Skycrest Community Church

Pastor Chris opens with a childhood story about a first-grade spelling bee and a friendship that faded over politics. He says we disagree and drift apart all the time, with neighbors, coworkers, family, and even the church. But Jesus said our love for each other would show the world we're his disciples, and he prayed that we'd be unified.

So do we need agreement to have unity? Pastor Chris says no. He shared a statistic that 69% of disagreements in a marriage can't be resolved, and he explained that agreement is about uniformity, not unity. In Romans chapter 14, Paul tells the church in Rome to accept one another without quarreling over disputable matters, the gray areas the Bible doesn't speak to directly. Pastor Chris sorts our own gray areas into opinions, preferences, and interpretations. He says we've crossed the line when we treat people who disagree with us with contempt or judgment, and that God has accepted them. The message closes with the gospel: faith in Jesus is the one thing we must believe.

Chapters

• 00:00 A first-grade spelling bee
• 03:56 How a disagreement became a drift
• 09:29 Love and unity mark the church
• 11:23 Agreement is not unity
• 14:18 Romans 14: accept the person
• 26:51 Opinion, preference, and interpretation
• 32:32 Contempt and judgment cross the line
• 40:18 The one thing we must believe

Scripture

• Romans 14:1-4

Series: The separation of church & hate
Speaker: Pastor Chris

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Skycrest Community Church · 125 N Belcher Road, Clearwater, FL 33765
Sundays: Group Bible Studies 9:00 AM · Worship 10:30 AM
Wednesdays: Pastor's Bible Study 6:30 PM
Plan your visit, watch live, or give: https://skycrestfamily.org
Questions or prayer requests: [email protected] · (727) 791-7107

Paul killed believers, then met Jesus. Could he really forget? Pastor Chris shows how Paul faced the memory that haunted him, and how we can turn our regrets into resolve.

Pastor Chris wraps up the Regret series with a question: what do we do when regrets resurface after God has forgiven us? He explains that conviction from the Holy Spirit looks back at unconfessed sin and moves us forward, while condemnation looks back at forgiven sin and pulls us backward. We resist condemnation with Scripture, as Jesus did in the wilderness. Romans 8:1 says there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus, and in Isaiah 43:25 God says he remembers our sins no more. Pastor Chris said that means God chooses not to hold them against us.

He then walks through the story of Saul, who approved of Stephen's stoning, persecuted the church, and met Jesus on the road to Damascus in Acts 9. Pastor Chris said Saul, who became Paul, could not have forgotten his past, and points to Philippians 3, where Paul writes about forgetting what is behind and pressing on. According to Pastor Chris, Paul did three things: he remembered his best day alongside his worst day, he turned laments into lessons, and he turned regrets into resolve. The message closes with a prayer and an invitation to make today your best day.

Chapters

• 00:00 Wrapping up the Regret series
• 02:22 Conviction versus condemnation
• 03:59 God remembers our sins no more
• 08:27 Saul, Stephen, and the church
• 15:56 Saul meets Jesus on the Damascus road
• 23:18 Paul's words on forgetting what is behind
• 28:28 Three things Paul did with his past
• 36:31 Prayer and an invitation

Scripture

• Romans 8:1
• Isaiah 43:25
• Acts 9:1-20
• Philippians 3:7-14

Series: Regret
Speaker: Pastor Chris

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Skycrest Community Church · 125 N Belcher Road, Clearwater, FL 33765
Sundays: Group Bible Studies 9:00 AM · Worship 10:30 AM
Wednesdays: Pastor's Bible Study 6:30 PM
Plan your visit, watch live, or give: https://skycrestfamily.org
Questions or prayer requests: [email protected] · (727) 791-7107

Pastor Chris continues the series on the seven deadly sins with the fourth one: lust. He starts with the plain meaning of the word. In its purest form, lust is a desire to gratify our physical appetites, and Pastor Chris said that in itself isn't sin. It becomes a deadly sin when it turns excessive and seeks unrestrained gratification.

Pastor Chris turns to James 1, where lust conceives and gives birth to sin, and full-grown sin gives birth to death. He explains that this death takes several forms: physical, emotional, relational, spiritual, and eternal. He draws a line between spiritual death, a loss of vitality with God that can be revived, and eternal separation from God. Because James wrote to believers, Pastor Chris called it a warning to believers.

He shares a conversation with a man stuck in pornography, and he quotes Dan Allender on how lust tries to possess another person. Pastor Chris said that emotional health and strong relationships come from serving, not using, and from the love of Jesus that lays down its life for friends.

Chapters

• 00:00 What lust is, and when it isn't sin
• 00:38 James 1: desire gives birth to sin
• 02:15 Forms of death: spiritual versus eternal
• 03:58 A man spiritually dead from lust
• 05:03 Physical, emotional, and relational death
• 06:43 Serving, not using: how we overcome lust

Scripture

• James 1:14-15

Series: 7 Deadly Sins
Speaker: Pastor Chris

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Skycrest Community Church · 125 N Belcher Road, Clearwater, FL 33765
Sundays: Group Bible Studies 9:00 AM · Worship 10:30 AM
Wednesdays: Pastor's Bible Study 6:30 PM
Plan your visit, watch live, or give: https://skycrestfamily.org
Questions or prayer requests: [email protected] · (727) 791-7107

Regret isn't always a bad sign. Pastor Chris explains why some regret is a gift from the Holy Spirit, and how to tell it apart from the guilt the enemy uses to keep us stuck.

Pastor Chris turns from preventing regret to a harder question: what do we do with the regrets we already have? He starts with a surprise. Regret isn't always bad. Pastor Chris says it can be a sign of a healthy conscience, the way the Holy Spirit alerts us when we've crossed the line. He walks through John 16, where Jesus says the Advocate will come, and Matthew 13, where Jesus describes the separating of good fish from bad.

From there, Pastor Chris draws a clear line. Conviction looks back at sin we haven't confessed, and it leads us to confess, repent, and receive forgiveness. Condemnation looks back at sin God has already forgiven. Pastor Chris says that voice is the accuser, who wants us to believe we are our sin. He points to Romans 8:1, 1 John 1:8-10, and 2 Corinthians 7:10 to show that in Christ there's no condemnation. If you aren't sure whether you've confessed something, he suggests praying Psalm 139:23-24 and asking God to search your heart.

Chapters

• 00:00 A truth that sets you free
• 01:46 From preventing regret to dealing with it
• 03:27 Regret as a healthy conscience
• 10:30 Walking in righteousness and confessing
• 20:57 Conviction versus condemnation
• 24:52 The accuser and the advocate
• 29:33 What to do with guilt and regret
• 32:32 Psalm 139 and closing prayer

Scripture

• John 16:7
• Matthew 13:47-50
• Romans 8:1
• 1 John 1:8-10
• 2 Corinthians 7:10
• Psalm 139:23-24

Series: Regret
Speaker: Pastor Chris

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Skycrest Community Church · 125 N Belcher Road, Clearwater, FL 33765
Sundays: Group Bible Studies 9:00 AM · Worship 10:30 AM
Wednesdays: Pastor's Bible Study 6:30 PM
Plan your visit, watch live, or give: https://skycrestfamily.org
Questions or prayer requests: [email protected] · (727) 791-7107

Is it possible we're hungering for something food can't satisfy? Pastor Chris says gluttony isn't about how much we eat but why we eat, and he points to how Jesus answered temptation in the wilderness.

Pastor Chris starts with numbers. He cites the CDC saying 74% of Americans are overweight and 40.3% of adults are obese, then says obesity is a symptom, not the problem. Scripturally, the problem is gluttony, and you can be a glutton at any weight. The issue isn't how much we eat but why we eat. Do we consume our food, or does our food consume us?

Pastor Chris reads Paul's words to the Philippians about people whose god is their stomach. He says that when we refuse to deny ourselves what we crave, our appetites become our master, and that's idolatry. Quoting Doug Jackson, he describes three kinds of gluttony: excess, delicacy (demanding a certain food and getting angry when we don't get it), and substitution (raiding the icebox for a cure for spiritual malnutrition). The antidote comes from Jesus in the wilderness, when Satan tempted him to turn rocks into rolls. Jesus answered that we don't live on bread alone but on every word from God. Pastor Chris says to let our appetite trigger us to seek God first, and to eat with gratitude to the God who meets our every need.

Chapters

• 00:00 The numbers on weight and spending
• 01:07 Who's to blame?
• 02:14 Gluttony is about why we eat
• 02:46 Paul and the god of the stomach
• 04:57 Three kinds of gluttony
• 07:16 The antidote: seek God first

Series: 7 Deadly Sins
Speaker: Pastor Chris

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Skycrest Community Church · 125 N Belcher Road, Clearwater, FL 33765
Sundays: Group Bible Studies 9:00 AM · Worship 10:30 AM
Wednesdays: Pastor's Bible Study 6:30 PM
Plan your visit, watch live, or give: https://skycrestfamily.org
Questions or prayer requests: [email protected] · (727) 791-7107

Peter ate with the Gentiles until a certain group walked in, then he moved tables. Pastor Chris shows from Galatians why people pleasing leads to regret, and who we should be aiming to please instead.

Pastor Chris closes the Regret series with its fifth question to ask before a big decision: who are we aiming to please? He says there are only two choices, God or people, and that a people pleaser lives for the praise and approval of others. The Bible calls that living in the fear of man rather than the fear of God.

Pastor Chris walks through Galatians. Paul says in chapter 1 that he can't be a servant of Christ and still be trying to please people. In chapter 2, Peter pulls away from the Gentile believers when a group from James arrives, and even Barnabas follows him. Paul confronts Peter because the gospel is at stake. Pastor Chris also points to John 12:43, where some leaders loved human praise more than the praise of God.

He then gives ten signs of people pleasing and three steps. First, admit it. Second, replace the fear of man with the fear of God, trembling in awe of his love, mercy, and grace. Third, resolve to please God and love people, which Pastor Chris says sometimes means telling them the truth.

Chapters

• 00:00 Two truths about regret and a quick review
• 03:46 The fifth question: who are we aiming to please?
• 07:45 People pleasing is the fear of man
• 08:49 Paul and the Judaizers in Galatians
• 17:22 Peter moves his place card at Antioch
• 25:07 Ten signs of a people pleaser
• 28:40 Overcome the fear of man with the fear of God
• 31:20 Please God and love people

Scripture

• Galatians 1:9
• Galatians 1:10
• Galatians 1:13-14
• Galatians 2:11-14
• John 12:43
• Psalm 96:9
• Psalm 118:6
• 2 Timothy 2:4
• Mark 10:45

Series: Regret
Speaker: Pastor Chris

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Skycrest Community Church · 125 N Belcher Road, Clearwater, FL 33765
Sundays: Group Bible Studies 9:00 AM · Worship 10:30 AM
Wednesdays: Pastor's Bible Study 6:30 PM
Plan your visit, watch live, or give: https://skycrestfamily.org
Questions or prayer requests: [email protected] · (727) 791-7107

Pastor Chris continues the series on the seven deadly sins with the second one: envy. He opens with an ancient Greek story about an athlete who finished second. Night after night he chiseled at the base of the winner's statue, until it fell and killed him. Pastor Chris says he was dead long before the statue hit him, a victim of deep resentment at the good fortune of others.

Pastor Chris turns to Proverbs 14:30, which says a heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones. He sets that peace beside the green pastures and still waters of Psalm 23. Envy does the opposite: it's a hidden malignancy that ends in stress.

He gives three steps for anyone infected with envy. First, bring it into the light through confession to God. Second, practice thanksgiving, and he reads Philippians 4:8-9. Third, find a victory for someone else and celebrate it. Pastor Chris says you can't truly celebrate others and envy them at the same time. Envy is hard to get rid of, he says, but not impossible.

Chapters

• 00:00 Envy, the second deadly sin
• 00:34 The athlete and the statue
• 02:17 Proverbs 14:30: envy rots the bones
• 02:59 Peace and the green pastures of Psalm 23
• 03:59 First step: confess it
• 04:30 Second step: practice thanksgiving
• 05:07 Third step: celebrate someone else's win
• 05:42 God is healer and deliverer

Scripture

• Proverbs 14:30
• Psalm 23
• Philippians 4:8-9

Series: 7 Deadly Sins
Speaker: Pastor Chris

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Skycrest Community Church · 125 N Belcher Road, Clearwater, FL 33765
Sundays: Group Bible Studies 9:00 AM · Worship 10:30 AM
Wednesdays: Pastor's Bible Study 6:30 PM
Plan your visit, watch live, or give: https://skycrestfamily.org
Questions or prayer requests: [email protected] · (727) 791-7107

Pastor Chris continues the Regret series with the fourth question to ask before we decide anything: is there a grudge that won't budge? He starts in James 3, where James describes two kinds of wisdom, God's and man's. Then he compares a grudge to too much alcohol. Both distort our view of reality. In Mark 6, Herodias nursed a grudge against John the Baptist, and it ended with John's death. Leviticus 19:18 tells us not to seek revenge or bear a grudge, and Pastor Chris said grudges are anti-God because they are anti-love.

In Luke 15, the father in Jesus' story refused the grudge his community expected him to hold. He ran to meet his returning son. The older brother kept his grudge, stayed outside the party, and lost both his brother and his father. Pastor Chris said grudges are rooted in man's wisdom and always lead to regret. For a grudge that feels stuck, he pointed to Mark 11, where Jesus talks about faith that moves a mountain. Ask God to cast it into the sea, keep asking, and be willing to let it go. He closed with two questions: do you have a relationship with God, and do you hold a grudge?

Chapters

• 00:00 Welcome, worship, and prayer for persecuted believers
• 32:41 Two kinds of wisdom and the first three questions
• 37:57 A grudge blinds us like too much alcohol
• 41:46 Herodias and her grudge against John
• 46:26 Grudges are anti-God because they are anti-love
• 48:55 The father and the older brother in Luke 15
• 1:04:53 Asking God to move the mountain
• 1:09:27 God moves toward us: two questions

Scripture

• James 3:13-18
• Proverbs 1:33
• Proverbs 28:26
• Mark 6:19-20
• Leviticus 19:18
• Luke 15:11-32
• Mark 11:22-24

Series: Regret
Speaker: Pastor Chris

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Skycrest Community Church · 125 N Belcher Road, Clearwater, FL 33765
Sundays: Group Bible Studies 9:00 AM · Worship 10:30 AM
Wednesdays: Pastor's Bible Study 6:30 PM
Plan your visit, watch live, or give: https://skycrestfamily.org
Questions or prayer requests: [email protected] · (727) 791-7107

Pride was once seen as a fatal flaw. Today it's celebrated. Pastor Chris traces it back to the garden, names three forms it takes, and shows why it drains our spiritual life.

Pastor Chris opens the series on the seven deadly sins with pride. He defines it as the desire to be something you're not. He takes us back to Genesis 3:5, where the serpent told Adam and Eve they could be like God. They bit, sin entered the world, and they became self-conscious. Then they hid from each other and from God.

That hiding, he says, is why pride drains spiritual vitality. We spend our energy protecting an image instead of becoming who God calls us to be. He points to Proverbs 11:2 and Proverbs 16:18 on disgrace and destruction, then names three forms of pride: vanity, stubbornness, and exclusion. Stubbornness is being stiff-necked, and he reads Proverbs 29:1 about the consequences. Exclusion looks down on others and is the opposite of love.

All three put us at the center and push God aside. The answer is humility. Pastor Chris calls on Jesus' words that those who humble themselves will be exalted. He also cites Peter's call to humble ourselves under God's mighty hand. We can choose praise over vanity, service over stubbornness, and encouragement over exclusion.

Chapters

• 00:00 Pride: a sin once seen as a fatal flaw
• 00:36 The serpent's temptation in the garden
• 02:14 Why pride makes us hide
• 03:18 What Proverbs says about pride
• 03:53 Three forms: vanity, stubbornness, exclusion
• 06:04 Pride puts me at the center
• 06:36 Choosing humility instead

Scripture

• Genesis 3:5
• Proverbs 11:2
• Proverbs 16:18
• Proverbs 29:1

Series: 7 Deadly Sins
Speaker: Pastor Chris

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Skycrest Community Church · 125 N Belcher Road, Clearwater, FL 33765
Sundays: Group Bible Studies 9:00 AM · Worship 10:30 AM
Wednesdays: Pastor's Bible Study 6:30 PM
Plan your visit, watch live, or give: https://skycrestfamily.org
Questions or prayer requests: [email protected] · (727) 791-7107

Regret rarely comes from bad luck — it comes from decisions made in a hurry. One question can stop it before it starts: what's the hurry?

Continuing the Regret series, Pastor Chris presents a third question for avoiding regret before it happens: "What's the hurry?" Drawing on his grandmother's example, a Tony Campolo survey of 95-year-olds, and a 1960s Time Magazine report on leisure time, he argues that hurry produces regret rather than progress. Working through Proverbs 19:2, Proverbs 21:5, James 1:19-20, and Proverbs 29:20, he shows that hurry breeds waywardness, poverty, anger, and foolish speech, and concludes that wisdom is never in a hurry.

He then turns to Mark 6:30-32, where Jesus invites his hurried, crowd-pressed disciples to come away and rest, showing that hurry is a spiritual threat that crowds out time with Jesus. Two remedies are offered: stop, as Psalm 46:10 commands ("Be still, and know that I am God"), and follow Jesus at his pace, as pictured in Psalm 23:2-3. He closes with Jesus' invitation in Matthew 11:28-30 to trade a hurried, weary life for rest, tying regret-prevention to trusting and following Christ, who proved his love by dying on the cross.

Chapters

• 00:00 Preventing regret through wisdom
• 02:12 Question three: what's the hurry?
• 05:08 The lie that hurry means significance
• 07:59 What Proverbs and James say about hurry
• 13:31 Jesus was never in a hurry (Mark 6)
• 18:32 Stop: Psalm 46's call to be still
• 21:54 Follow: Psalm 23's unhurried shepherd
• 25:56 Jesus' invitation to rest (Matthew 11)

Scripture

• Proverbs 19:2
• Proverbs 21:5
• James 1:19-20
• Proverbs 29:20
• Mark 6:30-32
• Psalm 46:10
• Psalm 23:2-3
• Matthew 11:28-30

Series: Regret
Speaker: Pastor Chris

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Skycrest Community Church · 125 N Belcher Road, Clearwater, FL 33765
Sundays: Group Bible Studies 9:00 AM · Worship 10:30 AM
Wednesdays: Pastor's Bible Study 6:30 PM
Plan your visit, watch live, or give: https://skycrestfamily.org
Questions or prayer requests: [email protected] · (727) 791-7107