Grace Valley Church

What's actually happening when we go to church? Are we all just following tradition? Being compelled to do it by guilt or obligation? Or is there something more at work? God brings us into corporate worship for a reason. It's to give us a taste of home - not our earthly home, but the one He's created for us to be in. This week we explore Psalm 84 and what it means to worship as a church family and...

It's tempting to believe that if God appeared physically in front of us right now, our belief and faith in Him would be forever solidified. In Genesis 32, we see angels literally appear in front of Jacob's very eyes (32:1) and yet just a few verses later we see him hedging his bets. He attempts to re-arrange a stressful situation "just in case" God doesn't show up. God's angels appeared physically...

Even though Jacob had all the material possessions he needed, his time with Rebecca, Leah and their father Laban was frought with tension, emotional abuse and constant strife. God called Jacob and his family out of Paddan Aram, but it wasn't an easy call to follow, especially for Rebecca and Leah. Sometimes the "devil you know" is better than whatever the unknown future may be. But God was with Ja...

Jacob spent years believing that blessing came through his own schemes. Yet again and again, God showed him that it was never his plans that secured the future, it was God’s providence. Maybe today you feel small, unseen, or insignificant. Maybe you wonder if your life really matters. But the God who governs every detail of history is the same God who knit you together in your mother’s womb. You a...

Over the last number of weeks we've been diving into God's Dysfuntional Family through the book of Genesis. And we can see one thing for sure. God's grace does not depend on our good behaviour in any way. We've seen countless examples of bad, even despicable behaviour, but God is still weaving His goodness throughout it all. In this section of Genesis, we come across another wild story of people d...

Jacob was the boy that nobody wanted. But if Rachel wanted him, he'd do anything to get her. Many of us can identify with thinking that if we can just get this one thing, this one person, this one promotion, we'll be accepted. We think that the holes inside ourselves will be filled with affection, admiration and praise from others. And that may be true, but only for a moment. God sees our aching h...

After weeks of walking through perilous terrain, Jacob arrives at his destination in Harran. In order to woo himself a wife, he sidles up to her father Laban, a professional schemer and a man who turns out to out-scheme Jacob himself. If the way this story unfolds seems familiar to those of you who have been following along in our series thusfar, its because God intended us to see the effects of g...

This week, Pastor Paul takes us through Genesis 28:10-22 where we continue following along with Jacob.

Imagine winning an award for something you didn't do. Or finally hearing the words of affirmation and love you have been longing to hear, but knowing the person speaking those words intended them for someone else. That's what Jacob was experiencing in Gen. 27:1-29. And if he didn't already feel like a less-than son, he sure did after this encounter with his father Isaac. Although Jacob willingly p...

Esau is one of those guys that's easy to like. That's one of the reasons it feels so jarring to read that he was considered godless (Heb 12:16). There are people who are easy to love through the worlds eyes but if we look at them through God's eyes it shows a different perspective. Esau was a "seize the day" kind of guy, but God calls us to live our lives with eternity in mind. So while Esau rejec...

As we continue in the ongoing saga of Isaac and his family, we see one thing is for certain - we human beings do not bring a single thing to our own salvation. In these few verses of Genesis, we see liars, meddlers, manipulators and people who are willfully ignorant of what they know God had revealed to them. We see people who are so bent on getting what they want they will deceive a dying man. We...

In Genesis 26:1-33 we get a peek into Isaac's life and his character. Isaac is the cherished son of Abraham, and the one who lay himself down in obedience when Abraham was called to sacrifice him on mount Moriah. Isaacs life seems to be one of obedience and faith to the Lord, and God repeatedly assures Isaac that He is with him through some really tough seasons in his life. But when Isaac is confr...

In Genesis 19:25-34, we are introduced to Esau and Jacob. Twin boys who battled eachother before they were even born into this world. Looking at each ones character, it's easy to see their humanity and their flaws - one, irreverent and thinking only of today, and the other, scheming and waiting for his chance seize power. Neither of them seem to deserve any of God's grace or mercy and yet one of t...

Good Friday is good because all is not lost. In the darkest, scariest times. In the deepest pit. In the depths of despair. We can have hope because Jesus really did conquer death. When we leave this earth, believers will enter into deep, everlasting peace. Jesus calls each one of us to believe in Him. He calls all of us to have everlasting peace with Him. In this world you will have trouble. Thing...

On Palm Sunday, Jesus Christ rides into town on a donkey and is heralded as the saviour through whom the Israelites will finally be freed from oppression. But imagine you were there, amongst all the "hosannas" in the streets of Jerusalem that day, and you could look Jesus in the eyes. What would you see? The steely flint and rebellious gleam of a warrior king who was about to overthrow the governm...

One of the most fascinating things about Bible is how we get to witness the growing spiritual maturity of some of its central characters. In Genesis 16, we saw Abraham making foolish decisions because he had not yet learned to submit full control over to God. He chose to have a child with a woman who was not his wife because he feared God's promise of a son would not come to pass. Fast forward to...

At first glance, the events of Genesis 22:1-14 look abhorrant. What kind of God calls a man to sacrifice his son? It looks like an incident divine child abuse. But upon closer inspection, we see this story for what it really is and what it reveals about the character of God. Far from being the command of a blood thirsty spiritual tyrant, God's request that Abraham sacrifice his son Isaac - his mos...

Some of us have heard of Sodom and Gomorrah. Some of us have heard about Lot's wife being turned into a pillar of salt. But no children's storytime Bible will ever feature the details of what's going on behind the scenes here in Genesis 19. We've got a father who sells his own daughters out, for reasons we can only speculate. We've got a mother who can't bear to leave the cesspool of a city that G...

For roughly 25 years, Sarah walks under a promise of God that not only hasn't come true yet, but was not given directly to her. She's walking in the dim light of an unmet expectation. She's bitter, cynical and cruel to those around her. She's lost sight of God and she can only see the barrenness inside herself and her future. But God sees her. And He knows her. And He appears to her - a woman in a...

In Genesis 16, we begin to see the cracks in both Sarah and Abraham's faith. Here we see a desperate, grieving, barren wife who has been told her worth is only in the sons she bears. We see a victimized young Egyptian woman who has also been told a whole other set of lies. And we see Abraham, caught in an emotional storm between two women and tripping over his own doubt and self interest. But when...

In Genesis 15, we find ourselves witnessing an intimate moment between Abram and the God who has called him out into the wilderness. Abram is overwhelmed with confusion and doubt of God's promises to bless him. He brings his doubt to the Lord's feet and God answers Him with kindness and care. God doesn't shame Abram for wondering. He is tender and He assures Abram that He will do what He said He w...

Genesis 14 is one of those chapters that's really easy to skip over. It's full of names that many of us are unfamiliar with and it's easy to miss the reason why this passage is included. In this sermon, Pastor Mark takes us through the historical background of what was happening to Abram and Lot during this time. Through a closer examination of the text, we see how Abrams rescue mission for his je...

We continue to follow Abram and his family as they travel along, led only by the voice of God spoken to Abram. Through famine and strife, they follow God's plan faithfully. But when confronted with the possibility that his life might be in danger, what does Abram do? He takes the reigns from God and tries to make his own plan. Sound familiar? Even though our modern ears will hear this passage and...

In Genesis 11, we meet Abram. An idol worshipping old man with a barren wife. Abram is a man who is called to leave everything he knows and believes and follow and unknown God to an unknown place. Genesis 11:27-12:9 doesn't really get into how Abram felt about God calling him, but I bet people around him thought he was a little bit crazy. I bet his wife, Sarai, was wondering what was in store for...

Recovering Eden. When we recover something, it's the act of returning to something we have already possessed. In this sermon, Pastor Mark speaks to us about how we were created for Eden and created to live in perfect harmony with God and one another. When we see how broken, divided and perverse our world can be, our hearts cry out to fix it, to repair it - to recover something that has been lost t...