Citadel Square Sermons

Pastor Steve Heron continues Part 2 of our series, Jesus: The Savior of the World, and preaches from Luke 4:38-44. The miracles of Jesus have a way of fascinating us. Capturing our attention, Jesus’ power over the physical struggles and human frailty of this world has caused many to believe that the lives of Christians should be unencumbered by sickness because of our faith in Jesus. But Jesus sho...

Jonathan Suggs, our Young Adult Coordinator, continues Part 2 of our series, Jesus: The Savior of the World, and preach from Luke 4:31-37. After leaving his hometown, Jesus travels to Capernaum, where he once again steps into the synagogue to teach on the Sabbath. This time, his hearers are astonished at the authority of his teaching and the power of his word. When a demon confronts him in church,...

Pastor Steve Heron begins Part 2 of our series, Jesus: The Savior of the World, and preach from Luke 4:14-30. After defeating Satan in one-on-one combat, Jesus enters into the synagogue of his hometown. We expect the town to welcome him with open arms, but Jesus preaches a message that's too hard to hear. How can this man say that he is fulfilling scripture? How arrogant to say that Isaiah wrote a...

Pastor Steve Heron concludes Part 1 of our series, Jesus: The Savior of the World, and preaches from Luke 4:9-15. In Jesus' final and perhaps most difficult test, Satan uses the word of God against him. What will Jesus do when it seems that God's word only promises him safety and security and never frustration and pain? What do we do when it feels like God's word has failed us, and we ask, "God, w...

Pastor Steve Heron preaches from Luke 4:5-8 as he continues Part I of our series, Jesus: The Savior of the World. In the second week of our series on temptation, Jesus is still in the wilderness. This time Satan shows Jesus what success, glory, and authority could be if he's willing to walk away from God's plan for his life. We all want to be successful, but at what cost? Are we willing to sacrifi...

Pastor Steve Heron preaches from Luke 4:1-4 as he continues Part I of our series, Jesus: The Savior of the World. We need a Savior who has been tested in every way that we are and knows what it's like to be human, beset with weakness and sins. For Jesus to be a help and our hope, we need to know that he's stronger than the sin that so easily trips us up. Before Jesus enters his preaching ministry,...

Pastor Steve Heron preaches from Luke 3:21-38 as he continues Part I of our series, Jesus: The Savior of the World. Jesus' public ministry begins at his baptism. Luke places two significant realities next to each other—Jesus's relationship to heaven and his relationship with us. As God's beloved son, Jesus lives his life in the light of His Father's approval. While the recipient of heaven's affirm...

Pastor Steve Heron preaches from Luke 3:7-20 as he continues Part I of our series, Jesus: The Savior of the World. Luke records John's public ministry and introduces us to one of the most powerful preachers of the New Testament. Explosive, confrontational, and desperately earnest, John seeks to shake people out of their spiritual lethargy. His preaching causes many to confess their need and repent...

Pastor Steve Heron preaches from Luke 3:1-6 as he continues Part I of our series, Jesus: The Savior of the World. From the birth narratives, Luke's research moves into the public ministries of John and Jesus. John, the forerunner of Christ, appears in the wilderness. Led by the Word of God, John begins proclaiming a baptism of repentance from sin, fulfilling the promises of Isaiah 40 to remove any...

Pastor Steve Heron continues Part I of our series, Jesus: The Savior of the World, preaching from Luke 2:41-52. In this passage, unique to Luke's gospel, we meet Jesus as a middle schooler. During a yearly trip to Jerusalem for the Passover, Jesus remains behind while his parents return home. Joseph and Mary, distraught that they can't find their son, rush back to Jerusalem. Upon finding Jesus, th...

Addison Hamrick, our Student Ministry Director, continues Part I of our series, Jesus: The Savior of the World, preaching from Luke 2:25-40. Whether Christian or not, all of us long for redemption. We long for a day when oppression and suffering cease. In this text, we will see two individuals who have been waiting their whole life to see redemption. And in a moment, they both come face to face wi...

Pastor Steve Heron resumes Part I of our series, Jesus: The Savior of the World, preaching from Luke 2:21-24, 39-40. Joseph and Mary remain in Jerusalem to fulfill the requirements of the Law of the Lord for their new baby. Consecrating him to the Lord and offering their sacrifices, this new family shows that faithfulness to God’s word guides their family. Their simple commitment to obey prepares...

Matt Koser preaches from Nehemiah 8:1-12. Nehemiah is the story of the people of Israel returning from exile back to their own land. As anticipation builds for their new start, grief from past failure overwhelms them.” They face the same question we face coming into this New Year: “Who will you look to for strength?” Only when their focus turns to the Lord will they experience the joy that overcom...

Pastor Steve Heron reflects on the birth of Jesus Christ from Luke 2:1-20. In the final message of 2022, Luke records the birth of Jesus Christ. While his parents travel under orders from the government to participate in a census, God is orchestrating the choirs of heaven to announce the birth of His Son to shepherds. Filled with wonder, the shepherds become the first witnesses to announce the won...

Pastor Steve Heron continues Part I of our series, Jesus: The Savior of the World, preaching from Luke 1:67-80. Like Mary, Zechariah responds to God's work in his life with a song. Striking a balance between Mary's confidence in God's gracious strength toward His people, Zechariah looks to the wonder of forgiven sins. He worships God both for providing deliverance from sin and also for bringing sp...

Pastor Steve Heron continues Part I of our series, Jesus: The Savior of the World, preaching from Luke 1:57-66. What has been a secret, known to only a few people, is revealed. Elizabeth prepares to give birth to the forerunner of the Messiah, John the Baptist. Zechariah's tongue is loosed to praise God while those looking on wonder what the future holds for this child and the plan of God. 

Pastor Steve Heron will continue Part I of our series, Jesus: The Savior of the World, preaching from Luke 1:46-56. As Mary and Elizabeth consider the great things that God has done, Mary erupts in song. In the first hymn of the New Testament, Mary glorifies God for his strength, mercy, and faithfulness throughout the generations of those who have put their hope in Him.   *12-04-22*

Pastor Steve Lindenmeyer will continue Part I of our series, Jesus: The Savior of the World, preaching from Luke 1:39-45. In this passage, two miraculous stories unite as Mary goes to visit Elizabeth. As these two women meet together, the incarnation of Jesus Christ is confirmed, and his Lordship is magnified through Elizabeth's proclamation. The faith of Mary is celebrated as she embraces God's p...

In this passage, the angel Gabriel is sent to a virgin named Mary. In one of the most well-known passages in all of the Bible, Mary receives news that she will be the mother of the Son of God. In complement and contrast to the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth, Mary's life is about to be forever changed. What will people say? What will her husband say? How will this be? We're confronted with our ow...

Luke begins his gospel account with a story of lifelong unanswered prayer. We look at the life of Zechariah, a priest with a barren wife who has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to serve in the temple. He hears an answer he doesn't expect. The angel Gabriel shares that his son will fulfill the hopes of the Jews, proving that God has not forgotten Zechariah and God has not forgotten his people.   *...

These opening verses show us the purpose behind Luke's work and invite us to consider the story that has been passed down through the generations of church history. Luke seeks to strengthen the convictions of a man named Theophilus and in turn invites us to consider the question: "Where do I go when I doubt?" Sermon from 11/06/22

In this stand-alone message, we will be looking at Exodus 33:1-17. The Israelites are at Mt. Sinai and have just built a golden calf to worship. Following the people’s idol worship and intercession from Moses on their behalf, God tells the Israelites to leave Sinai for Canaan. But there is bad news, God is not going to go to the land with them. Moses intercedes again for God’s chosen people as he...

Self-examination is often a rigged proposition. Mental introspection rarely validates and affirms that we are who we hope to be. In the final chapter of the book, Paul encourages us to "test ourselves" and discover the genuine nature of our faith. In a world that relies on feelings, Paul says when our faith rests on the truth of the crucifixion, we find great confidence.

Paul has done miracles among them. Paul has refused to take money from them. Paul has gladly suffered and served them. All of these things Paul has done for their good, hopeful that when he arrives, he finds spiritual strength and godliness - which begs the question, how would you respond to an apostle?

No one likes to be weak, insufficient, or unable. Our culture prizes strength and accomplishment. How do these values translate to our spiritual lives? Paul shows that his weakness is the reason for boasting precisely because it demonstrates God's power to work through the weak. More than this, it's only weakness that invites God's grace to strengthen and sustain us.