The Garden Weekly Sermons

Happy Palm Sunday! On Palm Sunday, Jesus begins the final stage of his journey for our salvation. He goes into the Temple in Jerusalem, overturns the tables of the money-changers, and resets the priorities of the sacred place – a house of prayer, healing, and children offering praise and worship. In a day when many consider the Church irrelevant and worthy of constant criticism, this Sunday we will examine Scripture with the question, "What did Jesus think was a church to die for?"

This week at The Garden, Pastor David Goh and Pastor Will Gutierrez shed light on the importance of sowing into the future.

Genesis 28:11-19 NIV “When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep.” “He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. There above it stood the Lord, and he said: “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.” Early the next morning Jacob took the stone he had placed under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on top of it. He called that place Bethel, though the city used to be called Luz.”

God's heart is that we become “deeply rooted” and fruitful (Psalm 80:8-9). To thrive, we must be “rooted in love” (Ephesians 3:17) – and this takes place as we connect and commit to each other. This Sunday, as we continue to focus on bringing to completion the new Worship Center, we want to emphasize the importance of investing in relationships. God's purpose is not the draw a crowd to the Garden, but to build a family. We will be providing time within the service for us to take a closer look and sign up for Garden Rooted Groups.

The pressure of perfectionism is opposite to the life of grace. Yet, so is an attitude of half-hearted effort, sloppy work and lukewarm commitment. 1 Peter 2:9-12 shows us how those who receive mercy respond by showing our world the excellencies of our God.

“God isn't calling you to wrestle with him; He is calling to you rest with him” - Pastor Will Gutierrez Pastor Will Gutierrez wraps up his sermon series, “Give it a New Name” this week. Diving into Genesis 32: 24-28, Will preaches on knowing your identity in Christ.

Join us as we welcome Danny Thorton to the stage to speak about faith.

Pastor David Goh and Pastor Will Gutierrez talk about unlocking your gifts as we continue our Heart for the House series.

This past Sunday God continued to highlight the past generation and the generations to come. What a beautiful service.

“When so much is changing that nothing seems the same, how do we gain the comfort and confidence to see life through God's perspective?” Psalm 16 helps give us insight in how we can find stability in seasons of uncertainty. Let's choose to lean into His presence in order to see His divine purposes become a reality our lives and in Bakersfield.

Listen to this timely message by Pastor David Goh!

This past weekend, we hosted the KNOWN Conference with speakers from our own House! The theme of the conference was 1 Corinthians 8:3 “But if anyone loves God, he is known by God.” This week's message was a combination of short power-packed messages from each speaker.

Listen and be encouraged by this fiery panel of women.

We must know our God-given identity which is in Christ Jesus. This identification is documented in heaven and in the scriptures.

What of the only thing required of us, is to know Him? May we be a people who care less about “the calling” and more about The One who has called us.

Social Media is the lead for determining our culture and who we are as individuals. I call out that we have let social media dictate our identity but God is the creator and keeper of our identity. We seek Him to know the truth of who we are and no longer partner with others versions.

“No” Is a complete sentence. This powerful, kind, and helpful word “no” has been a hard word for people to say. With proper tools this elusive word can become much easier to use.

Whoever loves God is known by God. It is essential for us to know that we are known!

It's crucial for Christians to know the armor they have in Christ, especially in today's world!

If you pursue God, you will find Him, and when you find Him, you will know Him. And as you know Him more and more, you will become like Him. The mandate for Christ followers is to reflect Jesus to the world and to stand firm in culture.

Identity shifts are required for each new season. The way we see ourselves is crucial to our destiny. We can't see ourselves correctly until the Father speaks to us. Know HIM - know your true self!

What does your relationship with Jesus look like? Is He your Sunday morning only Jesus? Or is He your every day and every moment, Jesus? There is a new level of intimacy and worship we are being called to. It's what we are born for.If you see Him for who He truly is, you will live the full life He died to give.Listen to this truth-filled message by Pastor Will Gutierrez!

God doesn't promote based on talent, he promotes based on faithfulness. What are you doing with what you have now? Dust off your "mina" and put it to work for the kingdom!Listen to this urgent message by Pastor David Goh.

When David's army was preparing to fight the Amalekites, a third of the army was too weary to continue - but the remaining two-thirds were still able to be victorious in battle. Regardless of their status of fighting, everyone received back what was stolen by the enemy. In the same way, whether we feel strong or weak, Christ will fight our battles and reign victorious in the end for all! Listen to this engaging message by Pastor Will Gutierrez!

With Today's world full of tragedy and increasing division over social and political issues, Dr. David Goh exhorts us to not be shaken! Matthew 24:6 says, “And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet.” He goes further to teach on how it is our Biblical assignment to speak up! Proverbs 31:8-9 says, “Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy.” Listen to this message to hear David teach on being a Christian in crises.

Where are you going to find your strength? David strengthened himself in the Lord. When we are in distress, do we worry? Or, do we worship?Listen to this wild message from Pastor Will Gutierrez!

"Faith is not a sanctified version of denial." So what exactly is faith, and why do we need it? As people of God, we were made to dream big!Listen to this foundational message from Pastor Mike Petzer!

Jesus is more than enough! When He is in our corner, there is nothing that we are lacking. He is our sustenance - everything else is a supplement to our lives. 

Listen to this impactful message from Pastor Anthony Cota!

Identity, intimacy, and intuition are the keys to living a lifestyle of miracles. We get to be the gateways between heaven and earth when we are aware of God's presence in our midst. Let's partner with God to see Bakersfield - as it is in heaven!Listen to this radical message from Pastor Timothy Berry!

Our extraordinary faith in God can lead to “interrupted” miracles in our lives and our identity in Christ gives us access to greater authority in Him. Nothing is too hard for God!Listen to this fiery message from Pastor Will Gutierrez.

“Religion is all about what you do for God. Christianity is all about what Jesus has done for us.”We don't need to prove ourselves to God for Him to love us. He already loves us and He likes us!

Listen to this joy-filled message by guest speaker, Zach Maldonado!

Pastor David Goh reminds us of the authority, boldness, and faith we have been given to re-present Jesus to the lost and hurting. Jesus has given us the same tools He used! Far too often we allow shame and guilt to hinder us from offering (that which has been made feely available to us) through the death and resurrection of Jesus! Listen to this message and be encouraged to use the authority and boldness you have been given!

The “law of liberty” doesn't exist in order to convince God that we're forgiveable. Forgiveness was His idea in the beginning. True righteousness is not making little of sin; but rather making much of our salvation through Jesus!Listen to this foundation-building message from Pastor Mike!

The Father is madly in love with all of His children! Regardless of where our lives have taken us, His arms are always ready to receive us as heirs - not as servants. Listen to this perspective-shifting message from Pastor Will!

God desires to equip all of us with His power and without measure! His compassion can turn the ashes of our lives and the lives around us into beauty. Listen to this catalytic message from our guest speaker, Marc Dupont!

It is time for the church to awaken from her slumber! Just like the Sons of Issachar, we need to know the times and seasons, and what to do with them. Listen to this fresh word for Bakersfield from our guest speaker, Marc Dupont!

“This is taking forever!” “This is happening way too fast!” To welcome the work of the Spirit in our lives and our lives together, we must be willing to embrace both the “steadily” and “suddenly” of His movement.Listen to this faith-inspiring message from Pastor David!

God has His plans for our life, but do our plans line us with God's plans? How much do we really trust Him? Ultimately, we have a choice in how we partner with heaven in this season and the season to come. Listen to this raw and authentic message from Pastors Will and Amanda Gutierrez!

What does it mean to be “spirit filled”? The Holy Spirit is such an important part of a believer's life. He is within us for ourselves and upon us for others.Listen to this fire-filled message from Pastor Will Gutierrez!

Do you sense a change is pending? This season is a pivotal moment which requires our alertness and awareness as never before. The Lord is directing us in new ways, to end up in places that we have never been! He is giving new directions because He has need of us!Listen to this timely message by Pastor Dona!