chapter 19, the counsel given in response to that sin, and the action taken up against the tribe of Benjamin.
Judges chapter 19 | The True King Reigns, Part 16 | 9/20/2020 | Pastor Matt Jones. In Judges 19, we come to a disturbing story of dark sin and degradation of a woman. How does understanding the difference between prescription and description help us understand this narrative? What lessons can we apply to today's depraved conditions: our own personal state, and that of our society and economy?
Judges chapter 18 | The True King Reigns, Part 15 | 9/13/2020 | Pastor Tony Shen. Concluding the narrative begun in chapter 17, we come to understand the origins of the infamous pagan worship center Dan. What lessons can we learn from this ungodly history? Hold fast the gospel of Jesus Christ. Study and learn the word of God. Pass along this knowledge to future generations. Pray for God's grace and mercy on all.
Judges chapter 17 | The True King Reigns, Part 14 | 9/6/2020 | Travis Anderson. "In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did what was right in his own eyes." Israel's abandonment of God is embodied in the narrative of the pagan idolater Micah. Refusal to obey God leads to moral and religious collapse. What can we learn for ourselves and our society today?
Judges 17-21 | The True King Reigns | 8/30/2020 | Pastor Tony Shen. Our sermon series on the Book of Judges continues with a public reading of Judges chapters 17-21. Pastor Tony provides a historical context of the period of the Judges and a structural overview of the Book of Judges. Chapters 17-21 contain two epilogues that show the degeneration of the nation of Israel into Canaanization: idolatry, apostasy, and moral decrepitude. It is a dark and disturbing time. Where, then, can our hope be found? In the true deliverer and judge, Jesus the Messiah.
Judges Chapter 16 | The True King Reigns, Part 13 | 8/23/2020 | Brian Criscuolo. 1 John 2:16 speaks of the sins of "the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life." Concluding the narrative of Samson in part 3 of 3, we learn he has given himself over to the lust of the eyes. Many of us have. Who can deliver us? Is anyone worthy?
Judges chapters 14-15 | The True King Reigns, Part 12 | 8/16/2020 | Anthony Sims. In part 2 of 3 on the narrative of Samson in Judges, we learn that Israel's leadership is way off course, they're down in the depths of idolatry, and Samson is the prime example of their selfishness. Samson commits all manner of sin, particularly sexual sin. Is this God's will being done? How can an all-powerful, completely holy God accomplish His plans through humankind's sinfulness?
Judges chapter 13 | The True King Reigns, Part 11 | 8/9/2020. In part 1 of 3 sermons on the narrative of Samson in Judges 13-16, we learn how Samson was divinely conceived, divinely dedicated to God's purpose, and divinely empowered and blessed. (Spoiler alert: would his life history follow this godly beginning? No. Is God still gracious to him? Yes.)
Judges chapter 12 | The True King Reigns, Part 10 | 8/2/2020. Jephthah's abhorrent slaughter of tens of thousands of his own countrymen shows us that we deny the grace of God when we choose conflict and refuse to forgive.
Judges chapter 11 | The True King Reigns, Part 9 | 7/26/2020 | Brian Criscuolo. Jephthah is the latest in the continuing downward spiral of both the nation of Israel and the judge-deliverers whom God, out of mere mercy, appoints to save the nation. What can we learn from Jephthah's selfishness and his tragic vow leading to his daughter's demise?
Judges chapter 10 | The True King Reigns, Part 8 | 7/19/2020 | Ryan Richards. In Judges, the people of Israel repeatedly do what is evil in the sight of the LORD and worship false gods. In chapter 10, their apostasy is complete. God is grieved, but He is still merciful. There is no "cancel culture" with God.
Judges chapters 9 | The True King Reigns, Part 7 | 7/12/2020 | Pastor Tony Shen. Gideon named his son Abimelech, or "my father is king." Abimelech turns out to be murderous and tyrannical. Who is the better Son who can truly claim, "My Father is the true King"?
Judges 9-16 | 7/5/2020. We restart the sermon series in the Book of Judges with a public reading of Judges chapters 9-16. Our pastor provides an overview of Judges and wraps up with a presentation of the good news that Jesus, the stronger and ultimate deliverer, has died for our sins on the cross.
1 Corinthians 11:16-34 | 6/28/2020 | Pastor Matt Jones. During pandemic, we have not been able to gather as a church. We have not been able to enjoy Communion together. And the world has descended into conflict and unrest. How can we come together with a message of unity and hope for the world?
Psalm 103, Hebrews 12:4-15 | Father's Day | 6/21/2020. On Father's Day, we remember that God is the ultimate Father. We remember God's goodness. We relish God's gentleness. We respect God's guidance.
Acts 16 | 6/7/2020 | Pastor Matt Jones. After months of controversial stay-at-home orders and two weeks of civil unrest following the murder by police of an unarmed black man in custody, how does the biblical account of the apostle Paul entering Europe help us process these difficult times?
Matthew 5:43-48 | 5/31/2020 | Dr. Eric Zeller. Jesus taught us to love our enemies. During the pandemic, people of different opinions are at odds with one another, sometimes virulently. As Christians, how do we fight the temptation to hate our enemies? How do we follow the Savior?
Judges chapters 7-8 | The True King Reigns, Part 6 | 5/24/2020 | Brian Criscuolo. God often does the miraculous through weak people so that everyone will know that God is at work, and not merely humans. Gideon demonstrates this through his misadventures.
Judges chapter 6 | The True King Reigns, Part 5 | 5/17/2020 | Ryan Richards. The biblical character of Gideon is often portrayed as a courageous, heroic warrior. Was he though? Ryan Richards explains.
Mother's Day 2020 | Ryan Richards. Mothers are blessed by their Creator, blessed by their calling, blessed by their children, blessed by their companions (their husbands), and blessed by their Christ.
Judges chapters 4-5 | The True King Reigns, Part 4 | 5/3/2020 | Pastor Tony Shen. The strength of our faith is less important than the strength of the OBJECT of our faith. In the story of the judge Deborah's strong faith compared to the warrior Barak's weak faith, the most important factor is the strength of the True King who overcomes all enemies.
Judges chapter 3 | The True King Reigns, Part 3 | 4/26/2020. God raised up Ehud as a judge to defeat the oppressor of His people. Why then is Ehud not a hero?
Judges chapter 2 | The True King Reigns, Part 2 | 4/19/2020 | Brian Criscuolo. In Judges 2, we clearly see the pattern of this historical period of the Judges, in which God protects, the people rebel, God allows foreigners to oppress them, the people cry out, God delivers them through a judge, and God gives the people peace for many decades until the people rebel again.
The Gospel According to John | Easter Sunday | Pastor Matt Jones. For the first time in the history of our church, we cannot gather for Easter because of the COVID-19 pandemic. How does this affect how we worship the Risen Savior?
John 18-19 | Good Friday 4/10/2020. Jesus' blood sets us free, pays for our sin, and gives us everlasting life. We learn more on the night we commemorate the day Jesus died on the cross.
Mt 21:1-11,14-17; Mk 11:1-11; Lk 19:29-44; Jn 12:12-19 | 4/5/2020 | Pastor Tony Shen. 2020 is not turning out how we expected. On Palm Sunday 2000 years ago, Jesus didn't turn out to be what the crowds expected, either.
Hebrews 10:11-25 | 3/29/2020 | Pastor Matt Jones. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are not able to meet as a church on Sundays. What does the Bible teach us about ecclesiology (study of the church) during a time like this?
1 Peter 3:18-22 | 3/22/2020. This is a historic sermon: the first Sunday in 60 years as a local church that we are not able to meet as a church, and it is because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet this does not stop God's work, so today we celebrate a confession of Christ and the baptism of a believer.
Psalm 131 | 3/15/20. With the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, our pastor offers hope from the Psalms on how God offers a promise of peace while going through times of uncertainty, fear and panic.
Matthew 6:5-13 | 3/8/20 | Andrey Gorban. Guest speaker Pastor Gorban of Word of Grace Bible Church in Battleground, WA teaches on how God’s people are to have total dependence on God in our prayer life.