College Wesleyan Church Sermons

Rev. Steve DeNeff - Matthew 5:21-24, 38-42; Ephesians 2:14-18. In our emphasis on diversity, have we forgotten unity? In fighting for justice, have we forgotten what spirit we are of? What historian Arthur Schlesinger called, “the cult of the minority” – the idea that one’s peculiarity is the most important thing about them – has begun to tear at the union of our nation. The trouble is that everyo...

Rev. Emily Vermilya - Matthew 5:1-16; Ephesians 1:3, 11-14. What kind of people are called for by these times? A people formed by the gospel. The Beatitudes are a profile of people who are humble, vulnerable, modest, hungry, simple, compassionate, peaceful and persecuted. They are unlike anything the world has seen, yet they are the happiest and the most whole. And when they come together, in cove...

Rev. Steve DeNeff - Matt. 4:12-17; Romans 1:1-2, 16-17. In spite of all that is wrong with the world, the gospel is still “the power of God for salvation.” For Jesus, it was simply that “the kingdom of heaven has come near.” Yet somehow we have turned the “good news” into “good advice” – repent and believe – that has very little to do with what’s wrong with the world and even less with what God Hi...

Rev. Steve DeNeff - Colssians 3:1-14. The Bible encourages us to be "transformed by the renewing of our mind," or to "be renewed in the spirit of our minds" or, better yet, to "have the same mind as Christ.” But how does this happen? How do we get in front of our Instincts, our Desires and Dispositions to influence them the way they once influenced us? This message will continue our conversation f...

Rev Steve DeNeff - Ephesians 4:17-24. After every miracle comes the quiet, invisible work of aligning the rest of our lives with the something only God could do. After feeding the five thousand, we must gather the left overs (Lk 9:17). After the paralytic is healed, we must repair the roof (Lk 5:19). After Lazarus has been raised from the dead, we must remove his grave clothes (Jn 11:44). Even so,...

Dr. Lenny Luchetti - 2 Samuel 11:1-15. Many Christians find themselves in a spiritual slump. Their passion for God has diminished. They still come to church, pray and read their bible, but deep inside they feel as if their best days in Christ are behind them not before them. The good new is that God doesn't abandon us but comes to us while we're in the slump to get us back on a spiritual streak ag...

Rev. Steve DeNeff - Mark 12:28-34; James 1:26-2:4, 8-9, 12-13. Favoritism is one of the hardest things to get over because most of us prefer the company of others like us. It is our very sense of "belonging" that makes "including" so difficult. But to love others as much as we love ourselves is at the core of our religion even more important than our worship ("burnt offerings and sacrifices").  Wh...

Emily Vermilya - Luke 5:17-26. Perhaps one of the most astounding things about the miracles was the way Jesus involved others—ordinary people. In the story of the healing of the paralytic man, we see, once again, how Jesus allows others to be involved in his life-transforming work. He allows our faith, our creativity and selfless nature to play a significant role in this inexplicable healing and r...

Steve DeNeff - Matthew 14:22-33.  To “walk on water” has become a popular idiom describing someone who can do anything, someone bigger than life. Yet the real miracle that day, when Jesus “walked on water,” was that he walked into a storm. He saw his disciples “buffeted by the waves because the wind was against (them)… and he went out to them, walking on the water,” (v.24-25). Many times, when we...

Rev. Alex Mandura - Mark 5:1-20. Many of us want Jesus to bring healing to our hurts and even resolution to our long- standing problems that have become a part of who we are. We want our identities to be changed and transformation to take place. However, we may not be aware or ready for the effect that the healing has upon, not just ourselves, but on our relationships and our community. The miracl...

Rev. Beau Hamner - Luke 17:11-19. Jesus oftentimes finds us in places in which we are stuck, places that are “between.” In those places, we know we need Jesus, even if it is just his pity. Out of desperation we are willing to obey while accepting his pity. We settle, as if his pity is all that he wants to offer us. In doing so, we fail to receive the full transformation that can take place in our...

Steve DeNeff - Mark 7:31-37. Throughout the Bible, we encounter people who cannot hear: “Ever hearing, but never understanding,” because their hearts are calloused. Like white noise, they have heard the same things so long that they can no longer hear them . . . or anything else. What are the obstacles that prevent us from genuinely hearing? How does Jesus “make the deaf hear” today? What might we...

Rev. Steve DeNeff - John 9:1-25. Over the years, we have developed many clever methods for leading people to Christ but none are more compelling than the witness of one who’s seen a miracle. An evangelist (euangelistes) is not a salesman, but simply a messenger of good; someone who has witnessed a miracle. Anyone who has had their own eyes opened can testify. This sermon will show us how to witnes...

Rev. Eric Crisp - Luke 5:1-11. Many of us want to live our lives on the shores of Christianity listening to the great teachings of Jesus and looking for a miracle to help or amaze us. But, like Simon Peter, Jesus may be asking us to do something that seems risky or ridiculous when viewed thru the lens of our experience. It is when Jesus asks us to move out into the deep water that we often see a m...

Rev. Steve DeNeff - John 2:1-11. Why is this “the first (archon – the ruling, the overarching, the predominant) miracle that Jesus performed?” In this introduction to the series on Jesus’ miracles, we’ll explore how the turning of water into wine, at a wedding in Cana, was typical of everything Jesus came to do. The whole gospel – the covenant, the mystery, the good news for those who have run out...