Grace Baptist Church Sermons
Web Site: Grace Baptist Church
Total Sermons: 44
Find out how to link to Grace Baptist Church's sermons from your website or blog
Our Father
Prayer is one of most common religious practices in our world. People who have not opened a Bible in years and who have not been to church since before they last opened a Bible still pray. This week was the National Day of Prayer, a national tradition that dates back almost sixty years. The simple point is that people believe in prayer. But why? Do they understand prayer? More importantly, do they understand the God to whom we are praying? This morning, in the first of a new series of teachings on the subject of prayer, we talk about God as our Father. This important truth about our relationship with God gives us both a reason to pray and hope when we do pray. In this new series, we will be using the Lord’s Prayer to learn to pray from Jesus himself. Be here each week as we learn how Jesus wants us to pray.
0 Amens
God Has Not Forgotten
In the midst of suffering and struggle, life gets very difficult. For some, it seems like the struggle is unbearable. The days are constantly dark. The nights are sometimes long and sleepless. Hopelessness sets in and it seems like nothing will ever change. In these times of suffering, God comes alongside us to remind us that he has not forgotten. He is still in control and still at work. Throughout the first letter of Peter, called 1 Peter, we have seen the various areas of struggle that take place in the life of followers of Christ. We have seen the cost of it, and difficulty that is brings into our lives. But we have been reminded of the great hope that lies ahead for us at the return of Jesus Christ for our final salvation. The promise of God is that he has not forgotten. Though these days of suffering may seem long and at times unbearable, we must fix our eyes on the Savior who gave his life for us to redeem us and give us hope. He will ultimately take care of us. We simply must trust him enough to live life his way.
0 Amens
Lunch for a Lion
The lion is one of the most fearsome animals in the animal world. It looks majestic and regal, and is called “The King of the Jungle.” It moves smoothly and quietly, often hiding until the right time to attack. He is sly and sneaky. Yet the lion is a raging beast, ready to devour other animals to fill its own belly. It is not content with merely harming other animals. It wants to destroy them, to devour them, to leave nothing behind. From behind the safety glass at the zoo, the lion looks impressive. In the wild, the lion is to be feared, to be avoided. This feared lion is the animal that God uses to teach us about the horrible and deadly desire that Satan has for us. Satan is our great adversary, who is like a lion, desiring to devour our souls. He promises safety and satisfaction, but at the end, he becomes the devourer of our soul. He leaves a pile of bones behind. Today, as we look at God’s warning about Satan, listen with an open mind, examining your life for the unguarded areas where Satan might attack and destroy you
0 Amens
Humble Before God
There are few things that the Bible says that God hates. The very idea that God hates things is strange to many people. They think that God is a god of love who loves everything and everybody. But that is not true. One of the things the Bible says that God hates is pride. Most of us can identify with that since we don’t particularly like arrogant people ourselves. However, God goes a step further. It is not just that he hates proud people. He is actually opposed to them. He fights against them. This too is stunning to some. They find it hard to believe that a God of love and grace actually fights against people. Today, in the book of 1 Peter, we are talking about the need for us all to humble ourselves before God because that is the only way that we can find his grace in our lives. Rather than continuing on in pride, it is necessary for us to cast our cares on God because he cares for us.
0 Amens
Everything You Need to Know
Influential people in the world are few and far between. Less than every few generations will see a strong leader with worldwide influence. More often, a figure might come along who influences a nation or a community in a significant way. Still more often, a person might affect an organization or a group of people in a dynamic way. But truly worldwide influences are rare. Yet as we think about the story of Easter, we see a story of two men whose influence has outlasted them by millennia. These two men are human history in a microcosm. Never has so much been done by two men. In fact, the story of these two men is the story of human history. In these two men are found all of the tragedy, disaster, hope, and brilliance that the world sees day after day. Today, on Easter Sunday, we devote our attention to the two most significant men in the history of the world. Your life is affected by these men every day. Think about your own relationship with these two men. The conclusions you come to will affect your more than you know.
0 Amens
Living in Humility
Humility is a much-despised character trait. People are by nature self-centered. We have a hard time understanding why the rest of the world does not see things the way we do. We think everyone around us should focus on us when they are with us. Out of this self-centeredness comes fighting and contention. It destroys relationships and eats up families. It even makes its way into the church where it divides the body of Christ. When Christ came to earth, he showed us a different way to live. The Bible says that Christ humbled himself, became a man, and died on the cross for sins he did not commit. This type of humility provides a pattern for our own lives. Today, in 1 Peter 5:5-7, Peter calls on us as believers to live a life of humility towards God and others. While that will likely cost us something in this world, God promises that he cares for us, and one day he will exalt those who have humbled themselves before him. Let’s learn together how we can live in humility while trusting God and casting all our anxieties on him.
0 Amens
Pastoring When Suffering is Possible
With the prospect of suffering facing Christians, the role of the pastor takes on added significance. As the visible and vocal leader of the church, the pastor would no doubt increase his own chances of suffering. In addition to the prospect of personal suffering, the weight of leading a church of suffering people bears down on the pastor. As Peter begins his final section of the letter we call First Peter, he writes to his fellow pastors to encourage them to faithfully serve God by serving the church. He reminds them that the return of Christ will bring rewards to them for faithfully carrying out their duties. While most here this morning are not pastors, Peter’s teaching to pastors can help the church understand what to expect from your pastor, how to pray for your pastor, and how to help your pastor.
0 Amens
Trusting God With Your Soul
Throughout 1 Peter, we have seen the repeated theme that suffering is a part of the Christian life. Simply put, Jesus suffered in our place, but he did not suffer to give us a suffering-free life. He suffered to give us eternal hope. Many are unprepared for suffering in this life. Their faith is shaken by difficult times. In this midst of suffering, we must trust God with our soul, knowing that he who has saved us for all eternity will not abandon us for the present. He will make our suffering worthwhile.
0 Amens
Living in a Dying World - Part 3
Rather than focusing on ourselves and our own problems, God calls us to look outwardly to see how we can serve others, even in the midst of our own struggles and suffering. As we continue our teaching from 1 Peter this week, we see that the life of the believer is to be an outwardly-focused life, using the gifts and abilities that God has given us to serve others and bring glory to God. Today, check to see how faithfully you are using the gifts God has given you to honor God while serving others.
0 Amens
Living in a Dying World - Part 2
The world is a messed up place. It is broken and falling apart, and we can see it almost every place that we look. It is a dying world. But as we saw last week, the end is near. Our hope is not that this world can be fixed, but that Christ will redeem us and establish his kingdom. Last week, we began to look at four commands that Peter gives us about how to live in a dying world. Today, we look at the second and third commands, both tied together by the common theme of love for others. It is easy in a dying world to gather stuff for ourselves and horde it so that we have it when we need it. This reveasl a lack of love that stems from a lack of understanding what Christ did for us when he died to save us. As we look at these two commands today in 1 Peter 4:8–9, we need to remember that Christ suffered for us to give us life and hope for eternity. And because he has, we can suffer for others to help them just as we have been helped.
0 Amens