Pastor Josh preaches from Genesis 29, beginning with the realism that relationships are hard and cannot bear the weight of ultimate fulfillment. He traces Jacob’s broken family line, his flight from Esau, and his hopeful arrival at the well where he meets Rachel, only to be manipulated by Laban, who exploits Jacob’s longing and his love-sick bargain. After seven years of labor Jacob is deceived into marrying Leah, then serves seven more years for Rachel, and the sermon lingers on the haunting phrase, “in the morning, behold, it was Leah,” as a picture of human disillusionment and idolatry. Leah, unwanted and unloved, names sons for being seen, heard, and attached, until she turns and says, “This time I will praise the Lord,” naming Judah. God sees Leah’s affliction, and through Judah brings the Messiah, pointing to Jesus as the bridegroom who comes for the bride nobody wanted.

Pastor Josh reads Acts 2, describing Pentecost’s wind, fire, and tongues that let Jews from many nations hear “the mighty works of God,” before Peter stands to preach. He tells Gypsy Smith’s chalk-circle charge to pray for revival starting within one’s own heart, then traces Peter’s arc: Jesus’ warning in Luke 22, Peter’s three denials and bitter weeping, and his restoration in John 21 by a charcoal fire where the risen Jesus asks three times, “Do you love me?” and commissions him to feed the sheep. He explains the disciples’ waiting as tied to Jesus’ ascension and enthronement, making Pentecost a cosmic regime change and Babel “baptized” into multilingual inclusion. He points to Stephen as a picture of being filled with the Spirit, and ends with the right order: Christ’s initiating love, received before it overflows into power and witness.

Pastor Josh preaches on Matthew 5:4 and John 14:16-17, then retells the story of Zacchaeus to show how Jesus pursues the lost and “comes alongside” them, tying it to “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” He explains that “comfort” (parakaleo) points to the Paraclete in John 14: the Holy Spirit, given by the Father, who abides forever, teaches, and reminds believers of Jesus’ words. The sermon argues the Spirit is personal (“he,” not “it”), can be grieved, speaks, loves, and acts, and is also fully divine, highlighted by Jesus promising “another” helper of the same kind (allos). Being filled with the Spirit is relational, not mechanical, making Christ experientially real and advocating against condemnation, grounded in Jesus’ finished payment for sin and the believer’s secure justification.

Pastor Josh continues a series on the Beatitudes in Matthew 5, focusing on “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted,” and frames the Beatitudes as a gospel “string of pearls” rather than personality traits. Through personal stories of religious ambition and a breaking point in a Seattle hotel room where he hears the thing that forever changes his life. He distinguishes mourning that saves (grief over one’s sin and spiritual poverty) from mourning that destroys (worldly sorrow, self-pity, envy, and idolatry), illustrated by the tax collector versus the Pharisee, the sinful woman in Luke 7, and Ahab’s covetousness in 1 Kings 21. He closes with Psalm 126, urging listeners not to waste tears: in Christ, sorrow not only gives way to joy but produces it, as Jesus’ own joy and suffering are braided together.

Pastor Josh preaches on Revelation 1 this Easter, looking specifically at verse 12-18. We see the exalted Jesus as the risen Lord who loves, frees from sin by his blood, and holds “the keys of death and Hades.” We look at Easter’s central claim: Christ conquered Satan, sin, and death, giving a weighty, present-shaping hope. Revelation is a letter written to persecuted first-century churches and describes John’s vision of the glorified Son of Man that leaves him undone yet comforted: “Fear not.” Through stories of funerals, grief, and fear, he insists death is an enemy modern culture denies or sentimentalizes, yet one Christ has defanged. Christians uniquely hate death and rage against it knowing that it is an enemy violating the restraining order. Yet at the same time christians are so confident that death has ultimately been defeated that they can sing at the edge of deaths grave. Like David’s victory for Israel, Jesus’ victory becomes his people’s; the gospel is grace, restoring relationship, and paradise as the garden regained.

On Palm Sunday I preach “the Lion/Lamb,” reading John 12:12–19 and the triumphal entry, then I confess my longing for a leader of character like David Palmer or Aragorn, only to note how power corrupts even the best and how history’s kings disappoint. I trace humanity’s persistent hunger for an ideal ruler—strong and gentle, lion and lamb—and say Revelation 5 answers it with a paradox: the Lion of Judah appears as a slain Lamb. Returning to Jerusalem under Rome, I explain the crowd’s palm branches as symbols of nationalist liberation from the Maccabean story and contrast Jesus’ donkey with Pilate’s war procession, showing Jesus fulfills Zechariah 9 by bringing peace through humility and sacrifice, defeating sin and death. I end by calling for “new management” of our lives under this King, whose kindness births servant-hearted courage, and I anticipate his future return in judgment and renewal.

Welcome to a long in progress sermon on Matthew 5:1–12, focusing on the first three verses and the first Beatitude. We see the Beatitudes are not separate “lines” or ethical ideals but links in the chain of salvation, and that the Sermon’s demands, when heard without cultural haze, expose and condemn human motives as impossible (“be perfect”). The sermon is not a self-help checklist but requires supernatural transformation described in the Beatitudes; “blessed” means favored/fortunate—“congratulations”—for the spiritually bankrupt. Using the rich young ruler and Peter it contrasts self-sufficiency with poverty of spirit, then concludes that Jesus himself fulfills the Beatitudes by becoming poor, mourning, meek, thirsty, and pure so believers receive mercy, peace, and the kingdom.

Matthew 5:3, 'Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.' This sets the stage for a deeper exploration of Daniel's experience in Babylon and the interpretation of King Nebuchadnezzar’s troubling dream. In the Second chapter of Daniel we will uncover the significance of humility, the power of collective prayer, and the miraculous intervention of a God who reaches down from heaven to rescue the broken from crushing ruin. The God who will demolish the manmade kingdoms of selfishness and share His invincible kingdom with the humble.

In a world that often mirrors the ancient city of Babylon, a bustling metropolis of power, influence, and spiritual opposition, how can we live as faithful witnesses and maintain our integrity? The sermon breaks down the chapter into key sections: the place (verses 1-2), the pressure (verses 3-7), the performance (verses 8-21), and the power (verse 8). Pastor Joshua encourages us not to look at the greatness of Daniel, but the greatness of Daniels God. Drawing strength from God’s boundless grace and empowering love. May we find our place as people of His Kingdom in a world that desperately needs His light.

As we look at the passages in Nehemiah 2 and 3 we see the importance of community, faith, and action in rebuilding Jerusalem's walls. Pastor Josh points out the harsh resistance faced by Nehemiah and his team, drawing parallels to modern-day challenges in the city of Stockton. The scripture stresses the collective effort of all believers, regardless of their background, skill, age and calling. We also see the pitfalls of pride and individualism, while also urging believers to work together for the glory of God while being aware of, but not deterred by the spiritual resistance we inevitably face in doing the great work of rebuilding.

This sermon was originally preached on 2/22/09