PCFC Sermons

Parma Christian Fellowship Church

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Religion & Spirituality

Welcome to the weekly podcast for Parma Christian Fellowship Church. We are a community of Bible-based believers that seek to follow Jesus in all that we do. We desire to reach the world for Jesus Christ through worship, evangelism, discipleship, prayer, and service.

Sep 28

Mess / New Beginnings

Weekend Service for September 27Scripture Readings: Luke 19:1-10Life can become a mess one thing at a time. A house fills with dog hair, grass, toys, and stuff that gets set down, and eventually buckets sit in front of buckets until nothing useful can be reached. Finances, relationships, bitterness, secrets, and habits can pile up the same way, one unresolved decision at a time. The mess can become a prison, a pit so deep that the light at the top cannot be seen.Luke places Zacchaeus in that kind of mess. Zacchaeus has status, money, and authority, but his wealth has come through taking advantage of his own people. Zacchaeus is not simply a victim of his circumstances, because his choices have shaped the place where he stands. Yet Zacchaeus recognizes that more money, more power, and more tax collectors under him cannot fill what is missing.Jesus sees Zacchaeus in the tree and calls him by name. Jesus does not tell Zacchaeus to clean himself up first, make a list, and come back once everything looks better. Jesus enters the mess and says, “I must be a guest in your home today.” The crowd sees a notorious sinner, but Jesus sees a person worth seeking and saving.Zacchaeus responds to Jesus with more than a feeling. Zacchaeus gives half his wealth to the poor and promises to repay four times what he has taken wrongly. Repentance does not erase the past, but it changes the direction of the future. A new beginning requires repeated decisions, like rebuilding a broken house from the foundation instead of hanging drywall over weak bones.Jesus gives Zacchaeus what wealth could never give him: salvation, peace, and a new name. The past remains real, but it does not have to control the next step. The light in the pit comes from Jesus, even when doing the right thing is harder than staying in the broken cycle.Jesus says “today,” not someday. The mess does not need to be hidden under a tarp, excused away, or handled alone. The next right step begins by inviting Jesus into the marriage, the finances, the addiction, the shame, the secret, or the bitterness. Jesus is not scared away by the mess, and he does not leave those who follow him the same as they were.[00:00] Welcome[00:28] When Life Is a Mess[01:24] Messes Build Up Over Time[04:15] Zacchaeus and the Prison of Choices[10:53] Zacchaeus Seeks Something More[12:19] Jesus Calls Zacchaeus by Name[15:21] Invite Jesus Into the Mess[16:29] A Changed Heart Takes Action[17:24] Rebuilding From the Foundation[20:24] The Past Cannot Control the Future[23:35] Stop Hiding the Mess[26:47] Jesus Says Today
Sep 21

Stuck / New Beginnings

Weekend Service for September 20Scripture Readings: Mark 2:1-12Mark 2 puts a paralyzed man right in the middle of what it means to be stuck. The text does not explain how he became paralyzed, and that matters, because people can be stuck for all kinds of reasons. The past, other people’s choices, personal decisions, unhealthy relationships, addiction, isolation, unforgiveness, bad routines, and plain laziness can all leave somebody spinning tires in the mud.The contrast between staying stuck and getting unstuck begins with agency. Some circumstances cannot be changed by effort alone, just as the paralyzed man could not simply choose to stand up and build strength. But the places that can be changed call for one small decision at a time. The foundation beneath the cottage looked like a huge, scary project until the digging reached bedrock only twelve inches down. The fear of making the wrong move had paralyzed the work, but one decision led to the next, and three foundation sections were repaired in a day.The friends in Mark 2 refuse to let the crowd become the end of the story. The roof becomes their way forward because getting close to Jesus matters more than doing things the easy way. Their faith carries the man when he cannot carry himself. Jesus sees their faith, and the people surrounding a stuck person matter because some friends push toward Jesus while others pull away from Him.Jesus first says, “My child, your sins are forgiven,” because the heart needs more than a surface-level fix. The religious leaders question His authority, but Jesus proves that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins by telling the man, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home.” The man does not leave his mat behind as though his past never happened. Jesus tells him to carry it. His history becomes part of his story, but it no longer dictates his future.The new beginning comes through fully surrendering the specific stuck place to Jesus while also taking the next step. A lap around the house, a phone call, an apology, counseling, accountability, deleting an app, opening Scripture, changing a routine, or asking someone to pray can become the next decision. Jesus does not call people to sit still and wait for heaven. Christ calls broken people to come to Him, receive forgiveness, get up, walk, and become whole.[00:00] Welcome[00:25] Tay Reed and the Need for Change[01:52] The Paralyzed Man in Mark 2[04:11] What It Means to Be Stuck[06:27] Choosing Not to Stay in the Mud[10:04] Finding Bedrock Beneath the Foundation[12:36] New Beginnings Start With Jesus[13:21] Friends Who Bring a Man to Jesus[16:18] Digging Through the Roof[17:23] Forgiveness Before Healing[20:18] Changing Routines and Finding Support[24:35] Stand Up, Pick Up Your Mat[29:34] Identify the Specific Stuck Place[30:33] Take One Small Step Forward[32:53] Surrender and Do Your Part
Sep 14

Failure / New Beginnings

Weekend Service for September 13Scripture Readings: John 21:15-19John begins this new beginning with Peter, a brash and bold disciple who speaks fast, loves big, and believes he can stand when pressure comes. Peter shows that the people who encountered Jesus were not distant Bible characters in long flowing clothes, but human beings whose struggles still look familiar today. Jesus makes clear that a new beginning is available at any point in life when faith turns toward him.Jesus tells Peter that the time has come for the Son of Man to enter his glory, and then gives his disciples the command to love each other as he has loved them. Peter quickly shifts to the question of where Jesus is going and insists that he is ready to die for him. Jesus answers Peter’s big promise with a hard truth: before the rooster crows, Peter will deny even knowing him three times.Peter’s denial reveals the gap between good intentions and spiritual strength. Peter has the right ideas and the desire to be faithful, but Peter trusts his own confidence more than the foundation of Jesus. Peter stands by a fire, gets asked if he knows Jesus, and says no three times. The rooster becomes the glass-shattered moment when Peter remembers Christ’s words and sees the devastation of his failure.Failure can move from being something a person did into something a person believes he is. Peter could have decided that his worst moment was his true identity, that he was disqualified, useless, and no longer able to serve Jesus. Peter’s story refuses to let that be the final answer. Jesus meets Peter after the resurrection beside the Sea of Galilee, right where Peter has gone back to what he knows: fishing.Jesus stands on the beach, fills the empty nets, cooks breakfast, and calls Peter back into a moment that echoes earlier days of following him. Jesus does not ignore Peter’s denial or simply pretend it never happened. Jesus asks three times, “Do you love me?” and each question reaches back into the three denials. Jesus gives Peter an assignment after every answer: “Feed my lambs,” “Take care of my sheep,” and “Feed my sheep.”Peter receives more than a vague second chance. Jesus gives Peter purpose back. Judas and Peter both fail Jesus and both feel regret, but Judas runs away while Peter turns back toward Jesus. Peter later becomes a central leader of the early church, not because Peter becomes perfect, but because Peter rests on the strength of Jesus rather than his own. Failure may be part of a life’s story, but failure is not the end while Jesus is still writing it.• [00:00] Welcome• [00:18] New Beginnings Through Encountering Jesus• [01:20] Peter’s Bold and Imperfect Faith• [02:53] Failure Is Not the End• [03:15] Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial• [06:39] When Mistakes Become Identity• [08:21] Peter Denies Jesus Three Times• [10:19] Good Intentions and Spiritual Strength• [11:53] The Rooster Crows• [13:44] Jesus Meets Peter by the Sea• [16:03] Breakfast and the Question of Love• [20:32] Feed My Sheep• [23:13] Judas Runs Away, Peter Turns Back• [25:12] Resting Failures on Jesus• [26:34] Prayer for New Beginnings
Sep 6

So, What's the Point?

Weekend Service for September 6Scripture Readings: 2 Timothy 3:16-17The brownie mix shows why separate Bible verses cannot simply be swallowed one at a time and expected to produce a faithful life. Scripture needs to be read as a whole, with the ingredients together and the heat on, because God is taking His people somewhere. The question is not merely, “What is the point of Scripture?” but, “What is the point of being born again?” and “What is the point of following Jesus?”Paul joins 2 Timothy 3:16 to verse 17: all Scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness so that God’s servants may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. Scripture is not given for finger-pointing, beating people up, or making somebody else look flawed. Scripture is the backpack, the footwear, the clothing, and the equipment needed for the work God has placed before His people in this world.The map image makes the point plain. A person needs to know where the journey is going, where the journey began, and where that person presently stands. Heaven is real and sure, but the kingdom of God is not merely getting out of this world safely. Jesus says the kingdom is among His people now, and Scripture equips them for the work between here and heaven.Jesus calls His followers, in the plural, “the light of the world.” Christ alone is the true and eternal Light, yet His people reflect His character together so that others may see their good deeds and come to understand the real nature of God. Light is not flawless performance. Light is a shared life that makes God visible in a dark world.Paul calls the church the body of Christ, not a collection of self-sufficient people with identical opinions, status, gifts, or backgrounds. God places each part in the body as He wants, and the parts considered weaker remain indispensable. Christ continues His earthly work through this living body, feeding, healing, teaching, guiding, and simply being present with people.The Spirit supplies the evidence of this transformation through love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The ancient world prized control, retaliation, and survival, but the Spirit forms a people able to answer disrespect with kindness and violence with costly grace. God desires His people not merely for the end of the future, but for the journey right now.[00:00] Welcome[00:14] The Brownie Mix Illustration[01:27] What Is the Point?[03:10] Scripture Read Together[04:15] Equipped for Every Good Work[05:28] The Map and the Journey[08:22] More Than Getting to Heaven[10:32] The Kingdom of God Is Now[12:06] You Are the Light of the World[15:35] The Living Body of Christ[21:09] Evidence of Spirit Transformation[24:32] God Works Through His People[25:38] Prayer and Sending
Aug 24

The King Who Gave His Life / Here Comes the King

Weekend Service for August 23Scripture Readings: Mark 14-15Mark 14 and 15 bring the question back again: who is Jesus, and what is going to be done with him? The cross was not the tragic ending of Jesus’ life. The cross was the place Jesus willingly chose, the highest price paid for humanity’s sin, and the clearest answer to the question of human worth.The picture of value starts simple. A house, a car, a truck, all of it can have one number in one situation and another number in another situation. Something is worth what someone is willing to pay. Human worth is not finally measured by money, a house, success, failure, popularity, or past mistakes. Human worth is demonstrated by Jesus paying with his own life.Gethsemane shows Jesus fully aware of what is coming. His soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. He asks the Father to take the cup away if there is any other way, but he does not stop there. Jesus submits himself: “I want your will to be done, not mine.” The disciples sleep because their bodies are weak, but Jesus stands alone because only Jesus can do what he came to do.The betrayal makes that loneliness sharper. Judas comes with an armed crowd and identifies Jesus with a kiss. The disciples flee. Human faithfulness fails Jesus, but Jesus’ faithfulness does not fail humanity. Even when abandoned, betrayed, and handed over, Jesus keeps moving toward the purpose he accepted.The trial shows the innocence of Jesus and the blindness of the people around him. False witnesses cannot get their stories straight. Jesus stays silent before their accusations, but when asked if he is the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One, he speaks truth: “I am.” The innocent one is condemned, while Barabbas, the guilty one, goes free. Jesus takes the place of the one who deserved judgment, and that becomes the picture of what he does for sinners.The crucifixion shows that Jesus could save others because he refused to save himself. The crowd mocks him, the soldiers beat him, and the King hangs on a wooden cross. Darkness falls, Jesus cries out, and the temple curtain tears from top to bottom. The barrier is gone. The Roman centurion sees what others missed: “This man was truly the Son of God.”The cross was not plan B. Jesus had already told his disciples that the Son of Man must suffer, die, and rise. The cross shows God’s love, deals with sin, opens access to God, and gives hope because death is not the end. Jesus paid the highest price, and that price declares the worth of the life he came to save.[00:00] Welcome[00:25] The Cross Was Not Tragic[00:50] The Question of Jesus[01:22] What Makes Something Valuable[04:12] Cars, Trucks, and Replacement Value[05:59] Human Worth and Jesus’ Price[06:54] Gethsemane and the Cup[09:00] Disciples Sleep, Jesus Stands Alone[11:38] Jesus Chooses God’s Will[12:27] Betrayal, Arrest, and Desertion[14:58] Jesus on Trial[18:51] Barabbas and the Crowd[19:50] The Mocked King Crucified[23:15] The Curtain Torn Open[25:15] What the Cross Accomplishes[28:19] Worth Found in Jesus
Aug 17

The King Has Come / Here Comes the King

Weekend Service for August 16Scripture Readings: Mark 11-13Mark keeps asking the same question: who is Jesus, and what will be done with that knowledge? Mark 11 through 13 gives the answer with real weight. Jesus is truly the king, but he is not the king the crowd thought it was getting. The donkey says it before anyone else understands it. Jesus does not come riding in on a warhorse to raise a flag, crush Rome, or make life easier. Jesus comes humbly, moving toward suffering, because he has not come merely to fix circumstances. He has come to transform the heart.The fig tree and the temple belong together. The fig tree has leaves but no fruit, and the temple has activity but no relationship. Jesus curses the tree and clears the temple because religion has been turned into a game. Sacrifices, money changing, and outward motions have filled the space that was meant to be “a house of prayer for all nations.” Jesus is not impressed by busy religious systems that use people instead of serving people. He is looking for fruit.Mark then shows the religious elites growing more angry because Jesus threatens their power. The questions about taxes, resurrection, and authority are traps, but Jesus keeps exposing the heart underneath the trap. The coin bears Caesar’s image, so Caesar can have it. Human beings bear God’s image, so God desires the whole life. God is not after a pile of things. God desires the person.The greatest commandment cuts through the whole structure. Jesus says the center is love for the Lord with all the heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love for the neighbor as oneself. The teacher of the law who receives that word stands in a risky place, because his own group is against Jesus. Yet Jesus says he is not far from the kingdom of God. Head knowledge matters, but head knowledge without love and relationship leaves the heart empty.The widow’s two coins show what whole devotion looks like. The rich give a tiny part of their surplus, but the poor widow gives everything she has to live on. Jesus sees what looks insignificant to everyone else and calls it greater. Chapter 13 then turns the disciples’ eyes away from magnificent stones and toward faithfulness. Jesus says the buildings will fall, trouble will come, false messiahs will rise, and his people must stay awake and be on guard. The king has arrived, and his throne will be a cross. His crown will be thorns. His victory will look like defeat, but three days later this king will rise.[00:00] Welcome[01:30] Jesus Deserves Wholehearted Devotion[03:34] The King Arrives On A Donkey[06:51] The Fig Tree And The Temple[09:30] Activity Without Fruit[14:33] Religious Leaders Try To Trap Jesus[16:43] Give To God What Bears His Image[18:04] The Greatest Commandment[24:01] Beware Of Empty Religious Show[26:36] The Widow Gives Everything[31:03] Stay Awake And Be On Guard[35:29] The King Goes Toward The Cross
Aug 10

The Way of the Cross / Here Comes the King

Weekend Service for August 9Scripture Readings: Mark 8:31–10:52Mark moves Jesus and his disciples toward Jerusalem, and Jesus gets really intentional with them. Jesus is clearly the Messiah, but he is not the kind of Messiah they had already figured out in their heads. Jesus tells them plainly that the Son of Man must suffer, be rejected, be killed, and rise three days later. Peter has the right title for Jesus, but the wrong plan for Jesus, so his attempt to protect Jesus turns into the same old temptation to avoid the cross.Jesus answers Peter with strong words because Peter is seeing things from a human point of view, not from God’s. Jesus does not ask for followers who invite him to bless the path already chosen. Jesus calls people to give up their own way, take up the cross, and follow him. The cross means surrender, not just adding a little Jesus onto life.The transfiguration shows Peter, James, and John a glimpse of who Jesus really is. The Father says, “This is my dearly loved Son,” and the call is simple: listen to him. Faith is not always understanding every piece of what Jesus is doing. Faith is trusting Jesus enough to listen and change.Mark keeps showing the disciples learning slowly, and sometimes they just look like idiots. Jesus talks about betrayal, death, and resurrection, and they start arguing about which one of them is the greatest. Jesus answers by putting a child in front of them and saying that the first must take last place and become the servant of everyone else. The world says climb the ladder, but Jesus says get off the ladder and hold it for someone else.Jesus also takes sin seriously. The hand, foot, and eye language is intentionally strong because anything pulling a person away from Jesus needs to be dealt with, not managed casually. Sometimes following Jesus means asking not only for more of God, but for God to strip away what makes no room for him.Mark 10 keeps pressing the same question: what is too important to surrender? Marriage, children, wealth, status, and comfort all come under the call of Jesus. James and John still ask for seats of honor, but Jesus says his kingdom is different. The Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve and give his life as a ransom for many.Bartimaeus finishes the picture well. The blind man cries out while others try to quiet him, but Jesus calls him near, heals him, and sends him on. Bartimaeus can see, and he follows Jesus down the road.[00:00] Welcome[01:04] Slow Disciples Still Serve[04:31] Jesus Predicts His Suffering[08:51] Take Up the Cross[10:01] The Transfiguration Reveals Jesus[12:21] Jesus Teaches the Twelve[14:07] Arguing About Greatness[18:07] Get Off the Ladder[20:25] Taking Sin Seriously[22:57] What Must Be Surrendered[27:12] The Ransom for Many[32:37] Bartimaeus Cries for Mercy[37:03] Following the Right Guide
Aug 2

From the Outside In / Here Comes the King

Weekend Service for July 26Scripture Readings: Mark 7:1–8:30Mark keeps meandering with purpose through chapter seven and into chapter eight, and the big question stays the same: who is Jesus, and what is a person gonna do in response to him? Jesus does not come to wipe out bad people and try the Noah plan again. Jesus comes to give spiritually dead people something new, to change hearts, to open eyes, and to transform people into something they were not.The truck with the beautiful body and the little orange warning light tells the truth about the heart. The outside can look clean, strong, and put together, while the inside has an engine misfire that keeps the whole thing from being right. The house without a real foundation says the same thing. The floor may hold for a while, but cracks eventually show because the thing nobody sees matters more than the thing everybody sees.Mark shows the crowds loving Jesus, the religious leaders feeling pressure, and the disciples growing slowly. The Pharisees come after Jesus because his disciples do not follow the Jewish hand-washing tradition. Jesus answers with Isaiah and calls their worship a farce, because their lips honor God while their hearts are far from him. The hand-washing is not the problem. The problem is placing man-made tradition where God’s word belongs, then using that tradition to dodge obedience.Jesus makes the issue painfully clear: food does not go into the heart. Evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, deceit, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness come from within. The church look can become a shield, and nice clothes, steady attendance, service, Bible verses, and Sunday seats can all cover a heart that is not actually being changed by Jesus. God is not calling people to just look like Christians. Jesus is calling people to be transformed from the inside out.The Syrophoenician woman and the deaf man do not fit the clean religious mold, but they seek Jesus. Jesus heals the outsider’s daughter and then heals a man in a strange, personal, spit-and-fingers kind of way. Their background does not define them. Their reaching for Christ matters.The feeding of the four thousand shows the disciples still not understanding. Jesus had already fed five thousand, yet hunger in the wilderness still looks impossible to them. Jesus asks again, blesses again, breaks again, gives again, and abundance remains again. The question lands hard: “Don’t you understand yet?” Jesus has power for the situation, but he keeps calling for faith, changed hearts, and eyes fixed on who he truly is.[00:00] Welcome[00:30] Jesus Came To Transform[01:50] The Outside Can Look Fine[04:34] Mark Exposes The Heart[06:20] The Hand-Washing Conflict[08:00] Tradition Replacing God’s Word[09:26] What Really Defiles A Person[12:10] Changed From The Inside Out[17:12] Jesus Heals The Outsiders[19:03] Feeding The Four Thousand[22:26] The Disciples Still Forget[25:14] Don’t You Understand Yet[27:13] Jesus Above Every Tradition[28:02] Closing Prayer

Welcome to the weekly podcast for Parma Christian Fellowship Church. We are a community of Bible-based believers that seek to follow Jesus in all that we do. We desire to reach the world for Jesus Christ through worship, evangelism, discipleship, prayer, and service.

Creator

Parma Christian Fellowship Church
Years Active

2019 - 2026
Episodes

435
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© Parma Christian Fellowship Church
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