Grace Church Indiana Sermons

The birth of Jesus came at a time when the people of Israel were facing many struggles. Roman occupation, economic challenges, violent uprisings, and moral drift contributed to a loss of hope and perspective. This was especially true since the long-awaited restoration of Israel’s national glory still hadn’t happened yet, over 500 years after the second temple was completed. But there were two devo...

There isn’t a lot of specific information in scripture about the shepherds who visited Jesus. But we know that in the ancient world of Jesus’ day shepherds were some of the lowliest, working-class peasants imaginable. In a time of violent rebellions, war, and instability, those on the bottom rung of society’s ladder like them would have yearned for peace. But not just peace as an absence of warfar...

Luke does not give us many specifics about Mary’s background or social situation. However, reading between the lines we get the sense that she is relatively poor, disadvantaged, and vulnerable. She refers to herself as a “lowly servant girl” (1:48). Like many marginalized people in her day, Mary was at the mercy of powerful, corrupt systems of injustice and the iron fist of Roman occupation. As wi...

The book of Luke opens on a rather unremarkable character: an elderly priest named Zechariah. Although he and his wife were “righteous in God’s eyes,” they had been unable to conceive a child. Yet it is this priest who is told by an angel of the Lord that he will soon have a child destined to become the long-awaited prophet heralding the coming of God to the earth. Echoing the story of another eld...

Throughout his letters, Paul frequently paints the picture of the Church being an entirely new kind of community – one built not on pride, strength, and success, but on generosity, humility, and self-giving love. As we bring this series to a close, we will explore what it would look like for Grace Church to reflect these upside-down kingdom values in our interactions with one another, our willingn...

One of the most exciting realities about having God’s Spirit within us is that he endows each of us with unique spiritual gifts. These gifts, which take the form of everything from serving to giving to prophecy, are crucial components of our unique identities in Christ as well as the healthy functioning of the “body” we are a part of. In this message we will explore what it means to be “gifted” by...

: One of Paul’s most frequent metaphors for the Church is that of a “body” and he returns to that image here. In a body the different parts each serve unique functions, but all contribute to the whole. This idea raises two significant questions for us to consider. First, are we trying to “go it alone” in our faith like a limb separated from the body or are we finding our purpose and identity in ou...

To Paul, faith in Christ cannot be a half-hearted affair. It must be a whole-life endeavor – one in which we are rejecting the “behavior and customs of this world” and instead offering our entire lives as “living sacrifices” to God. The New Testament scholar NT Wright once said, “Paul's whole written work, in fact, could be seen as an extended application of Romans 12:1-2.” The question is, do our...

In the final chapter of Ruth we are presented with Boaz’s strategy for dealing with the other “family redeemer” who has the right to marry Ruth instead of him. Through a clever series of arguments, Boaz leads this man to forgo his right to Ruth’s hand, clearing the way for Boaz to marry her legally. Boaz and Ruth are married and she gives birth to a son who can carry on the family name. Only now i...

In the next chapter of this story Ruth returns to the threshing floor of Boaz and follows Naomi’s instructions to show him her love and interest. When Boaz realizes Ruth’s desire to marry him, he is moved by her deep loyalty – loyalty first to Naomi, then to him. Although the cultural nuances of the story may seem a bit odd to us compared to modern love stories, we still see a beautiful relationsh...

As we continue in the narrative, we see Ruth, a foreign widow with practically zero power or influence in the ancient world, taking advantage of a biblical law designed to protect the vulnerable in Israelite society. “When you harvest the crops of your land, do not harvest the grain along the edges of your fields, and do not pick up what the harvesters drop. Leave it for the poor and the foreigner...

To kick off the series we will start by setting up the overall plot and themes of the book of Ruth as well as the genre and expectations it presents for ancient readers. We will meet the fascinating characters of Naomi, a widowed Israelite living in a land far from home, and her daughter-in-law Ruth, a widowed foreigner with a tremendous level of family loyalty to her mother-in-law and her people....

In this final Hope Month message, we will come back to the teachings of Jesus and explore his parable of “the sheep and the goats.” In this startling prophecy, Jesus teaches that those to whom his kingdom belongs are the ones who practice justice towards the hungry, thirsty, homeless, naked, sick, and imprisoned. This profound idea is made even more striking by how much the Son of Man radically id...

Now that we have established Jesus’ prioritization of justice as a part of his kingdom and considered the prophetic call to justice, we will now explore how the biblical dream of justice for the poor and marginalized began to be realized in the early Church. We will see how the law of Moses called the Israelites to be just and compassionate, and how the Holy Spirit enabled Jesus followers to meet...

We will begin this series by digging deeply into a pivotal moment in Jesus’ life: when he publicly launches his ministry by reading Isaiah 61:1-2 in the synagogue of Nazareth. His reading of this prophecy gives us a significant glimpse into what Jesus saw as the concrete evidence of his coming kingdom being made real: the poor will hear good news, captives will be released, the blind will see, the...

The final component of this series focuses on our honesty and integrity in relationships. As Proverbs 10:9 says, “People with integrity walk safely, but those who follow crooked paths will be exposed.” When faced with difficult situations, awkward confrontations, or hurt feelings, the easiest path to walk is to lie. We so often act as if things are fine in one context but rage, gossip, and complai...

Part of every crucial conversation involves monitoring and controlling our own tendencies toward defensiveness and anger. Although it is natural to want to snap back when someone hurts our feelings, we must learn how to control our anger and choose to listen instead. As Proverbs 14:29 says, “People with understanding control their anger; a hot temper shows great foolishness.” If we want to spread...

Continuing the theme of controlling the tongue from week 1, we will now explore how our words have an impact on the world around us. As Proverbs 15:1 wisely explains, “A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare.” Or Proverbs 12:18, “Some people make cutting remarks, but the words of the wise bring healing.” Knowing that our words have the power to transform the lives and ac...

In James 3, we find a provocative claim: that our tongue has outsized control over the rest of our lives and faith. This is echoed in Proverbs 18:21, “The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences.” In this first message of the series, we will explore the reality that we must choose wisely how we speak if we want to bring life, not death, into our relationsh...

In this final week of the series I will attempt to respond to why bad things happen and why we are still living in the “not yet.” Ultimately, I will attempt to end on a very positive and hopeful note, focusing our attention on what Jesus accomplished for us and the hope we have in the promise of New Creation.

Tim addresses two questions: why people continue to sin after receiving forgiveness from Jesus and how Jesus saved the world. He explains that "sin" means "missing the mark," and though Jesus forgives sins, individuals are still responsible for their choices. Everyone, including the apostle Paul, struggles with sin, but Jesus' sacrifice offers ultimate forgiveness. Furthermore, Jesus' coming and s...

I will try to accomplish two things in this service. One, I’ll do my best to present a case for the trustworthiness of Scripture and the fact that it has been handed down and entrusted to us from many generations past who have found these pages to contain the words of life. I will also attempt to adjust our expectations of things like the Genesis stories, to ask questions more like “who” and “why,...

In response to these questions about heaven, I will revisit some of what I shared in the recent “Resurrection” sermon series. I’ll try to gently replace traditional ideas of us existing a disembodied heaven with the concepts of us resurrected as image-bearing co-creators into a vibrant New Creation. I will also explore the possibilities this opens up as we consider the ways God will work with our...

In my mini messages for this initial weekend of the series, I will attempt to paint the picture of the mystery and holiness of God. I’ll explore some of the many descriptors of God in the Bible (from a thunderstorm to a caretaking mother bird, etc.) to give a sense of the way the biblical authors wrestled with the transcendence of God. I will also share how “listening to God’s Spirit” works, espec...

A major part of an ancient Israelite’s worldview involved the blessings and curses which one might experience through their lives. From the very beginning of Scripture, we see humanity trapped in a global “curse” brought about because of their rebellion yet we see God working through his chosen people to bring about blessings for all the families of the earth instead. The New Testament authors pic...