Lenexa Central Church Sermons
Welcome to the weekly podcast from Central Church of the Nazarene in Lenexa, KS. For more information about Central Church go to centralchurchonline.com
Episodes
182 episodes
Praying with Your Eyes Open
1 Peter 4:1-11 Prayer connects us to our Creator and opens our eyes to who God is and what he is calling us to do.
Holy Humility
1 Peter 5:1-11 When we are at our lowest, that kind of vulnerability can be an opportunity to rely on the Lord. Yes, that's when our weaknesses are highlighted, but it's also when we experience the Lion of God care for us.
Praying with Your Eyes Open
1 Peter 4:1-11 Our world is filled with competing visions of the “good life,” but following Jesus invites us to live with our eyes open, aware of God’s vision for who we are to be and what we are to do. Life is too short to spend our...
Holy R-E-S-P-E-C-T
1 Peter 2:13-3:7 Peter describes the church as "exiles and foreigners." It's a reminder that this world and its ways are not our true home. While we live in it, however, we are to live with respect towards everyone. From the hig...
The Overflow
1 Peter 2:11-12; 3:15 Are you a bucket filler or a bucket dumper? Peter recognizes that all of us are vessels that can be filled through encouragement and kindness or emptied by insult and slander. When we are going through difficult...
Pentecost Sunday: Holy God, Holy People
1 Peter 2:9-10 Pastor Howie Tempel calls our congregation to be a holy people based on 1 Peter 2:9-10. Because we are a "royal priesthood and holy nation," we live in a way that invites others out of darkness and into the wonderful l...
Living Stones
1 Peter 2:4-11What are the rough edges and broken pieces in your story? Even when the rough edges keep us from reflecting our Creator, the work of the Holy Spirit allows us to reflect the work of our Creator back to Him. <...
Praise
1 Peter 1:3-12 Peter is writing to those suffering persecution, but he begins his letter by calling them to praise! Jesus is the living hope that transcends our circumstances. Even in the face of difficult situations, holy pe...
A Change of Mind
Luke 24:36-49 The resurrection is a miracle that defies logic, making it difficult for the human mind to accept it. The disciples could hardly believe what their senses were telling them as they talked with the One who was cr...
A Change of Pace
Matthew 11:28-30; Acts 9:1-9 Before he had an encounter with Christ, Saul's pace of life as a Pharisee was predictable and constant. Everything changed, however, on the road to Damascus. Saul's eyes were opened and the pace o...
A Change of Heart
Mark 16:7; Acts 2:37-39 The messenger at the empty tomb tells the women to, "Tell his disciples AND Peter." The resurrection of Jesus means that even those that deny him three times can experience forgiveness, hope, and restoration! ...
A Change of Direction
Luke 24:13-35 The two disciples on the Road to Emmaus were disappointed and heartbroken by the loss of Jesus. The resurrection, however, changes their walk. Not only do they not walk alone, but they ultimately are able to wal...
This Changes Everything
Mark 16:1-8; Mark 14:51-52 The risen tomb is a miracle that demands a response of praise. It's not just a fact to be remembered, but a reality that changes everything. The unnamed man who flees the garden in shame (Mark 14:52...
Lead Us Not Into Temptation
Matthew 6:13; Matthew 21:1-11 Humanity will always face the temptation to trust in anyone or anything other than God. This is how Jesus was tempted in the desert. On Palm Sunday, the crowd was trusting in their image of who t...
Forgive Us as We Forgive
Matthew 6:12; Matthew 18:21-35 God offers us an amazing gift in the forgiveness of our sins, but we are not always ready to offer others the same deal. Forgiveness is central to the gospel, both as a gift to be received and a...
Give Us This Day
Matthew 6:11; Matthew 7:7-12 Learning to pray for "daily bread" requires that we surrender our sense of entitlement. God doesn't promise excess but he does promise enough. Rather than hoard our limited resources for things be...
On Earth as It Is in Heaven
Matthew 6:10; Rev. 11:15-16 It's obvious the world is not the way that it's supposed to be, but praying and living this prayer calls us to a renewed imagination. Instead of throwing up our hands in despair and saying, "What's th...
Hallowed Be Your Name
Matthew 6:5-15; 1 Peter 1:13-16 In prayer, we honor and revere the name of God. It's a reminder that just as God is holy, we too, are called to lives of holiness that honor God. We "sanctify" the world through worship and missio...
Our Father
Matthew 6:5-15; Luke 11:1 In revealing who God is, Jesus is inviting a Jewish audience to think of God as "Father." Prayer and its importance was nothing new, but calling God "Our Father" was more than just novel, it was revolut...
A Wrestling Story
Genesis 32:22-32 Jacob has a past. He's known as a deceiver, manipulator, and cheater, but God doesn't give up on him. God meets Jacob in his failure and "wrestles" with him, leaving him changed as evidenced by the new way he wa...
A Provision Story
Genesis 22:1-18 God asked Abraham to offer back to Him the most important gift he had ever received: his only son. It's the first time in the story Abraham does what God asks him to do with nothing to gain and everything to lose. Abr...
A Promise Story
Genesis 15 God reaffirms his covenant with Abraham, walking between the sacrifices as a demonstration of his commitment to the promise. Like Abraham, we are unfaithful to the covenant, but Jesus walks between the sacrifices for ...