Christ Community Sunday - Leawood Campus

Romans 3:21-26 // Gabe CoyleThere are few questions that are quite as loaded and comforting as “Are you okay?” The range of responses could be “Sure” to “Not even close.” What God has to offer us in this space is the answer we long for, but without him we don’t have the eyes to see. Join us as we continue our rescuing journey in the book of Romans and learn how we can be okay today…and forever. Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/49142765 Prayer Requests: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new

Tom Nelson // Romans 3:1-20Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/49139444 Prayer Requests: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new23.10.01

Romans 2:17-29 // Ben BeasleyOne of the longest-running complaints by the modern world of the church is. It’s also one of the greatest barriers to our witness in the modern world: Saying one thing and being another. Fake. Two-faced. Saying one thing and being another. Fake. In one sense, all humans wrestle with being fake, but this is more vibrant/clear in religious communities. Partly because the more clear your convictions, the more clear being fake appears. The more religious you are, the easier it is to spot a fake. The more clear your claims, the easier it is to see when you don’t align. I actually don’t think it's because religious people are worse than other people, it's just that our hypocrisy is more vivid. And shouldn’t we be different? Isn’t that an appropriate hope? And yet, knowing all this…this is persistent in the church…from all the way back in the first century no less.Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/49139434 Prayer Requests: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/ne

Romans 2: 1-11 // Ben BeasleySermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/49135914 Prayer Requests: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new23.09.17

Romans 1:24-2:1 // Tom NelsonAs thoughtful readers of the text, let’s remember that rabbi Paul who wrote the book of Romans writes from a coherent biblical worldview.  A worldview is an attempt to make coherent sense of our lives and the world. All worldviews are built on faith assumptions that cannot be absolutely proven with certainty whether they are atheistic, (there is no god), pantheistic (everything is god or a force), or theistic (There is a God, distinct from us.) Worldviews, we all have them–whether they are carefully thought through or not, all of us wrestle with life’s biggest questions and the most challenging experiences of our lives. Questions like where did we come from, is there meaning to our lives, what is wrong with the world, what about suffering and evil, and where are we heading? For Paul, the heart of the problem is the problem of the human heart. Since that fateful day long ago in the Garden of Eden, humans have chosen to embrace a lie, worshiping created things rather than the Creato

Romans 1:18-25 // Ben BeasleyOur passage gives us three reasons why we need to be rescued. And that we need to be rescued from the things that God’s wrath is directed against. When we refuse to acknowledge God for who He is, when our gratitude goes somewhere else when we show a lack of gratitude, or when we give our attention to false idols or counterfeit gods. Paul’s claim here is that if we refuse to acknowledge God as the creator…then our gratitude is inclined to go somewhere other than to God. Paul is essentially saying: that if you don’t start with God. If you don’t start with the reality that God made the world….Then you are doomed from the beginning. What Paul is alluding to, is that sin from the beginning of its entrance into the world continues on the path of self-deception.Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/49128953 Prayer Requests: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new23.09.03

Romans 1: 8-15 // Ben BeasleyEverywhere we look we see division in our world. We live in a divided world. The myth is that today we are more divided than ever before, but division has always been part of the human story. Paul’s letter to the Romans was written to a city, to a church, and to a world that was experiencing great division. Paul is clear in his message that our division is overcome and a new kind of family takes its place through faith in Jesus. Faith in Jesus gives us three things: an identity, a longing, and a binding. Faith in Jesus gives us an identity as beloved. Some of us need the simple reminder that God loves you. He knows all of you. He loves you. And when you place your faith in Jesus, he fully commits to you, gives you an identity, and welcomes you into his new family.Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/49122073 Prayer Requests: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new23.08.20

Romans 1: 13-17 // Tom NelsonChristianophobia is defined as a growing cultural phenomenon marked by an increasingly intense animosity against Christians and the Christian faith. Christians face increased discrimination and greater hostility in many sectors of society including media, the academy, business and government. How should we as followers of Jesus live in the context of a culture of growing hostility to what we believe and our moral commitments? Some today are choosing to separate from culture, more it seems are changing their beliefs and moral commitments in order to accommodate to culture. Yet I find an increasing number of Christians who are living in the shadows of a kind of fearful silence. Tragically separation from culture or accommodation to culture is not the answer to navigating an increasingly hostile culture, nor is a fearful silence. A better and more biblical way of navigating our contemporary culture is what Christian sociologist James Hunter has rightly called, a faithful presence wit

Romans 1: 1-7 // Tom NelsonSermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/49117558 Prayer Requests: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new23.08.13

2 Samuel 24 // Ben BeasleyThe question isn’t if we’ll fall. It’s when. Some can ignore it for a while, but eventually, we come to terms with our own proclivities, areas of brokenness, and destructive behaviors. If we’re honest with ourselves, everyone has moments and sometimes seasons when we’ve intentionally made destructive decisions toward ourselves, toward others, and God. Where do you fall, when you fall? One of the key dynamics throughout the whole Samuel scroll is comparing Saul and David. Fascinating: David and Saul both fall. David is — in many ways — recorded as falling harder and farther…but the difference is that David knows where to fall. When Saul was faced with his sin, he blamed others, and tried to just avoid consequences. When David was faced with his own sin, he owned it. All of it. And he fell into the Lord’s hands…because he trusted that God’s mercy would get the last word. When we fall on the LORD, his mercy gets the last word. What about you today? Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/ev

2 Samuel 16: 5-12 // Ben BeasleyI understand that there are people here who have lived more life than me. Who have experienced much more than me. I’m well aware of that fact. But in my years, I’ve lived enough life simply to say this. Losses change us. They make us different. We don’t come out the other end the same. If we are honest, the wounds are often there, lying underneath the surface. Losses, whether it’s the loss of a child, a relationship, a dream, or whatever it may be - losses are defining moments in our lives. I would like us to recognize three ways in which suffering changes us; suffering humbles us, suffering leads us to pray, and in suffering, we find compassion for others. We are not alone in our suffering. God enters into our suffering and is the only one who can redeem the mess to offer hope in our suffering.Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/49111478 Prayer Requests: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new23.07.30

Hebrews 11: 1-3, 6 //  Tom NelsonWhen you hear the word faith, what first comes to mind? What may come to mind is a kind of wishful thinking, an irrational blind leap, or a last resort option when all other options have vanished. But what is faith as the Holy Scriptures reveal it? And why is it the key that unlocks the flourishing life God intends for us? Properly understood, faith is the currency of the Christian life, informing, shaping, and empowering every moment, and every aspect of daily life. Faith remembers the past, informs our present, and looks forward with hope.  Faith revisits and remembers its rootedness. May we increasingly see with the eyes of faith for as the writer of Hebrews reminds us;  Without faith, it is impossible to please God! Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/49108759 Prayer Requests: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new23.07.23

2 Samuel 12: 1-7a // Brent NelsenWhat is God going to do about David’s evil? That’s what Second Samuel 12 is about. David is the king of Israel. He’s a very powerful man. And God is telling Nathan to go confront him about his sin. We need Nathans in our society and we need Nathans in our lives who can confront us when we need confronting. David has a choice, as we all do when we’re confronted with our sin. He can make excuses like Saul did when he was confronted by Samuel. Or David can come clean. I have sinned against the LORD. I wonder if it was a relief for David to say those words. But that doesn’t mean there won’t be consequences. Because David’s sin still has huge ramifications on his family. And this makes sense. Forgiveness doesn’t necessarily undo the damage. And the amount of damage that is done is often proportional to the amount of influence someone has. A parent’s sin can destroy a family. A pastor’s sin can destroy a church. A CEO’s sin can take down the company. And a king’s sin can have ramifi

2 Samuel 11:1-27 // Ben BeasleySermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/49098927 Prayer Requests: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new23.07.07

2 Samuel 9: 1-7 // Tom NelsonEarly in David’s story, he is described as a man after God’s own heart. Having a heart for God means loving as God loves. David respectfully, honorably and it would seem warmly, calls Mephibosheth by name. The writer of Samuel wants to emphasize that here. David’s loving action of speaking Mephibosheth’s name is an encouraging reminder for each of us that one of the ways we can communicate love to others is by greeting them by name, others we may not know well or are meeting for the first time. God knows our name and calls us by name. One of our first acts of love is working to remember others’ names and calling them by name. This is an example as loving as God loves. Do we actively love as God loves? Do we show kindness to our neighbors? Do we have a heart that loves and serves the vulnerable? Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/49095508 Prayer Requests: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new23.07.02

2 Samuel 7: 1-17 // Andrew JonesGod isn’t like the other gods, the false gods of the surrounding nations. You know, for them, after all the victory David has experienced. The riches, the land, the power, the great name, he would owe God something. Building this temple would be payback. The least he could do for the God who has so richly blessed him. That would have been the logic of the ancient world. God says quite the opposite. He says no you don’t owe me a temple, and frankly, there’s not a whole lot you can offer me anyway, because I made you who you are today. David, it’s all grace, and it will always be grace. In fact, my sense is that God is trying to remind David of something important here. Something for us, too. When we look back on our lives, especially the places where you have experienced success. Career success. Financial success. Marriage. Family. Academics. Promotions. All of it. Until you can see God’s grace in it all, you haven’t looked hard enough. Grace reminds David who he really is and w

2 Samuel 6: 1-15 // Tom NelsonWhere is lasting joy found? It is not found in managing God, lasting joy is found in the presence of God. Without God, there is no lasting joy. C.S. Lewis thought a lot about joy. One of his interesting insights I think he had about joy was the importance of proximity when it comes to experiencing joy. “If you want to get warm you must stand near the fire: if you want to be wet you must get into the water. If you want joy, power, peace, eternal life, you must get close to, or even into, the thing that has them.” Lewis is right, proximity matters, and so does presence. Joy flows in and through a close relationship with God himself. Without him, there is no lasting joy. Being yoked with Jesus leads us to a more attentive life, one that enjoys the presence of God and experiences lasting joy. He wants to show us the way. Will you trust him?Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/49088662 Prayer Requests: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new23.06.18

1 Samuel 24: 1-7 // Tom NelsonFor God’s covenant people throughout history, waiting was synonymous with knowing God and being known by God, of going deeper with God, but now waiting is more often than not, viewed as if we’ve missed what God has for us or that God must be ignoring us and our desires. I think it is fair to say, waiting on God is one of life’s greatest challenges.Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/49088649 Prayer Requests: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new23.06.11

1 Samuel 7: 1-11 // Tom Nelson The David and Goliath story is more than an underdog story, more than a big giant who is slain, rather it is a story about eyes that truly see. A story not so much about special courage as it is about spiritual insight. Not so much about an underdog who wins, but a shepherd boy who sees differently. Faith sees differently! Faith sight is different from eyesight. Through the eyes of faith, you can be confident that God is with you, God is ahead of you. Ultimately, the battle is the Lord’s. That all things ultimately are worked out for good by a Sovereign God who loves us and wills the very best for us. When we get our eyes on God, the difficult circumstances, fearful obstacles, griefs, disappointments, and losses we face are put in a more hopeful perspective. Through the eyes of faith, even large giants look small. Secondly, even slim odds are God-sized opportunities. One of our greatest challenges to continue to walk by faith is that we tend to forget God’s past faithfulness to

After millennia of promising a king would come, he finally appears, and it’s almost completely overlooked by the world. In the shadow of a massive empire, comes the king over all, and he came for us. Join us this Christmas Eve as we take time to notice and celebrate the birth of the promised king!Prayer Requests: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new22.12.24