Citizens Church Sermons

Jesus is Savior, Immanuel, Christ Messiah, and He is Lord. A Lord who was born in a stable, walked a perfect life, died a sacrificial death to cover our sins, rose again in order to defeat death, and now is seated at the right hand of God awaiting that future day when all of creation will be made new. That kind of Lordship should move us toward humility and worship, because if Christ is Lord, it m...

In ancient Israel, a messiah, a Christ, meant you were anointed, or appointed by God. It was a title given to earthly prophets, priests and kings. But only in God’s chosen Son, in Jesus, can we finally proclaim that the true and better Christ has finally come. He is chosen and he chooses us, which means when we are in Christ, we are also chosen.  Scripture: Luke 2:8-11

The incarnation is a central theme of the Christian faith. Remembering the story of the first Advent reminds us of the salvation Jesus Christ has provided, as well remind us of the call of participation in his Kingdom that God’s given us, as we wait in expectant hope for the second coming when all things are made new. Scripture: Matthew 1:18–25

The story of scripture is a story of redemption and a return from the darkness of sin to the light of perfect peace. In God’s story, we don’t have to create our own meaning. We are born with dignity and value simply because of the inherited meaning of being made in God’s image. And in this perfect story, we have a Savior who came and will come again, to bring perfect peace.  Scripture: Luke 2:10–1...

Our prayer life is both a litmus test of our walk with God, and a way to deepen our affections and align our hearts with Jesus. If we long to become more like Jesus, then we should pray like Jesus. Meaning, it shouldn’t be done to gain more acclaim, but rather to grow us more into Christlikeness. And as we pray, it shapes our desires to look more like God’s desires.  Scripture: Matthew 6:5–13

The world would say that you need approval of others more than you need God, but Jesus paints a better way. God desires to have relationship with all of you, the seen and unseen parts. When we take off our masks, and the fear of man is replaced with a holy fear of God, the voice of God becomes the voice that matters most, and we become more like Jesus Scripture: Matthew 6:1–6; 16–18

The Preacher of Hebrews wants to assure this suffering church does not abandon the great salvation and hope they have in Jesus, because no one else brings us closer to God than Him.  Scripture: Hebrews 3:1–6 Guest Preacher: Tymarcus Ragland

When we think about becoming more like Jesus, it’s easy to feel inadequate and lost in our shame, but our confidence lies in the hope we have in Jesus Christ. John 17 reminds us in a prayer that Jesus says about us, his followers. When we listen to the very voice of Jesus Christ, he reminds us of your identity, purpose and destiny. Scripture: John 17

In Feeling Like Jesus , we explore the full range of Jesus’ emotions—joy, sorrow, compassion, anger, and awe—and what they reveal about God’s heart. Our emotions are not to be ignored or worshipped but engaged that we might draw closer to the Father. This message invites us to feel deeply, live truthfully, and become like Jesus

As Christians, we live in between the resurrection and return of Jesus. The kingdom is here already but not yet in full. The sermon on the mount teaches us to live with hope, confidence and resilient faith as already/not yet people. Scripture: Matthew 6:9-10

Followers of Jesus are meant to be a light in the darkness of the world, to be mirrors of Jesus to those around them and spread the gospel. We can do that through our prayer, our presence, and partnering with other believers. Key Text: Matthew 5:13-16

The outpouring of knowing and loving of God is a turn to share the way of Jesus. The friends of the paralyzed man in Luke 5 show an example of the zeal we need to turn away from our sins and turn to Jesus. God’s design is to use Christ-seeking people, growing in their Christlikeness, to carry his message for the sake of the world. Scripture: Luke 5:17–32

Our culture is full of examples of communities—groups of like minded individuals trying to foster camaraderie and shared experience—and yet we are still lonely as a society. God is communal in nature, and since we are created in His image, we mirror His communal nature. However it’s not just shared-interest that we need but deep change through repentance, which happens best in the context of Chris...

Better understanding of our source idols should lead us to surrendering the things we lean on more than God to God. Because the only thing that replaces our idolatry of our love of the world is a stronger love: the love for God. Jesus has the power to expel our idols from our hearts, through our confession and repentance.  Scripture: 1 John 2:15; 5:21

The story of the rich young ruler is a story that points to the idolatry we all struggle with. In our human brokenness, idolatry means putting anything other than God at the forefront of our hearts and minds. Becoming more like Jesus means re-directing our loves from the idols of our life—the things where we seek power, approval, comfort and control—to Jesus, who loves us and never fails us.  Scri...

We are born into a fallen world of competing voices. In the desert, Jesus is tempted in every way yet without sin, fully living in God’s world God’s way. There we learn from Jesus’ example that the voice of the Father never leads us astray. Thinking like Jesus means listening to the voice of the Father.  Scripture Matthew 3:16–4:11

Thinking like Jesus requires our whole person. Our doctrine must fuel our devotion, and our devotion, our doctrine. On other words, our love ignites our hunger for more knowledge of the Savior; likewise, knowing Jesus drives our desires and love for Jesus. Scripture: Mark 12:24-27 & 30

Jesus loves you way more than we think he does and he demands more than we think he does, because he wants more for us. He doesn’t want compartmentalized disciples. He wants disciples who have no secular/sacred divide. Becoming more like Jesus means integrating all parts of us—how we think, love, feel and act.  Scripture Mark 12:29-31

From the very beginning, our mission has been one thing: to become more like Jesus, and to go and make more disciples who are more like Jesus. It would be easy to fall into complacency and fall into religious consumerism, but with the Spirit’s help, we must guard against this. The church exists to form Christlike Christians. Scripture: Romans 8:28-29

Our souls wrestle often with the belief that we need to earn God’s love, and it’s an exhausting wrestle. But God wants so much more for all of us. When we consider the life of Jesus, knowing it’s not up to our works but solely dependent on the cross, the hope is we start to become more like him. Scripture: Luke 18:9–14

Psalm 88 reminds us that when Jesus entered into our humanity, he took our sin and God’s wrath and our weakness, and also our pain and abandonment and suffering. Jesus became the blessed man and the cursed man. If Jesus didn’t abandon you in his darkest hour, we can be assured in our darkest hour, he will remain.

As we have learned this month, when we read the Psalms in light of Christ’s finished work on the cross, we see the presence of Jesus throughout these old songs. Psalm 118 especially reminds us of the timeless truth that God is steadfast and our firm foundation when life inevitably gets hard. Even in trials, we rejoice in the one who sustains us.

As we learned last week, reading the psalms through the lens of Christ gives us fresh eyes on an old text. Psalm 32 points to our sins and iniquities, but in light of the forgiveness of God. It reminds the reader that in our humble confession of sin, God’s steadfast love meets us with forgiveness, instruction and gladness. Key Text: Psalm 32

The Psalms, much like the law, are only understood in light of Christ. In Psalm 1, we see not counsel on how we should live, but confirmation in whom we should trust. Scripture: Psalm 1

In our finale message in this series, we look at the closing remarks of Peter’s letter. Peter speaks of simple wisdom for the Christian to endure faithfully for a whole life: stand firm in grace. Scripture 1 Peter 5:8–14