Christ Community Denver: Recent Episodes
Brandon Goad
At the end of all things, Jesus returns to claim his bride, his people, and throws a lavish feast. Every Sunday when we gather is a dress rehearsal for this forever feast.
This Sunday guest preacher Monica Romig turns to Hebrews 10 to explore the necessity of gathering as the people of God.
Today we turn to Matthew 18 and consider accountability, forgiveness, and humility as markers of Jesus' community.
Christians believe that at the center of the universe is a person who in himself love, and that when we gather in Jesus centered community, we are participating in the very purpose for which we were created.
To kick off our GATHER series about the importance of the people of God gathering together, we take a look at the feasts of Israel and what they mean for followers of Jesus.
On September 17, 2023, Christ Community Church will become Hillside Church. In this episode, Pastor Brandon explains why this change is taking place and invites you to join us in our mission to Belong to Jesus' people, Believe in Jesus, and Become like Jesus.
Pastor Brandon returns this week to explore the idea that Sabbath leads to a just world where we are defined not by our circumstances, but by faithfulness to God.
What does Jesus think is the purpose of Sabbath? Today, we explore two stories from the Gospel of Matthew that show us what Jesus intended the Sabbath to be.
Jesus said, "Come to me," because Jesus' yoke is easy and his burden is light. Today, Reid Thornton unpacks the command, invitation, and promise contained in that simple statement.
Creation. Temple. Priesthood. Law. Grace. Rest. These are themes that anchor so much of the Bible's story, and today we see how all of them come together in the seminal practice of Sabbath.
The two ways to live is a consistent theme through the Bible. In this passage from Luke, Jesus applies the "two ways" to how we use our wealth.
What does it mean to give everything to Jesus? For the young man in today's passage, it means too much.
The call of Jesus is beautiful, rewarding, joyful, and difficult. Today we encounter Jesus' radical call to follow him.
If God's grace is as extravagant as we saw on Easter Sunday, then what should our attitude toward sin be? This week, we turn to Romans 6:1-14 where the apostle Paul addressed this very question.
Jesus' entry into Jerusalem during the Passover celebration reveals to us a Messiah, a king very different from what we might expect, but exactly the king we need.
This week, Monica Romig continues our series on The Gospel, considering the return of Jesus as the completion of the Good News about him and for us.
In 1 Corinthians 15:1-8, the Apostle Paul reminds the Corinthian Christians of the good news that he first preached to them. From this passage we learn just what the Gospel of Jesus is.
In this conclusion to our series on prayer, Pastor Brandon asks and attempts to answer the question, "What does it mean to pray in Jesus' name?"
Is it ever okay to complain to God? Isn't that just whining? Today, Pastor Brandon walks us through one of the most disappointing episodes in Judah's history, the nation's response, and why it is good and right to take all of our complaints to God, especially when we feel hopeless.
Prayer begins with sitting at the feet of Jesus.
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Throughout the Bible, God's people are called to fast from food for many reasons. In this sermon, Pastor Brandon explores those reasons and Jesus' expectation that his followers would fast.
In Luke 18, Jesus tells a parable about persistence in prayer, and the lesson may be even better than we could imagine.
On fifth Sundays at Christ Community, we have a Q&A time instead of a sermon. This month's Q&A was about prayer. We spent the service practicing different types of prayer and then Pastor Brandon answered questions from the congregation about prayer. We hope this time is informative and helpful for your prayer life.
The second principle of prayer: keep it real. No one kept it more real with God than Jesus did in the Garden of Gethsemane the night before he died.
Today we explore the first principle of prayer: keep it simple. God already knows your heart and knows what you need. God wants you to come to him, but there's no need to dress up your language or repeat things over and over. Just keep it simple.
Did you know that the Holy Spirit and Jesus are constantly praying for you? When we come to God in prayer, we're entering an ongoing divine conversation, which should be the most comforting thing in the world when we struggle to pray.
Repentance is the foundation of life with God. But repentance is much more than saying, "I'm sorry." In this message, pastor Brandon explores Jesus' call to repent because the kingdom of God has come.
Jesus' coming means so many things, but most of all it means SHALOM. Today, we explore what Shalom is, how Jesus fulfills it, and how we can partake of God's Shalom.
On this first Sunday of Advent, we consider what Christian hope truly is and how having Jesus as our king helps us to live in hope.
In this guest sermon, Dr. Scott W. Sunquist, President of Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary, encourages us in an age of conflict to be the people who love our enemies.
In 2 Timothy, the Apostle Paul gives his final instructions to Timothy the young pastor of a church in the great city of Ephesus. Much of his instruction has to do with remaining faithful in the face of temptation and false teaching, and here near the end of his letter, Paul gives his prescription for standing firm: hold fast to God's Word.
Psalm 19 opens to us the two "books" of God's revelation: nature and Scripture, also known as general and special revelation. Verses 7-11 focus on all that we can learn from Scripture, including all that is necessary for the knowledge of God and our salvation.
Where does the Bible get its authority, and why should Christians invest their time in reading and knowing the Bible?
Meditate - Obey - Delight. This is the pattern the psalmist lays out for approaching God's Word.
God's vision for every person is to become like Jesus (Romans 8:29). As a church, that's our vision, too. This week, we consider how we do our part in becoming like Jesus, and our plan as a church to help people do just that.
As we begin this year-long study in spiritual practices, we begin with the questions, What is the relationship between grace and obedience? And, What is the purpose of our obedience to Jesus?
In the Bible, God's people are called Israel, which means "to struggle with God." Followers of Jesus are welcomed into the community of Israel, and together we are all the people who struggle with God. And that's very good news for us doubters and those who ask hard questions.
Today we trace human history from the Ark to the Tower of Babel and discover the origins of human empires and injustice and prepare for God's call to Abram to establish a people opposed to the powers of the world.
We turn our attention to Genesis 3, and humanity's Fall. Today, we begin to answer the question, "What went wrong?" and consider the dual invitations from the world and from Jesus to take and eat.
The book of Genesis began as a catechesis for God's people, to teach them about who they are and who God is and how to be in the world. Today's text, 2:15-25, introduces Adam and Eve, and from them, we learn at least four things about how humans are made and how we are to live.
This fifth Sunday, we did something a little different. Rather than the normal sermon, Pastor Brandon answered questions from the congregation about baptism.
The gospel of Jesus has implications far beyond individual forgiveness. In this message from the letter to the Romans, Berkeley explores the meaning of the gospel for creation.
Just how powerful is kindness? This week Pastor Minde weaves research and Scripture to give us a powerful picture of what kindness can do.
Americans tend to value productivity over rest, and so tend to be really bad at Sabbath. But when the God who needs no rest chooses to, it challenges us to rethink of relationship to rest and why that need is built into who we are.
The whole mission of humanity and of Christ's church is contained in these few verses at the beginning of the Bible that teach us something revolutionary about human value.
This week, pastor Nathan O'Neal shares from the prophet Malachi on the audacity and necessity of Christian hope.
In this second message in the book of Genesis, we ask, "What is the purpose of the Creation narratives at the beginning of the BIble? Why were they written and what does God really want us to learn from them?" We'll see how even in the first words of Scripture, we're pointed to Jesus and to an ongoing, formative relationship with him and others.
This first message is on Genesis 1:1-2 where we consider why we would study Genesis and the power of God's Spirit to bring order from every form of chaos.
Guest preacher Leanor Ortega-Till walks us through the story of the Prodigal Sons and considers why it is that we're so often quick to judge.
These two verses are some of the most abused in American history. But what if they have something much more universal and applicable for all of us?
This week, we're back to our series Life Together, looking at the book of 1 Timothy and learning about the nature of the Church and our life in it. Today is 1 Timothy 4, where we get a better understanding of the Church as an interdependent community of people trying to become like Jesus.
Easter 2022. We all know the phrase "doubting Thomas." But what if Thomas wasn't the wet-blanket that we tend to think he was?
In John 12, the crowds flocked to Jesus because he had raised Lazarus from the dead, and as he entered Jerusalem, they praised him as the coming King who would free God's people. What made this episode so radical? What does it mean for us?
How are men and women to conduct themselves within the Church? The short answer: with humility.
The first duty of the Church is to pray. We pray because God wants the world to know Him.
In this first text from 1 Timothy, we learn about the Church as the community which holds to truth and is built on grace.
Guest preacher Berkeley walks us through the imagery of the Church as the Bride of Christ.
This week we kick off our new series, Life Together, about tha nature of the Church. The series will focus on the book of 1 Timothy, but first we're diving into Hebrews 10:19-25 to look at three vital implications of the gospel of Jesus for our community.
This final petition of the Lord's Prayer is the natural follow-up from the petition for forgiveness. When we come to Jesus and declare our loyalty to him, we become enemies of his enemies, and must rely on the protection that only he can provide.
This week, Pastor Minde takes us into the story of a woman who breaks all social conventions to get to Jesus, and reveals the deep love and grace which Jesus gives to everyone who comes to him.
In this part of the Lord's Prayer, Jesus teaches us to ask and issue forgiveness, the very heart of Christianity. How should forgiveness shape the way we interact with Jesus and the world?
In this petition of the Lord's Prayer, we're taught to ask for "daily bread," and discover what this petition can teach us about gratitude and contentment.
This Sunday, guest preacher Mark Grapengater updates us on the vision for his church plant, The Table, and why hospitality is central to the life of God's people.
The beginning of the Lord's prayer orients us and sets everything else in its proper place. In this first verse of the prayer, we find the central longing for every Christian heart and the chief remedy for the trouble of the world.
In this first sermon in our series, "Teach Us To Pray," we consider the posture of prayer. How should we pray? Does God expect us to have our bodies in a certain position? More importantly, what should the posture of our hearts be as we pray?
On this last Sunday of 2021, we look forward to 2022 and our theme, "Light of the World." We consider what it means that Jesus is the light of the world (John 1:1-5) who calls his followers the light of the world (Matthew 5:14-16). In 2022, how can we, the followers of Jesus, be light to our communities?
This week, we take a look at Isaiah 42:1-9, the first of the "Servant Songs" of that book. These poems look forward to a "servant" who will lead God's people and the world into the Shalom that God always intended.
In Judah's darkest moment, God promised restoration through a godly king. But the promise extends so far beyond the tiny nation of Judah. To us who live in a dark world, God gives the same sure promise of deliverance.
Any honest assessment of the world must conclude that something is very wrong. What are the origins of the Earth and humanity's brokenness, and is there any hope?
When the king of all creation comes, even the earth recognizes that its redemption is near. Just like creation groans for redemption, so does humanity. In the meantime, we live in the hope of resurrection.
When Jesus was asked by his followers how to pray, he gave them a simple prayer to pray for themselves. Prayer doesn't have to be complicated, and if you've ever found it difficult to pray, try this simple prayer to get yourself started.
What does it mean for God's kingdom to come and his will to be done? As we look to 2022, our goal as Christ Community Church is to bring heaven to earth in every way we can.
At one point in his ministry, Jesus sent 72 of his followers out on a mission that was going to be very difficult. When they returned, far from feeling dejected, they were filled with joy! What was the source of their joy and can we share in that same joy even in seasons where following Jesus is hard?
What is a friend? In a world where the idea of friendship can be very weak, we turn to Jesus to see what real friend-love is and learn how to live out that love through his strength.
Have you ever been anxious about the future of the Church? In this COVID season and with changing culture all around us, it can seem like the Church of Jesus is in trouble. Today, we go to Matthew 16:13-20 to see who exactly Jesus is and why that's good news for those concerned about His Church.
Have you ever wondered if you're following God's plan for you? What is God's plan for you and the Church?
Guest preacher Ron Hamilton challenges us not to strive, but to find our rest in Jesus.
This quote isn't in the Bible, but it seems like many Christians think it is. What's the truth? How does God expect his people to work? What's God's attitude toward those who can't help themselves, and what's our responsibility to one another?
The Kingdom of God is not limited to any one ethnicity, culture, class, or gifting. It is open to everyone, and everyone is necessary, regardless of their status. Today, we look at 1 Corinthians 12:12-13, which reminds us of this and encourages us to know how we are gifted to serve God's kingdom and the world.
God has always been a God of grace and truth, freely forgiving while holding his people accountable for their sin. As God's Church, we are called to walk in grace and truth just as Jesus does.
Where do you find your identity? In 1 John, the apostle helps us to answer this question, and encourages us to find ourselves solidly in Jesus.
This week we were joined by Daniel Dias, who shared an incredible story of God's redemption and transformation.
Everywhere Jesus went he created a culture of belonging, even before his followers knew exactly who he was. As a refuge for the weary, the Church should be a place where everyone can belong, even before they've come to believe.
This week we dive into the Great Commission and ask what it really means to make disciples of Jesus.
God loved us when we were his enemies and predestined us to be like Jesus, and that's great news.
Jesus came not only to save individual souls, but to unite his people into a family. Through him we have the internal resources to overcome a culture of insecurity, and welcome one another with open arms.
When God called Moses to free the Israelites, he didn't make Moses do it alone. God gave Moses his brother Aaron to help him and to complement Moses' weaknesses. In the family of God, we need one another to accomplish what God has called us to. We're better together.
One of the central things we do as the Church is take communion together. But why do we do it? What does it mean? And how can this simple act of eating bread and drinking wine (or juice) unify Jesus' followers and share the message of his love? Today, we take a look at 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 to find out.
Jesus is coming! What do those words mean to you? What do you feel when you hear them? For followers of Jesus, these words ought to work us up to a hope we cannot attain apart from him.
All of Revelation leads to the redemption of the Earth and its re-creation. While we face trouble in this life, we must remember that all God's plans lead to the salvation of his people and the redemption of his creation.
Jesus' final victory over evil assures his followers that they can trust him, and models how they are to confront evil in the world now.
There are only two real powers in the world: Babylon or Christ's Kingdom. The ways of Babylon are self-destructive; the ways of Christ's kingdom are victory and power. In everything, we must choose which power we will serve.
Guest preacher Jessica Harcarik takes us to the Sermon on the Mount and Jesus' instructions on prayer.
Happy Mother's Day! Today we take a look at two of the most obscure by influential women in the New Testament and see how their ordinary faithfulness made all the difference in the history of the Church.
What is the wrath of God and why should Christians be grateful for it? The wrath of God assures us that God is not blind or unmoved by the trouble of the world. Instead, we can know that God has a plan to end evil once and for all.
Behind the scenes of the material world, a war is raging, but it is a war against a defeated enemy. No matter how strong evil may appear, we can be assured that Jesus has already won.
How does the Church overcome the violence of the world? Not with weapons of war, but by the word of their testimony.
The strange gets stranger in Revelation as the Lamb of God begins to open the seals on the scroll that God was holding. Human history is a long cycle of conflict and struggle, but followers of Jesus can hope in the one who will finally bring justice and peace to a war-torn world.
Psalm 22 is an ancient hymn of lament in which God’s people cry out for deliverance from suffering. On the cross, Jesus cried the first line of this psalm, connecting his suffering in crucifixion to the historic suffering of God’s people. But Psalm 22 doesn’t end with the suffering of God’s people, and as resurrection morning approached, those who heard Jesus’ cry must have remembered the glorious end of this dark psalm.
Jesus comes as a king not on a war horse, but a donkey, proclaiming peace even to his own death. Christianity is the most counter-intuitive way of life, but the way of Jesus is the only path to victory.
With the throneroom scene set by chapter 4, Revelation 5 begins the action of the book, centered on the throne of God and an unlikely hero at the center of it all.
The throne room of God is the centerpiece of the book of Revelation. The rest of the book, and our lives, are incomprehensible without this vision of God.
No one loves to be corrected, but correction from someone who loves us deeply is a gift. To the church in Laodicea Jesus offers correction, not because he dislikes the Christians there, but because he wants them to become holy like God is holy.
To the poor, powerless Christians in Philadelphia, Jesus promises authority and power. Jesus gives opportunity and power to those who in this life appear least powerful.
The church in Sardis had lost focus on Jesus and was on the verge of death, despite looking vibrant. When we lose sight of Jesus, nothing else matters.
This week, guest preacher Mark Grapengater dives into Jesus' letter to the church in Thyatira.
The church in Pergamum endured through suffering, but some had compromised with the pagan world around them. To those who can resist compromise with the world, though, Jesus offers new hope and new identity.
The Christians of Smyrna suffered for their faith, losing livelihoods, relationships, and even their lives. For this, Jesus encouraged the church and comforted them. What does this mean for people who risk very little for their faith in Jesus?
What is the relationship between Love and Truth? Is it possible to have one without the other? According to Jesus, the answer is a resounding no. In fact, it is better for a church not to exist, than to be devoted to truth without love.
This week, we ask what does it mean that Jesus is both a man who experienced death and the God who conquered it?
Today we dive into Revelation! There's a virtue central to the Christian life that seems to be missing in our broader culture: humility. When we're confronted with the glory of Jesus, we get a stark reminder of just how small we are and how vast he is.
The story of the magi visiting Jesus is one of the most well known episodes of the Christmas story. What can these Persian astrologers teach us about worship and about Jesus as our king?
Jesus came to sympathize with us in our weakness, but not only to sympathize, to conquer all that stands against us and lead us into new life.
Jesus came not only to free us spiritually, but physically as well. For followers of Jesus, we are all brothers and sisters, equal in his eyes, regardless of our social position.
We love God by loving one another. The example and sacrifice of Jesus not only teaches us how to love, but his Spirit empowers us to love as he loved. And this love is the power that changes the world.
On the night Jesus was born, angels appeared to shepherds to herald the arrival of Messiah, the promised King Deliverer of Israel. But why shepherds? Why not royalty or the religious leaders? It seems like God is always showing up for the wrong people. What does that tell us about God's character?
During Advent this season, we're going to focus each week on one line from the classic hymn "O Holy Night." This week, the line is: Long lay the world in sin and error pining, 'Til he appeared and the soul felt its worth.
We go to Romans 1:16-25, which describes the world apart from Christ and the plight of all peoples, until we see the hope of Christ who was delivered up for our sins.
In Ezekiel, God pronounces judgment on the "shepherds" of Israel and announces that He will take over as shepherd of his people. Six centuries later, Jesus came as the "Good Shepherd," who not only leads God's people, but lays down his life for them.
The gospel transforms how we see the world and how we interact with it. When we become citizens of Jesus' kingdom, we are called to be ambassadors of his kingdom in a foreign land.
The highest rule for the Christian is the law of love. When we obey that law, it will order all of our other allegiances and affections.
Today, we dive into what love really looks like for Christians, and how the power of love can overcome the loudest voices of division.
How should Jesus' followers engage with the world, and particularly, what should Christians prioritize when they vote in a society that gives them a voice?
Acts 1:8 is the thesis statement of the book of Acts, but also of all Church history. Today, God wants his Church to operate in the power of his Holy Spirit to do all the things that Jesus did.
"God wants to empower you more than you want to be empowered."
We continue looking into what the Holy Spirit did in response to the amazing events on the day of Pentecost and how the very first Christian community lived.
This week, we look at the first thing the Holy Spirit did in the people who heard Peter's sermon on the day of Pentecost as he led them to repentance.
In Peter's Pentecost sermon, he "gospels" the story of Jesus in what might be a surprising way for evangelicals today.
This week we flip back to the prophet Joel to examine a prophecy Peter will quote in his Pentecost sermon.
When the Spirit fell on the followers of Jesus on the day of Pentecost, he empowered them to speak all the languages of the Roman empire, but why?
A prayerful people will operate in the power of the Holy Spirit. A prayerless people cannot.
At the beginning of the book of Acts, we read about Jesus' final interaction with his apostles and his command to wait in Jerusalem until they received the Holy Spirit. In this passage, we see the indispensability of the Holy Spirit in the life of Jesus' followers.
In this first message in our series Empowered, we focus on the gifts of the Holy Spirit and their purpose in the lives of followers of Jesus and the Church.
Before he miraculously fed this crowd of thousands, Jesus just needed to retreat, to mourn the rejection of his hometown and the death of his cousin, John the Baptizer. But even in his grief, Jesus looked upon the crowd with compassion and chose to serve them.
In these final parables of the kingdom from Matthew 13, Jesus teaches that his kingdom is subversive, that his kingdom is worth everything, and that a day of judgment is coming.
In this parable, Jesus assures his followers that though good and evil will grow together until the end of all things, the King will have the last word.
As Jesus prepared his disciples for his departure, he knew they would get discouraged in their mission. In this parable, he reassures them that their responsibility is simply to sow the seed and leave the soil to God.
Jesus is the very wisdom of God personified, and far from laying a heavy burden on those who would come to him, he gives us a yoke that is easy and light. God's wisdom gives rest to the weary soul.
Jesus knows that the only way to persist in the mission he gives is to root our identity in him, as his ambassadors, filled with the Spirit of God.
In Matthew 10, Jesus prepared his disciples for what they would experience when they went out to share his gospel. Today, we can expect the same kind of reception because Truth divides, but it is also the only thing that brings true unity.
This week, guest preacher Mark Grapengater joined us and taught on the three things we need to live into Jesus' subversive way of life.
In The Great Commission, Jesus wasn't commanding his followers to simply make converts who pray a prayer and call themselves Christians. He was calling his followers to go and make disciples who would follow Jesus' way of life in all things.
At the end of the Feast of Tabernacles, Jesus declared himself to be the source of God's living water, God's very Spirit. In doing so, he gave his followers a promise and a mission.
In his final prayer in the gospel of John, Jesus begins by seeking the glory of God. According to the Westminster Catechism, the glory of God is the chief purpose of human life, and as the model of a perfect man, that was Jesus' purpose, too.
On this fifth Sunday of Easter, in this episode from the Last Supper, Jesus points his followers to the destination of all of their journeys and the hope they can have because he is leaving them.
- Jesus is going to the Father.
- Jesus is the way.
- It's all about the Father.
Here in John 10, Jesus shares a parable about a sheep pen and then makes some surprising claims about himself. What does it mean for us that Jesus is both the gate and the shepherd?
In times of uncertainty, remember that God has it under control and is already present at the end.
The this episode from John's gospel, we find two stories of fear and unbelief and discover in them Jesus' gracious response that reassures us during our own seasons of fear and unbelief.
What relevance does the resurrection of Jesus have for your life now? Is the hope of the resurrection only for the future? At the beginning of Colossians 3, Paul roots his instructions for Christian life in the resurrection of Jesus.
On Palm Sunday, Jesus entered Jerusalem as the king of God's people. Some praised him. Others rejected him. How will you respond to Jesus today?
God may not always act the way that we would prefer, and his methods may not always make sense to us, but at the end of it all, his purposes are good and we can always trust them.
Is suffering the result of God's judgment? John 9 helps us understand how God views human suffering and our responsibility to one another in times of pain.
Is "evangelism" a scary word to you? Do you think of yourself as a missionary? Today, we look at John 4:1-42 and the story of the woman at the well, the first missionary in John's gospel, and one no one saw coming.
Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews, had some questions for Jesus. In the end, Nicodemus got more than he bargained for.
Immediately after his baptism, Jesus was driven into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. What was the purpose of Jesus' temptation?
The transfiguration of Jesus was literally a mountaintop experience for Peter, James, and John. And its purpose was to prepare them for the dark days that lie ahead.