Have you been disappointed by God? On the Sunday after Jesus’ crucifixion, two of His followers were walking away sad because they thought God was going to work differently than how reality played out. In this message we discover that God uses our spiritual disappointments to correct and then deepen our youthful, blissful and inadequate views of Him and His mysterious ways.
"grace" Tagged Sermons (Page 2)
Like King David. we all have times when we love, worship and rejoice in God AND we have seasons when we would rather live on our own seeking joy and pleasure apart from God and His ways. On this 5th Sunday of Lent we discover that Psalm 51 is so much more than a prayer for guilty sinners whose transgressions have been exposed. Psalm 51 is a prayer of intimacy and honesty with God who loves us, knows us and remains with us both when we worship and when we wander.
We were made to live with God. Yet, like David, we wander, breaking the Divine’s laws and heart. Fortunately, God pursues His people in many ways. On this 3rd Sunday of Lent we see in Psalm 19 that God reveals Himself to His wayward king through His creation and His written Word. This was a gift to David and, for those of us who live after the first coming of Jesus, we have the clearest demonstration of God’s love and grace. In Christ, we can be restored and reconciled to our God-given purpose – the blessed life with God.
On this first Sunday of Advent, we begin in the beginning. The Triune God created the heavens and the earth and then He made His children to live with Him. Yet, temptation invaded, and for the first of many times His children exchanged joy in their Maker for something else. How would God respond? How would He deal with His children after their first wandering? His reaction in the garden, in His later advent and today is consistent. He’s a gracious God!
Why are some people so generous? What moves a woman, man or child to cheerfully share their food, home, clothing and money? Jesus observed that a woman who had been forgiven much loved much by generously anointing Him with her expensive perfume (Luke 7). While there are many motives for giving, in this message we consider gratitude to God for His grace as divine fuel for generous, sustained and joyful giving.
God’s vision for the church is love. Love for God, love for neighbor and love for one another. In this message we discover how to keep loving one another earnestly and with joy. More importantly, we learn why this command to love one another has implications that reverberate from the local church to the ends of the earth and beyond!
In principio creavit Deus caelum et terram. Propterea sicut per unum hominem in hunc mundum peccatum intravit et per peccatum mors et ita in omnes homines mors pertransiit in quo omnes peccaverunt. Sic enim dilexit Deus mundum ut Filium suum unigenitum daret ut omnis qui credit in eum non pereat sed habeat vitam aeternam.
Omnis enim quicumque invocaverit nomen Domini salvus erit. Propterea sicut per unum hominem in hunc mundum peccatum intravit et per peccatum mors et ita in omnes homines mors pertransiit in quo omnes peccaverunt.
After decades of meditation on God’s Word, John Machen concluded, “The very center and core of the whole Bible is the doctrine of the grace of God.” The Bible’s opening sentence declares God’s generous creative grace. It’s closing sentence is a prayer for grace. Every page between shines forth God’s grace. What is grace? Why are some people so extravagant in grace? How can we grow in God’s grace? While this message answers these questions it’s primary aim is to invite all who have ears to hear to avail themselves more and more to the God of all grace that we may revel more and more in His grace until that day when we see Him and discover that His grace is even more amazing than we had ever hoped or dreamed.
When we, as Christians, recall the ways that we have failed to love one another, the conclusion of our self-assessment should always be that we are righteous, not condemned; Christ’s perfection has overcome our imperfection. And within this mercy and grace, we are free to love more and more. “Do so more and more” was Paul’s charge to the Thessalonians. What would his charge be to Denverites?