Citadel Square Sermons

Pastor AJ Rankin preaches from 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18.

Everyone wants to know what happens in the end. It isn't idle curiosity. Death is coming for every one of us and everyone we love, unless Jesus returns first. The Thessalonians had already buried loved ones, and Paul didn't want them to grieve like people with nothing to hope for. He doesn't tell them to stop weeping. Instead, he reminds them of what they believe—Jesus died, rose, and is coming back. That changes how we live, how we face death, and how we comfort one another.

Pastor Steve Heron preaches from 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12.

There might not be a better evaluation of a church than how they love. Jesus even said that the world would know us as His disciples by the way we loved one another. The Thessalonians receive Paul's greatest compliment: "When it comes to brotherly love, no one needs to teach you." But Paul also warns them. What can compromise love in a church that has received the gospel with such fervor?  Paul counsels them to maintain their witness that the church might be strengthened through each person's commitment to everyday faithfulness.

Pastor Ben Miller preaches this week’s sermon from 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8 as Paul shifts into his final section in the letter. Paul now moves to his first topic of conversation as to what he believes is vital to their continued growth: their sexuality. Which begs the question for us: Where do we rank our sexuality on the scale of importance as it pertains to our walk with Christ? What we’ll see in this text is that Paul takes something we usually keep ‘private’ and brings it to the forefront of conversation as it pertains to their continued growth and holiness.

Pastor Steve Lindenmeyer preaches from 1 Thessalonians 3:11-13.

Love isn't meant to be contained; it's meant to overflow. As Paul closes chapter 3, he breaks into spontaneous prayer for the Thessalonian believers. He prays that their love would abound for one another, and for everyone. This overflowing love, he says, is what prepares us for the return of Christ. It's the defining mark of a true Christian. The question is simple: how well does love characterize our lives and our church?

Pastor AJ Rankin preaches from 1 Thessalonians 2:17-3:10.

What would it take for you to lose sleep over someone else's faith? Paul is separated from a church he loves, and the uncertainty about their spiritual condition is unbearable. So he sends Timothy to check on them. When Timothy returns, Paul isn't interested in attendance numbers, buildings, or budgets. He wants to know: How is their faith? The gospel doesn't just change what we believe. It changes what we care about. How has the gospel changed the way you care about people?

Pastor Jonathan Suggs preaches from 1 Thessalonians 2:13-16.

Every Christian wants to be able to say, “God is really at work in this church.” But how can we know that? Are there signs? The Bible is abundantly clear that God works through his Word. But do we know the kind of work the Word does in people so that when we see it we can actually recognize it, and even more, give thanks to God for it? That’s exactly what Paul does in this passage. Something about the Thessalonian church makes him confident and thankful that God’s Word has been working. So what is it?

Pastor AJ Rankin preaches from 1 Thessalonians 2:7-12.

A nursing mother knows that caring for her baby will be costly, but love moves her to give herself freely. Paul says this is what love among God’s people looks like. In 1 Thessalonians 2:7–12, gospel ministry is proven not by credentials or eloquence, but by a mother’s tenderness, a father’s patient instruction, and the willingness to toil for people who have become very dear. We’ll discover what it costs to love people the way Paul loved the Thessalonians and why such costly love is a joy.

Pastor AJ Rankin preaches from 1 Thessalonians 2:1-6.

Motives get questioned. Methods get scrutinized. At some point, every Christian has to answer: am I doing this for praise, or for God? Paul and his companions faced that test in Thessalonica, and they let their character answer instead of their results. This week in 1 Thessalonians 2, we see what it looks like to lead as entrusted stewards: the message must be true, the motives must be pure, the methods must be above reproach, and ultimately, the aim must be to please God alone.

Pastor Steve Lindenmeyer preaches from 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10.

This week, we kick off our new series in 1 Thessalonians. Paul overflows with thanksgiving as he reflects on a young church's faith, love, and hope — a community so transformed that their lives became an example worth imitating. What made them that way? And what would it take for us to become that kind of church?

Pastor Steve Lindenmeyer preaches from Psalm 130.

We close our study in the Psalms this week with Psalm 130 — a cry from the depths, not because of circumstances, but because of sin. Yet even there, God's forgiveness and steadfast love meet the Psalmist and turn despair into hope. A hope so real, it becomes a word of encouragement for us all.