Taught by Grace

In Revelation 2-3, the church looks the opposite of worthy. Often having serious sin, spiritual problems, religious persecution, and the rest, the church looks totally unimpressive. But in Revelation 4-5, the worthy one comes to the forefront, Jesus steps forward to be seen as the only one who is worthy above all.

What kind of sin disgusts Jesus? He is certainly appalled by sexual sin, religious idolatry, and worldly compromise, but in the seven letters to the churches of Revelation, his harshest words are reserved for lukewarm Laodicea. In this letter to Laodicea, Jesus calls them and us out of spiritual apathy and lukewarmness by showing his disgust for it, describing what it looks like, detailing a path...

The church at Philadelphia didn't look like much financially, numerically, or physically, but they were viewed highest regard by Jesus for one reason - They were faithful to Him. Listen to this week's letter to the seven churches as Jesus reminds us of the necessity and value of faithfulness.

Jesus speaks to the church at Sardis unveiling that they are a dead church. They look alive and check a lot of boxes, but they are a largely spiritually dead and unregenerate group of people. However, even in this dead body, there are living saints. Jesus speaks some of the greatest words of comfort to those who hadn't defiled themselves.

Jesus speaks to the fourth church in Revelation - Thyatira. this was a church that had many good things going for it. They had love, service, and works, but that had one big problem. They had one big problem in the form of a person named Jezebel. A false teacher had slithered her way into the church and was wreaking havoc on the church. Jesus speaks to warn and call this church to repent and turn...

The church at Pergamos was a good church in many ways. They had stayed faithful to Christ even though they were planted in Satan's backyard. They endured through persecution. They didn't deny Christ's name. However, the danger of compromise had crept into this church. Pergamos was allowing the Nicolaitans to come in and teach that believers could live however they wanted to, embracing idolatry and...

Through this second letter , Jesus wants to show the church at Smyrna how they can persevere through suffering and persecution and be faithful unto death. Why should you stay faithful and true through suffering, affliction, and pain? There are four motivations for remaining faithful unto death in this text.  His Victory - Jesus is the Victor over Death (8) His Knowledge - Jesus Knows your Sufferin...

What is a faithful Christian or church's greatest danger? It is living for Christ with doctrine and duty, but abandoning devotion. It is a treacherous place for any believer to know what to believe, what to do, and how to live, but without a heart that beats for and longs for Christ. This week, we look at the first letter to the seven churches in Revelation 2-3 - The Church at Ephesus. This is...

This week, is the first of a couple of month series through the seven churches in Revelation. These are sermons first preached at Freedom Baptist Church and I hope they will be a benefit to a broader audience as well. In Revelation 2-3, Jesus speaks to seven churches. He commends them for genuine faith, challenges them because of sin, and calls them to overcome by faith in Him. But before any of t...

Genesis 44 and 45 are the climactic point of the Joseph narrative in Genesis 37-50. Everything has been building to this point. From the betrayal to Potipher's to prison to the palace to now the brothers being in Egypt for food again . Eventually, there is going to be a beautiful reconciliation in Genesis 45, but before that happens, Joseph has one final test for his brothers. It will be Genesis 3...

In Genesis 43, Jacob and his sons are forced into uncertainty as God leads them back to Egypt for food in the midst of the famine. We are going to enter into uncertainty with Jacob and his boys in chapter 43 and I want to show you two realities about this chapter: God will put you in Uncertain Circumstances (1-15) God is in control of Uncertain Circumstances (16-34)

In chapter 42, we meet his father and brothers for the first time as a group since chapter 37. This chapter is the beginning of the story of forgiveness and reconciliation between Joseph and his brothers. Those scoundrels and losers are going to be reconciled to the brother they wronged and sinned against. However, before that could happen, something very important needed to happen - Their guilt n...

Joseph has been a tested man ever since we met him in Genesis 37 He’s passed every test so far.  He did his best at Potipher’s house He ran from sin when Potipher’s wife tempted him He was faithful in prison He cared for the butler and baker  He stayed faithful to God in the years of silence Joseph has endured affliction faithfully, but how will he handle prosperity? What is the test that comes in...

Joseph rises to power through seemingly ordinary circumstances here: The king has a dream The wise men can’t interpret the dream or don’t want to The butler finally remembers Joseph The guard brings Joseph from prison  Joseph interprets Pharaoh’s dreams  Joseph suggests finding a wise man to put over Egypt through the years of famine Pharaoh puts Joseph over all of Egypt as the grand vizier Joseph...

Are we there yet?  Is the food ready yet?  Is my package here yet?  Has my coffee come out yet?  Each of these questions have to do with something we all love to do - Waiting.  In Genesis 40, Joseph is in the middle of the years of waiting. But it looks like the dam is about to burst as he interprets the butler and baker's dreams. Even though it looked like God was prepared to exalt Joseph, th...

How do you respond when life isn't going according to plan? Joseph's life wasn't at all going according to plan, but God was with him in it all and he glorified God in it all! In Genesis 39, the chapter is bookended with this statement - The Lord was with Joseph. The Lord was with Joseph at Potiphar's, in temptation, and even in prison. No matter where Joseph went, or how poorly his life seemed to...

Genesis 38 is the story of Judah’s family history. A seeming interruption in the story of Joseph. It is the story of how Judah had children and how his generations were preserved. Yet, this is not a pretty, nice family history. This is one of the ugliest and saddest chapters in the Bible. This story of Judah's descent to rock bottom, however, is one of the greatest stories of God's grace. We're go...

Genesis 37 introduces us to Joseph with an action-packed drama filled with bitterness, envy, hatred, murderous intentions, and slavery. Joseph had dreams of exaltation as the beloved son of Jacob, but God's plans for Joseph didn't work out as Jospeh (or we) would have expected. Yet, all along the way, God is fulfilling His perfect plan in his life and for His people.

It’s a New Year. Today is the first Sunday in 2025. A new year typically means New Year's Resolutions. For some reason, when the calendar flips over to January 1st, everyone is ready to set goals, change their lives, and become different people! I want to call you to begin this year with the greatest resolution possible - Run after Jesus. We're going to see three truths in Hebrews 12:1-3 1. Forsak...

What is Jesus ultimately after in your life? He wants you to believe in Him and follow Him. In Mark 1:14-20, Jesus comes preaching and calls his first disciples. By looking at this narrative, we see what the passion and mission of Jesus was and still is. He calls us to believe in Him with total faith and follow Him in radical obedience.

In Mark 1:9-13, we see Jesus presented as the perfect Son and Savior: In His Baptism, Jesus is affirmed by the Spirit and the Father to be the beloved Son of God In His Temptation, Jesus proves that He is sinless by triumphing over Satan in the wilderness

Mark is the quickest-moving, hardest-hitting of all of the Gospels. He doesn’t slow down to give a lot of detail most of the time. This book is what we are beginning to study this time in this week's episode. In this episode, we will see how this Gospel is about the good news of Jesus Christ. We will also see how John prepares the way by pointing to Jesus as far bigger and greater than him and any...

 Hebrews 7:25 assures the believer by revealing that Jesus will save believers to the uttermost because of His present intercession.  Jesus’ intercession matters because He is a better priest. He is a better priest because He was ordained priest by God after the order of Melchizedek.

Jesus Christ is presently, actively interceding for His people. In the last two episodes, we looked generally at Christ's present intercession for us. But what does His intercession accomplish? Two Biblical texts (Romans 8:34 and Hebrews 7:25) detail what His intercession accomplishes. This week, we look at the first of those to see what Romans 8:34 teaches about Christ's intercession for...

Jesus Christ is up to something right now by actively, presently interceding for believers. In this mini-series, we are examining a few various angles of this neglected, but life-giving reality of Christ’s intercession. This week, I want to wrap our arms around the big picture of this reality in a few parts:  We will define intercession  We will examine the way Christ intercedes  We will see why H...