Paul

February 26, 2024

A Sure Hope

Hebrews 6.9-20

Having started well, the challenge is to finish well. Not to be sluggish, but to be diligent. To imitate the example of those who demonstrated faith and patience as they waited on God…like a guy named Abraham.

Suffering can be very confusing. Especially suffering for the faith. Persecution has a way of making a person question his or her life choices. Am I doing the right thing? If so, why am I suffering for it? And yet, there is no maturity in the Christian life apart from suffering. Suffering doesn’t guarantee maturity (bitter vs. better), but maturity doesn’t happen without suffering. It’s been true for every believer who’s taken their faith seriously. It’s been that way since the garden. And it will be that way until Jesus comes back.

Why? Because we live in a fallen world. A world that is in rebellion against its Creator. And a world that is at war with everyone who chooses to follow Him. That’s why Jesus tells His disciples not to be surprised when the world hates them…neither should we. Sounds like bad news.

But that’s why it’s so important to be reminded that Jesus is greater. So, when we are suffering…when we are being persecuted…we know that the One who is the radiance of the Father’s glory, the exact representation of His nature, through whom all things were made, and by whose word all things are upheld, the One who is worshiped by the angels, is also the One who is the Heir of all things, both the perfect High Priest and Sacrifice, who defeated death and the devil, our resurrected King…we know that that Guy is interceding for us and saving us and perfecting us and will be with us no matter what. And that promise is as sure as God Himself.

So, let’s endure suffering, hold fast our faith and finish well.

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.

February 19, 2024

The Danger of Falling Away

Hebrews 6.1-8

Press on to maturity. Keep trekking down Torah Road. Live the life that you were saved for. Invest your mina well.

Because if not…the picture is pretty grim. For the exodus generation, it was a lifetime of wandering in the wilderness. For these Hebrew believers, the LORD’s discipline might look somewhat different, but their lives would likewise fall short of what the LORD intended for them. They would be worthless for the kingdom.

The same is true for us. I’ve said it before, but we were not saved simply to go to heaven. If so, we would already be there. 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 fall back, but those who press on 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.

February 12, 2024

Walking Torah Road

Hebrews 5.11-14

Paul says it this way in Romans 12.2, “…do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” Don’t be lazy or sluggish…don’t be “dull of hearing/obeying” in your walk down Torah Road. Spend quality time in God’s Word every day because, as we do that, the Spirit takes the truth that we have read and begins to transform us, so that whatever the situation, we can discern what it is that God would have us do.

There is no such thing as pause or neutral in life. We are either growing or not, progressing or regressing. It’s true mentally, physically, emotionally and…spiritually. If we are not making progress down Torah Road then we are sliding backwards…losing whatever ground we may at one time have gained.

So, if you suspect that might be you…that you might be a spiritual “infant”…how do you begin your path to maturity? Well, good news. We just finished our 5 Marks series aimed specifically at furthering our walk with the LORD. Time with other believers. Prayer. Daily Devotion. Generous living. Sharing your story. All are a part of the path to maturity.

And while all are important, your daily devotion…time in the Word…is where your senses are trained to discern good and evil. So start training today with a simple Bible reading plan. Check out the Central app. We have a reading plan already set up that will take you through the OT once and the NT twice this year. Pretty aggressive, but well worth it. If you want to strike out on your own…well, what do you like to read? Do you like poetry? Start with Psalms. Do you like wisdom literature, pithy sayings? Then, Proverbs. Action? Genesis or 1 Samuel or Mark. Pick a book and start. Work your way up to the heavier books like Isaiah or Ezekiel or Romans or Revelation. Pray before you start that God will help you put into practice what you’re learning. Remember it’s hearing and doing. And if you miss a day? Don’t beat yourself up, just start again.

Two last words…first, while personal time in the Word is super important, pro tip…time in the Word with other believers leads to even greater gains. The Bible was written to a community of believers and that’s how it’s best understood and applied. If you are not a part of a small group, now’s a great time to join one.

Second, for you husbands and fathers, this is a great opportunity for you to begin to lead your families. Share with your wife and your kids what God is teaching you through His Word, and encourage them to do the same. Maybe read a Proverb a day together…

Let’s press on to maturity then, walking down Torah Road, making time in God’s Word a daily practice, training our senses to discern good and evil so that we can more and more live and love like Jesus…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.

November 13, 2023

The Greater High Priest

Hebrews 5.1-10

Jesus is greater. He’s greater as the Son of God. He’s greater as the Son of David. He’s the greater Prophet…Priest…and King. Jesus is greater.

Jesus learned obedience through suffering. Not that He was disobedient, but that suffering was necessary for Him to be the perfect sacrifice. Not only sinless. But One who could relate to our suffering. And the One who obediently suffered on our behalf calls us to obediently follow Him. Not under the heavy yoke of endless rules, but in the easy yoke of a life-giving relationship.

That’s why today is always important. Whatever yesterday looked like. Whatever my failures…or successes. I have today. And today if you hear His voice… If you haven’t been walking in obedience to your Savior, then today you can. Today you can get back on Torah Road.

If you haven’t yet trusted in Jesus, today can be the day for that as well. 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. You too will have the righteousness that comes from God through faith in Jesus.

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 or Twitter: @ccclancaster. You can also download our Central Christian app in the iTunes App Store.

November 6, 2023

Sabbath Rest: Part 2

Hebrews 4.8-16

There is a Sabbath rest for the people of God, but we will only experience that rest when we walk by faith. We only experience that rest as we learn to trust God yet more and more in the moments of our life…as we seek His help in our time of need.

As believers, we are all called to rest, but we don’t all experience it. And I love this quote from DL Moody that Jared shared with me that relates to this. “There are three kinds of faith in Jesus Christ: struggling faith, which is like a man floundering and fearful in stormy, deep water; clinging faith, which is like a man hanging on to the side of a boat; and resting faith, which finds a man inside the boat-strong and secure enough to reach out his hand to help someone else.

Notice that each man had faith. Each knew that the boat was his only hope. But only one had a resting faith. Only one had discovered he could actually be in the boat-where all he had to do was rest. And that rest produces an obedience to reach out to help. 

This is the kind of faith God wants us to have-a faith that trusts Him totally. But sometimes we discover its reality only after we have endured a struggling or clinging faith that we come to a resting faith. Sometimes we only realize we can get in the boat when the storm rages, and we call out to God with new faith. Then our Savior graciously extends His hand and says, ‘Come to Me…and I will give you rest’ (Matthews 11.28).”

My prayer for each of us is that we discover for ourselves that resting 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 or Twitter: @ccclancaster. You can also download our Central Christian app in the iTunes App Store.

October 30, 2023

Sabbath Rest: Part 1

Hebrews 4.1-7

Living a life of rest is what every believer is called to but not what every believer experiences. Because living a life of rest requires us to walk by faith in obedience to what God calls us to do.

How do we know what God calls us to do? Of course that’s found in His Word…in the Bible. And it’s as we spend time in His Word…daily spending time with Him in His Word, reading, meditating, praying, absorbing, allowing His Word also to spend time in us, dwelling richly within us…that we learn who it is that God calls us to be and what it is that God calls us to do, that the Spirit transforms us by the renewing of our minds so that we know that God’s will and His ways are good and acceptable and perfect. Then we hear and obey, trusting Him all along the way…all the way down Torah Road.

We first enter His rest when we trust in Jesus. When we start our journey down Torah Road. If you would like to do that 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. You too will have the righteousness that comes from God through faith in Jesus. And you can experience His rest today.

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 or Twitter: @ccclancaster. You can also download our Central Christian app in the iTunes App Store.

October 23, 2023

The Peril of Unbelief

Hebrews 3.12-19

We must take care that there not be found among anyone of us an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God…a heart that’s been hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. That’s why it’s so important that we walk down Torah Road together. The Christian life was never intended to be a solo journey. It’s a group adventure.

The folks coming out of Egypt were believers when they left…the people believed in the LORD. The Passover was the sign of their faith. So, given that these folks were believers when they left Egypt, and we’re only a few years down the road from that, what happened? Could that happen to these Jewish believers who were reading Paul’s letter? More importantly at this point…could it happen to us?

The answer is…yes. But…if we do this thing together, that’s so much less likely. I can’t see my blind spots. Kind of why they’re called blind spots. But you can. And I can see yours. And so we can help each other. Keep pointing each other back to Torah Road. Keep pointing each other back to Jesus. That’s my prayer for each and every one of us. That we all have that group of folks who will do that for us. So if you are not in a small group, get into one.

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 or Twitter: @ccclancaster. You can also download our Central Christian app in the iTunes App Store.

October 16, 2023

Greater Than Moses

Hebrews 3.1-11

Jesus is greater. He’s greater than the OT revelation that points to Him. He’s greater than the angels who were created to worship and serve Him. He’s greater than Moses. Jesus is greater.

Moses was faithful as a servant. And although Moses was faithful, those who followed him weren’t. They grumbled and complained. They questioned. They rebelled. They missed their opportunity to enter the land. They fell short of the promise.

Jesus is faithful as the Son. So what about those of us who follow Him? Are we…will we be faithful? Or will we too grumble and complain? Will we question Him? Will we rebel? Will we drift away or become hardened and so miss our opportunity to experience the life that He called and saved us for? I pray that that’s not the case. I pray that we do remain faithful. That we keep our feet on Torah Road and our eyes fixed on Jesus.

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 or Twitter: @ccclancaster. You can also download our Central Christian app in the iTunes App Store.

October 2, 2023

Bringing Many Sons to Glory

Hebrews 2.10-18

There is so much theology in these 9 or 10 verses. I want to encourage you to read and listen again so you can wrap your mind around these truths. The more you dig in, the more light bulbs are going to go off, and the more clearly you will see your loving Creator and Mighty King. And then you will catch the bug and want to know more. And the more you will be in awe of Him. And the more you are in awe of Him the more motivation you will have to live a life in honor of Him.  And do your part in bringing many sons to glory.

It’s an incredible thought…the Son of God, the radiance of the Father’s glory, the exact representation of His nature, the One through whom the world was made, the One who sustains all things by the word of His power, the One who is worshiped by the angels is also the One who was made like His brothers, suffered and died on their behalf, so that He could be the Author of their salvation, bringing many sons to glory.

Suffering before glory. It’s important for us to remember so that we do not lose heart in the midst of suffering for our faith. That’s tough to do in the suffering stage. But if we keep in mind that God is at work in the midst of it, especially in the suffering, accomplishing His work in us and…through us, if we will let Him, making us more like Jesus, purifying and strengthening our faith, then we can find both peace and joy in the midst of suffering.

Jesus is the Author of salvation. He died so that you could live. If you haven’t experienced that yet…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. You too will have the righteousness that comes from God through faith in Jesus.

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 or Twitter: @ccclancaster. You can also download our Central Christian app in the iTunes App Store.

September 25, 2023

So Great a Salvation

Hebrews 2.1-9

How will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?

Paul has already made the case that the Son is greater…that Jesus is greater than anyone or anything. He fulfills what the OT anticipated. Every promise, prophecy, picture, symbol…you name it and Jesus fulfills it. Even the salvation that the OT pointed to finds its fulfillment in Jesus.

So what is this so great a salvation? It is this. The OT promised that a Hero would come. A Hero who would crush the serpent’s head, who would defeat sin and death, and lead God’s people back to the garden and a relationship with Him. And Jesus is that Hero. 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. You too will have the righteousness that comes from God through faith in Jesus.

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 or Twitter: @ccclancaster. You can also download our Central Christian app in the iTunes App Store.