Grace Church Abu Dhabi Sermons

A spiritual battle is taking place in Thessalonica as Satan hinders Paul from returning and through afflictions seeks to destroy the Thessalonian church's faith in Christ. Paul is burdened that the Thessalonians keep the faith and so sends Timothy to strengthen them in their faith. We see from these verses that in every trial God has a good purpose for us—to refine our faith—but Satan has an evil intention too. He aims to destroy our faith. We must be aware of these spiritual realities at play in our lives as we trust in Jesus and go through afflictions.

In the first 12 verses of chapter 2 of 1 Thessalonians, Paul, Silas, and Timothy give a defense for their pure motives and righteous manner of ministry among the Thessalonians. Through this defense we have an amazing example of what pure motivation looks like in life and ministry before God. We also see how a pure motivation to please God alone leads to holy conduct in one's approach to others in ministry.

Paul and his apostolic band's letter to the Thessalonian church begins with a thanksgiving-filled recounting of God's saving work in their lives. Though their initial time of ministry to the Thessalonians was cut short, Paul gives thanks for their powerful conversion, their perseverance in faith through persecution, and witness to Jesus. Their faith, love, and hope in Jesus are sure signs that they are truly loved and chosen by God. The opening chapter of this letter challenges us to model the apostles in remembering first the grace of God in each others' lives with thanksgiving to God and to model the Thessalonians in living out our faith in Jesus in real love for one another without giving the excuse of being to immature or lacking in knowledge to serve others and bear witness to Jesus.

True worshipers ruthlessly fight their own temptations with blood-bought grace

Deuteronomy 12 answers four questions about worship — who, where, how, and what is required — revealing a God who demands exclusive devotion, dwells among His people, orders worship for joy, and claims all of life as worship. Every thread points to Christ, who is the true temple and whose blood finally accomplishes what the blood of bulls and goats never could.

Christians are not under the law, and yet the law is for us.

God wants your obedience, and Jesus makes sure He gets it.

Considering our own unrighteousness alongside the great grace of Christ keeps us from despair and increases the joy of our worship.

In Deuteronomy chapter 8 Moses calls on Israel to remember the wilderness years when they enter the promised land and begin to enjoy their inheritance. Remembering that in the wilderness God had taught Israel to depend upon himself and his word alone will be a protection for them against pride, whereas forgetfulness of God's discipline in the wilderness will lead not only to pride but a turn towards idolatry, which leads to destruction. In this chapter Moses teaches us how remembrance of God's ways in disciplining us for our good is key to walking in the obedience of faith, which is the path of life that results in both true joy for us and glory to our God and Father in Heaven.

The Israelites are leaving the wilderness only to encounter new threats in Canaan-threats to as today as well.

God demands that we love Him with our all and more than all, because He is the only one worthy of such love.

The passage is the beginning of Moses' second sermon to the people of Israel across the Jordan. Moses begins to set the Law before the people of Israel to teach them its statues and rules that they might learn them, keep them, and thereby enjoy long life in the Promised Land. Moses' begins his sermon with a reminder of the basics of the covenant made at Horeb, the Ten Commandments. While the upcoming generation will prove faithful and enter the land to possess it, ultimately the text points us to the better mediatior, Jesus Christ, and his better covenant, the New Covenant! Only through jesus and the New Covenant in His blood are we promised and assured eternal life in the presence of God.

God is jealous for His glory and our good, and so He ensures no competitors in the hearts of His people.

God is severe toward the unrepentant, and He is kind toward the repentant because of the cross of Christ. Looking back at that past grace fuels our faith that God will be kind to us in the future.

At the root of the rebellion that keeps us from the Promised Land is unbelief.

Jesus will not fail in securing the satisfaction of our deepest longings in Himself.

In His first prophecy of his imminent death and reserrection in Jerusalem, Jesus makes plain that his path as the Christ will not match the hopes of the crowds or the expectation of the disciples. But Jesus makes plain that His disciples will not only believe in His sufferings for their salvation and eternal glory, but also follow Him on a similar path to glory that passes through suffering.

Knowing the fully-unknowable love of Christ is how God fills us with all His fullness.

We die to this world when we come to the cross of Christ, but the cross makes us new.

Held by the love of Jesus our guaranteed hope is that everything moves us toward future glory.

This sermon explores the urgency of serving others based on Galatians 6: 6-10, emphasizing the importance of love as the driving force behind selfless service and highlighting the transformative power of God's grace in fulfilling our highest calling-to bring glory to the One Who is worthy of all praise, honor, and adoration.

When we bear the burdens of others we increase our confidence for the Day of Christ.

Christians have power by the Holy Spirit to bear lasting fruit for God.

The cross offends our pride but sets us free.

In Galatians 5:1-6, Paul issues an urgent warning: the freedom Christ won for us under attack. The danger isn't obvious-it looks like being more faithful, more religious. But adding anything to Christ means losing everything. This week we'll see what it means to stand firm in gospel freedom and resist the slavery of self-justification.

Self-reliance is slavery. Freedom is found in relying on God as the Giver of every good.

A ministry that tells people what they want to hear is both using them and shutting them out of the kingdom of God.

Jesus teaches us the kind of praying God rewards.

Jesus is both our perfect example of devotion to Scripture and the fulfiller of Scripture for our eternal joy.

The Magnitude and meekness of Jesus together is what saves us. Luke 2:1–21

After centuries of waiting, God breaks His silence not with spectacle but with mercy, promise, and salvation. In Zechariah's song, we see that God keeps His covenant, rescues His people to become worshipers, and sends witnesses to point the world to Christ.

What is the blessedness of Mary? And how will Jesus turn this world upside down?

Gabriel announces that Mary's child will rule the world.

Looking at Paul's teaching that the true freedom comes not from self-rule or performance, but from Christ's children redemption, our adoption as God's children, and the Spirit's witness that we are fully known and loved.

Christians are not under the Law. So how do we relate to it?

The Law is not opposed to God's promises of grace - it leads us to receive them.

Jesus becomes our curse, and the blessing of Abraham is poured out.

Paul argues that true children of Abraham are not so because of DNA or cultural traditions, but through faith. This gospel truth is not simply a New Testament reality, but indeed something that the Scripture itself proclaimed, even in Genesis. This is especially good news to those whom God calls to himself and saves from non-Christian backgrounds, like Abraham who came from a family of idol worshipers.

Paul tells us the way God intends to continue filling us with the Holy Spirit.

Leaving the law doesn't make you lawless if Christ empowers your life by faith.

"By Works of the Law No One Will Be Justified"

Paul defended the grace-alone gospel against false teachers and the affirmation of that gospel by the Jerusalem apostles. Together they show us the need to guard the purity of the gospel, embrace unity for mission, and let the gospel overflow in compassion and care.

Paul didn't receive his message of salvation from men, which is why it is the only proposal for salvation completely of grace.

The gospel Paul preaches is all about grace and can never be changed. Believing it transforms you so that you are no longer a slave to people's opinion of you.

The life and death stakes in the preaching of Paul.

The promises God gives israel as they are in exile are confirmed and enlarged by Christ, and bring us deep security, comfort, and hope.

1 John 5:13-21- God gives us a prayer he promises to answer.

1 John 5:6-12- We have the evidence we need to know the real Jesus.

From 1 John 5:1-5 we see that true and lasting victory is not achieved through our stiving but is alreay ours through faith in Jesus Christ. Being born of God transforms belief, love and obedience from duties into joyful evidence of a life secured in His victory over the world.

In these verses John not only calls us to love others,he also tells us that love for others comes from God, and how we can receive it from God.

In these verses John urges us to test the spirits to see if we are listening to false prophets, and gives us ways to discern whether what we are hearing is true or false.