Leclaire Christian Church Sermon Podcast: Recent Episodes
Leclaire Christian Church
Here you'll find a collection of messages from Leclaire Christian Church located in Edwardsville, Illinois
NextGen Kids & Education Minister Kelsie Koch continues in week 3 of the Power for Salvation series, studying through the Book of Romans.
NextGen Kids & Education Minister Kelsie Koch introduces a new sermon series for July based on the nightly lessons that will be covered at our 2024 VBS.
As Christians who have been freed from sin, why do we so often continue to submit to its rule in our lives? Why do we continue to serve our old master, when serving Jesus is so much better? Andy continues in week 6 of our Foundation series.
We can give every excuse to keep sinning, but we don't have to live shackled to sin anymore. The Gospel not only has the power to forgive us but it has the power to change us and free us from the bondage of sin. Andy Turner continues in our Foundation series with a message for Baptism Sunday at LCC.
LCC NextGen Kids & Education Minister Kelsie Koch continues in week 4 of the Foundation series, sharing how the Gospel offers the hope of salvation for every one of us who have sinned and missed the mark.
The desire to be justified is hardwired into the human soul... the question is not if you are seeking justification, but how? Guest Speaker Michael DeFazio joins us for a special morning teaching from Romans 5, as we continue in our Foundation series.
When you work for something, your payment is earned... God's acceptance of us is not earned. It is a gift, and we cannot work for it. You are defined by what God has done on your behalf and by who God says that you are. Andy Turner continues in week 2 of our Foundation series, as we continue through the Book of Romans.
The Gospel story is God’s redemptive plan to restore mankind, beginning with Abraham and fulfilled through Jesus. Trey Hardimon introduces our "Foundation" sermon series, as we continue studying through the Book of Romans.
There's no such thing as cheap grace. God gave up Christ as a propitiation by his blood, through faith, that he might be just and the justifier to the one who places their faith in Jesus. Propitiation is God demanding payment for sin... and then making the payment for sin. Andy continues in week 8 of our series through Romans.
Human mistakes don't reflect the character of God; God's faithfulness is not dependent upon our own. LCC Worship Minister Elijah Keen continues in our series from Romans.
People look at outward appearance but the Lord looks at the heart. Andy continues in week 5 of our series on Romans with a message on heart transformation and the difference between knowledge and intimacy.
The Gospel is both a diagnosis and a cure. We are incapable of celebrating being found until we first acknowledge that we were lost. Andy continues in week 3 of our series on Romans with a message on sin, and why God takes sin so seriously.
Everything in the Christian life flows from the good news of the Gospel... so we should never be ashamed of the Gospel. Andy continues in week 2 of our series on Romans.
Daniel continues in week 3 of the Overflow series with a message on Biblical community.
The ultimate win is when our relationship with Jesus is so transforming that it overflows into every area of our lives... without connection to Jesus, there will be no overflow. Andy Turner continues in week 2 of our sermon series.
What does it look like to live from a place of overflow? Living from overflow begins in the heart and only comes when we grasp God's vision of genuine transformation. This transformation can only come through living in constant communion with God. Daniel introduces a new sermon series, "Overflow."
Hear from LCC leadership & staff as we share ministry updates from 2023 and our plans moving into 2024!
Love is found in our words, forgiving, and follows the example of Jesus. Andy concludes the Same God sermon series with a message on what love is... and what love does.
How do we as Christians respond to the darkness that's in the world around us? Some are tempted to respond by judging the darkness around us, while others respond by giving in and joining the darkness. These are the easy answers... but as Christians, we should opt for a third option - to shine a light among the darkness. Andy continues in week 3 of our Same God series.
God's answer to a confused world is an engaged church. Everyone's role matters, and we are all equipped to do service. Daniel continues in week 2 of our Same God series with a message on being actively engaged in the church.
We were all created with a desire to belong, but not all unity is good unity. For the church to be who God has called us to be, Christlike unity is a must... and what a divided world needs is a united church. Why is it so important? Listen to rest of this message as Andy introduces our new sermon series, Same God.
Andy continues in week 3 of our sermon series with a message on hypocrisy.
People are messy... and we are people.
Is the Christian faith really baseless? It all rests on the answer to this question - did the resurrection of Jesus really happen? If there was no resurrection, then our faith is useless. Andy continues in week 2 of our sermon series on faith and doubt.
Does doubt have a place in church? How do I know Christianity is true? If God is so good, why do some Christians act so terribly? How can a good God allow so much pain and suffering? Andy begins a new sermon series based on Wade Bearden's book, 𝘛𝘰 𝘔𝘺 𝘍𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘞𝘩𝘰 𝘓𝘦𝘧𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘩.
Worship Minister Elijah Keen shares a message about how God's love is unconditional (not all-condoning), wilder than we can imagine, and both personal and communal.
Andy continues in week 2 of Unlikely Disciple. The question isn't, "Will you fail?"... the question is, "How will you respond when you do?" Failure is inevitable... how we respond to it is our choice. Jesus wants to replace your greatest failure with great forgiveness.
"The object of our faith is always greater than the size of our faith." Andy Turner kicks off a new sermon series on an "Unlikely Disciple" - Peter.
LCC Kids Minister Kelsie Koch starts our VBS sermon series with a message on building a strong foundation for our faith.
Daniel shares a message on prayer and getting to the root of the issues that we face in our lives, our families, and in our country.
Re-recording of our week 2 message from Some Assembly Required (original sermon was interrupted by a power outage).
Andy continues in week 3 of our marriage series. *Note: our recording for week 2 was interrupted due to a power outage. That message will be posted once we are able to re-record it.
Andy continues in week 4 of Valleys & Peaks with a message about true faithfulness from the story of Daniel.
Trey continues in week 3 of our Valleys & Peaks series with a message on saying yes to God.
Andy continues in week 2 of Valleys & Peaks with a message on contentment in Christ, no matter our circumstances.
Andy concludes the Book of Jonah series with a question - will we be more like Jonah, or more like Jesus?
When we run from God, our fear to surrender is greater than our fear of God... but here's the good news. When you run from God, God does not abandon you. Andy Turner begins a new series this week on the Book of Jonah.
Andy finishes up the Onward sermon series with a message on how we should use the gifts that have been entrusted to us to serve the church.
Daniel Koch continues in our Onward series with a message on authentic, Gospel-centered community.
Trey Hardimon continues in week 2 of our Onward series with a message on how we can transform our families through a transforming relationship with Jesus.
LCC Lead Minister begins a new sermon series for the Christmas season called "The King."
Abiding in and depending fully upon Jesus is what's best for us - but we can only do that when we choose to make time for Him and make room for Jesus in our daily lives. Trey closes out the Commands of Christ sermon series with a message on abiding in Jesus.
Self-denial is not natural - it's not comfortable. Self-denial only comes through submission to a greater authority. So, who is the Jesus that you say you believe in? What you believe about Jesus will completely determine the way that you follow Him.
"'Do you believe in Jesus' is not the most important question… the most important question is who exactly is the Jesus that you say you believe in? Who you say Jesus is will completely and fully determine the way that you follow Him."
"The church must be made up of people who believe in this Jesus – the Messiah, the Son of the Living God – and the church must be made up of people who know Him intimately."
"Discipleship begins with believing correctly about Jesus – believing that He is who He claimed to be. He is the Messiah. He is the Son of the Living God. And then… allowing that belief to shape everything else about us."
"When we believe correctly about Jesus and when we allow that belief to drive our actions, that is the only time that denying ourselves can make any sense at all. If we believe incorrectly or incompletely about Jesus, we will never recognize His authority in our lives that says that we must deny ourselves."
"Self-denial is not natural. Self-denial only comes through submission to a greater authority. Self-denial is not easy. It is not comfortable. But remember – it is impossible to be comfortable while carrying a cross."
"Come, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." The only way we can experience true rest found in Jesus is when we surrender it all to Him. Andy continues in week 8 of the Commands of Christ sermon series with a message that many of us need to hear.
No matter what you're facing, are you confident in the faith that you profess? Or does that profession come with qualifiers? Andy continues in week 7 of our sermon series with a message on how we can rejoice in Christ no matter what circumstances we may be facing.
"One of the scariest things that we can face in our faith, is how it can be so easy to convince ourselves that the pain that we face or the unforeseen circumstances that we face are in some way proof of God’s absence in our lives… proof of God’s tardiness in our lives… proof of God’s apathy over what’s taking place in our lives."
"When it comes to God holding up His end of the deal, He fully and completely did so when He sent His son Jesus to take on our sin."
"Far too often, we have a broken view of who God really is and what God has really promised. We fail to comprehend the beauty and the victory that is found in our reward in heaven."
"This life has a way of throwing us curveballs and showering us with unforeseen circumstances… yet it’s in this very context that we are commanded over and over and over again to rejoice. How do you do that? It all comes back to a proper perspective of who God is and what it is that God has truly promised."
"When we see God for who He is and His promises for what they truly are, no matter what comes our way, we will be able to rejoice."
Daniel Koch continues in week 6 of our "Commands of Christ" series with a message on living out Jesus' truth in every aspect of our lives.
“We want to be people that are able to speak Jesus’ truth but more than that, we want to be people that live that out in every aspect of our lives.”
“What is it that God’s image is on? What is it that God is due? Who bears His image? The answer is… we do. All humanity, from the lowliest of the low to Caesar himself, God has claim on all we are, all we have, and all we do.”
“The choice to give yourself fully to God or not… if you consume yourself with something so much more shallow than the true battle at hand, then you’re missing everything. Because this is the battle that matters. It’s only when you begin to realize that this is the most important battle, that this is the crux of everything else that you face, that then you have the ability to face all the other challenges and obstacles that come your way – we have to get this command right. Jesus wants all of you – this is his command. He wants everything you do to be in response to a relationship with Him… so do what He commands, and steward all that you have over to Him.”
In week 5 of "Commands of Christ," Andy shares a convicting message on the topic of pride - the devil's most trusted, most effective, and most destructive tool.
“We live in a world that often tells us that our ways are better than God’s ways. That our truth is greater than God’s truth. That our wants and our desires are more important than God’s wants and God’s desires. Humility will never be possible and pride will always be present as long as there is an improper view of God and of ourselves. Until we place God in the place that is reserved for Him and until we submit ourselves to His authority and His rule, we will continue to let this cancer of pride grow in our lives."
"Anytime that our purpose is found in the wrong place, pride will not be far behind."
"Pride will keep us from living the life that Jesus desires for us to live but humility will make us more like Jesus at every single turn."
There's one question that those who claim to be followers of Christ must answer... are we content with simply being Christians, or will we become disciples? Andy talks about the difference between the two in week 4 of "Commands of Christ."
You will rarely look more like Jesus than when you forgive your enemies and love those who have hurt you. But how do we do this? Andy continues in week 3 of the "Commands of Christ" sermon series.
Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind... but how do we prove that we love God? By loving our neighbors as ourselves. Andy continues in week 2 of the "Commands of Christ" sermon series.
“A familiarity with God can often lead to a casual stance with God. It is possible to know all about God without actually knowing God.”
“Simply being familiar with God can lead to a casual stance with God. You can know what’s true while completely missing the application. Have you ever been there?”
“Let every last ounce of who we are express our love for God. It should be a love that changes you. It should be the type of love that pulls you in, that compels you. It should be the type of love that causes you to see things differently, that causes you to want to know God, to see God, to be near to God, to be like God.”
“Your will, your desire, and your emotions should all exist to show your love for God. With all of your soul, this is the real you, the spiritual you, the eternal you. This is the place where your hope is experienced, where your soul is shaped… this soul should love God.”
“We will only love God to the degree that we know God… but we must not allow being familiar with God to give us a casual stance towards God.”
Loving God with everything must go beyond simply saying that you love God. It must become something that you show, something that you prove. How can you prove that you love God? Love your neighbor as yourself. The clearest way that we can demonstrate that we love God with all of our heart, soul and mind is through our love for others… through the way that we care for others and serve others.
Hear a special message from one of the missionaries that we support - Antonio Gomez from Monterrey Christian Mission.
Andy finishes the Kingdom Parables sermon series with a message from Matthew 22:1-14, the Parable of the Wedding Banquet. Many are invited, but few are chosen - will you accept the King's invitation today? Will you take off all that is you, and put on all that is Christ?
For Christians, forgiveness isn't a suggestion, but a requirement. Listen to this message on forgiveness as Trey Hardimon continues with week 3 of our "Kingdom Parables" sermon series.
Andy continues in week two of the sermon series by taking a deeper look at the kingdom of heaven that so many of us claim to belong to.
Andy starts a new sermon series called "Kingdom Parables." Today, we discuss Matthew 13, "The Parable of the Sower." Which type of soil best represents your heart right now? None of us are exempt - we all fall into one of these categories. There's no time like the present to start experiencing the kingdom in your life.
Trey Hardimon concludes the Make Waves sermon series with a message on living a life consistently surrendered to the Holy Spirit.
Do you ever feel like you don't really fit in here? There's a reason for that. Andy shares a message about how we can live in the tension of being homesick for our eternal home while living out the kingdom of heaven here on Earth.
LCC Kids Minister Kelsie Koch reminds us that our Savior has the power to calm storms, and He is ready to walk with us through whatever storms we are facing.
LCC Discipleship Minister Daniel Koch starts a new sermon series centered around the theme for this year's VBS, "Make Waves."
LCC Student Minister Trey Hardimon shares a message on the importance of empowering the next generation and the unique role that the church plays in helping to raise them up.
Andy continues in week 3 of the sermon series with a lesson from Daniel 6 on true faithfulness.
Fathers – parents – we have a God-ordained responsibility to steward our families faithfully. If you are not currently being faithful with what God has entrusted to you, welcome to the club. Andy shares an encouraging message for you today, and it’s so important. Leading a family is stewardship, and every single one of us will be held accountable.
“The Most High could have given your family to anyone… but he chose to give them to you.”
“Leading a family is a stewardship, and every single one of us will be held accountable.”
“Entrusted implies that what was in the servant’s possession did not really belong to the servant, but belonged to the master.”
“The reason that the servant is considered good is because the servant is faithful with what the master entrusted to him.”
“Have you ever been caught not doing what you were supposed to do? What’s your first reaction? You begin to come up with reasons why, or find someone else to blame.”
“I believe this is where so many of us land when it comes to leading our families well. This is where so many of us land when it comes to being faithful with what God has entrusted to us. I was afraid. I didn’t know what to do. Especially when it comes to parenting and raising a family. We are so afraid that we’re not good enough. We are so afraid that we’re going to mess everything up. We are so afraid that we’re going to fail. We are so afraid to lead, to put out, to exert the effort. It is so much easier to not care or to try a little and fail, than it is to give your entire heart and soul and still come up short.”
“When we allow ourselves to stay in this place of fear, we will continually fail to meet our own God-ordained responsibilities.”
“We are all given different starting points. Your starting point is not an excuse for your unfaithfulness.”
“The good servants were good because of effort, not because of talent.”
“Our faith is not shaped by what God does – our faith is shaped by who God is.”
“Our faith is not shaped by what God does for me today, because my faith is shaped by what Jesus has already done for me on the cross.”
“Being a Jesus follower was never meant to be a solo act – it is always better to stand together than to bow alone.”
“The first step to standing through your troubles is understanding that God really is greater than whatever you are facing. Through Jesus, there is victory waiting at the end of every perceived defeat. The second step is understanding that it will always be easier to stand together, just like it will always be easier to bow or fall alone.”
“[The Israelites] were different because of the God they followed… because followers of God follow the authority of God.”
“Sin doesn’t just belong in the Old Testament with people like Adam and Eve and Achan… the Bible tells us in Romans 3:23 that all have sinned. All have fallen short of the glory of God.”
“In the Bible, the word sin is an archery word. It means ‘to miss the mark.’ The mark, of course, is perfection because God, being perfect, sets the mark… and we as humans fail miserably to hit that mark day after day.”
“We struggle to submit to God and His authority in our day to day lives because we mistakenly buy into the idea that we know better. We have a better plan. We know a better way. But God is our Creator… and he’s the author of life. He’s the only perfect one and the only one with the authority to make the rules, to tell us right from wrong, to tell us good from evil.”
“Sometimes we don’t understand the reasons for the guidelines that he gives, and it’s really hard to obey when we don’t understand.”
“Followers of God follow the authority of God.”
“If you recognize your sin and submit to God, then you can be rescued from your sin. You can be rescued from the penalty of death and live with God forever.”
“Every day presents us with a hundred different opportunities to submit to the authority of God in our lives… whether we understand it or not. Whether we agree with it or not. Whether we like it or not. Every day, we are called to die to our old life and to walk with Jesus. That means we say no to our pride. That means we apologize when we’ve done something wrong, even when it hurts or is embarrassing. We forgive others when we’d rather hold on to a grudge. We don’t say that biting remark that’s on our lips when someone makes us mad. We give when we’d rather be selfish. We exercise self-control when we’d rather give in to our passions and pleasures and desires that God says are not right. We let go of our fears and anxieties and instead choose to trust God with the unknown. We stand upon truth and the truth of His word, even when it isn’t the popular thing to believe or live by.”
“We have to continually remember who God is and what he’s done, how he’s been faithful in the past and how we can trust him in the future.”
“Living under the authority of someone else is hard, but it doesn’t have to be when we know and trust the goodness of the God whose authority we’re under. Then we can be followers of God seeking to follow the authority of God.”
“There are times that we as Christians don’t grasp the seriousness of our own sin.”
“At the core of every problem in the world today… is sin.”
“If our options are to deal with our sin or to minimize our sin, I get why we choose to minimize. And here’s why: as a fallen people living in a fallen world, this is our natural reaction to sin. Ever since the Garden of Eden, the reaction to sin has been to justify, to minimize, and to shift blame. But for those of us who are called to follow Jesus, we are not called to live in the natural, but in the supernatural.”
“In the spirit, we do not justify our sin. We own, confess, and repent of our sin. We don’t compare the scale of our sin with another person’s sin or play the whataboutism game because we understand that allsin separates us from God… not just the sins that we tend to find especially heinous.”
“It’s one thing to believe that Jesus came for all people. It’s one thing to believe that Jesus called all people. It’s something completely different to see the spirit of Jesus poured out on a group of people that you never thought possible.”
“Sometimes we believe that unity means that you do you and I’ll do me – it’s all about keeping the peace. We don’t ignore problems for the sake of unity. Unity is not something that is passive – it’s something that is worth fighting for.”
“The biggest threat to the church today is Christians who are not acting in accordance with the Gospel. The biggest threat to the church today is people who claim the name of Jesus but live a life that looks absolutely nothing like Him. The biggest threat to the church today is NOT someone or something ‘out there.’ It isn’t this evil, blatant opposition to Christian values. The biggest threat to the church today is the church, when the church is not acting in accordance with the Gospel.”
“There are an endless number of things in this world that can separate us - but the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus can bring us together, and it supersedes them all.”
“Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Psalm 139:23-24
LCC Student Minister Trey Hardimon starts a new sermon series this week, "It Wasn't Me."
There's little in this world that is more beautiful and life-giving than a good and Godly mom, because when it really comes down to it, the attributes of a good mom come straight from the heart of God. Andy shares a special message for this Mother's Day, "Generation to Generation."
“Sometimes the greatest pain brings about the greatest reminders of how blessed we’ve been.”
“There’s little in this world that’s more beautiful and life-giving than a good mom.”
“So much of what makes a great mom comes straight from the heart of God, and we can learn so much about the heart of God through a great mom.”
“There’s little in this world that is more beautiful and life-giving than a good and Godly mom, because when it really comes down to it, the attributes of a good mom come straight from the heart of God.”
Andy shares a powerful sermon called "To the Streets." As you listen to this week's message, consider the following two questions. One - when is the last time you undeniably saw the work of the Holy Spirit in our around you? Two - right now, right where you are - what does the Holy Spirit want you to do? Let this message challenge you to pray for opportunities to share the hope of Jesus with those around you, and the courage to act whenever the Holy Spirit nudges you.
“So often we feel the nudging of the Holy Spirit, but for some reason, we don’t allow that power to work through us. There are several reasons. Pride, caring too much what other people think, being unfaithful, feeling self-conscious, being too busy.”
“Your job is to point people to Jesus and get out of the way.”
“Even if you’re not where you want to be right now – Jesus says your job is to start right where you are. Don’t wait for a bigger opportunity – start with your home, with your friends, with your neighbors – start with the relationships you already have. Be faithful where you are and when God calls you and leads you in a different direction, then go.”
“Be faithful and fully present where your feet are today. In the Holy Spirit, we are filled with everything that we need to live the life that Jesus desires for us to live. We are given everything we need to do all that Jesus has called us to do.”
“To all of you who are followers of Jesus – you have not received a spirit of timidity, but of boldness and of power. You have received wisdom and discernment to know where to go, and when to go, and when to open your mouth and when to keep your mouth shut. Through the Holy Spirit, we are able to point people to Jesus, to forgive the unforgivable, to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. We are able to be unified through the Holy Spirit, to be generous and selfless. We are able to worship at all times through the Holy Spirit. If you have accepted Jesus, the presence of God is residing within you and the power of the Holy Spirit is there. The question is – will you listen? Will you respond?”
“Sometimes I fear that we neglect our own neighborhoods in the process of going to all nations. We are ready to go to faraway places to share the hope of Jesus and serve those we encounter, but we are far less eager to do that in the places where we live. We fail to be faithful where our feet are. Whenever we are faithful where we are, it could lead to some very uncomfortable situations and conversations… but it could also be opening the door for Jesus to use us in leading others to Him.”
On Easter Sunday, Andy shares a powerful retelling of the Resurrection and the hope that this event gives each of us today. This event changed the entire course of history… and it can change the entire course of your life, too.
“Yes, they did kill Jesus… but that’s not the end.”
“The very people who spent the most time with Jesus… they completely blew off the initial reports of the Resurrection as nonsense. Foolishness. It just didn’t make sense.”
“For those who don’t believe, the message of the cross just sounds foolish.”
“Whenever you are standing in the presence of the resurrected Christ, suddenly the question ‘why are you so troubled? Why are you so afraid?’ is seen in a brand new light.”
“Christian. Today, you have the same power that raised Christ from the dead living in you. So let me ask you… why are you so troubled? Why are you so afraid?”
“These words were spoken to a group of people who were scared and hiding… but now they were witnesses to an event that changed the entire course of their lives. It changed the entire course of history. And I believe that today, it can change the entire course of your life too. They had given up… but it was not the end.”
“Do I believe that Matthew is a credible eyewitness? Do I believe that Mark truly took the words of Peter and gave us this account? Do I truly believe that Luke thoroughly investigated everything that he said he did? Do I truly believe that John, part of the inner 3 with Jesus, got to experience it all – do I really believe what he said? Do I really believe what Peter had to say?”
“The historical facts of the resurrection – do you believe that it’s true? Because if the answer is yes – or even if the answer is ‘I don’t know’ or you just can’t fully say no – then that means that everything has changed. You have hope when you don’t think you have hope. It means that you can have confidence – true, rooted confidence that the Word of God is true.“
“Jesus died for our sins and was buried… and he rose from the dead and was seen.”
“It’s because of this event that we can know God is personal. We can know that the suffering and pain and even perceived silence is not evidence of God’s absence. The worst thing imaginable happened to the best person to ever live. We can have confidence in the claims of Jesus – about heaven, hell, hope, power. We can know that forgiveness is available. You can know that you are loved by God. You can know that when things look their worst, God is often up to his best. You will never have to face a single moment in your life where you are without hope.”
“Because of this event, you can know that whatever you are facing – Jesus has already conquered.”
Andy concludes our “Easter Eggs” sermon series with the story of the Passover. During Passover, the blood from a lamb without defect was required to satisfy the destroyer… an “Easter egg” to the coming Lamb of God, whose blood paid our debt and who was sacrificed to forgive our sins. You may have heard this message before – don’t miss it. Take a step back and behold – the Lamb of God, who takes away our sin.
“Jesus is at the center of the entire story of scripture.”
“God is a God of the details… not only that, but he is a God who desires obedience. And if we are unwilling to obey in the smaller things, how will we ever obey in the bigger things?”
“I know today that we like to say whenever we’re Christians, ‘yes, I belong to God,’ but do we really understand what that means? If you’re willing to say ‘my life belongs to God,’ that means that God gets to do with your life whatever He sees fit.”
“If God wants to use me in pain… if I belong to God, I have to be ok with God allowing me to live through pain.”
“There’s no way to cancel a debt without payment. There’s only two ways – one is by force. You can force someone to pay a debt. The second way is through forgiveness. For the one who is being forgiven, it may not seem like you’re paying anything… but don’t miss this, the one who’s doing the forgiving is paying an awful lot.”
“When God took his Son up to the top of the mountain to be sacrificed, there was no angel to yell stop.”
“We see in Abraham that there is a debt – because of sin, there is a debt that must be paid. We see through Moses that a substitute can pay that debt. And we see through Jesus that He is the substitute who has paid your debt.
“At the very center of the Christian faith is the bloody death of a helpless victim. This is why we are told to take a step back and to behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world. To behold means to think upon – to grasp.”
“This Lamb is the foundation of our hope, of our lives, of our hearts and our minds and yes, our actions.”
“There is nothing natural about forgiveness… but when we behold the Lamb of God, there is no other option. We serve because whenever we don’t stop looking at the Lamb of God, we can’t stop looking at the way he served us. Whenever we think upon the Lamb of God, we can’t help but be moved by the way he obeyed his father even unto death… for you and for me. When we behold, we see that our standing with God has so little to do with us… we see that we are no better than anyone else. It all comes back to the blood of the Lamb.”
LCC Lead Minister Andy Turner continues in week 2 of our “Easter Eggs” sermon series with a passage from Isaiah 53 about the coming Messiah, who was nothing like everyone at the time expected. The suffering servant – Jesus Christ – took the punishment for all of us, not because he deserved it, but because it was God’s plan to restore the effects of sin in a fallen world. Andy challenges us this week not to “do” anything, but to “embrace” an important truth that we sometimes grow complacent about – that Jesus took OUR place.
“The tensions and the division and the brokenness and all of the pain that we experience can be traced back to the fact that we are a fallen people living in a fallen world. However… from the moment that sin entered the world, God’s plan has always been to restore and redeem the effects of sin.”
“Because of sin, the world and humanity have been cursed… but because of Jesus, the curse has been reversed.”
“The foundation of being made right with God is that Jesus Christ took the full punishment that we deserved for our sin, as a substitute in our place.”
“Everyone had a picture in their head of what the Messiah would be… and this was not it.”
“The servant is not suffering because he deserved to suffer, but because he bore the suffering, the shame, the transgressions, the iniquities… he bore the sins of the people. Of us. And none of it was by accident.”
“Jesus did not stumble into the cross. Jesus knew exactly what was taking place. Everything that happened to Jesus was intentional.”
“The death of Jesus was not an accident. It was the purpose and plan of God to restore you and me to a right relationship with Him.”
“All have sinned. All of us are guilty. All of us have turned away to follow our own path. We have all filled the role of our own master and our own treasure. We have all made ourselves our own ruler and our own authority. But in the middle of ‘for all have sinned,’ God was not willing to leave to just leave us in this guilty and condemned condition. He planned to send a suffering servant who would bear our sins, as a substitute for us.”
“A dead Christ does not justify… but a living Christ justifies.”
“Today, my hope isn’t so much that you go and do something. Today, my hope is that you embrace something. Embrace this truth. Jesus took your place, to secure your place.”
“It’s impossible to read Isaiah 53 and not be drawn to the time that Jesus was placed before a number of trials that were nothing short of a mockery. It’s impossible not to think of the rejection that Jesus must have felt whenever he was standing on a stage with Barabbas – this inciter of riots, this murderer, this heinous criminal – and he looks out at the people that he came to save, all shouting at the top of their lungs to release Barabbas in his place. We can’t miss the rejection that Jesus must have felt. We can’t miss the brutality of the flogging… the lashes, the blood and the gore. It’s impossible not to think about the insults that Jesus heard, that were hurled his way… the spit that was running down his face… the nails that were placed into his wrists and his feet… the sword that pierced his side. It’s impossible to read these words and not think of the cross.”
“Jesus took your place. Don’t you dare be bored by this. Do you care? Does it matter to you? Jesus took your place. You deserved death. Jesus took your place… to secure your place.”
LCC Discipleship Minister Daniel Koch begins a new sermon series this week about “Easter Eggs” hidden in the Bible. In week 1, we discuss the story of the serpent in the Garden of Eden in the Book of Genesis. Daniel reminds us of the “first Good News” shared in the Bible, in Gen. 3:15, when God said to the serpent, “He will crush your head and you will strike his heel.” When all seems overwhelming and we are surrounded by chaos, we can remember this promise – Satan may deliver a powerful blow, but Jesus will always overcome and claim the victory.
“God created humans with the ability to choose right from wrong. No other beings possessed this gift. And it is a gift – it allows us to demonstrate a response of obedience, which is God’s very love language.”
“Satan uses the same approach with you and I today – testing how well we really know God’s command. He knows if you don’t know God’s command, it’s easy to twist certain things.”
“If you want to see somebody completely destroy their life, start by undermining true authority in their life. If you want people to rebel, begin by undermining true reality and a true sense of right and wrong.”
“Chaos begins with undermined authority.”
“Even worse than tempting someone to do wrong that knows what they are doing is wrong… is the ability to tempt someone to believe that what is wrong is actually right. The only way to do that is to destroy the foundation of God’s authority, first and foremost – the only true, objective, moral authority.”
“You don’t have to live very long to see how quickly the definitions of right and wrong change in our society.
“The problem with popular consensus, and anything else we might fill that void with, is that it isn’t consistent. It always changes. But as Christians, we hold to a constant, true, objective source of moral authority.”
“Satan plays on our vulnerability – that when we don’t know God well, he sees that as an opportunity to come in and take hold.”
“There is truth in the Word of God and when we know it and we study it, then we’re able to know the counterfeit lies that are constantly bombarding us.”
“When authority is undermined, the next thing that happens is that clarity is replaced by confusion.”
“When the standard of what is right and wrong is ignored, there is no end to the claims of truth that seek to fill the void.”
“In the midst of facing the daily effects of a broken and fallen world… when the chaos around you feels too great and too overwhelming… God whispers. When all you see is chaos, look to the cross.”
Andy concludes our “Seven Words” series with a message about Jesus’s words to the lukewarm church of Laodicea and a challenge to all believers to truthfully answer, “What are your expectations …whenever you come to church? Or whenever you open up scripture? Do you expect to encounter Jesus? Do you expect to be convicted… or do you expect nothing?”
“There is something so beautiful about the prayer, ‘Give us this day our daily bread.’ Even if you have a pantry full of food, you are still completely dependent upon Jesus. Even if you have all kinds of zero’s in your bank account, you are still dependent on Jesus. Whenever we miss that, it will lead us down a path to becoming lukewarm, useless Christians.”
“’Give us this day our daily bread’ doesn’t mean that we’re worried about tomorrow’s bread today – tomorrow will enough worries for itself. Instead, we are solely and completely dependent for Jesus to provide for us to be able to make it through this day.”
“Sometimes, there’s just nothing nice that can be said… and the most loving thing you can do is to tell the truth.”
“The door that Jesus is knocking on… is the door to his own house. His church. And the church has pushed him out.”
“Repentance isn’t something that you do just one time, whenever you come and accept Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior. Repentance isn’t just this single moment in history, but repentance is constant. Repentance is the awareness of where you’ve gone astray, when you’ve gone astray, where you’ve compromised, and where you’ve put your desires, your agenda, and your wants before Jesus and his desires, agendas and wants for you. It’s when we stop repenting as Christians that our hearts begin to grow cold. It’s when we stop that we begin to become lukewarm. It’s when we stop that we begin to become useless Christians. Let me ask again… what are your expectations?”
“If you’re always right… if you’re always defending, always blaming, always judging, always excusing yourself… if you’re always overlooking your own errors, your own faults and your own failures… if Jesus never disagrees with you… if you’re never challenged or convicted by scripture, then two things are true. Number one, you’re on the fast track to becoming lukewarm. And number two, you’re not even following Jesus. You’re following yourself and pretending that it’s Jesus to make yourself feel good. The way back is repentance. The way back is found in the cross of Jesus Christ.”
“The Christian life is not solely about living a certain way. The Christian life is about encountering, meeting, and surrendering to Jesus, and allowing the way we live to flow through Him.”
People often ask “what is God’s will for my life?” Andy shares some lessons that we can learn from the church in Philadelphia, as we continue in week 6 of this sermon series. Let this week’s message challenge you to move beyond asking for direction as you learn to recognize God’s voice and walk through the open doors He has already placed in your life.
“You look at the world, and you see it falling apart at the seams, and you become so frustrated because you don’t feel like there’s anything you can do. May I remind you… that there is so much strength in your weakness.”
“The resurrected Jesus Christ… loves you. Keep that in mind as you face opposition, because then you will be able to hold on. You will know that he is with you. So don’t give up.”
“Jesus opens doors. Jesus presents us with open doors – every day. All the time. Minute by minute, hour by hour, to be able to fulfill this Great Commission.”
“We have a promise that Jesus will continually open doors… but so often, we still try to get through the door in our own way. We try to force our way through doors that are locked. We become obsessed with trying to figure things out on our own. But Jesus says ‘I will open the door – I know what’s best. I will open it at the right time and you can trust me to walk through.’”
“It’s not that we don’t need to worry about what God’s will is for our life. Instead of worrying solely about knowing God’s will for our life, may we worry more about learning to recognize His voice.”
“Honestly, nearly everything that you need to know about God’s will for your life… has already been said to you. You just have to walk through the open doors.”
“Walk through open doors. That’s what fulfilling the Great Commission looks like. Jesus doesn’t just open doors – Jesus wants us to walk throughthe doors.”
“Some of you today – you need to quit knocking on the door. It’s not that you don’t know what God is calling you to do… it’s just that you don’t want to do it.”
“We know that Jesus called us to serve and not to be served. You don’t need to ask, ‘Jesus, do you want me to serve?’ The answer is yes. We know that Jesus desires for us to be part of a Jesus-minded community. You don’t need to ask – the answer is yes. You know that Jesus has told you to go and make disciples, so you don’t need to ask, ‘Jesus do you want me to go and share the hope I have in you with others?’ The answer is yes.”
“We’re suppose to make disciples, so we need to extend invitations. We’re supposed to take care of those who are hurting, so we need to make a meal and take it to somebody’s house. Those are not things that we need to ask questions about. Those are things that we already know the answer to.”
“Quit knocking and start sharing. Quit knocking and start serving. Quit knocking and start telling people about the hope that you have in Jesus. We don’t need more open doors – we just need to walk through the ones that already exist.”
“Whenever you feel like giving up or giving in, remember that the victorious King Jesus loves you. Remember that He’s called you. Remember that He holds you – remember who He is. He is the Alpha and Omega, beginning and the end. He is the first and the last. He is the Prince of Peace, the Lion of Judah, the Lamb of God. He is mighty God. He is the author, He is the perfecter of your faith. He is the one who began a good work in you and will see it to completion. He has no rival… He has no equal… He is the name above all names. If this Jesus opens a door for you, you can trust Him to walk on through it. Hold on to the one who is holding on to you.”
Being spiritually alive means more than just calling yourself a Christian. LCC’s Student Minister Trey Hardimon continues with week 5 of our “Seven Word” sermon series with a message about the church of Sardis, a church with a reputation for being alive and well-known in their community but spiritually dead. This week’s sermon shares an important message about what it means to be truly repentant and why it matters.
“My responsibility doesn’t change depending on if I’m awake or if I’m asleep. What changes is my ability and my willingness to handle what I am responsible for.”
“The issue with pretending is that after awhile, slowly but surely, it can become your reality.”
“You can believe that you’re not doing anything wrong – so, because you’re not doing something wrong, you must be doing something right. A wrong view of responsibility can make a huge difference.”
“There are real and dangerous consequences to pretending to be somebody that you’re not. You can forget who you are. You can forget whose you are. You can forget who you have been called to be. And maybe… you can forget where you’ve been.”
“The Holy Spirit enables the church to function as the body of Christ. It enables Christian unity. When we don’t have Christian unity amongst the church itself, we aren’t enacting the Holy Spirit.”
“For the unbeliever, death means without spiritual life and without God. Separated from the father forever. But for the believer, death, like sleep, is something that is used as a symbol for carnality or for being out of fellowship with God.”
“We typically act like we’re holier than thou but in reality, Jesus knows our deeds.”
“The church of Sardis may have pleased men, but it did not please God.”
“Church, would we rather be left alone by our community or would we rather be rebuked by God? Do we want to be left alone and be able to do whatever we want to do throughout the week, or would we rather be rebuked by God?”
“Repent carefully – because a true change of mind and heart is necessary for a genuine, consistent walk with God.”
“Repentance isn’t simply saying sorry. Repentance isn’t asking for forgiveness, just to do the same thing over and over again. Repentance is an action step where you turn away from the sin that is entangling you and you fix your eyes on the One who saves you. When you repent, you are acknowledging and saying, ‘what I’ve done is wrong, but who I follow is good, and I’m willing to follow Him.’”
“The life of a Christian who is truly following Jesus… is one covered in hope and security, not in uncertainty. Jesus is letting us know that being spiritually alive means more than just calling yourself a Christian.”
“We can be deceived by the world around us because we look at the outward appearance, all of the time, but God, who sustains us, looks at the heart.”
The church in Thyatira appears to be the most insignificant out of the seven in Revelation – but there is no such thing as an insignificant church to Jesus. Andy continues in week 4 of our series to share more about Jesus’s words to this church that was full of love but empty of truth. Thyatira was being infiltrated by a Jezebel-like person, a story that’s as old as time and still affects churches to this day. How can the church today stand strong for both truth and love?
“There is no such thing as an insignificant place or an insignificant church in Jesus’ eyes. He deeply loves and cares for and wants the best for every single church that bears his name, regardless of their size or their location.”
“Sexual sin is different than every other kind of sin – sexual sin is not only sinning against God, but against your own body. There’s little in this world that impacts us as deeply or as intimately as sex, and there are real reasons why Jesus would rebuke the church for becoming too flippant with it and encourage the church to view it in its proper way.”
“It’s always right to do what’s right.”
“Where Ephesus lacked ‘love,’ they loved ‘truth.’ Thyatira had ‘love,’ but they lacked ‘truth.’ Any healthy church must love ‘love,’ and they must love ‘truth.’”
“Every single day that we are given on this earth is an opportunity for those who do not know Christ, to repent. It is one of the ways that Jesus shows his mercy to the world that he died for. Every single day that he does not come back – every single day – is an opportunity for somebody to hear about the goodness and the hope that they can have in Jesus and to have the opportunity to repent.”
“God does not expect us to be perfect, though perfection is the mark that we strive for. What he does expect is for us to be a community of repenting sinners. What he does expect is for us to call sin what he calls sin.”
“Jesus says that they were tolerating ‘the woman Jezebel.’ It was a descriptive title pointing back to the evil wife of king Ahab. Jesus was likely talking about a certain type of person who was infiltrating the church… probably somebody who had a powerful personality, who could easily gain the trust of others and easily gain their own following. He was talking about someone who was probably really, really smart… someone influential… a good communicator… someone who could speak just enough truth while meddling in lies, as not to raise too many red flags. Someone who was easy to trust because of how convincing and nice they could be. This is a story as old as time.”
“We’ve all trusted someone that looking back, we wish we would never have trusted. We’ve all confided in someone, or been swayed by someone, and realized that they didn’t have our best interest at heart. And here, the church of Thyatira is buying into whatever this Jezebel-like person is selling… however, like the Jezebel of old, this person is evil, deceptive, scheming, idolatrous, and sexually immoral. And the liberty that she promises will actually just lead them further away from Jesus.”
“A Jezebel would say something like this – ‘it’s ok to compartmentalize what is sacred in your life and what is secular. You can make them completely two different things. It’s ok if on occasion you have to compromise your convictions – Jesus understands. Isn’t that what grace is for? It won’t hurt anyone… sometimes it’s just what you have to do to get by.’ Listen to me church – when the church begins to look like the world, you have a sick church. When the church begins to act like the world, you have a powerless church. When the church begins to play with the world, you have an unfaithful church. And Jezebels may be able to fool some, but they cannot fool Christ.”
Andy continues in the “Seven Words” series by sharing about the church of Pergamum – a church that struggled with compromise in the center of pagan worship at the time. How do we, as followers of Jesus today, live in the world and not be of the world? How do we live as Jesus did – full of truth AND full of grace… and why does it matter? As Christians, we are called to be the light of the world – and we must speak the truth in love.
“I know where you live. I know how difficult your life is. He says this so we can see, and know, that he knows us and sees us. He recognizes us.”
“Allegiance to anything other than Jesus is idolatry.”
“Jesus’ word to his church here was this – repent. Stop it. Knock it off. Quit flirting with all the ways of this world… and if you don’t stop it, I’m coming to fight you. Nobody wants to hear those words from Jesus.”
“Jesus is saying to this church: I know you have it tough. And some of you are doing well, and to those of you who are doing it well, I want to encourage you to keep it up. But to those of you who have bought into the lies, who have given up on truth, who have moved your allegiance from Jesus to Rome, you need to repent… and if you do not repent, then I will come, and I will fight against you.”
“Satan’s strategy has always been the exact same, from the very beginning of creation. Whatever he cannot crush or curse, he will corrupt through compromise. It’s just a little slide here… a little give-in here.”
“This is the reason why we must stay on our guard – because these little compromises that we make in life… they pave the way for the big compromises that we never thought ourselves capable of.”
“It is so difficult to walk this line in this world… to be in the world but not of the world… to be earthy but not worldly.”
“Every single day – multiple times a day – we are faced with multiple opportunities to compromise what we claim to believe. And it can seem so small. It can seem so innocent. Besides, it’s so much easier just to keep up with culture. It’s so much easier just to blend in. So what do we do? Do we go underground? Do we hide out, do we hunker down? No. No – and here’s why. Because you have been called to be the light of the world, the salt of the earth. The Christian life isn’t about running away from the evil of this life. The Christian life is about standing in the midst of the darkness and becoming a shining light.”
“How do we do this? We have to be full of truth… and full of grace. We have to hold on to the truth. There are things in this world, regardless of what our society wants to tell us, that are right and wrong. As believers in Jesus, we must hold onto that. And we must learn to speak in love… because a kind word is always better than an ugly word. We must be full of truth, but we also must be full of grace. As we live in this world, we cannot expect non-believers to act like believers. We cannot expect non-believers to hold to the standard of believers. Can we be honest for just a second? Believers really struggle holding to the standard of believers. So we must be full of grace, with one another and with the world around us.”
“The one thing we must understand is that ‘or’ is not an option. It is not be full of truth OR be full of grace. It is a ‘both/and’… and it’s not a 50/50 balance. It’s a 100/100 at all times.”
“We can stand for truth and be full of grace… just like Jesus. Because the bottom line is this – we must look like the one we follow.”
“As followers of Jesus today, we must remember this… what you believer and what you know to be true – it matters. So be full of truth, and be full of grace.”
LCC Discipleship Minister Daniel Koch continues in week 2 of our sermon series by encouraging all believers not to give up, no matter what happens. The Christian life will come with challenges – this is inevitable – but we can recognize the true source of our adversity and by faith, we can choose to not allow fear to dictate our response in difficult times.
“These letters (in Revelation) are still the actual words of Jesus, and they take a lot of the guesswork out of trying to decide what Jesus desires for his church today.”
“It’s important that we recognize Jesus for who he fully is – that we don’t just pick the parts that sound nice or seem nice to us, but recognize that he also is incredibly holy, powerful and fully deserving of all of our worship.”
“The Christian life is a very active life. Sometimes you hear ‘being a Christian is not about doing, it’s simply about being.’ No – we are called to do as well. Authentic faith is always demonstrated. The doing can’t be the reason that we earn salvation, but it is the response to salvation.”
“Jesus honors those who don’t give up.”
“I want you to remember that even when it feels like no one else sees, you have a God that does. He honors those that don’t give up.”
“Jesus beckons us to not give up on the life that he’s called us to, or on the community that we’ve been called to be a part of.”
“It is important for us to know and recognize the freedom that we have now and to not take that for granted.”
“For us, we deal with the challenges of living fully for Jesus. Loving people who are hard to love. Giving and being willing to sacrifice when it’s difficult to do so. Being patient in waiting on the Lord, forgiving those who don’t deserve it, loving those who hurt you. The Christian life is - and will always be - a call to come and die.”
“Jesus acknowledged that even when it seems like you get no return in this world, he sees you and he values your perseverance. Don’t give up.”
“There are a few underlying ideas that can help when things get difficult:
· Recognize that adversity and challenges are an inevitable part of this life. (John 15, Matthew 5, John 16)
· Don’t misjudge the source of our adversity. Recognize the greater enemy.
· Don’t allow fear to dictate your response to adversity.
“Facing difficulty is part of what it means to be part of God’s people – and you are not the first to face things.”
“We have this promise that we will get to spend eternity with him and in the meantime, we will face challenges while looking ahead to that future hope.”
“When we settle for a more superficial reason for our adversity, we are likely to get caught up in a more superficial solution and neglect the real issue at hand. We have to remember that our struggle is not against flesh and blood primarily, but against the dark and evil spiritual forces of this world. When we correctly discern the root issue, we then realize that we are no match and cannot overcome without the power of Jesus Christ – and so we cling to him.”
“Fear is a great enemy to faith, but Jesus reminds us of what we see in scripture – there are really only two things that we need to fear. One is God himself. The fear of God is beginning of all wisdom. And the second… is nothing. When you have God on your side, there is nothing left to fear.”
“The Christian life is one that recognizes that God is in control – no matter what happens to us.”
Andy Turner starts a new series from the Book of Revelation. In Week 1, we talk about the message to church of Ephesus and how it is relevant to the church today. Andy challenges the church to repent of apathy and living out a comfortable faith on autopilot. How can we live with passion and purpose as we seek to be a light to those around us? We have to get back to the start – remembering where we were when we were most in love with Jesus.
“Picture a child who is overwhelmed… who is scared out of their mind… just trying to keep their head above the water. Every good parent would pick up their child and hold them, comfort them, protect them. That’s the picture that we get of Jesus with his church today... because Jesus cares so deeply for his church.”
“Not only does Jesus care for the church… but he also walks among the church. He is continuously present among the church. Jesus is no absentee landlord.”
“Jesus is walking among his church. He is present among his church. He is up close and personal with his church. He is watching over the church, sustaining the church, protecting the church. He sees what we do… he hears what we say. He knows what we think. Hopefully this is a great source of assurance… and also a great source of accountability.”
“Obedience out of duty, as opposed to obedience out of love for Christ, is the difference between ‘I obey, so Jesus accepts me’ or ‘Jesus accepts me, so I gladly obey.’ One of those is the gospel – the other is false.”
“If all is not well with our soul, it does not mean that all is lost. All is never lost when it comes to Jesus and his church.”
“What do we do when we find ourselves on autopilot? Jesus calls us to repent. He calls us to undergo this change in mind that results in change in action and attitude. He calls us to remember how far we have fallen.”
“Labor is not substitute for love. Purity is no substitute for passion. Deeds are no substitute for devotion.”
“I believe that’s what the message to the church of Ephesus is… ‘Go back and do the things you did whenever you felt most in love with Jesus.’
“Did you pray more, did you read more, did you study more, did you worship more, did you journal more? What did you do when you were the most on fire, whenever you were most passionate? What did you do in your relationship with Jesus? Go back and do that again.”
“They were comfortable to combine elements of the Christian faith with the surrounding practices and culture… if that doesn’t sound familiar today. We live in a world that is so full of evil and we have so confused ourselves to call evil good.”
“Whenever the words of Jesus and culture collide, Jesus’ word must prevail. Why? Because he is the one who is victorious. He is the one who, through his victory, has given us victory. And the victory that Jesus provides, this world and this culture will never be able to provide.”
“Just because you feel like the world is against you… does not mean you get to be against the world that Jesus died to redeem.”
“We have the opportunity to meet difficulty and opposition with truth and love and faithfulness. We can respond to the world with grace, and keep giving more as we feel attacked. And when we feel beat up, we can choose to respond like Jesus – we can both follow the truth and show love for all in this world. We can respond in faith that what he said is true… ‘In this world you will have trouble but take heart, for I have overcome the world.’ We can live – and we can prove – that we truly believe in what we claim to believe."
LCC’s Discipleship Minister Daniel Koch concludes the series “Our House” with a message about the importance of being surrounded by a Jesus-minded community. As we learn from the book of Daniel, our faith will be tested, and having the support of fellow believers can help us to stand firm, no matter what.
“Every day it seems like the world surrounding us looks less and less familiar… and many days it feels like this house of ours (the church) does not belong in the neighborhood.”
“The more the world around us turns away from God… the more important a Jesus-minded community around you becomes.”
“Daniel resolved to honor God when his conscience demanded it. He took a stand for his faith where he had opportunity, but not only that, his friends ended up joining with him in his resolve. Daniel led the way in determining when enough was enough.”
“It’s so hard to know and determine, at what point do we say ‘I just can’t go along with this anymore?’ The reality is, many of us are coming closer to those moments of decision, and if you don’t have a plan of knowing where that line is, I’m afraid that when that time comes it will be easier to just cross over.”
“Satan is crafty, and he often plays on Christians’ desire for compassion and goodwill to seduce them into compromise.”
“Surrounding yourself with a Jesus-minded community instills courage to stand firm. It’s so much easier to stand firm when other people are doing that with you.”
“There may come a day when your faith is called to account, and knowing that you have a Jesus-minded community that has your back, to carry you through whatever fallout might occur, is so important.”
“There may be days when you are the one that’s needed to provide courage to someone else.”
“Go and do likewise.” Andy continues in week 3 of our series, “Our House,” with a reminder of the command from Jesus to show mercy and love to those around us. How can we reach those around us who are struggling? How should the church react to the brokenness and hurt in the world around us? Listen to this week’s message to hear more about how Jesus-followers can be agents of hope and not “me-centered” Christians.
“A me-centered church is a dangerous church… but not in the good way. It’s impossible to have a me-centered faith as a me-centered Christian while living the life that Jesus desires for us to live. Those things can’t coexist.”
“Me-centered Christians will always struggle to reach people who are far from Jesus.”
“This is the command of Jesus – to love one another as he has loved us. This is not just a suggestion.”
“It is impossible for us as Jesus-followers to stay away from brokenness today. We don’t have the option of just crossing over to the other side of the street and continuing to go on.”
“Because of the hope of Jesus Christ, it should never be our intention to get away from the brokenness of the world. It should always be our intention to run to it. You look at everything – the pain, the suffering, the questions and doubts and loneliness – look at all of it and understand that because of Jesus, nobody is better than anyone else. When it comes to the cross, we all stand on level ground. We are all sinners in desperate need of amazing grace.”
“So often, our tendency when we see pain and brokenness and hurt, is to come up with all the reasons why we should not engage. May it be true for us that whenever the world sees us coming, that they see agents of hope.”
“Because of Jesus, we believe that ALL people can be reconciled to a holy God. And if all people can be reconciled to God, by all means we can be reconciled to each other. All of this is possible because of the cross.”
“Every single pain we see in this world, Jesus is the answer. He’s the answer for it all. You know how that answer gets to the broken? Whenever we decide to engage brokenness instead of passing by on the other side of the street.”
“Even in the midst of our brokenness, can we keep our eyes focused on Jesus? Can we take that hope everywhere we go and to everyone we encounter? May we do more than simply listen to the Word and so deceive ourselves. May we do what it says.”
In our second week of the sermon series "Our House," we continue discussing how we can become more like Jesus, individually, so that the church becomes more like Jesus, collectively. Andy shares about ways that we can live according to Jesus’ example, and follow what the scripture says, especially when it comes to forgiveness, guilt, apathy, and our relationships with those around us.
“The only way to be the kind of follower that Jesus called for you to be… and the only way to the live the kind of life that Jesus desires for you to live… is to do the things that Jesus did and to follow the example of Jesus’ life.”
“Each and every one of us have been gifted by the Holy Spirit, in some way… and that gift hasn’t been given to you so you can hoard it away, but so you can help the church be who the church was meant to be.”
“The more that you become like Jesus, individually… the more that we become like Jesus, collectively.”
“Guilt is not a good motivator. Guilt is not of God. Conviction is – but guilt is not.”
“Maybe you look at yourself in the mirror and you just don’t care what you see… like you look into scripture and you just don’t care what you see. It’s not that you don’t see it… it’s just that you don’t care enough to remember it.”
“How different would your life look if from the very beginning, you took the words of Jesus and the Apostles and you actually lived them?”
“Here’s what I know about unforgiveness and bitterness – it doesn’t only affect the one person you’re unwilling to forgive. In time, it will impact every single relationship that you have. It’s going to cause your heart to become so, so hard. If we would just listen to the words of Jesus, from the very beginning, that bitterness and unforgiveness never would have had a fertile soil to grow in the first place.”
“A lot of people want to ask ‘How close can I get to this line and still be ok?’ But if we would just listen to what the scripture says, we would understand how awful of a question that is.”
“Scripture tells us to flee, to run as far as we can from sin, but we don’t always listen to scripture and do scripture. Instead we listen to scripture and try to find the loophole so we can still do pretty much whatever we want.”
“Whenever we begin to listen to the words of Jesus and put them to practice, we will see that the Word is Living and Active. We will begin to see that this Word begins to transform who we are through the power of the Holy Spirit. We will begin to see our hearts change, and our minds change, and our lives change, that the things that we desire are no longer the things that we desire, but the things that we begin to desire are the things that Jesus desires because we are being transformed into his likeness.”
“Whenever we begin to listen and do the words of scripture, we will realize that we have a solid hope to stand, whether things go our way or not – all because we heard his word and we did what he said.”
“There are so many roadblocks that the enemy wants to use to distract people from who Jesus truly is… and my prayer is that we are not one of those roadblocks.”
What has changed in the church since the fall of 2019? Andy talks about how fear and polarization have changed the church in recent years, and how we as part of both the local and universal church can live together as the church that Jesus desires for us to be.
Sermon Quotes from This Week:
“{Church} is the one place where you should be able to come and be unified - around the life, the death, the burial and the resurrection of Jesus Christ - no matter what else we disagree on, we can be unified there.”
“Whenever we take camp in our tribes, we find our identity in other places outside of the one thing that we should be able to be unified around.”
“Any time that fear makes it into a place of worship, we are going to struggle: to love, to be transparent {with others and with God}, to experience community, to experience the freedom that we have in Christ. If we allow fear into our places of worship, then our worship is going to be distracted.”
“It is in our weaknesses that He is made strong. When we are weary, Jesus says come to me. Cast all your cares upon Jesus because why? Because He cares for you.”
“More people are becoming convinced that church is just an add-on – that church is not necessary to be a Jesus follower. That’s true – going to church does not make you a Jesus follower. It is also true that church was always Jesus’ plan for all of his followers.”
“For the universal church to be what it was called to be, that means that LCC has to be who we were called to be, and for LCC to be who we were called to be, that means you must be who you’ve been called to be.”
“Instead of joining the church looking to receive, may we have the mindset to give and to serve. Instead of being angry about hypocrites, may we be encouraged that we are all sinners in desperate need of the hope and grace of Jesus Christ. Instead of being critical all the time, may we use that energy to be encouragers.”
“The Gospel has not changed. Jesus is still victorious. Who we are called to be has not changed either. It’s still our job to point people to the hope and life that is available in Jesus.”
“God is giving every single person, who is a follower of Jesus, a gift from the Holy Spirit. Not to make you better, but to make everybodybetter - for the common good. If you think ‘I don’t have a gift,’ I promise you – you’re wrong.”
“It is not your job to look at anybody else and say ‘Man, I wish I had their gift.’ It is not your job to envy the gift that somebody else has. Your job is to simply be faithful with the gift that you have been given and to make sure that that part of the body is as healthy as possible.”
“As a church, we are a group of people who will celebrate together, mourn together, who will take care of each other, who will work together, who will always, always assume the best about each other. We will not be divisive, but we will be unifiers. We will always be each other’s biggest fans. That we are inclusive – everybody is welcome because we are in this together. We are the body of Christ.”
Listen as Discipleship Minister Daniel Koch, Student Minister Trey Hardimon, and Lead Minister Andy Turner discuss and pray for our faith in the new year - Genuine, Bold, and Proven Faith. This special prayer service is from Leclaire Christian Church on January 2, 2022.
“As we begin another year, we recognize that there is now - more than ever - an even greater need to know what we believe, to know why we believe it, to stand firm in that truth, to defend it, and to have the courage to speak it in the public spaces that God has placed us, while we have the freedom to do so. To do this, we need to be people of genuine faith - and genuine faith is rooted in truth.” - Daniel Koch, Discipleship Minister
“Bold faith moves beyond belief. It require movement and action. It lasts beyond right now, beyond you. Do you believe that God can accomplish the things that he did back then, now? Do you trust that God can do immeasurably more? That he can do unbelievable things now, as he did then? What’s one thing you need to trust and have faith – bold faith – that God can accomplish today?” - Trey Hardimon, Student Minister
“There’s a big difference between knowing all the right things, knowing what’s the right thing to do, and actually doing it. A proven faith goes beyond an inherited faith. It goes beyond a textbook faith. It goes into this realm of a moment-by-moment, year-by-year, kind of a faith that is proven over a period of time.” - Andy Turner, Lead Minister
“It is one thing to be able to stand up and say ‘I love Jesus.’ It is one thing to be able to stand up and say ‘I belong to Jesus.’ But it’s something completely different to be able to stand up and say ‘I am fully and wholly surrendered to Jesus.’” - Andy Turner, Lead Minister
LCC's Discipleship Minister, Daniel Koch, and Kids' Minister, Kelsie Koch, share an encouraging message to start off our Christmas series, "Among Us."
Lead Minister Andy Turner shares an important message about how to be thankful in all circumstances.
The final week of our sermon series, The Gospel According to John, with Lead Minister Andy Turner.
Week 7 of our series, The Gospel According to John, with Discipleship Minister Daniel Koch.
Week 4 of our series, The Gospel According to John, by Discipleship Minister, Daniel Koch.
Starting a new sermon series this week "Back At It" - Andy Turner, lead pastor at Leclaire Christian Church. August 22, 2021.
We all know that the phases of a child's life are fleeting--you enter one and just as quickly, it is over. We talk all the time about how It's Just a Phase...so let's not miss out on it! Join us as we talk about the importance of the Next Generation and how to Say Yes to what God wants to accomplish in and through them in the life of the church and the family.
Continuing the series "Press Play & Get into the Mix. Week 3. Daniel Koch, August 01, 2021
Welcome to the late worship service for Sunday, July 25, 2021. Please comment or give a like/love to let us know you are with us!
Welcome to the late worship service for Sunday, July 18, 2021. Please comment or give a like/love to let us know you are with us!
Thank you for joining us here in worship. Please comment or give a like/love to let us know you are with us! After service, head over to our Online Bulletin (www.leclairecc.com/lcc-bulletin) where you’ll find the Online Connect Card and all the latest information about what’s going on here at LCC!
Welcome to the Father's Day service for June 20, 2021. Please comment or give a like/love to let us know you are with us! Head over to our Online Bulletin (www.leclairecc.com/lcc-bulletin) where you’ll find the Online Connect Card and all the latest information about what’s going on here at LCC.
Good Morning! Thank you for joining us here in worship. Final week of Jeremiah "A People in Crisis" Week 5. June 13, 2021. Andy Turner-Lead Pastor at Leclaire Christian Church.
Welcome to the late worship service for May 30, 2021. Please comment or give a like/love to let us know you are with us! After service, head over to our Online Bulletin (www.leclairecc.com/lcc-bulletin) where you’ll find the Online Connect Card and all the latest information about what’s going on here at LCC.
Jeremiah’s ministry was characterized by opposition, suffering, and a message that his people did not want to hear. In this series we will look to the different ways Jeremiah’s life displays the necessity of both deep faith and engagement with a world that needs it.
Jeremiah’s ministry was characterized by opposition, suffering, and a message that his people did not want to hear. In this series we will look to the different ways Jeremiah’s life displays the necessity of both deep faith and engagement with a world that needs it.
Moms can often be great sources of wisdom and advice and this is no different for Jesus’s own mother. This Mother’s Day we take a look at John 2 where even Jesus’s mom helps us see a picture of what faith truly looks like.
In this series we will look at specific individuals in the Bible who struggled with doubt and struggled with knowing who Jesus truly was. We know this is a common feeling people even have today and we would love for you to join us as we navigate the topic of doubt.
In this series we will look at specific individuals in the Bible who struggled with doubt and struggled with knowing who Jesus truly was. We know this is a common feeling people even have today and we would love for you to join us as we navigate the topic of doubt.
In this series we will look at specific individuals in the Bible who struggled with doubt and struggled with knowing who Jesus truly was. We know this is a common feeling people even have today and we would love for you to join us as we navigate the topic of doubt.
In this series we will look at specific individuals in the Bible who struggled with doubt and struggled with knowing who Jesus truly was. We know this is a common feeling people even have today and we would love for you to join us as we navigate the topic of doubt.
In this series we will encounter people within the Gospels who experienced a personal breakthrough that completely changed their life. No life is too far gone for the all-sufficient, forgiving Savior. Jesus can take any life at any stage and make it a trophy of grace.
In this series we will encounter people within the Gospels who experienced a personal breakthrough that completely changed their life. No life is too far gone for the all-sufficient, forgiving Savior. Jesus can take any life at any stage and make it a trophy of grace.
In this series we will encounter people within the Gospels who experienced a personal breakthrough that completely changed their life. No life is too far gone for the all-sufficient, forgiving Savior. Jesus can take any life at any stage and make it a trophy of grace.
In this series we will encounter people within the Gospels who experienced a personal breakthrough that completely changed their life. No life is too far gone for the all-sufficient, forgiving Savior. Jesus can take any life at any stage and make it a trophy of grace.
Psalm 139 is well-known devotionally. Psalm 139:14 - "I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made" - is used on T-shirts, coffee mugs, and social media memes. The psalm's conventional usage can conceal its deeply important statements on the nature of the goodness of God. In this series we look to see how God's all-knowing nature assures us that our past, present, and future belong to Him.
Psalm 139 is well-known devotionally. Psalm 139:14 - "I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made" - is used on T-shirts, coffee mugs, and social media memes. The psalm's conventional usage can conceal its deeply important statements on the nature of the goodness of God. In this series we look to see how God's all-knowing nature assures us that our past, present, and future belong to Him.
Psalm 139 is well-known devotionally. Psalm 139:14 - "I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made" - is used on T-shirts, coffee mugs, and social media memes. The psalm's conventional usage can conceal its deeply important statements on the nature of the goodness of God. In this series we look to see how God's all-knowing nature assures us that our past, present, and future belong to Him.
Psalm 139 is well-known devotionally. Psalm 139:14 - "I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made" - is used on T-shirts, coffee mugs, and social media memes. The psalm's conventional usage can conceal its deeply important statements on the nature of goodness of God. In this series we look to see how God's all-knowing nature assures us that our past, present, and future belong to Him.
We concluded our series Together, Again by speaking to our core value of being "Welcoming to All."
This week we discussed our core value of "Using What God Entrusted to Us." God has blessed every single person with a unique set of gifts, talents, and abilities, and his desire is not that we bury these but that we use them to further expand His Kingdom.
After Jesus’s time on earth, he created a community of followers whose relationships with one another and love for each other would help point people to him. This week we’ll talk more about the importance of our core value "Authentic Community".
In this series we take time to discuss our mission, vision, and core values as a church.