Grace Church Abu Dhabi Sermons: Recent Episodes
Grace Church Abu Dhabi
In these two verses the Apostle Paul calls on children and parents to fulfill their familial roles as those who have been renewed in the image of their Creator through faith in Christ. Through the power of Christ and his Spirit both parents and children can please the Lord and bring glory to him by obedience, discipline, and love!
As we see in Colossians 3:18-19 and Ephesians 5:22-33, God calls husbands and wives to different roles in marriage, because these roles will give the world a beautiful picture of Christ's love for the church.
In this passage Paul tells us what we can do individually and together to grow in love, and provides four powerful reasons that the Holy Spirit will use to empower us to obey.
In this passage Paul gives his readers challenging commands regarding sins like sexual purity, covetousness, and anger. But he also gives us reasons that God will use to help us obey these commands -- reasons which all connect to the fact that Christ is our only source of true life.
Paul urges his readers to seek our life in Christ by beholding him as supreme over all, and gives four powerful reasons to motivate us to persevere in this.
This sermon examines Colossians 2:16-23, challenging believers to focus on Christ as the substance of their faith, rather than getting sidetracked by religious rituals, worldly pressures, or human-made rules that cannot stop the indulgence of the flesh.
Here Paul urges these believers to keep receiving all they need from Jesus Christ, and not to be taken captive by anything else, because of six powerful truths about our Savior.
In this passage Paul gives four reasons from his own life for why we should not let anything draw us away from Christ -- because his joy in suffering shows the reality of Christ, because Christ dwells in believing Jews and Gentiles with the hope of glory, because in Christ we will receive encouragement, a community of loving believers, full assurance, and wisdom and knowledge, and because Christ gives us good order and firm faith.
In this passage Paul counters the false teachers who tried to draw believers away from Christ, by giving seven reasons why we should keep our hearts glued to Christ.
In this passage we see that Paul was devoted to prayer for other believers, and that the focus of his prayer was on believers' spiritual growth.
Baptism is a powerful picture of how, when we trust Christ, we are united to Christ in his death and resurrection. In this sermon we explore what it means to die and rise with Christ, why this is so important, and how baptism pictures this wonderful transformation.gful.
As Paul describes his thankfulness for the church at Colossae, he teaches us that God uses our future hope to strengthen our faith in Christ and our love for each other.
As Paul concludes his letter to the church of Rome, he warns them of the danger of false teachers, equips them to resist false teaching, and encourages their hearts in the Lord.
In these 16 verses Paul commends and greets over 30 people, and shows us five essential characteristics of Christ-centered community.
As Paul explains to the believers in Rome why he has not yet visited them, we can see six aspects of his life that God would want us to imitate.
In this passage Paul gives five descriptions of God's will for the church at Rome, which are also God's will for every church, including Grace Church Abu Dhabi.
Paul wants the Church at Rome to build one another up and welcome one another for God’s glory and praise following the example of Christ, who came to serve and die for God’s glory.
Paul calls on believers to walk in love by not causing their brothers and sisters to stumble. Eating and drinking against one's conscience is sin and may lead to spiritual ruin before God. So, believers are called to walk carefully in love so as not to offend one another and tempt one to go against their conscience.
A call for believers to embrace one another in love, setting aside judgments on non-essential differences.
As Christians we are obligated to love those around us. This kind of love does not fly int the face of God’s commands but instead upholds them, flowing from a love for God and His love for us. Likewise, knowing the time that we are in awaiting the return of Christ spurs us on to cast off darkness and live the Christian life.
As Christians who confess Jesus as Lord and belong to his eternal kingdom, why should we pay taxes to earthly authorities? What should motivate us as we submit to governing authorities, and how do we submit in such a way that are hearts remain set on the kingdom of heaven? The answer can be found in God's design for government and the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The Christian life should be marked by genuine love. This affects how we respond and interact with people inside the church community and outside. The gospel calls us to something that is radical and countercultural.
A look at Paul's call in Romans 12:1-2 to present ourselves as living sacrifices and embrace worship as a way of life, relying on the transformative power of God's Word and Spirit.
There is no greater gift Jesus can give us than a greater revelation of his glory. And in response to Lazarus' sickness, that's what he does for Martha, Mary, his disciples -- and Lazarus. And we get to read about it, and experience it, today.
Paul wraps up Romans 9-11 by showing how God's displays his breath-taking mercy in four stages of the history of salvation, concluding with a passionate celebration of God's mercy.
Paul knows that Israel's ongoing unbelief could make us think God has or will completely reject them, but Paul explains why that's not the case, and what God's amazing final plan is for Israel -- while also giving us a sobering message about the reality of God's hardening.
Romans 10:14-21 teaches that the Gospel should be proclaimed, heard, and believed yet sadly many have rejected the message.
In Romans 10 Paul helps us see that the goal of the Old Testament Law was to bring people to the faith that would give them the Messiah's gift of perfect righteousness, and what kind of faith brings us that gift today.
To show God's glory, and strengthen our faith in God's promises, Paul describes what God promises regarding the salvation of both Gentiles and Jews, and explains why -- at the present time -- so few Jews are embracing their Messiah.
In this passage Paul answers two more objections to his preaching, and then shows us what is God's ultimate, cosmic purpose in his plan of salvation -- which is profoundly encouraging.
In this passage Paul uses the way God chose Jacob to be the father of Israel to teach us four truths about how God chooses us for salvation.
Paul uses the story of the births of Isaac and Ishmael to explain that the way we become saved children of promise is by God supernaturally creating faith in our hearts.
Before Paul explains how the promises of Romans 1-8 transform our lives, he has to explain why Israel's unbelief does not raise doubts about the truth of God's promises. That's what's going on in Romans 9-11. And that's where he starts in 9:1-6.
Pastor Steve brings our Prayer Week to a close with a message from Psalm 119:17-24, in which we see the psalmist's devotion to prayer and meditation on God's Word, and learn why these are so crucial.
What does it mean to pray with faith? To answer this question, and strengthen our prayer as we head into prayer week, we look at how Paul prayed about his thorn in the flesh, how Jesus describes prayer in Mark 11:23-24, and what Paul says about the spiritual gift of faith in 1 Cor 13:1-2.
The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. (Num. 6:24-26).
The story of the wise men gives us eight reasons to trust Christ, which will result in him being the very center of our lives.
The book of Isaiah show a familiar pattern, Israel and Ahaz live against God's good laws, God calls them to repent, they don't, and God allows their sin to be punished. Despite this repeated pattern beginning with Adam, God has always had a plan, and his plan is to save his children through the bruising of his Son.
To be gripped by the wonder of Christ's birth, it's important to understand who Christ was before he was born.
We all know that Jesus calls us to be fishers of men, but for some reason we miss the amazing promise he makes to us about this.
In this passage God calls us to not settle for shallow, trivial fellowship, but to understand and pursue the life-changing fellowship God has for us.
This sermon exploreis the urgency of serving others based on 1 Peter 4:7-11, emphasizing the importance of love as the driving force behind selfless service and highlighting the transformative power of God's grace in fulfilling our highest calling—to bring glory to the One who is worthy of all praise, honor, and adoration.
In Romans 12:3-8 Paul warns us of a danger we will face when we pursue spiritual gifts, and also tells us how we should go about pursuing them.
As Grace Church faces a trial, we take this Sunday to look at what God promises about our trials, and how we should respond to our trials.
In 1 Corinthians 13 Paul says there will come a time when certain spiritual gifts will cease. So when is that? And what does this mean for us?
One of our convictions is that God calls us to be a worshiping church. In this passage we learn why David worshiped, and how David worshiped, so we can grow together in worship.
Romans 8:31-39 shows us that we can be sure of our salvation in Christ and certain of God's love for us in Christ.
In this sermon we will dig into what it means to suffer with Christ, and the five reasons Paul gives for why suffering with Christ is worth the glory that will experience in Christ forever.
Paul describes the difference between those who live according to the flesh and those who live according to the Spirit. He assures us that those who are in Christ by faith are also in the Spirit. We now enjoy the Spirit's life giving presence and the hope that one day, through the Spirit, God will give life to our mortal bodies.
Paul brings the previous chapters to a conclusion by celebrating that there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because everyone who is in Christ has had their sin condemned in Jesus' flesh and has this confirmed by the Spirit's work of freeing them from sin.
Paul has said some negative things about the Law of Moses, and so explains that the problem is the way our sin has responded to God's Law. He wants us to understand that the Law is holy, righteous, and good.
All of us were enslaved to sin because we were born under the law and had no righteousness of our own. Through Christ, we are set free from the bondage of our sin and through the power of grace, live holy lives in submission to God. Grace's reward is eternal life and sin offers death.
Through Jesus's sacrifice, we die to ourself and experience new life, and through Jesus's resurrection he redeems us in the next life. Now, we are called to die to self in order to be god's righteousness instruments for his kingdom.
In this message we dig into why those who have died to sin cannot continue living in sin, by showing how we died and rose with Christ. We also explore what exactly Jesus does to free us from sin's power, and how we can experience this in an ongoing way today.
To magnify what Christ has done for us, Paul spells out what Adam's sin did to humanity, and how Jesus saves all who trust him.
Paul explains why the hope of heaven will not put us to shame or disappoint us, and the reason he gives is because God has shown his love for us on the cross.
Man-made religion tells us to try to earn blessings from God by obedience. But in this passage Paul explains why that is impossible, and why it's only faith that brings God's grace which guarantees his promises to us through Christ.
In this passage Paul tells us how ungodly Abraham was counted as righteous before God, and about the blessing that brings to all who experience it.
Now that Paul has helped us When we are amazed at being justified by faith, we will stop all boasting in ourselves, and boast only in the Lord.
Romans 3:21-26 marks a turning point in the book of Romans, where Paul moves from describing our sin and God's judgment against sin to how, in Christ, God has manifested his saving righteousness to all who have faith.
In John 6:60-71, many people leave Jesus. He explains that it is necessary for the Father to grant people to come to Him by the Spirit; and the twelve disciples recognize that they need Jesus because of his life giving Words.
Paul rests his case that every human being is completely sinful and culpable before God. God's law has no power to save us, as it only convicts of sin before God. However, in arguing his case, Paul is actually preparing us for the greatest news in the world, that Jesus Christ came into this world to saves sinners like you and me!
Paul uses Socratic and hypothetical arguments to show the Jewish people that their lineage isn't a shield from God's judgment, because the covenant people of God must live by faith. Their disobedience dishonors God and shames his name among the nations, but Jesus did what Israel couldn't do, fulfill the law and be a light to the nations.
In these four verses, Paul explains how God's judgement of Jews and Gentiles is fair. Jews do not have a pass because they have the Mosaic Law, for they must be doers and not merely hearers of God's Word. Gentiles, even though they don't have the Mosaic Law, are also without excuses because God's law is written on their hearts. Thus, the hope for all, whether Jew or Gentile, on the day of judgement is found only in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
None of us are in a position to judge others, because all of us are guilty of sin. But if we are seeking Jesus, we will find eternal glory, honor and peace, paid by Christ at the Cross.
Because we've turned away from our glorious Creator, and worshiped creation, God is revealing his wrath by giving humanity over to sexual impurity, homosexuality, and all manner of sin. This shows what happens when we put something besides God at the center of our lives.
In this passage John gives four reasons why we should believe that Jesus rose from the dead, which will strengthen our faith in Christ, so we experience even more life in him.
To help us see how much we need God's saving power in Christ, Paul shows us the seriousness of our sin problem. Our sin is serious because it brings God's wrath, because our sin mocks and dishonors God – who is the greatest glory in existence.
In these two verses Paul explains that he is not ashamed of the gospel because it brings God's saving power to everyone who believes, and you can do this because it reveals God's gift of Jesus' perfect righteousness which covers everyone who believes.
In Romans 1:8-15 Paul explains that he longs to visit the church in Rome so they can encourage each other in Christ, and so he can share Christ with those who are lost. This challenges us to examine how we relate both to other believers, and to those were not yet believers.
In the first seven verses of Romans, Paul gives the readers four reasons why they should give time to reading and learning this letter, covering who is Paul, what is Paul's gospel with Mitch, what will they receive through this letter.
In our final sermon on the book of Job, we raised two questions that focus on the two main truths taught in this book (where do trials ultimately come from, and what is the purpose of trials), and one final question which is raised in the last chapter of this book (what should we hope in as we go through trials?).
There is a right way, and a wrong way, to ask God "why am I facing trials?". In Job 38-41 God explains to Job that the way he has been asking Why has been wrong, and Job is transformed in the process.
Elihu not only corrects Job's wrong thinking, he also explains that one purpose God has in every trial is to purify us from sin so we will have the joy of beholding him even more clearly now and forever.
After Job's terrible losses, he wrestles with the question of whether his trials have any meaning or purpose. His friends respond by giving what God says is the wrong answer, and we look at various Scriptures to show why their answer is wrong.
In the first two chapters of Job, we see God taking Job's wealth, children, and health from him. In this sermon we explore God's loving purpose in this, and see God's infinite, all-satisfying worth displayed.
God's final promise: he will make all things new--a new heavens, a new earth, and a new city for the family of God who thirst for living water without cost, without tears or mourning or death.
In this sermon we bring our prayer week to a close to talking about how we can keep the growth in prayer God has give us over this past week. We look at Jesus' words to us in Luke 18:1-8 (Always pray and do not lose heart), the promise of James 4:8 (drawn near to God and he will draw near to you), and then give 14 practical suggestions for growing in prayer.
As we begin our Week of Prayer, we take a look at what Jesus promises about prayer, from Matthew 7:7-11, how we can be even more effective in prayer, and what God might do through our prayer this week.
Paul calls us to live as wise believers because the days are evil by examining our lives, making the best use of the time, and understanding the will of the Lord.
The fourth truth we learn from Matthew about Jesus' birth is that he was born for the purpose of saving his people from their sin. In this sermon we focus on questions like: what is this sin that we need to be saved from? Why is this so important? And how does Jesus save us from sin?
One of Matthew's main points is that Jesus was born of a virgin, which is important because it means that Jesus was not just a man, but was GOD with us. The fact that God came to earth and became a man in Jesus is important because it shows how much we matter to God, it gives us clear knowledge of God, and it means we can have complete payment for our sins.
In emphasizing that Jesus is the Son of David, Matthew points back to the prophecies showing that God would raise up a king in the line of David who would be fully God and yet born as a baby, who would become our righteousness before God, whose reign would spread through the whole world, finally judging all the wicked and removing all the effects of sin, and filling the new earth with the knowledge of God.
One of the crucial truths Matthew wants us to understand about Jesus' birth is that he is the promised and prophesied son of Abraham, who would save people from every nation, tongue, and tribe from God's curse and bring them into the blessing of Abraham, which is the gift of the Spirit.
In Psalm 63:1-8 David teaches us about worship by describing how he longs for God, how he's met God in worship in the past, and how he is confident that he will meet God in worship again.
We are seeing that church involves face to face connections with real flesh and blood believers who love each other, care for each other, and encourage each other. So what is biblical encouragement? What does it look like? And why is it so important? Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians 3:1-10.
God's move to cause His Gospel to spread through His Church is unstoppable. We find encouragement from the story of Cornelius' conversation to regain our pace in living on mission with God post the Covid pandemic.
Some of the readers of this letter had fallen into the habit of not meeting regularly with other believers. So in these verses the author helps them see what God wants to do in our lives as we meet together, and why this is so urgent.
God’s Plan A for this world is to build a spiritual house, The Church, which Jesus is the cornerstone, and the gates of hell will not prevent it. All who have faith in Jesus are united by God as living stones. God has given the church the keys to the kingdom in the Gospel of Jesus, and God through the Holy Spirit reveals who Jesus is to the world by those living stones proclaiming and representing his Marvelous Light.
Covid has weakened our understanding of the church, but Jesus' prayer in John 17 corrects many of those misunderstandings, showing us that church involves face to face relationships that are focused on Christ, empowered by beholding his glory, and shining the truth of Jesus to the world around us.
When Jesus appears to his disciples they are frightened, doubting, and thinking he's just a spirit, and not risen from the dead. In this passage we see what four things Jesus does to transform them, so they end up worshiping him as the resurrected Messiah and continually blessing God in the temple.
In this passage we see how two of Jesus' disciples were blinded by foolish unbelief, and what Jesus does to make their hearts burn with passionate faith in him.
Luke shows us that Jesus is alive and keeps his promises. Luke also gives us insight into four different ways that Jesus' followers initially respond to his resurrection.
When we think about the crucifixion, many of us focus mostly on what was done to Jesus. But Luke focuses more on what Jesus was doing through the crucifixion -- and what he emphasizes is powerful, and life-changing.
As Luke describes Jesus in custody and being questioned, he shows us sin's power and darkness, to help us see just how much we need Jesus as our Savior.
Christianity is all about seeing and feeling God's glory shining through Christ. And as Jesus is betrayed, arrested and denied by Peter, we get four glimpses of that amazing glory.
In this passage, we read of Jesus praying to his Father on the night of his betrayal. We see how Jesus is both our foundation and example in prayer as we follow his call to 'Pray that we may not enter into temptation'.
Jesus knows that his disciples are going to face severe, Satanic temptation -- so he teaches them (and us) five truths which will keep our faith from failing.
Paul was a man who often gave thanks for other believers. In this passage we will learn more about how he did this, and see the crucial reasons why, as part of a service in which we gave thanks to God for the impact Ben and Holly Smith have had on Grace Church.
As Jesus celebrates the Last Supper he establishes the Church's practice of Communion, and connects his death with the purchase of the New Covenant
Luke describes a growing crisis, which could make us readers wrongly think Jesus is going to be a victim of circumstances beyond his control. But then Luke reminds us that Jesus is in sovereign, miraculous control by describing his preparation for the Passover.
Here Jesus tells his followers about how God will give a preview of his wrath against sin in destroying Jerusalem in AD 70, and at the Second Coming of Christ by pouring out his wrath against the whole world, but that when Christ returns Jesus' followers will rejoice in their full redemption.
The disciples want to have details on when Jesus will come back. But in this passage Jesus puts their focus back on what's more important during this time: not being led astray, not being terrified of wars or famines or earthquakes, and sharing the gospel while being ready for persecution and suffering.
Jesus says that a poor widow who gave less than a penny, actually gave more than the rich. In this sermon we ask how her giving was more, and what this means for how Jesus wants us to give.
To explain what's happening on the Day of Pentecost, Peter says it's a fulfillment of the prophecy that in the last days God will pour out his Spirit on all flesh, and give spiritual gifts like prophecy, dreams, and visions. In this message we talk about what this means for Grace Church, and how we will pursue it.
In this passage Jesus turns the tables and asks the Scribes how David can prophesy that the Messiah will be both David's son and David's Lord. Then Jesus tells his followers that by seeing this truth we can be freed from pride, greed, and hypocrisy.
In this passage the Sadducees try to show why a future resurrection is impossible. Jesus not only proves them wrong, but shows how Moses taught a future resurrection. This is crucial because one of the main ways God encourages and strengthens and motivates our faith is by pointing us to the future resurrection and eternal life.
In this passage, we see a question posed to Jesus in order to catch Him in His words and hand Him over to the governor. Yet, Jesus displays perfect wisdom as He avoids the trap set for Him and challenges all who hear with His answer.
In this passage, we see a confrontation between Jesus and the religious leaders of Israel showing what their rejection of Jesus truly means.
In the final interaction before Jesus enters Jerusalem, Luke brings Jesus' love for the outcast to its climax as we see Jesus seek and save Zacchaeus.
The New Testament describes a love between believers that far surpasses anything the world experiences. In this message we explore what this love looks like, where this love comes from, and how we are pursuing this love at Grace Church.
On the day of Pentecost Peter preached a sermon wihch gives five reasons we can be certain that Jesus is both Lord and Christ, and spells out what that means for our lives.
Even though Jesus foretells everything that will happen to him in Jerusalem, his disciples understand none of it. But then we read about Jesus healing a blind man, also explains how when we don't understand, Jesus can help us see the truth of his death and resurrection.
In this shocking teaching Jesus shows what's at the heart of saving faith, why that's impossible for people, and how God in his mercy brings about the impossible.
In John 13 Jesus washes the disciples' feet, teaching us crucial truths about how Jesus washes us from sin, and also calling us to humbly serve each other.
In verses 9-14 of this passage, Jesus gives a parable of a Pharisee and tax collector to teach us not to trust in our own righteousness. Then, in verses 15-17, we see a living example of receiving the kingdom like children to drive the point of the parable home in our hearts.
In this passage Jesus helps us battle discouragement about prayer by giving us a powerful parable, and motivating promises.
In this passage Jesus gives us four steps to take so we are ready for Jesus when he returns.
In this passage Jesus describes four ways we express love toward each other, explains how this amazing love is possible, and cautions about becoming proud when God enables us to live this way.
In this passage, Jesus uses a parable to expose the hearts of the Pharisees and show all who listen the need to believe in Him.
In this passage Jesus responds to the Pharisees ridicule, explains why it is so important that come under Jesus' authority as Messiah, and explains what that looks like regarding marriage, divorce, and remarriage.
In this parable Jesus describes a man who is shrewd in his dealings, and calls us to be shrewd in our use of money. He also explains what it means us to be shrewd with our money, and why this is so important.
Here Jesus continues to explain why he pursues sinful people, by giving a parable about two wayward sons, and their loving, forgiving, pursuing father.
In this passage, we look at the parables of the lost sheep and the lost coin to see Jesus' focus on those that need him the most.
In Acts 13 God brings a breakthrough in the life of the church in Antioch, resulting is a dramatic increase in evangelism and church planting. In this message we explain how this breakthrough took place, and what we can to do seek God for similar breakthroughs in our lives, church, and ministries.
In this passage Luke teaches us how to pray when we live among people who desperately need to hear about Jesus, but there are risks in sharing the gospel. It's powerful seeing what these believers pray, and then reading how God answers!
In this passage Matthew makes three main points about Jesus' birth: Jesus was born of a virgin, Jesus will save his people from their sins, and Jesus is God with us.
The author of Hebrews tells us that Jesus took on flesh and blood to destroy the devil's power to take us to eternal death, deliver us from lifelong slavery to the fear of death, and to make propitiation (satisfy God's wrath) for our sins.
One of the reasons Jesus was born was to change our position from slaves to adopted sons. This passage shows us how He did that, why it is important, and what blessings that brings to us.
One of the reasons Jesus was born was to solve our two biggest problems: the fact that our sin brings God's condemnation, and controls us by its power. But the good news is that Jesus came to earth to free us from sin's condemnation and control. Here's how he did that, and why it's so important for us.
Jesus teaches that to be his disciple we must love him so much that we gladly die to all the other things we've sought to secure and satisfy us.
In this passage, Jesus exposes our heart problems and calls us to humble ourselves and come to him.
Why would Jesus tell us we need to strive to be saved? Aren't we saved by faith in Jesus? We are, and yet there is an important sense in which faith takes striving, as we will see in this passage.
This concludes our series on living by faith, by focusing on how we can help each other grow stronger in faith. Hebrews 3:12-14 alerts us to a serious danger faced by every believer, and teaches us what we can do to protect each other from this danger.
We constantly see examples around us and throughout church history of those who live lives of sacrifice for the sake of the kingdom of God. What compels them to live like this? And what would compel us to live a life of sacrifice in various ways? As we look at the scriptures, we find that faith compels us to live like this.
We do not overcome sin and grow in obedience just by trying harder. No, God gives us a different step, a life-giving step which he will use to change our hearts and motivate our obedience. So what is that step? Listen and find out.
Throughout the Bible we see that the main way God motivates us to battle sin and grow in obedience is with his promises. But what is it that he promises? And are we supposed to try and earn these promises? And how do God's promises actually motivate us? We seek to answer these crucial questions in this message from God's Word.
When we start living by faith in God's promises, we run into questions. How do God's promises of blessing and protection fit in with the reality of trials and suffering? The answer is found in Romans 8:28-30, which summarizes and explains all of God's promises.
Since everything we need from God comes through faith, it's crucial that we understand exactly what faith is -- and what is not faith.
Both Satan and our sin work hard to keep us from receiving from God's Word. But in Psalm 119:33-40 we learn how to pray so as to overcome sin and Satan, and receive all God has for us.
Psalm 67 helps us look at how to pray and share the gospel in order to bring light, joy, and live to those that don't know Jesus.
Psalm 139 is a stunning prayer about the extent of God's knowledge of us and care for us, which deeply impacts David, and all who pray it from the heart.
In Psalm 73 Asaph talks with God about his battle with envy, the way God delivered him, and what this taught him.
God has chosen to use our prayers to accomplish his will in and through the church, especially when the church is suffering, and Psalm 44 teaches us how to pray in this way/
How should we go about battling false guilt? In this psalm the author is sinking into guilt for past sin which he's already confessed, and teaches us how to fight for a fresh outpouring of God's loving assurance.
David shows us how to pray at those times when we are overwhelmed with grief and discouragement.
In this psalm David shows us how to pray at those times when we are feeling discouraged and struggling to hope in God.
In this psalm David shows us how to pray at those times when we are feeling far from God -- no sense of his presence, his love, his glory.
In this message we work through Paul's list of the less charismatic gifts of deed, explaining, answering questions, and talking about how to desire each of them.
In this message we start working through Paul's list of the less charismatic gifts of Word, explaining, answering questions, and talking about how to desire each of them.
In this message we talk about three more spiritual gifts: the ability to distinguish between spirits, various kinds of tongues, and the interpretation of tongues. We also dig into how the gift of tongues is received, and whether it's a sign of the baptism in the Holy Spirit.
In this message we start working through Paul's list of the more charismatic gifts, explaining, answering questions, and talking about how to desire each of them.
Throughout church history we see that the spiritual gift of prophecy has brought the church great benefit, and great harm. In 1 John 4 we learn how to receive the benefits while avoiding the harms.
To help us encourage each other and save the lost God gives us spiritual gifts. But is he still giving what are often called the more charismatic gifts? Paul helps us answer this question in 1 Corinthians 13:8-14:1.
It's shocking how Israel is full of grumbling and unbelief after such amazing miracles. In this passage we see God responding by teaching Moses the power of prayer, and the power of sharing God's word, and then freeing Moses' time so he can pray and share God's word with the people.
In this passage, we see how and why God leads Israel into the wilderness, and how He responds to their grumbling against Him.
Israel responds to God's deliverance by singing the Song of Moses, which shows us how we will respond when we see God's deliverances, especially the deliverance he's given us in Jesus.
In this passage we see how God is in sovereign control of every trial, and how that truth should strengthen us when trials come
A close look at the identity and purpose of the people of God, along with the fuel needed to pursue the purpose.
When we first put our trust in Jesus, we were raised with Christ from the dead spiritually and emotionally. In the book of Colossians Paul tells us what that means, and explains what difference it makes in our everyday lives.
Here God explains who can and cannot partake of the Passover, the importance of the unleavened bread, why the firstborn had to be consecrated, and what we learn about God in the way he leads Israel out of Egypt.
The Passover was one of the most important events of the Old Testament. One reason is because freed Israel from slavery, so that through her God could fulfill his promises regarding the Messiah. But an even more important reason is because it gives us a powerful picture of what Jesus has done as our Passover lamb, whose blood protects us from God's wrath.
We might think it's obvious: to free Israel from slavery. But there's another reason that is even more important, and thus emphasized even more.
As Pharaoh resists, and God brings plagues, we learn five crucial truths to prepare us for spiritual battle.
In this passage we see that even thought things don't go as Moses was hoping, God is faithfully fulfilling his promises to Moses and the people of Israel.
Moses and Aaron approach Pharoah to request he let God's people go. Pharoah rejects this request, piling more demands upon the Israelite, causing them to lose faith in God's promises.
As Moses leaves to go back to Egypt, and before he stands before Pharaoh, God reveals more to Moses to show how Israel will be set apart for the glory of His name.
In this passage we see three situations in which God's people are unbelieving, and how, in each case, God gives what's needed to strengthen faith.
It looks like God might have raised up Moses as Israel's deliverer. But then a massive problem develops. But when God's people groan and cry out to him in prayer, he does something amazing, which should encourage us to pray when things seem impossible.
Once again, God's people experience difficulties which make it look like God will not be able to fulfill his promises. But once again, God shows that he fulfills every promise.to raise up the people of Israel and bring us the Messiah through them.
Solomon's prayer gives us nine reasons to devote ourselves to prayer, summarized in the glorious truth that when we pray, God always hears and responds.
In this passage, we see Daniel prioritize prayer and devotion to God over his life as he responds to the decree of Darius to pray to no god for 30 days.
In this passage we see that when Israel faces a crisis, Jehoshaphat calls them to come together to fast and pray, and God delivers them.
In this passage Matthew tells us that Jesus was born to a virgin, and that as a result he can save us from our sins, and be God with us.
Jesus not only calls us to godliness, he is himself the secret to becoming godly. In this message we will explain how he does this for all who trust him.
In this passage, we discover how though Jesus was eternally rich, he became poor for our sake, so that we might become truly rich.
One gift Jesus gives as a result of his incarnation is that because of the cross, when we put our trust in him, he takes our sin upon himself, and is punished for our sin, and gives us his perfect righteousness, and blesses us because of his righteousness.
At the time of Jesus, many Jewish people thought the Kingdom of God would arrive suddenly, destroying all the wicked and blessing all the faithful. But in this passage Jesus shows and teaches that there's a different way the Kingdom comes.
In this passage Jesus explains why it is urgent that each of us repents, and how he helps us repent.
Because Jesus loves us, he gives us three loving warnings: he will bring division between people, we must understand the present time, and we must settle our account with God.:
In this passage, Jesus gives us a command with a warning, to be ready for his return. He also provides us with reasons and promises to build our life upon as we seek to obey this command..
In this passage Jesus exposes the dangerous lie of covetousness, explains why it's a lie, and tells us what to pursue instead.
In this passage Jesus gives his disciples two reasons to avoid hypocrisy, and five reasons to be bold in witness.
In this powerful teaching passage Jesus gives us five reasons to motivate us to read, study, trust, and obey the word of God.
Here Jesus explains how his casting out of demons shows that God's kingdom is here, which means Jesus has started a war to save Satan's captives. He explains that there's no neutrality in this war; we are either gathering with him, or against him.
Jesus explains what topics should be the focus of our prayer, how we should pray persistently, and why we should pray persistently.
In this passage, Luke shows us two contrasting actions of Martha and Mary when Jesus is at Martha's house to highlight an important truth for us to see.
In this message we dig into Jesus' teaching, and ask: What does it mean to love God? And to love our neighbor? And why are these necessary for inheriting eternal life?
In this powerful passage Jesus teaches us where true joy is and is not found, and why we who live in this New Testament period are blessed with such joy.
In this passage, Luke shows how Jesus sent out more disciples to go before him and announce that the kingdom of God has come near.
In this section of Luke Jesus teaches about what makes someone in ministry great, the importance of unity among believers, how to respond to unbelief, and what it means to follow him.
Jesus has told the disciples that he would be arrested and killed, and rise again. This was hard for them to accept, so in today's passage we see what God does to strengthen their faith, and what the disciples could do as well.
In this passage we learn that following Jesus not only means trusting that his death forgives our sins, but also trusting that his glory satisfies our hearts.
In this passage Jesus shows us that we are all called to share the gospel and minister to lost people, and how, as we do that, God will give us everything we need, and more.
In this passage, Luke draws our attention to two amazing miracles of Jesus displaying his power over sickness and death. Yet, the focus is on the faith shown and commanded in the passage.
In this passage we see not only the horrifying ways demons oppress people, but also the astonishing power of Jesus in freeing people, and how freed people respond to Jesus.
In this passage we see Jesus displaying his authority over wind and waves, and learn why the disciples never should have been worried, and how we can overcome worry.
In this passage, Luke shares a teaching of Jesus that challenges us to truly hear the word of God and respond in faith.
What causes lack of love for Jesus? And what can we do to increase our love? Jesus' words about this sinful woman, who wept at his feet in the Pharisees' house, answer those crucial questions.
In this passage Jesus not only persuades us that he's the Messiah, he also explains why the kingdom of God is so valuable that it's worth pursuing above all else.
During this season when many are feeling anxious and unsettled, Luke gives us three powerful reasons why we should come to Jesus and believe him him.
In the Resh stanza of Psalm 119, we see how the psalmist runs to God for life through His word.
In this sermon we learn that the reason we sin so much is because we are bad trees, whose nature produces only the fruit of sin. But we also see how serious this is, because judgment will come to all bad trees. But there's good news: God loves to change bad trees into good trees. Here's how that can happen to you.
In this passage Jesus shocks us by calling us to love our enemies and give to those who ask from us. He also gives us two powerful motivations for living this way, while also pointing out a crucial step we must take if we are to help others get free from their sin.
The path of obedience can be costly. And sometimes the possibility of cost can keep us from obeying. But in this passage Jesus explains why all those who endure cost for his sake are richly blessed now and forever.
In this passage Paul not only corrects the Corinthian church's practice of Communion, he also teaches us the purpose of Communion, and how we should celebrate Communion.
In this passage, we see that the forgiveness Jesus offers is our greatest need and how grace demands a response.
In this passage Paul gives a summary of the gospel, and explains how we can know it's true, all to motivate us to hold fast to the gospel and not drift into sin and unbelief.
In this passage Luke tells us what Peter experienced, and saw in Jesus, that made him want to leave everything to follow Jesus.
In this section of Luke's gospel he teaches us that Jesus has absolute authority in teaching, over demons, and over sickness -- and how his authority is beautifully mingled with tenderness and compassion.
In Luke 4 Jesus declares that he is the Messiah, and all the people rejoice about this -- but for the wrong reason. In this sermon we explore what that wrong reason was, and what this teaches us about the right reason.
For forty days, the devil tried to tempt Jesus to sin. But try as he might, he was not successful. In this message we study how the devil tempted Jesus, and what Jesus did to resist his temptations. We also learn good news from this passage for those times when we succumb to temptation.