Carlton Landing Community Church Sermons

On Palm Sunday, Jesus rode into Jerusalem as a triumphant King. Just a few days later, though, he was betrayed by the Jews and crucified by the Romans. What about the Kingdom? In Revelation 1, Jesus appears to John with a message to the churches. He is the King of kings, the firstborn from the dead, and the faithful witness. In this vision, he reminds John - and the church today - that he is build...

The great empires of history have one thing in common; they were built through force. But in the New Testament, Jesus claims to be doing something fundamentally different. He is bringing in a kingdom of love. In this passage, Jesus calls himself the good shepherd, the one who lays his life down for his sheep. Dr. Heath Thomas explains what Jesus meant with these words and how they still apply to o...

It must have shocked his disciples and followers when Jesus walked up to Matthew's tax booth and called him to be his disciple. These words, "Follow me," didn't just change Matthew's life. Soon, tax collectors and sinners were eating with Jesus and learning to follow him. In Matthew's calling, we see the heart of God for those far from him. 

After the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus comes down into the real lives of the people around him. He heals diseases, casts out demons, and shows people the love of God through his compassionate ministry to the lost and broken. In these two stories, we encounter the great compassion of Christ and the radical new life of the Kingdom of Heaven. 

When Jesus finished the Sermon on the Mount, the people were astonished at his teaching. In the parable of the two men and the two houses, there is a warning and a promise. There are two ways to live, two foundations, and two outcomes. In this simple story, Jesus shows us how to build our lives on an unshakeable rock.

In the final section of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus turns to how we treat other people. If we are living righteously before him, it will change our relationships. In these passages, Jesus teaches us to have wisdom in the way we see others. Instead of harsh judgment, we see others generously. Instead of denial, we discern the ways we can live for the kingdom. In everything, we ask God to use us...

Three times, Jesus says, "Do not worry." But what exactly is he prohibiting? In line with the rest of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus calls us to turn our hearts to him, to seek his kingdom and righteousness first, and then worry will be replaced in our lives with trust. The command not to worry is at its core a command to come to him. 

The Lord's Prayer is one of the most famous passages in the Bible. In the middle of a sermon on righteousness, all of a sudden, Jesus instructs us, "when you pray, pray like this." This prayer is a model of righteousness, a mold for our hearts, and a vision into the heart of God. When we pray this way, we orient our hearts toward God and tune our lives to his grace.

Love your enemies. No one had ever said that before, and it would become a trademark of Jesus's teaching. But Jesus didn't just teach this, he did it. In this section of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus calls his disciples to follow in his footsteps by overcoming evil with love.

Jesus did not come to abolish the Law but to fulfill it. That means Jesus's life and teaching don't change what God commanded Israel, but perfectly encompass and live up to it. Jesus's life is the fullest picture of the way God designed us to be. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches us to live righteous lives before God by surrendering our hearts to him and learning to be forgiven. In the fir...

Jesus called us to be his disciples; not just his followers and friends, but learners, imitators, and co-workers in the mission of God. When Jesus walked along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he called the disciples to a life of following him. He would train them, develop them, and send them out to work with him in the Great Commission. In the first sermon of this series, Pastor Cole talks about...

This Sunday, we're beginning a new series at Carlton Landing Community Church called Disciples, a study of the Gospel of Matthew. From now until Easter Sunday, we'll be following Jesus through the gospel and learning what it means to be his disciples.  For more information, check out the series page on our website.

New Year's Day is a time of transition. What will the next year look like? Who do we want to be in 2023? As Paul points out in this passage, the key to transformation is tradeoffs. In this message, Pastor Cole Feix casts a vision for the new year and challenges us to make the tradeoffs that will lead to transformation.

The Magi were strange guests to appear in the first Christmas stories. They were Gentiles, outsiders, and wanderers from the East, but their story tells us that Jesus came for everyone. He was God's invitation back into the family and the faithful son who came to seek and save the lost. 

God's love is the most transformative power in the universe. So much so that Paul said, when you've known it, you're compelled by it. In Advent, we celebrate the greatest act of love in history, God sending his son to die for us and bring us back into God's family. Curiously in Matthew's gospel, we first see this love played out in Joseph's life. He is a picture of the transformation God wants to...

Peace is more than just the absence of something. When the angels announced "peace on earth," they were drawing on hundreds of years of promises. God promised to return to Israel, to put his king on the throne, and bring everlasting peace. During the triumphal entry, Matthew turns our attention to a prophecy in the book of Zechariah about a humble and righteous king who would speak peace to the na...

When Jesus came preaching the kingdom, what was he preaching? Of the gospel writers, Matthew makes the most connections between the story of Israel and the story of Jesus. In chapter 4, he cites a famous Christmas passage, Isaiah 9:1-7, but he doesn't simply quote, "For unto us a child is born," he quotes the first part of the passage, "people who have walked in darkness have seen a great light."...

We're in a spiritual war. Christ has conquered death, and he will defeat every enemy in the end, but for now, we must be prepared for spiritual battle. God has equipped us with a full set of spiritual armor for whatever we may face, and he's opened himself to us in prayer, listening whenever we open our hearts to him.    Preacher: Kerwin Dees

Every household has a center. Something will be the gravitational center of our homes. Paul calls us to organize our households around Christ. He is the center of our marriages, families, companies, and communities, and the way we treat one another reflects that. Christian homes look different from the world because their center is different; they have been called to reflect the household of God.

In Luke 10, Jesus sends out 72 disciples to announce that the kingdom of God is near. The fields were ripe for harvest, and God was sending out his laborers. The same thing is true today. In this message, Jason McMahan tells his story of serving as a missionary in Mali and outlines God's plan to send his laborers to the ends of the earth. Jason is the Director of Global Outreach at Fellowship Bibl...

Be imitators of God. Walk in love. But how? To see any lasting change in our lives, we must understand the why before we attempt the how. In this passage, Paul shows us the kind of love God has given us and then tells us to love in the same way. All of our actions reflect the love God has poured out through his son, a sacrificial, God-centered love. When we have our hearts transformed by the Spiri...

What changes when you become a Christian? It starts with the heart. In this passage, Paul tells Christians not to walk the way they used to, but to be renewed in the spirit of their minds. Putting on the new self is a daily commitment, slow and steady, walking on a new path. The new self is created after the image of God, and our new life is designed to look like him. We speak the truth, deal with...

Turning the corner into chapter 4, Paul gives the theme of the second half of Ephesians in the opening verse; "Walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called." We've all received a calling from God, and we've been made a part of the body of Christ. Whether we're going or sending, we all have a role to play. Special guest John Rinehart and Pastor Cole talk about equipping, s...

Above everything else, Paul was a missionary. In this passage, he narrates his mission as an apostle - to preach the riches of Christ and bring to light God's plan for the ages, to unite Jews and Gentiles in Christ. Next, Paul prays this vision into reality. Missions leads to worship and prayer is the bridge between. 

In Ephesians 2, Paul doesn't just say that we have been made alive with Christ; we have also been reconciled with other people. In Christ, God is bringing people together, tearing down the wall of hostility between Jews and Gentiles, and creating a new group of people, his church. The church is the wonder of the world, God's power and love on display.