In this sobering conclusion to the "Kingdom Now" series on the Sermon on the Mount, Pastor Karl closes Matthew 7:21–29 with Jesus' urgent call to authentic, obedient faith. He recaps the narrow gate—Jesus Himself as the exclusive way to the Father (John 10:9)—requiring self-denial and kingdom priority, a path few find because truth is non-negotiable. The terrifying warning follows: Not everyone who says "Lord, Lord" will enter the kingdom—only those who do the Father's will. Even miracle-workers may hear, "I never knew you; depart from me," underscoring that salvation demands an intimate, mutual relationship: truly knowing Jesus and being known by Him, not superficial confession or religious activity without heart surrender and obedience.

Pastor Karl illustrates this with the parable of the wise and foolish builders: Everyone hears Jesus' words, but only doers build on the rock. Storms are certain—far beyond our strength—and they reveal the unseen foundation. Lives built on anything else crumble with great destruction. Hearing or studying the Word isn't enough; we must be doers (James 1:22) for transformed, fruitful lives. He shares the powerful story behind "I Have Decided to Follow Jesus," born from Nokseng's martyrdom in India, declaring unwavering commitment amid tragedy: "No turning back… though none go with me… the cross before me, the world behind me."

The message ends with Jesus' astonishing authority as the Word incarnate and a solemn challenge: Will you follow—not with lip service, but with total devotion through the narrow gate? As the congregation is invited to stand and sing the hymn only if they can declare it personally, Pastor Karl urges genuine surrender, heart examination, and reaching out for prayer to confirm a true decision to follow Christ. A grace-filled, convicting call to move from profession to possession, building on the only foundation that endures the storm.

Watch all our sermons on our youtube channel "Flipside Christian Church"
Join us in person 8:00am, 9:30am & 11:00am every Sunday morning.
37193 Ave 12 #3h, Madera, CA 93636
For more visit us at flipside.church

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In this challenging and convicting message from the "Kingdom Now" series on the Sermon on the Mount, Pastor Karl dives into Matthew 7:1-20, unpacking Jesus' teachings on judgment, discernment, prayer, and true discipleship.

Pastor Karl begins by clarifying "Judge not, lest you be judged" — Jesus forbids condemning others, but calls for discernment and inspection of fruit. He uses the humorous image of the speck in your brother's eye versus the plank in your own, urging self-reflection first to avoid hypocrisy before helping others.

He warns against casting pearls before swine or giving what is holy to dogs — don't waste the precious truths of God's kingdom on those who will only trample and reject them; be discerning and move on to receptive hearts.

Jesus invites persistent, progressive prayer: Ask, seek, knock — ongoing commands with promises of receiving, finding, and entering God's presence. Pastor Karl emphasizes that continual prayer keeps us dependent on our good Father, who gives how much more generously than earthly parents, aligning our desires with His good will.

The Golden Rule gets elevated: not just "don't do bad," but actively do to others what you want done to you — a revolutionary call to love.

Jesus contrasts the narrow gate and road that leads to life (costly self-denial and obedience, yet light under His yoke) with the broad road of religious activity without heart change, which leads to destruction — few find the narrow way.

Finally, beware false prophets disguised as sheep but inwardly wolves; recognize them (and ourselves) by their fruit. Good trees bear good fruit (love, joy, peace, etc.); bad trees produce bad — and a life of no fruit is equally revealing. Judge for identification, not condemnation.

Pastor Karl closes with piercing questions: What sin do you quickly spot in others but slowly repent of yourself? What fruit would people taste from your life? He warns that self-deception is dangerous — the most perilous place is being close to Jesus without truly following Him.

A grace-filled call to repentance, heart transformation, and walking the narrow road of fruitful, authentic discipleship.

Watch all our sermons on our youtube channel "Flipside Christian Church"
Join us in person 8:00am, 9:30am & 11:00am every Sunday morning.
37193 Ave 12 #3h, Madera, CA 93636
For more visit us at flipside.church

For more podcasts visit flipsidepodcasts.transistor.fm

In this convicting installment of the "Kingdom Now" series on the Sermon on the Mount, Pastor Karl tackles the final section of Matthew 6, where Jesus confronts the disciple's battle with excessive worry.

Jesus commands, “Do not be anxious about your life,” addressing our deepest fears over sustenance, health, and material security. Pastor Karl explains that worry is not a personality trait but a discipleship issue—a lack of trust that we are our own ultimate provider. He notes the physical and emotional toll of chronic anxiety, while research shows most worries never materialize and the rest prove less devastating than feared.

Drawing from Jesus’ illustrations of birds (who labor diligently yet trust God’s care) and lilies (clothed more gloriously than Solomon), Pastor Karl clarifies: diligent work and planning are biblical, but anxiety over provision is not. Worry accomplishes nothing and robs us of life.

The solution is radical: “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Jesus calls disciples to dethrone worry by enthroning God’s kingdom as the supreme priority—surpassing personal agendas, comfort, and even life itself. When the eternal kingdom becomes our greatest passion, God faithfully supplies what we truly need.

Echoing Abraham’s trust over Lot’s worldly pursuit, Pastor Karl challenges listeners: Will we choose altars over assets, surrendering our plans to God’s will? True freedom from worry comes not from trying harder to stop, but from wholehearted devotion to the King and His kingdom.

A powerful, grace-filled invitation to examine our priorities, replace anxiety with kingdom passion, and live as trusting disciples who reflect their generous, faithful Father.

Watch all our sermons on our youtube channel "Flipside Christian Church"
Join us in person 9:00am & 10:30am every Sunday morning.
37193 Ave 12 #3h, Madera, CA 93636
For more visit us at flipside.church

For more podcasts visit flipsidepodcasts.transistor.fm

In this challenging continuation of our series on the Gospel of Matthew, Pastor Karl unpacks Matthew 6, where Jesus lays out His expectations for true disciples in the Sermon on the Mount.

Building on the heart-revealing demands of chapter 5, Jesus shifts the focus from mere external obedience to the hidden motives behind our spiritual lives. He addresses three key disciplines—giving, praying, and fasting—assuming His followers already practice them regularly, not for human applause but as genuine devotion to God.

With piercing clarity, Jesus warns against hypocritical “performance” that craves the praise of people, declaring that such motives forfeit any reward from the Father. Instead, He calls disciples to secret, sincere acts of worship done unto God alone, promising that the Father who sees in secret will reward what is hidden from human eyes.

Pastor Karl highlights the revolutionary big idea: Jesus calls us from performance in the presence of people to authentic presence with God. He then explores the Lord’s model prayer as a pattern of adoration, submission, dependence, confession, and protection—emphasizing especially the vital link between receiving God’s forgiveness and extending it to others.

The message culminates in Jesus’ stark command not to store up earthly treasures that moth, rust, and thieves destroy, but to invest generously in heavenly treasures that last forever. Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also—revealing that generosity isn’t primarily about raising money for God’s kingdom, but about God raising children who trust and resemble their generous Father.

A convicting yet grace-filled call to examine our motives, reorder our loves, and realign our lives as authentic disciples of Jesus—moving from religious show to wholehearted devotion that finds its reward in God Himself.

Watch all our sermons on our youtube channel "Flipside Christian Church"
Join us in person 9:00am & 10:30am every Sunday morning.
37193 Ave 12 #3h, Madera, CA 93636
For more visit us at flipside.church

For more podcasts visit flipsidepodcasts.transistor.fm

In this special year-end episode, Pastor Karl and the Flipside Church staff share their personal “Five Good Minutes” reflections on what God taught them throughout 2025. 

Tricia Cheshier speaks on trusting God and saying yes, overcoming fear to step into full-time children’s ministry and watching her entire family grow bolder in faith. Michael Rondon reflects on a year of change, learning to be available and say yes upfront—discovering how one reluctant yes to coaching soccer became an answer to a former student’s family’s prayers. Alli Stemple shares about choosing joy amid uncertainty and witnessing God’s providential will as closed doors led to unexpected open ones. Jeff Stemple unpacks the importance of understanding God’s assignment, realizing that divine favor rests on the task God gives rather than on the person. Heather Botwright vulnerably recounts a difficult year of family health crises, yet celebrates God’s faithful presence through His people and the strengthening of family bonds.

Pastor Karl closes with his own lessons: returning to the bedrock of Scripture, leaning into God’s sovereignty and providence, and remembering that Jesus builds His church. The common thread running through every story—saying yes to God, trusting His plan, choosing joy, and faithfully doing the job He assigns—leaves listeners challenged to reflect on 2025 and step boldly into 2026.

A heartfelt, honest look at real faith lived out in real life.

Watch all our sermons on our youtube channel "Flipside Christian Church"
Join us in person 8:00am 9:30am & 11:00am every Sunday morning.
37193 Ave 12 #3h, Madera, CA 93636
For more visit us at flipside.church

For more podcasts visit flipsidepodcasts.transistor.fm

Merry Christmas!
In this heartfelt Christmas Eve service message, Pastor Karl explores the profound truth that Christmas is far more than a baby in a manger—it's the culmination of God's everlasting love story that began in the Garden of Eden.

Drawing parallels between Eden and Bethlehem, Pastor Karl unpacks how God's love has always been revealed through three key ways: proximity (drawing near to walk with us), provision (supplying what we cannot provide for ourselves, including forgiveness and eternal life), and parameters (loving boundaries for our protection and flourishing).

Yet humanity's response—from Adam and Eve to today—has often been to doubt God's goodness, reject His nearness, and step outside His guardrails. Even so, God's relentless love pursues us, covers our shame, and satisfies His justice through the promised Seed: Jesus Christ, whose virgin birth and sacrificial death crush the enemy's power.

Pastor Karl challenges us: Many love the warm vibe of Christmas but avoid its weighty claims. True celebration means embracing God's love fully—belonging to His family, becoming like Christ, giving our lives in response, and going on mission to share His love.

This message invites everyone to respond to God's pursuit, whether by placing faith in Jesus for the first time or recommitting to live in joyful obedience within His loving parameters.

Join us as Pastor Karl and his son Caleb dive deeper into these truths in a special family message. Come experience the depth of God's love that didn't begin in Bethlehem—but was gloriously fulfilled there.

Watch all our sermons on our youtube channel "Flipside Christian Church"
Join us in person 8:00am 9:30am & 11:00am every Sunday morning.
37193 Ave 12 #3h, Madera, CA 93636
For more visit us at flipside.church

For more podcasts visit flipsidepodcasts.transistor.fm

In this powerful message from Pastor Karl, we journey beyond the manger to discover the timeless roots of Christmas in the Garden of Eden. Christmas is far more than a seasonal vibe—it's the profound story of God's unchanging love, revealed through proximity, provision, and loving parameters.

Drawing parallels between Eden and Bethlehem, Pastor Karl shows how God has always pursued us: walking closely with humanity, generously providing what we cannot obtain ourselves, and setting protective boundaries for our good. Yet, from the beginning, humanity has often rejected this love, doubting God's goodness and choosing our own way.

The heart of the gospel shines through as Pastor Karl reminds us that even in our rejection, God's love pursues and covers us—first promised in Genesis with the crushing of the serpent's head through the seed of the woman, and perfectly fulfilled in the incarnation of Jesus, Emmanuel, "God with us."

This message challenges us: Will we embrace not just the warmth of Christmas, but the weighty claims of Christmas—God's call to love Him fully with our whole heart, soul, mind, and strength through belonging to His family, becoming like Christ, giving generously, and going on mission?

A stirring reminder that God's everlasting love didn't begin in Bethlehem—it was set in motion from the very beginning, for you and me.

Watch all our sermons on our youtube channel "Flipside Christian Church"
Join us in person 8:00am 9:30am & 11:00am every Sunday morning.
37193 Ave 12 #3h, Madera, CA 93636
For more visit us at flipside.church

For more podcasts visit flipsidepodcasts.transistor.fm

In this profound and hope-filled Advent message, Pastor Karl continues the Christmas series with an honest, Scripture-saturated exploration of the third great gift Jesus brings: joy. Turning to the familiar yet astonishing encounter in Luke 1:26–38, Pastor Karl places us in the world of a young, powerless Mary—living in obscurity, poverty, and spiritual dryness under Roman oppression—when an angel suddenly declares her “highly favored” and announces she will bear the Son of God as a virgin.

With pastoral clarity and compassion, Pastor Karl redefines biblical joy not as a forced smile, fleeting happiness, or denial of pain, but as a deep, settled confidence and calm cheerfulness in God—even when circumstances feel devastating. Mary’s potentially ruinous situation (public shame, rejection, and lifelong stigma) becomes the backdrop for a joy that is rooted not in perfect conditions but in surrender to a perfect Savior. Joy, he shows, is not situational; it flows from trusting God’s greater reality, His unchanging character, and His presence when clarity is absent.

Drawing from Mary’s radical response—“Let it be to me according to your word”—Pastor Karl tenderly calls every listener to the same doorway of lasting joy: radical surrender. Whether facing disappointment, health struggles, dashed dreams, or seasons of grief, joy grows when we release control, timelines, and the need to understand, and instead say “Yes, Lord” to whatever He has spoken. This is essential listening for anyone longing to move beyond seasonal happiness into the quiet, resilient cheerfulness that only Christ, born in a manger and risen from an empty tomb, can give.

Watch all our sermons on our youtube channel "Flipside Christian Church"
Join us in person 9:00am & 10:30am every Sunday morning.
37193 Ave 12 #3h, Madera, CA 93636
For more visit us at flipside.church

For more podcasts visit flipsidepodcasts.transistor.fm

In this stirring and deeply encouraging Advent message, Pastor Karl continues the series The King Has Come with a raw and life-giving exploration of the second great gift Jesus brings: peace.

Turning to the familiar yet profound scene in Luke 2:8–20, Pastor Karl invites us into the midnight terror of ordinary shepherds—suddenly confronted by the blinding glory of God—and shows how the very first words from heaven that night were not “Merry Christmas,” but “Fear not.” That first Christmas did not begin with sentimental calm; it began with paralyzing, mega-fear. And right there, in the middle of stacked-on-stacked fear, the angel announced good news of great joy: a Savior has been born who is Christ the Lord, the Prince of Peace.

With pastoral tenderness and unflinching honesty, Pastor Karl unmasks fear as the mortal enemy of peace—how it magnifies threats, shrinks our view of God, and paints our future in colors darker than God ever intended. Yet the gospel is stronger: peace is not the absence of trouble but the presence of a Person. Peace is not something Jesus gives; peace is who Jesus is—and He gives Himself.

Through the shepherds’ journey from terror to testimony, we’re given clear, scriptural paths out of fear and into the unshakable peace of Christ: speaking God’s truth over fear’s lies, refusing to agree with the spirit of fear, drawing near to Jesus through spiritual disciplines, and taking bold steps of obedience that move us against comfort and toward surrender.

This is a word for everyone whose heart has been ruled by anxiety, worst-case scenarios, or the quiet fears that steal joy—especially in this season. A tender yet urgent call to stop trusting the unknown future to our own control and start trusting it to the known God who entered our fear as a baby in a manger.

Because the King has come, fear does not get the final word. Peace does. And when the Prince of Peace takes over a life, what spills out is no longer fear—but praise, testimony, and unshakable confidence in the goodness of God.

Essential listening for anyone who longs to trade fear for the peace that passes all understanding this Christmas.

Watch all our sermons on our youtube channel "Flipside Christian Church"
Join us in person 9:00am & 10:30am every Sunday morning.
37193 Ave 12 #3h, Madera, CA 93636
For more visit us at flipside.church

For more podcasts visit flipsidepodcasts.transistor.fm

In this stirring and deeply encouraging Advent message, Pastor Karl launches the new series The King Has Come with a powerful exploration of the first great gift Jesus brings: hope.

Turning to Luke 2 and the quiet, largely forgotten figures of Simeon and Anna, Pastor Karl paints a vivid picture of two elderly saints who spent decades waiting in faithful obscurity—praying unanswered prayers, worshiping through silence, and serving without recognition. Yet the moment a 40-day-old baby was carried into the temple, their Spirit-illuminated eyes saw what the crowds missed: the long-promised Messiah, the Consolation of Israel, the Redemption of Jerusalem.

Through their story, Pastor Karl reveals that biblical hope is not wishful thinking; it is the confident, unshakable expectation of future good rooted in the unchanging character and faithfulness of God. Hope grows in the hidden soil of daily faithfulness, thrives when God chooses to work in silence, and celebrates the tiny seed because it already trusts the coming harvest. Simeon and Anna never saw Jesus preach, heal, or rise from the dead—yet they held the infant King and departed in peace, because they knew who He was long before they saw what He would do.

A tender yet convicting word for everyone who has waited a long time and is still waiting, prayed a long time and is still praying, and hoped a long time and is still hoping. In a season that can feel rushed and noisy, this message calls us to slow down, stay faithful, and train our eyes to recognize the presence of the King—even when He shows up wrapped in the ordinary, the small, and the seemingly insignificant.

Because the King has come, hope is not dead. It is alive, resilient, and bubbling up in every heart that keeps showing up and keeps looking for Jesus. Essential listening for anyone who needs fresh hope this Christmas.

Watch all our sermons on our youtube channel "Flipside Christian Church"
Join us in person 9:00am & 10:30am every Sunday morning.
37193 Ave 12 #3h, Madera, CA 93636
For more visit us at flipside.church

For more podcasts visit flipsidepodcasts.transistor.fm