Christ Community Church - Leawood Campus - SUNDAY MESSAGES

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

2 Samuel 6: 1-15 // Tom NelsonWhere is lasting joy found? It is not found in managing God, lasting joy is found in the presence of God. Without God, there is no lasting joy. C.S. Lewis thought a lot about joy. One of his interesting insights I think he had about joy was the importance of proximity when it comes to experiencing joy. “If you want to get warm you must stand near the fire: if you want to be wet you must get into the water. If you want joy, power, peace, eternal life, you must get close to, or even into, the thing that has them.” Lewis is right, proximity matters, and so does presence. Joy flows in and through a close relationship with God himself. Without him, there is no lasting joy. Being yoked with Jesus leads us to a more attentive life, one that enjoys the presence of God and experiences lasting joy. He wants to show us the way. Will you trust him?Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/49088662 Prayer Requests: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new23.06.18

1 Samuel 24: 1-7 // Tom NelsonFor God’s covenant people throughout history, waiting was synonymous with knowing God and being known by God, of going deeper with God, but now waiting is more often than not, viewed as if we’ve missed what God has for us or that God must be ignoring us and our desires. I think it is fair to say, waiting on God is one of life’s greatest challenges.Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/49088649 Prayer Requests: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new23.06.11

1 Samuel 7: 1-11 // Tom Nelson The David and Goliath story is more than an underdog story, more than a big giant who is slain, rather it is a story about eyes that truly see. A story not so much about special courage as it is about spiritual insight. Not so much about an underdog who wins, but a shepherd boy who sees differently. Faith sees differently! Faith sight is different from eyesight. Through the eyes of faith, you can be confident that God is with you, God is ahead of you. Ultimately, the battle is the Lord’s. That all things ultimately are worked out for good by a Sovereign God who loves us and wills the very best for us. When we get our eyes on God, the difficult circumstances, fearful obstacles, griefs, disappointments, and losses we face are put in a more hopeful perspective. Through the eyes of faith, even large giants look small. Secondly, even slim odds are God-sized opportunities. One of our greatest challenges to continue to walk by faith is that we tend to forget God’s past faithfulness to us. Those victory moments when God has provided for us, protected us and his unmistakable presence has been there for us. We never outgrow the need to remember God’s past faithfulness to us. So how are you remembering to remember? How are you tangibly remembering God’s past faithfulness, his provision, his protection, and his unmistakable presence in your life?Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/49085483Prayer Requests: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new23.06.04

After millennia of promising a king would come, he finally appears, and it’s almost completely overlooked by the world. In the shadow of a massive empire, comes the king over all, and he came for us. Join us this Christmas Eve as we take time to notice and celebrate the birth of the promised king!Prayer Requests: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new22.12.24

Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/48999988Prayer Request: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new22.12.25

1 Samuel 18-20 / Caleb JenkinsToday, as we explore the story of David and Jonathan in 1 Samuel, I want to convince you that there are three myths in our culture about friendship that prevent us from experiencing friendship the way it’s meant to be, and more than that, keep us being the kind of friend that we as humans need. We’ll see, especially as we consider the kind of friend that Jonathan is, three truths from this story that counter our culture’s myths, and also point beyond friendship to a deeper human need we have.These three truths are Recognizing the importance of friendship enables our flourishing. Our friendships should be intentional. Friendship is Costly. We all want a friend who makes our friendship primary, who’s intentional with us, and sticks with us even when it’s costly…. But it’s much harder to be that kind of friend for others. What might it look like for you to take a step towards sacrificing in your friendships?Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/49081665Prayer Requests: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new23.05.28

1 Samuel 16:1-13 // Tom NelsonEyes can be tricky things. They play tricks on us.We believe what we see with our eyes more than almost anything else, but as humans, we have trouble seeing. Our seeing can mislead us, even deceive us. What we see often depends on who we listen to. Our human eyesight does not equate with spiritual insight. What do we do when what we see is in conflict with what we have heard? This is often where we have to remember faith is opposed to seeing but not opposed to knowing. That is a warning: your eyes will deceive you. Only God sees rightly. Humans see partially. The only way for us to see rightly is to listen to the one who sees wholly. Are you listening? What are you not seeing that God wants you to see?Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/49072341Prayer Requests: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new23.05.21

1 Samuel 2: 1-10 // Brent NelsenI know this is Mother’s Day, and Mother’s Day can be hard for some people. Many of you understand the pain that Hannah feels about being unable to have children. You may be struggling with infertility now. Or you struggled with it at some point in the past. Or maybe you are single but you have always wanted a family. You understand Hannah’s pain in a way that I can only imagine. You may be asking the question, “Why did Hannah’s prayer get answered and mine didn’t?” That’s a fair question. And what’s frustrating is that, like so many “why” questions (and we all have them), the Bible doesn’t answer it. It seems from the Bible that God doesn’t always feel the need to explain himself. Instead, it shows us a picture of a God who sees pain and suffering and promises to be with us in the midst of it. Who says, “I know you’re hurting, but I want you to know that I’m right here with you.” What’s so remarkable about the God of the Bible is that he’s not unmoved by human suffering. And this God also knows what it’s like to suffer himself. Who has been rejected, persecuted, abandoned, and even tortured for you and for me? Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/49071055Prayer Requests: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new23.05.14

Acts 1: 1-11 // Tom NelsonWe often hear things like being on the right side of history…but that can be a very tenuous and perilous assertion to make. As followers of Jesus, we know history is on the march according to a sovereign God’s plan and purpose. More important than being on the right side of history whatever that may be or not be, is that we know where we are in redemptive history. We now live in a time between Jesus’ first coming and ascension and his second coming. In that sense, we are “Tweeners”! We are somewhere between Jesus' first and second coming. Jesus' kingdom has arrived, but it is not fully yet here. Jesus has come to this world, he is now reigning in the heavenly realms, and will one day return to earth. What does that mean for us as faithful apprentices of Jesus on kingdom mission?Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/49067541 Prayer Requests: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new23.05.07

John 21: 1-19 // Tom NelsonI don’t know specifically where your brokenness or struggles lie, nor do I know what mistakes you have made or what your most regretful failures have been or currently are. But I am confident that if you are like me in my mistakes and failures, a crying question of my heart is what is God’s response? For those who are followers of Jesus, or who are considering following him, a burning question we wrestle with, yet one we seldom verbalize, is what is Jesus’ response to us when we fail him? Does Jesus lecture us? Shame us? Condemn us? Abandon us? Jesus’ response may surprise you, even shock you.Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/49067531Prayer Requests: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new23.04.30

John 20:24-31 // Andrew JonesThere comes a moment, in all of our stories, that to truly follow Jesus and believe in him requires more than intellectual assent to his existence. It is more than searching for him. It actually means understanding we are found by Him. He’s the one looking for us, not the other way around. Perhaps the most powerful doubts we ever experience are in moments of pain, loss, and grief. Suffering is the most earth-shaking experience when it comes to what we believe. Nothing makes us question the goodness of God, the trustworthiness of Jesus, like suffering that we just don’t understand. The hands that hold us are not immune to our suffering. They are not pristine and whole. They have been through all of it and more. They are scarred, as a reminder, that our scars will never have the final word over us. Thomas saw these hands and believed. Do we?Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/49063916Prayer Requests: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new

John 20:19-23 // Tom NelsonAs Jesus appears to his disciples, he greets them with one word that emotionally changes everything. It was the Hebrew word, shalom which is translated here in English as peace. Shalom is much more than an absence of conflict like we mostly use the word peace today. Shalom embodies the presence, power, and proximity of the kingdom life Jesus was inaugurating in the world through his atoning death and death-defying resurrection. The word Shalom here directly connects Easter with Eden. In the first book of the Bible, the book of Genesis we encounter the original creation garden of Eden which means delight. The Garden of Eden was a place where original creation happened, but not only a place but a comprehensive reality when all was well in the world, all was as God designed and desired his very good creation to be. Before sin and death brought disintegration and death to God’s good world and to his crown of creation. With just this one-word greeting, the resurrected Jesus makes this connection with his awestruck disciples. Jesus is saying, I am who I said I am, I have done what I have come to do. Remember on the cross, I said it was finished. I meant it. It is in me you can have the flourishing life your heart longs for.Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/49052676 Prayer Requests: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new23.04.16

John 20: 1-11 // Andrew JonesWhat is Easter to you? If you have been a Christian for a while, maybe you would say it’s about Jesus’ victory over death. If you haven't grown up in church, maybe it is a family day about dyeing eggs and hunting for candy. But what about John? He was a disciple of Jesus and was present for the first Easter. That first Easter was one of tragedy, loss, heartache, and pain. It ended with a woman crying over an empty tomb. I am not sure what brought you here today, but before you leave, I have one question I don’t want you to miss. Do you hear your name? There is someone looking for you. He is not far off. He is near. And he is more than the conqueror of death and despair. He knows your name. He calls you by name. The same voice who made everything from nothing beckons you away from the graveyard, and into eternal life with him. Do you hear him?Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/49052667Prayer Requests: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new23.04.09

John 19: 28-42 // Andrew JonesJesus lived a completely human life, but not just any human life. He lived a poor and oppressed life. He suffered rejection, ridicule and hatred. His best friends abandoned him. He was lied about, beaten and spat on until his death. He died a human death, but not just any human death. He died the most heinous and evil deaths any human could ever die. Jesus died that death for you. He did not have to die to prove he is God, but he does prove that. He did not have to die for the beauty, splendor and glory of a new creation, but he did that too. What Jesus could not have without dying, was you. Our sin, our rebellion, could only be solved by him. Jesus wants you, and me, to know that no matter how bad things get, no matter how much loss, grief and pain we can endure, Jesus can take the worst of it, and bring life out of it. From the foundation of the world, Jesus knew the cost of our sins, and he chose to pay it anyway.Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/49049017 Prayer Requests: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new23.04.02

John 18:28-19:6 // Tom NelsonThe game of chess reminds me of the Monday worlds we inhabit. The places we live, work and play are a lot like an extended chess game with many players all with differing abilities and degrees of personal, social, and institutional power. And in life, it doesn’t take long to realize not one of us is completely in control. Not one of us is all knowledgeable, nor are we invincible. Yet we often buy into the enticing illusion of our control, the attractive myth of our certainty. In life we all place our trust in something or someone, but who or what will we put our ultimate trust in? Who will rule us, and who will be our true king? In a riveting narrative terrain that feels a lot like a chess game, the Gospel writer John confronts us as readers to ask ourselves where our ultimate trust lies. Who is our king? Whoever is the king of your life ultimately gets to decide what you think is true, and what you think is untrue. Where your highest affections are directed, how your priorities are determined, and where your ultimate loyalty rests. Who is your king? It seems to me that there are three distinct possibilities… Is it king me, king others, or king Jesus? Am I King? Are Others King? Or Is Jesus KingSermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/49045350Prayer Requests: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new23.03.26

John 18: 1-18 // Brent NelsenWe live in a culture that says that when you get hit, you hit back twice as hard. And I think Christians are just as susceptible to this kind of mentality as anyone else and are all too often participants in it. But that’s not Jesus. Jesus says, when you get hit, you turn the other cheek. And here he practices what he preached. Jesus could have eviscerated this guy. But instead, his eyes are fixed on the cross, which is where he knew he was headed all along. It’s where he had to go for people like you and me. Jesus wasn’t surprised by Peter’s failure. In fact, he knew it was going to happen. Throughout this passage, Jesus was never not in control. And Jesus isn’t surprised by your failure either. And even if your world seems upside down, like Peter’s was that night, Jesus is still in control. And maybe Jesus isn’t meeting your expectations. Or you’re finding out that you’re not who thought you were, or who you wanted to be. Jesus isn’t surprised. He invites you to do the same thing as Peter: Run to the empty tomb. Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/49045339Prayer Requests: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new23.03.19

John 17 // Andrew JonesJesus prays to his father: it’s time to reveal my beauty. Because Jesus knows that only his beauty can really change us. His beauty has been the purpose of his gospel from the very beginning. What we could never understand until Jesus, is the beauty of the God-man sacrificing himself for the same humanity that killed him in the first place. The image of sacrificial love, of dying to self, is our image. That is who we are now because we have been converted, not only to the truth of Jesus. We’ve been converted to the beauty of Jesus. The Christian life is a portrait. A sculpture. A play. We are supposed to look like, sound like, smell like, the love, the sacrifice, of Jesus. We know, and must proclaim, in all we do, that beauty did save the world. And it is saving us.Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/49041711Prayer Requests: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new23.03.12

John 16: 16-24 // Tom NelsonAs Jesus prepares his disciples for his absence in the Gospel of John, he does not answer when he will return. Jesus does, however, focus on what following him will mean in his absence. Following Jesus will mean waiting. Waiting is hard for all of us. Maybe you are waiting for something right now in your life, the healing of a physical or emotional illness, a broken relationship to be reconciled, or a new job opportunity to appear. As difficult as waiting is, if you choose to follow Jesus, that will mean waiting. Jesus tells us waiting will mean two things; waiting will be hard and waiting will be worth it. With constant expectancy and a blessed hope, those who follow Jesus learn to wait.Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/49037954Prayer Requests: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new23.03.05

John 16: 4-15 // Andrew JonesIn our sermon today, Jesus is preparing his disciples for him to leave them. He is actually trying to convince them it is to their advantage for him to go. When I leave, the Helper will come to you, Jesus says and Jesus promises that the Holy Spirit will come and is better suited to help us than even Jesus. His job is to be with us, everywhere at all times. He’s divine and eternal. He’s not just around us, like Jesus for his followers, but he is actually within us to comfort, strengthen and protect. If you are a follower of Jesus, the Holy Spirit is like a preacher that lives within you and speaks through you. He tries to raise His voice above all the rest and will always point us to Jesus. As followers of Jesus, we often need times of solitude so we can listen intently to what he is quietly preaching directly to our hearts. Are we listening?Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/49029792Prayer Requests: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new23.02.26

John 15: 18-27 // Tom NelsonIn our nation, the times are changing and they are changing fast. We see it and sense it in many ways. Those of us who are committed to following Jesus, who embrace orthodox Christian faith who hold to biblical truth in matters of truth, marriage, sexuality, and morality as Jesus did, will make an increasingly secular society uncomfortable, angry, and even hostile to who we are, what we love, what we believe and how we live. While growing opposition, even hostility toward our faith saddens us, it should not surprise us. Jesus told us this would be the case and this has been the more normative experience for Christians throughout history. We are not victims, we are apprentices of the king of kings who is Lord of all. Who said, The gates of hell will not prevail against the church. Our God is sovereign, his kingdom will triumph. But we must not forget we are in the midst of a great spiritual battle where two kingdoms are contesting for the love, devotion, affection, and allegiance of our lives and every facet of our society and our common life. A battle that was won on the cross, but continues still in our fallen world. Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/49025906Prayer Requests: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new

John 15: 1-11 // Andrew Jones Jesus gave us an object lesson two thousand years ago. Christians must grow. Jesus understands the stakes of our growth better than we do. It’s actually the whole reason he came in the first place. He did not just come to die and forgive our sins, it was his means of transforming us through redeeming growth into a new people called the church. The key to growth is remaining or abiding , depending, on Jesus. The fruit he is looking for is a growing dependence on him for all things. It looks like asking for help from him in every part of our lives. He is not saying, ask for my help with the spiritual stuff. The fruit of dependence grows by depending on him in everything. Allowing ourselves to be completely dependent on God will often feel uncomfortable, like a pruning. It may not feel good, but it is necessary to grow. Growing is not a test to prove we deserve joy. Growing in him is joy. He wants so desperately for his joy to be our joy that he will not only endure the cross, rescue us from death, but help us grow into life.Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/49025899Prayer Requests: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new23.02.12

If we were able to ask the Creator of the Universe where he would choose to live, where he would call home, it is not a place. It is you. He wants to live in you. The question is, do we want him to live in us? Because there is a cost. God’s grace is free, but it’s not cheap. If you want God to live in you, you have to love Jesus. This is not a condition or threat to us, it is simply a necessary condition if we truly want to accept his love for us. To be in a relationship with Jesus, we must love him. This is more than an emotional connection. Loving Jesus looks like obeying Jesus. We must want to obey him, trust him, and grow in our obedience to him. This is necessary for him to live in us. He doesn’t expect us to do the work alone, he tells us we will do it together.Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/49018549 Prayer Requests: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new23.02.05

Today we are looking at the moment Jesus is speaking to his closest followers and friends. His disciples. He is trying to prepare them for the worst night of their lives. They are going to witness humanity’s utter rejection of God’s grace in Jesus. Jesus tells them, and us, don’t be troubled; I know where you are going. Jesus, who knows he is about to die, be resurrected, and ascend to his Father, also knows where he is, we will also be. He is going to prepare a place for us. It is a place where none of the rules, the wisdom, of this age, this world, apply. It is a place that actually makes sense, for example, to love your enemy, which makes no worldly sense. Jesus says we must not be troubled because He knows He is enough for us and we will be with Him.Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/49014836Prayer Requests: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new23.01.29

When we think about Jesus many things pop into our minds. Jesus was a brilliant teacher and a great healer, but Jesus was also the best friend a person could ever have. What John wants us to grasp today with both mind and heart is there is no greater happiness in life than a deepening relationship with Jesus. Jesus taught and embodied a servant posture as an essential power posture of His Kingdom. Jesus reminds his closest friends, Whoever would be great must be a servant…the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve and give his life as a ransom for many. Those who embrace humble foot-washing friendship, basin and towel servanthood are blessed and happy. Footwashing friendship requires both serving and being served. Jesus is a friend that can always be counted on. Jesus is a friend who humbly serves. Jesus is a friend no matter what. What a friend we have in Jesus!Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/49014827 Prayer Requests: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new23.01.22

Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/49007529John tells us about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. It’s a biography of the most influential and important person who ever lived. And John wrote this not because he thought it was interesting. But because he believed that trusting in Jesus, that Jesus’ offer to follow him in all that we do, was the most important invitation of all time. And that to miss out on that offer would be the most tragic, heartbreaking, but avoidable mistake any person could ever make. And this passage we just read is the warning. It’s the thing we wish we had AFTER we make a mistake. But we have it now. On the cross, Jesus proves that whatever the cost may be for following him, his cost to find you was higher. Don’t say no to him. Don’t. Even if you are here and you don’t yet know what to make of all of this. Don’t close yourself to it. Don’t walk away. Don’t say no to the one who does not say no to you. Prayer Requests: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new23.01.15

Discipleship with Jesus involves a high cost that was not lost on first-century followers and it must not be lost on us as twenty-first-century followers. What is the cost of following Jesus? Is it worth everything we may be afraid of losing? Wherever we are in our spiritual journey, these are questions the Gospel writer John helps us thoughtfully and carefully consider. We must not miss that as apprentices of Jesus, we are called to take up our cross and follow him. Apprenticeship with Jesus involves losing one’s life, not keeping it. We are to love God first and foremost. That love for God must be so strong that other loves in our life, including love for self and others, are quite small in comparison. It is out of our love for him that we sacrifice our lifestyle for him and the advancement of his good news kingdom mission in the world.Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/49004672Prayer Requests: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new23.01.08

Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/49002180Prayer Requests: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new23.01.01

As we explore Psalm 22 together, it is my heart’s desire that we will see its profound connection to Christmas in our lives. Few texts give us a more compelling glimpse into the meaning of the Bethlehem manger than Psalm 22. This advent season may have you feeling very alone. Feeling alone is one of the most painful experiences of our lives. Loneliness can diminish our sense of worth, harms our bodies, robs our joy, an smothers our soul. The good news is that we have a promised king who will never, ever leave us. He gets our pain, goes to the cross for us, and gives us hope.Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/48992864Prayer Requests: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new 22.12.18

The season of Advent is a season for asking questions like: is anyone coming to save me? Is the promised king we long for coming and can he save us from ourselves? Save us from this broken world? In Psalm 103, David wants to remind us of God’s great love and compassion in sending his son, who took on our frame, became dust, took on the form of a servant, was tempted and without sin, took our place, and died on a cross. Jesus shouts to us this Christmas season. Jesus is how high and wide and deep the love of God can go. None of us can look at a baby born in a manger and doubt if we are beyond rescue. Absolutely not! Part of this season, the reason we do this every year, is to remember God’s rescue.Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/48992858Prayer Requests: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new22.12.11

We all need a king who is truly for us. Not just when we are strong or good, but when we are weak and anything but good. Not just when we know where we are going, but when we have lost our way. We need a king who is truly there for us, who will not abandon us, even when we ignore him, doubt him, blame him or turn our backs on him. The good news is that we have a kind like that! A king that knows our human vulnerability, sees us as precious, and is with us now and forever.Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/48991413Prayer Requests: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new22.12.04

Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/48977463 Prayer Requests: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new22.11.27

Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/48977448 Prayer Requests: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new22.11.20

The bible has often been called the “good book” for it indeed is that. It is the masterpiece of masterpieces. But the good book can be misused for deceptive aims, abusive purposes and nefarious ends. The bible can be wrongly taught to say what it does not say, to support deceptive plausibilities that perpetuate anything, but truth, goodness and beauty in the world, but rather legitimize abuse, domination, evil, and suffering. Our hearts break at this, but it is a sober reminder for us of the importance of teaching what the Holy Scripture actually teaches, of teaching the whole counsel of God and embracing the moral clarity it brings to our broken world.We are not our own. We belong to Jesus. We learn from Jesus as yoked apprentices who understand and steward power radically different from the world. re–what a glorious place we live, love and work before an Audience of One.Prayer Requests: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/newSermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/4897744122.11.13

For most of us, we just have to learn to dance. Occasionally, that means stepping on each other’s toes. The marriages that do this best, sacrificing and submitting, loving and respecting, they don’t even know they’re doing it. They aren’t focused on the steps. They are focused on their partner. Your marriage is not about you and that is the best news in the world. Because the truly best things in life are not about us. They are about Jesus. The greatest story of all time. God as our husband. And even when we run from him, hide from him, hurt him, betray him…He never stops pursuing us. Sacrificing for us. Cherishing us. Loving us. Never ever ever. You in this room are God’s beloved.Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/48977429Prayer Requests: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new

Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/4897395622.10.30