In the concluding sermon of our annual Vision series, Pastor Brent discusses the palpable ways we seek to be a church for the city through the metaphor of being salt and light, as outlined by Jesus in Matthew 5. This metaphor teaches us three critical things: God’s love for the city, how we are to love the city, and the unique resource Christians have to love the city.

Pastor Brent continues our fall vision series by preaching on the story of the Samaritan woman whom Jesus meets at the well. ResOak's vision is to be a church not just for ourselves, but for the unconvinced and for the city. But what does it mean to be a church for the unconvinced? Pastor Brent explains that there is something that is true about every human heart, something that is true about God's heart, and ultimately, how this story in the book of John will impact our church's heart.

In Acts 2, we learn about the very first church. Unlike some modern churches, it did not repel people--it attracted them. How can Resurrection Oakland become that kind of church? We must imitate the first church by being devoted to God, devoted to His Word, and devoted to the family of God.

At the conclusion of our series on the 7 letters to the churches in Revelation 2-3, Pastor Dave preaches on the letter to the church in Laodicea, which was identified as "lukewarm." Through this letter, we learn how grace is not lukewarm, how our need is not lukewarm, and how Jesus is not lukewarm.

Words hold enormous power, and the words in this letter to the church in Philadelphia is filled with words of encouragement. They're all about who Jesus is, how He works, what He came to do, and why He came to do it.

Are we willing to listen to harder words from Jesus? There's a difference between hearing and listening. But why listen to Jesus at all? Because of a condition that we all have, a cure that we all need, and the hope that we all receive.

There are many words of confrontation from Jesus in this letter to the church in Thyatira, but it astonishingly holds the best words of commendations of all the letters. At the heart of this letter is an invitation from Jesus, outlining the risk of corrupt teaching, corrupt tolerance, and ultimately, how corruption is transformed.

In this sermon on Jesus' letter to the church in the city of Pergamum, Pastor Brent draws connection between life in that ancient city then and life in Oakland today. He discusses Pergamum's problem, our problem, and finally the three promises of Jesus that are more triumphant over them all.

What does Jesus want to say to us in these letters at the beginning of Revelation? In this case, He speaks to us about suffering. They're words we all need to hear, because we all know what it's like to suffer. Jesus deeply understands and empathizes with our struggles. In this sermon, Pastor Brent outlines the depth and reality of His empathy and sovereignty over our suffering.

The book of Revelation is full of open letters from Jesus to His Church. In this series, we'll be asking, simply, "What does Jesus want to say to us?" The first letter, the one to the church in Ephesus, says three things to us: what Jesus wants from us more than anything else, why He wants it, and how we can do it.