All Souls Presbyterian Church

Where does confidence come from? So many of us live with doubts, fears, and hesitations, constantly second guessing and unsure of the next best move. The devil wants us to live in this state of doubt, discouragement, and despair...but that clearly isn't where God wants us to live, as Scripture frequently reminds us. But where does courage and boldness come from? What stops us from running away when the battle rages most fiercely? And how do we stand in the evil day——the day of tragedy or temptation——with confidence? Listen as Pastor Luke Herche expounds on the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit from Ephesians 6:17, explaining what they are, how to take them up, and why they are so important. Part of a series, Dress for Battle. From Sunday Evening Worship, April 14, 2024. allsoulspca.org

There was once a young man who was persecuting the church. He was so efficient at it that he was sent to another city, and on the way Jesus appeared to him, saying, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” When Saul was persecuting the church, Jesus took it personally: “Why are you persecuting *me*.” Jesus loves his people. After his encounter with Jesus, this same young man, Saul, went on to become a leader in the church, the apostle Paul. Paul loved the church. Paul loved God’s people, with the affections of Christ Jesus. In his letter to the Philippians Paul continually expresses his love and concern for the believers at Philippi in the midst of external pressures and internal tensions. Now at end of the letter, we find Paul beginning to summarize the themes of the whole letter, encouraging the believers at Philippi to stand firm in the midst of eternal pressures and to remain united in the midst of internal tensions. But in what context does this happen? Listen as Pastor Josué preaches on on Philippians 4:4–9, showing that the context of all of this is gospel-built community, and describing both the characteristics of community and the practice of the community. Part of a series on Philippians. From Sunday Worship, April 14, 2024. allsoulspca.org

How do you respond to the troubles of the present age? Do you stick your head in the sand and hope for the best? Or do you come out swinging, hoping to win one for your team? We live in a morally complex and confused age. In Genesis 33:12–34:31 Jacob’s daughter Dinah is defiled, and we find Jacob and his sons responding to the horrific situation with compromise and combativeness. But those are not our only options when we find ourselves face-to-face with ugly situations. Listen as Pastor Luke walks us through this passage, drawing some conclusions about the moral complexity and confusion of our age, about the temptations to comprise and combativeness, and about the peace made through Christ and his cross. Part of a series on the book of Genesis. From Sunday Worship, April 7, 2024. allsoulspca.org

In the children’s book “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe,” C.S. Lewis writes of the White Witch who claims her right to execute a traitor according to the laws of the “deep magic” of the land. The witch was correct about the deep magic and its governance of justice. But Narnia’s good king Aslan knew of a deeper magic: “When a willing victim who had committed no treachery was killed in a traitor’s stead, the Stone Table would crack and Death itself would start working backward.” Though the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is just a story, the “deep magic” of justice it portrays is real—and the “deeper magic” is no less real. Though God’s justice must be satisfied, when sinless Jesus died in the stead of sinners, it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. Try as it might, death’s power had met its limits. Listen as Pastor Luke Herche preaches on Acts 2:24, addressing three questions surrounding the resurrection: What is not possible? Why is it not possible? And what difference does it make? Delivered on Easter Sunday, March 31, 2024. allsoulspca.org

In C.S. Lewis’ beloved classic, “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe,” we find a boy, Edmund, trapped under the law of the deep magic of the land. A wrong had been committed, a debt was owed. Edmund was a traitor and his blood must be spilled. If Aslan, king of Narnia, refused, Narnia itself would be overturned. In this Good Friday sermon on Matthew 26:39, Pastor Luke Herche delves into the ironclad justice of God, looking at Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemane with a focus on four words: “if it be possible.” Since God’s answer to this prayer is in the negative, we must ask what is not possible for God? Why is it not possible? And what difference does it make? Note: The audio quality improves after the first three and a half minutes. Delivered on Good Friday, March 29, 2024. allsoulspca.org

Some lessons take virtually a lifetime to learn. The Christian life is a life of being gradually conformed to the image of Jesus in both his character and his work, daily taking up your cross and following him. In Genesis, we see Jacob slowly learning to walk with God over a period of more than 20 years, and in his life we have both a preview of the life of our Savior and a pattern which we, too, are to live out as we follow in the footsteps of Jesus. Listen as Pastor Luke Herche preaches on Genesis 32–33, teaching us to rest in God’s promises, to cling to God in weakness, and to step out to serve, as we have been served, in Jesus. Part of a series on the book of Genesis. From Sunday Worship, March 24, 2024. allsoulspca.org

We live in a generally mobile age. People rarely stay in one place for long. Because of that it is hard for us to understand the value of “place” in Scripture. But in the Scriptures, the promises of God hinge on place. In the beginning, God made a place, a garden in Eden. Because of their rebellion, man and woman were removed from the holy place, and they became exiles, homeless, wanderers. In Genesis 12, God calls Abraham to Canaan and promises to give a new place to him and to his offspring. Yet, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob each leave this promised land for a time, and all three of them experience exile, receive blessing during their exile, and eventually return to the promised land, wealthier than they left it. Listen as Pastor Luke Herche preaches on Genesis 30:25–31:55, telling of Jacob’s departure from Laban in Haran, and showing us that we are exiles who will experience troubles and hardships on our journey, but Jesus is with us by his Spirit to bless us and he will restore us on the last day. Part of a series on the book of Genesis. From Sunday Worship, March 17, 2024. allsoulspca.org

Pastor Luke Herche preaches on Ephesians 6:16, showing that the Lord is our Shield, therefore we can turn to him in all circumstances, knowing he is enough. Part of a series, Dress for Battle. From Sunday Evening Worship, March 10, 2024. allsoulspca.org

Pastor Josué Pernillo preaches on Philippians 4:1–3, in which the Apostle Paul summarizes the major themes of the letter, calling the Philippians to stand firm in the midst of external pressures, to remain united in the midst of internal tensions, and to do this all side by side. Part of a series on Philippians. From Sunday Worship, March 10, 2024. allsoulspca.org

Where do you look for wholeness? Living in a world that is under God’s curse, we find that things don’t work as they were intended. Our present age is broken. We are broken, longing to be made whole again, to no longer sin or be sinned against, to no longer suffer or get sick or old or weary. We long for things to be put right, to be as they were intended from the beginning. But in our longing to be made whole, we so often look to the wrong things, in the wrong places, by the wrong means. In Genesis 29:31–30:24, we find sisters Leah and Rachel following this tragic pattern as they compete with each other in child bearing. Listen as Pastor Luke Herche preaches on this passage, talking about our longing for wholeness: where we look, why it will never work, and where wholeness is found. Part of a series on the book of Genesis. From Sunday Worship, March 3, 2024. allsoulspca.org

The book of Genesis is a discipleship primer. It is the ABCs of the faith. In Genesis we learn about the power of God in creation and the beginnings of his covenant relationship with his people. Through the accounts of the patriarchs and matriarchs of Israel’s early history, we see what it looks like to walk with God. In this sermon on Genesis 29:1–30, in which Jacob marries Leah and Rachel, Pastor Luke Herche shows that walking with God looks like accepting God’s sovereign care, receiving God’s fatherly discipline, and humbling ourselves to serve, even as we anticipate glory. Part of a series on the book of Genesis. From Sunday Worship, February 25, 2024. allsoulspca.org

Every human heart longs to meet with God. It’s a longing we were born with and cannot fully escape. Many attempt to fulfill this longing by our own methods and means. Whether by moral deeds or seeking signs from heaven, through mind-altering drugs or ritual and tradition, we create all kinds of ladders and stairways to attempt to make our way into the presence of God. In Genesis 28, we find Jacob, fleeing for his life after grievously deceiving his father and enraging his brother, Esau. And yet, it is while Jacob is in this state of exile, sleeping in the wilderness, that God comes down to meet with him in a dream. In this sermon on the well-known story of Jacob’s ladder, Pastor Luke Herche shows that God, in Christ, has drawn near to his covenant children, meeting us in the mundane, promising his protecting presence, and assuring us through the cross and the resurrection. And because God has drawn near to us, we can now draw near to God. Part of a series on the book of Genesis. From Sunday Worship, February 18, 2024. allsoulspca.org

Christianity can often be falsely represented as a means of getting good stuff for yourself: a trophy wife, a big house, all the recognition “you deserve,” if you just pray for your blessing and claim it in Jesus’ name. But this false gospel misunderstands the nature of blessing and the timing of blessing. God’s true blessing is everything that is good *according to God’s will and God’s timing*. In this sermon on Genesis 26:34–28:9, in which Isaac attempts to bless Esau, but ends up blessing Jacob instead, Pastor Luke Herche shows how to take hold of God’s blessing, exhorting us to recognize our sin, to respect God’s plan, and to put on Christ. Part of a series on the book of Genesis. From Sunday Worship, February 11, 2024. allsoulspca.org

What does it look like to walk as a Christian? Whose example should we imitate? The book of Philippians was written by the Apostle Paul to his friends at Philippi. Theirs was a church established by Paul and nurtured by his ministry, through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, and the love and affection between Paul and the believers at Philippi is evident throughout the letter. In chapter three Paul, as a caring older brother, calls these believers to imitate him, encouraging them to keep on the right path. Listen as Pastor Josué Pernillo preaches on Philippians 3:17–21, drawing out Paul’s exhortations to be aware of who you imitate (v 17), to beware of who you imitate (vv 18–19), and to remember the one we imitate is the Savior (v 20–21). Part of a series on Philippians. From Sunday Worship, February 4, 2024. allsoulspca.org

God doesn’t bless you simply to bless you. He does delight in his people and desires to bless them. But God doesn’t bless you simply for you. God blesses you for his glory and for the good of those around you. Despite human rebellion, our fallen nature, and the wrath we deserve, God is determined to bless. In Genesis we see that the blessing of God comes to and through the seed of Abraham. We see this imperfectly through Isaac, preeminently in Jesus, and, by God’s grace, through us as well. Listen as Pastor Luke Herche explains from Genesis 26, showing how God’s blessing on us changes our relationship to others, freeing us to love sacrificially, enabling us to endure enmity, and serving as a means God uses to bless others. Part of a series on the book of Genesis. From Sunday Worship, January 28, 2024. allsoulspca.org

The Apostle Paul depicts the Christian life as a long, hard race. It’s a marathon. And to run any marathon well, the runners need encouragement along the way. The good news for Christians is that we have a wise and caring God who has provided for us to have strength for the journey. Listen as Pastor Ethan Brown preaches from Philippians 3:12–16, showing us how God equips us with what we need to finish the race that we’ve begun by making us secure, steadfast, and self-aware. Part of a series on Philippians. From Sunday Worship, January 21, 2024. allsoulspca.org

C.S. Lewis wrote in “The Screwtape Letters”, “There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors and hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight.” Whether you are skeptical or superstitious, both are errors. So what does Scripture have to say about standing against the schemes of the devil? In this sermon on Ephesians 6:10–13, Pastor Luke Herche looks at the spiritual battle we are facing, showing that the battle is real, the battle is spiritual, the battle is won, the battle is mundane––and exhorting us to be strong and stand firm! Part of a series, Dress for Battle. From Sunday Evening Worship, January 14, 2024. allsoulspca.org

The book of Philippians is perhaps the Apostle Paul’s most personal letter. It is a beautiful epistle filled with beautiful verses, and in chapter 3 we find a beautiful, succinct summary of the Gospel. In just five verses Paul both explains how sinners are reconciled to God and illuminates the promises that are theirs in Christ Jesus. Listen as Pastor Josué Pernillo preaches on Philippians 3:7–11, helping us to see Christ Jesus more clearly by showing the treasure of the gospel (the worth of Christ), the heart of the gospel (faith in Christ), and the promise of the gospel (resurrection and life). Part of a series on Philippians. From Sunday Worship, January 14, 2024. allsoulspca.org

We all want a good life, to be what we were made to be, to experience what it is to be fully alive, to see our friends and family flourish. The Bible calls this kind of flourishing “blessing.” Blessing is one of the main themes of Genesis, beginning with God’s abundant blessings on creation in the first two chapters. But by the third chapter, a new word enters the vocabulary of Scripture: curse. Because of sin, curse enters the world and creation is subject to futility and groaning. What once was blessed is now cursed, what once was good is now corrupt. But does this mean we are doomed to lives of suffering and frustration? Or is God’s blessing still possible in a sin-cursed world? Listen as Pastor Luke Herche preaches from Genesis 25, showing through the life of Jacob how God is continuing his plan to bless the nations, focusing on God’s sovereignty, God’s subversion of human expectations, and the foresight of faith. Part of a series on the book of Genesis. From Sunday Worship, January 7, 2024. allsoulspca.org

**We apologize for the poor audio quality, but hope that you will still benefit from this sermon.** At the start of each year people commonly make New Year's resolutions with hopes, dreams, and goals for self improvement in the coming year. It is nearly as common to find that these resolutions never come to fruition. But should this make Christians skeptical of the possibility of growth in the Christian life? Listen as Pastor Luke Herche shows from 1 Timothy 4:7 the necessity of discipline, the program of discipline, the goal of discipline, and the power of discipline. From Sunday Worship, December 31, 2023. allsoulspca.org