Christ Community Church - Leawood Campus - SUNDAY MESSAGES

King Solomon, son of David, starts his reign with incredible wisdom and accomplishments: a magnificent temple, booming trade, and fair government. But was that his true legacy? This video explores Solomon's rise and fall, how his worship turned away from God, and the importance of lasting faithfulness.Solomon's impressive achievements as kingThe turning point in his leadershipWhy his legacy is more than just accomplishmentsHow your worship shapes who you are remembered as1 Kgs. 2:1-10; 3:5-14; 8:54-61;11:4-6 // Brent NelsenSERMON NOTES (YouVersion): https://bible.com/events/49264580PRAYER REQUESTS: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new24.06.02

Romans 8:31-39 // Ben BeasleyHave you ever questioned what happens when life throws its punches? Does death bring an end? Can anything truly separate us from God? In this video, we unpack the liberating message of God's unwavering love for His children. Are you feeling lost or afraid? Wondering if anything can stop the good life God promises? This video explores the incredible truth: Nothing can separate us from God's love! Discover how to live confidently, knowing God's rescue plan is unstoppable. SERMON NOTES (YouVersion): https://bible.com/events/49257664PRAYER REQUESTS: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new24.05.26

Romans 8:28-30 // Ben BeasleyWe’ve been in this series Romans: For Life, where we’ve learned from the Apostle Paul, Rabbi Paul, that we aren’t just saved from eternal evil but we are saved for something else: we are saved for eternal glory and for God’s good Spirit-filled work in our lives. Paul’s confidence is rooted in who he understands God to be. Paul is rooting his confidence not just in the happening of this, but in the God who is in sovereign control of all the happenings of the universe. When we embrace faith in Jesus we are God’s children. And we are co-heirs with Christ. Meaning we have the same inheritance as Jesus.SERMON NOTES (YouVersion): https://bible.com/events/49257653PRAYER REQUESTS: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new24. 05.19

Romans 8:26-27 // Tom NelsonPrayer can be hard for all of us. Sometimes we struggle to pray because we don’t know what words to pray. We wonder what to say? I think one of Satan’s greatest strategies when it comes to prayer is to stop prayer in its tracks by convincing us we need to formulate just the right words before we pray. That somehow if we get our prayer words just right, God will hear us. Paul’s words here in Romans are so encouraging in this regard. Sometimes in prayer we simply groan in God’s direction. We must remember the Holy Spirit meets us right where we are even when we are speechless, even when all we can do is groan. The Holy Spirit groans with us and He prays on our behalf.SERMON NOTES (YouVersion): https://bible.com/events/49254181PRAYER REQUESTS: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new24.05.12

Romans 8:18-25 // Brent NelsenGod’s kingdom isn’t fully here on earth yet. The picture of Isaiah 11, of a restored creation, is not yet a full reality. But we’ve been given a taste, and it makes us crave more. When I look around I see violence and discord and hatred. I see creation in subjection and decay. But I know what’s coming, and I know because I’ve had a foretaste. I see God at work renewing the broken pieces in my life. I see him at work restoring relationships around me. I see it in my community group when we experience the joy of gathering together as God’s people. I see it in miraculous answers to prayer requests. And I see it in creation. Every spring, the trees bud, and flowers push through the frozen ground. Everything begins to turn green, and the earth comes back to life. Springtime for me is a yearly visual reminder that God brings life from death. That’s the hope that we have as followers of Jesus.SERMON NOTES (YouVersion): https://bible.com/events/49243655PRAYER REQUESTS: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new24. 05.05

Romans 8: 12-17 // Tom NelsonLet me ask you. Are you a child of God? John 1…those who receive Jesus…Have your The cross declares many things. That we are forgiven, we are loved, but it also declares welcome home! We are extravagantly welcome home — not because our sin isn’t real, heinous, or deserving of exclusion — but because our older brother, Jesus, paid for our sin on the cross. He took all the judgment you and I deserved so that we might receive all the blessings. A future homecoming…Already not yet… Future in our home– the night before Jesus’s crucifixion, Jesus told his disciples that he was going away for a time to prepare a future home for them. There would be a future welcoming home.Jesus words’ I go to prepare a place for you…a future homecoming… In Christ, You are dearly loved! You are totally secure! A glorious future awaits you. Thanks be to God.SERMON NOTES (YouVersion): https://bible.com/events/49247179PRAYER REQUESTS: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2546/responses/new24. 04. 28

Romans 8: 5-13 // Ben BeasleyIn order for something to truly die, it has to be cut off from its source of life. Which means we have to learn how to make room for the Spirit to access the deepest roots of our fleshly desires. We have to learn how to create space to be aware of where the Spirit is trying to access so we can keep up with him and let him in. And it’s going to take time, right? Change takes time. It takes time to kill this stuff that is deeply ingrained in us. And the Enemy is working to keep us living according to the flesh, so we have some resistance. What we have to do is discern where the Spirit is trying to work on us and rely on His presence and power in our daily, ordinary lives. The best practice for creating space for the Spirit to reach the roots of your heart is prayer. Remember, He lives in you. He speaks to you. So take time this week in prayer to ask him for guidance, to help you see what needs to be killed and where the source of life needs to be cut off. SERMON NOTES (YouVersion): https://bible.com/events/49243658PRAYER REQUESTS: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new24. 04. 21

Romans 8:1-5 // Ben BeasleyPlanet Fitness has an interesting tagline: “Welcome to the judgement free zone.” Where else can we find that? It’s rare, isn’t it? Much more common is constant criticism. Rampant negativity. Harsh condemnation. We see and experience this, both from others, and from ourselves. The truth is, some of us are our worst critics.And yet, in Romans 8:1, the Apostle Paul writes, “There is now NOW condemnation…” Incredible! How is this possible? Engage this passage with us to find out…SERMON NOTES (YouVersion): https://bible.com/events/49240076PRAYER REQUESTS: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new24. 04. 14

Romans 7:14-25 // Ben BeasleyThe biggest fights are the ones we have within ourselves. How does Jesus shape the fight waging within? It may not be what we thought. Join us as we continue to see how God has rescued us not only from death but for Life in the book of Romans. SERMON NOTES (YouVersion): https://bible.com/events/49236520PRAYER REQUESTS: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new07.04.24

Matthew 28: 1-20 // Tom NelsonThe cross where Jesus shed his innocent blood for our sin and the empty tomb that defeated death is the greatest expression of love ever offered to you and to me. The empty tomb is the greatest assurance of God’s loving presence with us now and for all eternity. Peering into the empty tomb we hear the words of God in Old Testament Scripture, “I have loved you with an everlasting love, therefore I have drawn you to myself with my loving kindness. The empty tomb invites each one of us to respond to the new life it makes possible. Jesus' invitation to each one of us is to in repentance and faith embrace his tender loving arms and his nail scarred hands. Jesus is calling. Jesus is calling you. His arms are open wide. SERMON NOTES (YouVersion): https://bible.com/events/49232432PRAYER REQUESTS: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new24. 03. 31

Romans 7:7-13 // Ben BeasleyOne of the ironic dynamics of God’s law is that the more we know, the more we feel and recognize brokenness in our lives. With the grace of the gospel in Jesus, what value does God's law bring? Are we supposed to feel guilt and shame when we hear the law? What is God’s law for anyway if it's not very effective at restraining unrighteousness and injustice?Join us as we continue through the book of Romans where we’ll see the role of God’s law for us today.SERMON NOTES (YouVersion): https://bible.com/events/49214772PRAYER REQUESTS: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new24.03.24

Romans 7:1-6 // Ben BeasleyWhat we belong to gives us an identity, sense of community, and even drastically affects our self-worth. Whether we find our belonging in sports, career, family, romantic relationships, or even religious observance, there are many good things that we are tempted to worship as ultimate things, but each leaves us restless and empty inside.Join us as we continue to see in the book of Romans why our ultimate belonging is to Jesus and how that is such good news for us. SERMON NOTES (YouVersion): https://bible.com/events/49221839PRAYER REQUESTS: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new24.03.17

Romans 6:15-23 // Ben BeasleyLife is full of paradoxes that make our life either run or crash, depending on how you look at it. Humans are full of contradictions and God knows it! He has chosen many paradoxes to reveal who he is and to show us what it looks like to follow him. Would you join us as we study one of the biblical paradoxes? Dive deep with us into the paradox of graceSERMON NOTES (YouVersion):https://bible.com/events/49221839PRAYER REQUESTS: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new24.10.03

Romans 6:11-14 // Tom NelsonOne of the greatest battles of history is not “out there,” but rather, is “in here.” Herein lies a crucial insight as to why following Jesus can be so hard. There is a battle being waged not just with our bodies but in our bodies. In Christ we now live and breathe in a new realm, not of mere religious obligation or moral conformity, but to the realm of grace which is an intimate relationship with God. Being under grace means we are now part of Jesus’ new kingdom. SERMON NOTES (YouVersion): https://bible.com/events/49214771PRAYER REQUESTS: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new 24.03.03

The question of “who am I?” Is the result of living in an age where expressivism as an individual and embodied endeavor is seen as the highest good. Anything that doesn’t allow me to express myself, either is itself a sin or it’s dogmatic. And this is a tension with our age that we feel as Christians. Why? Because Jesus has something to say about who we are. Jesus gives you an identity. And even more, Jesus sets boundaries to our sexual self-expression. Why? Because throughout the Christian tradition, Chrsitians have understood that following Jesus is an embodied experience. We don’t just follow Jesus in our minds, or in our souls, there is a synthesis between our heart and our bodies. And what does that mean: well it means, that as Christians, we don’t just have a hope that we assent to in our minds. But equally, as Christians, our bodies too can preach our hope. Our bodies can preach our hope. Ben BeasleyMatthew 5:27-30 & Hebrews 10:22-23 24.01.28SERMON NOTES (YouVersion): https://www.bible.com/events/49198317PRAYER REQUESTS: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new

Romans 6:1-11 // Brent NelsenWhen we think of rescue, it’s natural to ask: “Rescue from what?” But with Jesus, rescue is more! When God sought to rescue creation from brokenness, injustice, sin and death, he always planned to save us “for” a more beautiful, good, and true way of being. Jesus didn’t just save us from sin but for life—with him—now and forever. But how is life with God different from life without God? And why would anyone actually want that kind of life? Join us as we continue walking through the Letter of Romans to explore what God has in store for your life and mine today. SERMON NOTES (YouVersion): https://bible.com/events/49214772PRAYER REQUESTS: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new24.02.25

Matthew 25:31-46 // Ben BeasleyHell, in the Bible, is not some underground torture chamber. Hell is a place outside the city of the New Jerusalem, that God excludes because he wants to cast out the darkness for the light, to protect from the destruction of the fires of sin, and so the fullness of restoration will remain over destruction. God excludes sin and the powers of hell from his kingdom because of his goodness, and not in spite of his goodness. This ultimate reconciliation with God, this is the dream that we dream for our world. This is also God’s heavenly dream for the world coming to earth. A real hell means there is real news to be shared. There is good news, and that good news is real: Jesus is here to reconcile you back to God. Take him up on it. Reach out, he won’t let you go. SERMON NOTES (YouVersion): https://www.bible.com/events/49209492 PRAYER REQUESTS: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new24.02.18

Psalm 13 // Ben Beasley“I used to go to church and pray, and then my best friend got sick and died… How can I believe in God when that happened?” My friend told me this in 7th grade, and it would be the first but not last time I would hear what I would later learn that theologians and philosophers call “the problem of evil”. Why does an all good and all powerful God permit evil and suffering?While God does not give us an answer to our “why” question, he does show us “how” to find meaning through suffering and experience that we are not alone. Join us as we learn how to lament our suffering with God through Psalm 13.SERMON NOTES (YouVersion):https://www.bible.com/events/49211028 PRAYER REQUESTS: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new24.02.11

Matthew 22:15-22 // Tom Nelson Wherever you find yourself in this matter of faith and politics, whatever your political leanings, right, left, or somewhere in the middle, the question we need to thoughtfully ask is (Slide) How Should Followers of Jesus Navigate Politics? And let’s be honest, we as followers of Jesus can and do at times fall into some political potholes. This is a big challenge in our contemporary moment, but has also been true throughout the 2000 year history of the church. The relationship of God and government has always been a difficult navigation for followers of Jesus and the church. Throughout history, there have been various kinds of governments and both good and bad governing officials and a wide range of views among Christians. The topic of politics and faith is a vast and multi-facet subject and I cannot begin to cover all the terrain or address many of the questions or concerns you may have.SERMON NOTES (YouVersion): https://bible.com/events/49205732PRAYER REQUESTS: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new24.02.04

Genesis 1:26-28 & Luke 10:38-42 // Ben BeasleyFollowing in the footsteps of the design of our Creator, and the dignity made known by our Savior, the church is called to uphold and declare the dignity of women. Even with our failings and distortions, this has always been the calling of the church, and we see it even in the early church. How do we do that? Or maybe a better question is, how do we grow in doing that? Deeper than you or me, deeper than male or female, the beauty of God and the witness of Jesus and his church is at stake. I long for the beauty of God to be displayed more powerfully in our day, and in the church, and by God’s people. May God lead us through His word in this effort. May God encourage us and correct us by His Spirit. And may God give us the courage to live this out, even and especially when it is costly. WATCH ON YOUTUBE: https://youtube.com/live/Omh_bHuXycgSERMON NOTES (YouVersion): https://www.bible.com/events/49198307 PRAYER REQUESTS: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new24.01.21

2 Tim 3:16-17 // Ben BeasleyHoly Scripture - the Old Testament and the New Testament together - for Christians, the Bible is the foundation of our faith. Why? Through Holy Scripture, through the Bible, we come to know who God is. Through it, we discover who God has made us to be. Through it we are able to remember what God has done, how he has acted. And through it, we are able to see where this is all going, and why we are actually here, and what really is wrong with the world. Through it, we find out about Jesus. Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/49193353 Prayer Requests: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new24.01.14

Matthew 16: 13-18 // Tom NelsonThe church is a messy place with messy broken people. The church is also a healing community for the broken. A faith community where the power of the Gospel transforms lost causes into beloved children of God! Never are we a lost cause, never are we so broken we can not be made whole by Jesus. The church falls short and fails because she faces spiritual warfare. The church lives in the context of an invisible war. Satan’s greatest fury is directed toward the church. I am not offering the church an excuse or giving the church a pass on its past and present failures. But I do want to ask a crucial question. Should we give up on the church because the church sometimes falls short and fails? Jesus declares an emphatic No!Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/49189836 Prayer Requests: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new24.01.07

Matthew 2:1-12 // Brent NelsenIt’s all too easy to skim through the Christmas narrative and miss out on key aspects of that story. The three Wise Men are some of the most misremembered and misunderstood characters of Christmas, and yet their story teaches us a crucial lesson about Christmas and its relevance for life today.Join us as we look at Christmas through the eyes of the Wise Men, and see who is the True King we should worship.Sermon Notes: https://bible.com/events/49184309Prayer Requests: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new23.12.31

Matthew 1:18-25 // Ben BeasleyChristmas wasn’t welcome news to even the faithful…at first. Christmas in many ways disrupts our best laid plans. The question is NOT whether Christmas messes with our lives. The question IS how we show up when Christmas comes into our tidy lives. Join us as we look over the shoulders of someone who experienced the utter disruption of Christmas and still leaned in. Sermon Notes: https://bible.com/events/49180532 Prayer Requests: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new23.12.24

Luke 1: 46-55 // Tom NelsonThis morning through the eyes of Mary’s faith we see that we are never so obscure as to be overlooked by God. What is it about Mary’s story that is so endearing and enduring, that speaks so deeply to us to our greatest aspirations, our deepest longings? Jesus…here Messianic Son, the very son of God, savior of the world yes, first and foremost, but there is also something about Mary herself, her beautiful heart and her sense of wonder and hope. On the canvas of her obscurity, Luke paints a beautiful heart portrait of Mary, Luke has three bold brush strokes. Mary’s complete trust, costly obedience, and remarkable humility. Join us as we look further.Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/49180493 Prayer Requests: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new23.12.17

Luke 1: 1-5 // Ben BeasleyEveryone thinks about Christmas a little differently. This Christmas season, we’re on a journey to see Christmas through the eyes of faith. But this raises an important question: What happens when Christmas is NOT what you thought it would be? And what if it’s been like that for a while. How do we look at Christmas through faith when we’ve been trained in doubt?Join us as we look at what God has for us today in the story of Zechariah in Luke 1. Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/49177440 Prayer Requests: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new23.12.10

Ruth 1: 1-5 // Tom NelsonAdvent is a season of both waiting & expectation. A time for each of us to slow down and reflect on the story of our lives and what God is doing in our world. As we journey through this Advent season as a church, we are peering into the lives of characters in the bible who looked at the brokenness, uncertainty, and suffering in their life and saw something different. As human beings, we are hardwired to belong, to fit into a community, when we don’t experience the secure attachment of belonging we encounter the deep pain of soul-suffocating aloneness. When we don’t belong, we feel like an outsider in an insider world. God welcomes the outsider to His family and Ruth is the ultimate outsider—yet she is never outside the loving eyes of God. God sees those most unseen. God uses the most unlikely to be a part of the most impossible.Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/49173779 Prayer Requests: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new23.12.03

Romans 5:15-21 // Ben BeasleyIn our passage today we find Paul continuing his excursus on Adam that we had last week. And he assumes that the reader knows the story of Adam. When Paul says Adam is a type, he is setting up a contrast between Adam and Christ. In our passage today we are going to see three contrasts which are: We are separated through rejection, but are welcomed through receiving; Our death comes from the first man, but our life comes from the perfect man; and our sin is great, but God’s grace is always greater. God’s grace through Jesus is a free gift. But it’s only yours if you reach out to it. You’ve got to reach. God’s grace is enough. Will you receive it?Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/49170332 Prayer Requests: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new23.11.26

Romans 5:12-14 // Ben BeasleyWe’ve all had that moment when who you want to be and who you are is met with frustration. Where does that frustration come from? You can’t help but be hopeful that there’s more but we often experience our helplessness in our inability to change. Is this a me problem or something more? Join us as we continue our journey through the Book of Romans and see what’s really going on in the world and in us in this world.Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/49167265 Prayer Requests: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new23.11.19

Romans 5: 5-11 // Tom NelsonWhat have we been rescued for? Paul’s good news answer in our text today is God rescued us for friendship. Paul gives three life-giving implications of God befriending us. As God’s friend, we are lavishly loved, we are sacrificially loved and we are securely loved. Paul is saying when it comes to our friendship with God there is extravagant love, lavished on us, poured out on us in unbounded generosity and in us by God through the Holy Spirit.Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/49157096 Prayer Requests: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new23.11.12

Romans 5:1-6 // Ben BeasleyPaul names many benefits to being rescued by Jesus, including the offer of great hope even in our suffering. We have not only been rescued from something, but also for something. We are the hope of the glory of God. Suffering cannot defeat the great hope we have in Jesus. In fact, “hope will develop indirectly, as a byproduct of the persevering work we do in response to suffering. This hope that God gives us will not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.Join us as we continue our journey through the Book of Romans and see three reasons why we can find hope and even boast in our suffering”. Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/49156859 Prayer Requests: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new23.11.05

Romans 4: 13-25 // Ben BeasleyThink with me for a moment about the last time you saw the stars on a clear night. The stars are supposed to represent a place of transcendence. The divine. A sacred place we trust to guide us, elevate us, point us higher, to order us. But, in a modern world, more and more, doubt is where we live. Not only doubt, but rising depths of despair, mistrust of institutions and we are dealing with an epidemic of loneliness. Paul has a simple message for us in our human reality of despair that we rarely speak of, but all encounter. In a dark world, trusting God is our north star.Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/49156854 Prayer Requests: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new23.10.29

Romans 4: 1-12 // Ben BeasleyGod wants nothing more than your trust. Trust is the only way to intimacy. God wants us to live in his presence and be blameless; live in his face and be whole. Trust is the only way to see God for who he is: a God of forgiveness and grace. Trust is the way to receive what you want most because trust leads to intimacy and a real relationship. Ultimately that is what we all want. And the good news is that we can all have it! All we have to do is grow in trusting God by resting in His forgiveness and grace, being courageous, and pursuing intimacy with our loving God who wants nothing more than our trust.Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/49153308 Prayer Requests: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new23.10.22

Romans 3:27-31 // Tom NelsonSermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/49146488 Prayer Requests: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new23.10.15

Romans 3:21-26 // Gabe CoyleThere are few questions that are quite as loaded and comforting as “Are you okay?” The range of responses could be “Sure” to “Not even close.” What God has to offer us in this space is the answer we long for, but without him we don’t have the eyes to see. Join us as we continue our rescuing journey in the book of Romans and learn how we can be okay today…and forever. Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/49142765 Prayer Requests: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new

Tom Nelson // Romans 3:1-20Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/49139444 Prayer Requests: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new23.10.01

Romans 2:17-29 // Ben BeasleyOne of the longest-running complaints by the modern world of the church is. It’s also one of the greatest barriers to our witness in the modern world: Saying one thing and being another. Fake. Two-faced. Saying one thing and being another. Fake. In one sense, all humans wrestle with being fake, but this is more vibrant/clear in religious communities. Partly because the more clear your convictions, the more clear being fake appears. The more religious you are, the easier it is to spot a fake. The more clear your claims, the easier it is to see when you don’t align. I actually don’t think it's because religious people are worse than other people, it's just that our hypocrisy is more vivid. And shouldn’t we be different? Isn’t that an appropriate hope? And yet, knowing all this…this is persistent in the church…from all the way back in the first century no less.Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/49139434 Prayer Requests: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new23.09.24

Romans 2: 1-11 // Ben BeasleySermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/49135914 Prayer Requests: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new23.09.17

Romans 1:24-2:1 // Tom NelsonAs thoughtful readers of the text, let’s remember that rabbi Paul who wrote the book of Romans writes from a coherent biblical worldview. A worldview is an attempt to make coherent sense of our lives and the world. All worldviews are built on faith assumptions that cannot be absolutely proven with certainty whether they are atheistic, (there is no god), pantheistic (everything is god or a force), or theistic (There is a God, distinct from us.) Worldviews, we all have them–whether they are carefully thought through or not, all of us wrestle with life’s biggest questions and the most challenging experiences of our lives. Questions like where did we come from, is there meaning to our lives, what is wrong with the world, what about suffering and evil, and where are we heading? For Paul, the heart of the problem is the problem of the human heart. Since that fateful day long ago in the Garden of Eden, humans have chosen to embrace a lie, worshiping created things rather than the Creator. The big problem built off the big lie is that while we were created to worship God, we became idol worshippers rather than God worshippers. Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/49132474 Prayer Requests: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new23.09.10

Romans 1:18-25 // Ben BeasleyOur passage gives us three reasons why we need to be rescued. And that we need to be rescued from the things that God’s wrath is directed against. When we refuse to acknowledge God for who He is, when our gratitude goes somewhere else when we show a lack of gratitude, or when we give our attention to false idols or counterfeit gods. Paul’s claim here is that if we refuse to acknowledge God as the creator…then our gratitude is inclined to go somewhere other than to God. Paul is essentially saying: that if you don’t start with God. If you don’t start with the reality that God made the world….Then you are doomed from the beginning. What Paul is alluding to, is that sin from the beginning of its entrance into the world continues on the path of self-deception.Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/49128953 Prayer Requests: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new23.09.03

Romans 1: 8-15 // Ben BeasleyEverywhere we look we see division in our world. We live in a divided world. The myth is that today we are more divided than ever before, but division has always been part of the human story. Paul’s letter to the Romans was written to a city, to a church, and to a world that was experiencing great division. Paul is clear in his message that our division is overcome and a new kind of family takes its place through faith in Jesus. Faith in Jesus gives us three things: an identity, a longing, and a binding. Faith in Jesus gives us an identity as beloved. Some of us need the simple reminder that God loves you. He knows all of you. He loves you. And when you place your faith in Jesus, he fully commits to you, gives you an identity, and welcomes you into his new family.Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/49122073 Prayer Requests: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new23.08.20

Romans 1: 13-17 // Tom NelsonChristianophobia is defined as a growing cultural phenomenon marked by an increasingly intense animosity against Christians and the Christian faith. Christians face increased discrimination and greater hostility in many sectors of society including media, the academy, business and government. How should we as followers of Jesus live in the context of a culture of growing hostility to what we believe and our moral commitments? Some today are choosing to separate from culture, more it seems are changing their beliefs and moral commitments in order to accommodate to culture. Yet I find an increasing number of Christians who are living in the shadows of a kind of fearful silence. Tragically separation from culture or accommodation to culture is not the answer to navigating an increasingly hostile culture, nor is a fearful silence. A better and more biblical way of navigating our contemporary culture is what Christian sociologist James Hunter has rightly called, a faithful presence witness.Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/49125555 Prayer Requests: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new23.08.27

Romans 1: 1-7 // Tom NelsonSermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/49117558 Prayer Requests: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new23.08.13

2 Samuel 24 // Ben BeasleyThe question isn’t if we’ll fall. It’s when. Some can ignore it for a while, but eventually, we come to terms with our own proclivities, areas of brokenness, and destructive behaviors. If we’re honest with ourselves, everyone has moments and sometimes seasons when we’ve intentionally made destructive decisions toward ourselves, toward others, and God. Where do you fall, when you fall? One of the key dynamics throughout the whole Samuel scroll is comparing Saul and David. Fascinating: David and Saul both fall. David is — in many ways — recorded as falling harder and farther…but the difference is that David knows where to fall. When Saul was faced with his sin, he blamed others, and tried to just avoid consequences. When David was faced with his own sin, he owned it. All of it. And he fell into the Lord’s hands…because he trusted that God’s mercy would get the last word. When we fall on the LORD, his mercy gets the last word. What about you today? Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/49115211 Prayer Requests: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new23.08.06

2 Samuel 16: 5-12 // Ben BeasleyI understand that there are people here who have lived more life than me. Who have experienced much more than me. I’m well aware of that fact. But in my years, I’ve lived enough life simply to say this. Losses change us. They make us different. We don’t come out the other end the same. If we are honest, the wounds are often there, lying underneath the surface. Losses, whether it’s the loss of a child, a relationship, a dream, or whatever it may be - losses are defining moments in our lives. I would like us to recognize three ways in which suffering changes us; suffering humbles us, suffering leads us to pray, and in suffering, we find compassion for others. We are not alone in our suffering. God enters into our suffering and is the only one who can redeem the mess to offer hope in our suffering.Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/49111478 Prayer Requests: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new23.07.30

Hebrews 11: 1-3, 6 // Tom NelsonWhen you hear the word faith, what first comes to mind? What may come to mind is a kind of wishful thinking, an irrational blind leap, or a last resort option when all other options have vanished. But what is faith as the Holy Scriptures reveal it? And why is it the key that unlocks the flourishing life God intends for us? Properly understood, faith is the currency of the Christian life, informing, shaping, and empowering every moment, and every aspect of daily life. Faith remembers the past, informs our present, and looks forward with hope. Faith revisits and remembers its rootedness. May we increasingly see with the eyes of faith for as the writer of Hebrews reminds us; Without faith, it is impossible to please God! Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/49108759 Prayer Requests: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new23.07.23

2 Samuel 12: 1-7a // Brent NelsenWhat is God going to do about David’s evil? That’s what Second Samuel 12 is about. David is the king of Israel. He’s a very powerful man. And God is telling Nathan to go confront him about his sin. We need Nathans in our society and we need Nathans in our lives who can confront us when we need confronting. David has a choice, as we all do when we’re confronted with our sin. He can make excuses like Saul did when he was confronted by Samuel. Or David can come clean. I have sinned against the LORD. I wonder if it was a relief for David to say those words. But that doesn’t mean there won’t be consequences. Because David’s sin still has huge ramifications on his family. And this makes sense. Forgiveness doesn’t necessarily undo the damage. And the amount of damage that is done is often proportional to the amount of influence someone has. A parent’s sin can destroy a family. A pastor’s sin can destroy a church. A CEO’s sin can take down the company. And a king’s sin can have ramifications for the entire kingdom.Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/49098934 Prayer Requests: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new23.07.16

2 Samuel 11:1-27 // Ben BeasleySermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/49098927 Prayer Requests: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new23.07.07

2 Samuel 9: 1-7 // Tom NelsonEarly in David’s story, he is described as a man after God’s own heart. Having a heart for God means loving as God loves. David respectfully, honorably and it would seem warmly, calls Mephibosheth by name. The writer of Samuel wants to emphasize that here. David’s loving action of speaking Mephibosheth’s name is an encouraging reminder for each of us that one of the ways we can communicate love to others is by greeting them by name, others we may not know well or are meeting for the first time. God knows our name and calls us by name. One of our first acts of love is working to remember others’ names and calling them by name. This is an example as loving as God loves. Do we actively love as God loves? Do we show kindness to our neighbors? Do we have a heart that loves and serves the vulnerable? Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/49095508 Prayer Requests: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new23.07.02

2 Samuel 7: 1-17 // Andrew JonesGod isn’t like the other gods, the false gods of the surrounding nations. You know, for them, after all the victory David has experienced. The riches, the land, the power, the great name, he would owe God something. Building this temple would be payback. The least he could do for the God who has so richly blessed him. That would have been the logic of the ancient world. God says quite the opposite. He says no you don’t owe me a temple, and frankly, there’s not a whole lot you can offer me anyway, because I made you who you are today. David, it’s all grace, and it will always be grace. In fact, my sense is that God is trying to remind David of something important here. Something for us, too. When we look back on our lives, especially the places where you have experienced success. Career success. Financial success. Marriage. Family. Academics. Promotions. All of it. Until you can see God’s grace in it all, you haven’t looked hard enough. Grace reminds David who he really is and where he really comes from. He is reminding us as well.Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/49092153 Prayer Requests: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new23.06.25