Grace Messages
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© Grace Community Fellowship Church
Description
Grace Messages is a series of Bible-based, Christian messages that include everything from topical messages, to verse-by-verse studies through various books of the Bible. Our messages focus on expository, dispensational Bible teaching from a free grace perspective.
Each podcast is from a sermon preached at our home church in Newnan, Georgia! Listen to these messages in order, or just choose one that sounds most interesting to you!
For easier topic navigation, visit www.gracenewnan.org/messages Even the Verse-by-Verse studies can be listened to in or out of order.
About the church: Grace Community Fellowship is a Bible-church in Newnan, Georgia, pastored by Pastor John Clark.
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This morning, we must remind ourselves again that the Upper Room Discourse are the last words of instruction from Jesus Christ before His death and resurrection. He is giving the disciples, in seed form, the instructional manual for the Church. However, He realizes they cannot possibly receive everything He wants to tell them on this night, and so He tells them that help is on the way. THE Helper, the Holy Spirit, will also guide them in remembering, and learning ALL things that Jesus wanted them to know. These promises are the basis for the New Testament.
We want to consider what undergirds genuine and consistent thankfulness in our day-to-day lives. Life can feel boring and mundane. Every day feels like “Groundhog Day,” where you just repeat the same actions over and over again. Many days, we wonder if we are really accomplishing anything. This morning, we want to look at WHY you can be content and thankful for the routine in life.
Last week Jesus shared how His disciples should respond to a world that will hate them and persecute them. He wanted them to lovingly share the truth about Him, even in the face of intense hatred and persecution! This morning, Jesus lets the disciples "in on” something the Holy Spirit is working on behind the scenes in the lives of unbelievers. He is “shaming” the world in three areas: sin, righteousness, and judgment. However, as we will see, He is not simply trying to make the world feel bad but rather convince and persuade the world of what is true!
Last week Jesus shared an uncomfortable truth with His disciples. The world would hate them and persecute them and really there was nothing they could do about it! They will be hated because the world hates Jesus and does not know the Father. In light of this uncomfortable truth, Jesus will now describe how His disciples should respond. As always, His desired response from the disciples is only possible through divine enablement. Once again, Jesus will mention divine “intake” before He describes desired behavioral “outflow.”
The last two weeks we have slowed down to look closely at a very specific “fruit" that He desires to produce in us and through us: love! In our passage today, Jesus transitions to another relationship that He has yet to mention; the relationship between the world and the believer. The quick summary of this passage is: Do not be surprised! The world hates Jesus and therefore the world will hate you!
The last three weeks we have slowed down to look closely at an analogy Jesus is using to describe fruit-bearing for disciples. It is an analogy utilizing the imagery of a vineyard. Starting in verse 9, He begins to discuss a very specific “fruit" that He desires to produce in us and through us: love! However, the outflow of love must first begin with an inflow of love and thus, abiding in the Vine remains “key” for this desired outcome.
The last two weeks we have slowed down to look closely at an analogy Jesus is using to describe fruit-bearing for disciples. It is an analogy utilizing the imagery of a vineyard. Last week we spoke about His desired response from us. It was an active and volitional response that He desired and described as abiding. This morning, we will look at both the positive and negative results for the believer who abides or does not abide.
Last week we left off in the middle of an analogy. It is an analogy utilizing the imagery of a vineyard and fruit bearing. How did Jesus want His disciples to respond to this teaching and how does He want us to respond to it in our day? Our active and volitional response is “key” to living the Christian life in a way that honors the Lord!
As Jesus and His disciples have left the Upper Room (14:31), they are making their way to the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus will be betrayed. As they pass through some vineyards in the Kidron Valley, Jesus uses them as a visual aid for fruit bearing. Most believers want to be fruitful in their Christian lives! Jesus explains how that is possible in our passage this morning, and He focuses on God’s activity in making this happen.
This morning, we continue with Jesus’ teaching His disciples in the Upper Room. Last time, He promised them HIS peace through the third Person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit. This morning, He will instruct them on how they should be receiving this new teaching, and He will predict a couple of things for their benefit, so they might continue trusting Him after He leaves.
This morning, we continue with Jesus’ teaching His disciples in the Upper Room. Last time, He said something that totally confused them because of their previously held expectations. As a result, they were thrown mentally, and Jesus takes the time to, once again, encourage them. This time, He promises them His peace through the third Person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit.
Part 2 of a 2 part message on being focused as a church. This mini-series highlights what a Biblical church looks like and how it operates. In part 2, Pastor John explores the importance of the right kind of church growth. How should a Biblical church view growth? We explore the vital role of leadership within a church, emphasizing the importance of sticking to your important core value. Learn how to define your values, understand the difference between values vs goals, and integrate bible based Christian teaching for spiritual growth. Stay focused!
Part 1 of a 2 part message on being focused as a church. This mini-series highlights what a Biblical church looks like and how it operates. In part 1, Pastor John explores the importance of investing in people. We explore the vital role of leadership within a church, emphasizing the importance of sticking to your important core value. Learn how to define your values, understand the difference between values vs goals, and integrate bible based Christian teaching for spiritual growth. Stay focused!
This morning, we continue with Jesus’ teaching His disciples in the Upper Room. Last week, He introduced some mind-blowing things to the disciples, revealing to them some amazing things they were going to be able to do. The primary reason for this will be their new relationship to the third member of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit. This morning, Jesus will continue to build on that relationship by describing a “new” and special kind of fellowship available going forward.
This morning, we continue with Jesus’ teaching His disciples in the Upper Room. He is going to introduce some mind-blowing things in our passage today. The disciples are going to be able to do some new and amazing things, and that is because they will be given a new relationship with the third Person of the Trinity. God is doing something unique in the Church-age, and Jesus gives the disciples a glimpse into how things will be different!
As we pick back up in John 14 this morning, Jesus had just comforted the very men who would abandon Him and deny Him with an incredible message of hope! He was preparing a place for them in heaven, and He was coming back for them! As He continues with His teaching, He is interrupted multiple times with questions from the disciples. They do not know as much as they should! However, their questions lead to some pretty incredible responses of clarification from Jesus.
This morning, it is unfortunate that we have a chapter break here at the beginning of chapter 14, because it disrupts the flow of thought from the closing verses of chapter 13. Jesus has just shared some very difficult news with the disciples, and specifically some discouraging news with Peter regarding his impending denial of Jesus. But Jesus is going to use this opportunity to encourage and comfort them by revealing something that was NOT revealed in the Old Testament. The Rapture of the Church!
As you turn to chapter 13 of John, you will see nothing but RED lettering through the end of chapter 17. This section of Scripture is known as the Upper Room Discourse or the Farewell Discourse! Jesus reveals some things here, that He has not revealed before. Many of these things would have been shocking to the disciples and would have felt contradictory to what they believed as an Orthodox Jew. One such truth was that of loving one another according to a new and higher standard, which we will consider this morning.
This morning, we will dive into the topic of Conflict Resolution! It is a topic that is important to Jesus and thus should be important to us. We will consider this morning how you can value this teaching and obey this desire of Jesus without slipping into legalism. Legalism is always a dangerous enemy, a dangerous mindset lurking in the Christian life. Unfortunately, as an enemy, it is subtle, it is crafty, and it is deadly. Every believer fits into one of two categories: (1) They are currently a legalist OR (2) They are a recovering legalist with ongoing legalistic tendencies.
This morning, we will talk about a specific topic in the Bible that involves intentional response. The topic is, “Spiritual Growth!” It is a topic that is important to Jesus and thus should be important to us. We will consider this morning how you can value this teaching and obey this desire of Jesus without slipping into legalism. Legalism is always a dangerous enemy, a dangerous mindset lurking in the Christian life. Unfortunately, as an enemy, it is subtle, it is crafty, and it is deadly. Every believer fits into one of two categories: (1) They are currently a legalist OR (2) They are a recovering legalist with ongoing legalistic tendencies.
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