Christ PCA Temecula

Mark 14:43–52 is one of the darkest and chaotic moments in the Gospels, filled with betrayal, fear and swords. Friends scatter. Everything feels unstable and undone. And yet right in the middle of the chaos stands Jesus, calm, clear, and utterly resolute as He walks toward the cross for sinners like us.

Jesus has moved through Mark's Gospel with remarkable composure. But in Mark 14, He falls to the ground, and begins to tremble. Mark gives an intimate glimpse into the interior life of our Savior. We will see what undid Him, why He went to the cross despite praying for another way, and who it was all for.

On the road to the Mount of Olives, Jesus says, “You will all fall away.” Peter does not take that well. What follows is a tragic scene of a man so convinced of his own strength that he walks right past the grace intended to sustain him. This Sunday, we'll see why the grit we need cannot come from within, but must be given to us in Christ.

In Mark 14:12–26, on the night of the Passover, Jesus gathers with His disciples in a room. At that table, everything is revealed. A betrayer is exposed; hearts are searched. Then Jesus takes bread and a cup, and offers not just a meal, but Himself: His body and blood given for His people.

This Sunday as the events move to the cross, the plot against Jesus is already in motion. And in the middle of it all, an woman walks into a room with a quiet act of costly devotion.Mark 14:1–11 demonstrates the difference between rejecting Jesus, using Jesus, and truly worshiping Him.

What does it mean to live with hope in an anxious world? Psalm 24 answers by lifting our eyes to a King who comes. Not a distant or fragile king, but the King of glory, who owns all things, who makes a way for sinners to come near, and who has already won the decisive battle over sin and death.

In Mark 13, Jesus speaks about a world that will feel unstable, disorienting, and overwhelming. He does not hide the reality of difficulties we will face, nor does He leave us without hope. Instead, He fixes our eyes on what is certain. His Word will not pass away, and He Himself will come again in power and glory.

Jesus begins preparing His disciples for a future they were not expecting; leaving the temple in Jerusalem, the disciples marvel at its beauty and permanence. But Jesus responds announces that the temple will be torn down and warns of the turbulent time between His first coming and His return, a time marked by deception, upheaval, persecution, and hardship.

Jesus, teaching in the temple during the final days before the cross raises an important question about the identity of the Messiah, offers a sobering warning about a kind of religion that looks impressive but misses the heart of God, and then draws attention to a quiet act of devotion that most people in the room would have completely overlooked.

A scribe asks Jesus a question: which is the greatest commandment? Jesus answers: love the Lord your God with all that you are, and love your neighbor as yourself. This answer feels simple until you realize how deep it runs. This passage shows us the life God seeks, a whole-hearted life that knows Him, treasures Him, and shares His love with others.

Jesus faces the Sadducees, who devise a calculated trap designed to make resurrection appear absurd and to embarrass Him. Instead, Jesus exposes their flawed argument and failure to know either the Scriptures or the power of God.

In Mark 12:13-17, strange allies gather in the temple courts with a single aim: to defeat and destroy Jesus. They approach with a simple but loaded question about power, loyalty, and who truly holds authority. What unfolds is far more than a clever escape, but showcases the beauty of our Savior.  

In the parable of a vineyard, Jesus exposes God's generous provision, humanity's refusal to give Him what He is owed, and the judgment that follows when the Son is rejected.We'll consider whether we live as grateful tenants under God's care or resist His rightful claim on our lives.

Every life is lived under authority; the real question is whose? In Mark 11:27–33, Jesus is confronted in with a question meant to trap him: “By what authority are you doing these things?” When Jesus' authority collides with our autonomy, how will we respond? Jesus' authority is not a threat to our joy, but the very means of our salvation.

In Mark 11:12–25, Jesus curses a fig tree, drives from the temple and speaks words of warning rather than comfort. These signs expose a serious danger: a faith that looks alive on the outside but bears no fruit. As Jesus confronts fruitless religion and corrupted worship, He calls His people to be rooted in Him, not in religious activity or appearances, and be marked by faith, prayer and forgiveness.

Jesus' entry into Jerusalem is often called triumphal; there are palm branches and psalms, shouts of “Hosanna”. Yet He rides in humbly, walks straight to the temple, quietly looks around, and then leaves. Mark reveals a King whose glory is revealed in humility, whose power is exercised through obedience, and whose path to victory runs straight through the cross.

As Jesus travels toward Jerusalem, He stops along the way for a blind beggar named Bartimaeus. When Bartimaeus cries out to Jesus for mercy, the crowd tries to silence him, but Jesus beckons him close, restores his sight, and invites Bartimaeus to follow Him.

In Mark 10:32–45, we behold our Savior leading His disciples along the way, exposing our hunger for recognition, and redefining true greatness in self-sacrificing love. At the center stands the Son of Man, who did not come to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.

In this week's sermon we look at the baptism of Jesus.

In Mark 10:17–31, we meet a man who appears to have everything: morality, wealth, influence, and religious devotion. Yet tragically, he walks away from Jesus. His encounter exposes a deep truth: eternal life cannot be earned through performance, but only received by grace. Jesus lovingly confronts the idol that holds this man's heart.

In Mark 10:1–12, Jesus is confronted with a question about marriage meant to trap Him. Instead of debating technicalities, He brings listeners back to God's original design, dignity, and purpose for marriage. This passage challenges our assumptions and leads us toward the hope of the gospel: the One True Bridegroom who remains faithful even when we are not.

In this sobering passage, Jesus exposes the pride in our hearts and the sin that shapes our habits. The disciples try to shut down a man casting out demons simply because he wasn't part of their group. But Jesus warns about the tragic effects of sin, calling us from territorial pride and faith that measures others by our preferences, and into the humility and charity of true discipleship.  

Jesus walks with His disciples and reveals His mission: the Son of Man will be delivered into the hands of men, suffer, die, and rise. But the disciples are preoccupied with arguing about who among them is the greatest.

This Sunday we come to one of the more monumental moments in all of the Gospels: the Transfiguration.

A special 20th Anniversary message from CPC founding pastor, Rev. Eric Landry.

As Paul closes his letter to Titus not quietly, but with clarity and conviction. What the gospel builds lasts. Titus is called to lead a church that keeps its eyes on what truly matters—Christ and His mission. Paul's closing words reveal a heart captivated by grace and a community shaped by service.

In Titus 3:1-8, Paul reminds us that the grace that saves us also sends us. God's mercy doesn't just change our status before Him, it transforms how we live before others. In a world marked by division and pride, Christians are called to be living demonstrations of the kindness and humility of Christ.

This Sunday we'll discover what's really under the hood of the Christian life as we examine Titus 2:11-15. What we will see is that the Apostle Paul reveals that the engine driving gospel transformation isn't our own strength, but the unstoppable power of God's grace and glory.

In a world starving for authentic relationships, Paul shows Titus that sound doctrine isn't the enemy of loving community—it's the foundation. When the gospel transforms hearts across generations, it creates the kind of relationships that make a watching world ask, "What do they have that we don't have?" This week, we explore how deep theology produces deep followers who adorn the doctrine of God our Savior.

This week we look at Paul's instruction to Titus found in Titus 1:5-16. Paul left Titus in Crete to "put into order what remained" meaning that Titus' ministry was to bring order into a messy church situation. 

In a short series on leadership, we'll look this week at Titus 1:1-4. The Apostle Paul, addressing his spiritual son, Titus, demonstrates a powerful perspective on ministry; how he balanced deep humility with confident authority, and where he found hope when the work seemed overwhelming. These principles are not just for church leaders; they are for every believer seeking to faithfully serve God.

Sermon on Isaiah 55

Sunday Morning Sermon in Psalm 73

Instead of claiming an earthly throne, Jesus announces he will be nailed to a wooden cross. Instead of preserving his life, he must surrender it entirely. But here's the startling truth: Jesus calls his followers to embrace this same path. Denying ourselves, taking up our cross, and following Jesus are not paths to death but the gateway to authentic, abundant life.

Just before Peter declares that Jesus is the Christ, Mark tells us about a strange miracle; the only time Jesus doesn't heal someone completely on the first try. A blind man receives partial sight, seeing "people, but they look like trees, walking," before Jesus gets it right the second time. This Sunday we'll see how Jesus patiently works to open our eyes completely—helping us see who He is.

In a world full of fears and distractions, Jesus warns us about the subtle but deadly danger of unbelief; the Pharisees demanding signs and the disciples forgetting bread, but underneath both is a failure to trust the One standing right in front of them. This passage challenges us to recognize the leaven of unbelief in our own hearts, while also comforting us with the patience of Savior, who lovingly guides and guards His struggling people.

This Sunday, we'll see Jesus revealed through seven loaves, a few fish, and 4,000 hungry people in the wilderness. More than a miracle of multiplication, this familiar story unveils the character of Christ Himself. Come discover Jesus who sees every need, remembers every promise, and provides beyond what we dare ask or imagine.

This Sunday we'll witness Jesus opening deaf ears and loosing mute tongues. This passage shows the heart of our Savior who doesn't love from a distance, but draws near enough to get His hands dirty in the work of our redemption. We'll see that Jesus still opens spiritually deaf ears, still looses stuck tongues, and still works in ways that leave us saying with the crowds: "He has done all things well."

This Sunday we meet the Syrophoenician woman who refused to take no for an answer. When Jesus seemingly compares her to a dog, rather than storming off in offense, she demonstrates the kind of bold, humble, yet persistent faith that delights the heart of God. Her story teaches that sometimes the most unlikely people demonstrate for us what real, authentic faith actually looks like.

The Pharisees hid their flaws behind empty rituals, but traditions led to tragedy—worship that missed God's heart. In Mark 7:1-13, Jesus exposes their folly yet offers them hope: a Hope found in His sufficiencies despite our inadequacies. Join us Sunday for “A Tragedy Steeped in Tradition” as we fix our eyes on our one and only hope: Jesus.

This Sunday, we're diving into Mark 6:45-56 to see how Jesus, our patient teacher, meets hard-hearted disciples in the midst of their storms. We'll discover how His urgency often moves us into uncomfortable situations, how headwinds reveal what's truly in our hearts, and how the Lord reveals Himself powerfully in our deepest fears.

In a weary and hungry world, we often find ourselves running on empty—emotionally, physically, even spiritually. In Mark 6:30–44, we meet Jesus, the true Shepherd, who sees the crowd not as a nuisance but as sheep without a shepherd. He feeds their hearts and stomachs. In this familiar miracle, we see far more than a meal—we see the Messiah who satisfies.