Grace Point Sermons

Fear and pride often keep us silent when God commands us to speak. This is especially true in the relationships in our lives which have been broken because of our sin. Thankfully, God is able to fix every relationship we've broken, so we should always pursue restoration (even when it feels impossible).

When we face what we don't understand & can't control, there are really only two options: (1) We can step into the unknown in fear because we're worried about what's going to happen to us; or (2) We can step into the unknown in faith because we're excited about how God is going to work in us and for us. To encourage and inspire faith in His people, God promises that He will be with us: from the beginning, through it all & until the end.

God's plan is perfect, which means we can't mess it up. But that doesn't keep us from trying! Thankfully, God's purpose isn't stopped when we're defiant, domineering, deceitful or desperate.

There is a dark exchange that happens when we trade God's eternal purpose for our temporary pleasure. This is rooted in fear which can only be driven out by the promised presence of the God who loves us.

There's a tendency in every human heart to believe that if God hasn't worked yet, then He never will. It's in those times that we need to be reminded that everything God promises, He's going to provide.

Faithfulness to God isn't shown in starting strong, but in finishing well. To help us fight for this, Paul calls the church to look to Jesus and fully embrace our: (1) Gospel Hope; (2) Real Value; & (3) Resurrection Power.

Join us as we answer your questions through Genesis 15-22

There's no greater test than when God gives us a clear command, and we don't understand why it matters or how it's possible. In those moments, even though the natural response is pride and fear, the right response is to follow God in humble, confident faith that: (1) Listens for God's voice; (2) Leads with a "yes;" (3) Leans into God's love; & (4) Lets go of control.

When we get stuck in the moment, we need to remember that the LORD, the Everlasting God, is always with us: in our sin, in our joy, in our grief & in our routines.

If only God is truly good, then we should be more shocked by His grace than by His wrath.

When God doesn't meet our expectations, the temptation is to let go of Him in an attempt to hold onto control. However, since God is always working, we not only should onto Him...we can because He is God Almighty and there's nothing too hard for Him.

Since God never fails and never forgets, we can trust Him to keep His promises, even when it takes longer than we want it to.

Q & A covering questions from Genesis 8-14.

When we chase the world's prosperity at the cost of God's peace, there's only one way to have that peace restored & that's to accept it as a gift from our gracious God. Thankfully, as we struggle to believe this truth, God uses even the tensions in our lives to teach us to trust Him.

As "glorious ruins," we all to remember that God's blessing is based on His promises, not our performance. Because that's true, we can focus on Jesus instead of ourselves, receiving His gifts of faith, faithfulness, and even failure as demonstrations of His kind and severe mercy.

When we fight against God, He always wins. The only question is whether or not we'll joyfully surrender as He accomplishes His purpose through us?

Fear is one of the most common responses of the human heart when we're waiting on God to work. When this happens, we need to be reminded that our God always remembers us, even when we forget Him. Because that's true, He invites us out of fear and into confidence as we trust Him to keep His promises.

Encore is a space for thoughtful, unhurried engagement with the book of Genesis. As we study through Genesis together in "The Overture," we are looking are large sections together to get a big picture of the story God is telling. However, we often can’t explore every question, theme, or theological implication in depth during our worship gatherings. Encore exists to bridge that gap.This first session covers Genesis 1-7, from creation to the flood. Together, we’ll examine the text more closely—asking questions, tracing themes, clarifying doctrine, and strengthening our understanding of God’s character, His design for humanity, the entrance of sin, judgment & grace.

Left to ourselves, humanity always gets worse instead of better. One thing that means is that we're always in need of God to save us from the downward spiral of our own self-destruction. Thankfully, the God who judges is also the God who saves, and He invites us to step out of our sin-cycle and rest in His mercy.

The story of Cain gives us an unsettling anatomy of unbelief. As we dissect this story, we learn that while true worship comes from total belief in God & His promises, unbelief always starts with pride and leaves a legacy of pain.

When we pursue good apart from God, we end up losing both. Thankfully, God's mercy is stronger than our sin, so judgment never gets the last word in the lives of those who put their trust in Jesus.

When God created us, He designed us for worship. We only fulfill that design, however, when we are: (1) Receiving God's blessings; (2) Reflecting God's character; & (3) Pursuing God's calling.

In His word, God gives us Himself. When we've lost sight of this truth, we need to be reminded what God's word is & what God's word does, both of which inspire us to discipline, desire & dependence.

When faced with misplaced guilt and shame, God alone is our refuge. In those moments, we hold onto hope by crying out to Him to send out His light and truth to lead us back into His presence, which is our exceeding joy.

Where there's no joy, there can be no peace. But how do we fight for joy in God when we're not experiencing it? In Psalm 42, the Sons of Korah leave us a map to follow as struggle to find our satisfaction in God alone.

We find peace in the face of irrational fears as we fight the lies of Satan with the truth of Jesus.

Jesus invites us to follow Him through the brutality of the cross into the beauty of the new creation. When we do, He gives us new purpose, new passion & new power. But none of this is possible until we stop trying to earn what can only be received as a free gift.

In our endless search for hope, we often take the well-worn detour into wishful thinking. Unfortunately, despite the promise of freedom and peace, wishful thinking can only ever lead us to despair. That's why it's so important for us to let God's word shape reality and commit to embracing Biblical thinking over wishful thinking.

The more we try to tame our flesh with rules, the more we learn that we must kill the flesh or it will kill us. Thankfully, the Holy Spirit promises to put our flesh to death, and as He does, we learn that we can trust Him to change: (1) What we love; (2) How we live; & (3) Who we are.

"For freedom Christ has set us free." In Christ, we've been set free FROM our old way of life & set free TO live as servants to Jesus and His people. But that freedom will always be challenged, which is why we must stand firm in grace against every threat raised against it.

If even our best efforts deserve God's judgment, then repentance is always needed: for our rebellion AND for our righteousness. No other path can lead to hope, as God's Spirit does in us what our flesh can never accomplish.

It's easy for us to see when others resist hearing God's truth applied to their lives. But do we see it as easily when we do the same thing? If we want to make sure we're not hearing the gospel in vain, Paul invites us to join him in choosing: (1) Joy over comfort; (2) Truth over status; & (3) Growth over ease.

Even though our union with Christ guarantees our adoption with Him as children of God, our assurance of this new identity comes as the Spirit gives us: (1) A New Heart; (2) A New Confidence; & (3) A New Humility.

When we live like we're still prisoners to the Law, Jesus invites us into true gospel freedom. This gift of the gospel (like every other gift of the gospel) comes to us through our union with Christ, which allows us to share His relationship with the Father, His righteousness & His reward.

When life gets hard and we don't understand God's plans, it can be hard to rest in His promises. Thankfully, God's faithfulness to His word depends on His character, not ours. That's why Paul works so hard to help us see that God's Law was never meant to show us what we had to do to save ourselves, but to show us what Jesus was going to do to save all who believe in Him.

All of us desire God's blessing. All of us deserve God's curse. What each of us receives depends on whether we're depending on the works of the flesh or the power of the Spirit.

There is only one Savior. There is only one gospel. And there is only one way for us to be made right with God. It's not through works of the Law, but through faith that justifies, testifies & satisfies.

Our differences make unity difficult, but Jesus makes it possible through the gospel. We'll only be able to experience true gospel unity, though, if we are willing to make three Core Commitments: (1) We must refuse to compromise; (2) We must be eager to cooperate; & (3) We must be willing to confront. Only with all of these in place can we maximize the impact of our witness to the watching world.

God's gospel is the only gospel that can save because nothing else has the power to change the heart. Human traditions can only lead to reformation that lasts a little while, but God's revelation leads to transformation that lasts forever. The question is: "Will we seek transformation that glorifies God, or settle for reformation that glorifies us?"

We never outgrow the temptation to trust men more than we trust God. For that reason, we never stop needing to be reminding of God's Gospel, which is the only one that saves!

Are you telling the truth about Jesus and His grace in your family? If not, then you need to be reminded that God's design for family includes the gift of authority, which He calls us to embrace & express for His glory.

As John concludes his Gospel, his focus is on the purposeful, powerful, personal grace of Jesus because this grace is the only thing that can truly satisfy our souls and set us free to live in humble hope.

When we encounter Jesus, He turns our lives upside-down and we are never the same again. Once that happens, the Gospel always leads to: (1) Proclamation; (2) Invitation; & (3) Expectation.

It's only natural to be afraid when we feel alone in a battle we can't win. But Jesus offers us His peace, rooted in the promise that He's always with us, fighting our battles. As He does, we don't just get to share His victory, but also His joy, His mission & His Spirit.

When we're limited by what we assume Jesus can do, we often miss what He is doing. Thankfully, He's patient with us as we grow to know, love & follow Him by His grace. In the process, He's not only working in us, but also working through us, to take His gospel to the world.

At the cross, Jesus finished the work. Now He invites us to join Him in His rest. When we do: (1) doubt gives way to confidence; (2) shame gives way to boldness; & (3) despair gives way to anticipation.

Jesus never said: "Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you tasks." Jesus did say: "Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." True gospel rest is available to all who believe and live like it really is finished and we are free in Jesus.

The sufferings of Jesus show us both: (1) what our sins deserve; & (2) what God's love demands. As John holds up the dark mirror of human nature, he shows us that the gospel doesn't just require honesty, but also gives us hope.

No matter how long or how hard we try to build our own kingdoms, Jesus is the one, true King who will not share His glory with another. What He offers instead is a Redemption that meets us at the intersection of the failure of Rebellion & the failure of Religion.

Nobody sees themselves accurately, but pressure always reveals who we really are. Thankfully, this is just as true of Jesus Himself as it is for His enemies & friends. What this should lead us to ask ourselves is: (1) What does pressure reveal about me? & (2) What do I do when I'm exposed?