Grace Messages

This morning we are going to take a look at the character of God, and we are going to look at some attributes of God, that in our culture, are almost uncomfortable to look at too long. These character qualities have to do with the JUSTICE side of the house, and quite frankly many people do not want to think about this. We want love, mercy, and grace! However, we must realize that God's just nature is “good news” too! For Nahum's audience, God's justice for the Assyrians was good news and comfort to them! For us today, since God has a clearly defined standard of righteousness and holiness, you can be assured that if JUSTICE has been executed on God's substitute (Jesus Christ), then none of it remains for you!

The books of Jonah and Nahum, although separated by 100 years, should always be connected. Both books concern the nation of Assyria and its capital city Nineveh. Jonah gave a direct prophecy of judgment TO Nineveh and Nahum gave a prophecy of judgment ABOUT Nineveh. But what happened IN BETWEEN the two prophecies? As we get ready to dive into Nahum verse by verse, let's consider the backstory and lead up to Nahum's prophecy…

Proverbs reminds us that a heart that is healthy is a heart at peace ... contented (14:30). But gaining and maintaining a healthy heart is a challenge in a culture saturated with envy and discontentment. In this message we examine some Scriptures that teach us the source of true contentment.

The 19th Century English poet, Francis Thomson, wrote the poem The Hound of Heaven after his life had been messed up by drug addiction and poverty. He speaks of running away from a God who was pursuing him like a hound in pursuit of a rabbit. We will see that this morning in the life of Jonah. It would be easy to assume that chapter 3, Nineveh's miraculous response is the climax of the story, but then chapter 4 was written. This narrative does NOT have a clean ending – no closure! But what we do see is a gracious God personally pursuing an unworthy prophet! NOT pursuing him for salvation but pursuing him for fellowship!

Last week, we left Jonah in the belly of his “organic salvation submarine!” Remember, the fish was actually God's physical salvation plan from Jonah drowning in the sea. This morning, we will see that Jonah receives another chance to fulfill his mission, and unfortunately for Jonah he is very successful on his missionary journey! We are going to see mercy and grace in ACTION this morning! God is going to give Jonah a second chance (that he does NOT deserve), and God is going to give one of the most evil empires in the history of the world a chance to avoid His judgment (they also did NOT deserve this opportunity)!

Last week we left Jonah and the mariners in a precarious situation, and it was all because Jonah had run from God. Remember, Jonah had run because he did not want his name attached to the God's prophetic warning to Nineveh in case they responded. Thus, Jonah had been identified on the boat as the CAUSE of the violent storm after having done something foolish, even to the heathen mariners. He had attempted to run from the God who created the sea, using the sea as his escape. Even still, the mariners desired to save Jonah's life by getting him back to shore, but as we will see God had other plans…

This morning we will look at a man of God in complete rebellion against God. Jonah was a man whose theology was orthodox – He knew God's character accurately, he knew God's plans are perfect, he knew all of God's attributes, but he disagreed with God's evaluation of the Assyrians. God, in His longsuffering, wanted to provide an evil Gentile nation an opportunity to repent and Jonah disagreed with God's evaluation. Thus, Jonah basically said, “I do not want my name attached to this offer of mercy – NOT to these people!” So, Jonah ran, and as we will see, God caught up to him!

Isaiah 28:21 mentions “God's Strange Work.” In context, this is referring to God judging His chosen people, Israel. Because of God's heart, He desires to provide a substitute for the execution of His justice. Justice must be extended, but because of God's love and mercy, He provides a way for justice to fall on a substitute. Unfortunately, when people do not avail themselves of God's substitute for their personal consequences, He is forced to execute His justice on the very people He desired to save. The books of Jonah and Nahum, along with the time period in between and immediately following, take us through a season where we can observe the character of God in this area of His ”strange work.” This morning, we will introduce the background and important themes of the Book of Jonah.

This morning we want to take what we have been learning about biblical parenting and see where it shows up in the lives of those recorded in the Bible. Now, if we were to take a video of each one of our lives as parents and only pick one or two scenes from our lives to evaluate, you and I could fall into the GOOD example category or the BAD example category depending upon which scenes were picked! So, we are NOT making an overall, comprehensive, or conclusive statement on the examples chosen, but we are simply evaluating some recorded scenes in their lives!

How do you guarantee godly children? The cold, hard truth is that you can't! The outcome in our children's lives is more complex than whether or not you, as a parent, have done all the right things in all the right ways. As discussed last week, your children are also responsible for the way they respond to your parenting. But, there are some additional things that should UNDERGIRD everything you do as a parent! These are things that we do not often think about because we are formulaic and programmatic in our child rearing. So, we want to consider five concepts that should undergird a Spirit-filled approach to child rearing.

Mother's Day 2022 sermon

This morning we are going to take a little “shift” in our focus and focus primarily on the children this morning. One of the keys of SUCCESS in “nurturing the next generation” is the response of the child to the training they are or are not receiving. Children are independent, free will decision-making organisms! Thus, children must be encouraged recognize the VALUE of certain things God lays out in His Word, even though everything in them wants to disagree and rebel!

A couple of weeks ago, we considered the general concept and need for TRAINING a child, but to do it in such a way that the parent considers the uniqueness of each child according to God's special design and purpose for them. It is our job as parents to carry out the wishes and desires of the owner – we are simply stewards of our children. The Scriptures reveal two very specific components of that TRAINING regimen: Teaching your children and disciplining your children. This morning, we will consider the discipline aspect of training up our children.

William Shakespeare wrote: “What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell just as sweet.” Shakespeare used this line in his play, Romeo and Juliet, to convey that the naming of things is irrelevant. Although a popular quote and sentiment, is this true? In some ways it may be, but in others it is definitely not! The Scriptures put a lot of weight in the name of Jesus. This is because His name represents WHO He is, and WHAT He has done. In this sense, His name provides things only He can provide – namely, salvation from sin and its consequences AND hope!

Last week we began looking at one of the most important relationships in the home – the parent-child relationship. And we said how this relationship, more than any other, reflects our role as disciple-makers on this earth! That's the goal of parenting – dependent disciples of Jesus Christ! But HOW do you get there? What are God's instructions to assist us in this task? This morning, we are going to specifically consider HOW God wants us to THINK as it relates to our children. We want to take His viewpoint on children, and thus this divine viewpoint mindset becomes our baseline for every activity we take in raising our kids.

Last week we began looking at one of the most important relationships in the home – the parent-child relationship. And we said how this relationship, more than any other, reflects our role as disciple-makers on this earth! That's the goal of parenting – dependent disciples of Jesus Christ! But HOW do you get there? What are God's instructions to assist us in this task? This morning, we are going to specifically consider HOW God wants us to THINK as it relates to our children. We want to take His viewpoint on children, and thus this divine viewpoint mindset becomes our baseline for every activity we take in raising our kids.

This morning we are going to begin a series on one of the most important relationships in the home and how it impacts society, and the Church. The parent-child relationship, more than any other relationship in life, reflects our role as disciple-makers. Disciple-making must start in the home, and this morning we want to look at God's original design for that! We also want to consider some “obstacles” for executing God's original design and what His solutions are for those obstacles in Biblical Parenting.

This morning we conclude the epistle to the Ephesians with Paul's final greetings. Additionally, we take a 30K overview of the book of Ephesians to conclude our study.

As we closed last week, we considered the last two pieces of our spiritual armor (the helmet of salvation and sword of Spirit). In the wake of an always present and potential imminent spiritual attack, believers are to take up the last two pieces of armor. Today's passage goes on to describe the MANNER by which this is to be done…in a CONSTANT STATE of prayer and alertness. Why is this necessary? Because the battle is superhuman and it needs to be fought with supernatural means and power. We must stay connected to headquarters!

Last week, Paul described our REAL EXTERNAL enemies – it is Satan, his minions, and the world system he is swaying. The Christian life is a battleground and not a playground, because the enemy we have is strong, aggressive, and downright mean. Because of this, God has provided a way to protect us from this enemy in this spiritual warfare and to stand in His victory. We will consider God's spiritual attire in more illustrative detail this morning…

A “battle royal” is a battle involving at least two parties where the person left standing is the winner. The good news for the believer is that the ONE with whom we are unified with is the last one standing, Jesus Christ! However, there is a spiritual battle waging, and His enemies and our enemies have not been completely destroyed and they await their future day of final reckoning. Because of that, and because these enemies are evil, strong, and relentless, God has provided us with means of protection so that we can STAND and maintain our high ground of victory.

Having considered the marriage relationship and the parent-child relationship, we now move into another inter-personal relationship where the Spirit of God desires to make an impact – vocational relationships. As we will see, the working class of the 1st-century Roman empire was organized and regulated much differently than our day – most of the working class were slaves and/or indentured servants (paying of a debt). Thus, the most appropriate and direct application we can make in our day is to the employer/employee relationship.

Having considered the marriage relationship the past few Sundays, we now move into another inter-personal relationship where the Spirit of God desires to make an impact – the parent-child relationship. It is interesting to note that in this section (5:22-6:9), two out of the three inter-personal relationships that Paul addresses happen within the four walls of private family life! WHY is that? Because if these are addressed and handled “by means of the Spirit” everything else in life will function according to its design, including the Church.

This morning, we continue to look at Paul's teaching on some very specific inter-personal relationships which require each person to be Spirit-filled for any hope of divine success. Paul started with marriage the marriage relationship, which is designed to be a MUTUALLY beneficial symbiotic relationship! Each person (husband and wife) fulfilling their God-ordained duties as they are empowered by the Spirit of God for the success of the whole operation. The command for husbands, based upon their understanding of the resources available to them by the filling of the Spirit, is to love their wives, as Christ loved the Church. As with the command to the wives, the husbands only hope to fulfill this command consistently and acceptably to the Lord is to be occupied with the Lord and be Spirit-filled.

This morning, we continue to look at Paul's teaching on some very specific inter-personal relationships which require each person to be Spirit-filled for any hope of divine success. Paul started with marriage the marriage relationship, which is designed to be a MUTUALLY beneficial symbiotic relationship! Each person (husband and wife) fulfilling their God-ordained duties as they are empowered by the Spirit of God for the success of the whole operation. The command this morning for husbands, based upon their understanding of the resources available to them by the filling of the Spirit, is to love their wives, as Christ loved the Church. As with the command to the wives, the husbands only hope to fulfill this command consistently and acceptably to the Lord is to be occupied with the Lord and be Spirit-filled.

This morning, Paul begins to discuss some very specific inter-personal relationships which require each person to be Spirit-filled for any hope of divine success. Paul starts first with marriage, which is designed to be a MUTUALLY beneficial symbiotic relationship! Each person (husband and wife) fulfilling their God-ordained duties as they are empowered by the Spirit of God for the success of the whole operation. The command this morning for wives, based upon the understanding of the resources available to her by the filling of the Spirit, is to submit to her own husband, as unto the Lord. Even in this command, the Lord is WHO she is to be occupied with, and this should be all the motivation a wife needs to fulfill her primary duty or role in marriage.

Last week, we covered the pinnacle of the WALK section of Ephesians – “Be filled BY the Spirit.” This command provides the means for obeying all the other commands found in this section. This morning, we will consider 5 manifestations or resultant characteristics when the Spirit of God is filling the believer with the life of Jesus Christ. REMEMBER, these are NOT commands for you TO DO to be filled by the Spirit, these are RESULTS of you obeying the command to be filled by the Spirit.

We have been looking at the concept of “walking” or living the Christian life and this morning Paul is going to use a few more descriptions or illustrations to clarify and explain what that walk should look like. The approach he uses in this section stands out because of the rapid-fire format which is repeated three times – “not THIS, but THAT.” Paul is ramping us up to the pinnacle of the WALK section of Ephesians, which is verse 18 – “Be filled with the Spirit.”

A sermon on love, as found in the scriptures.

We have just concluded four weeks of advent, focusing on the "Christmas Story". There can be a tendency to read it as just that - a "story", like Dicken's "Christmas Carol". But the prequel, the story leading up to the account of the birth of Christ, was written specifically to let us know that it is a factual, historical account. It was written to help us be certain of its' veracity. It was recorded for us to bolster our faith and assure us that "... with God nothing will be impossible" (Luke 1:37). Speaker: Pastor Carl Greene

Christmas Eve Sermon from Pastor Carl Greene

We have been looking at the concept of “walking” or living the Christian life and this morning Paul is going to use another illustration to clarify and explain what that walk should look like. The illustration he uses is light vs. darkness. We are to walk in the light because we are children of the light.

We are in the WALK portion of Ephesians in chapter 4:1 where the word WALK is used 6X through mid-Chapter 5. In this section, the WALK of the believer is further CLARIFIED, EXPLAINED, and ILLUSTRATED in hopes that one or more of these emphases would click for us, and make it understandable. Last week, we saw that we are to walk in love and become imitators of God which is FITTING. This morning Paul will provide some additional reasoning as to why believers should WALK this way.

We entered the WALK portion of the book of Ephesians in 4:1, and the word “walk” used 6 times from there until the middle part of Chapter 5. From 5:1 to the end of the book we have an additional 28 commands further clarifying, explaining, and illustrating the desired manner of life (i.e., walk) of the believer in Jesus Christ. Paul uses many different descriptions and illustrations hoping that one or more will click for us and make it understandable. When we walk in love, there are certain things that are no longer fitting for the believer…we will consider some of those things this morning.

We have been looking at how NOT to live the Christian life and how TO live the Christian life and this morning we are going to continue to look at some practical, visible, and observable actions of a “Worthy Walk.” 11 Commands are used in the closing section of chapter 4 (verses 25-32) to describe what type of observable behavior should follow when the believer is walking worthy – when they are walking in line with how they have learned THE Christ!

Of all of the many things in our lives that we can be thankful for, this morning we will see that the Spirit of God desires for us to be thankful for the Word of God. In fact, the text in Colossians 2:7 says that we should be “abounding in the faith with thanksgiving.” “Abounding” means to be in excess, to be overflowing. The Word of God gives the believer a divine perspective and the resources needed to handle anything this life may bring.

We have been looking at how NOT to live the Christian life and how TO live the Christian life and this morning we are going to look at some practical, visible, and observable actions of a “Worthy Walk.” 11 Commands are used in the closing section of chapter 4 (verses 25-32) to describe what type of observable behavior should follow when the believer is walking worthy – when they are walking in line with how they have learned THE Christ!

Last week we looked at “How NOT to Live the Christian Life,” and we considered a step-by-step explanation of how we sin. Verses 17-19 provided a technical break down of HOW we sin from start to finish. It all starts in the mind – it starts with WHAT we think about! So, in contrast to walking in the futility of our minds, we are to be proactively occupied with something else…or someone else!

If you've ever wondered WHY, as a believer, you struggle with sin OR if you've ever wondered WHY you struggle with the same kind of sin over and over again, this morning we are going to look at a step-by-step explanation. For you athletes out there, we are literally going to have a film session! This passage describes the downward spiral of sin, and gives a technical break down of HOW we sin from start to finish. This detailed section is given to us so that we can make some adjustments in our thinking so that we are not dominated by sin.

Last week, we continued looking at God's Church Growth Program – specifically about the GOALS OF GOD in doing it the way He set it up to be done. This morning, we will see that In order for GOD'S GOALS to be realized, it is essential that each and every part does its share. This means that in God's Church Growth Program, God has a part and individual believers have a part, but both must do their part in order for growth to happen – and we know God always does His part…

Last week, we began looking at God's Church Growth Program and this is something to be excited about – Paul definitely was! We considered NOT only spiritual gifts given to believers but GIFTED MEN given to the Church at large. Two of the GIFTED MEN had revelatory gifts (apostles and prophets) and the other two GIFTED MEN had equipping gifts. But WHY did Jesus do it this way? We are going to consider Jesus' goals or desired outcomes for doing it this way.

After explaining the UNITY believers possess IN Christ in verses 1-6, Paul begins to explain God's method of working out this UNITY. His method, although seemingly counterintuitive, is through diversity of spiritual gifting. In diversity, God has put together a plan to “build His Church” and “fill the world with Jesus Christ.” It involves two MAIN components – (1) Individually gifted believers who are prepared to utilize their spiritual gifts because of (2) Individually gifted MEN given to the church as gifts.

Having spoken about the UNITY we possess as believers, Paul now explains God's method of working out this UNITY – it is through diversity of spiritual gifting. This seems counterintuitive – diversity typically DIVIDES! So, although it seems counterintuitive and does not seem like it should work, it will, IF we walk ”worthy of our calling” – this is God's plan and as we will see this morning, Jesus did a lot to put this plan in motion.

Verses 4-6 describe seven aspects of THE unity accomplished by the Spirit of God by uniting us IN Christ. The mention of “endeavoring” to keep the unity of the Spirit in verse 3 is what springboards Paul into listing these seven aspects of UNITY that every believer possesses. If God has taken these incredible steps to UNIFY us, shouldn't this be of value to us as well? This section is the answer to the prayer of Jesus Christ in His high priestly prayer in John 17:20-23.

To Vaccinate or not to Vaccinate? That is a question on many of our minds these days. This question engenders many strong emotions on both sides of the issue. Wouldn't it be nice if we could turn in our Bible and read a verse about God's view of the COVID vaccination debate? Unfortunately, that verse or passage DOES NOT EXIST! However, what does exist is God's mind for us towards non-essential issues. This morning, we will consider four principles to instruct how believers should approach and think through non-essentials including, but not limited to: the COVID-19 vaccination, the wearing of masks, drinking, how you school your children, what clothing you wear, what type of entertainment you participate in, etc.

The SIT portion of Ephesians has come to a close at the end of chapter 3. There are 40 commands in the book of Ephesians, and only one of those was found in the first three chapters. We now enter the WALK portion of Ephesians, where the word “walk” is used 6 times through mid-Chapter 5. Additionally, the remaining 39 commands start in 4:25 and go through the end of the book. Many would say, “Good! Now, we FINALLY get to the practical section of the book!” However, we are NOT to walk without remembering and relying upon what we learned in the SIT portion. The SIT portion is “assumed” by Paul the rest of the way – we must know WHO we are and the HOW to access the resources we ALREADY possess if we are going to WALK in a worthy way!

Last week, we started Paul's prayer and we looked at his first request and his first desired result. In today's section we will consider his second request and his second desired result. It is somewhat ironic though, because Paul will pray for something that is unattainable by his own admission! The fact that it is unattainable, makes the value of what he is praying for incredibly precious - and even though the request is unattainable, Paul desires movement towards the goal, because movement towards the goal will allow an attainable result.

Paul continues his excursus on the MYSTERY that he had been tasked to preach. He aptly summarizes the MYSTERY in three different UNION descriptions in verse 6. This MYSTERY in a nutshell is God's grand plan to accomplish salvation (in all aspects) IN Christ, through a BRAND-NEW entity known as the church! Additionally, although Paul views himself as somewhat insignificant, he recognizes his valuable role in declaring this valuable truth.

There is an irony concerning hypocrisy: it is something that is universally practiced but universally despised. It is found in all areas of society. We all have been known to be hypocrites about something at at least one point in our lives, whether its hypocrisy in the workplace, hypocrisy in church, or even hypocrisy in your home life. However, there are some reasons that it is particularly serious among Christians. We learn why as we follow the story behind Jesus' warning about hypocrisy in Luke 12:1.

At the end of chapter 2, Paul shifts in his metaphors. He has been using the metaphor describing the church as ONE body, and now he shifts to a metaphor describing the church as ONE building. The Church is God's construction project in our day! This is exactly what Jesus Christ spoke about in Matthew 16:18 when He said, “I will build my Church!”

The Jew/Gentile distinction and separation was HUGE throughout all of human history since Genesis 12 and the call of Abraham. Part of that distinction between the two groups was INTENTIONAL (by God) and part of it was an UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCE of human pride. God's salvation PLAN was to place believing sinners IN UNION with Christ, regardless of ethnicity – but what would He do about the separation or barrier between Jew and Gentile? Through five actions, Jesus deals with this barrier to enable ONE NEW MAN to be formed between believing Jew and Gentile.