CHRIST COMMUNITY CHURCH MEMPHIS

Practice the Way of Jesus

Jesus does not flatter us with comforting abstractions. He speaks with piercing clarity. “Everyone who hears these words of Mine and puts them into practice…”—and there He draws the line that divides all humanity. Not between the moral and immoral, the religious and irreligious, the fortunate and the afflicted—but between the practiced and the merely informed.

The striking truth of Jesus’ words in Matthew ...

Larry’s sermon centers on the idea that God desires to guide His people from places of brokenness, scarcity, and stagnation into lives marked by abundance, wisdom, and flourishing. He illustrates this through a story about a close friend who mentors a young woman whose life has been shaped by harmful decisions and discouragement. Larry’s friend pleads with her, saying that if she would simply watch, listen, and follow her, she coul...

The Unedited Genealogy of Jesus

“This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah…” — Matthew 1:1

We are accustomed to telling our stories selectively. We polish the edges, omit the failures, and highlight the moments that make us appear respectable. Scripture itself records that genealogies were often written this way—compressed, edited, and curated. Yet when Matthew opens his Gospel, he does something startling. He edits, yes—but not t...

Share this with someone in your life who doesn’t know Jesus  Christmas announces that God didn’t step into the world to shame us or control us, but to rescue us from what’s destroying us, heal what’s broken inside us, and give us the life we’ve been longing for. If that kind of hope exists, it’s worth taking a serious look at Jesus.

Mark 12:41–44

Share this with someone in your life who doesn’t know Jesus: Jesus sees value where the world sees insignificance. The God who notices a poor widow’s two pennies is the same God who sees you and knows you.

Jesus sits in the temple, watching people give their offerings. In a surprising move, He draws His disciples’ attention—not to the wealthy, powerful, or impres...

In his sermon, Larry explores the central idea that God communicates His most important truths not primarily through words, but through pictures, signs, and especially people. Beginning with the saying “a picture is worth a thousand words,” Larry explains that some realities are simply too deep to express with language alone. This is why God filled Scripture with vivid symbols—trees, rainbows, the Passover, the Red Sea, the taberna...

If corruption, hypocrisy, and abuse inside the church have ever made you question Jesus, let this sink in: Jesus condemned those things even more fiercely than you do. What you hate about religion is often the very reason you might love Jesus — because He exposes that darkness and stands against it.

In this me...

One of the things we want as a church is to grow in our ability to share about Jesus with those who don’t know Jesus. Use this summary statement to share with someone in your life who doesn’t know Jesus:

“Jesus isn’t inviting you into cold religion or a list of demands—He’s inviting you into the kind of love that reshapes your life from the inside out. The God of the universe d...

Sermon Summary: “The Resurrection Life” (Mark 12:18–27)

Preached by Coleton Segars

Introduction: You Can Learn a Lot from an Argument

Coleton began with a story about a moment of conflict in his front yard—when someone yelled at his wife, and he immediately stepped in to defend her. His point was simple but powerful: you can learn a lot from an argument.

That’s true in life, and it’s true in Scripture. The argument between Jesus an...

Sermon Summary: God & Caesar

Mark 12:13–17

“Later they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to catch him in his words…”

Jesus said to them, ‘Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.’ And they were amazed at him.”

– Mark 12:13–17

Coleton began by connecting the ancient tension of Jesus’ words to a very modern moment.

He recalled the tragic event of Septe...

“‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes.’” — Mark 12:10–11

Coleton opened by recalling a childhood nickname—“The Master of Disaster”—a title that summed up his habit of breaking things and then turning to his brother’s belongings for replacements. He explained...

Mark 12:1–12

Coleton began with a story from his childhood — his first time hearing the gospel at a Vacation Bible School in Riverdale, Georgia. The preacher was loud, red-faced, and terrifying. Young Coleton walked down the aisle, not because he loved Jesus or wanted to follow Him, but because he was afraid of hell.

He reflected, “Th...

Coleton began with a piercing question:

“How much do you think Jesus agrees with the way you live your life?”

He invited listeners to imagine Jesus observing everything—how they spend time and money, how they treat people, what they watch, post, and prioritize. Would Jesus agree with most of it, or would He find much to challenge and correct?

Coleton quoted author Anne Lamott:

“You can safely assume you've created God in your own i...

Introduction – When People Don’t Approve of You Rainey began her message with a story from her college years — a painful and funny one about rejection. She told how she dated a grad student named Noah who was brilliant, popular, and part of an elite, intellectual friend group. When she went to dinner to meet his friends, she knew she was being evaluated — an “audition dinner.” When asked about Kant’s Critique of Judgment, all sh...

Coleton began with a story about accidentally cutting himself with his dad’s pocketknife. Just like with the knife, he wants to handle this text carefully because it’s often misunderstood—either leading people to miss out on what Jesus promises or to become disillusioned when prayer doesn’t seem to work. ⸻ 1. What Is Jesus Actually Saying? •    Jesus says: “Truly I tell you…” — a phrase He uses in other places where the word...

Coleton walked through Mark 11:12–21 in a “documentary style,” scene by scene, showing how Jesus’ actions with the fig tree and temple symbolized God’s judgment on empty religion and pointed toward Jesus as the true and better temple. 1. The Fig Tree: Looks Alive but is Diseased     •    Jesus curses the fig tree not because He expected fruit out of season, but because fig trees always produced early figs (paggim) before leaves...

Coleton preached on Jesus’ triumphal entry and how Jesus seeks to make two central claims: 1. Jesus is the Messianic King — the crowd’s actions and the fulfillment of prophecy (Zechariah 9:9) show that Jesus openly claims the kingship. He accepts royal honor (“Hosanna,” cloaks, branches) and—when challenged—refuses to silence the praise, even saying that if the people were quiet “the stones would cry out.”  N. T. Wright: “You don...