Central Community Church | Sermon Audio

Ephesians 4:1-10 One of Jesus’ last prayers before his death was that God the Father would make his disciples “one”. Why was the unity of his followers so important to Jesus? In Ephesians 4:1-10, the Apostle Paul exhorts all believers to live out this oneness, teaching us that it is grounded in the victory of Jesus over sin, death, and Satan. To live out this oneness means we mus...

Romans 6:3-5 This Easter we apply the Apostle Paul’s words from Romans 6 that tell us that if we have been baptized into the death of Christ, we most certainly are included in the resurrection of Christ. Because He is risen, we can be confident that we are risen!

Romans 6:3-5 Christ’s death and resurrection are the two most important events in human history, for it is only through them that we can experience resurrection life now and for eternity.

Romans 6:3-5 Easter is the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, signifying His victory over sin and death. It marks the end of Lent and the beginning of a new season of hope and joy. This sermon will explore what it means to be fully untied with Christ in His death and in His resurrection and practically looks like in our lives

Romans 6:3-5 The death and resurrection of Jesus is the most significant thing that has ever happened on earth.  We cannot remain neutral to what has happened, and the good news is that Jesus invites us to come to him for the forgiveness of our sins and our new life in him.  If we are united in his death, we will be united in his life. 

Romans 6:6-8 This Good Friday we apply the Apostle Paul’s words from Romans 6 that tell us that the crucifixion of Jesus also crucified every believer’s slavery to sin.

Romans 6:6-8 Sin is an insidious, destructive evil that enslaves people. Worse yet, slavery to sin inevitably leads to death. However, there is a way to find freedom from sin. As we die to ourselves and die with Christ, we are able to find freedom and life. All of this is only possible because of Christ’s death on the cross.

Romans 6:6-8 On Good Friday we reflect on the crucifixion of Jesus. Romans 6:6 says that the old self is crucified with him. Who is the old self and what does it mean to crucify him?

2 Thessalonians 3:6-12 Sloth may be one of the most misunderstood of the seven Capital Vices because typically, we think about sloth as simple laziness. However, with sloth there is more than what meets the eye because beyond laziness, sloth is more a condition of our hearts than of our hands. It numbs our hearts to the beauty of God and resists our created purpose to glorify Him and enjoy Him for...

2 Thessalonians 3:6-12 The Bible clearly teaches that genuine believers commit themselves to cultivating their ongoing relationship with Christ through daily diligence and work. This is how we demonstrate our love for the Father and walk in his love for us. Sloth is the vice of avoiding this demand of love either in laziness, apathy, or busyness. In Christ, we have forgiveness for our slothful hea...

2 Thessalonians 3:6-12 God worked, then rested ... and created us to do the same – fully engaging in His purposes on earth. When we disobediently and selfishly disengage from His purposes ... when we abandon kingdom work ... we cease to love, to worship, and to point people to the work of Christ – His saving grace.

2 Thessalonians 3:6-12 We are among the most comfortable people in all of human history.  And so it is no surprise that laziness is an easy vice to fall into.  But instead of rebounding into a workaholic lifestyle, the Bible calls us to rightly understand the place of both work and rest.  True rest is found in Jesus, trusting God’s provision, and we work diligently to honour G...

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 Envy is similar to jealousy, covetousness, and greed, but has the person in the crosshairs not the thing they possess. It is a sickness of the heart that finds it hard to love God and neighbour because it is so consumed with the gifts and possessions that others have. The remedy is found in the gospel and allows us to think, act, and speak with love and rejoice in the well-bei...

James 3:13-16 Envy is an inward heart sin that inevitably has destructive, outward effects. Because of this, it’s imperative that we repent and look to Christ to shape us in His loving ways.

James 3:13-16 Envy is an inward heart sin that inevitably has destructive, outward effects. Because of this, it’s imperative that we repent and look to Christ to shape us in His loving ways.

James 3:13-17 Envy is the relentless desire, not simply to have more, but to deprive others.  While greed seeks the objects, envy wants what others have.  In this way, envy is far more destructive both to ourselves and to those around us.  The gospel calls us to be thankful in all that we have, so that we might show the charity of Jesus to those around us. 

Philippians 3:19-21 Paul contrasts the vice of gluttony with the virtue of temperance, showing that self-control is not about restraint or denial, but about redirecting our desires toward Christ. Scripture teaches that God designed us to hunger. Not for excess, but for Him. True satisfaction is never found in overindulgence but in Jesus, the only one who can truly fulfill our deepest needs.

Philippians 3:17-21 Among other pleasurable things created and given by God as good gifts to His creation, food is particularly delightful, delicious – and dangerous. Food is necessary for our survival and thriving. We depend on it. But the indulgence of excess food becomes an idol that replaces the One we ultimately need to depend on – our loving Creator and His Son, Jesus Christ &nda...

Philippians 3:18-21 A large part of our lives is spent on food but if we let it, food can become an idol we worship.  God gave us food as a gift, but when our focus leaves the giver we have a problem.  Our physical hunger should point us to the true spiritual hunger in Jesus that brings eternal satisfaction. 

Philippians 3:19-20 God not only made food good but gave us taste buds as well so it would be enjoyed! But the vice of gluttony takes the good gift and twists it into a self-indulgent appetite that dictates your life. Temperance, on the other hand, is the virtue that rightly orders the pleasure of eating and drinking so that we can treat it as the gift and sign it is not as an end in itself. 

Colossians 3:1-5, 8-13 One of the most insidious vices, that we easily fall into is that of anger or wrath. Often disguised in pseudo-righteousness, anger quickly morphs into wrath and a litany of other manifestations as human nature takes over, and we seek justice on our own terms. In Colossians, Paul reminds his audience that we are new a new creation because of the Gospel, that believers are &l...

Colossians 3:1-5, 8-13 One of the most insidious vices, that we easily fall into is that of anger or wrath. Often disguised in pseudo-righteousness, anger quickly morphs into wrath and a litany of other manifestations as human nature takes over, and we seek justice on our own terms. In Colossians, Paul reminds his audience that we are new a new creation because of the Gospel, that believers are &l...

Colossians 3:8-13 Anger is a destructive sin that damages our relationships with others and with God. Jesus came not only to show us the better way of patient love, but to take upon himself the weight of our sinful anger as well as the wrath of God which we rightly deserved.

Colossians 3:8-13 What do we love enough to be angry about?  Anger is an emotional response to something we love being threatened.  In our sin, the things we love are often focused on ourselves and we can be swept away in the emotion.  But the forgiveness of Jesus changes what we love most and in His grace we can be patient trusting that God is in control. 

1 Corinthians 6:18-20 This week we are working on killing the vice of lust and growing in our practice of the virtue of chastity. It is neither a cultural view of sexual liberation nor a negative view of sex (often associated with the church) that leads to human flourishing but, rather, a healthy view of God’s vision for sex and a healthy self-control (chastity) around everything outsid...