College Wesleyan Church Sermons

Steve DeNeff:For too long holiness has been concerned mostly with abstinence, the ruthless elimination of sin. It’s time to get serious about joy. We need to get joy back into our pursuit of holiness.

Steve DeNeff:Things change when a few on the margins to find a better way to live and the rest of us join them. The “holiness code” in Leviticus (chapters 18-22) is a summary of that better way to live. What if a whole community, like CWC, were to practice the witness of this holiness code? What difference could it make in our society?

Ethan Linder: What does holiness actually look like? Leviticus 19 is part of the “holiness code,” which takes holiness out of the abstract and places it in the ordinary details of life: work, money, relationships, ambitions… even the way we handle grievances. But how do these laws relate to those of us who live in this moment? This sermon will explore how the holiness code in Leviticus helps us understand the shape of our own practice of holiness: specifically, how love of God works its way out into love of neighbor.

Steve DeNeff:From the beginning, it was God’s intention to make us into priests who served the world (Ex 19:6). But what do priests do? What role do we have in bringing the world into The Presence? Does anyone - even ministers - play this role today? And what can we do, as laity, to act as priests in the places where we live, work and play?

Lori Minor: Lori is the lead pastor of Become Ministries! Over the last few years, she’s become a more regular voice in our preaching rotation. We’re excited to worship with her and hear God’s word through her this Sunday!

Steve DeNeff: One day, one person, one reason … the Day of Atonement was for the Hebrews what Good Friday is for the Christians, only better. In other words, we have a lot to learn about Good Friday that only the Day of Atonement can teach us.

Steve DeNeff: Holiness is not just a standard but proximity to the Presence. It’s not something we have, but something we enter. Yet how does one get into the Presence? “Who of us can live with a consuming fire?” (Isaiah 33:14). The way in begins with sacrifice, not as a bribe but as a gift. But how do we sacrifice today? What offering do we bring to the Presence?

Steve DeNeff:The big story of the Bible is of God’s relentless pursuit of the world, of his people and of his desire to live among us. But this God is a consuming fire (Ex 24:17; Is. 29:6; Heb 12:29). So how do we approach the God who lives in unapproachable light”? The way in begins … with Leviticus.

Steve DeNeff: According to Jesus, “love” is the measure of our spiritual growth. But how is the love of a Christian different from other loves? Here are 4 levels of love, from the lowest to the highest, from the most carnal to the most complete. And here’s what’s involved in moving from one level to the next. How “perfect” is your love for God and others?

Steve DeNeff: In Praise of BoredomMost of us hate to be bored and we go to great lengths to avoid it. But there are two kinds of boredom: the holy and the unholy, and one of them is good for you. Have you ever wondered what God might be up to in those seasons when nothing is happening, and how those seasons are crucial for building the muscle that will carry you into your better years?