Grace City Denver

As the Passover approaches, many people gather in Jerusalem, and the religious leaders plan to arrest Jesus. Jesus goes to Bethany, where He is honored with a dinner at the home of Lazarus. During the meal, Mary anoints Jesus' feet with expensive perfume, a gesture of love and preparation for His burial. Judas criticizes her for wasting the perfume, but Jesus commends her.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches us that there is a right and a wrong way to live in his kingdom. The right way - a life transformed from the inside-out - leads to righteousness, reward, and satisfaction in the Father. The wrong way leaves us enslaved to a never-ending hunger for outside approval. Jesus challenges us to examine our motives and to satiate our souls with God’s goodness.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus invites us to learn about the future – particularly of his coming kingdom – and to embody that preferred future right here and now. We cannot simply live day to day without an awareness of where today’s decisions are leading us. We must live and invest in light of what God says is going to be true.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus is describing how to live as his disciples in his kingdom that has already arrived. The first major theme is the upside-down nature of this kingdom. Jesus doesn’t value and honor the same character traits that our world celebrates. He calls us to live counterculturally, walking in humility and grace, rather than mimicking the pride of our society.

This message shares the wisdom of both being retrospective of your past and setting goals for your future. One simple pattern is to reflect and plan around four key areas of spiritual formation: 1) Worship, 2) Walk, 3) Work, and 4) Witness.

Our broken world is filled with things that steal our peace. Since The Fall, we have conflict with God, with others, with our environment, and even internally with our own selves. But Jesus came to reconcile us to God and to cut off conflict at its source. One day he will come again to defeat Satan once and for all, establishing eternal and perfect peace. In the meantime, we’re called to abide in,...

Everyone seeks happiness, but joy can be elusive in a broken world, where sin has led to every form of sorrow and death. Grief or frustration or stress can often feel like our default setting, rather than joy. So how do we get joy? And what's Advent got to do with joy? Practically, how do we live in light of both the past and future joy that have been promised to those who love God?

God’s love for people was often demonstrated through acts of deliverance in the Old Testament era. And the greatest and fullest demonstration of his love is the coming of Jesus to lay down his life for our salvation. Because of his sacrifice, our lives can be filled with his love here and now. Even while we wait for his second coming, we can overflow with his love toward others.

This psalm begins with a call to praise and hope in the Lord, noting the deficiency of human rulers who are temporary and powerless to save. The psalmist highlights God's characteristics: He is the Creator, the source of both justice and mercy. The psalm concludes by affirming that the Lord reigns forever, and calling people to praise Him in all generations.

When Jesus arrives in Bethany after the death of Lazarus, Martha and Mary meet him separately to express shock and grief. Jesus declares, "I AM the resurrection and the life," and invites them to believe. Jesus storms to the tomb in anger at death, but also sheds tears of grief. He simply speaks, raising Lazarus from the dead, provoking a mixed reaction of belief and murderous contempt.

Lazarus, a friend of Jesus, falls ill, and when Jesus hears of it, he declares that the sickness will not end in death but will glorify God. Despite knowing Lazarus has died, Jesus stays two more days before deciding to go to Bethany. He explains to His disciples that Lazarus' death is for their benefit, so they may believe. The disciples are concerned about the dangers of returning to Judea, but...

The Jewish crowds of Jerusalem have rejected Jesus’ divine identity once and for all. They refuse to believe in spite of many miraculous works that prove his power and authority. Jesus is the giver of eternal life, but they don’t want a messiah who doesn’t play by their rules. Jesus departs Jerusalem for the Jordan, and many who followed John the Baptist believe in him there.

Jesus introduces the metaphor of a shepherd and sheep to describe his relationship with his followers. In contrast to thieves and robbers, wolves, and hirelings, Jesus lays down his life for his sheep. This passage underscores themes of intimacy, protection, provision, and the unique role of Jesus as the Good Shepherd, who offers eternal life to His followers.

Jesus heals a man born blind, demonstrating that his condition was not due to sin but so that God’s works could be revealed. After Jesus makes mud and instructs the man to wash in the Pool of Siloam, the man gains his sight. This miracle prompts skepticism from the Pharisees, who interrogate the man and his parents. Jesus later finds him, reveals his identity, and discusses spiritual blindness, em...

The Jews of Jesus’ day claimed Abraham and God as their ethnic and spiritual fathers. But Jesus cautioned them that their lives looked more like another father: the devil – and they were enslaved to his sinful patterns of living. Only by accepting that Jesus was the true Light of the world and abiding in his truth could they find true freedom.

At the Feast of Tabernacles each year, the Jews would light four massive menorahs, each fed by four basins of oil, to illuminate the temple. It was a reminder of the pillar of fire that led their ancestors out of slavery. So imagine the uproar when Jesus stood up at this feast and said, “I AM the Light of the world,” and went on to claim equality with the God of their fathers. Discover the real re...

The familiar story of "The Woman Caught in Adultery," at first glance, seems to show us a Jesus who defends a sinner in opposition to the Law of Moses. Many love this story because Jesus confronts the hypocrisy of religious leaders. Others love this story because Jesus tells the adulterous woman to stop sinning. But what is this story really intended to communicate about the Gospel?

After seven days of the water pouring ceremony at the Feast of Booths, Jesus cried out on the eighth day, promising an eternal stream of water to anyone who thirsted and believed in him. This signified that he was not only the source of salvation, but also the source of satisfaction and the Spirit.

When Jesus went up to Jerusalem for the Feast of Booths, there was significant disagreement over his identity. Many just wanted a Messiah they could use for their own ends. Many were curious, but not convinced. Many more overtly hated and rejected him. But there are three keys in this story to receiving Jesus on his own terms, inviting us to answer, “What will you do with Jesus?”

Community with other Christians sounds easy . . . in theory. But day-to-day life is messy because real people come with real problems. This message explores the kinds of conflict that are common in church life, where conflict comes from (why it happens), and how conflict can be resolved in a way that honors both God and our imperfect brothers and sisters in Christ.

The New Testament is loaded with illustrations and images of church life. Each shares a unique facet of our life together, while also helping to reinforce some basic but vitally important themes about the church. Collectively these images remind us that we are completely dependent on the Lord and we are, by our very nature, connected to one another.

What is the premise of church -- that is, what is the ground, the basis, of our coming together in the first place? And what is our purpose -- what is the objective, the goal of our gathering together? How you answer these questions will set your expectations for what church should be like, what church should be doing and talking about. The Bible is clear that the church exists by the grace of God...

The root of sin is a heart that doesn't fear the Lord. If God doesn't matter, then the mind thinks selfish and self-deceived thoughts, producing harmful, untruthful, sinful behaviors. In stark contrast, the person who fears the Lord experiences his steadfast love and faithfulness, his righteousness and justice, his costly rescue, and an abundance of blessings.

In this imprecatory Psalm, David asks God to defend him from his enemies and to vindicate him in the end. Instead of taking vengeance into his own hands, he entrusts himself to the future, perfect justice of God.

This fascinating Psalm is grounded in the historic story of David acting like a madman in order to escape from Abimelech (found in 1 Samuel 21). But it's written as an acrostic, designed to teach future generations about the fear of the LORD as the solution to fear.