Reality Santa Barbara (audio)

Guest Speaker Dominic Balli preaches over Psalm 126 and God's Faithfulness

The Great Commission has catalyzed tens of millions of Jesus followers to share their faith over the centuries. Christians have been compelled to share the good news of Jesus to family members, friends, and coworkers, to people in their communities and beyond, to other cities, states, nations, and continents. Countless vulnerable, exploited and abused children have been rescued, millions of hungry have been fed, desperately poor communities have been given resources, water wells have been dug, and education has been provided all in the name of Jesus and His command to “go”. Still, some Christians feel guilt around the idea of “going” (or not going, as it were). Others question some of the unintentional negative consequences of well-meaning Christians whose efforts caused complications or even harm to people in other parts of the world. What’s did Jesus mean when He told His disciples to “go”? What do these words mean to us in 21st century Santa Barbara, California? Let’s talk about the good news of the Great

Followers of Jesus have an easy time believing God loves the whole world, but we sometimes struggle to believe that God really does love us. In this prophecy from Isaiah, God expresses a love so supreme He invokes the strongest relational metaphor—that of relationship between a mother and her nursing infant— a love so supreme it transcends a mother’s love.

Stephen Posey shares a short sermon on the pursuit of joy

In the first century a woman’s testimony was only half as credible as a man’s. A woman with a bad reputation would have been less credible still. Regardless of its inclusion, or lack thereof in the canon, the verses in the last half of Mark 16 present a truth that all the gospels agree—Mary Magdalene, a formerly demon-possessed woman, was among the first witnesses of the resurrection. Why would the authors (and most devoted apprentices of Jesus) want us to know that the first person to proclaim the resurrection testimony upon which the entire substance of saving faith derives its credibility, was a woman? What might we learn about belief itself in an age of easy unbelief?

God’s faithful son is finally enthroned as king, but in the most surprising way. He is exalted through a shameful execution reserved for only for the most unconscionable criminals. Faithful disciples quietly give Jesus a lavish burial in a tomb fit for the affluent. A faithful disciple quietly show up at his tomb. A faithful divine messenger asks, “What are you doing here?”

Jesus stands before the local Roman prefect, accused of being a messianic insurrectionist. When Pilate finds no fault in Jesus he offers to free “the king of the Jews”. Will the people #FreeJesus and receive him as king? Or will they be swayed by the loudest voices to choose a lesser alternative? In this sermon we consider what truth this passage has on offer when we face the Jesus vs. a lesser messiahs choices in our daily lives.

As Jesus is whisked away to the first of his illegal trials, Peter makes good on his promise to prove his devotion, following Jesus deep into enemy territory. Still, despite his best intentions, Peter finds himself falling back into old grooves of bad behavior. What can we learn from the failure of Jesus’ most faithful disciple? Is change actually possible?

Guest Speaker Blake Zimmerman takes a break from Jesus is King series to preach on Acts 28v17-31

Jesus shares his final meal with his disciples, one of whom will betray him, most of whom will abandon him, all of whom He offers the cup of redemption.

As we close in on the last couple of days before Jesus’ death, there is little neutral ground in the hearts of humankind. In light of Jesus’ love, tender hearts can’t hold back their lavish worship, and hard hearts grow harder still.

This passage contains Jesus’ longest uninterrupted teaching in the gospel of Mark. In response to the disciples marveling at the magnificence of the Jerusalem temple, Jesus predicts its utter destruction, after which the disciples when that will happen and when will be the sign that it’s about to take place.

After fielding a series of deceptive, adversarial questions with wisdom and grace, Jesus now asks a single powerful question, and reveals a prophetic truth, rattling the tenets of the religious core and their systemic manipulation, domination, and exploitation. The audience listens with delight as Jesus reveals Himself as the God who sees.

We all take comfort in being right. “Being right” helps us justify our wrongs and make sense of wounds. “Being right” protects us from villains and liberates us to pursue the good life, or so we think. But happens when we find out our mind map of “being right” is off? What happens when we realize we don’t see life as clearly as we thought? Jesus eases the burden of our incessant needs of “being right” and invites us to follow Him along the path to living well—truly liberated to live a life of love. In this sermon we explore what happens when the people most obsessed with being right confront the author of life.

Marvelous Jesus by Reality Santa Barbara

Lead Pastor Stephen Posey talks about three commitments on a short sermon over Mark 3:13–19.

Pastor of Spiritual Formation & Worship , Joseph Pfeifer continues the series Jesus is King with Mark 11:27-33 and Mark 12:1-12

This is Day 21 of our 21 Day Prayer Tour. We're praying for a new season of faithful ministry at Reality Santa Barbara and the other churches in the Reality Family.

We are returning to our Reality roots by praying for our city. Each day, listen to the podcast, and then take some time to pray in response.

We are returning to our Reality roots by praying for our city. Each day, listen to the podcast, and then take some time to pray in response.