Faith

April 10, 2023

The Resurrection (Easter)

Mark 16.1-8

The women have a front row seat to the miraculous events of that first Easter morning. Though all hope seemed to be lost…the Hero was dead…God was not finished yet. Not by a long shot. Instead, there’s an astounding twist to the plot…the Hero is raised and is alive. Death is conquered. Sin is atoned for. The way is made available for us to return to God. Death is swallowed up in life, despair in hope, mourning in astounding joy. Jesus is risen! He is risen indeed!

The resurrection proves that Jesus is the Hero that God promised to send and that everything He said is true…His death satisfied God’s wrath on sin, and His resurrection means that He is able to give life…new life, eternal life…to all those who believe in Him. And as He promised, He will be with us always, even unto the end of the age. So no matter how much the world may shake around us…and there’s sure a lot of shaking going on…God is able to bring life out of death, hope out of despair, victory out of sure defeat.

Sometimes we lose sight of that, even as believers. Maybe that’s you today. Maybe the circumstances of life have caused you to lose hope. You’re living as if Jesus is still in the tomb. Maybe you need to be reminded today that Jesus is alive, and He is still rolling stones away…revealing Himself in specific ways to those who have believed in Him. He wants you to experience resurrection life…the abundant life that He saved you for. Now’s a good time to re-up on following Him.

But maybe you haven’t yet trusted in Jesus. If not, today can be the day of salvation for you. He has already done all the heavy lifting. You simply have to recognize your need to be saved…that you are a sinner in need of a Savior. And believe that Jesus came to do just that…He lived a perfect life, died a sacrificial death in your place and was raised the third day, conquering both sin and death. When you do that, the Bible says that your sins are forgiven, that you have eternal life, and that you are now a part of God’s family…a son or daughter of the King.

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

March 27, 2023

Do the Right Thing

James 4.11-17

We need to be careful not to speak against or judge our neighbor. Doing so puts us at odds, not only with the law (love your neighbor as yourself) but even more terrifyingly…it puts us at odds with the Lawgiver and Judge, the only One who is able to save and destroy.

And when it comes to making plans, we should put the Lord at the center of them. That can be a pretty scary proposition…it may cause us to change our plans altogether, especially the ones we know He wouldn’t approve of. But when we put Him at the center, there’s a great chance that whatever it is, it will bring glory to Him. Remember, we’re not the main character in our story. He is. He has the right to call the shots. To set the agenda. Brings to mind 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 your paths straight.”

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

March 20, 2023

The Source of Conflict

James 4.1-10

What is the source of (destructive) conflict among us? Well, it’s…us. Our pleasures raging war within our members. All of us looking out for number one. We all want to be the main character.

Of course that leads to some very ungodly behavior. And unfortunately when that happens, the church doesn’t look much different than the world. We don’t realize that our actions/words/attitudes/desires are tantamount to idolatry. We are choosing friendship with the world over friendship with God. Or we try to play both sides, but it can’t be done. We are either all in or all out.

If that’s you today, the good news is that James has laid out a pretty clear path from pride to humility, from friendship with the world to friendship with God. Submit, resist, draw near, cleanse and purify, repent, and humble yourself in the presence of the Lord. And He will exalt you.

pro rege

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

March 13, 2023

Wisdom From Above

James 3.13-18

Much of what James says here about the wisdom from above echoes what Jesus said in the beatitudes, which in turn comes straight out of the OT. Shouldn’t surprise us…because it’s the wisdom that comes from God. From His Word.

So, if you want to be wise, spend time in God’s Word. Make it a daily habit. Ask God to use it to change you…to change the way you think, to change the way you see the world around you, to change your attitude and your responses to those around you, to transform you to live and love like Jesus.

pro rege

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

March 6, 2023

Be Careful What You Say

James 3.1-12

We all stumble in many ways. If we don’t stumble in what we say, then we are certainly on the road to a perfected faith.

That’s not easy, especially when it comes to trials. I think I can safely say that most, if not all of us, tend to lash out when things are not going well. At least initially. When the trial falls upon us. But if we will ask for wisdom…wisdom to see our circumstances, the trial…from God’s perspective rather than our own, then there’s hope that we will not only endure, but that we will also grow through the process. Our faith will be purified and strengthened. It will become aged and refined. And our words will reflect a heart that is turned toward the Lord.

Words do hurt. They can cause a lifetime worth of damage. So be careful what you say. Practice being quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger. Ask God for help to bridle your tongue. Your words have great potential for both good and evil. Blessing and cursing. Choose the good. Choose to bless. Choose to encourage and build up. Admonish when necessary, but always speak the truth in love. And point them to Jesus.

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

February 20, 2023

Faith and Works

James 2.14-26

James’ claim that faith without works is dead is not a commentary on a person’s eternal destiny, but a believer’s spiritual vitality. We were saved on purpose with a purpose…to walk in the good works that God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

It comes down to doing what God says. When it comes to various trials that we are going through, we patiently endure knowing that God is at work in us through the trial to transform us more and more to live and love like Jesus. And when it’s the trials that others are going through, we love them in practical, demonstrable ways knowing that God is working through us to love our neighbor to transform us more and more to live and love like Jesus.

Now let me make a comment here. If your faith is not producing works…it’s not evident to others that you have trusted in Jesus…you have one of two problems. You have trusted in Jesus, but your faith needs an overhaul. You’ve stepped off Torah Road, and you need to get back on it. Or…you have not trusted in Jesus and are lacking faith. Both are a problem.

I’ll finish with this. It comes back to wisdom. Hearing and doing. Believing and working. As believers, that’s the way we are called to live our lives. Trusting God fully…no matter what.

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

February 13, 2023

Love Your Neighbor As Yourself

James 2.1-13

Do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with personal favoritism. But love your neighbor…all your neighbors…as yourself.

We all have blindspots…areas of our lives where we simply don’t see it. Areas where our actions, attitudes or words may be hurting or alienating others. And so, as painful as it is sometimes, it’s good to be reminded of our need to make loving others a priority.

Living out our faith…so speaking and so doing…takes a commitment on our part to love God first. That means that we have to do what He says. Live life according to His rules. To walk in obedience…obedience motivated by love. Not holding back certain areas of our life as “off limits”, but being all in.

Some of you do a great job of making everyone feel important…of making them feel like they belong. Some of us have some work to do. But we are all in process, one foot in front of the other, headed to the kingdom.

James is writing to a group of folks…not unlike us. We too need to take seriously the charge not to show personal favoritism. And my prayer for us is that no matter the place a person comes from…cultural, socio-economic, geographic, whatever…they will be welcomed by us, they will feel like they belong, and they will know that they are loved. That’s going to take all of us.

pro rege

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

February 6, 2023

Listen and Respond aka Hear and Do

James 1.12-27

Prove yourselves to be doers of the word and not merely hearers who delude themselves. Listen and respond. Hear and do.

If we are honest with ourselves, too many of us are in the category of hearing and not doing. We’ve heard a lot of sermons. Listened to countless podcasts. Maybe even read our Bible on a fairly consistent basis. But something’s missing. We know a lot of stuff about the Bible, or so we think, but we’ve never actually done it. We still think and act in the same old ways. We are hearers of the Word, but not doers.

And when trials come…when there’s a storm a-brewing…we tend to ask the “why me” question. Maybe we don’t go so far as to blame God outright…maybe we do. But we certainly don’t see our trials as a source of joy or blessing. No, we tend to push them into the temptation category and let our own desires lead us into sin which in turn leads to death. We are no longer experiencing the kind of life that Jesus saved us for, maybe never have.

So how do we turn it around? Simple. Ask God for wisdom. Ask Him for wisdom to see our circumstances…the trial…from His perspective. Ask Him for strength to endure. Ask Him for wisdom to do what we’re hearing. If we ask, we will receive, and then we just have to do it.

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

January 30, 2023

The Joy of Suffering

James 1.1-11

Consider it all joy when you encounter various trials. That’s only possible when we see things from God’s perspective…when we realize that God is using these trials to grow us, change us, transform us to live and love like Jesus.

The trials that we endure are designed to purify and strengthen our faith, not destroy it. But that assumes that we are running toward God and not away from Him in the midst of the trial. And that takes wisdom. Wisdom to see God’s hand at work through it all. Wisdom to realize my need for Him. Wisdom to place my confidence in Him. Wisdom to take my eyes off my feet and lift them up to see the world around me.

The alternative to running toward God in trials…running away from Him can have a devastating impact on our faith. I think we all know folks who, when tragedy struck, chose to blame God and run away from Him. Faith is crippled if not shattered. There is no joy there. And some of you know that all too well.

Trusting God fully…putting our confidence in Him…and not in anything else. That’s the key to success. That’s the path that leads to joy no matter the trial. And if you are lacking the wisdom to see that, just ask God for it. He will be glad to give it to you.

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

January 16, 2023

All In: The Joy of Giving

1 Chronicles 29.1-20

Giving…generosity…is easily overlooked as a spiritual discipline. I have said it a few times…pray every day, spend time in the Word every day, share your story at every opportunity, and fellowship with other believers as often as you can, but giving is another one of those disciplines that’s at the core of what it means to follow Jesus. I don’t know how we can express love…for God or for our neighbor…without giving. Giving of our time. Giving of our abilities. Giving of our resources. Giving of ourselves. Giving reflects the love that God so generously has shown toward us in Jesus.

If giving is new to you, I know what it feels like to look at your finances and wonder, “how?” When I was growing up, giving was not a practice my parents modeled. With eight kids…money was always tight. So giving wasn’t something I was used to…and putting myself through college, I never had two nickels to rub together as my dad would say. I didn’t think I could afford to give. So it wasn’t until I met my wife Wendy that I even considered giving as a spiritual discipline. And even then, I wasn’t sure how the giving thing would work out. But we did it anyway, and we haven’t looked back since.

So let me challenge you to be all in and give giving a try in 2023. Pick an amount and begin to give regularly. Set a goal and work towards it. Taste and see that the LORD is good. I think you’ll find that giving actually helps you release your death grip on the stuff that you are holding on to so tightly and experience the joy of seeing kingdom impact.

I said it before, but it’s worth repeating…when we give, God is more concerned about the “why” than the “what”. He looks at the heart. And it’s only when we give with a thankful heart, an upright heart, a willing heart…one that is turned towards Him…that we will know the absolute joy and gift that giving is.

And for those of you for whom giving is a discipline that you’ve practiced for awhile, thank you for your faithfulness.

Remember, everything we have comes from the LORD. We have simply been entrusted with it for a short time. So whether it’s a little like the widow or much like King David, let’s be generous givers!

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