Central Baptist Message Archive

Easter Changes Everything

noreply@blogger.com (Pastor David) — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 23:33:00 +0000

April 4, 2010 AM
Easter Changes Everything #1
Dave Marttunen

Audio / Questions

Easter changes everything. Watch the disciples. The transition is spectacular, sudden and indisputable. This little band went from quaking in a hidden room to transforming their world. Whatever happened to them in these hours after the death of Jesus transformed their lives and their world. These followers invested in life, community and culture that left a lasting legacy for good. The history books are clear; this group became part of a quiet, determined, and progressive revolution that left its positive mark on everything. Orphans were rescued, the dead buried, and hospitals, libraries and schools were built. This little group infiltrated every level of society with a message that changed people from the inside out resulting in transformation for the good of society, culture and community. Today, we gather to celebrate the one act that changes everything. Jesus is risen.

Owned By Our Possessions

noreply@blogger.com (Pastor David) — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 03:07:00 +0000

March 28, 2010 PM
David Dawson

Audio

In our desire to seek a closer relationship with God, we must guard our affections. The tragic example of the rich young ruler who came to Christ, should warn us not to find our delight in the things we own. The problem is not owning possessions; the problem is when our possessions own us and prevent us from drawing closer to God

Our Glorious Life to Come

noreply@blogger.com (Pastor David) — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 03:02:00 +0000

March 28, 2010 AM
Heaven: How Real? #3
Dave Marttunen

Audio / Questions / Leaders

One of the things that keeps us from thinking deeply about Heaven, is the lie that we have believed that Heaven will be boring. This pervasive lie has inserted itself into our minds so that many Christians believe that fun, adventure, discovery and delight belong to this life alone, and they fade with this life and are not part of the next. For those who have accepted this falsehood, the idea of the new life in heaven has come to mean DULL, or something worse. Many Christians believe falsely that Heaven is only an eternal worship fest. But the Bible says something clearly different. Today, Pastor Marttunen concludes his 3 part series titled 'Heaven: How Real?', with a message based on Revelation 21-22. Today, we will explore the adventures to come in the abiding presence of God.

Earnestly I Seek You

noreply@blogger.com (Pastor David) — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 00:22:00 +0000

March 21, 2010 PM
Psalm 63
David Dawson

Audio

Lately I feel that this land of abundance is spiritually dry. Though I have everything I could want physically, my soul is parched. Do you ever feel like you are in a dry and weary land, thirsting for God? Sometimes the way we receive more from God is to recognize our thirst.

Resurrected to New Life

noreply@blogger.com (Pastor David) — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 00:16:00 +0000

March 21, 2010 AM
Heaven: How Real? #2
Dave Marttunen

Audio / Questions / Leaders

There are many things that cause despair, behind them all is futility. The book of Ecclesiastes puts it this way; ‘Life's a corkscrew that can't be straightened, a minus that won't add up. I said to myself, "I know more and I'm wiser than anyone before me in Jerusalem. I've stockpiled wisdom and knowledge." What I've finally concluded is that so-called wisdom and knowledge are mindless and witless—nothing but spitting into the wind. Much learning earns you much trouble. The more you know, the more you hurt’ (Ecclesiastes 1:15-18 from The Message). Today, in the second in the series Heaven: How Real?, Pastor Marttunen will teach us that our physical resurrection is the antidote to life‟s futilitity.

The Power of Heaven in Everyday Living

noreply@blogger.com (LH) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 16:25:00 +0000

March 14, 2010 AM
Heaven: How Real? (Part 1)
Dave Marttunen

Audio / Questions

Today Pastor Marttunen starts a three part series titled "Heaven: How Real?" The first message will focus on the 'Power of Heaven in Everyday Living.' Every person who anticipates a move around the world prepares carefully for the change. Pictures are viewed, contacts are established, resarch is conducted, and finally the move is made. For the Christian it can be the same with Heaven. The greater reality is there and then; here and now is just a temporary and preparatory assignment.

Why God So Often Blesses and Uses Wrong People

noreply@blogger.com (LH) — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 17:08:00 +0000

March 7, 2010 AM
The Rest of Your Life #9
Dave Marttunen

Audio / Questions
Looking into Peter's life, it is easy to brand him as an impulsive and erratic man. Can God use less than effective, less than complete, less than fully formed people to accomplish his purposes? All of us know that answer; we look into the mirror and know we are far from what we could be. But when we look in the album, we see that God has brought us a long way. We are not stuck back where we started either. Today we will see how grace works in our lives so that we can offer grace to those around us.

Like a Thief in the Night

noreply@blogger.com (Pastor David) — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 04:25:00 +0000

February 28, 2010 PM
A Future and A Hope #7
David Dawson

Audio

In this final sermon of the series, we will address the most common question we ask about the future: "When?" We will discover what the Bible says about the timing of Christ's return and how we should live as we anticipate our future and our hope.

Velcroed for Growth

noreply@blogger.com (Pastor David) — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 04:22:00 +0000

February 28, 2010 AM
The Rest of Your Life #8
Dave Marttunen

Audio / Questions / Leaders

It can‟t be done alone. The list is long—from teeter totters to marriage. The Bible says that God designed us for relationship with Him and with each other. Independence is a good word, but not the primary word when it comes to spiritual growth. We need each other to grow as God intends. Today, in the 8th message in the series „The Rest of Your Life‟, Pastor Dave Marttunen explores the concept that we grow best when we grow together as followers of Jesus. “Velcroed for Growth”.

Great is Your Reward

noreply@blogger.com (Pastor David) — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 00:05:00 +0000

February 21, 2010 PM
A Future and A Hope #6
David Dawson

Audio

Part of us feels that seeking a reward is contrary to noble spiritual aspirations. Should we do good for good's sake or for the sake of a reward? Yet, another part of us knows the value of reward and the motivating power of pleasure. How can we make sense of what the Bible says about spiritual rewards? Are there rewards in heaven? If yes, what are they and how should we live to attain them?

Is it a Sin to be Average?

noreply@blogger.com (Pastor David) — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 23:58:00 +0000

February 21, 2010 AM
The Rest of Your Life #7
Dave Marttunen

Audio / Questions / Leaders

Average. It sounds condescending, blah, under performing, and well, inadequate. Average can mean middle of the pack, run of the mill, ordinary, unappealing, as in common. So what does being an average Christian mean? Is it a sin to be a common and ordinary Christian? Can an ordinary, middle of the pack follower of Jesus be OK with Him and us? Is it less, inadequate, unsatisfactory and somehow deficient to be average as a follower of Jesus? Or does being an average Christian mean something altogether good and wholly adequate? Can it be that average is precisely God's intent and it is not Him, but ourselves, due to culture and the stress on excellence, that cause us to over reach and to miss what God wants us to celebrate and enjoy. So, here's to being average for the rest of our lives! Today, Pastor Marttunen will teach on the goodness of being an average follower of Jesus. This is part 7 in the series, „The Rest of Your Life!‟

Hell and Judgment

noreply@blogger.com (Pastor David) — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 00:39:00 +0000

February 14, 2010 PM
A Future and A Hope #5
David Dawson

Audio

As we have reflected on heaven and the glorious hope of our resurrection life, it is time we consider the warnings of scripture which tell of judgment and hell. The scriptures make it clear that there is such a thing as spiritual danger and the descriptions of hell are there to serve as warnings, that we might avoid such a fate. As we consider the terrible nature of hell, may we recognize that God is doing all he can to prevent people from entering such a place.

Experiencing God

noreply@blogger.com (Pastor David) — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 00:34:00 +0000

February 14, 2010 AM
The Rest of Your Life #6
Dave Marttunen

Audio / Questions / Leaders

If you want God in your life, you can have Him. A failed father and a neophyte prophet have a great deal to tell us about experiencing God. God can and does use anyone, but if we want satisfaction in life with God one thing is required. The one thing God wants from us is the hardest thing to keep giving God. Today, we will explore how true spirituality is formed and kept in the heart of all who want it.

Away from the Body and Present with the Lord

noreply@blogger.com (Pastor David) — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 23:43:00 +0000

February 7, 2010
A Future and A Hope #4
David Dawson

Audio

What happens in the time between our death and the final resurrection? If our final home is a new earth where we will live in resurrected spiritual bodies, what will life look like before we inhabit our final home. Tonight, we will examine what theologians have called the intermediate state. We will discover what the Bible says about what happens to Christians when they die.

The Love Dare

noreply@blogger.com (Pastor David) — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 23:39:00 +0000

February 7, 2010 AM
The Rest of Your Life #5
Dave Marttunen

Audio / Questions / Leaders

Because God is love, the most important lesson that He wants you to learn in life is how to love. Notice the direction. The plan of God is for you to love, not for you to find a place or a group to love you. Learn to love. Often we reverse this, and go searching for love. The quest will be never ending. What revolutionizes our lives is the decision to start loving. God himself, looks after loving you. Then God says, "as you have received give". Put another way, God gives you everything you need to start on this quest; learn to love. God provides the love we need so that all of us have enough to give. Today, Pastor Dave continues our series, "The Rest of Your Life", with message #5, “The Love Dare”.

It's Better than Fluffy Cloud Heaven

noreply@blogger.com (Pastor David) — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 02:01:00 +0000

January 31, 2010 PM
A Future and A Hope #3
David Dawson

Audio

Our vision of our final home is often a vague mixture of harps, halos and clouds. The Bible, however, has a much grander more substantial view of our final destination. Tonight, we will look to 2 Peter 3 and 1 Corinthians 15 to discover how the biblical view of heaven is pictured in terms of spiritual bodies living on a new earth. We may not have all our questions answered in the scriptures, but the Bible's vision of our future is far more compelling than all the modern myths.

Generous

noreply@blogger.com (Pastor David) — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 01:59:00 +0000

January 31, 2010 AM
The Rest of Your Life #3
Dave Marttunen

Audio / Questions / Leaders

God designed his people to be generous. His master plan is built on his own nature; galaxies of stars, oceans of water, plains with herds of animals, and forests teeming with creatures. He is generous. God is extravagant in creation and God is scandalously excessive with grace; more than enough for everyone. God's commands lead us to his nature. His base line commandment is stunningly simple (not simplistic): love me—heart, soul mind and strength, and love your neighbour as yourself. Living generously toward those around you is God‟s design for everyone in our community. Do you live this way? Do you have a plan that adjusts the busyness of your life to accommodate the simple, clear and constant requirement of God? Decide to love God fully and to love the person next to you in the same way you want to be loved. The antidote to selfish preoccupation (the narcissism of our day that corrupts us) and our sinful indulgences is in the Bible and in our minds, but it remains to be chosen, practiced and developed. Will we choose with the rest of our lives to demonstrate our devotion to God through our generosity? Will we make the ongoing decision to love others in the same way that we want to be loved?

The Future of Evil

noreply@blogger.com (Pastor David) — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 01:32:00 +0000

January 24, 2010 PM
A Future and A Hope #2
David Dawson

Audio

For some, the existence of evil casts doubt on the reality of God, yet the scriptures show us that God has a plan to solve the problem of evil. While evil will enjoy a period of unrestraint at the end of history, Jesus Christ will put an end to evil when He appears. While we must learn to patiently endure, it is encouraging to know that in the end Jesus wins and every cry for justice will be answered.

Learning to Pray Because Your Life Depends On It

noreply@blogger.com (Pastor David) — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 01:27:00 +0000

January 24, 2010 AM
The Rest of Your Life #3
Dave Marttunen

Audio / Questions

Prayer remains one of the great challenges for the Church in North America. We are victims of our own indolence. The Bible is clear; James 4:2-3 says 'you have not because you do not ask God', (prayerlessness equals emptiness). It goes on to say that bad motives equal no response from God. Today, Pastor Dave Marttunen is continuing his series 'The rest of your life' and tackles the issue of prayer in the Christian life. We will discover the keys to effective prayer so that like the early Church we will not only make it a priority, we will reap all the promised benefits.

What Matters Most

noreply@blogger.com (Pastor David) — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 18:52:00 +0000

January 17, 2010 AM
Guest Speaker
Kevin Thiessen

Audio / Questions

Welcome to Kevin and Cristy Thiessen and their twin boys, Bo and Ben. Kevin's passion matches our mission; He is a person of influence and impact who wants to see people become devoted followers of Jesus. Today, Kevin will challenge us to consider what matters most. He is preaching from 2 Timothy 3:16-4:8.

The Rapture and the Tribulation

noreply@blogger.com (Pastor David) — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 01:57:00 +0000

January 10, 2010 PM
A Future and A Hope #1
David Dawson

Audio

Tonight, join us for a new teaching series, „A Future and a Hope‟. We will explore topics like eternal life, resurrection, the return of Christ, the rapture, judgment, rewards, heaven and hell. You will be encouraged and challenged as you appreciate what the Bible teaches about our future and our hope.
Part #1 - The Bible teaches that there will be a time of great tribulation before the return of Christ, but does the Bible teach that Christians will be spared this time of tribulation? Some teach that Christ will return for his church before things get bad. Others teach that Christians will go through the tribulation. What does the Bible teach about this topic?

Of First Importance

noreply@blogger.com (Pastor David) — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 01:50:00 +0000

January 10, 2010
The Rest of Your Life #2
Dave Marttunen

Audio / Questions

Every gardener learns that ground left to itself is wild in 6 months. Every athlete learns that practice is required to win. Every musician learns that music requires devotion. Every Christian learns that doctrine is the core of living. Truth cleans, develops and sustains the heart of the one who keeps it. Today, Pastor David Marttunen continues with his series, “The rest of your life” - part 2 in the series. Today‟s message is titled, „Of First Importance‟.

Powered Up

noreply@blogger.com (LH) — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 23:25:00 +0000

January 3, 2010 AM
"Powered Up" - The Rest of Your Life Part 1
Dave Marttunen

Cultivating an authentic Christian lifestyle is the essence of our new series; good thinking and good living have a strong chance. However, many are the good thinkers who have poor life practice. Lifestyle is the place where thinking and practice meet. What does a fully devoted disciple of Jesus look like? Can we individually and collectively as a church make strong, mature reproducing followers of Jesus so that we are what God planned and doing what God purposed? Yes! The place we will start is in the description of the first church in Acts 1-2. There we discover how a small huddle of fear-filled followers became a force of unstoppable influence because they were devoted to the essentials as Christ's followers. In this introductory message, we will examine our lives and chart our course for spiritual development.

Audio

The First Supper

noreply@blogger.com (Pastor David) — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 22:13:00 +0000

December 20, 2009 AM
Near Enough to Receive #4
Dave Marttunen

Audio

On the surface it seems like a waste. The miraculous power of the Messiah harnessed to make wine out of water. Is that the point? Does God enter our world to fill our bellies, or add what’s missing? Beneath the surface the miracle has deeper meaning. This is the Messiah’s first supper. It’s the last supper that holds our attention because it follows after all that Jesus has done. But if we join the party at the first supper and listen, watch and reflect on it as the first supper, we will see Jesus, the light of the world, uses his power to initiate a new order, to deliver on an age old promise, and to birth hope for all who are willing to follow Him. Jesus is the party maker who brings new life to those who trust Him. Today, Pastor Dave Marttunen continues his series, "Near Enough to Receive" part 4, "The First Supper", based on the opening chapters of John's gospel.

Connect Before You Commit

noreply@blogger.com (Pastor David) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 01:26:00 +0000

Dec 13, 2009 AM
Near Enough to Receive #3
Dave Marttunen

Audio

How much time does it take to make a decision? Any decision? Some people, let’s call them fast decision makers, form their choices in moments. A fast decision maker will decide to buy, sell, invest or vacation at the blink of an eye. Other people, let’s call them slow decision makers, form their decisions, well, slowly. They calculate, consult, reflect and review as part of making a choice. Is one way better or worse? It depends on context. Everyone knows the two folk sayings— “he who hesitates is lost” which is balanced by “haste makes waste”. How much time, and what is needed in that time, for people to decide to follow Jesus? Jesus himself provides us with insight. Today’s Bible passage in John shows us Jesus recruiting followers as he starts his mission. Surprisingly, he gives time, information and himself to people making up their minds. This is the third message in our December Series, “Near Enough to Receive”.