Central Community Church | Sermon Audio

Mark 7:6-9 A significant failure of many churches is poor and/or unbiblical teaching regarding sexuality which has caused many to deconstruct their faith and leave the church. But maybe our greatest failing is that we have missed the larger message about our sexuality – that we are made for intimacy, created for covenant, and are pursued by a Bridegroom who awakens our love, redeems our sin,...

Mark 7:8-9 The Purity culture movement from the 90’s left many people confused about what the Bible teaches about sex and holiness.  Jesus warns his disciples not to add rules to God’s word, nor to relax them.  We need a right view the Bible’s teaching about sex and the good news of forgiveness in Jesus Christ.

Luke 4:16-30 Church hurt is one of those things that should never happen, but sadly is inevitable in anychurch. If we live in a fallen world, with other sinful people, and an enemy whose primaryobjective is to destroy what Jesus loves most, the church, how can it not be? But if the church,the Bride of Christ, keep her heart fixed on Jesus, the church can become the dearest place onearth to us.

Luke 4:16-30 To be hurt by someone within the church can be extremely difficult.  A fellow congregant, leader or pastor can say or do something that causes harm.  Should we be surprised this happens?  If it does, should we walk away from the church and faith or should we lean into the love of Jesus who provides truth and healing.

Luke 4:16-30 The church is the bride of Christ, meant to be His hands and feet until His glorious return. Yet, the local church often gets things wrong and causes more hurt than healing. Where is Jesus in these messes? How do we respond to the spiritual abuses within a body that bears Christ’s holy name? This sermon defines church hurt, discovers Jesus’ empathy and rediscovers the glor...

1 Corinthians 1:1-11 Church can be a place where people get hurt...and yet, it shouldn't be!  What can be done to protect those who might be harmed, and how can hurt people find healing?

John 20:24-29 Do you ever wrestle with questions about your Christian faith...you believe, but you still wonder at times?  Today we look at a guy whose nickname, "Doubting Thomas," says it all.  He wrestled with his faith - and in so doing shows each of us how to deal with our doubts as we seek God!

John 20:24-31 In a church culture that often perceives expressions of doubt as a lack of faith (or even as troublemaking!) – which will surely lead to unbelief, it is refreshing to realize that Jesus was patient and loving toward those with genuine questions and doubts. Expressions such as “help my unbelief!” (Mark 9) and invitations to the “doubting Thomas” (John 20)...

John 20:24-31 Jesus deals with many people who have doubts about who he is and what he has done, most notably his own disciple Thomas.  Yet throughout his ministry Jesus responds in a variety of ways in order to meet them in their needs.  As a church we are called to model this merciful approach to doubt as we build a genuine faith in what Jesus has done. 

John 20:24-29 In some Christian circles asking questions and expressing doubts is not tolerated. But Jesus was merciful to doubters and we are invited to follow in His footsteps. The story of Thomas is instructive in how to approach our own faith doubts and those who doubt.

Matthew 5:43-44 Use of the word is a recent phenomenon but deconstruction is nothing new; and while to some deconstruction is synonymous with deconversion, for others it is a path that leads to the reconstruction of a more robust and vibrant faith. Jesus deconstructed the common misapplications of the faith in His day repeatedly saying, “You have heard it said…but I say to you…...

Matthew 5:43-44 Deconstruction might be a popular new term, but it’s a process that’s been happening for centuries. For some, deconstruction quickly devolves into destruction ending in deconversion. But Jesus modeled deconstruction that strips our faith of misapplications of God’s word and helps us build a more beautiful faith.

Matthew 5:43-44 People are leaving the church in droves. A significant reason for this is a deconstruction of faith that has not been reconstructed in a healthy, biblical way. This sermon series will present some tools for “good deconstruction,” recognizing it can be the road toward reconstructing a more mature, robust faith that grapples honestly with the deepest questions of life and...

Matthew 5:43-44 Deconstruction is a word that has been used a lot in recent years.  Yet the concept of understanding something better is hardly new.  Jesus deconstructs the religious tendencies of his time in order to draw people closer to God.  We are called to do the same as we come to understand the beauty of the faith. 

Jonah 1:1-17 The story of Jonah and the Great fish is very popular yet often poorly understood. Even more rare is to know how his story fits into the larger story of Jesus and his redemption. This sermon is about the ways that we need a true and better Jonah.

Jonah 1:1-17 Everybody knows Jonah for the fish. But Jonah’s story is more than that. It’s a mirror to our own failings, showing how we have all run from God. And yet Jonah is also a window into Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. All said, Jonah’s story is a rich tapestry depicting the unrelenting grace of God towards ruined sinners, a grace seen most clearly in the true...

Jonah 1:1-17 Through the reluctant, even rebellious, actions of Jonah we see the mercy of God on display. As the flawed prophet carries out God’s command he points the way to a more substantial, more meaningful, more glorious display of God’s mercy…Jesus Christ.

Jonah 1:1-17

Job 42:1-10 The Book of Job is a story of gut wrenching suffering and loss for no apparent reason. Yet the pain paves the way for greater intimacy with God and effective intercession for his friends. Jesus is the true and better Job — the truly innocent sufferer — who then intercedes for and saves His foolish friends.

Job 42:7-10 In the book that bears his name, Job is described as being a blameless and upright man. When sovereign suffering befalls him though, he’s accused by his “friends” of committing great evil. Despite his friends' accusations, in a divinely appointed way, Job acts as a mediator between his friends and God and he prays for them. The Gospel reveals to us how we are those &l...

Job 42:1-17 There are many lessons for us in the story of Job – lessons about suffering, integrity, friendship, forgiveness, and restoration. Job was an amazing man. Blameless and upright, he suffered greatly for no fault of his own – and was then unjustly blamed by his friends for it. But even more astounding was that Job averted God’s anger against those foolish friends by inte...

Job 42:7-10 The story of Job is a story of suffering and trial that ultimately shows us a picture of Jesus in his suffering and his intercession on our behalf.  As Job and his friends see only part of the picture, the full clarity of God’s character is revealed to us in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. 

1 Samuel 17:41-51 A popular way to read the famous David & Goliath story is to see ourselves as Davids who can conquer our giants. But the real point of the story is to show us that Jesus is the true and better David whose victory becomes His people’s victory, though they never lifted a stone to accomplish it themselves.

1 Samuel 17:41-51 David's victory over Goliath points to Jesus, the true and better David, who doesn't just defeat a giant, but defeats the ultimate enemy which is sin and death. Just as David won the battle Israel could not, Jesus secured our eternal victory through His death and resurrection, offering us everlasting freedom.

1 Samuel 17:41-54 Jesus is the true and better David, whose victory over all our enemies becomes our victory, though we never lifted a stone to accomplish it. In His strength and might we can now live victoriously when opposed by Satan, when tempted by sin, our flesh, and the world – and even when faced by death itself – knowing that He has already won these battles by triumphing over...