Central Community Church | Sermon Audio

Luke 5:33 - 6:11 In this sermon, we explore Jesus’ confrontation with the Pharisees in Luke 5:33–6:11 and reveals how easily religious traditions can become barriers to experiencing the transforming work of God. Through stories about fasting, wineskins, the Sabbath, and the healing of a man with a withered hand, Jesus challenges a system that prioritized outward performance over inward transformation.

Luke 5:33-6:11 When legalism replaces the way of Jesus, a lack of love and concern for others results, and people’s needs for forgiveness, for daily provision, and for healing, are overlooked.

Luke 5:33 – 6:11 Why were the Pharisees so upset that Jesus and His disciples were feasting instead of fasting? In this passage, Jesus reveals that something entirely new has arrived. He is the Bridegroom, the Lord of the Sabbath, and the Savior who came to bring joy, freedom, and life to His people. As the religious leaders cling to their traditions and self-righteousness, Jesus invites us to see what God is doing right in front of us. Today we’ll explore how Christ calls us into a new way of living, frees us from empty religion, and demonstrates His commitment to save us at any cost.

Luke 5:27-32 Jesus lived with a deliberate mission in mind: to seek and save sinners. He saw the outcasts, misfits and social pariahs, went to them and called them to follow him. He was not afraid of being judged by self-righteous religious figures, but rather called all people, regardless of their position or power, to repent of their sin and follow him.

Luke 5:27-32 Jesus lived His life keenly observing people. He saw their need and then, motivated by mercy, called them to leave their way of living and follow Him. He still does this, now through His disciples.

Luke 5:27-32 Jesus dined with tax collectors and sinners and it transformed their lives. This sermon seeks to apply the way of Jesus to our interactions with unbelievers so we neither stand at a distance condemning culture, nor assimilate to the culture, but bring the distinctive, compelling beauty of Jesus effectively with us wherever we go.

Romans 8:1-11 In Acts 2, the Spirit fell on all believers present in Jerusalem, the church was birthed, and everything changed. Now, God himself takes up residence inside the lives of each individual believer by the presence and power of his Holy Spirit. On this Pentecost Sunday, we reflect on what the Holy Spirit accomplishes in the daily ongoing life of the Christian. From Romans 8:1-11 the message is clear: the Spirit of life has brought about a new freedom from sin and death. This means that all who have the Spirit of God experience a new position, a new pattern, and a new power. We cannot neglect our need for the Spirit’s work, indeed, our whole lives ought to be characterized by walking in the Spirit for apart from him we are weak and powerless. The good news is that because of what Christ accomplished on the cross, his Spirit has now come to grant us communion with God and victory over sin.

Romans 8:1-11 On Pentecost Sunday, we explore Romans 8:1–11 and the reality of life inthe Holy Spirit. In Christ, the verdict over believers has changed and there is now nocondemnation. Through the Spirit, God not only forgives us but transforms our minds,reshapes our desires, and fills us with resurrection hope. This morning we will unpackhow the Spirit frees us from shame and empowers us to fight sin. Paul reminds us thatthe same power that raised Jesus from the dead now dwells within His people.

Romans 8:1-11 Pentecost reminds us of a breathtaking reality: the Holy Spirit of God now dwells within every believer. In Romans 8, Paul contrasts the life of the flesh (marked by condemnation, slavery, and death) with the life of the Spirit, marked by freedom, peace, sonship, and transformation in Christ. Today we’ll consider what it truly means to set our minds on the Spirit, walk in His power, and live daily in the freedom of “no condemnation” for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Romans 8:31-37 Jesus' ascension is one of the most underrated Christian doctrines, nevertheless, it has massive life changing implications for the follower of Christ. Because of Jesus’ ascension we can have confidence that God is for us, since nothing can separate us from the love of our enthroned King who is praying for us and is coming back for us.

Romans 8: 31-39 Forty days after Christ’s resurrection, Jesus rose, bodily, to heaven. This ascension completed the mission of Jesus on earth but was the beginning of God’s plan for the Christian church. The sacrifice of Christ on the cross, His victory over death and His ascension to heaven direct us to have confidence that there is nothing that is able to separate us from the love of Jesus.

Romans 8:31-39 Jesus died and rose again. Amazing as that is it’s not the end of the story. On Ascension Sunday we are focusing on the current role that Jesus plays as the reigning King of kings over all creation and active intercessor as our great High Priest in heaven — and why that makes all the difference in your life today.

Luke 5:17-26 Faith that is convinced that Jesus is able to both effect healing, but more amazingly forgive sin, is a faith that will stop at nothing to get people to encounter Jesus.

Luke 5:17-26 The healing of the paralytic not only authenticates the greater healing that only Jesus can perform – the forgiveness of sins, but it also points to human involvement in that healing.

Luke 5:17-26 God uses the faith and determination of Christians to lead people to Jesus, where salvation, forgiveness, and healing are found.The story of the men bringing a paralytic to Jesus reminds us that religious people often make it difficult for outsiders to get to Jesus, we should do whatever it takes, sometimes we need the borrowed faith of fellow believers to carry us, Jesus’ priority is to address our deepest need, Jesus alone has the power to forgive and heal, and a true encounter with Jesus brings awe, praise, and joy.

Luke 5:12-16 A man with an incurable, wasting disease was completely healed with only four words: “I will; be clean.” We too need to hear those same words – and be healed from the wasting disease called sin – a disease that can only be cured by Jesus.

Luke 5:12-16 Jesus encounters a man full of leprosy whose deepest need is not simply healing, but cleansing. This morning we examine how the leper’s condition points us to our own spiritual uncleanness and our inability to make ourselves clean before God. Through this powerful interaction, we see Christ’s willingness and authority to cleanse those who come to Him in humble faith. All who have been made clean, are called to go and show others the life-changing grace of Jesus.

Luke 5:12-16 Sometimes we become so consumed with the urgent and visible problems in our lives that we fail to see the deeper problem beneath them all. In this passage, we’ll learn to recognize our greatest need and the lasting solution Jesus offers to those willing to see their true condition.

Luke 5:1-11 This morning we look at Luke 5:1–11 and the calling of Peter, James, andJohn. In a moment of failure, and after fishing all night with empty nets, Jesus calls them to be His disciples. Not because of their effort, but because of His grace. He callsthem to trust His word, reveals their unworthiness, and then gives them a new purpose.This passage shows us that Jesus meets us in our emptiness and calls us to trust Him, while He transforms our lives for His mission.

Luke 5:1-11 Luke 5:1-11 tells us the dramatic story of Jesus calling his first disciples. From this passage we learn that following Jesus entails recognizing our sinfulness and unworthiness while simultaneously acknowledging the supreme worth of Christ. Following Jesus is not easy; he calls his followers to be willing to lay everything down for his sake. In the end though, he is more than worth it.

Luke 5:1-11 When Jesus calls you to be His disciple, it means doing what He says (even when it doesn’t make sense), God becoming big to you (which terrifies and attracts), joining Him on His mission (by filling your net with things of eternal value), and surrendering everything (and discovering the life you were made for there).

Luke 4:38-41 Do you feel that Jesus tires of hearing of your needs or requests? In this account Jesus demonstrates how his love responds to our requests and it heals our physical and spiritual hurts. His love carries authority and hope for us as evidenced in His sacrifice on the cross and rising from the grave.

Luke 4:38-44 In a world searching for meaning, Jesus shows us in Luke 4:38-44 what a truly purposeful life looks like. He compassionately heals, powerfully frees, and intentionally proclaims the good news, revealing both His mission and ours. As His followers, we are called to follow His example for our good and God’s glory.

Luke 4:38-44 And he (Jesus) arose and left the synagogue and entered Simon’s house. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was ill with a high fever, and they appealed to him on her behalf. 39 And he stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her, and immediately she rose and began to serve them. 40 Now when the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to him, and he laid his hands on every one of them and healed them. 41 And demons also came out of many, crying, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Christ. 42 And when it was day, he departed and went into a desolate place. And the people sought him and came to him, and would have kept him from leaving them, 43 but he said to them, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.” 44 And he was preaching in the synagogues of Judea.

Luke 4:31-37 Satanic and demonic encounters marked the beginning of Jesus’ earthly ministry and the inauguration of the kingdom of God. This factor revealed another – Jesus’ absolute power and authority. These factors authenticate who Jesus is, what He said, and what He came to do.

Luke 4:31-37 Words matter. But it’s the person speaking who adds power, authority, and impact to those words. Every single one of us has someone whose words have profoundly mattered to us; a person whose every word we’ve clung to. But what is it about that person that convinced you to give them such influence in your life? Their title? Their experience? Their character? Or, most importantly, what and whom their words point you to. Jesus’ words had that same impact on many who listened to Him. Words so powerful that even the demonic listened and trembled.

Luke 4:31-37 In our text this morning we see a shift from Jesus' prophetic declaration to Jesus' powerful demonstration.

John 11: 38-44 What Jesus did for Lazarus proves that He has the power to keep His promise: “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.” (John 11:25-26). The message of Easter is that those who believe in Jesus will live eternally, even though they die physically, and that Jesus gives meaning and purpose to our suffering in a sinful, broken world. Those who hope in Jesus have a great hope indeed!

John 11:21-27 Easter is the joyous celebration that death is not the end of the story. In John 11, Jesus, the loving, Son of God, makes an astounding statement in the face of the death of his friend Lazarus: “I am the resurrection and the life.” Through the raising of Lazarus from the dead and through his own resurrection, Jesus demonstrates that he has the power over death, sin and Satan. Jesus alone can offer us eternal life. Do you believe this?

John 11:17-27 This Easter in the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead in John 11 we see that He is more than just a healer or a prophet but also the resurrection and the life! What Jesus does for Lazarus proves that He has the power to keep His promise. He had just finished telling Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life” and that “whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die” and then He proceeds to raise Lazarus from the dead. Here’s the lesson: Believe the One who raised a dead guy and take Him at His word.Jesus promises that those who believe in Him, though they die physically, they’ll live eternally with Him. Those who hope in Jesus have a great hope indeed. This has enormous ramifications for our times of suffering, in our wrestle with sin, and for the way in which we view our broken world. Jesus turns death into resurrection life!

John 11:1-6 Good Friday is the most powerful reminder that suffering & death are not futile, even though we tend to think they are. They don’t get the final word, even though it can feel like they do. When people suffer – particularly when it results in death, we rarely understand the why. But the story of Lazarus – and the cross most of all – gives us a window into a few of the reasons.

John 11:1-6 Good Friday is the most powerful reminder that suffering is not futile, even though we tend to think it is; and that it doesn’t get the final word, even though it can feel like it does. In the midst of suffering we rarely understand the why. But the story of Lazarus — and the cross most of all — gives us a window into a few of the reasons why.The story of Jesus raising Lazarus shows us that far from being futile, it is actually suffering that produces greater faith and reliance on Jesus more than anything else. Suffering and even death are not the last word. Jesus gets the last word. And while Good Friday is full of sorrow, heartbreak, and death, S.M. Lockridge was right when he famously bellowed, “It’s Friday, but Sunday’s coming.” Death is not dying. Resurrection gets the last word.

Leviticus 19:1-18 Leviticus 19 calls the people of God is to be holy, set apart, because God is holy. Rather than give ourselves to a list of rules, do’s and don’ts, whereby we strive to achieve perfection, we are called to embrace a life that reflects the character of God. Holiness is played out, expressed, and experienced, in our attitudes and actions towards God and others, finding fulfillment in self-less love for our neighbour.

Leviticus 19:1-18 Leviticus 19 calls the people of God is to be holy, set apart, because God is holy. Rather than give ourselves to a list of rules, do’s and don’ts, whereby we strive to achieve perfection, we are called to embrace a life that reflects the character of God. Holiness is played out, expressed, and experienced, in our attitudes and actions towards God and others, finding fulfillment in self-less love for our neighbour.

Leviticus 19:1-18 Like children striving to earn a parent’s approval, we often misunderstand love as something to be achieved rather than received. The closing chapters of Leviticus remind us that holiness is not a burden to earn God’s favour but a response to the grace we’ve already been given through Christ. Because we stand in His holiness, our lives of obedience become an expression of gratitude and worship, not a means of achieving acceptance.

Leviticus 16:20-34 This morning we look at the Day of Atonement in Leviticus 16, showing how it's sacrifices and scapegoat point to the seriousness of sin and God’s provision for atonement. This is ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ, who bears our guilt and removes our sin once for all. It calls us to rest in His finished work and live with humble confidence, knowing there is no condemnation in Him.

Leviticus 16:20-34 For a culture that prioritizes radical autonomy and expressive individualism, the very concept of sin is often dismissed as a tool of psychological oppression—a toxic relic of shame based religious systems seen as an affront to personal dignity. Yet, this cultural avoidance often leaves us with a deeper, more restless anxiety: if there is no such thing as sin, there is also no such thing as true redemption or a clean slate. Christianity asserts that God graciously made atonement possible so that sin can be dealt with and the sinner can be liberated, leading to a life notof heavy religious guilt over sin but profound freedom and flourishing because Jesus endured the penalty of sin and stood in the place of sinners.

Leviticus 16:1-19 God initiated the way that sinful man can be reconciled in relationship to Himself. The nation of Israel practiced a sacrificial system, a means to temporarily atone for the sins of mankind. This system was a foreshadow of the ultimate sacrifice. Jesus Christ died for the permanent removal of the sin of mankind. How will you respond?

Leviticus 16:1-19 One of the ways that the storyline of the Bible can be summarized is through the lens of God’s presence as the goal. The dilemma is that God is more holy than our sinful selves can bear. In the centre of Leviticus is God’s solution to the dilemma: Atonement.

Leviticus 11:44-47 contains an abundance of strange laws about avoiding uncleanness and maintaining ritual purity. Though they may seem foreign at first glance, these laws ultimately point to the holiness of God and the seriousness of sin. Through Christ, God frees us from slavery to sin so that we might live lives set apart for Him and enjoy the life He intends for His redeemed people.

Leviticus 11:44-47 God’s holiness is the defining attribute of His character, and in this text He teaches Israel that holiness requires distinction between the clean and the unclean. These dietary laws were not primarily about diet but about forming a people who understood that they belonged to God and were set apart for Him. In the same way, believers today are called to live lives that reflect God’s character rather than conform to the values of the world. Jesus later revealed that true defilement does not come from what enters the body but from the sinful heart within. Through Christ, God provides the cleansing we need and calls us to live as His holy people.

Leviticus 8:1-13 How can sinful people live near a holy God and not be consumed? In Leviticus 8 we watch God take the initiative: He appoints priests, consecrates them, clothes them, anoints them, and shows Israel that even their mediators need atonement. And that’s the point: the whole priestly system was never meant to be the finish line; it was meant to create hunger for someone better. Because if priests had to stand daily offering sacrifices that could never fully take away sin, then we need a Priest who doesn’t need cleansing, doesn’t need repeating, and doesn’t need replacing; and that Priest is Jesus Christ, the One who offered one sacrifice for all time and sat down, because the work is finished.

Leviticus 8:1-13 A mediator is needed for God to dwell with his people. In Leviticus, priests were set apart to represent the people before God, pointing ahead to Jesus, our Great High Priest. Through His once-for-all sacrifice, He opened the way to God, atoning for our sin and making us righteous.Because He became man, He understands us and intercedes for us. And now, as His followers, we are called to live as priests—offering our lives to God and pointing others to the One who saves.

Leviticus 8:1-13 How can sinful people live near a holy God and not be consumed? In Leviticus 8 we watch God take the initiative: He appoints priests, consecrates them, clothes them, anoints them, and shows Israel that even their mediators need atonement. And that’s the point: the whole priestly system was never meant to be the finish line; it was meant to create hunger for someone better. Because if priests had to stand daily offering sacrifices that could never fully take away sin, then we need a Priest who doesn’t need cleansing, doesn’t need repeating, and doesn’t need replacing; and that Priest is Jesus Christ, the One who offered one sacrifice for all time and sat down, because the work is finished.

Leviticus 1:1-9 Leviticus may feel dull and dated, but it lays a foundation beneath the beauty of the gospel, showing us the holiness of God and the seriousness of our sin. Through the Levitical sacrifices, we glimpse the cost of atonement and the way God provides a substitute. The altar points forward to Christ, whose body was broken and blood poured out so that sinners might draw near to a holy God.