City Light Bible Church Sermons

This week we looked at the powerful passage in Romans 3:9-20 in which Paul presents humanity’s condition before God as a divine court case, where the argument is clear: “None is righteous, no, not one.” The counts against humanity are devastating and the verdict is final, leaving sinners with the only choice to repent and turn to Christ. Listen as elder John Hannigan calls us to face this sobering...

The Apostle Paul addresses difficult objections about God’s character in Romans 3:1-8, using a rhetorical debate style to defend God against accusations of being deceitful, unfaithful, and unrighteous. Through careful examination of the Mosaic Covenant and examples like King David, Paul demonstrates that God remains perfectly faithful even when judging sinners. Listen as Pastor Chris unpacks this...

This week we discussed Romans 2:17-29, a passage that exposes the danger of religious hypocrisy. The apostle Paul asserts that outward religious practices and moral knowledge mean nothing without genuine obedience and a heart changed by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Listen as Pastor Chris emphasizes that being “good” or “religious” isn’t enough for salvation, but only God can transform our ha...

This week we discussed Romans 2:6-16, examining God’s impartial judgment where every person will be judged according to their works, with the wicked facing wrath and fury while the righteous receive eternal life. This passage emphasizes that no one can escape God’s judgment through their own efforts because all have sinned and fallen short. Listen as Pastor Chris reveals how our only hope comes th...

This week we studied Romans 2:1-5, unpacking how both openly immoral people and secretly hypocritical religious individuals stand condemned before God. This truth reveals that knowing God’s law without obeying it offers no special protection from divine judgment. Listen as Pastor Chris explains how God’s kindness is meant to lead us to genuine repentance, and warns that unrepentant hypocrisy store...

This week we wrapped up the first chapter of Romans, confronting the biblical doctrine of total depravity and God’s wrath revealed through humanity’s rebellion against Him. All people are sinners desperately in need of redemption, but the Gospel has transformative power to forgive and restore even the most broken souls. Listen as Pastor Chris explains how the emptiness of life without God is meant...

In Romans 1:24-25, Paul reveals how God’s wrath is manifested in this life as He gives people over to the very sins their hearts crave, leading to emptiness, shame, and dishonor. God rejects those who exchange the truth about Him for a lie and worship creation instead of the Creator, yet even this rejection serves as a wake-up call to drive sinners toward Jesus for true fulfillment. Listen as Past...

This week Pastor Chris explored humanity’s rejection of God through Romans 1:18-23, explaining how people suppress the truth about God despite His clear revelation through creation, choosing instead to worship idols and themselves rather than their Creator. While natural revelation makes all people accountable to God, only the Gospel can save them from the consequences of this rejection. Listen as...

Romans 1:16-17 serves as the “welcome sign” and theme for the entire book of Romans. In this passage we see three reasons why Christians should never be ashamed of the Gospel: the Gospel is powerful to save, it’s available to everyone regardless of background or status, and it’s accepted through faith alone rather than works. Listen as Pastor Chris unpacks how God’s righteousness is given as a fre...

We welcomed Pastor Keith Crosby to our church this week to discuss expository listening as exemplified in Nehemiah 8:1-13. In order for us to get the most we can out of our Sunday sermons each week, we must listen reverently, hungrily, attentively, respectively, inquisitively, responsively, and purposefully. Listen as Pastor Keith equips and encourages us to be active, disciplined listeners so tha...

This week we studied Romans 1:8-15, exploring how the Gospel transforms all of our relationships. This passage highlights three activities every believer should engage in: thankful prayer for other churches, mutual encouragement within the body of Christ, and eager Gospel proclamation to both believers and unbelievers. Listen as Pastor Chris explains how the apostle Paul’s passion for ministry sho...

This week we examined the opening verses of Paul’s letter to the Romans, emphasizing how the apostle’s Gospel-centered greeting demonstrates a life so saturated with the Gospel that he cannot introduce himself without immediately pointing to Jesus Christ. Listen as Pastor Chris challenges us to live Gospel-centered lives where faith naturally produces obedience, ultimately bringing glory to Christ...

We began our study of Romans this week with an overview of what we can expect from this sermon series. The book of Romans is a letter that stands above all other biblical letters as the most profound explanation of how Jesus saves, covering themes like justification, the unity of Jews and Gentiles, and God’s grace throughout its 16 chapters. Listen as Pastor Chris outlines why and how our young, d...

This week we prepared for our upcoming two-year study of Romans by examining Ephesians 2:1-10, described as the Gospel in its purest form. There are three chapters in every Christian’s biography: our desperate need for grace, our life changed by grace, and our obedience because of grace. Listen as Pastor Chris emphasizes that salvation is entirely God’s work, making every believer a trophy display...

Pastor Vlad preached from Hebrews 12:1-3, calling believers freed by Christ to run the Christian race with endurance by fixing their eyes on Jesus, the Founder and Perfecter of faith. He framed four commands: run the race God has marked out, look to the cloud of witnesses who testify to God’s faithfulness, lay aside ensnaring sin and every weight, and treasure Christ who endured the cross for joy....

Pastor Vlad preached from Hebrews 11:8-16, showing how Abraham and Sarah’s faith led them to trust God even when they didn’t know the place, the pace, or the possibility of His promises. Abraham obeyed God’s call to leave security for an unknown land, lived as a sojourner while looking to a heavenly city, and trusted God’s power even to raise Isaac from the dead, while Sarah believed God could do...

Pastor Vlad focused on Hebrews 11:22, using Joseph’s request about his bones to show how faith fixes our legacy on God’s promises of redemption and a true homeland. Tracing Genesis, he highlighted Joseph’s faith in the pit and in the pinnacle by trusting God’s sovereignty, resisting sin, serving faithfully in power, and ordering his burial so his “bones” would keep preaching hope to future generat...

This breakout explored why and what the church should sing, showing that while singing carries many health and emotional benefits, Scripture reveals deeper reasons. Name that scripture commands it! Singing expresses joy, repentance, and trust, and it roots us in His Word. From the Psalms to Colossians 3:16, singing is designed by God to teach, admonish, and unite His people, helping truth dwell ri...

In this Q&A, Pastor Chris interviewed Pastor Vlad, who shared about his family, his unexpected call back to Sacramento, and the challenges and joys of planting City Bible Church. He recounted God’s faithfulness through hardships like early losses, funding setbacks, and COVID displacements, alongside highlights of growth, discipline done biblically, and members’ resilience in pressing on together....