The Sanctuary Community Church

The Sanctuary Community Church We are a non-denominational church;
Striving to love what God loves,
& God loves the church. Love God - Love People

08/25/2026

What if a small, nearly invisible change to what we believe about Jesus could completely undo the gospel itself? That is exactly the danger at the heart of the ancient heresy known as Arianism, and it turns out this danger is far from ancient. We explore how a fourth-century church elder named Arius taught that Jesus was a created being rather than eternally divine, and why that single shift produces a gospel that cannot save anyone. The central passage is Hebrews 1, which opens with a sweeping declaration that Jesus is the radiance of God's glory and the exact imprint of his nature, language that leaves no room for a lesser, created savior. We also walk through Acts 13, where Paul quotes the same Psalm that Arius misused and shows us that Scripture must always interpret Scripture rather than our own assumptions doing the interpreting. The spiritual lesson is both sobering and clarifying: the identity of Jesus is not a secondary theological detail. It is the foundation of everything. If we get Jesus wrong, we get the gospel wrong. This is an invitation for us to examine what we truly believe about who Jesus is and to let the Word of God, not the surrounding culture, shape that answer.

08/18/2026

The Dangerous Divide

What does it mean to truly offer ourselves to God — not just our hearts, but our whole being? This message confronts a surprisingly ancient error that has quietly shaped the way many of us think about faith, worship, and even our own bodies. Rooted in a heresy known as Gnostic dualism — the belief that the physical world is corrupt and only the spiritual is good — this distortion has crept back into the church in ways we rarely recognize. We hear echoes of it when someone says 'it only matters what's in your heart,' or 'I don't need the church, I worship better alone,' or 'this world is fading away so none of it really matters.' But Scripture tells a different story. Romans 12:1-2 calls us to present our bodies as living sacrifices — a striking reminder that holiness is not just an inward posture but an outward, embodied reality. The renewing of our minds, not the transformation of our bodies, is what God prescribes. This flips the script on so much of what our culture insists is true. As we wrestle with these ideas, we are invited to see that God's design for us — body and soul together — was declared good from the very beginning, and that as His people, we are not called to merely accept that design but to celebrate it.

08/13/2026

What is wrong with the world? Every worldview has to answer that question. The Bible gives us a clear answer: "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). The problem is not ignorance. The problem is sin.

The world tells us we just need more information, more enlightenment, more self-help. But no amount of knowledge can address the rebellion in the human heart. The wages of sin is death, and the only solution God offers is repentance — not just feeling bad, but turning completely away from sin and toward Him (Romans 6:23, Acts 17:30).

08/03/2026

What is actually wrong with the world? It is one of the oldest and most pressing questions humanity has ever wrestled with. In this message, we dig into an ancient philosophical framework called Gnosticism and discover that its core assumption, that people are basically good and just need more information or enlightenment to fix themselves, has quietly crept back into modern thinking and even into the church itself. The contrast the Bible draws is sharp and uncompromising. Romans 3 makes it plain that the problem is not ignorance but sin, defined as active rebellion against a holy God. And Romans 6 follows that thread to its sobering conclusion, that the wages of that sin is death. We are not victims of a knowledge deficit. We are rebels in need of redemption. The message calls us to honest self-examination about the language we use, the excuses we make, and the cultural assumptions we have absorbed without realizing it. When we soften the word sin into phrases like missing the mark or living our truth, we are not being gracious, we are being Gnostic. The good news is that the solution is not complicated. Acts 17 gives us Paul standing before the philosophers of Athens and declaring that God commands all people everywhere to repent. Not to try harder. Not to get smarter. To repent. That is the answer the Bible has always offered, and it is the one we most need to hear today.

07/29/2026

Spiritual, But Not Biblical

What if some of the most dangerous ideas threatening our faith today are not brand new inventions, but ancient deceptions dressed in modern clothing? That is exactly what we explore as we dive into the world of Gnosticism, an early heresy that the apostles themselves were battling when they wrote the New Testament. Drawing from Colossians 2, we uncover a striking warning: do not be taken captive by philosophy and empty deceit rooted in human tradition rather than in Christ. The Gnostic worldview taught that the physical world is a cosmic mistake, that our bodies are prisons trapping a divine spark inside, and that salvation comes through secret, elite knowledge rather than through faith in Jesus. When we hold that up against Scripture, the contrast is stunning. The Bible declares that God created the physical world and called it very good, that Jesus rose bodily from the dead, and that we too will be raised with glorified physical bodies. The hope of Christianity is not escape from the material world but its full redemption. As we trace these ancient ideas, we begin to see them surfacing in our own cultural moment, from identity confusion to the belief that inner feelings outweigh external reality. The call for us is to recognize these patterns and anchor ourselves to the revelation God has already given us in His Word and in His creation.

We CAN'T wait for tomorrow!!!**✨ Come Celebrate What God Has Done! ✨**What was once a warehouse has become a place where...
07/18/2026

We CAN'T wait for tomorrow!!!

**✨ Come Celebrate What God Has Done! ✨**

What was once a warehouse has become a place where lives are being transformed by the love of Jesus. We are so grateful for all the Lord has done, and is planning to do! We'd love for you to celebrate with us!

🎉 **Sunday, July 19**
🕘 **Worship Service:** 9:30 A.M.
🍽️ **Open House & Meal:** 11:30 A.M.
We are excited to have the Pork Producers grilling for us!

Come worship with us, enjoy a meal, tour the first phase of our renovated church home, and hear the story of God's faithfulness throughout this journey. Whether you've been with us from the beginning or have never stepped through our doors, this is the perfect opportunity to connect with our church family.

If you already have a home church, you're still warmly invited to join us for lunch and the open house after your morning service!

📍 **The Sanctuary Community Church**
1603 N Elm St.
Jefferson, IA 50129

We can't wait to celebrate with you!

07/08/2026

Introduction to a sermon series called Poison In The Well. We are looking at ancient heresies and their modern manifestations.

☀️ JULY AT THE SANCTUARY COMMUNITY CHURCH ☀️Summer is moving fast, but there are still so many opportunities to gather, ...
07/04/2026

☀️ JULY AT THE SANCTUARY COMMUNITY CHURCH ☀️

Summer is moving fast, but there are still so many opportunities to gather, grow, worship, and do life together! 🙌

Whether you’ve been here for years or you’re looking for a place to belong — there’s a seat for you. Come as you are and join us this month! 🫶

📖 Sundays
Sunday School | 8:30 AM
Worship Service | 9:30 AM

🎶 Worship Night
Sunday, July 5 | 7:00 PM
Bring your family, invite a friend, and spend the evening worshiping together!

🎲 Young Adult Game Night | Saturday, July 11 at 4pm

🏠 Open House + Community Meal
Sunday, July 19 | Following Service
Join us after worship for food, fellowship, and community!

✨ Wednesday Nights | 7 PM
What A Mess Kids Bible School (Pre-K–8th Grade)
Youth Group
Men’s & Women’s Groups

☕ Women’s Bible Study
July 13 & 27 | 9 AM

Mark your calendars for August too! 👀
📌 Aug 3 — Worship Night
📌 Aug 10 & 24 — Women’s Bible Study
📌 Aug 23 — Back to School Bash

We can’t wait to see what God does as we gather together. ❤️

📍1603 N Elm | Jefferson, IA
🌐 thesanctuaryjefferson.org

Address

1603 N Elm Street
Jefferson, IA
50129

Telephone

+15153863234

Website

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