Saddleback Church Weekend Messages

Saddleback Church

Welcome to the weekly podcast of Saddleback Church led by Pastor Andy Wood. To learn more, visit saddleback.com or download the Saddleback App.

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22 episodes
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Avg 40 min
English

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#220
Sunday · 34 min
Together
What happens when we try to do life alone? In this message from the Live Sent series, Pastor Kurt Johnston returns to the garden, where God looked at a man in perfect fellowship with him and still declared that it was not good for him to be alone (Genesis 2:18). We bear the image of a God who has eternally existed in relationship as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, so we are wired for one another. Johnston unpacks three reasons small groups are a big deal: in a small group we are seen, because the body of Christ is made of members who suffer and rejoice together (1 Corinthians 12:26); we are strengthened, because a cord of three strands is not easily broken (Ecclesiastes 4:9–12) and a friend sharpens us the way iron sharpens iron (Proverbs 27:17); and we are sent, because Jesus prayed that we would go into the world just as the Father sent him (John 17:18). We gather so that we can go.
#219
August 24 · 44 min
Battle In Prayer
When you decide to live sent by God, you step into spiritual battle. This fight isn't won with earthly weapons—it's won on your knees. In this message from the Live Sent series, Pastor Andy reveals how to engage in spiritual warfare through prayer. Learn to pray first by making God your priority (Colossians 4:2), pray practically by bringing your real needs before Him (Colossians 4:3), and pray powerfully by aligning your prayers with God's will and promises (1 John 5:14–15). Discover how to keep asking, seeking, and knocking (Luke 11:9–10), praying the promises of God that find their "yes" in Christ. When we devote ourselves to persistent prayer, we partner with God's heart for the lost and participate in spiritual transformation. God called you to make a difference. The battle is won when you surrender to His throne. Who is "your one"—the person you'll pray for today?
#218
August 17 · 40 min
Bring Good News
How do we become Good News people in a world filled with bad news? In this message from the Live Sent series, we look at Peter and John’s encounter with a man who had been unable to walk his entire life (Acts 3:1–10) and discover what it looks like to notice the opportunities God puts right in front of us. Living sent doesn’t require going across the world—your mission field is where you live, work, and play. It means seeing everyday opportunities, speaking life-giving words, and stretching out a helping hand to people in need. We don’t have to make sharing our faith weird or treat people like projects; we can build genuine friendships, pray for open doors (Colossians 4:3), and trust God to use every interaction like a seed planted in someone’s life. Jesus has rescued us from darkness and brought us into his kingdom (Colossians 1:13–14), and his love now compels us to live for something bigger than ourselves (2 Corinthians 5:14–15). In a world filled with bad news, God is calling us to become people who bring Good News.
#217
August 9 · 45 min
Anchor in Identity
What does it mean to live like you were sent by God? In this message, we kick off the Live Sent series by discovering that God made us for more—not simply a bigger house, a better title, or the next milestone, but a life rooted in Jesus and given to his mission. Jesus announces that the kingdom of God has come near (Mark 1:14–15), and then sends his followers into the world just as the Father sent him (John 20:21). As followers of Jesus, we are Christ’s ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:17–21), sent with his authority, empowered by the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8), and entrusted with the Good News that Jesus is alive and is making all things new. Your life matters, and God has a purpose for why you are here. The question is whether you’ll live for your own comfort and agenda or surrender your life to his mission. It starts with a simple but powerful prayer: Use me, God.
#216
August 3 · 51 min
The King Is Coming
What does it look like to actually watch for Jesus, not just believe He's coming back? In this message, guest speaker John Bevere shares how he avoided this subject for decades until an unexpected assignment from God sent him deep into Scripture, and what he found reshaped how he lives. Simeon recognized the Messiah as an infant because he lived in eager expectation (Luke 2:25), and the New Testament calls every believer to that same posture, eagerly waiting for Christ's appearing (1 Corinthians 1:7; Hebrews 9:28). Where our minds are set (Colossians 3:1-2) shapes who we become, and that expectation carries power to purify us (1 John 3:2-3), the way a bride readies herself for her wedding day (Revelation 19:7-8). The ten virgins in Matthew 25 all carried light, but only half were ready when the moment came. You don't have to be caught off guard. Get ready. He's coming, and He's coming soon.
#215
July 27 · 38 min
Hospitality
In this third message of Off The Shelf, guest speaker and Pastor David Nasser, teaching pastor at New Vision Baptist Church in Tennessee, calls the church back to the ancient practice of “philoxenia”, or “loving the outsider”. He shares how a single church's hospitality toward his family when he was young became the doorway that led him and his family to faith, proof that this practice carries the weight of the gospel itself. Nasser shows that hospitality is never a suggestion but a divine expectation woven through Scripture. Romans 12 urges believers to pursue hospitality with inventive creativity, 1 Timothy 3 lists it as a mark of spiritual maturity and a requirement for those who lead the church, and 1 Peter 4 commands believers to keep loving one another earnestly and to show hospitality without grumbling, since love covers a multitude of sins. If you've ever wondered whether opening your life to someone different could really matter, this message will show you it's not just possible, it's a divine calling.
#214
July 19 · 38 min
Unshakable Faith: How to Stand Firm in a Culture of Lies
Guest speaker Pastor Aaron Graham, founder and lead pastor of The District Church in Washington, D.C., addresses the quiet drift many Christians experience: professional growth paired with spiritual regression. Using the book of Jude, Graham traces this drift through three stages, doubt, deconstruction, and denial, showing how an honest question can spiral into abandoning core truths when left unchecked. He confronts the modern lie that everything must be rational, arguing that a shift in ultimate authority, from God's Word to personal feelings, is what pulls people from Him. He closes with a picture of dormant desert seeds blooming after a single rain, a reminder that revival waits beneath even the driest culture. If you have felt yourself drifting from what you once believed, this message offers seven practices to help you hold fast to what is true.
#213
July 12 · 36 min
Word And Spirit
In this first message of Off The Shelf, Dr. R.T. Kendall addresses a "silent divorce" he's observed in the modern church, the split between churches devoted to sound doctrine and churches devoted to the power of the Spirit. Looking at Acts 3 and the healing of a man crippled from birth, Kendall unpacks six truths about how the Holy Spirit works: his sameness across time, his sovereignty over our timing, his sensitivity to our attitudes and actions, his spontaneity that refuses to be boxed in by legalism, the surprise of his power at work, and the strategy behind why God saves certain miracles for certain moments. This message is a reminder that Word and Spirit were never meant to be separated. If you've ever leaned hard into truth but wondered where the power went, or leaned into power but wondered if you were missing depth, this message will challenge you to pursue both fully.
#212
July 6 · 32 min
Jesus Passes It On!
In this message of Jesus on the Move, Pastors Kurt Johnston and Dawson Rubin explore what it means to be invited into the mission of Jesus. Looking at Mark 3, they unpack three powerful truths: Jesus calls us, crafts us, and commissions us. This message is a reminder that following Jesus was never meant to be passive—every believer is invited to know Him deeply, be shaped by His presence, and carry His love and truth into the world. If you’ve ever wondered what your purpose is or whether God can really use you, this message will encourage you to step out of the stands and into the race He’s called you to run.
#211
June 29 · 36 min
From Ruined to Restored
Pastor Andy Wood walks through Mark 2–3 to show how Jesus meets us in our brokenness and brings healing, freedom, and restoration. As Jesus confronts empty religion and restores a man with a shriveled hand, we’re reminded that God never intended us to live under the weight of performance or shame. Instead, He invites us into relationship, rest, and a new way of living shaped by His grace. If you’ve ever felt burdened by striving, stuck in brokenness, or in need of God’s healing touch, this message is a powerful reminder that Jesus still restores what feels ruined and calls us to trust Him with every part of our lives.
#210
June 21 · 32 min
Embracing What's New and Now
What if right now is exactly when God wants to meet you? In this message from Jesus on the Move, Pastor Andy Wood walks through a moment in Mark's gospel where religious leaders question Jesus about fasting, and Jesus answers with three pictures that still apply today: a wedding worth celebrating, a garment too new to patch, and wine too alive for an old skin. Together they show that God is doing something new, something that can't fit inside old systems or borrowed seasons. You'll explore the difference between chronos, the ordinary clock, and kairos, the divine window of opportunity. Like the sons of Issachar, you're invited to read the season you're in instead of rushing past it. Whatever your stage of life, busy parent, single adult, or grandparent, God has a purpose for you right now. The real question isn't whether He's moving. It's whether you'll make space to see it.
#209
June 14 · 34 min
Don’t Lose the Gospel
What if the very story you've heard a thousand times is the only thing strong enough to hold your life together? Guest speaker Pastor Jason Parrish, who leads The Well near Salt Lake City, reminds us that the gospel isn't an old idea to outgrow, it's the power that never stops working. Through the story of Lazarus, you'll see that God gets the glory in your hardest moments, that sin leaves us spiritually dead apart from Christ, and that the moment you trust Jesus, your standing before Him instantly changes. You don't have to clean yourself up first. Jesus calls you out of the grave just as you are, then patiently does the work of unwrapping and transforming you. Wherever you are today, take your next step: surrender your life to Jesus and find a small group where you can keep growing.
#208
June 8 · 39 min
The Proving Ground of Growth
Jesus reorders our lives room by room, and the last room He asks for is often the hardest to surrender. In this closing message of the Get Growing series, Pastor Andy Wood makes a compelling case that a growing faith will always lead to a generous heart. Drawing from 2 Corinthians 9, he reframes the way we think about money: not as something we've earned and choose to share, but as something God entrusted to us and invites us to steward with open hands. God is the giver, the replenisher, and the one who can be trusted when fear tempts us to hold on tight. Generosity isn't an obligation; it's an act of worship, a declaration of trust, and an invitation into the kind of life only God can sustain. Wherever you are in your giving journey, this message will challenge and encourage you to take the next step.
#207
June 1 · 44 min
The Secret Growth Accelerator
What if the secret to spiritual growth has been right in front of you all along? In this message, Pastor Andy Wood and Dream Team Pastor Jacob Wilson reveal one of the most counterintuitive truths in Scripture: a life of service is the secret accelerator of growth. God didn't just save you from something. He saved you for something. Drawing from Ephesians 2:8–10, they explore three reasons to serve: God saves us for service, shapes us for service, and grows us through service, building your character, His Church, and your reach along the way. You have been uniquely formed with specific gifts, passions, abilities, and experiences, and there is a place in the body of Christ that only you can fill. Your purpose isn't just waiting to be discovered. It's waiting to be lived. Join a Dream Team: saddleback.com/serve
#206
May 25 · 42 min
The Secret Killer of Growth
Who's speaking into your life? In this message, Pastor Andy Wood introduces the idea of your "wisdom table": the voices, relationships, and content that quietly shape your perspective, your heart, and your destiny. Like a microscopic root pest that destroys a plant from the inside out, bad influences can devastate your faith before you ever notice. Drawing from the lives of King Solomon and King Rehoboam, Pastor Andy shows how even the wisest people can be undone by letting the wrong voices in. This message gives you practical steps to evaluate who's at your table, vet your influences, seek mentors for every area of life, and place King Jesus at the head. Spiritual growth is God's will for you, but the voices you listen to will determine whether you get there.
#205
May 17 · 41 min
God’s Path for Your Growth
Why do some people grow more than others? In this first message of our new series, Get Growing, Pastor Andy Wood explores God's design for spiritual growth and why it doesn't happen by accident. Drawing from Jesus' parable of the sower in Mark 4, Pastor Andy walks through four heart conditions that determine how we receive God's Word. A hard heart lets truth get snatched away before it takes root. A shallow heart receives the Word with excitement but has no depth to sustain it. A distracted heart gets crowded out by worry, wealth, and competing desires. But a receptive heart hears the Word, accepts it, applies it, and multiplies it. Growth is God's will for you, but it's not guaranteed. The condition of your heart makes all the difference. This message will challenge you to examine your own heart and take practical steps toward becoming someone who bears lasting fruit for God.
#204
May 11 · 46 min
The Power of Persevering Prayer (in the Home)
In this special Mother's Day message, Pastor Stacie Wood shares an encouraging word about the most powerful tool we have to influence our families: persevering prayer. Through inspiring stories from church history and her own life, Stacie illustrates the impact of refusing to give up on praying for loved ones. She explores the Hebrew concept of "paga," depicting intercession as boldly bringing the needs of others before God's mercy. Stacie challenges listeners to pray "dangerous" prayers that will set the spiritual trajectory for generations. Whether you are a parent, grandparent, or friend, this message will renew your faith and remind you that it's never too late to start contending for God's best for your family. Discover how your prayers are your greatest influence.
#203
May 4 · 36 min
Lesson Learned
What happens when we flip the script and let young people teach us? In this message, Pastor Kurt Johnston explores four powerful lessons from youth in the Bible. Drawing from the stories of Samuel, Esther, the boys who mocked Elisha, and the boy with the loaves and fishes, Pastor Kurt shares practical habits to transform our lives. Learn to "listen up" to God's voice by dialing down the noise, "step up" to protect the vulnerable, "shush up" by pausing to pray before speaking, and "offer up" what you have to join what God is doing. No matter your age, you will be challenged to put these timeless principles into practice. God is always at work, and when we align our lives with His, we can make a lasting impact in the next generation and beyond.
#202
April 27 · 45 min
Peace for Your Home
All of us desire peace in our homes, but how can we find it with so many competing priorities? In this message, Pastor Andy Wood explores God's design for bringing lasting peace into our families. Drawing from Psalm 128 and James 3, Pastor Andy shares how to catch God's vision for your home, order your priorities with worship of God as the foundation, and shape daily habits that sow seeds of peace. Learn practical ways to gather around the table, speak affirming words, and root out bitter envy and selfish ambition that destroy relationships. Whether you're single, a young parent, or a grandparent, you'll be encouraged to persevere and trust God for strength. Peace requires willingness to keep sowing in faith, knowing a harvest of righteousness is coming. God has a vision for your home, and there's still time to align your heart with His design.
#201
April 20 · 41 min
Peace for Your Heart
Life is full of moments we didn’t see coming. In this message, Pastor Andy Wood shares where we can find real peace when life feels uncertain. Jesus teaches us peace is not found by fixing what’s happening around us. Peace begins within us. While we often look to external solutions, Scripture reveals that what’s happening in our hearts is what shapes our lives. Through passages like John 14 and Mark 7, we see that transformation is an inside work. Peace flows from a right relationship with God and a heart surrendered to him. As we invite God to search our hearts and grow our trust in him, we begin to experience the kind of peace that holds steady even when life doesn’t. No matter what you’re facing, this message invites you to bring your heart to God and discover the peace only he can give.

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