July 15, 2024

Joshua and the Walls of Jericho

Joshua 6

Joshua fought the battle of Jericho…well not quite. The LORD fought the battle of Jericho. And the walls came tumbling down.

This is a story of the LORD’s promise and its fulfillment, of faith and obedience. From start to finish, the battle is the LORD’s. He had given Jericho into Joshua’s hand well before the battle began. You see, what the LORD says, the LORD does. He can be trusted.

But Joshua had a part to play. His was to respond in faith to what the LORD had said. Jesus said, “Those who hear My words and act on them may be compared to a wise man who built his house upon a rock…” Hearing alone won’t do. There must be a response in faith.  For us as believers, it’s important to remember that faith is demonstrated by action. To hear and not to do is not to hear. To believe and not to act is really not to believe. What is it that you need to obey the LORD in? What response do you need to make?

What if Joshua had decided not to listen to the LORD and instead went with conventional wisdom? He’s a military guy. What if he devised his own plans? Joshua already knew the answer to that…he knew the consequences of not doing things the LORD’s way, of not trusting Him but instead choosing to go his own way. When the Israelites failed to trust the LORD and enter the land after coming out of Egypt, the LORD said you’ve got forty years to think about it. None of those who were supposed to enter the Promised Land would be able to. Had Joshua decided to forego the LORD’s instructions and rush the city using whatever military acumen he may have possessed, the results would have been disastrous. The same is true for us when we choose to ignore the LORD’s instructions and do things our own way. And we wonder why things aren’t working out…we’ve forgotten that the battle is the LORD’s.

But what if the LORD’s instructions don’t make sense? Last first, love your enemies, etc. Probably didn’t make sense to Joshua either, but the battle is the LORD’s. Ours is to trust and obey. Proverbs 3.5-6: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your path.”

Presumably all of the folks in Jericho believed the Israelites were a threat. That’s why they shut themselves in their fortress. They believed that the LORD was on Israel’s side. They had a choice to make in the moment…they could have responded in faith like Rahab. They could have humbled themselves, acknowledged their sin and turned to the LORD (much like the folks of Nineveh did at the preaching of Jonah) and welcomed the Israelites in. And like Rahab, they could have become a part of the community of believers. Instead they chose to turn away from Him. And instead of experiencing the LORD’s mercy, they experienced His wrath. Sin is serious, and the LORD takes sin seriously. So should we. Jesus is either your King, or He will be your Judge.

Let me leave you with this. There is room for all in the kingdom. Rahab may have seemed like one of the least likely folks to make it in. She hasn’t made the greatest of life choices. And yet, when she has an encounter with the LORD, everything changes. Her life takes a different trajectory. Her past isn’t erased…it is a part of the story of the LORD’s grace in her life. And she has the high honor of being listed in the genealogy of the King (Matthew 1.5)!

pro rege

This post is based on a sermon from Joshua 6. Download the podcast at: Central Christian Church Main Service, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, X or Threads: @ccclancaster. You can also download our Central Christian app in the iTunes App Store.

July 8, 2024

Farewell

Hebrews 13.15-25

And so we come to the end of the book of Hebrews. A word of exhortation. An encouragement and a warning. Patiently endure persecution. Hold fast to the faith. Don’t give up and don’t give in. No matter the circumstances. Why? Because Jesus is greater.

Jesus is greater. As both the Son of God and the Son of David. The radiance of the Father’s glory, the exact representation of His nature, through whom everything was created, and by whose Word everything is upheld. Worshiped by the angels. Savior and Redeemer. The perfect sacrifice. The heir of all things. The great High Priest. Defeater of death and the devil. Our resurrected King. Jesus is greater.

So, let us continually offer a sacrifice of praise to Him, the fruit of our lips that confess His name. And let us do good and be generous with one another. Loving God and loving others.

Let us remember, in the midst of our suffering, that God is at work. Like a father disciplining his children whom he loves, so God is our Father who disciplines us for our good, working in us to make us more like Him…to share His holiness, so that it might produce in us the peaceful fruit of righteousness.

Now may the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, equip us in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

pro rege

This post is based on a sermon from our Hebrews series. Download the podcast at: Central Christian Church Main Service, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, X or Threads: @ccclancaster. You can also download our Central Christian app in the iTunes App Store.

July 1, 2024

An Acceptable Service

Hebrews 13.1-14

What does an acceptable service to God look like? Loving others, trusting God, keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, angling toward the kingdom. Living by faith.

Simple…but not easy. That’s why it’s good to have not only the examples of the ancient faithful we find in Scripture, but also the examples of those who led us and taught us the Word of God. Our own cloud of witnesses. Who is that for you? (Parent, friend, relative, co-worker, neighbor, children or youth leader, VBS volunteer, camp counselor, Sunday school teacher, pastor) Maybe the one who led you to trust in Jesus or who has helped you grow in your faith? It’s good to remember those folks and to reflect on the impact that their walk of faith had on you. And then imitate it.

The flip side of that is…others are watching you. Do you have a faith worthy of imitation? Are you trusting in the LORD no matter your circumstances? Do you patiently endure in the hard times? If not, it’s never too late to start. But you will have to be intentional. We don’t accidentally walk by faith. We don’t fall into spiritual maturity. Got to put in the work. One foot in front of the other.

The camp in the wilderness defined who was in or out. Clear lines. Going to Jesus outside the camp means we are fully identifying ourselves with Him. A clean break. Suffering the same reproach He did. The same should be true for our lives today. No blurring of the lines. No one foot in and one foot out. No two masters. Only One. The One who promised never to leave us or forsake us. So, let’s be all in…and let’s be all in together.

pro rege

This post is based on a sermon from our Hebrews series. Download the podcast at: Central Christian Church Main Service, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, X or Threads: @ccclancaster. You can also download our Central Christian app in the iTunes App Store.

June 24, 2024

The Unshakable Kingdom

Hebrews 12.18-29

Copies and shadows vs. the Substance. The Old vs. the New. The anticipation that awaits the Fulfillment. Sinai vs. Zion. The unapproachable or the Approachable. Why go back?

Paul’s final warning and encouragement…strange that they go together…points us once again to what we’ve seen throughout Hebrews. Jesus is greater. And the destiny that awaits us who have trusted in Him is far greater than anything that we could return to. But we have to keep our eyes on the prize. If we focus on our circumstances, it’s easy to get distracted and drift away or fall back. But if we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus no matter our circumstances, then we have a shot at patiently enduring.

Jesus is coming back. And when He does, there will be a whole lot of shaking going on. For those of us who are ready to welcome Him back as King, we will be welcomed into a kingdom that cannot be shaken. For those who are not…a very different story. Jesus will either be your King or your Judge. You can make Him your King today.

It’s as simple as recognizing that you are a sinner in need of a Savior. Believing that Jesus is the Savior that God promised. He lived a perfect life. He died a sacrificial death on your behalf and was raised the third day conquering both sin and death, so that by faith in Jesus you can have forgiveness of sins and eternal life. If you would like to talk more about that I’ll be up at the front after the service.

pro rege

This post is based on a sermon from our Hebrews series. Download the podcast at: Central Christian Church Main Service, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, X or Threads: @ccclancaster. You can also download our Central Christian app in the iTunes App Store.

June 17, 2024

Follow the Example of Jesus

Hebrews 12.1-17

We are not alone in this thing called the Christian life. We are surrounded by those who have gone before who bear witness to the faithfulness of God. We have the LORD as a constant companion. And we have each other to lean on and support along the way.

So, our job is to live with intentionality. To run the race we’ve been given to run. To run it well. To run it with endurance. The only way to do that is by leaving behind the things that trip us up and fixing our eyes on Jesus, helping each other along the way.

Suffering is never fun, but when we recognize our suffering as the tool the LORD is using to make us more like Himself…as the discipline of a loving Father who is shaping and molding our character to reflect His…then our suffering produces in us the peaceful fruit of rightness. If not…watch out for the root of bitterness that is sure to spring up.

Dads, you have the awesome responsibility of leading your family in these things…which means you have to go before them because you can’t lead your family where you’re not going. It starts with spending time in the Word, time in prayer, time with other men…learning to reflect the character of your Heavenly Father.

Then, it’s shepherding your family well, providing for them, protecting and serving them. Leading them and guiding them. Nurturing them. Fighting for them. According to Deuteronomy 6, the faith that you have you are to to pass on to your sons/daughters. To do that, it goes back not only to teaching it to them, but also to modeling it for them.

Finally, it’s acknowledging that sometimes life is hard, but remembering that Jesus is greater. And Dads, thank you for being here this morning. For many men it’s not easy going to church. But by being here today you’re showing your family what it looks like to follow Jesus in the day to day. Sometimes in our walk with the LORD we just need to show up. We live in a culture that has so devalued the role of husbands and fathers, the world…this community…this church…your family…needs you to step up and be the man of God that the LORD has created, gifted, called and saved you to be.

So, let us lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of faith, so that we will not grow weary and lose heart. And let’s do it together.

pro rege

This post is based on a sermon from our Hebrews series. Download the podcast at: Central Christian Church Main Service, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, X or Threads: @ccclancaster. You can also download our Central Christian app in the iTunes App Store.

June 10, 2024

By Faith: Part 3

Hebrews 11.32-40

By faith…these folks did some incredible things. Faith that gave them the ability to act in confidence, trusting God, “seeing” beyond their circumstances, and so do and accomplish what might otherwise seem unexplainable and even impossible.

Important to note…it was God who acted. These folks just trusted that God would do what He said He would do. I think sometimes we confuse faith and make it more about us, putting ourselves at the center as if our faith “made” something happen rather than our faith being the confidence in our God who makes things happen. Super important distinction.

And while it’s easy to celebrate the great triumphs of faith…what even the world would call “winning”, the truly great triumphs of faith occur when we patiently endure in the midst of suffering never wavering in our confidence in the LORD despite the lack of circumstantial evidence to the contrary…when, in the eyes of the world, it looks like we are losing.

Living by faith is not easy…it takes practice, and we won’t always get it right. We will fail more often than we succeed in the beginning. But when we do, we don’t give up. We go at it again, asking the LORD for help to trust Him more and to patiently endure with our eyes fixed on the kingdom and our feet firmly planted on Torah Road, pursuing after Jesus, anxiously awaiting the return of our King.

BTW if you haven’t trusted in Jesus yet, please make today the day. It’s as simple as recognizing that you are a sinner in need of a Savior. Believing that Jesus is the Savior that God promised. He lived a perfect life. He died a sacrificial death on your behalf and was raised the third day conquering both sin and death, so that by faith in Jesus you can have forgiveness of sins and eternal life.

pro rege

This post is based on a sermon from our Hebrews series. Download the podcast at: Central Christian Church Main Service, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, X or Threads: @ccclancaster. You can also download our Central Christian app in the iTunes App Store.

June 3, 2024

By Faith: Part 2

Hebrews 11.17-31

By faith…the only way to patiently endure…the only way to live a life that is pleasing to God… is by faith.

Faith is the assurance of things hoped. It’s the reality behind our confident expectation. It’s the proof…the conviction…of the things we cannot see. The Substance behind the shadows. And this faith becomes visible through our actions. When we do what God calls us to do despite what our circumstances may say to the contrary. Resting in the confidence that God always keeps His Word…He will never leave us or forsake us. He will complete the work He’s begun in us and through us.

Living by faith is not easy, and we won’t always get it right. But when we mess up (because we will), we don’t give up. Instead we get up and get back on Torah road, patiently enduring with our eyes fixed on the kingdom, pursuing after Jesus, anxiously awaiting the return of our King…by faith.

BTW if you haven’t trusted in Jesus yet, please make today the day. It’s as simple as recognizing that you are a sinner in need of a Savior. Believing that Jesus is the Savior that God promised. He lived a perfect life. He died a sacrificial death on your behalf and was raised the third day conquering both sin and death, so that by faith in Jesus you can have forgiveness of sins and eternal life.

pro rege

This post is based on a sermon from our Hebrews series. Download the podcast at: Central Christian Church Main Service, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, X or Threads: @ccclancaster. You can also download our Central Christian app in the iTunes App Store.

May 27, 2024

By Faith: Part 1

Hebrews 11.1-16

By faith…the only way to patiently endure is by faith. Following the example of the ancient faithful.

Faith is not a leap in the dark. It’s the assurance of things hoped. It’s the reality behind our confident expectation. It’s the proof…the conviction…of the things we cannot see. The Substance behind the shadows. Faith is required if we are going to please God…faith that He is and that He rewards those who seek Him.

Faith (unseen) becomes visible through our actions. Our obedience to what God calls us to do, and our patient endurance in the midst of suffering. Just like these Hebrew Christians.

And like the ancient faithful, we too are to live as strangers and sojourners in this world, with our eyes fixed on the kingdom and our feet firmly planted on Torah Road, pursuing after Jesus, anxiously awaiting the return of our King. Not always easy to do…that’s why it’s by faith.

BTW if you haven’t trusted in Jesus yet, please make today the day. It’s as simple as recognizing that you are a sinner in need of a Savior. Believing that Jesus is the Savior that God promised. He lived a perfect life. He died a sacrificial death on your behalf and was raised the third day conquering both sin and death, so that by faith in Jesus you can have forgiveness of sins, eternal life, and that you too can live by faith. 

pro rege

This post is based on a sermon from our Hebrews series. Download the podcast at: Central Christian Church Main Service, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, X or Threads: @ccclancaster. You can also download our Central Christian app in the iTunes App Store.

May 13, 2024

Some Mother’s Day Encouragement

1 Samuel 1

Hannah was a woman of prayer, a woman of faith, a faithful woman, and a thankful woman of worship. Oh, and of course Hannah was a mom.

Prayer, faith, faithfulness, thankfulness, and worship…all things that are not just good for moms. They’re good for all of us.

Moms…you have the incredible responsibility of caring for your kids, and one of the most significant of  your responsibilities is passing on your faith to them, and that starts with the time you spend pursuing after the LORD yourself. You can’t lead them where you’re not going. So your training them up in the fear and admonition of the LORD is simply the overflow of the life you are living before them. That’s where prayer and Bible stories and taking them to church and your own lived-out faith come into play. Teaching them to worship the LORD just like you.

And Moms…as much as you want to, you cannot protect your kids from everything forever…especially as they get older. They will make mistakes, just like you did. So, take advantage of every one of those teachable moments while they are young. Teach your kids to be in the world, but not of the world. You won’t do it perfectly, and your kids won’t always respond the way that you would have hoped, but moms, when you have done all that you know to do, continue to pray for your kids and be in the Word. You may not see the fruit of your labor…it may not seem like it’s “taking”, but remember…when they are in distress, when they are alone, when their worlds are crumbling…they will remember what their momma taught them. So be encouraged.

If you can, thank your mom today for all she has done…give her a hug, send her a text, make a phone call… and let her know how much you love her and that you appreciate all that she has done for you.

pro rege,

This post is based on our Mother’s Day sermon. Download the podcast at: Central Christian Church Main Service, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, X or Threads: @ccclancaster. You can also download our Central Christian app in the iTunes App Store.

May 6, 2024

A Terrifying Thing…

Hebrew 10.26-39

Endure. Hold fast your confidence. Keep trekking down Torah Road. Live the life that you were saved for. Invest your mina well.

If not…the picture is pretty grim. The LORD will discipline His people. Guaranteed. Why? Because He saved us for a reason. And He redeemed us with the blood of His own Son. So we dare not turn back, but press on.

But why might we be tempted to turn back? Because following Jesus is hard. Giving up the life we once knew. Suffering persecution. Loss of friends and family. Wanting to go back to Egypt. Back to the good ole days. We fool ourselves into thinking that life was so much simpler then. Less friction. Less resistance. Really? Yeah, I’m not buying it. There’s a reason you chose to trust in Jesus. Because Egypt was death. Your old life wasn’t life at all. No hope and without God in the world…but so soon we forget.

We were saved on purpose for a purpose. That we might bear fruit for the kingdom. That we might endure suffering for the faith and hold fast our confession firm until the end. That we wouldn’t shrink back, but boldly move forward, storming the gates of hell and rescuing the captives. Going in for just one more.

So, let us not be those who shrink back, but those who, with confidence, forge ahead in our pursuit of Jesus. Let’s continue down Torah Road. And let’s do it together.

pro rege,

This post is based on a sermon from our Hebrews series. Download the podcast at: Central Christian Church Main Service, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, X or Threads: @ccclancaster. You can also download our Central Christian app in the iTunes App Store.