Sermons from Grace/Bethel

Sharing important information can feel discouraging when someone refuses to listen or rejects what you’re saying—especially when it’s the gospel. We share the good news because we want others to know Christ’s love. When people show disinterest in God’s Word, it can feel like failure. Here’s this week’s epiphany: rejection is not failure. Because the gospel is God’s divine revelation, it’s expected...

When God says “no” to a request, it’s easy to feel we’re getting less than we wanted. However, we need to see the bigger picture: God always wants more for us than we want from Him. If He said “yes” to everything we ask, it might lead to less joy, fewer blessings, and a diminished life. God’s “no” is not about withholding but about giving us something greater. He isn’t just a “help desk” or a 911...

“Who is Jesus?” Many people initially answered, “Mary and Joseph’s son” or “a carpenter from Nazareth.” While true, these descriptions fall short. At Jesus’ baptism, God the Father revealed his true identity: Jesus is the dearly loved Son of God, chosen to be the Savior of the world. Now consider the question, “Who are you?” You might respond with your name, where you’re from, or your job. Sometim...

Waiting is always hard, especially when what you're waiting for is very important. Waiting an hour for your food at a restaurant isn’t a big deal, but waiting a week for an electrician to restore your power is much harder. The more we need something, the harder it is to wait. After the fall into sin, God’s people waited for the most important gift—a Savior. Centuries passed, and they wondered, “Wh...

The Son of God took on flesh for two reasons: to be our substitute and our sacrifice. You see, when God created mankind in his image, he desired that we live holy lives full of love for him and our fellow man. When mankind fell into sin, that became impossible. So, the heavenly Father sent Jesus. He is the only human being who can keep God’s law perfectly. He did that as our substitute. Through fa...

By this time of the holiday season, people are often weighted down. They feel guilty about presents that are not perfect, parties that did not go as planned, or year-end projects that did not get completed. To top it all off now is when it dawns on people how little attention they have given to the spiritual preparation Advent invites. If that is how we feel, perhaps the frenzy of December has don...

Multiple studies have proven that the holiday season exacerbates mental health issues. The pressure to have “a perfect Christmas” can be overwhelming for some. For others, their loneliness is amplified. Such people need a real Christmas, one that results in great joy. But joy is not the same thing as happiness. It is infinitely better. Happiness is an emotion. Joyfulness is a condition. Happiness...

The closer we get to Christmas, the greater the pressure. There is so much work to be done! We want our houses to look good for out-of-town guests. We want to impress people with the thoughtfulness of our gifts. What a welcome relief, therefore, to hear what is required to be ready for Christmas: only repentance. You see, repentance is the opposite of work. It is the candid and honest admission of...

It is easy to get so caught up in the imagery—a tiny newborn baby lying in the straw-filled manger under a star-filled sky—that we forget the why. Why did the Son of God come into our world and take on human flesh? So that he might die as the sacrifice for our sins. One Christmas carol puts it this way. “Neither crib nor cross refuses; all he suffers for your good to redeem you by his blood.” Adve...

“Eyes on the prize.” That axiom stresses that when pursuing a good goal, focus is important. You don’t want distractions or a lack of self-discipline to keep you from obtaining whatever that prize might be. “Eyes on the prize.” You summon the willpower to fixate on that good thing. You let nothing divert your attention from obtaining the prize. The prize that we want most is spending eternity with...

Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) affects many millions of adults. It is more than shyness. SAD includes an acute fear of being judged. An individual with SAD struggles with everyday tasks like talking to people at work or school because he is terrified that he is constantly being evaluated. Even if you don’t have that disorder, perhaps you have experienced that uncomfortable feeling that others are w...

Perhaps you have heard the axiom, “Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die.” In other words, while you still can, use what you have in order to enjoy life to the fullest. If this life is all there is, St. Paul agrees that would be a good philosophy. Paul wrote, “If the dead are not raised, ‘Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die’” (1 Corinthians 15:32). However, note the “if.” Paul was sa...

“It will get better.” We say that to try to comfort someone having a bad day (or maybe a whole string of bad days). Perhaps tomorrow will be better. But perhaps it’s worse. In this life, there are no guarantees that things will improve. That isn’t the case with the life that is to come. That life isn’t just going to be better. It will be perfect. Since the seventh century, Christians have marked a...

Jesus repeatedly told his followers that living as his disciples would bring hardship. Living according to God’s Law will make one appear odd in the eyes of the world, perhaps even evil. Sharing a message of mankind’s sin and God’s gracious salvation can cause offense. So why not just stay silent if that makes life easier? Why not keep our faith private? Answer: because we are going to live foreve...

“What’s in it for me?” It’s easy to look at life through the lens of that question to make decisions based on perceived personal benefit. Perhaps we look at Christianity through that lens at times, wondering what we will gain from following Christ. “What’s in it for me?” Jesus first disciples asked that question. They hoped that following Christ would bring prestige and honor. They assumed followi...

People think that establishing priorities is about ranking things in order of importance. But it is more than that. We do not have unlimited time and energy. So, establishing priorities enables us to say “no” to things that might be good yet not truly important. Without proper priorities, one will inevitably pursue what is nice while downplaying what is needed. Throughout Scripture, believers are...

Love can cause harm. Consider the wife whose husband wants little to do with church. She loves him and does not want to upset him. So, when her husband wants her and the children to stay home Sunday morning, she complies without protest. That wife’s love for her husband hurts him, her children, and herself. Or consider the father who loves his child so much that he gives the child everything the c...

Green Berets. Rangers. SEALs. Delta Force. These special forces groups are part of the United States military. They are elite: highly trained with unique skill sets. Many of their important missions are carried out in total secrecy. Two weeks ago, we acknowledged that we are in the middle of a massive spiritual war. Today, we thank God that we fight this war with the protection of special forces....

Humility and pride are polar opposites. Pride exalts self at the expense of God and others. Humility exalts God and others at the expense of self. Pride is the essential vice, for it increases one’s hunger for all other sins. Humility increases one’s hunger for the forgiveness and healing found in Christ. The one who is proud demands to be served. The one who is humble is not content unless servin...

What is the worst war in human history? One might point to World War II, which had the highest death toll of at least 90 million people. Or consider the Three Kingdoms War, which not only resulted in over 40 million deaths but also lasted for most of the third century. There is no end to the sad list of nominations: the Thirty Years War, the Taiping Rebellion, the American Civil War, and World War...

Power is neither inherently good nor bad. Fire is powerful. The chef uses fire to create meals. But the arsonist uses fire to destroy homes. Nuclear fission is a powerful force. The engineer harnesses it, producing abundant electricity. The tyrant harnesses it, threatening others with nuclear weapons. What matters is the purpose of the one who has that power. Jesus has limitless power, as the nume...

A loving father gives his son and daughter a list of rules and regulations. Chores, curfews, civilities, dress code—the father makes his will clearly known. The son strives to follow the rules for two reasons. 1) He wants to get his allowance. 2) He is afraid that if he breaks the rules, his father will punish him. The daughter strives to follow the rules, also for two reasons. 1) She believes her...

As Jesus concluded his Bread of Life discourse, many said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?” and walked away. Read carefully. They did not say the teaching was hard to understand. The meaning was clear enough. Jesus was teaching that the only chance to enjoy eternity in heaven is through a close connection to him. He is the only bread that gives eternal life. That isn’t hard to underst...

There are many different theories about the healthiest way to eat. There’s the old food pyramid, built on a foundation of whole grains. There’s the Mediterranean diet, the Atkins diet, the Paleo diet, and many others. We can debate which is best, but what is undebatable is that whatever your diet, you are going to die. Perhaps a vegetarian diet is indeed easier on your heart. Still, your heart is...

Physical food is a blessing from God, without which we would literally wither away and die. That is why Jesus lovingly and miraculously fed thousands of followers with only five loaves of bread and two fish. Yet, while physical food is a good thing, it is far from the greatest thing God provides us. The greatest blessing God provides is spiritual food. The best thing God gives us is his Son, the b...