Olive Branch Christian Fellowship
183 episodes - English - Latest episode: 2 days ago - ★★★★★ - 13 ratingsWelcome to the Olive Branch Christian Fellowship Podcast, where you'll find messages from Pastor Trevor O’Keefe.
Olive Branch Christian Fellowship is a Jesus loving Bible teaching church located in San Diego, Ca.
Visit us online at OliveBranchCF.org
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Episodes
4/21/24, The Door, Jesus in His Own Words, John 10:7, Trevor O’Keefe
April 23, 2024 06:37 - 46 minutes - 63.4 MBolivebranchcf.org
4/14/24, The Light of the World, Jesus in His Own Words, John 8:12, Clay Worrell
April 16, 2024 02:38 - 48 minutes - 66.4 MBSince the fall of humanity there has been a deep darkness over the world, and throughout the Old Testament we see God manifesting as the light of Israel. On the heels of the Feast of Tabernacles, a festival where Israel remembers God’s protecting and guiding presence in the wilderness wandering through the pillar of fire and smoke, Jesus makes the statement that He is the light of the world. Jesus is the Light that dispels darkness, gives us life, and guides our paths. As we follow Jesus we ...
4/7/24, The Bread of Life, Jesus in His Own Words, John 6:35, Trevor O’Keefe
April 09, 2024 20:24 - 50 minutes - 69.1 MBWhile we see bread as a staple or sweet treat, having bread was equated to life back in Jesus day. When Jesus stated He was the bread of life, He was communicating that He was sent from heaven and is God among us. He didn’t compare himself to something exclusive and instead to the most universal food in His day because what Jesus offered was offered to all. In Jesus we are loved fully and are enough. We do not need to continue searching for other idols that ultimately spoil and disappoint us...
3/31/24, Easter 2024, John 20:3-18, Trevor O’Keefe
April 02, 2024 19:29 - 39 minutes - 32.2 MBThis week we celebrated Easter and the Resurrection of Jesus. We talked about the importance and impact of Jesus in human history, and how the resurrection was essential to Jesus’ claims and his validity. Then we were considered 3 questions in light of this. Why would I need His resurrection to be true, why would I believe it to be true, and what should I do if it is true. olivebranchcf.org
3/24/24, The I Am, Jesus in His Own Words, John 1:1-14, Trevor O’Keefe
March 26, 2024 04:24 - 52 minutes - 39.2 MBThe first thing that comes to mind when we think of Jesus says a lot about us. For the people greeting Jesus as he entered Jerusalem, they saw their king who had come to deliver them from their oppression under the Romans. They failed to see Jesus for who He was, that He had come to not deliver them from the Romans but to deliver us all from sin. He was not the king they expected and it leaves us with the question of who He really is. In Jesus’ own words, He is the Logos, the answer to the m...
3/17/24, When God Doesn’t Fail, Habakkuk 3:1-19, Trevor O’Keefe
March 19, 2024 03:58 - 44 minutes - 35.4 MBHabbakuk carries a great burden seeing the injustices in Israel. As we have seen, Habakkuk takes his struggles to God and. While they both agree that the injustice should be stopped, God said it would be stopped in a way that will be a shock to Him, raising up an enemy to oppress His people. In the midst of this, Habakkuk embraced faith. He intentionally took the time to recall the goodness of God and His past faithfulness. He also assessed the reality of the circumstances and carefully co...
3/10/24, Created For Community, Genesis 1:26-31, Clay Worrell
March 12, 2024 06:58 - 51 minutes - 43.5 MBLast week we saw that God created humanity in his image for the purpose of loving community. This week we continued this theme to see that God’s intent is for our community to share in His mission. We looked at how God’s original charge to our first parents was to love God, love one another, build community, and to steward creation. We observed that sin messed everything up as Adam and Eve systematically failed to do what God called them to do and how that same sin has continued through huma...
3/3/24, Created For Community, Genesis 1:26-31, Clay Worrell
March 05, 2024 03:56 - 46 minutes - 35.7 MBExperts are saying we are living in the loneliest era in human history. Genesis 2:18 says “...it is not good that man should be alone...” recent studies confirm this biblical truth as they show prolonged loneliness has a comparable impact on one's health as smoking 15 cigarettes per day. This Sunday we looked at the biblical reality that community is in God’s very nature and that because God created us in his image, we were created for community. We then heard how sin breaks community and th...
2/25/24, When God Doesn’t, Stop Evil & Suffering, Habakkuk 1:12-2:20, Trevor O’Keefe
February 27, 2024 20:39 - 51 minutes - 37.5 MBHabakkuk brings his questions and doubts to God over His plans for the Israelites, but Habakkuk is not asking to gain insight. Habakkuk redirects his anger to God and questions His every move and authority. Despite being in this tension, Habakkuk doesn’t use his questions as a reason to walk away. Instead he has the patience to wait for God’s response. When we see evil and suffering in the world, we like Habakkuk, could direct our anger to God and being questioning Him. A few common questio...
2/18/24, When God Doesn’t, Do Things Our Way or In Our Timing, Habakkuk 1:1-11, Trevor O’Keefe
February 21, 2024 20:25 - 51 minutes - 36.4 MBolivebranchcf.org
2/11/24, The Surprising Book & Burden of Habakkuk, When God Doesn’t, Habakkuk 1:1-4, Trevor O’Keefe
February 13, 2024 04:52 - 48 minutes - 38.2 MBWhat do we do when we can’t isolate ourselves from the grim realities of our broken world? Who can we take our frustrations, questions, and doubts to? Our answer comes from a surprising source giving a voice to this struggle - Habakkuk. Although we don’t know much of Habakkuk, we do know what burden he deals with - if God even sees the injustice in the world and when the wronged will be vindicated. God invites Habakkuk to wrestle with these questions and doubts, just as he invites us to enga...
2/4/24, Prayer as an Expression of Love, Growing Together, Luke 11:1-4, Trevor O’Keefe
February 06, 2024 20:04 - 51 minutes - 39.4 MBPrayer is something easy enough for a child to understand, while complex enough for adults to wonder about. It’s too often overlooked, underutilized, and undervalued. We can look at Jesus’ example of how to pray and how we should acknowledge who it is we are addressing and the privilege it is to have access to a caring God. Knowing that He has limitless resources to meet our needs should inform us of what to pray for. He is working beyond ourselves and we should also bring the needs of other...
1/28/24, Generosity as a Joy, Growing Together, Luke 20:45 - 21:4, Trevor O’Keefe
January 30, 2024 22:17 - 58 minutes - 42.7 MBAs we look at the story of the widow giving her 2 coins, we see a stark contrast to the religious elites making large donations. These two acts capture the difference of self sacrificial love taking the place of self centeredness. The widow ultimately was after God’s heart, and she was affirmed and commended for it. The religious elites only had empty religion and self serving desires. It’s because of her heart for God that the widow was able to live by faith instead of control, and in turn,...
1/21/24, Service Through Submission, Growing Together, John 13:1-17, Trevor O’Keefe
January 22, 2024 20:48 - 43 minutes - 33.4 MBBefore Jesus washed His disciple’s feet, He performed a great act of self-sacrificial service by stooping down to us to become human. He continually was the example of what self sacrificial service was. Even a task too lowly as washing a master’s feet was done by Jesus for His disciples. It’s through a relationship with Jesus that we are given a heart for self-sacrificial. His work in our hearts provides us the desire and ability to do so. We are free to pursue His calling for us since we ar...
1/14/24, Avoiding Pride and Seeking Humility, Unity Through Humility, Philippians 2:1-11, Mike Neglia
January 16, 2024 21:04 - 39 minutes - 31.1 MBThis week, we are joined by our guest speaker Mike Neglia as we continue our series on Unity Through Humility. To better understand what humility is and why we are pursuing it, we begin by looking at its’ opposite - pride. Pride is destructive and deceitful. It becomes the root of many other issues, but it is important to be mindful that pride does not encompass a healthy self image and understanding of ourselves. It is also important to recognize what Humility isn’t. It is not thinking lowl...
1/7/24, Growing Together, Unity Through Humility, John 17:20-26 Trevor O’Keefe
January 09, 2024 21:29 - 55 minutes - 36.1 MBToday we look at John 17 and Jesus’ prayer for all believers and that there be unity. This was the desire for His church and is made possible by Jesus. Ultimately, love and unity in the church is how the world knows of our identity in Christ and that He is real. While there are many beliefs and points of view on theological topics, we should not let them all divide us. olivebranchcf.org
12/17/23, The Angels News of Great Joy; Advent Week 3, Luke 2:8-20, Trevor O’Keefe
December 20, 2023 16:47 - 52 minutes - 42.1 MBolivebranchcf.org
12/10/23, Mary's Faith and Our Peace; Advent Week 2, Luke 1:26-38, Trevor O’Keefe
December 12, 2023 20:48 - 45 minutes - 38 MBAs we turn our attention to Advent, we look closely at the first character of the Christmas Story and her Faith. Mary exemplified great faith when she was told what God had in store for her. Not only did she know who she would bear, but also all the shame, ridicule, and hurt that would follow her having a son out of wedlock. Mary displayed great faith that stemmed from taking a a close analytical look at what the angel told her, she considered the costs, and proceeded in faith. In turn, God ...
12/3/23, The Great Commission - Matthew 28:16-20, Clay Worrell
December 06, 2023 21:18 - 49 minutes - 38.7 MBJesus gave “The Great Commision” to His followers, charging them to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them, and teaching them to obey what was commanded. As we look at this passage, we are reminded that Jesus gives this commissioning with authority given directly from God - it isn’t a request or suggestion, but a command. It is clear that we live in a broken world, and that many people need the hope, freedom, and salvation found in the Gospel. We are called to make disciples, and invi...
11/26/23, The Purposeful Perishing- 1 Peter 1:1-12, Jesse Jimenez
November 28, 2023 20:20 - 48 minutes - 37.6 MBThis week, we are joined by our guest Speaker Jesse Jimenez from Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa as we dive into how we can balance our excitement and deep desire to follow Jesus with sometimes feeling a lack of community and solitude in following Him. In the same way that Peter encourages the early church, we need to look to the living hope we have in Jesus and the powerful purpose of what He did for us. olivebranchcf.org
11/19/23, Jesus' Final Word, Heaven's First Pronouncement: The Seven Signs in John - John 19:28 - 20:18, Trevor O’Keefe
November 28, 2023 20:15 - 48 minutes - 40 MBThis week, we wrap up our Series looking at the Seven Signs in John as we look at Jesus’ final proclamation from the cross, that it is finished. We look at what exactly was accomplished when He declared it finished, why His sacrifice was needed in the first place, and how we can have confidence in the finality of His statement. olivebranchcf.org
11/12/23, What Jesus Becomes, Births, & Suffers: The Seven Signs in John, John 19:17-30, Trevor O’Keefe
November 14, 2023 20:39 - 41 minutes - 36.1 MBolivebranchcf.org
11/5/23, Jesus on Trial: The 7 Signs in John, John 18:28-19:16, Trevor O’Keefe
November 07, 2023 21:09 - 41 minutes - 37 MBAs we wind down our series looking at the Seven Signs in John, we continue looking at the seemingly paradoxical truths that the end of Jesus’ life points us toward. Last week, we covered how God can be both a loving and just God, since it was out of His love that justice was not required of us. This week we continue looking at how these two realities can be possible - that God is sovereign and that we have free will. olivebranchcf.org
10/29/23, Human Enough to Understand, God Enough to Rescue: The 7 Signs in John, John 18:1-14, Trevor O’Keefe
October 31, 2023 17:25 - 44 minutes - 35 MBGethsemane in the original Greek translates to oil press. It’s in this garden that the weight of Jesus’ sacrifice begins to set in and crush him. It’s here that we can see Jesus’ humanity fully on display and how Jesus being both fully man and fully God was needed to be our sacrifice. His sympathy and deity in this moment further reinforce the trust we can have in someone who truly understands us and is strong enough to rescue us and point us toward the hope of a future garden. olivebranc...
10/22/23, Embracing Suffering, Romans 8:18-30, Jon Markey
October 24, 2023 05:13 - 47 minutes - 41.7 MBThis week, we are joined by guest speaker Jon Markey Calvary Chapel Ternopil to provide a field update from Ukraine and the work their ministry is doing. We also look at Romans 8, at a time when Paul sees the church experiencing growing pains of a congregation with Jews and Gentiles. The only requirement to be a Christian was faith in Jesus and that the church should be a place free of condemnation, judgement and division. olivebranchcf.org
10/15/23, Jesus’ Sorrow & Anger: The Seven Signs in John, John 11:1-53, Trevor O’Keefe
October 17, 2023 22:27 - 43 minutes - 34.5 MBAs we continue our series in the 7 signs in John, we look at Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead and are reminded of the truths about how Jesus comforts’ us in our times of suffering. We are reminded that what seems like delays don’t mean that we aren’t loved or cared for, but that there are works and preparations happening elsewhere. We also take comfort knowing that Jesus can help comfort and understand us and all who suffer because He experienced the same. In times of suffering, we also n...
10/8/23, Suffering & Sight: The Seven Signs in John, John 9:1-12, Trevor O’Keefe
October 10, 2023 23:19 - 51 minutes - 42 MBKarma and reincarnation push a belief that all personal suffering is the result of specific personal sin, whether in this life or a past one. Jesus and the disciples crossed paths with a blind man, the disciples asked Him who had sinned and caused the man’s condition - himself or his parents. This question inherently makes the same assumption as karma, that personal suffering results from personal sin. But Jesus’ answer is partially yes and no. Today, as we study the healing of the blind man...
10/1/23, Jesus, Our Safe Harbor: The Seven Signs in John, John 6:14-21, Trevor O’Keefe
October 03, 2023 05:31 - 45 minutes - 36.9 MBAs much as we want to think we are in control of our lives, we may find ourselves powerless in the midst of life’s struggles and difficult seasons. This was how the disciples found themselves while in the middle of a storm out at sea. We can take comfort knowing that not only are we not alone in these moments, but also that Jesus can redeems us and gets us through the storm. olivebranchcf.org
9/24/23, Flourishing Babylon, Jeremiah 29:1-14, Dr. Geoffrey Hsu
September 26, 2023 06:49 - 39 minutes - 31.9 MBIn our ever changing world, the position of the church and of Christians has also been fluctuating. While we must be wary of moral threats, how do we still live seeking the good for our neighbor? This week, we are joined by Dr. Geoffrey Hsu who points us toward the Israelites exiled in Babylon and the parallels to the modern day church. We are reminded that we are still called to be the means by which God accomplishes His purposes for this world. olivebranchcf.org
9/17/23, Not The King They Wanted, But The King We Needed: The Seven Signs in John, John 6:1-15, Trevor O’Keefe
September 19, 2023 23:14 - 43 minutes - 28.8 MBToo many times, we think that if only circumstances changed or something was removed from our lives, we would truly be happy. Whether it came to pass or not, we might be left feeling disappointed or unhappy. In these moments is when we need to remember to not give up on Jesus. This week, we continue our series through the seven signs in John as we take a second look at the feeding of the 5,000 and it’s conclusion. We look at why Jesus had to flee the people who tried to anoint Him as King ...
9/10/23, Jesus Moves Us From Existing to Truly Living: The Seven Signs in John, John 6:1-15, Trevor O’Keefe
September 12, 2023 03:35 - 49 minutes - 42.5 MBIt's increasingly common to feel stressed and overwhelmed with seemingly no end in sight. When we feel weary and burdened by facing life's challenges alone, Jesus brings us comfort and the promise of truly living, rather than barely surviving. As we continue our series on the Seven Signs in John, we look at the story of Jesus feeing the 5,000 and study the transformative offerings of Jesus. He is our rest in the midst of life's chaos, an eternal purpose to love people and a life experience w...
9/3/23, Do you want to be made well? The Seven Signs in John, John 5:1-18, Trevor O’Keefe
September 04, 2023 01:39 - 50 minutes - 92.7 MBolivebranchcf.org
8/27/23, Jesus, The Hope For the Hopeless; The Seven Signs in John, John 4:46-54, Trevor O’Keefe
August 29, 2023 23:52 - 57 minutes - 40.3 MBolivebranchcf.org
8/20/23, The Servant King, John 13:1-6, Tyler Bacquet
August 29, 2023 23:49 - 44 minutes - 31.3 MBolivebranchcf.org
8/13/23, Staying Full Spiritually, Galatians 5:16-26, Jason Mills
August 29, 2023 23:37 - 31 minutes - 20.9 MBThis week, we are joined by Jason Mills to share with us about the great work that Fellowship of Christian Athletes is doing to reach out to young athletes. Jason also shares his message on how we as Christians can stay full spiritually and not run empty. olivebranchcf.org
8/6/23, Jesus Turns Shame into Joy; The Seven Signs in John, John 2:1-11, Trevor O’Keefe
August 08, 2023 04:25 - 51 minutes - 35 MBThis week, we begin our new series in the book of John studying the seven signs John writes about. John writes not to any group in particular, but to the world as a whole, showing that Jesus took on flesh and blood. The event that John writes about, Jesus turning water into wine, is not a miracle, but in the original Greek, is a sign. This is to point us beyond the act itself and to three different directions as we will study today. olivebranchcf.org
7/30/23, A Friendly Reminder, 2 Samuel 9:1-13, Chris Mathis
August 01, 2023 23:30 - 51 minutes - 34.2 MBHesed, a Hebrew word for love, is a difficult word to translate but an easy idea to illustrate. It is loving kindness, when a person who has the right to nothing but is given everything. While we are shown loving kindness from God, we need to be prepared to show this to other like David did to Jonathan’s son as we’ll see in our study of 2 Samuel by guest speaker Chris Mathis of Calvary Chapel High Desert olivebranchcf.org
7/23/23, The Conclusion of the Whole Matter, Ecclesiastes 12:8-14, Trevor O’Keefe
July 26, 2023 15:28 - 54 minutes - 34.6 MBToday, we wrap up our series studying the book of Ecclesiastes. We have heard the teachings of the preacher. His teaching is like a rude awakening. That no matter where we search, the meaning of life cannot be found here on earth. But the preacher isn’t the only figure in Ecclesiastes. The author, who bookends Ecclesiastes, finishes by points us to his conclusion. That we are to fear God and keep His commandments. We look at what it means to fear God in today’s world and why it should be l...
7/16/23, Trying to Make Sense of Death, Ecclesiastes 11:9-12:8, Trevor O’Keefe
July 20, 2023 01:03 - 50 minutes - 36.2 MBolivebranchcf.org
7/9/23, Trying to Make Sense of Life, Ecclesiastes 7:15-20, Trevor O’Keefe
July 12, 2023 07:14 - 52 minutes - 37.3 MBolivebranchcf.org
7/2/23, If Only I Had More Stuff, Ecclesiastes 5:8-20, Trevor O’Keefe
July 06, 2023 16:24 - 44 minutes - 30.2 MBolivebranchcf.org
6/25/23, Lasting Restoration to Broken People, John 20:1-18, Mike Neglia
June 27, 2023 03:11 - 41 minutes - 35.7 MBToday we are joined by Pastor Mike Neglia of Calvary Cork in Cork, Ireland as we look at John’s recount of Jesus appearing to Mary. In this story, emphasis has been placed on the people and details for the purpose of building credibility to the church then and now. We also look at how Jesus’ sacrifice was much more than just bad things happening to Him and were necessary to bring lasting restoration to both broken people like Mary and to a broken world. olivebranchcf.org
6/18/23, If Only I Had More Influence, Ecclesiastes 4:7-16, Trevor O’Keefe
June 21, 2023 05:48 - 49 minutes - 36.4 MBDespite being as interconnected today than ever before, loneliness has never been higher. The constant of social media in our society hasn’t lead to everyone forming communities and in its’ place its’ tried to be replaced with fame or fortune. We aren’t just social beings but we were designed to to be at our best in community. As we’ll study today, we’ll see how we were meant to be in community and where we should be looking for it. olivebranchcf.org
6/11/23, If Only I Had More… (Envy), Ecclesiastes 4:4-6, Danny Jack
June 13, 2023 21:43 - 41 minutes - 28 MBToo often, we find it hard to face uncomfortable truths. It’s especially hard when we are forced to look within ourselves and come to terms with our hearts. Today as we continue our study in Ecclesiastes, we are invited to remove our rose colored glasses and confront the envy we don’t like acknowledging is in our hearts. Although the world or even Ecclesiastes has a prescription for our hearts, as believers we have to seek satisfaction in our lives through Jesus. olivebranchcf.org
6/4/23, If Only I had More Time, Ecclesiastes 3:1-4:3, Trevor O’Keefe
June 06, 2023 06:44 - 52 minutes - 40.9 MBTry as some might, there is no escaping the march of time. And in our limited time, it is often marred with remorse of past events and worries of what the future holds. These feelings extend to our present day when we aren’t able to truly enjoy the now. As we study today, we are reminded to turn to Jesus as our response to these feelings and more so when we grapple with the inequities and injustice pervasive in our lives. olivebranchcf.org
5/28/23, If Only I had More Satisfaction, Ecclesiastes 2:12-26, Trevor O’Keefe
May 30, 2023 06:44 - 45 minutes - 34 MBolivebranchcf.org
5/21/23, If Only I had More Pleasure, Ecclesiastes 2:1-11, Trevor O’Keefe
May 23, 2023 07:15 - 53 minutes - 40.7 MBWhen we face challenges and trials in life, it is far too easy to turn to worldly pleasures to distract ourselves from our reality and problems. This even extends to refusing to come to terms with the futility of life without Jesus. Pursuing pleasure above all else leads to a selfish and empty pursuit that has us wondering why we are always tempted to go down this path. olivebranchcf.org
5/14/23, If Only I had More Wisdom, Ecclesiastes 1:12-18, Trevor O’Keefe
May 16, 2023 22:38 - 54 minutes - 32.4 MBolivebranchcf.org
5/7/23, The Search for the Good Life, Ecclesiastes 1:1-11, Trevor O’Keefe
May 09, 2023 06:56 - 53 minutes - 37.1 MBIt’s common to find yourself wondering what exactly are the keys to the good life. The world has many ideas to offer from finding better friends, a fulfilling career, to just getting more sleep. But if there was one solution that worked, it would be common knowledge to us all. This week, we start our new series in Ecclesiastes with the guiding question of how does someone live the good life. It is not a new question and there are no new untested solutions the world has to offer. Living in a ...
4/30/23, God is on the Throne, Habakkuk 1-3, Mickey Stonier
May 02, 2023 20:27 - 53 minutes - 34.5 MBThis Sunday, we were joined by Mickey Stonier on a message from the book of Habakkuk. He shares with us the reminder that God is at work in our world and how we each have opportunities around us to live our Christian faith. olivebranchcf.org