Grace Church Indiana Sermons

In this final message of “Follow Me: Part II,” we will explore the famous passage of the rich man who “went away sad” when invited by Jesus to sell his possessions and follow him. The story is a stark reminder that we are invited to surrender our lives to Jesus, not just go through the religious motions. The words of the martyred missionary Jim Elliot ring true here. “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” What are we willing to surrender to Christ in our trust that he will renew our lives for eternity?

November 23 | Who Is The Greatest In The Kingdom? | Follow Me Part II | Barry Rodriguez by Grace Church

In the final week of our Peter miniseries, we see this rash, eager, and imperfect disciple witnessing the true nature of Jesus as the son of God during the transfiguration. In this sacred moment, Jesus takes three of his disciples away to a high mountain where he is transformed into a being of radiant light, pouring the glory of God into the world. Peter’s reaction is predictably bumbling but reflects his faith in Jesus. This moment, especially with Peter’s impending denial of Jesus at his trial looming in the not-too-distant future, is an invitation to consider our own faith and willingness to allow the light of Christ to transform our understanding of reality.

In this second part of our Peter trilogy, we will explore some of the highest and lowest moments of Peter’s relationship with Jesus (until the crucifixion and resurrection, of course). First, Peter’s declaration of Jesus’ identity as the Messiah is met by Jesus with a declaration of his own: it is upon the “rock” of Peter’s faith that Christ will build his Church. Second, however, this is followed almost immediately by Peter reprimanding Jesus for saying he would be killed. To this, Jesus says, “Get away from me, Satan!” Matthew’s juxtaposition of these two moments is undoubtedly intentional. It gives us a glimpse at the need for us all to continuously set our own perspectives aside to be shaped by those of our savior’s.

Part II begins with a prayer of thanksgiving by Jesus, as well as one of his most famous invitations to the weary and burdened. Through his prayer and invitation, Jesus is continuing to set up a sharp contrast between himself and the religious leaders of Israel. Where they offer strict religious restrictions for the people and favor the wealthy, educated, and elite, Jesus offers an “easy yoke” and favors the “childlike.” It is a reminder of both the “upside-down” nature of Christ’s kingdom, as well as an invitation to set aside our sin and shame and take up the gracious love of Jesus instead. Are we willing to accept the yoke of Jesus

In the final week of the series, we will get very practical about how we as individuals can respond to God’s call during this divisive time. As we will see, Paul sets a high bar for his readers in Colossae. First, to “set your minds on things above” – to live in such a way that our minds are laser focused on the things God cares about. Second, to “put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you,” to be deeply intentional about the sin and idolatry within each of us which seeks to corrupt our trust in Christ. Finally, to “clothe yourself” in things like compassion, kindness, humility, and, most of all, love. Put simply, we each have a choice of how we respond in this cultural moment. We can choose what we think about, what we reject, and what we “wear” as we live out our faith. Let us all keep our eyes focused on Christ and his powerful resurrection. May we become people of love and mercy as we take his hand and follow him into the kingdom of God. Possible Response Element: Give everyone time to write some kind of commitment on a card based on the invitations from the passage. Perhaps they could bring them to the front, to be prayed over by the pastors, and then to be passed out to the congregation as people leave to pray over the commitments of others

As we continue exploring Colossians, we will dig deeper into the mixing (a.k.a. “syncretism”) which is happening in the church today between the gospel of Jesus and the powers of this world. We will specifically explore the god of Domination and the god of Self, which have so infected our body with “empty philosophies” and “high-sounding nonsense.” To untangle their influence over us, we will explore what it means for Christ to have “disarmed the rulers and authorities” of our world, and what it looks like for us to reject their influence in our own lives. By repenting of our syncretism and re-focusing on Christ above all, we may yet find a way to live in this broken world set free from the powers seeking to corrupt the gospel.

Paul wrote his letter to the church in Colossae because they were mixing pagan elements into their Christian faith (i.e. worshipping Jesus as well as some of the elemental powers of this world). His aim in the letter was to help them understand that Christ is supreme over the powers, and that their mixing is not only muddying the gospel, but downright dangerous to their faith. In the American Church today we are also prone to mixing our faith with the powers of this world, combining our love for Jesus with the powers of domination, hatred, violence, and selfishness. Our algorithms have herded us into vitriolic tribes and turned our “enemies” into vile, subhuman monsters in our minds. Like in Colossae, this mixing is not only muddying the gospel, but downright dangerous to our faith. As Paul says in Colossians 2:20, “You have died with Christ, and he has set you free from the spiritual powers of this world. So why do you keep on following the rules of the world?” To begin crawling out of this hate-filled pit, we are going to start by mediating on Paul’s transcendent Christological hymn in Colossians 1:15-20, using a piece of contemplative art – the Anastasis Fresco from Chora Church in Constantinople – as a guide. As we will see, Christ is supreme over the powers of this world, and we can find common ground in our combined helplessness to overcome the power of death ourselves. Let us all experience the power of Christ’s incredible sacrifice and the unbelievable love he has for each of us as we are ripped from the grave by his victory over the powers. If we do, perhaps we can begin to see our “enemies” as broken, helpless image-bearers of God just like ourselves, and find ourselves unified in the love God has for us all.

Our world is burdened by the broken place of hatred. We see discrimination, racism, genocide, dehumanization, and segregation along so many different lines (gender, age, race, nationality, ability, etc.). Most of the time when we try to fix these problems, however, we don’t acknowledge the fact that these are outcomes of a much longer path of hatred which starts anytime we see ourselves as better than the “other” we are encountering. To heal the broken place of hatred, we must walk an entirely different path: the path of self-giving love. In Philippians 2:1-11, Paul pleads with the church in Philippi to “love one another” and “work together with one mind and purpose.” To do this, he suggests we must have “the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.” And how did Jesus live? He walked the path of self-giving love. Even though he had all power in the universe, he “gave up his divine privileges,” lowered himself in humility, and lifted broken humanity up through his self-sacrificial love on the cross. As Christ’s church, we can show the world an alternative to the hatred we see around us. When we encounter “others,” we must follow our savior down the humble path he chose to walk.

With so many other issues swirling around us in this broken world, it can be very easy to think that caring for the planet falls pretty low on our priority list. Why worry about climate change or species extinction when there seem to be so many more pressing matters? The answer is simple: because God cares about his Creation and we should too. In this message we will explore how God’s love and sustaining Spirit extend even to the physical world, including the plants and creatures who live here, and how our role from the very beginning was as caretakers of the Creation he sustains. We will also consider how the poor and marginalized of humanity (whom God also dearly loves) are threatened when our physical world is neglected and how the broken place of decay influences all the other broken places. By meditating on this thread from Scripture we will begin to see how our best possible life includes living in harmony and peace with the Earth and joining God in his sustaining work over Creation.

To discuss the broken place of pain, we must start by acknowledging the universality of pain and the many forms it takes (body, mind, and spirit). From the grief we experience at the loss of a loved one, to the anxiety and depression so often clouding our minds, to the chronic illness and pain which beset our bodies, pain is a part of all of our lives. Then we must explore the character of our God as one in the business of healing that pain (a.k.a. Jehova rapha – “the God who heals,” Exodus 15:26). In Psalm 147 the psalmist depicts God as being actively involved in healing our pain: rebuilding broken cities, bringing exiles home, healing the brokenhearted, bandaging wounds, supporting the humble, and blessing children. Luke 6:17-19 describes Jesus doing very much the same thing (“He healed everyone”). What might it look like for us to put our trust in a God who heals? And how might we join him in that healing work in the lives of others?

Along with being created to be in relationship with our Creator, we were also created to be in relationship with one another. Yet again, however, the rebellion of humanity against God’s intentions has led us into places of deep isolation. This is especially true today, when loneliness is epidemic. In the famous story of the woman at the well, Jesus plows through social protocols to show love to an isolated Samaritan woman. Not only does he reconnect her with her community; he calls her to a greater purpose and reminds her of the dignity she has as a child of God. To those of us who are isolated, this story is a reminder that we, image-bearers of God, are more than worthy of love. To Grace Church as a whole, this story is an intense challenge to follow in Jesus’ footsteps by calling out the image of God in others and drawing them out of isolation and into community.

Humans were created to live in just, loving relationships. Because of our rebellion, however, we too often spread injustice instead. Systems of poverty deepen, preventable diseases spread, slavery is perpetuated, and the poor and marginalized are neglected. However, as with the other broken places, God cares deeply about bringing healing to injustice and desires for his children to heal it as well. As he says through the prophet Amos, “I want to see a mighty flood of justice, an endless river of righteous living” (Amos 5:24). What is truly remarkable, though, is the degree to which God identifies with those crushed by injustice. Nowhere is this clearer than the provocative teaching of Jesus in Matthew 25, where he claims that when his followers are serving the poor, they are actually serving Him! It’s a provocative invitation to make the work of God’s justice not just an occasional act, but a lifestyle.

Humans were created to dwell in God’s presence, experiencing his love and abundance as we lead all of creation in worship. However, in our selfishness, humans have chosen to rebel against God’s intentions, exiling ourselves from the presence of our Creator. Because of this separation from God, we corrupt this good world with injustice, isolation, pain, decay, and hatred. Thankfully, that’s not the end of the story. Because of his great love for us, God sent his son, Jesus, to bring us back into his presence. Through his sacrifice and resurrection, Christ has permanently opened the door to a new way to be human, reconciled with our Creator and transformed to become the forces of healing and life we were always created to be.

In a very comfort-obsessed culture, the idea of sticking with it through difficult circumstances is the last thing we want to do. If we seek advice on the internet for how to deal with challenges in a marriage, far too often the advice is simply, “end it!” But if we are truly called to demonstrate covenant faithfulness to our broken world, this cannot be our default response to hardships. Scripture consistently invites us to endure the challenges we face because they give God a chance to work, and they give us a chance to grow. The same thing is true when we face difficulty in our marriages. We must remember that we are not just honoring our spouse in marriage; through our dedication to covenant faithfulness we are also honoring God. By keeping our eyes focused on the Lord, we stand a far greater chance of avoiding the “poisonous root of bitterness” (Hebrews 12:15) which can take root if we lose focus and turn our attention back to our own selfish desires. It is time for us to do the hard work which will bear the long-term fruit in our marriages of joy, peace, and love. Keep your eyes on the prize!

The pastors of Grace have witnessed many, many marriages in our spiritual family facing trials, challenges, and even collapse. From our vantage point, we have seen one common denominator appear too many times to count: selfishness. Whether it’s a mentality that says, “what I want/need is most important,” or an addiction to control, or an aversion to doing the difficult work of conflict resolution because it’s just too uncomfortable, a focus on self damages marriages faster than almost anything else. In Romans 12, however, Paul calls Christ-followers to take a different approach: one of self-giving love. In v.10 he says, literally, “outdo one another in showing honor.” The mental image of running a race with your spouse to outdo them in love and honor as they do the same (rather than looking for what love and honor they’ll give you), is a powerful one. If we adopt this posture, we can reverse the corrosive influence of selfishness in our marriages and replace it with Christlike love which can bring healing and long-term fulfillment. Marriage is a race to the bottom.

When it comes to marriage, many Christ-followers have lost the plot. With a multi-billion-dollar wedding industry commodifying romance, a flood of TikTok influencers offering quick fixes for relationships, and dating apps promising to help people find “the one,” we have too often bought the lie that marriage should be passionate, fulfilling, fun, easy, and adventurous at all times. If they fail to live up to those standards, we begin to consider other options.

Before the Great Commission, there was the first mission. Jesus sends out the twelve with power and purpose—and his words still ring true for us today. Pastor Barry reveals what it means to live sent and how to go boldly into a broken world. Keywords: Matthew 10 sermon, Jesus sends the twelve, living on mission, Great Commission, how to follow Jesus

Before the Great Commission, there was the first mission. Jesus sends out the twelve with power and purpose, and his words still ring true for us today. Pastor Barry reveals what it means to live sent and how to go boldly into a broken world. Keywords: Matthew 10 sermon, Jesus sends the twelve, living on mission, Great Commission, how to follow Jesus

Why would Jesus call a tax collector—an outcast—to follow him? And why does that matter for us today? Pastor Maron takes us into this transformational moment that still echoes for anyone who feels disqualified or unworthy. Keywords: Matthew the disciple, Jesus calls sinners, tax collector Bible story, call to discipleship, Matthew 9 sermon