CLCSERMON Audio Podcasting

Aroma for the Hungry

Sun, 22 Jun 2008 13:51:54 -0400

2Corinthians 2.14-16
The sense of smell can be powerfully captivating. And hunger, more than anything else, heightens our body’s olfactory system, or rather, our ability to smell. Our sense of smell also intensifies our ability to taste food. Taste and smell work well together.
There are few things more appealing to the senses than awaking to the first brisk morning aroma of brewed coffee and bacon frying on a camping trip.
Other powerful smells include...
...A morning stop in a real bakery or a coffee shop. Panera Bread will do,
...A neighbor’s grill on your way home from work one evening,
...Almost any authentic Italian meal.
Is there an accompanying aroma that draws out the desperately hungry soul to come and taste the goodness of the Lord?

Taste and See

Sun, 15 Jun 2008 13:51:51 -0400

Psalm 34.8 and John 4.1-26
Many people imbibe things like money, sex, co-dependant relationships, drugs, food; all to quench spiritual hunger and thirst. Unfortunately, all are in reality, dangerous substitutes for the "living water" Jesus promised.
The encouragement of the Psalmist David comes with loud expectation to the broken and weary, even his own soul. Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!
It is an echo of the heart of God to the thirsty of the world - an invitation to come and experience and receive life-giving supplies of living waters.
The woman at Jacob's well in John 4 looked up from her buckets and her broken, misguided relationships one day and found a new wellspring of life - the Lord Jesus Christ. The story is all about how God works to satisfy the thirsty.

I Am the Resurrection

Sun, 1 Jun 2008 22:05:30 -0400

John 11.25-26
One of the most unsettling aspects of death is that we have no control over it.
Four days after their brother’s death, a mountain of grief stands before Mary and Martha. It is this fourth day. It might as well have been 4 weeks; 4 years. Death is so final. It is also on the fourth day that Jesus finally arrives.
There are people who reject Christianity because they don't think it is true. Jesus couldn’t really rise from the dead. There are other people who reject the resurrection as historical fact, not because they are convinced it's not true, but because they can't see why it would make any real difference if it were true.
Jesus challenged Martha to move beyond an abstract belief in the final resurrection to complete faith in Him, Jesus said to her, “"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.” (ESV)

I Am the Light of the World

Mon, 19 May 2008 09:39:57 -0400

John 8.12
In the Court of the Women where Jesus would have been speaking in John 8.12, four huge candelabras were lit, pushing light up into the night sky like a searchlight. So brilliant was their light that the whole city was aware of it’s brightness. They served as a reminder of the pillar of fire by which God had guided Israel in the wilderness.
The most dignified leaders - danced exuberantly around the candelabra through the night, holding blazing torches in their hands and singing songs of praise. It was against the backdrop of that ceremony that Jesus made the stunning announcement that He is the true Light of the world.
When the Spirit of Christ comes into a person’s life there is a transformation that begins to take place. There is the filling of our lives with the light of His life. He is the Spirit of the Living God coming into my life filling me with strength I don’t have, taking me places I cannot go without Him, making me a person I could NEVER be without Him, enabling me to bring glory to His name and touching others with His love, putting in me a compassion for lost people, and leading me into the burden of Christ for my generation.

Praying in the Spirit 2

Sun, 11 May 2008 23:02:52 -0400

Jude 20
The Bible doesn’t define discipleship by how much we pray, but by what our praying accomplishes. This is what I love about preaching on prayer - the possibilities that happen that come through prayer - the life that God creates in you as your both talk to Him and hear His voice and the work that God can do in others, as we pray for them.
Praying in the Spirit reaches for the Vision that God has for us. Build yourselves up on your most holy faith... Prayer builds my life up into the vision, which God sees for me.
Praying in the Spirit also releases in us a passion that we for God. Keep yourselves in the love of God… We keep ourselves in a way of loving God, or remaining passionate about God. And there are eternal, saving implications in that praying.

Praying in the Spirit 1

Sun, 4 May 2008 23:02:49 -0400

Jude 20-21
The Bible doesn’t define discipleship by how much we pray, but by what our praying accomplishes. This is what I love about preaching on prayer - the possibilities that happen that come through prayer - the life that God creates in you as your both talk to Him and hear His voice and the work that God can do in others, as we pray for them. And that is what Jude is about - the possibilities that can happen in your life when it is immersed in prayerfulness.
But you, beloved, build yourselves up in your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit; keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. Jude 1.20-21
Our text extends from the phrase “pray in the Spirit” or “praying in the Spirit.” It affects both the Vision that God has for us and the Passion that we have for God.

The Expectant Church

Sun, 27 Apr 2008 23:02:47 -0400

Galatians 4.19
Galatians 4.19 is about the life of Jesus being formed in us and in others.
It is about Discipleship and that is not just some detached concept that no one really cares about. This is something that is both, happening in us and being accomplished through us in the lives of others. Jesus commands us to become His disciples and commissions you and me to make disciples. We can’t really be detached or even neutral about it.

I AM the Bread of Life

Sun, 20 Apr 2008 23:02:42 -0400

John 6.25-36
Labor Day has been a national holiday in America for 90 years. The purpose is to honor the working people of our land. In 1956 a commemorative Labor Day stamp was issued with a picture of a strong man holding a sledge hammer, a pick, a hoe, and an ax over his shoulder. His wife was seated by his side with a book in her lap showing a small child how to read. In the lower left hand corner was a large block with words of Carlyle carved into it. “Labor Is Life.” The meaning was clear and I think it is true. without hard work and diligence there will be no life—no means to feed, clothe, house, and educate a family or oneself.
Labor is Life? Well, that depends. Jesus has a very simple command concerning what we we work for and why we work and it has saving implications, eternal implications.
Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him. John 6.27
In fact, we need to pair John 6.27 with verse 35… In Jesus’ words there is both a warning and a promise. Do not labor for the food, which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life… ...And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.”

He Walks on the Storm

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 17:26:28 -0400

John 6.15-21
Jesus does not acquiesce to whims or fancies. He comes to no one on the terms of their choosing. People cannot manipulate Him for their own selfish ends. It seems the Gospel has been marketed in an attempt to be relevant in our world by presenting Jesus to unbelievers as a quick fix for felt needs like health, wealth, and self-esteem, superficially marketing Him as providing everything unbelievers want. It remakes Jesus into a social-worker or a therapist, who seems concerned with only a temporal life rather than a King of kings, who shall reign forever.
People do not come to Christ on their terms, so that He can heal their broken relationships, make them successful in life, and help them feel good about themselves. Instead, we must come to Him on His terms.
The Bible stresses the cost of being a genuine disciple of Jesus Christ. It is to love Him through obedience. Jesus is committed to His mission, to become a Savior to those, who love Him.

The Narrow Life

Sun, 6 Apr 2008 17:26:25 -0400

Matthew 7.13-14
The Narrow life defines the lifestyle of any follower of Jesus.
The most critical of all decisions is following Jesus Christ and entering His kingdom. That is the ultimate choice that determines our eternal destiny. Our eternal destiny depends on what we do with His invitation. This decision is what Jesus calls you and I to make.

I Am the Door

Sun, 30 Mar 2008 17:48:08 -0400

John 10.7-10
Every door in your life has a context to some of the richest experiences in life; a door slammed in anger after an argument, newlyweds entering the threshold of their new home together, the doors of the sanctuary opening for the bride on her wedding day, the door closed behind a child that has been sent to their room, waiting in the exam room for the doctor to finally arrive.
So what about this statement: I AM the Door of the Sheep? It is such a vivid part of everyday life that it is fitting that Jesus chose this image to again reveal Himself as our Savior and it is closely related to the image of the Good Shepherd.

The Good Shepherd

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 23:27:20 -0400

John 10.11-18
There are beautiful things about this Shepherd that distinguish Him...
The Beauty of His Love for the Sheep
The Beauty of His Life Laid Down
The Beauty of His Power
The Beauty of His Voice

Feeding the Multitudes

Sun, 16 Mar 2008 21:42:01 -0400

John 6.4-14
The fact that the feeding of the five thousand is the only one of Jesus’ many miracles recorded in all four gospels, testifies to its unique importance. In each gospel account this miracle is placed at the climax of the Lord’s ministry and fully implements the involvement of the disciples.
The fourth sign of Jesus in John’s Gospel is introduced to us by what Jesus saw…
Then Jesus lifted up His eyes... John 6:5

The Pool of Friendship and Healing

Sun, 9 Mar 2008 21:02:35 -0400

John 5.1-9
In John 5, festivity is the order of the day as thousands of Jewish pilgrims have come to Jerusalem for another feast. Families have made the journey together - to go the markets, to offer sacrifice at the temple.
Other pilgrims have braved the pathways that lead up to Jerusalem; traveling in tight groups for protection. Among them is a very ill man. It is remarkable that he could even make the trip. He has been very ill for 38 years. The illness is unnamed, but his destination is not.
People gather to sacred places, which offer hope. The Pool of Bethesda was such a place for many coming to Jerusalem, including this very sick man who had a chance encounter with Jesus.

Welcoming the Spirit of Christ

Sun, 24 Feb 2008 13:18:35 -0500

John 14.15-17
In John 14, Jesus is speaking to troubled men, who are very close to His heart, and continuing to reveal the glory of God. Jesus was leaving them, but there was a place He wanted to take them first. He turns their attention to a very important need in their lives – the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit.
A relationship with God, by His Spirit, is an imperative to keep – Jesus always spoke to His disciples in terms of relationship. He says, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.”
Our relationship with Christ also provides a promise to receive – The Agenda of the Father and Son involve the continuing ministry of the Holy Spirit in our lives. I will ask the Father, and He will give you Another…

Faith for Life

Sun, 17 Feb 2008 14:03:28 -0500

John 4.46-54
There are other forms of crisis, but nothing can grip your soul quite like trouble befalling your own child.
He is one of Herod’s most trusted officials. He has supplied his family with the lap of luxury, most likely living in one of Capernaum’s well-manicured villas, perhaps looking over the blue sparkle of the Galilean Sea. He has wealth, rank, and privilege. His family is clothed with the finest threads and materials. The word for nobleman, literally means “the king’s man,” yet neither title, rank, position, or Herod, himself, can help him now.
A high temperature and an unknown cause of sickness has reduced his little boy of boundless energy to the strength of a rag doll, suffering and melting away in the bedsheets. The best physicians have brought no answers or cures.
2 Questions need to be asked:
A. Where does crisis lead you?
B. Where can faith take you?

Euticauls Wambua

Sun, 27 Jan 2008 16:35:15 -0500

Luke 9
Christian Life Center is pleased to present a dear friend and wonderful Christian Leader, Pastor Euticauls Wambua. Euticauls pastors Baptist Chapel in Nairobi, Kenya and leads the Korogocho Baptist Youth Centre. For more information, check out www.equipkenya.org.
Pastor Wambua encourages passionate prayer in the body of Christ from Luke 9 and a readiness for a mountain top prayer adventure with Jesus.

Pursuer

Sun, 20 Jan 2008 11:16:32 -0500

Are you the worshiper you think you are?
John 4 is regarded primarily as a foundation for understanding worship. When Jesus meets the Samaritan woman at the well, He describes to her the nature of worship that God will accept…
“But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” John 4.24

Cheers in Cana

Sun, 13 Jan 2008 13:54:47 -0500

John 2.1-11
For 30 years, this vintage from Heaven was cellared away in Nazareth in a carpenter’s shop. But now His life is uncorked for us spilling forth in goodness and glory and offering the parched lips of the spiritually thirsty, who long to taste the kingdom of God. How appropriate that this should happen at a wedding.
For the overworked and overtaxed, the wedding was a much needed retreat to relax with old friends and share a little food, a little laughter, and a little wine. The wine served likely sweetened and unfermented, new wine. In the ancient world, the new wine was diluted with water to between one-third and one-tenth of its strength. During a wedding the freshest wine came out first and the diluted wine was brought out last.
But the laughter was beginning to wane. The poor family hosting the wedding had hoped that the wine could have been stretched by watering it down and filling the goblets only half full. But now the dregs at the bottom of the wine jars had begun to appear.
Such a wedding celebration in Palestine could last for a week. Financial responsibility lay with the groom. To run out of wine for the guests would have been an embarrassment to the groom and may have even opened him to a potential lawsuit from the relatives of the bride. In other words, the festivity and joy of the occasion could have potentially descended into a terribly inappropriate conflict at the worst possible time.
In an effort to spare the family of any embarrassment or social disgrace, Jesus’ mother presents Him with an unspoken request. They have no more wine. The implication of His mother’s words is simple: Son, you must do something.

Behold and Believe

Thu, 10 Jan 2008 15:07:38 -0500

John 20.31
As complex and capable as our minds might be, it still requires the miraculous intervention of God through the appearing of His Son that we might become full alive. That’s the Apostle John’s testimony:
...but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name. (John 20.31)
The mission of John is straight-forward; to give us a Jesus to behold, to paint a portrait of Christ using the colors of Jesus’ miracles and 7 “I Am” statements, which were obvious claims to be God - the Son.
C.S. Lewis said:
A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic— on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg—or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.
Can we know him as he really was—and is? How do we come to know a person who lived on the earth two thousand years ago—one who claimed to rise from the dead with indestructible life and therefore lives today?
With the help of the Holy Spirit beholding can become belief.

Revelation of Christ

Sun, 30 Dec 2007 22:35:26 -0500

1Samuel 3.19-21
Where the Word of the Lord is rare, the revelation of the Presence of the Lord is rare. Where the Word of the Lord is not heard, the Presence of the Lord will not be seen.
The Bible informs us that we may see Jesus with “the eyes of your hearts” (Ephesians 1:18). Everyone can read the stories of Jesus and look upon the portraits painted by the words of those who knew him. But not everyone sees the truth, the unimaginable beauty and immeasurable value. Some see, but don’t see. Some listen, but don’t hear.
When we see with our spiritual eyes, we see the truth and beauty and value of Jesus Christ for what they really are.
There is an amazing premise implied in 1Samuel 3.21: “Then the LORD appeared again in Shiloh. For the LORD revealed Himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the LORD.“
The Lord was seen because He was heard. Samuel learned to hear and respond to the Word of the Lord and THEN the presence of the Lord appeared in Israel. In the hearing was the seeing. The spiritual hearing of God’s Word becomes the spiritual seeing of God’s glory.

Quest for the King

Tue, 4 Dec 2007 11:18:44 -0500

Matthew 2.1-2
Christmas a quest to behold the fullness of His Presence & Glory. The Magi came to worship the newborn King of Israel. It was a pursuit of a deeply, satisfying joy.
And what was all this joy about? - they were on their way to the Messiah. True worship is not just ascribing authority and dignity to Christ; it is doing this joyfully. It is doing it because you have come to see something about Christ that is so desirable that being near him to ascribe authority and dignity to him personally is overwhelmingly compelling.

Place of New Memories

Thu, 22 Nov 2007 12:27:46 -0500

Thanksgiving reminds us of the civil and religious freedoms sought by courageous, intensely spiritual people, like William Bradford, John Carver, and the Pilgrims at the Plymouth colony. There are reminders contained in the OT Tabernacle/Temple, likewise, which compel us to consider God’s work to save us and to consider His majesty
A massive veil separated the Holy of Holies from the Holy Place. Here in this exclusive, secret place, the Living Presence of God dwelled atop the Ark of the Covenant in His Shekinah glory.
Both the Tabernacle and the Temple serve as reminders, symbols of WHY we worship and HOW we prepare to worship. Today, we want to focus on the gates of entry to the Tabernacle/Temple. The gate was a place to REMEMBER. Once we have fully entered that gate, we arrive at a place of new memories.

Abiding

Mon, 5 Nov 2007 07:34:10 -0500

1John 2.18-26 / Mary Ritter, Guest Speaker
What is abiding in you?
The Apostle John encourages believers towards a continual priority of the Word and the Spirit. However, there are other default settings of fleshy thoughts and the carnality of our old nature that will take up residence within us. Mary teaches us how to live with a priority of the Word and the Spirit.

Life Passages 4

Mon, 29 Oct 2007 14:07:35 -0400

Joshua 6.1-20
Authentic discipleship is like the HALO jump for mission of a special forces paratrooper; High Altitude, Low Opening. It’s the technique that begins with a high altitude free-fall and, if it is successful, results in fighting the enemy. The Battle of Jericho was the HALO mission for Joshua and the Israelites and the promised land lay within the walls of that great, pagan city.
Joshua observed 5 crucial priorities:
The Priority of Presence
The Priority of Motion
The Priority of Intercession
The Priority of Expectation
The Priority of Repetition

Life Passages 3

Mon, 22 Oct 2007 12:23:39 -0400

Joshua 5.1-15
Are we discernibly different from the world? How should those who believe be different from those who do not? God intends that people of faith, who follow after Him and live into His plans and purposes, should be different and distinct.
Different: adj. unlike, contrasting, divergent, clashing. out of the ordinary, unfamiliar, uncommon.
Distinct: adj. clear, well-defined, unmistakable, easily distinguishable; recognizable, visible, obvious, pronounced, prominent, striking.
The distinctives, which mark people of faith, are...
A Reputation that Proceeds Us
A Devotion that Lives within Us
A Future that Lies Before Us
A Commander, who Fights for Us

Life Passages 2

Mon, 15 Oct 2007 10:55:24 -0400

Joshua 3.1-17
God places a premium on the relationships shared between people of faith.
That is one of the themes in the Book of Joshua. It concerned to the faith of an entire nation, connected together in God’s plans. This book deals with much more than ancient history what God did centuries ago for the Jews. It's about your life and your family and the life of the church today.
God works through our relationships. Relationships between people of faith become holy ground. God sees them as a precious; a thin, rare place for His blessing to come forth. When we connect in relationships of faith and trust, be assured that God is working in our midst.

Life Passages 1

Tue, 9 Oct 2007 20:53:22 -0400

Joshua 1.1-9
Wars are never won by evacuations! Victory is never achieved by delaying the struggle. Destinations are never reached by putting off the journey. Moving forward in faith requires taking action. The Father has created us for destinations of life and peace. The psalmist wrote...
You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Psalms 16:11
However, we must begin the most courageous journeys of life to arrive at the most glorious destinations. The consequence is an abandoned future. We either move boldly into the future or evacuate to the past.
To embrace the future, which God has created for us we must embark on a faith journey that is...
Marked by Personal Mission
Inspired by God’s Promises
Traveled by Courage and Passion
Propelled by the Voice of God

Our Sunday Witness

Thu, 4 Oct 2007 06:28:28 -0400

Luke 13
Jesus approached the Sabbath much different from the culture of legalism, which decided who could approach God and how. The Sabbath healing of the woman in Luke 13 at the synagogue thunders with the reality that God wants desperately to embrace the needs of people in the world. And if that is the activity of God then it must become the activity of the Church.

Missions Flame

Sun, 19 Aug 2007 06:22:28 -0400

Isaiah 6
Images of fire in Isaiah’s visit to the temple in the year of King Uzziah’s death - smoke filling the temple, fiery seraphim angels, and glowing coals on the altar - they all illuminate the call of God to send willing go-ers to the nations to declare His word. Our experience in God’s presence will inspire the missional torch and it must be carried with a ready obedience.