CCIC-SJ Sermons

In the midst of the affliction of childlessness, Hannah vowed to the Lord that if he gave her a son, she would give this son back to the Lord. The Lord remembered Hannah by answering her prayer, and Hannah followed through on her promise. In so doing, she shows us how to pray for our legitimate desires while also seeking first God's kingdom.

An informal congregational poll revealed that NO ONE in our congregation saw the prophet Jonah as a spiritual role model.  Those who are familiar with the book that bears his name can see the wisdom in this finding.  However, the book of Jonah is about more than just a man who struggled and failed to follow God.  Jonah was also a man who mirrored our spiritual struggles.  We too, flee from God, we too, choose to disobey Him.  With that in mind, let's learn some lessons that God wanted Jonah to learn, because we need to learn them as well.

The prophet Jonah stands as a mirror for many of us. In looking at his life, we see that we are also often running from God because of various reasons. But as we look to Jesus’ life and example, we find a God who runs toward us in spite of the great costs.

Jesus’ resurrection is the victorious proof of God's redemptive plan. We can learn valuable lessons from how the first people responded to the risen Lord Jesus and reflect what the resurrection means to us in two aspects. First, does it compel us to praise and worship God with gratefulness and joy? Second, does it compel us to be bold and share this good news with others in obedience to the commission that comes with it?

This message goes into detail on how the prophecy of Jesus' crucifixion and its fulfillment affirm:

God’s Word as His supernatural revelation,

Jesus as the Messiah, and

salvation as His accomplished mission.

As a result, we are motivated to respond in the following ways.

 

For ChristiansBe thankful for Christ’s great sacrifice and salvation

Be respectful and studious of God’s Word and be obedient to it

Be trustful that God will never forsake you

Be bold in sharing the gospel.

For those who have not yet believed in ChristReceive Christ for today is the day of salvation!

If the West Coast of US were invaded like Ukraine and all the women and children had to flee, what would you and your family do?

If you could cheat a little, knowing that you would not get caught, but you could get a substantial position or benefit, what would you do?

At what point do you pray about this?

As Jesus drew His Sermon on the Mount to a close, He first challenged them to enter through the narrow gate, and not the wide gate (last week’s message).  This week, He continues by telling us that the gate you chose is but the beginning of your journey; what also matters is how you continue your journey.

 

In Matthew 7: 15-29, Jesus gives us three tragically wrong ways to follow Him and then the Biblical way to follow Him.

In Matt. 7:13-20, Jesus begins to conclude the Sermon on the Mount by calling us to make an all-important decision between the broad, easy road that leads to destruction and the narrow, difficult road that leads to life. Will we choose to follow Jesus and enter the kingdom, or go to our own death? This passage also warns us against false prophets who would lead us astray by telling lies in the name of God. They are a real danger, but we may know who they are through their lives and actions, and whether their teaching agrees with Scripture and its meaning.

We often go through our Christian lives without considering whether we're actually living the life God wants us to live. As we continue in our series on the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus challenges us in Matthew 7:1-12 to examine how we might be wrongly judging others and how we are to approach God in prayer - by asking, seeking, and knocking.

Anxieties can confuse us, freeze us or even shut us down.  They can lead to all sorts of problems:  physical, mental, and relational, to name a few.  Join us as we look at Matthew 6:25-34 and discover how Jesus helps us to face our anxieties.

In Matthew 5:31-37, Jesus continues the Sermon on the Mount by addressing the issues of divorce and the taking of oaths. In his brief teaching about divorce in Matt 5:31-32, he forbids divorce except in the case of sexual immorality. In a related passage in Matt 19:3-9, the Pharisees ask Jesus about divorce for any reason, and Jesus affirms God's original design for lifelong marriage between one man and one woman.