Grace Community Church Sunday Morning Messages

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one & only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace & truth.  Use the Advent Guide to help you reflect on this week's message.

Shepherds are the most ordinary and unlikely people to bear witness to the King of Kings—during that time they were not even legally able to be witnesses in court! But God is not bound by the laws of the earth’s systems and courts. These Shepherds unexpectedly find themselves thrust into a plot point of the Messiah’s storyline, with an active role to play.When unexpected plot points enter into the storyline of our lives, the assurance of Jesus’ presence and promises equip and enable us to respond with faith and take practical action steps.Use the Advent Guide to help you reflect on this week's message.

The Bible says; “God’s kindness leads us to repentance” and that repentance prepares the way for the Lord. (Romans 2:4, Luke 3:3-4)Use the Advent Guide to help you reflect on this week's message.  

We get to live in the time of ‘now and not yet’. We have the full Bible and the fulfillment of Jesus’ first coming. But we also are still waiting for the complete fulfillment of God’s promises and Jesus’ second coming.Use the Advent Guide to help you reflect on this week's message.

Some people think that Jesus came to destroy the law given to Moses in the Old Testament. The Pharisees often accused Jesus of breaking the law, especially God’s commands regarding the Sabbath. Jesus was perfect, He did not come to dismiss the law, but to fulfill and free it from the Scribes and Pharisee’s wrong understanding of it. Charles Spurgeon puts it this way; “To show that he never meant to abrogate the law, our Lord Jesus has embodied all its commands in his own life. In his own person there was a nature which was perfectly conformed to the law of God; and as was his nature such was his life.” This week’s passage begins a long discussion where Jesus explains many points of the law. His explanations drive us all to Him for our justification as we realize how much of it we have broken.  Remember, we are not made righteous by keeping the law, thanks be to God that Jesus offers us a different righteousness, one that He earned on our behalf through His perfect keeping and fulfilling of the Law and payment for our breaking it!Prepare for this week’s message by reading Matthew 5-7 giving special attention to 5:17-20

These words of Jesus are a great commendation and also a weighty responsibility. Jesus didn’t say we are becoming salt and light, He says His followers are salt and light. This is a part of our identity. The challenge is to live into that Identity so that God is glorified and others come to know Him. It can be scary and uncomfortable to shine light into darkness, or to have a “flavorful and preserving” influence in our culture. At times we fulfill this responsibility and at times we fail it. Jesus knew we would be tempted to lose our saltiness and dim our light. The Beatitudes scaffold us, reminding us of the upside down values of Christ’s kingdom and the blessing of relationship with Him. This is the source of our strength and empowerment to shine brightly, not so that anything is made of us but that much is made of Jesus!“The object of our shining is not that men may see how good we are, nor even see us at all, but that they may see grace in us and God in us, and cry, ‘What a Father these people must have.’” (Spurgeon)Prepare for this week’s message by reading Matthew 5-7 giving special attention to 5:1-16

When we make and maintain peace we reflect the character of God, who pursued ultimate peace with us by sending Jesus to pay the price for our sin. When our association with and reflection of Christ’s character is shown to the world, it will either bring about worship and thanksgiving to God or repulsion and rejection of God. There really is no middle ground. In this world we will have trouble, but we do not need to lose heart, for Jesus has overcome the world! And we look forward to our great reward in heaven, namely the forever presence of Jesus Himself! In the mean time we have the Holy Spirit who helps us as we get to know Jesus better through our fellowship with Him in His sufferings. > The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. (Romans 8:15-17)Prepare for this week's message by reading through Matthew 5-7, giving special attention to 5:9-12

In our world and in our own hearts we often hunger and thirst for power, pleasure, and peace. In our quest for earthly happiness, we are left empty and unsatisfied. As we learned last week, we have things all backwards, the values of God’s Kingdom are not the values of this world. A hunger and thirst for right standing with God will be satisfied – in Jesus – and will give us a peace and happiness that is eternal. Jesus was completely righteous; He was perfectly merciful and pure in heart, that is, undivided in His devotion to the Father. Since our relationship with God is the source of these blessings, and this relationship is made possible through Jesus alone, let us make it the priority of our lives. To be truly satisfied, to receive mercy and to see the face of God far surpasses any temporal happiness available to us here on earth. Prepare for this week’s teaching by reading through Matthew 5-7, giving special focus on chapter 5, verses 6-8.

"A person's Identity is the set of purposes, priorities, perspectives, and principles that are held consciously or unconsciously, that guide their feelings, decisions, and behaviors." - Dr. Eric MoyerThis special session with Dr. Eric Moyer serves as a capstone to our identity series.

The gospel of Matthew presents Jesus to us as King and shows us the Kingdom of God, which as we learned in our Identity study, is our life’s priority. As believers in Christ, we are citizens of this Kingdom, with Jesus as our King, and His glory as our aim. While great speeches such as; “Four score and seven years ago….” or “I have a dream…” are inspirational and worthwhile reads, Jesus’ sermon on the mount are God’s words declaring what His kingdom is all about and deserve our attention and study. In essence this is our Kings’ Proclamation!As you prepare for this week’s teaching, take some time to locate the context of Jesus’ sermon by reading an Introduction and background on the book of Matthew and skimming Matthew 1-5.During this series, we encourage you to commit to reading (or listening) to Matthew chapters 5-7 daily (or at least weekly.) It will take you about 15 minutes and will greatly enhance your understanding and application of this important passage of scripture.

As we walk through the sanctification process of restoring our identities through the Gospel, we bring this transformed self into all the places we inhabit and the relationships we have with others. This truly is the foundation of the patterns of relating we have with God, the world, our work, our church, and the people in our lives. Rooting our identities in the Gospel causes us to walk in transformed Practices. As a church we strive for our principles, perspectives, purposes, and priorities to reflect God’s as they should, for His glory and our joy! Prepare for this week’s message by reviewing Isaiah 58:6-9, Galatians 5:22-25, Ephesians 4:22-30, Philippians 2:12-13, 1 Timothy 4:7-8 and 6:11-19, 1 Peter 1:13-21, and 2 Peter 1:3-8.

Our priorities are Identity’s choices. It has been said how you spend your days is how you spend your life. The choices we make reveal our priorities. We make time and room in our budgets for what is important to us. In the life of a believer our overarching priority is to glorify God. Bringing praise, honor and glory to His name supersedes all other priorities. Paul put it this way; “I count all things as loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” (Philippians 3:8-11)God's glory is a theme woven throughout scripture. Prepare for this week’s message by reading: Romans 15:5-6, 13, Ephesians 3:17-21, Philippians 4:19-20, Colossians 3:16-17, 1 Timothy 1:17, 6:15-16, Hebrews 13:20-21, 2 Peter 3:18, Jude 24-25

Our purpose is our Identity’s motivation. There are 2 main purposes in life: to love God and to love others. Jesus said;  “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22: 37-39)Prepare for this week’s message by thinking through the implications of these verses: Matthew 22:37-39, 1 John 4:7-21, John 15:12-13, Colossians 3:12-14, 1 Peter 4:8, John 13:34-35

There are tree lined streets here in Loveland with houses and families, people out walking their dogs, children playing in their backyards, looking around you might not see any difference than if you were standing on a street say in Kansas. But move a short distance and the Rocky Mountains come into view in all their grandeur and beauty, making it clear that you are in fact not in Kansas, but Colorado! When our perspective changes, our understanding of reality changes with it. A Christian Perspective is the point of view from which we observe and interpret how the principles of the Kingdom of God interact with our circumstances. When we substitute the unique perspective God has for us in place of our own limited view of things, our lives are changed.  Prepare for this week’s message by studying the perspectives found in Job 38, Psalm 73, Matthew 6:25-34

Who is God? What is He like? How is the One True God we worship different from the gods of other religions? What difference does knowing God make in my life? How does knowing God affect my Identity?Understanding who the True God is and what He is like is essential for understanding what it means to worship, love, and follow Him and for understanding who we are and what our true identity is. God reveals Himself to us through His Word, the Bible. Isn’t it amazing that the God of the universe has made a way for us to know Him intimately! That He has given us the true words of scripture to show us His character, His work in the world, and how He relates to His people?Prepare for this week’s message by reading Psalm 86:15, Isaiah 40: 25-31, Romans 11:33-36, Colossians 1:15-20, Jude 24-25. Take some time to note what these verses reveal about God. 

What does Identity have to do with transformation? How does our new Identity in Christ help us to become more like Him? As followers of Jesus who actively pursue spiritual maturity, it is comforting to know that it is not by our own strength that we grow and change. It is God who strengthens us, creating in us the longing and the ability to accomplish His new purpose for which we have been redeemed. He has given us new perspectives, new priorities, and a new purpose. He has given us new Life - and this is the fuel for our new way of living. Prepare for this week's message by meditating on these verses: John 17:13-19, 1 Thess 3:3-8, Phil 2:12-13, 3:12-14, Prov 3:5-6, Matt 18:1-4, Col 3:5, Gal 2:19-20

When we think of the things that distinguish our character or personality, we often think in terms of what we do. We bake or teach or build.  We are honest or dishonest, we are dependable or responsible, loyal or disloyal. As Christians we are not immune to the pull of the culture that gives value to individuals based on these types of things. In Christ, however, our identity comes from a different source. Because of Christ, we have different priorities, different perspectives, and a different purpose. We no longer need be defined by what we do, what we own, what we achieve or how we live. We can instead embrace a new Identity as God’s children, loved with a steadfast, eternal and unfailing love. This frees us to receive value apart from what we do, own, achieve and how we live. Living from this freedom changes everything. It is a narrow and less traveled road that really does make all the difference! To prepare for this week's message spend time reflecting on what the Bible tells us about our Identity in Christ found in these verses: 2 Corinthians 5:11-21, Ephesians 1:3-6, Ephesians 2:19-21, Romans 8:17, 1 Peter 2:9, John 1:11-13

Paul’s letter to Philemon, a friend and Christian leader, is an appeal on behalf of Philemon’s runaway slave, Onesimus, who has also met Jesus and found refuge with Paul.  While slavery was a common practice in the Roman empire, with legal support backing it, Paul’s basis for his appeal is the love and forgiveness of Christ. Paul is helping Philemon learn to forgive and receive his former slave back, not as a slave but now as a brother in Christ. Paul offers to pay Onesimus’ debt seeking to transform the relationship between the two men from master/slave to equals in the family of God. Jesus Christ paid our debt, transforming us from former enemies into beloved children of God.The hero of this story is Jesus whose life, death, and resurrection make us equal citizens of God’s kingdom. People from completely different backgrounds—like Paul, a former Jewish leader; Onesimus, a runaway slave; and Philemon, a Gentile slavemaster—are brought together by the gospel under the lordship of Jesus Christ.Jesus helps us when we have trouble forgiving or seeing others as equal members of God’s family. In light of God’s love for us, we can be loving, kind, and forgiving to our brothers and sisters in Christ for the glory of God.

Priscilla & her husband Aquila, Jewish tentmakers exiled from Rome, had settled in Corinth when they met Paul. They opened their home, providing Paul with a place to stay and fellowship as fellow tentmakers. When Paul left Corinth to continue his mission work, Priscilla & Aquila went with him, eventually staying behind in Ephesus as leaders in the church there. Priscilla and Aquila helped Apollos understand the gospel of Jesus better and equipped him as another strong leader in the early church. Their friendship with Paul was deep and their commitment to the gospel was primary over their own safety and personal comfort. (Romans 16:3-4)The hero of this story is God, who used Priscilla & Aquila in the spread of the gospel and the strengthening of the early church. By supporting Paul and teaching Apollos, – two prominent ministers for Christ - Priscilla & Aquila’s faithfulness was used by God to impact many. We might think the things we do to help Jesus and His church are too small to count. Every time we teach someone about Jesus, share our home or give help to another Christian, we help God’s kingdom grow. Jesus takes our acts of love and multiplies them for His glory and the growth of His people.