Grace Messages

Proverbs reminds us that a heart that is healthy is a heart at peace ... contented (14:30). But gaining and maintaining a healthy heart is a challenge in a culture saturated with envy and discontentment. In this message we examine some Scriptures that teach us the source of true contentment.

The 19th Century English poet, Francis Thomson, wrote the poem The Hound of Heaven after his life had been messed up by drug addiction and poverty. He speaks of running away from a God who was pursuing him like a hound in pursuit of a rabbit. We will see that this morning in the life of Jonah. It would be easy to assume that chapter 3, Nineveh’s miraculous response is the climax of the story, but...

Last week, we left Jonah in the belly of his “organic salvation submarine!” Remember, the fish was actually God’s physical salvation plan from Jonah drowning in the sea. This morning, we will see that Jonah receives another chance to fulfill his mission, and unfortunately for Jonah he is very successful on his missionary journey! We are going to see mercy and grace in ACTION this morning! God is g...

Last week we left Jonah and the mariners in a precarious situation, and it was all because Jonah had run from God. Remember, Jonah had run because he did not want his name attached to the God’s prophetic warning to Nineveh in case they responded. Thus, Jonah had been identified on the boat as the CAUSE of the violent storm after having done something foolish, even to the heathen mariners. He had a...

This morning we will look at a man of God in complete rebellion against God. Jonah was a man whose theology was orthodox – He knew God’s character accurately, he knew God’s plans are perfect, he knew all of God’s attributes, but he disagreed with God’s evaluation of the Assyrians. God, in His longsuffering, wanted to provide an evil Gentile nation an opportunity to repent and Jonah disagreed with...

Isaiah 28:21 mentions “God’s Strange Work.” In context, this is referring to God judging His chosen people, Israel. Because of God’s heart, He desires to provide a substitute for the execution of His justice. Justice must be extended, but because of God’s love and mercy, He provides a way for justice to fall on a substitute. Unfortunately, when people do not avail themselves of God’s substitute fo...

Teenagers often get a bad wrap. They can definitely be a “challenge,” but NOT in the way they are often assumed to be. The challenge with parenting teenagers is they are growing up, attempting to find some independence, and often many parents are unsure of how to shepherd them through this challenging time. If the parent does NOT learn how to transition to a different parenting style in a couple o...

This morning we want to take what we have been learning about biblical parenting and see where it shows up in the lives of those recorded in the Bible. Now, if we were to take a video of each one of our lives as parents and only pick one or two scenes from our lives to evaluate, you and I could fall into the GOOD example category or the BAD example category depending upon which scenes were picked!...

How do you guarantee godly children? The cold, hard truth is that you can’t! The outcome in our children’s lives is more complex than whether or not you, as a parent, have done all the right things in all the right ways. As discussed last week, your children are also responsible for the way they respond to your parenting. But, there are some additional things that should UNDERGIRD everything you d...

Mother’s Day 2022 sermon

This morning we are going to take a little “shift” in our focus and focus primarily on the children this morning. One of the keys of SUCCESS in “nurturing the next generation” is the response of the child to the training they are or are not receiving. Children are independent, free will decision-making organisms! Thus, children must be encouraged recognize the VALUE of certain things God lays out...

A couple of weeks ago, we considered the general concept and need for TRAINING a child, but to do it in such a way that the parent considers the uniqueness of each child according to God’s special design and purpose for them. It is our job as parents to carry out the wishes and desires of the owner – we are simply stewards of our children. The Scriptures reveal two very specific components of that...

William Shakespeare wrote: “What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell just as sweet.” Shakespeare used this line in his play, Romeo and Juliet, to convey that the naming of things is irrelevant. Although a popular quote and sentiment, is this true? In some ways it may be, but in others it is definitely not! The Scriptures put a lot of weight in the name of Jesus. Th...

Last week we began looking at one of the most important relationships in the home – the parent-child relationship. And we said how this relationship, more than any other, reflects our role as disciple-makers on this earth! That’s the goal of parenting – dependent disciples of Jesus Christ! But HOW do you get there? What are God’s instructions to assist us in this task? This morning, we are going t...

Last week we began looking at one of the most important relationships in the home – the parent-child relationship. And we said how this relationship, more than any other, reflects our role as disciple-makers on this earth! That’s the goal of parenting – dependent disciples of Jesus Christ! But HOW do you get there? What are God’s instructions to assist us in this task? This morning, we are going t...

This morning we are going to begin a series on one of the most important relationships in the home and how it impacts society, and the Church. The parent-child relationship, more than any other relationship in life, reflects our role as disciple-makers. Disciple-making must start in the home, and this morning we want to look at God’s original design for that! We also want to consider some “obstacl...

This morning we conclude the epistle to the Ephesians with Paul’s final greetings. Additionally, we take a 30K overview of the book of Ephesians to conclude our study.

As we closed last week, we considered the last two pieces of our spiritual armor (the helmet of salvation and sword of Spirit). In the wake of an always present and potential imminent spiritual attack, believers are to take up the last two pieces of armor. Today’s passage goes on to describe the MANNER by which this is to be done…in a CONSTANT STATE of prayer and alertness. Why is this necessary?...

Last week, Paul described our REAL EXTERNAL enemies – it is Satan, his minions, and the world system he is swaying. The Christian life is a battleground and not a playground, because the enemy we have is strong, aggressive, and downright mean. Because of this, God has provided a way to protect us from this enemy in this spiritual warfare and to stand in His victory. We will consider God’s spiritua...

A “battle royal” is a battle involving at least two parties where the person left standing is the winner. The good news for the believer is that the ONE with whom we are unified with is the last one standing, Jesus Christ! However, there is a spiritual battle waging, and His enemies and our enemies have not been completely destroyed and they await their future day of final reckoning. Because of th...

Having considered the marriage relationship and the parent-child relationship, we now move into another inter-personal relationship where the Spirit of God desires to make an impact – vocational relationships. As we will see, the working class of the 1st-century Roman empire was organized and regulated much differently than our day – most of the working class were slaves and/or indentured servants...

Having considered the marriage relationship the past few Sundays, we now move into another inter-personal relationship where the Spirit of God desires to make an impact – the parent-child relationship. It is interesting to note that in this section (5:22-6:9), two out of the three inter-personal relationships that Paul addresses happen within the four walls of private family life! WHY is that? Bec...

This morning, we continue to look at Paul’s teaching on some very specific inter-personal relationships which require each person to be Spirit-filled for any hope of divine success. Paul started with marriage the marriage relationship, which is designed to be a MUTUALLY beneficial symbiotic relationship! Each person (husband and wife) fulfilling their God-ordained duties as they are empowered by t...

This morning, we continue to look at Paul’s teaching on some very specific inter-personal relationships which require each person to be Spirit-filled for any hope of divine success. Paul started with marriage the marriage relationship, which is designed to be a MUTUALLY beneficial symbiotic relationship! Each person (husband and wife) fulfilling their God-ordained duties as they are empowered by t...

This morning, Paul begins to discuss some very specific inter-personal relationships which require each person to be Spirit-filled for any hope of divine success. Paul starts first with marriage, which is designed to be a MUTUALLY beneficial symbiotic relationship! Each person (husband and wife) fulfilling their God-ordained duties as they are empowered by the Spirit of God for the success of the...