City Light Church Sermons

Vicksburg, Mississippi
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This is the full collection of sermons preached at City Light Church in Vicksburg, MS. For more information on the church and its ministries, please visit citylightvicksburg.org

  1. May 31

    The Gospel of Luke: Eyes for the Blind - Audio

    SERMON SUMMARY Main Point: Seeing Jesus is an act of grace that only comes from Jesus himself. On May 31, 2026, Pastor Brian Crawford preached from Luke 18:31-43, a passage Luke intentionally placed two stories side by side: disciples who can see but cannot see, and a blind man who cannot see but sees everything that matters. The central question running through the whole sermon is simple and searching: what does it actually mean to have eyes for Jesus? The disciples were physically present but spiritually veiled. Jesus tells the Twelve exactly what is about to happen in Jerusalem, with remarkable detail. He describes betrayal, mockery, flogging, death, and resurrection. And yet Luke records three separate phrases to describe their response: they understood nothing, the saying was hidden, and they did not grasp it. Pastor Brian Crawford argues this is not casual confusion. It is a complete veiling of the eyes, one that only God can lift. The disciples had every advantage and still could not see. Seeing Jesus is never the reward for proximity or religious effort. The cross was God's deliberate plan, not a tragedy he allowed. Pastor Brian Crawford draws on Peter's sermon in Acts 2:23 to show that every person involved in the crucifixion, from the Jewish leaders to Judas to the Gentiles to the crowds, bore real guilt. And yet all of it unfolded according to God's foreknowledge and predetermined plan. Human responsibility and divine sovereignty both stand. The suffering was unbearable and real, but the resurrection on the third day makes this moment one of unspeakable joy held inside unbearable pain. Bartimaeus saw Jesus because grace was given to the humble, not the privileged. The blind beggar had no theological training, no eyewitness experience of miracles, and no social standing. Blindness in the first century meant economic ruin, social rejection, and religious shame. And yet when the crowd told him Jesus of Nazareth was passing by, he called out "Son of David," a title packed with messianic weight drawn from 2 Samuel 7. Pastor Brian Crawford points out the stunning irony: the man with no eyes sees what the disciples with every advantage could not. Grace, he argues, lives in humility. God opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble, and that includes the grace to see. Jesus stopping for Bartimaeus is a picture of how grace restores dignity. The crowd tried to silence the beggar. Jesus stopped. In stopping, he publicly honored a man everyone else dismissed. Pastor Brian Crawford makes the point directly: it does not matter how many people look past you. If Jesus sees you, you are seen. Faith is grace given to see Jesus rightly and ourselves honestly. Pastor Brian Crawford closes by defining faith not as willpower or religious striving but as a grace-given ability to see Jesus as the Son of David and Savior, and to see ourselves as people who have nothing to bring and everything to receive. Bartimaeus did not hide his need when Jesus asked what he wanted. He said it plainly. That kind of honest, humble confession is exactly what Jesus invites every person into, believer and seeker alike, every single day.

    51 min

  2. May 31 ·  Video

    The Gospel of Luke: Eyes for the Blind - Video

    SERMON SUMMARY Main Point: Seeing Jesus is an act of grace that only comes from Jesus himself. On May 31, 2026, Pastor Brian Crawford preached from Luke 18:31-43, a passage Luke intentionally placed two stories side by side: disciples who can see but cannot see, and a blind man who cannot see but sees everything that matters. The central question running through the whole sermon is simple and searching: what does it actually mean to have eyes for Jesus? The disciples were physically present but spiritually veiled. Jesus tells the Twelve exactly what is about to happen in Jerusalem, with remarkable detail. He describes betrayal, mockery, flogging, death, and resurrection. And yet Luke records three separate phrases to describe their response: they understood nothing, the saying was hidden, and they did not grasp it. Pastor Brian Crawford argues this is not casual confusion. It is a complete veiling of the eyes, one that only God can lift. The disciples had every advantage and still could not see. Seeing Jesus is never the reward for proximity or religious effort. The cross was God's deliberate plan, not a tragedy he allowed. Pastor Brian Crawford draws on Peter's sermon in Acts 2:23 to show that every person involved in the crucifixion, from the Jewish leaders to Judas to the Gentiles to the crowds, bore real guilt. And yet all of it unfolded according to God's foreknowledge and predetermined plan. Human responsibility and divine sovereignty both stand. The suffering was unbearable and real, but the resurrection on the third day makes this moment one of unspeakable joy held inside unbearable pain. Bartimaeus saw Jesus because grace was given to the humble, not the privileged. The blind beggar had no theological training, no eyewitness experience of miracles, and no social standing. Blindness in the first century meant economic ruin, social rejection, and religious shame. And yet when the crowd told him Jesus of Nazareth was passing by, he called out "Son of David," a title packed with messianic weight drawn from 2 Samuel 7. Pastor Brian Crawford points out the stunning irony: the man with no eyes sees what the disciples with every advantage could not. Grace, he argues, lives in humility. God opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble, and that includes the grace to see. Jesus stopping for Bartimaeus is a picture of how grace restores dignity. The crowd tried to silence the beggar. Jesus stopped. In stopping, he publicly honored a man everyone else dismissed. Pastor Brian Crawford makes the point directly: it does not matter how many people look past you. If Jesus sees you, you are seen. Faith is grace given to see Jesus rightly and ourselves honestly. Pastor Brian Crawford closes by defining faith not as willpower or religious striving but as a grace-given ability to see Jesus as the Son of David and Savior, and to see ourselves as people who have nothing to bring and everything to receive. Bartimaeus did not hide his need when Jesus asked what he wanted. He said it plainly. That kind of honest, humble confession is exactly what Jesus invites every person into, believer and seeker alike, every single day.

    51 min

  3. May 24

    The Gospel of Luke: Held - Audio

    “Now they were bringing even infants to him so that he might touch them. And when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. But Jesus called them to him, saying, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” And a ruler asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭18‬:‭15‬-‭18‬ ‭ If we come to Jesus holding nothing, we will receive everything. If we seek to hold something to qualify us, we will receive nothing. In this passage, Luke uses a word that is reserved for infants and toddlers, rather than just “children" to characterize these that were being brought to Jesus. These children cannot hold anything, they can only be held. Their fate is in the one who is holding them. Children were seen as liabilities in this time, so it makes sense that the disciples would have rebuked parents. But the disciples were wrong, and they didn’t see the value in the children that Jesus did. Jesus was even angered that the disciples were rebuking the parents. Children are shown as our models of kingdom citizenship. They are needy, feeble and weak, and require constant attention, feeding, changing, etc. to keep them alive. And if we don’t come to the kingdom of God in the same way, we will not gain entry. We need to be children with no accolades, no riches, no protection, no accomplishments. It is not what we are holding onto that will save us, but Who is holding us! The Rich Ruler in Jesus's parable that follows represents the anti-thesis of inheriting eternal life. The ruler is wealthy, respected, important, and a keeper of the law. He shows up asking the right question, and to the right person. But his posture before Christ is wrong. Even the ruler’s address is correct - he calls Jesus “Good.” This wouldn’t have been a normal introduction during this time. So even saying “good teacher” the Ruler is attributing to Jesus the attributes that would have been reserved for God. But the ruler doesn’t understand - none of us can get there and achieve righteousness, except through God Himself! So Jesus asks him to obey one more thing -- Jesus asks him to give up the thing that makes him who he is. Money and possessions are a powerful source of delusion and identity. But this is not just about Greed. Our own identities are idols for us. The rich young ruler's actions show that he’s breaking the first commandment - worshiping his identity via his wealth as his god. The people around Jesus then ask “if this guy cannot be saved, then who?!?!” And Jesus answers, “with God, all things are possible.” When we loosen the grip on our lives, and give up our own strength, we allow God to dictate our lives. What is holding you from being held? What do we hold onto to find worth before God?

    46 min

  4. May 24 ·  Video

    The Gospel of Luke: Held - Video

    “Now they were bringing even infants to him so that he might touch them. And when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. But Jesus called them to him, saying, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” And a ruler asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭18‬:‭15‬-‭18‬ ‭ If we come to Jesus holding nothing, we will receive everything. If we seek to hold something to qualify us, we will receive nothing. In this passage, Luke uses a word that is reserved for infants and toddlers, rather than just “children" to characterize these that were being brought to Jesus. These children cannot hold anything, they can only be held. Their fate is in the one who is holding them. Children were seen as liabilities in this time, so it makes sense that the disciples would have rebuked parents. But the disciples were wrong, and they didn’t see the value in the children that Jesus did. Jesus was even angered that the disciples were rebuking the parents. Children are shown as our models of kingdom citizenship. They are needy, feeble and weak, and require constant attention, feeding, changing, etc. to keep them alive. And if we don’t come to the kingdom of God in the same way, we will not gain entry. We need to be children with no accolades, no riches, no protection, no accomplishments. It is not what we are holding onto that will save us, but Who is holding us! The Rich Ruler in Jesus's parable that follows represents the anti-thesis of inheriting eternal life. The ruler is wealthy, respected, important, and a keeper of the law. He shows up asking the right question, and to the right person. But his posture before Christ is wrong. Even the ruler’s address is correct - he calls Jesus “Good.” This wouldn’t have been a normal introduction during this time. So even saying “good teacher” the Ruler is attributing to Jesus the attributes that would have been reserved for God. But the ruler doesn’t understand - none of us can get there and achieve righteousness, except through God Himself! So Jesus asks him to obey one more thing -- Jesus asks him to give up the thing that makes him who he is. Money and possessions are a powerful source of delusion and identity. But this is not just about Greed. Our own identities are idols for us. The rich young ruler's actions show that he’s breaking the first commandment - worshiping his identity via his wealth as his god. The people around Jesus then ask “if this guy cannot be saved, then who?!?!” And Jesus answers, “with God, all things are possible.” When we loosen the grip on our lives, and give up our own strength, we allow God to dictate our lives. What is holding you from being held? What do we hold onto to find worth before God?

    46 min

  5. May 17

    The Gospel of Luke: When God Hears the Sinner - Audio

    “He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayedthus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭18‬:‭9‬-‭14‬ ‭ In this parable we have two men with two postures, two prayers, and they leave with two different positions before God. Through this parable, Jesus outlines what genuine faith looks like. Contempt towards others is a primary fruit of self-righteousness. When we, like the Pharisee, have built our own pillars upon which we stand, we will look down on others and elevate ourselves. We will not possess the humility necessary for justification. Two people - a Pharisee and a tax collector. The Pharisees were the powerful and religious elite (socially well-connected and the "really good church folks of the day). The tax collector would have been the social outcast and seen as a traitor. Both of these individuals went up the hill to seek after God. Two postures - The Pharisee prays about himself. He sees himself above and beyond the people who cannot reach his position. God is an accessory to this man’s prayer. The main character is himself. The prayer expresses no need. Two positions: The Tax collector is completely mournful, standing away, head down and beating his breast. He sees the gap between himself and God and knows that there is nothing in him that can close that gap. His prayer expresses His need and His desperation. Begging God to turn His judgment from him. In the end, the tax collector’s heart allows him to go home justified. But the Pharisee is not justified. There is no room in the kingdom of Heaven for those who think they are there because of themselves.

    45 min

  6. May 17 ·  Video

    The Gospel of Luke: When God Hears the Sinner - Video

    “He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayedthus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭18‬:‭9‬-‭14‬ ‭ In this parable we have two men with two postures, two prayers, and they leave with two different positions before God. Through this parable, Jesus outlines what genuine faith looks like. Contempt towards others is a primary fruit of self-righteousness. When we, like the Pharisee, have built our own pillars upon which we stand, we will look down on others and elevate ourselves. We will not possess the humility necessary for justification. Two people - a Pharisee and a tax collector. The Pharisees were the powerful and religious elite (socially well-connected and the "really good church folks of the day). The tax collector would have been the social outcast and seen as a traitor. Both of these individuals went up the hill to seek after God. Two postures - The Pharisee prays about himself. He sees himself above and beyond the people who cannot reach his position. God is an accessory to this man’s prayer. The main character is himself. The prayer expresses no need. Two positions: The Tax collector is completely mournful, standing away, head down and beating his breast. He sees the gap between himself and God and knows that there is nothing in him that can close that gap. His prayer expresses His need and His desperation. Begging God to turn His judgment from him. In the end, the tax collector’s heart allows him to go home justified. But the Pharisee is not justified. There is no room in the kingdom of Heaven for those who think they are there because of themselves.

    45 min

  7. May 10

    The Gospel of Luke: The Kingdom and the Persistent Woman - Audio

    ““And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’” And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭18‬:‭1‬-‭8‬ ‭ESV‬‬ Widows in Jesus's day would have been particularly isolated, and context indicates the widow in this story had no male family to offer her support- no husband, but also no brothers, no father, nor grandfather. Jesus uses this parable to instruct His church to handle troublesome days: to keep praying without losing heart. Luke gives us a bleak picture for the widow. She had no choice but to appear before a judge on her own behalf: she has no family to advocate for her. But to make matters worse - this judge is wholly unrighteous. But this widow is able to break this judge and get the mercy and justice she needed. Her persistence alone causes the unrighteous judge to relent. Jesus directs the church to exercise this same persistence. And how much more will the righteous judge care for His children? Persistence in God is all we will ever need - the unrighteous judge's phrase “beat down” in the Greek is an image of someone punching an opponet over and over until the opponent gives up. The widow with no real power wins just because she just keeps showing up. If her persistence makes the unrighteous judge give in, how much more will our persistence work with a righteous judge who also longs to bring us justice and mercy and grace and salvation? Persistence in God is all we will have when it is all said and done - this is a warning to keep praying, keep persisting and not lose heart. When we experience the terrible things in the world, it can be heavy. And Jesus asks “can I find any faith in all the earth?” He has unbelievers in mind, of course, but He’s speaking to His disciples. It’s easy for believers to fall into a series of functional unbelief. Going to service, but never going to meet God there. The lord wants the unbelievers to turn to him, but also the persistent believers to have faith through His physical absence. This woman is alone, and without power. And yet she showed up, each day delivering a single punch to the judge. She didn’t quit on the first attempt, nor the 100th. But eventually… she did win. Jesus is coming back, and He’s coming back for those who are still praying, still loving our neighbors, still blessing our enemies, and not losing heart.

    38 min

  8. May 10 ·  Video

    The Gospel of Luke: The Kingdom and the Persistent Woman - Video

    ““And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’” And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭18‬:‭1‬-‭8‬ ‭ESV‬‬ Widows in Jesus's day would have been particularly isolated, and context indicates the widow in this story had no male family to offer her support- no husband, but also no brothers, no father, nor grandfather. Jesus uses this parable to instruct His church to handle troublesome days: to keep praying without losing heart. Luke gives us a bleak picture for the widow. She had no choice but to appear before a judge on her own behalf: she has no family to advocate for her. But to make matters worse - this judge is wholly unrighteous. But this widow is able to break this judge and get the mercy and justice she needed. Her persistence alone causes the unrighteous judge to relent. Jesus directs the church to exercise this same persistence. And how much more will the righteous judge care for His children? Persistence in God is all we will ever need - the unrighteous judge's phrase “beat down” in the Greek is an image of someone punching an opponet over and over until the opponent gives up. The widow with no real power wins just because she just keeps showing up. If her persistence makes the unrighteous judge give in, how much more will our persistence work with a righteous judge who also longs to bring us justice and mercy and grace and salvation? Persistence in God is all we will have when it is all said and done - this is a warning to keep praying, keep persisting and not lose heart. When we experience the terrible things in the world, it can be heavy. And Jesus asks “can I find any faith in all the earth?” He has unbelievers in mind, of course, but He’s speaking to His disciples. It’s easy for believers to fall into a series of functional unbelief. Going to service, but never going to meet God there. The lord wants the unbelievers to turn to him, but also the persistent believers to have faith through His physical absence. This woman is alone, and without power. And yet she showed up, each day delivering a single punch to the judge. She didn’t quit on the first attempt, nor the 100th. But eventually… she did win. Jesus is coming back, and He’s coming back for those who are still praying, still loving our neighbors, still blessing our enemies, and not losing heart.

    38 min
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About

This is the full collection of sermons preached at City Light Church in Vicksburg, MS. For more information on the church and its ministries, please visit citylightvicksburg.org

Information

  • Creator
    Vicksburg, Mississippi
  • Years Active
    2017 - 2026
  • Episodes
    831
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026
  • Show Website
    City Light Church Sermons