Pastor Rojas+

What Does He Think of Me Now? | Christ For YouLuke 15:1–32 | Trinity 3The Pharisees are offended because Jesus receives sinners and eats with them.Not respectable sinners. Not cleaned-up sinners. Tax collectors, public sinners, unclean sinners, the kind of people religious men thought God should keep at a distance.But Jesus does not apologize. He tells a story.A son runs from his father, wastes everything, destroys himself, and comes home with nothing. What will the father do? Will he shame him? Reject him? Make him earn his way back? Or will he receive him?What does this parable teach us about guilt, repentance, shame, and the heart of God? Why do we secretly imagine God keeping score? What happens when we treat forgiveness like a point system? And what does it mean that the father runs to embrace his lost son?This Trinity 3 sermon proclaims the comfort of Christ for sinners who wonder whether they have gone too far, failed too often, or come home too late. In Christ, the Father receives sinners, forgives sinners, feeds sinners, raises sinners, and brings His children home.Subscribe & Share:Spotify: Christ For YouPortuguês: Cristo Para VocêWebsite: ZionWG.orgLooking for a Lutheran Church near you?Support the preaching of God's Word.

Support Zion Evangelical Lutheran ChurchSubscribe & Share:• Apple Podcasts: Christ For You• Spotify: Listen on Spotify• Website: ZionWG.org/podcastStay Connected:• Email: PastorRojas@ZionWG.org• Website: ZionWG.orgIf this recording strengthened your faith, share it with others and leave a review. Your support helps more people hear the faithful preaching of Christ crucified and risen for you.

Support Zion Evangelical Lutheran ChurchSubscribe & Share:• Apple Podcasts: Christ For You• Spotify: Listen on Spotify• Website: ZionWG.org/podcastStay Connected:• Email: PastorRojas@ZionWG.org• Website: ZionWG.orgIf this recording strengthened your faith, share it with others and leave a review. Your support helps more people hear the faithful preaching of Christ crucified and risen for you.

Support Zion Evangelical Lutheran ChurchSubscribe & Share:• Apple Podcasts: Christ For You• Spotify: Listen on Spotify• Website: ZionWG.org/podcastStay Connected:• Email: PastorRojas@ZionWG.org• Website: ZionWG.orgIf this recording strengthened your faith, share it with others and leave a review. Your support helps more people hear the faithful preaching of Christ crucified and risen for you.

Support Zion Evangelical Lutheran ChurchSubscribe & Share:• Apple Podcasts: Christ For You• Spotify: Listen on Spotify• Website: ZionWG.org/podcastStay Connected:• Email: PastorRojas@ZionWG.org• Website: ZionWG.orgIf this recording strengthened your faith, share it with others and leave a review. Your support helps more people hear the faithful preaching of Christ crucified and risen for you.

Support Zion Evangelical Lutheran ChurchSubscribe & Share:• Apple Podcasts: Christ For You• Spotify: Listen on Spotify• Website: ZionWG.org/podcastStay Connected:• Email: PastorRojas@ZionWG.org• Website: ZionWG.orgIf this recording strengthened your faith, share it with others and leave a review. Your support helps more people hear the faithful preaching of Christ crucified and risen for you.

What does Christianity actually teach?In this Adult Instruction Class, we walk through the basic teachings of the Christian faith from a Lutheran perspective. We cover Scripture, God, sin, Christ, salvation, Baptism, the Lord's Supper, prayer, worship, and the Christian life.This class is especially for those new to Christianity, those exploring Lutheranism, and those desiring to become members of the Lutheran Church. It is clear, biblical, and practical, with room for honest questions along the way.

What does Christianity actually teach?In this Adult Instruction Class, we walk through the basic teachings of the Christian faith from a Lutheran perspective. We cover Scripture, God, sin, Christ, salvation, Baptism, the Lord's Supper, prayer, worship, and the Christian life.This class is especially for those new to Christianity, those exploring Lutheranism, and those desiring to become members of the Lutheran Church. It is clear, biblical, and practical, with room for honest questions along the way.

What does Christianity actually teach?In this Adult Instruction Class, we walk through the basic teachings of the Christian faith from a Lutheran perspective. We cover Scripture, God, sin, Christ, salvation, Baptism, the Lord's Supper, prayer, worship, and the Christian life.This class is especially for those new to Christianity, those exploring Lutheranism, and those desiring to become members of the Lutheran Church. It is clear, biblical, and practical, with room for honest questions along the way.

What does Christianity actually teach?In this Adult Instruction Class, we walk through the basic teachings of the Christian faith from a Lutheran perspective. We cover Scripture, God, sin, Christ, salvation, Baptism, the Lord's Supper, prayer, worship, and the Christian life.This class is especially for those new to Christianity, those exploring Lutheranism, and those desiring to become members of the Lutheran Church. It is clear, biblical, and practical, with room for honest questions along the way.

What does Christianity actually teach?In this Adult Instruction Class, we walk through the basic teachings of the Christian faith from a Lutheran perspective. We cover Scripture, God, sin, Christ, salvation, Baptism, the Lord's Supper, prayer, worship, and the Christian life.This class is especially for those new to Christianity, those exploring Lutheranism, and those desiring to become members of the Lutheran Church. It is clear, biblical, and practical, with room for honest questions along the way.

What does Christianity actually teach?In this Adult Instruction Class, we walk through the basic teachings of the Christian faith from a Lutheran perspective. We cover Scripture, God, sin, Christ, salvation, Baptism, the Lord's Supper, prayer, worship, and the Christian life.This class is especially for those new to Christianity, those exploring Lutheranism, and those desiring to become members of the Lutheran Church. It is clear, biblical, and practical, with room for honest questions along the way.

What Do Our Excuses Say About Us? | Christ For YouLuke 14:15–24 | Trinity 2A man prepares a great banquet. The invitations go out. Everything is ready.And then everyone starts making excuses.Why do people stay away from God? Are they really too busy, too tired, and too overwhelmed? Or is something deeper going on? Why does Jesus say the master becomes angry? What makes an excuse so dangerous? And if we've all made excuses, what's the difference between those outside the banquet and those sitting inside?Who are the poor, crippled, blind, and lame? Why does Jesus want you to see yourself among them? What does it mean that Christ not only invites sinners to His feast, but prepares the feast Himself through His death and resurrection?This Trinity 2 sermon examines what really keeps people away from God and why there is no better place to be than at Christ's banquet.Subscribe & Share:Spotify: Christ For YouPortuguês: Cristo Para VocêWebsite: ZionWG.orgLooking for a Lutheran Church near you?Support the preaching of God's Word.

Luther on Psalm 117: The Shortest Psalm and the Whole GospelWhat can two verses possibly say? What could the shortest chapter in the entire Bible — shorter than a tweet, shorter than a paragraph — contain that the rest of Scripture doesn't already cover more thoroughly? And why would Martin Luther, the great Reformer, spend pages and pages unpacking it?Because, Luther argues, it contains everything. The whole Gospel. The entire reason the heathen — all of us — have a God at all.What does it mean that God calls all nations to praise Him? What kind of kingdom doesn't require you to move to Jerusalem, change your laws, or earn your place? What is grace, really — and if it's truly free, what does that leave us to do? And why does the man who ignited the Reformation confess that he still recites the Lord's Prayer and the Catechism every morning, like a child?Luther works through Psalm 117 in four movements — prophecy, revelation, instruction, and admonition — and at every turn the answer is the same: grace prevails. The heaven of grace is more vast than any cloud of sin or death beneath it. The ship doesn't sink just because you fall overboard. Baptism doesn't stop being Baptism just because you walked away from it.Two verses. The whole Gospel. This one's for you."The Word of the Lord abides forever."

"Preface To The Psalter" | Luther's Works, Vol. 35 | Dr. Martin LutherIn 1545, Martin Luther sat down to explain why the Psalms had meant more to him than anything else he'd ever read. His answer is not what you'd expect. It's not that they're poetic. It's not that they're ancient. It's not even that they're inspired.It's that they show you what a saint looks like on the inside.You can read a thousand biographies of holy men and women. You'll see what they did. You'll see the miracles. You'll see the sacrifice. But you won't see the fear. You won't see the doubt. You won't see what they actually said to God at 3 in the morning when everything was falling apart.The Psalms give you that.Luther says a human heart is like a ship on a wild sea. And what comes out of a person when the storm hits — that's what's real. The Psalms are what the saints said when the storm was hitting. Which means they're also what you can say.But here's the question Luther ends with — and it's uncomfortable: What happens to a people who are handed this treasure and treat it like worthless food?He watched it happen in his own day. He wondered if it would happen again.Is it happening now?

Subscribe & Share:Apple Podcasts: Christ For YouSpotify: Listen on SpotifyWebsite: ZionWG.org/podcastStay Connected:Email: PastorRojas@ZionWG.orgWebsite: ZionWG.orgIf this recording strengthened your faith, share it with others and leave a review. Your support helps more people hear the faithful preaching of Christ crucified and risen for you.Support Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church

Subscribe & Share:Apple Podcasts: Christ For YouSpotify: Listen on SpotifyWebsite: ZionWG.org/podcastStay Connected:Email: PastorRojas@ZionWG.orgWebsite: ZionWG.orgIf this recording strengthened your faith, share it with others and leave a review. Your support helps more people hear the faithful preaching of Christ crucified and risen for you.Support Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church

Are You In a Spirit-Filled Church? | Christ For YouJohn 16:8–14 | PentecostA man walked into Zion, sat through the service, and left with a verdict: the Holy Spirit isn't here. No raised hands. No tears. No electricity in the room. Just a Bible being read, doctrine being preached, and sinners sitting quietly in pews.But was he right?Is the Holy Spirit a force, an energy, a feeling — or something else entirely? Why did Pentecostalism begin only 120 years ago, and how did it become the default Christianity for millions? What happens to your faith when the feeling fades? And who controls your access to God if that access runs through your emotions?What does Jesus actually say the Holy Spirit does? Why does the Spirit refuse to point to Himself? What does it mean that He doesn't just inform you — He declares something to you? How do you know if the Holy Spirit is working in you? And what do children receiving their first communion prove about whether the Spirit is here?Why does the Spirit come first with the Law? And how does the cross change everything?For those who are sick, aging, and dying — when the feelings are gone and you have no strength left — is the Holy Spirit still there? Who is speaking for you when you no longer have words?In this Pentecost sermon, Pastor Rojas answers every one of those questions from Scripture.Subscribe & Share:Spotify: Christ For YouPortuguês: Cristo Para VocêWebsite: ZionWG.orgLooking for a Lutheran Church near you?Support the preaching of God's Word.

Why Is This Church Still Here? | Christ For YouIsaiah 55:10–11 | 104th AnniversaryRedeemer Lutheran Church 2626 Liberty Blvd. South Gate, CA90280A congregation that once overflowed is now down to twenty people. The school is gone. The founding generation is dead. The neighborhood has changed. And the question nobody is saying out loud — but everybody is carrying — is this: Has God's Word failed here? Has He moved on? Is this place just a monument to a better time?In this church anniversary sermon, Pastor Rojas walks into that question without flinching — and answers it from Isaiah 55. God doesn't respond to His people's despair with a recovery plan or a timeline. He responds the same way He always has: He gives them His Word again.What does Isaiah 55 tell a struggling, shrinking congregation about whether God's Word is still working? Why does God hide His success in what looks like failure? What does the incarnation of Christ — a homeless preacher, abandoned by His disciples, dead in a tomb — have to do with empty pews in South Gate? What does “it shall not return to me empty” actually mean when the numbers say otherwise? And how does the cross prove, once and for all, that God defines what His Word accomplishes — and no statistic, no chart, no empty pew ever has?Subscribe & Share:Spotify: Christ For YouPortuguês: Cristo Para VocêWebsite: ZionWG.orgLooking for a Lutheran Church near you?Support the preaching of God's Word.

Subscribe & Share:Apple Podcasts: Christ For YouSpotify: Listen on SpotifyWebsite: ZionWG.org/podcastStay Connected:Email: PastorRojas@ZionWG.orgWebsite: ZionWG.orgIf this recording strengthened your faith, share it with others and leave a review. Your support helps more people hear the faithful preaching of Christ crucified and risen for you.Support Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church

What Does It Actually Mean to Be a Christian? | Christ For YouJames 1:22–27 | Easter 6What does it actually mean to be a Christian? Is it going to church? Holding the right doctrine? Being a good person? Everyone has an answer. And almost every answer, on its own, is completely wrong.Because James doesn't start with what you do. He starts with whether you're actually listening. What does it look like to hear the Word of God and walk away completely unchanged? How is it possible to sit through a sermon, say Amen, drive home — and have nothing change? And what does it mean to truly lay hold of a promise — to hear the Word and say, this is mine now?Why does James say that favoring the rich man over the poor man isn't just rude — it's worthless religion? Why does he hold up the widow and the orphan as the measuring stick for true Christianity — the two people who can do absolutely nothing for you? What does a mother's love reveal about the love of God? And what does it mean that you were the orphan, the widow, the one with nothing to offer — who was given everything anyway?And what happens on your last day, when the doing is finally over, and the only thing left is what has been done for you?Subscribe & Share:Spotify: Christ For YouPortuguês: Cristo Para VocêWebsite: ZionWG.orgLooking for a Lutheran Church near you?Support the preaching of God's Word.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Subscribe & Share:Apple Podcasts: Christ For YouSpotify: Listen on SpotifyWebsite: ZionWG.org/podcastStay Connected:Email: PastorRojas@ZionWG.orgWebsite: ZionWG.orgIf this recording strengthened your faith, share it with others and leave a review. Your support helps more people hear the faithful preaching of Christ crucified and risen for you.Support Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church

What does Christianity actually teach?In this Adult Instruction Class, we walk through the basic teachings of the Christian faith from a Lutheran perspective. We cover Scripture, God, sin, Christ, salvation, Baptism, the Lord's Supper, prayer, worship, and the Christian life.This class is especially for those new to Christianity, those exploring Lutheranism, and those desiring to become members of the Lutheran Church. It is clear, biblical, and practical, with room for honest questions along the way.

What does Christianity actually teach?In this Adult Instruction Class, we walk through the basic teachings of the Christian faith from a Lutheran perspective. We cover Scripture, God, sin, Christ, salvation, Baptism, the Lord's Supper, prayer, worship, and the Christian life.This class is especially for those new to Christianity, those exploring Lutheranism, and those desiring to become members of the Lutheran Church. It is clear, biblical, and practical, with room for honest questions along the way.

Each class walks through what makes Lutheran doctrine distinct from other Christian denominations, following the chapters of the book The Lutheran Difference. Designed for youth in confirmation instruction, this series also welcomes anyone who wants a clear, biblical, and Confessional understanding of what Lutherans believe and why.Subscribe & Share:Apple Podcasts: Christ For YouSpotify: Listen on SpotifyWebsite: ZionWG.org/podcastStay Connected:Email: PastorRojas@ZionWG.orgWebsite: ZionWG.orgIf this strengthened your faith, share it with others and leave a review. Your support helps more people hear the faithful preaching of Christ crucified and risen for you.

The First Communion Class is a teaching series for children ages 7 and up, walking through the basics of the Christian faith using Luther's Small Catechism. Each episode focuses on clear explanation, repetition, and memorization of God's Word to help children understand and prepare to receive the Lord's Supper with faith and reverence.Subscribe & Share:• Apple Podcasts: Christ For You• Spotify: Listen on Spotify• Website: ZionWG.org/podcastStay Connected:• Email: PastorRojas@ZionWG.org• Website: ZionWG.orgIf this strengthened your faith, share it with others and leave a review. Your support helps more people hear the faithful preaching of Christ crucified and risen for you.

Each class walks through what makes Lutheran doctrine distinct from other Christian denominations, following the chapters of the book The Lutheran Difference. Designed for youth in confirmation instruction, this series also welcomes anyone who wants a clear, biblical, and Confessional understanding of what Lutherans believe and why.Subscribe & Share:Apple Podcasts: Christ For YouSpotify: Listen on SpotifyWebsite: ZionWG.org/podcastStay Connected:Email: PastorRojas@ZionWG.orgWebsite: ZionWG.orgIf this strengthened your faith, share it with others and leave a review. Your support helps more people hear the faithful preaching of Christ crucified and risen for you.

The First Communion Class is a teaching series for children ages 7 and up, walking through the basics of the Christian faith using Luther's Small Catechism. Each episode focuses on clear explanation, repetition, and memorization of God's Word to help children understand and prepare to receive the Lord's Supper with faith and reverence.Subscribe & Share:• Apple Podcasts: Christ For You• Spotify: Listen on Spotify• Website: ZionWG.org/podcastStay Connected:• Email: PastorRojas@ZionWG.org• Website: ZionWG.orgIf this strengthened your faith, share it with others and leave a review. Your support helps more people hear the faithful preaching of Christ crucified and risen for you.

Support Zion Evangelical Lutheran ChurchSubscribe & Share:• Apple Podcasts: Christ For You• Spotify: Listen on Spotify• Website: ZionWG.org/podcastStay Connected:• Email: PastorRojas@ZionWG.org• Website: ZionWG.orgIf this recording strengthened your faith, share it with others and leave a review. Your support helps more people hear the faithful preaching of Christ crucified and risen for you.

Subscribe & Share:Apple Podcasts: Christ For YouSpotify: Listen on SpotifyWebsite: ZionWG.org/podcastStay Connected:Email: PastorRojas@ZionWG.orgWebsite: ZionWG.orgIf this recording strengthened your faith, share it with others and leave a review. Your support helps more people hear the faithful preaching of Christ crucified and risen for you.Support Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church

Can God Sin? | Christ For YouJames 1:16–21 | Easter 5Can God sin? Can He lie? Can He change? Can He turn against you? Serious philosophers and theologians have argued yes — that omnipotence means God must have the capacity for evil, even if He never exercises it.But what if that were true? What if every promise came with an asterisk? What if His love for you was just a preference He currently holds — and preferences change? What if the goodness runs out?In this sermon, Pastor Rojas shows why that argument gets omnipotence exactly backwards. A God who could sin would be a God that evil has power over. The fact that God cannot sin means evil has zero claim on Him, zero foothold in Him, zero power over Him. That is not weakness. That is total dominion.What does James 1:17 tell persecuted, suffering Christians about the God they are tempted to doubt? What does it mean that He is the Father of lights with no variation or shadow? Why does Hebrews 6 say it is not merely that God won't lie — but that it is impossible? What does that impossibility mean for your darkest night? What does it mean that your soul has an anchor inside the very presence of God? And how does the cross prove, once and for all, that the Father of lights has never cast a shadow in your direction — and never could?Subscribe & Share:Spotify: Christ For YouPortuguês: Cristo Para VocêWebsite: ZionWG.orgLooking for a Lutheran Church near you?Support the preaching of God's Word.

Support Zion Evangelical Lutheran ChurchSubscribe & Share:• Apple Podcasts: Christ For You• Spotify: Listen on Spotify• Website: ZionWG.org/podcastStay Connected:• Email: PastorRojas@ZionWG.org• Website: ZionWG.orgIf this recording strengthened your faith, share it with others and leave a review. Your support helps more people hear the faithful preaching of Christ crucified and risen for you.

Subscribe & Share:Apple Podcasts: Christ For YouSpotify: Listen on SpotifyWebsite: ZionWG.org/podcastStay Connected:Email: PastorRojas@ZionWG.orgWebsite: ZionWG.orgIf this recording strengthened your faith, share it with others and leave a review. Your support helps more people hear the faithful preaching of Christ crucified and risen for you.Support Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church

Subscribe & Share:Apple Podcasts: Christ For YouSpotify: Listen on SpotifyWebsite: ZionWG.org/podcastStay Connected:Email: PastorRojas@ZionWG.orgWebsite: ZionWG.orgIf this recording strengthened your faith, share it with others and leave a review. Your support helps more people hear the faithful preaching of Christ crucified and risen for you.Support Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church

What does Christianity actually teach?In this Adult Instruction Class, we walk through the basic teachings of the Christian faith from a Lutheran perspective. We cover Scripture, God, sin, Christ, salvation, Baptism, the Lord's Supper, prayer, worship, and the Christian life.This class is especially for those new to Christianity, those exploring Lutheranism, and those desiring to become members of the Lutheran Church. It is clear, biblical, and practical, with room for honest questions along the way.

Subscribe & Share:Apple Podcasts: Christ For YouSpotify: Listen on SpotifyWebsite: ZionWG.org/podcastStay Connected:Email: PastorRojas@ZionWG.orgWebsite: ZionWG.orgIf this recording strengthened your faith, share it with others and leave a review. Your support helps more people hear the faithful preaching of Christ crucified and risen for you.Support Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church

Subscribe & Share:Apple Podcasts: Christ For YouSpotify: Listen on SpotifyWebsite: ZionWG.org/podcastStay Connected:Email: PastorRojas@ZionWG.orgWebsite: ZionWG.orgIf this recording strengthened your faith, share it with others and leave a review. Your support helps more people hear the faithful preaching of Christ crucified and risen for you.Support Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church

Each class walks through what makes Lutheran doctrine distinct from other Christian denominations, following the chapters of the book The Lutheran Difference. Designed for youth in confirmation instruction, this series also welcomes anyone who wants a clear, biblical, and Confessional understanding of what Lutherans believe and why.Subscribe & Share:Apple Podcasts: Christ For YouSpotify: Listen on SpotifyWebsite: ZionWG.org/podcastStay Connected:Email: PastorRojas@ZionWG.orgWebsite: ZionWG.orgIf this strengthened your faith, share it with others and leave a review. Your support helps more people hear the faithful preaching of Christ crucified and risen for you.

Each class walks through what makes Lutheran doctrine distinct from other Christian denominations, following the chapters of the book The Lutheran Difference. Designed for youth in confirmation instruction, this series also welcomes anyone who wants a clear, biblical, and Confessional understanding of what Lutherans believe and why.Subscribe & Share:Apple Podcasts: Christ For YouSpotify: Listen on SpotifyWebsite: ZionWG.org/podcastStay Connected:Email: PastorRojas@ZionWG.orgWebsite: ZionWG.orgIf this strengthened your faith, share it with others and leave a review. Your support helps more people hear the faithful preaching of Christ crucified and risen for you.

Each class walks through what makes Lutheran doctrine distinct from other Christian denominations, following the chapters of the book The Lutheran Difference. Designed for youth in confirmation instruction, this series also welcomes anyone who wants a clear, biblical, and Confessional understanding of what Lutherans believe and why.Subscribe & Share:Apple Podcasts: Christ For YouSpotify: Listen on SpotifyWebsite: ZionWG.org/podcastStay Connected:Email: PastorRojas@ZionWG.orgWebsite: ZionWG.orgIf this strengthened your faith, share it with others and leave a review. Your support helps more people hear the faithful preaching of Christ crucified and risen for you.

The First Communion Class is a teaching series for children ages 7 and up, walking through the basics of the Christian faith using Luther's Small Catechism. Each episode focuses on clear explanation, repetition, and memorization of God's Word to help children understand and prepare to receive the Lord's Supper with faith and reverence.Subscribe & Share:• Apple Podcasts: Christ For You• Spotify: Listen on Spotify• Website: ZionWG.org/podcastStay Connected:• Email: PastorRojas@ZionWG.org• Website: ZionWG.orgIf this strengthened your faith, share it with others and leave a review. Your support helps more people hear the faithful preaching of Christ crucified and risen for you.

Support Zion Evangelical Lutheran ChurchSubscribe & Share:• Apple Podcasts: Christ For You• Spotify: Listen on Spotify• Website: ZionWG.org/podcastStay Connected:• Email: PastorRojas@ZionWG.org• Website: ZionWG.orgIf this recording strengthened your faith, share it with others and leave a review. Your support helps more people hear the faithful preaching of Christ crucified and risen for you.

Support Zion Evangelical Lutheran ChurchSubscribe & Share:• Apple Podcasts: Christ For You• Spotify: Listen on Spotify• Website: ZionWG.org/podcastStay Connected:• Email: PastorRojas@ZionWG.org• Website: ZionWG.orgIf this recording strengthened your faith, share it with others and leave a review. Your support helps more people hear the faithful preaching of Christ crucified and risen for you.

Support Zion Evangelical Lutheran ChurchSubscribe & Share:• Apple Podcasts: Christ For You• Spotify: Listen on Spotify• Website: ZionWG.org/podcastStay Connected:• Email: PastorRojas@ZionWG.org• Website: ZionWG.orgIf this recording strengthened your faith, share it with others and leave a review. Your support helps more people hear the faithful preaching of Christ crucified and risen for you.

Why Does David Stop Saying “He”? | Christ For YouPsalm 23 | Baptism of Luke TownsonWhy does Psalm 23 suddenly change? Why does David begin by saying, “He makes me lie down… He leads me… He restores my soul,” and then, right in the middle of the Psalm, stop saying “He” and start saying “You”? Why does the Psalm become more personal exactly when David enters the valley of the shadow of death?You would expect the opposite. You would expect David to feel close to God in the green pastures and far from Him in the valley. You would expect him to speak to God when life is peaceful and speak about God from a distance when death gets near. But Psalm 23 does something surprising.In this sermon, Pastor Rojas shows how the deepest comfort of Psalm 23 is found in that sudden turn: “For You are with me.” The valley is not where God becomes distant. The valley is where faith stops merely speaking about God and begins speaking to Him. And the reason David can walk through the valley without fear is not because death is weak, but because Christ, the Good Shepherd, has already gone through death for His sheep.What does Psalm 23 teach us about suffering, death, Baptism, and the comfort of Christ? What does it mean that God does not always tell us why, but He does tell us where He is? And how does the Good Shepherd bring His sheep all the way through the valley and into the house of the Lord forever?Subscribe & Share:Spotify: Christ For YouPortuguês: Cristo Para VocêWebsite: ZionWG.orgLooking for a Lutheran Church near you?Support the preaching of God's Word.

Can a Person Really Forgive Your Sins? | Christ For YouJohn 20:19–31 | Easter 2Can a man really forgive sins? Can a pastor really say, “I forgive you all your sins”? Isn't that something only God can do? If Jesus won forgiveness on the cross nearly two thousand years ago, then how does that forgiveness get here to you now? And if it comes through the Word, why does that Word come through the mouth of a man?In this Easter 2 sermon, Pastor Rojas begins with Christ's full satisfaction for all sin and then asks the question every Christian must answer: how do you get that forgiveness? If you cannot go back to Golgotha, and if merely standing at the cross would not have saved even those who were there, then how does the forgiveness Jesus won there get delivered here, to you, now? This sermon shows that God does not tell sinners to go find forgiveness. He brings forgiveness to them through His Word.But if forgiveness comes through the Word, then how do you hear that Word? Through a voice, a mouth, a man. And that is where many object. This sermon answers the common offense people take at absolution and shows from Scripture that Christians really do forgive one another, and that Christ has also instituted a public office in which pastors forgive sins in His stead and by His command. Above all, John 20 shows that Jesus is not merely giving information about forgiveness. He breathes the Holy Spirit on His apostles and says, “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them.” In other words, these words do not merely talk about forgiveness. They give it.This sermon shows why absolution is not arrogance, not Romanism, and not empty ceremony, but the living voice of the risen Christ for terrified sinners. If you have ever wondered how the forgiveness Christ won on the cross gets to you now, why a pastor can say, “I forgive you all your sins,” or why this matters so deeply for the guilty, the burdened, and the dying, this sermon is for you.Subscribe & Share:Spotify: Christ For YouPortuguês: Cristo Para VocêWebsite: ZionWG.orgLooking for a Lutheran Church near you?Support the preaching of God's Word.

Does You Need Faith To Celebrate Easter? | Christ For YouEaster SundayDid Jesus really rise from the dead? Can the resurrection actually stand up to scrutiny? Why does Christianity make such enormous public claims about a man who was crucified, buried, and then seen alive again? Why was the tomb empty? Why were the disciples suddenly changed? Why did James go from unbeliever to preacher? Why did Saul of Tarsus, Christianity's fiercest enemy, become its boldest preacher? And if Easter is true, then what does that mean for you? In this Easter Sunday sermon, Pastor Rojas proclaims that Christianity is not built on myth, private feelings, or blind faith, but on what God did in real history. The resurrection was public. The tomb was empty. The witnesses were many. The apostles preached Christ risen immediately, boldly, and in the very place where He had been killed. This sermon walks through the facts of Easter and shows why the resurrection of Jesus is not a religious opinion, but a reality written into history. But this sermon does not stop there. It goes on to answer the deeper question: why did this happen? Because sin is real. God's wrath against sin is real. And so Christ came with a real body, real blood, real pain, real tears, and real judgment for real sinners. He took your guilt, bore your condemnation, carried your curse, and rose so that you would never doubt what His cross accomplished. And then this sermon asks one final question: what happens now? Now you have peace with God. Now you have a new life to live. Now you have eternal life that death itself cannot steal. And because Jesus lives, those who died in Him live too. So Christians are allowed to be sad. But they are also really happy. Because Christ is risen, and we will see them again. Subscribe & Share:Spotify: Christ For YouPortuguês: Cristo Para VocêWebsite: ZionWG.orgLooking for a Lutheran Church near you?Support the preaching of God's Word.

What's Actually Happening Tonight? | Christ For YouEaster Vigil | John 20:1 and Matthew 28:1–7Why does this service feel so strange? Why does everything feel so mixed up, so out of order, so full of both grief and joy at the same time? Why do we sing “Alleluia, Christ is risen” while the church is still dark, the tomb still seems sealed, and death still looks so real? And if Christ has already won, why does life still feel so broken? Why do prayers seem unanswered, suffering seem pointless, and graves still open for the people we love?In this Easter Vigil sermon, Pastor Rojas explores the deep strangeness of this holy night and why that strangeness teaches Christians how to live. On the surface, everything around Jesus' death and burial looked like failure. The disciples fled. His enemies rejoiced. His body lay cold in the tomb. But underneath, the exact opposite was true. The angels rejoiced. The demons trembled. The Father was well pleased. And Christ was not defeated in death, but proclaiming His victory.Why does this night feel so different? Because it teaches you how to live by faith when your eyes give you the wrong story. This sermon is for those who look at their sin and wonder how they could possibly be forgiven. It is for those who look at the chaos of the world and think the devil is winning. It is for those who stand at graves, carry unanswered prayers, and wonder why everything still hurts if Christ has already changed everything. This sermon proclaims the answer with clarity and comfort: the victory is real before it is visible. Christ is risen. And because He is risen, your sins are forgiven, Satan is defeated, death is doomed, and what is now hidden will not stay hidden forever. Subscribe & Share:Spotify: Christ For YouPortuguês: Cristo Para VocêWebsite: ZionWG.orgLooking for a Lutheran Church near you?Support the preaching of God's Word

Where Is the Lamb? | Christ For YouJohn 8:56 and Genesis 22 | Good FridayHow could Abraham see Jesus' day two thousand years before Jesus was born? What did Jesus mean when He said, “Abraham rejoiced that he would see My day. He saw it and was glad”? What did Abraham see on Mount Moriah? Why does Isaac carry the wood? Why does he ask, “Where is the lamb?” And if a ram died in his place, why does that question still remain?In this Good Friday sermon, Pastor Rojas follows that question through Scripture until it is finally answered. Was Abraham only being tested, or was he being shown the day of Christ? Was he seeing the beloved son, the wood, the substitute, and the mountain where God would one day provide His own Lamb?Why did no angel stop the sacrifice on Good Friday? Why was there no substitute for Him? Because He was the substitute for you. This sermon shows that Jesus is the Lamb of God, the sacrifice God provided for Himself, the One who took your place, bore your sin, and opened heaven to you. If you have ever wondered what Abraham saw, where the lamb was, or what Good Friday was really about, this sermon is for you.Subscribe & Share:Spotify: Christ For YouPortuguês: Cristo Para VocêWebsite: ZionWG.orgLooking for a Lutheran Church near you?Support the preaching of God's Word.

Is It I? | Christ For YouMatthew 26:20–35, 69–75 | Maundy ThursdayCould someone who truly loves Jesus still fall? Could a man be sincere, bold, loyal, and still collapse when it matters most? Could Peter really go from, “Even if I must die with You,” to, “I do not know the man”? And could the same thing happen to you? When Jesus says, “One of you will betray Me,” the disciples do not ask, “Is it him?” They ask, “Is it I?” Why? Because deep down, they know they are capable of more weakness, fear, and failure than they want to admit. In this sermon for Maundy Thursday, Pastor Rojas explores Peter's fall, the danger of self-confidence, and the uncomfortable truth that sincerity is not the same thing as strength. Peter was not lying when he promised loyalty. He meant it. He loved Jesus. But he was wrong about himself. He trusted his own devotion, courage, and resolve, and when the pressure came, he collapsed. This sermon presses that same question onto the hearer: What if I am not nearly as strong as I think I am? What if the real danger is not that I think I might fall, but that I think I never could? But this sermon does not end in fear. It ends in the Gospel. Jesus knew exactly what His disciples would do. He knew Judas would betray Him. He knew Peter would deny Him. He knew the others would run. And still He stayed. Still He went to the cross. Still He suffered, bled, and died for weak men who would fail Him completely. And the same is true for you. Your hope is not that you are better than Judas or braver than Peter. Your hope is Christ alone. If you have ever wondered whether you could fall, whether your faith is weaker than you think, or whether Jesus remains faithful even when His people fail Him, this sermon is for you. Subscribe & Share:Spotify: Christ For YouPortuguês: Cristo Para VocêWebsite: ZionWG.orgLooking for a Lutheran Church near you?Support the preaching of God's Word.

Subscribe & Share:Apple Podcasts: Christ For YouSpotify: Listen on SpotifyWebsite: ZionWG.org/podcastStay Connected:Email: PastorRojas@ZionWG.orgWebsite: ZionWG.orgIf this recording strengthened your faith, share it with others and leave a review. Your support helps more people hear the faithful preaching of Christ crucified and risen for you.Support Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church