Central Community Church | Sermon Audio

Acts 21:17-22:21 In our text this morning Paul’s actions show us his commitment to God and to His Church. Paul humbles himself as he pursues and prioritizes church unity in the diverse Jerusalem church. In the midst of an angry mob Paul perseveres even when it is painful. Paul is then given an opportunity to share his testimony with the people, which he is prepared to do, and he does so for...

Acts 21:17 - 22:21 When Paul shows up in Jerusalem things go from bad to worse.  Not only is the church in an uproar, but the rest of the city starts a riot to try and kill him.  But Paul went there knowing this would happen because the gospel mattered more to him than anything.  The gospel shaped how he addressed the church, his willingness to follow God and the transformation of h...

Scripture: Acts 21:1-6

Acts 21:1-16 Paul’s last section of his journey to Jerusalem teaches us that living for the Lord involves more than just a casual commitment to Christ. It requires the support and encouragement of the church and a persistent, personal pursuit of Jesus regardless of the cost.

Acts 21: 1-16 Too often in life, choosing the right path forward can be difficult to discern.  Complicating the process is receiving conflicting advice from well meaning friends.  In this completion of his third missionary journey, the Apostle Paul demonstrates how to retain conviction and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 21:1-16 New Year's resolutions. Whether we write them down or not, we all make them as we approach a new year - our hopes, goals, and dreams for the coming year.  It's as we look back 2,000 year, though,s that we learn what it takes for those resolutions to become reality in 2024!

Revelation 12 All this talk of a dragon this advent season begs the question, is the Book of Revelation just a work of fiction? And does the birth of Christ belong in the realm of fantasy? This Christmas Eve Pastor Matt explores why we're so drawn to stories of bravery, rescue, redemption, and resurrection, and concludes that it’s because the true story of history’s greatest hero is wr...

Revelation 12 Luke and Revelation both share the Christmas story, but they do so from drastically different perspectives! Nevertheless, both decisively point to Jesus coming as King. Though the dragon still wreaks havoc, he is a defeated foe and his time is short. This Christmas, place your trust in the child that was born in Bethlehem: Jesus, the Prince of Peace.

Revelation 12 The book of Revelation gives us a different perspective on Christmas than we usually get.  It’s the same beautiful Christmas story, but told from a very different perspective.  And as we see the work of our Saviour King in a new way we can appreciate his incredible love for us all the more!   

Revelation 12 Someone once said, “A thousand times in history a baby has become a king. But only once did a King become a baby.” This is Christmas. God stepped into humanity in the flesh to become the Savior of the World!

Scripture: Revelation 12:13-17 Christmas is typically a time when our minds are drawn to thoughts of peace and comfort, not war or destruction. However, the Christmas story behind the Christmas story pulls back the curtain to reveal the spiritual battle for cosmic supremacy that has been waged since the beginning. But despite his defeat at the cross, Satan engages in a last ditch kamikaze mission...

Revelation 12:13-17 Christmas is predominantly viewed as a declaration of peace, not of war. However, Satan is bent on destruction because he wants to derail God’s plan of salvation. Unsuccessful to destroy Jesus at His birth (and death!), Satan now unleashes his fury on the church. But she will be as victorious over the enemy as Christ because God provides for her and protects her, thus ens...

Revelation 12:13-17 The picture that God shows his people in Revelation is of a defeated dragon.  Satan has been thrown down and his time is short, and yet we see that he is still raging.  God reminds us of his protection as he calls us to remain faithful in the fight.

Revelation 12:13-17 This book was not written for us to make calendars, or wild theories of things to come. It is a motivational letter, a reassurance of Christ’s victory on the end, and a call to endurance and faith. A call to persevere. It is because we have this insight that we can be instrumental in the plans and the purposes of God. It is because we know how the story ends that we can e...

Scripture: Revelation 12:7-12 The heavenly vision of that first Christmas—according to the Apostle John in the Book of Revelation—was of a dragon (Satan) seeking to devour the newborn King (Jesus). However, Jesus conquered the dragon and now sits enthroned in the heavens. The follow-up question that gets dealt with in this sermon is, “If Jesus won the victory, why does it often f...

Revelation 12:7-12 We are not used to thinking of war at Christmas, but the first coming of Jesus at Christmas was a declaration of war in the spiritual realm. In this message, learn about our enemy, how he is conquered and how he comforts our cries. If Christmas is a difficult time for you, find and hope and strength by reflecting the Cosmic Christmas war and the sure victory of Christ.

Revelation 12:7-12 When we use the word Cosmos, we use it in its true meaning, which is the opposite to chaos. So “Cosmos” is the entire universe, encompassing all of existence, not only galaxies, stars, and planets, but all forms of matter and energy including angels and demons and everything that there is. So, in the same way that our sin is cosmic treason to God, the celebration of...

Revelation 12:7-12 Every follower of Christ is a combatant in a cosmic battle that has been raging for eons.  In this message we discover the scope of that battle, the strategy of our enemy, as well as the "secret weapon" God has given us which ensures our victory against an already-defeated foe. Christmas...Spiritual warfare...Redemption...Temptation...Guilt. We are all combatants in a cosmi...

Revelation 12:1-6 Traditionally the Christmas story is told from the Gospels of Matthew or Luke and it contains an idyllic cast consisting of shepherds, angels, wise men, Mary, Joseph, and, of course, baby Jesus. But when we look behind the physical curtain into the spiritual realm we find that there is a cosmic conflict raging between a wildly different cast of characters, including a woman cloth...

Revelation 12:1-6 In this first section of a “behind the scenes” look at the cosmic nature of Christmas, heaven is opened, and two signs appear – both of which point to the greatest sign of all: Jesus Christ … Immanuel … God with us. And because this Ruler of all nations, now seated at the right hand of God, is with us, we have nothing to fear.

Revelation 12:1-6 The book of Revelation is one of the most challenging books in the Bible, yet the message of the book couldn’t be more important. It gives us a glimpse not only of God’s plan for eternity, it shows us the spiritual conflict that we are involved in. We are shown the spiritual warfare that takes place, but also the confidence we have in following Jesus. &...

Scripture: Revelation 12:1-6 This is not your average nativity story. There’s no mention of Bethlehem, Shepherds, Wise Men, or an inn; but there is a woman, a baby being born…and a dragon. This is Christmas according to Revelation 12. And in the first few verses we are introduced to three main characters: A Woman, A Dragon, and a Baby.

Proverbs 3:1-12 Giving is a significant part of our Christian discipleship because it is an act of worship and obedience that is modelled after God’s generosity with us. We miss out on the promises and blessings of God in this area when we hold onto to what rightfully belongs to God – our heart and our money.

Exodus 20:15 In this sermon Pastor Matt shares a theology of money and possessions, asserting that we have all broken the 8th Commandment and robbed God, showing that the Bible casts a vision of Christians as stewards of God’s wealth, not owners of our own wealth, and concluding that nothing on the planet produces generous hearts like experiencing the generosity of God in the gospel.

John 12:1-8 Money and possessions pose a powerful allure to our sinful, fallen hearts. However, the extravagant gift of Christ’s own life challenges us to embrace God-glorifying generosity rather than self-gratifying greed.