Grace Church Salado

Paul's last instructions to the church in Philippi include important words that we all need to hear about commitment to the mission of God through the work of the church. By recounting the way the Philippians support Paul early in his ministry, we see the sort of selfless, constant, and joyful giving to one another that comes from our faith in Christ. We also see what this kind of commitment to th...

Earlier in his letter to the Philippians, Paul urges his fellow believers to stand firm. As we begin to end our series in Philippians, we now see how we are to stand firm. And as with everything else in our lives, the answer is found in Christ. We are invited to find a firm and sure peace in which to stand as we rejoice in the Lord, pray to the Lord, and dwell on the Lord. Philippians 4:4-9

LIfe will press and frustrate us, and our sinful nature will want to respond with sin-filled groaning. But in his letter to the Philippians, Paul exhorts us to look away from our own circumstances and instead look to God. As Christians, we have sure and steady promises to rely on. Always. Philippians 3:20-4:3

Even on his way to the cross, Jesus knew exactly what his death and resurrection would do for his people. And it is the very reason he had come to earth. In the cross and resurrection, we see everything we ever need to see about the holiness, justice, love, and supremacy of God. On Easter Sunday, we celebrate the fact that Jesus came, lived, died, and rose that we might know God forever and ever.

As he begins the journey to the cross, Jesus is overwhelmed by the task ahead of him. In the garden of Gethsemane, he cries out to the Father to take the cup of suffering from him. The grief and anguish of Christ are fueled by the knowledge of what lies before him. As we begin Holy Week, we stop to look deeply at the cup of suffering Jesus drank on our behalf.

No matter the circumstance we face, we should always be about the business of examining our priorities and refocusing our affections on God's grace through Jesus Christ. We should always be a people who desire to know him more, prize the hope of heaven, and wait eagerly for what he has promised. While we will not do these things perfectly on this side of heaven, we are instructed to start now. We...

There is no room for our own effort in salvation. There is only room for the grace and work of God. Paul hammers this home in Philippians 3:1-9 as he beats back against those who would try to make human effort a part of our salvation. We must remember that in light of what Christ has done, we have nothing to offer on our own behalf. And since Jesus has provided all we need, he himself is all we ne...

We continue our series in Philippians with a look at Philippians 2:19-30 -- a passage we might be willing to quickly gloss over. But as we will see (and as we celebrated with the ordination of deacons and elders), the sort of servants mentioned here are really the hidden heroes of the church. It is ordinary men and women who are called to serve the church that Paul is so often concerned with. We a...

As we wrap up our series on grumbling and the gospel in Philippians 2:14-16 , we learn how to stop complaining. To let go of our complaining, we must first take hold of the Word of life. We must know God as he is revealed in Scripture by hearing it, reading it, learning it, and applying it. To be a church that rejoices and doesn't grumble, we must first be a people who hold to the Word.

This week, Scott Mescher with Reaching and Teaching International shares what it means to live our lives as a display of God's glory. From Ephesians 2 and alongside stories of those he works with in Latin America, we're called to think deeply about what it means to live in light of God's grace each day.

As we continue our pause in Philippians 2:14-18 , we stop this week to look at why our grumbling and complaining should cease. It's lingering presence has harmful effects on the church, on the unchurched, on us, and on the missions and glory of God. The Bible warns us of the effects on each and gives us reason to replace grumbling with joy.

We arrive at a text in Philippians on which we'll pause for a bit because it is a topic we all need to hear and heed. Paul, after ensuring the church in Philippi that God will complete the work he began, warns them not to grumble as God works. As we'll discover, this bent toward complaining is all too natural in a fallen world and often spreads like a contagion. Christians have to fight against th...

Progress is sanctification can be difficult. But regardless of it's pace, we know these two things to be true: our work toward it is commanded and God's promise to complete it is secure. These two truths can sometimes feel at odds. But in this week's message, we look at how Paul's message to the Philippians, as well as the whole of biblical instruction, assures us that these things are not enemies...

As Christians, we are instructed to put our hope and faith in the return of Jesus. But as we wait, it's important to remember what we're looking for and what we're hoping in. This week one of our elders, Rob Walter, encourages us to wait well and look only to Christ.

This week, we return to our series in Philippians by looking at what it means to be sanctified in our Christian life. As Paul warns the church to pursue Christlike holiness in Philippians 2:12-13 , he gives us motivation, methods, and assurances as we try to live obediently like Jesus. We must heed his words and get serious about our pursuit of godliness.

Communion is a regular reminder of God's astounding grace to each and every believer. It's a time when we pause together to declare that we believe in Christ, will follow him, and are forever united with him. While we await his return, we proclaim his death and resurrection for our salvation to one another and to a watching world.

The joy of Christmas is the promise of everlasting life together with God. Each Advent, we celebrate the fact that Jesus came to offer us and everlasting life of unending relationship with God. This gift is one we cannot move on from. There is no greater truth than that God himself invites us to eternal life through Jesus Christ his son. And that life is promise we can count on for all of eternity...

Two simple truths should astound us at Advent: God loves and God gives. The God of the universe, from whom nothing is required, loved us so much that he came to be with us in the person of Jesus. And not only did he come to be with us, he came to be the perfect sacrifice to bring us peace. What better news could we hope to have at Christmas than that God loved us in this, peculiar way? John 3:16-1...

More than anything we need this time of year, we need Christ. We need the salvation he offers from eternal punishment. We need our hearts to be awakened to see him clearly. And we need to be saved by his work on our behalf. This Advent, we celebrate the fulfillment of our need in the person of Jesus as we look at the famous story of Nicodemus' encounter with Jesus in John 3.

For the first Sunday of Advent, we continue our study of Philippians with a look at what Philippians 2:9-11 and it means to know and enjoy the majesty Christ. At Christmas, we celebrate the humble arrival of our savior as a baby in a manger, but we do it toward an eye with something much bigger - the arrival of our victorious king. The humility and the majesty of Jesus Christ should both give us g...

United, our series in the book of Philippians, continues this week with a look at what it means to have the attitude of Christ. The same selflessness, humility, obedience, and honor we saw in his life on earth should mark our lives today. It's one of the ways we make Jesus known right where we are. Paul's celebration of who Jesus is in Philippians 2:5-11 forces us to evaluate our own lives and ask...

Christians should be marked by the same humility and selfless consideration of others that we see in the life of Jesus. In Philippians 2:1-5 , Paul urges believers to be united in their Christ-like attitude of caring about others more than own selves. But this call to be people of humility is more than a wish-filled vision for humanity. It is instead the proper response of lives renewed by the Hol...

In this world, there are two types of people: those who belong to God as citizens of heaven and those who are his enemies. In Philippians 1:27-30 , Paul's writes to the Philippians instructing them on how their heavenly citizenship should inform the way they live faithfully and courageously in a world filled with those who do not know or honor God. There's much we can learn from his instruction an...

This week, in Philippians 1:27-30 , we see Paul invite the Philippians believers to live out their heavenly citizenship in a way that honors both God and others. Though they have great privileges as Roman citizens, the apostle reminds them that most of all they should live distinctly Christian lives of unashamed faith, persistence, and unity in the gospel.

In Philippians 1:21-26 , Paul uses his suffering in prison to remind the Philippian believers that there is something much better to live for than what we can see right now. There is something to be gained beyond what we can see here. Heaven is the hope and the ultimate gain of all believers. It's there we will finally be with God. But heaven is more than just a future hope. It is the fuel of ever...