Grace Community Church Sunday Morning Messages

This week we move away from the antitheses section (You have heard, but I tell you) and into the first of 3 passages related to religious practices; Giving, Prayer, and Fasting. We will begin with giving - where Jesus warns against doing good for the sake of being seen by others rather than to please God.  Prepare for this week's message by reading Matthew 5-7 giving special focus to 6:1-4

The love Jesus is talking about here is something we choose, not something we feel. One of the footnotes for this passage reads: “ The key to understanding this and other statements about love is to know that this love (the Greek word agape) is not so much a matter of emotion as it is of doing things for the benefit of another person, that is, having an unselfish concern for another and a willingn...

Just like with the Pharisees, it’s important to understand what Jesus is and is not saying as He interprets the law of retribution. It is wrong to think that Jesus means that evil is never to be resisted, He has demonstrated by His life a discernment in accepting insults and also in overturning tables. For most of us it is easy to stand for our rights and seek retribution when wronged. What’s diff...

In Leviticus 19:11-12 the nation of Israel was instructed; *"You shall not steal, nor deal falsely, nor lie to one another. And you shall not swear falsely by My name, so as to profane the name of your God; I am the LORD"*   In our Matthew passage, Jesus expands our understanding on what it means to be trustworthy in our speech and our actions. Ultimately our ability to behave honestly stems from...

In this portion of the Sermon on the Mount Jesus deepens our understanding of the law against adultery. He contrasts what has been heard against what is the truth and the application of that truth. Jesus is drawing us back to the intent of the law instead of allowing it to be used as easy permission for sin. Make no mistake, Jesus' words are hard to hear and for many of us reveal sin we would rath...

This week's passage continues Jesus' long discussion where he explains many points of the law which reveal our need for His righteousness. He deepens our understanding of God's commandments revealing how much we fall short. Thankfully we have a Great Savior for our need through the righteousness Jesus offers us through His life, death and resurrection. **Prepare for this week's message by reading...

When a new year rolls around, our inboxes and social channels contain all sorts of invitations to join a gym, get out of debt, or better organize our lives.   This year, we invite you to endeavor to know and love Jesus more. Join us on Sunday as we discover practically what that looks like.  Prepare for this week's message by reflecting on the character of Jesus found in John chapter 8

Christ has been born, Mary and Joseph have found a home and settled in to Bethlehem while the census is taken. Magi, Gentile kings from the east, visit them and bow in worship to the King of the Jews, presenting gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.   Use the Advent Guide to help you reflect on this week's message.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one & only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace & truth.   Use the Advent Guide to help you reflect on this week's message.

Shepherds are the most ordinary and unlikely people to bear witness to the King of Kings—during that time they were not even legally able to be witnesses in court! But God is not bound by the laws of the earth’s systems and courts. These Shepherds unexpectedly find themselves thrust into a plot point of the Messiah’s storyline, with an active role to play. When unexpected plot points enter into th...

The Bible says; “God’s kindness leads us to repentance” and that repentance prepares the way for the Lord. (Romans 2:4, Luke 3:3-4) Use the Advent Guide to help you reflect on this week's message.  

We get to live in the time of ‘now and not yet’. We have the full Bible and the fulfillment of Jesus’ first coming. But we also are still waiting for the complete fulfillment of God’s promises and Jesus’ second coming. Use the Advent Guide to help you reflect on this week's message.

Some people think that Jesus came to destroy the law given to Moses in the Old Testament. The Pharisees often accused Jesus of breaking the law, especially God’s commands regarding the Sabbath. Jesus was perfect, He did not come to dismiss the law, but to fulfill and free it from the Scribes and Pharisee’s wrong understanding of it. Charles Spurgeon puts it this way; “To show that he never meant t...

These words of Jesus are a great commendation and also a weighty responsibility. Jesus didn’t say we are becoming salt and light, He says His followers are salt and light. This is a part of our identity. The challenge is to live into that Identity so that God is glorified and others come to know Him. It can be scary and uncomfortable to shine light into darkness, or to have a “flavorful and preser...

When we make and maintain peace we reflect the character of God, who pursued ultimate peace with us by sending Jesus to pay the price for our sin. When our association with and reflection of Christ’s character is shown to the world, it will either bring about worship and thanksgiving to God or repulsion and rejection of God. There really is no middle ground. In this world we will have trouble, but...

In our world and in our own hearts we often hunger and thirst for power, pleasure, and peace. In our quest for earthly happiness, we are left empty and unsatisfied. As we learned last week, we have things all backwards, the values of God’s Kingdom are not the values of this world. A hunger and thirst for right standing with God will be satisfied – in Jesus – and will give us a peace and happiness...

"A person's Identity is the set of purposes, priorities, perspectives, and principles that are held consciously or unconsciously, that guide their feelings, decisions, and behaviors." - Dr. Eric Moyer This special session with Dr. Eric Moyer serves as a capstone to our identity series.

The gospel of Matthew presents Jesus to us as King and shows us the Kingdom of God, which as we learned in our  Identity study , is our life’s priority. As believers in Christ, we are citizens of this Kingdom, with Jesus as our King, and His glory as our aim. While great speeches such as; “Four score and seven years ago….” or “I have a dream…” are inspirational and worthwhile reads, Jesus’ sermon...

As we walk through the sanctification process of restoring our identities through the Gospel, we bring this transformed self into all the places we inhabit and the relationships we have with others. This truly is the foundation of the patterns of relating we have with God, the world, our work, our church, and the people in our lives. Rooting our identities in the Gospel causes us to walk in transf...

Our priorities are Identity’s choices. It has been said how you spend your days is how you spend your life. The choices we make reveal our priorities. We make time and room in our budgets for what is important to us. In the life of a believer our overarching priority is to glorify God. Bringing praise, honor and glory to His name supersedes all other priorities. Paul put it this way; “I count all...

Our purpose is our Identity’s motivation. There are 2 main purposes in life: to love God and to love others. Jesus said;  “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22: 37-39...

There are tree lined streets here in Loveland with houses and families, people out walking their dogs, children playing in their backyards, looking around you might not see any difference than if you were standing on a street say in Kansas. But move a short distance and the Rocky Mountains come into view in all their grandeur and beauty, making it clear that you are in fact not in Kansas, but Colo...

Who is God? What is He like? How is the One True God we worship different from the gods of other religions? What difference does knowing God make in my life? How does knowing God affect my Identity? Understanding who the True God is and what He is like is essential for understanding what it means to worship, love, and follow Him and for understanding who we are and what our true identity is. God r...

What does Identity have to do with transformation? How does our new Identity in Christ help us to become more like Him? As followers of Jesus who actively pursue spiritual maturity, it is comforting to know that it is not by our own strength that we grow and change. It is God who strengthens us, creating in us the longing and the ability to accomplish His new purpose for which we have been redeeme...