Citylight Church Center City Philadelphia - Sermons

Malachi 1:1-5 Gareth Weakly Does God really love us? How do we know? This is the first question posed by the people of Israel in the book of Malachi, and God's answer is an emphatic, "yes!". God has loved you more than you deserve, and you know that more clearly when you see the judgment you deserve. And when you see that, you can begin to give God the glory he deserves.

Galatians 1:1-10 Brock Garrigan Have you ever wondered what Paul would say to your church if he were around today? This week, Brock Garrigan visits us from Tenth Presbyterian Church to show us what Paul wanted for the church in Galatia, and what is most important for every church; he wanted them to prioritize the gospel, protect the gospel, and persevere in the gospel.

Luke 10:1-24 Mike Anderson Does your joy depend on your acceptance or rejection by others? Pastor Mike shows us from Luke 10:1-24 that on Jesus’ mission, you can rejoice through both acceptance and rejection. How? Prepare for both, rejoice in your salvation more than your success, rejoice in God’s plan, and remember your privileges.

Luke 9:51-62 Mike Anderson The first 9 chapters of Luke answer the question, "who is Jesus?": the Christ of God. Now, the focus shifts to the question, "what does it mean to follow him?". Jesus said that anyone who would come after him, then, must deny themselves, take up their cross daily, and follow him. But what does that mean on the ground level? Pastor Mike shows us from Luke 9:51-62 that fol...

Luke 9:37-50 Mike Anderson Often, seeing a great business leader or athlete makes us want to pursue our own greatness the same way they did, by following their example. But seeing Jesus is different. Pastor Mike teaches from Luke 9:37-50 that the more clearly you see the greatness of Jesus, the more humbly you’ll pursue your own.

Luke 9:28-36 Mike Anderson Up to this point in Jesus' ministry, we've seen his power and authority in his preaching and miracles. But this Sunday, we'll look at the transfiguration as a few of his disciples see a glimpse of the transformation of Jesus' body to match his glory. Pastor Mike shows us that the more clearly you see the glory of Jesus, the better you will listen to him. So we’ll talk ab...

Luke 9:18-27 Mike Anderson. We've been building up over the last few weeks to one big question: who is Jesus? This week, we'll look at Peter's answer to that question and Jesus' teaching about his own death and resurrection. Pastor Mike shows that Jesus is the unparalleled king on an unexpected path, and we’ll see that from this passage by looking first at the question we all must answer, then at...

Luke 9:1-17 . Mike Anderson . Have you ever had a boss that gave you work to do, but not the resources you would need to do the job right? Do you maybe even feel that Jesus is a master like that? Today, Pastor Mike shows us from Luke 9:1-17 that Jesus is not like that. Jesus richly provides for people through his people. He’s provided for the gospel to get to us, and he provides above and beyond o...

Luke 8:22-56 Gareth Weakly In recent weeks we've been looking at the question presented by Luke: "Who is Jesus?". This week, we'll keep exploring that question, but also look at a question that Jesus asks his disciples: "Where is your faith?". From Luke 8:22-56, we'll see that because Jesus has power over the creation, over the demons, and over sickness and death, our faith should be in him. We ca...

Luke 8:1-21 . Mike Anderson. Hearing God's Word is not enough - we must respond to it. That's Jesus' teaching in Luke 8:1-21: When you hear the word of Christ, make sure you receive it with a sincere heart. We'll look first at the spread of that word, then at the responses to that word, then at the weight of that word, and finally we’ll see the family formed by that word.

Luke 7:36-50 . Wayne Lee . This week, Pastor Wayne Lee from Chinese Christian Church joins us to preach on Luke 7:36-50. We'll see that much forgiveness leads to much love, our biggest need is the forgiveness of sins, and that the opposite of sin is not virtue, the opposite of sin is faith.

Luke 7:1-35 Mike Anderson In Jesus' time on earth, even his cousin John asked, "are you really the one that we were promised?" From Luke 7:1-35, we'll see that there is never a need to move on from Jesus and there is no one greater than him coming because no one greater than him exists. Jesus is the one who was to come. So we’ll see in this passage what it looks like to recognize him, then how to...

Luke 6:46-49 Mike Anderson Even though they are "just words", there are real consequences to ignoring things like stop signs and weather forecasts. So, as we conclude the Sermon on the Plain, what are the consequences of ignoring Jesus' words? In Luke 6:46-49, we'll see that the one who hears the words of Jesus and does not do them will come to ruin. We'll look at the problem of hearing without do...

Revelation 1:9-20 Mike Anderson On Friday, we reflected especially on the death of Jesus. Now, on Easter, we see that Jesus is the exalted ruler over all his churches. We’ll look at how we encounter him, what he looks like, and who he says he is.

Revelation 1:5b-6 Mike Anderson Join us as we see this Good Friday why Jesus is worthy of eternal worship and submission: he loves us, he freed us from our sins, and he made us a kingdom.

Luke 6:37-45 Mike Anderson Therapists know that "cognitive distortions", like discounting positives and thinking in all-or-nothing terms, can affect your relationships. In Luke 6:37-45, Jesus teaches about an ever more serious "cognitive distortion": the sin that causes us to harshly judge others. Jesus teaches his disciples to treat others with the mercy you need from God. First he tells us why t...

Luke 6:27-36 Gareth Weakly You might already know that Jesus says, "love your enemies"? But, why would anyone possibly want to do that? We'll see that God promises a better reward, and that loving your enemies makes you like your heavenly Father. Finally, we'll see how to love your enemies like God loves his enemies.

Luke 6:12-26 Mike Anderson Being a citizen of a country is a big deal: it can determine where you're allowed to live, where you pay your taxes, and which laws you have to follow. But being a citizen of Jesus' kingdom is an even bigger deal. Pastor Mike teaches, "Blessed are the people of Jesus’ kingdom". To see that in this text we’ll look at the leaders in his kingdom, the power of his kingdom, t...

Luke 5:33-6:11 Mike Anderson Once in a while, something new comes along that changes everything. Pastor Mike shows us from Luke 5:33-6:11 that Jesus has brought a new age with a new way of life. Jesus brings about this new age because he’s the greatest joy, he’s the highest lord, and he’s the lawful savior.

Luke 5:12-32 Mike Anderson Last week, we heard that Jesus saves people through his people. This week, we'll look to answer the question, "what kind of people will Jesus save?". It may not be who you think! Pastor Mike preaches from Luke 5:12-32 that Jesus is willing and able to bring the outcasts back to God. He is willing and able to cleanse the unclean, he is willing and able to forgive sin, and...

Luke 5:1-11 Mike Anderson In this sermon, we'll see not just that Jesus will save people, but that Jesus will save people through his people. To see that, Pastor Mike walks through Luke 5:11 in four parts: His power, his peoples’ response, the mission he gives his people, and then once again his peoples’ response.

Mike Anderson, Gareth Weakly In this seminar, we examine what it means to be a Baptist church. We'll look at Baptist distinctives through the lenses of history (including major events in Baptist history that happened right here in Philadelphia), the storyline of scripture, and the New Hampshire Confession of Faith.

Luke 4:14-44 Mike Anderson Every good organization has a mission statement. So, does Jesus have one? Today, we'll learn about Jesus' mission statement: Jesus went public to preach the good news of the kingdom of God. We’ll see in this passage the good news announced, the good news rejected, the good news displayed, and finally, the good news exported.

Luke 3:21-38 Mike Anderson A book we like to give away at our church is titled, Who is Jesus?. Our answer to that question will determine what we do with the rest of our lives. If Jesus wasn't who he said he was, he can be relegated to the realm of history. But if he really is who he says he is, it changes everything. Pastor Mike argues from Luke 3:21-38 that Jesus is the ultimate Son of God. He w...

Luke 4:1-13 Harry Fujiwara This week, Pastor Harry Fujiwara joins us from The First Baptist Church in the City of New York to preach God's Word. From Luke 4:1-13, we'll see that Jesus is the true, perfect, obedient Son of God.