Sanctus Church Audio Sermons

Sometimes it feels as if each day is harder than the last, and wonder for how long we will be able to keep going. But for those of us who are children of God, we have been given His absolute and un-lose-able gift of Hope. Pastor Jon works through Romans 8 and its promises that God, as our perfect Father, has never and will never abandon us, and instead has given to His children incredible power an...

Most Christians are comfortable with the idea that we will receive the gift of freedom from sin in an eternal afterlife. What we struggle with more is the idea that God has given us the Holy Spirit in this life, and that the Spirit lives in us right now, and grants us power that we don't have on our own. Pastor Jon digs into Romans 8 and expounds on the liberation from a dark, desperate life that...

We all make bad choices, even when we are trying our best to make good ones. Why? Because we can't escape the worst bits of ourselves without outside help. Pastor Jon dives in and explains what role the law plays in exposing our sins, and how our love for Jesus leads us to the place where we find our very desires change so that we can, with His help, do what we are called to do, no matter the stru...

We like to think of ourselves as strong, independent people, in control of our own destinies. We don't like to admit that everything we do either submits to the mastery of sin or in obedience to our loving saviour, Jesus. Pastor Jon wades into the idea of spiritual slavery, and discusses how we are all committed to a master but only one master offers rest and resurrection -- Jesus. 

Join us as we celebrate on the eve of Christmas -- when we remember the Light of the World coming down to make the crooked things straight, the dark places light, and offer the joy and consolation we need all year long.

Kids are great at knowing how to be excited about what's coming next. Eager anticipation -- if not patience -- is usually pretty easy for them. Pastor Jon takes a look at Simeon and Anna as they waited for the long-promised Messiah. He uses them as our examples to keep going as we wait for our return to our true home with Jesus Christ.  

We've all become so accustomed to the Christmas songs that play over and over in shops, in movies, on the radio -- pretty much everywhere during the Christmas season. This week, Pastor Jon takes a close look at the Christmas hymn "Joy to the World" and how it illuminates what scripture has to say about the joy of Advent.

The Christmas story can feel so incredible that we can forget it isn't just a fairy tale - it actually came true! It is the most wonderful reality that Jesus was delivered to us, and that He alone can free us from our sins. Pastor Jon spends this second week of Advent looking at the prophecies around Jesus's birth and how waiting can be a gift in itself.

Our culture is at war with the Biblical truth that people are born sinful. We want so badly to believe that cute babies are perfect and it's the horrible world that corrupts them. But Pastor Jon gives us insight into the reality of original sin and the incredible, Earth-shattering gift of grace through Jesus - the Second Adam - that God has given us. 

We are all walking through lives that encounter so much difficulty and suffering. It can be difficult to see the hope of Christ when we're in the midst of so much struggle. But Pastor Jon Thompson takes us on the journey that sees suffering turn into hope, fueled by the persistent love of God in which we can find the rest and relief we need. 

Sometimes we fall into the trap of thinking that if we just try harder, do better, say the right things or follow the right traditions, that it will make us right. And when time after time we fail ourselves, it can be hard to have hope that things will ever get better. Pastor Joel Penney explores how faith in God's promises - realized through Jesus - is the only thing that will ever give us what w...

We may know perfection is impossible, but we keep trying. We keep seeking solutions in things around us, like our jobs, our social lives, or our families, but none of it works. This week, Pastor Jon Thompson delivers the good news of Jesus's ultimate gift to us: complete atonement, redemption, and true liberation.

What is it that we truly need to be good? Money? Education? Time? Pastor Jon Thompson discusses the uncomfortable truth of the fundamental brokenness of all humans and the perfect salvation we can only find through Jesus.

Sometimes it can feel like every day is a battle. And when we feel defeated, we turn to quick fixes and distractions to escape. But they never work for long. Instead, as Pastor Jon Thompson reminds us, Jesus has offered us a persistent joy that even on our darkest most difficult days offers us rejoicing freedom.

Where are you in relation to the church, today? Have you considered how your gifts or resources might contribute to the rebuilding of God’s house? Pastor Jon Thompson offers a challenge to Sanctus church members to examine priorities during this rebuilding moment.

Do you feel the pull of busy-ness, of anxiety, of fear, drawing you away from church? How do we keep up our discipline of evangelism when it's just easier and seemingly safer to keep our faith hidden. Pastor Jon Thompson pushes us to explore some of our faith-centred questions through the video series, Alpha. Watch or listen as we hear how Alpha can help you refocus on your church community, and g...

It's easy to look around and judge others -- and ourselves -- by superficial standards, and think we're doing alright and don't need God. Even for those who call themselves Christians. But when we don't look deeper, we risk pasting a fake veneer of proper living over a whole pile of spiritual junk. We end up self-congratulating and self-satisfied. Pastor Sam Mills illuminates how a genuine love an...

What could "good enough" possibly mean when measured against perfection? Pastor Jon Thompson guides us through Paul's words in Romans on humanity's crisis of sinfulness and how we cannot stand up to God's absolute goodness. Join as he discusses the unbound importance of repentance and the incredible gift of God's grace and mercy.

The word "Good" is only four letters long and is still an enormous word, far too big for humans. We all fail to be good and break away from the perfection that was designed by our Creator. This week, Pastor Jon Thompson continues through Romans to learn about how we humans fail but also how God had a plan to heal our broken relationship with Him through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus.

We all need a refreshing season, one that builds back our hopes and renews our energies. For Sanctus, the word that sums up the next season for us is resurrection. Join Pastor Jon Thompson as we begin a study of the Book of Romans, one of the best books to resurrect, to bring back the essence, the beauty, the power, the hope, and the ongoing day-in and day-out life changes promised in Jesus.

Unlike the many other meals we listened to this summer, this last meal is the one where Jesus does not invite someone to get to know him, or invite them to see his true identity but to rebuild and restore someone that already knows him more than most. Again Jesus is going to help this person, midpoint in the journey, keep going. This is where Jesus restores Peter.

Have you ever had an awkward moment? Having an awkward moment can feel like one of the most uncomfortable human experiences here on earth. But, did you know Jesus had them too? Lorie Hartshorn unpacks for us several awkward moments in the bible, as well as one particularly awkward party guest. She unveils that when God calls us out when we do wrong, our response shouldn’t be to walk away in shame...

Are you a "pretty good person"? What if "pretty good" isn't good enough? Or what if you're not a "good person"? Then there's some news you need to hear: you're a sinner just like everyone else. And sinners are exactly to whom Jesus extends His grace, mercy, forgiveness, and love. We all -- every last one of us -- needs Him than anything else in this life. We just need to recognize it and run to Je...

There's nothing so radical, so counter-cultural, or so important as love. How do we shut down the worldly distractions that drag us away from focussing on Jesus's love for us? Joel Penney looks at the incredible upside-down lessons of Christ's visit with Mary and Martha. Jesus's wisdom in pointing to the eternal matters and away from the worldly ones challenges our daily assumptions about what our...

An anonymous boy gave his lunch: 5 loaves, 2 fish, and Jesus multiplied it to feed 5000. Can Jesus do the same with whatever is in your basket? Pastor Sam Mills takes us through the multiplicative miracle of Jesus feeding 5000 men with the anonymous donation of two loaves and five fishes from a boy in the crowd. It's a reminder that God has a purpose to be accomplished and created each of us with...