Grace Community Church Podcast

Healing and Real Change Can Only Come from Being Known

Scriptures: Psalm 139:1-16, 23-24

Keywords: Healing, Change, Known, Loved

Scriptures: Matthew 2:1-4, 8-12, 16

Keywords: Christmas, Advent, Herod, Jesus, idols, fear, anxiety

 In our second week of our Christmas series, we look at how Jesus’ lonely, poor, and humble birth created the foundation for the Kingdom of God.

Scriptures: Luke 2:1-7, 21

Keywords: humility, manger, Christmas, advent, baby, Jesus

As we begin our Christmas series, we look at one of its most important details - the virgin birth. In this sermon, we’ll see what the virgin birth means and why it matters to us today.

Scriptures: Luke 1:26-38

Keywords: Christmas, advent, Jesus, virgin, incarnation, grace

Won’t you be my neighbor? It’s a question many of us were asked growing up by a good television neighbor, Mr. Rogers. But this was a question that Jesus was calling His neighbors too long before it became popular by Fred Rogers. Jesus, Paul, and over and over again throughout scripture we’re called to be good neighbors, but what does it look like to be a good neighbor? Why is it so important? How can being a good neighbor remind us of our greatest neighbor Jesus, and lead others to know Him?

Scriptures: Matthew 22:36-40 36

Keywords: Neighbor, Jesus, John 4, Fred, Rogers, Love, Welcome, Impact, Encourage, Grace, Clarksville, TN, Community, Church

As Paul closes his letter to the Philippians, he encourages his readers to look to God for their needs — including their greatest need of all: their need for grace.

Scriptures: Philippians 4:14-23

Keywords: grace, provision, prayer, trust

Life is uncertain, but Paul describes a “secret” to living that enables us to face uncertainty. In this sermon, we see how Jesus can give us contentment in any situation.

Scriptures: Philippians 4:10-13

Keywords: contentment, satisfaction, happiness, joy, strength

When Jesus ascended back into heaven, he told his followers to wait for his return. In this sermon, we see how we are supposed to live while we endure our waiting.

Scriptures: Philippians 4:2-9

Keywords: gentleness, anxiety, worry, prayer, peace

When Jesus ascended back into heaven, he told his followers to wait for his return. In this sermon, we see how we are supposed to live while we endure our waiting.

Scriptures: Philippians 3:17-4:1

Keywords: waiting, citizens of heaven, end of the world, suffering, glory

After his conversion, how did Paul see himself? In this sermon, we see that Paul saw himself as not perfect, but still loved by God, and on a journey to become more like him.

Scriptures: Philippians 3:12-16

Keywords: perfection, freedom, chosen by God, self-righteousness, Philippians

We all want to experience joy. We all want joy in our lives. We live for it, want to achieve it, and are looking to be marked by it. For many of us we are deep in the pursuit of joy. But what if the reason we are still pursuing joy instead of experiencing it is because we’ve been searching for joy in the wrong things? What if we have missed, forgotten, or lost what allows us to be marked by joy? Paul explains how we can be people that not only experience joy daily, but can fully be marked by joy, and not only the pursuit of joy. 

Scriptures: Philippians 3:1-11

Keywords: Joy, Philippians, Paul, Happy, Happiness, Rejoice, Jesus, Christ, God, Life, Living

The humble life called for in Philippians is not impossible. It is proven in the examples Paul gives us of Timothy and Epaphroditus and they ways they both poured their own lives out in sacrifice and service. We are challenged to choose personal sacrifice over our own personal security, when we live with the mind of Christ.

Scriptures: Philippians 2:19-30

Keywords: sacrifice, service, Timothy, Epaphroditus, humility

God’s gift of salvation is not just about spending eternity with him. It is also about deep, lasting, and significant change in our character. In this sermon, we look at how God’s saving grace inspires us towards a daily pursuit of growth.

Scriptures: Philippians 2:12-18

Keywords: growth, salvation, justification, sanctification, power, grace

Every relationship will face the problem of conflict. In this sermon, we see how Paul guides us to the truest solution — humility.

Scriptures: Philippians 2:1-11

Keywords: humility, pride, arrogance, conflict, peace, grace

How we handle suffering is perhaps the defining skill of a life well-lived. In this sermon, Paul shows us three ways in which we can not only endure our sufferings, but grow through them, as well.

Scriptures: Philippians 1:18-30

Keywords: suffering, joy, growth, optimism, hope

While Paul is facing the unexpected hardship of prison, he had every reason to despair. In this sermon, we see how Paul discovered the resources for a different kind of response instead — one of deep joy.

Scriptures: Philippians 1:12-18

Keywords: joy, happiness, hardship, suffering, gospel

As we begin our series on the book of Philippians, we encounter one of Paul’s main themes of his work - living a life “in Christ.” In this sermon, we explore what this important phrase means and how it helps us grow in our relationship with God.

Scriptures: Philippians 1:1-11

Keywords: Philippians, joy, in Christ, thanksgiving, freedom, obedience

One of the greatest factors for if someone comes back to church is if they felt welcome. Why? Within each of us we carry a desire to be welcomed, known, and loved, but for far too many people they don’t feel that. They don’t feel it daily, and sadly they don’t feel it on Sunday at church. So how can we, the church, begin to truly live as if everyone is welcome?

Scriptures: Romans 15:5-7

Keywords: Welcome, Love, Loved, Known, Romans, Jesus, Eternity, Life, Hospitality

What is a “good" life? How do we become “good" people? As Moses faces his death, he shows us how to answer these two important questions in light of his long, steady, and deeply personal experience with God.

Scriptures: Deuteronomy 34:1-8

Keywords: Moses, Deuteronomy, legacy, death, spiritual growth, goodness

Our spiritual maturity is often tested by our emotional response to the circumstances and people that provoke anger in our lives. From the life of Moses, and his experiences with God, we can see how anger and outrage can result in love and healing, and not lead us down the sinful path of self-destruction. 

Scriptures: Exodus 32:15-22

Keywords: anger, sin, covenant, atonement, righteousness

After finding God through fantastic miracles, Moses now must find God through the management of his daily life. In this sermon, we will see how God meets Moses through an unlikely voice and offers him the help he truly needs.

Scriptures: Exodus 18:13-24

Keywords: Moses, Exodus, Jethro, daily life, spiritual growth, delegation, humility, surrender 

After finally escaping from Egypt, Moses now must lead God’s people towards another trial: the Red Sea. In this sermon, we will look at how God meets us in our trials and uses them to work redemption into our lives.

Scriptures: Exodus 14:10-18, 21-22

Keywords: Moses, Exodus, trails, hope, suffering, patience, endurance

God is calling us all to something. No matter who you are, where you’ve been, or what you believe, God is calling us all. This seems so unbelievable, because we tend to miss that calling. We miss it through fear, doubt, denial, or just simply not listening. In the Life of Moses we see Moses responding the same way, but we see the greater truth that God doesn’t give up calling His people. 

Scriptures: Exodus 3:14-15

Keywords: Moses, God, I AM, Calling, Next Steps, purpose, mission

We live with an internal tension or struggle as we give over our hearts and minds to Christ.  We know that is a “God way” to do things, a way to live our lives that reflects His principles and desires.  Yet, we have our own will and have the capacity to make our own decisions.  

Scriptures: Exodus 2:11-22

Scriptures: Exodus 2:1-10

Keywords: Moses, purpose, providence, family, weakness

If we want to know God, it is essential that we spend time with his truths. In this sermon, we look at how to approach the Bible in a way that connects us to the living God.

Scriptures: Psalm 119:97-104

Keywords: bible, study, meditation, prayer, scripture, knowing God

Part of following God includes admitting where we are wrong. In this sermon, we see how God’s kindness is meant to motivate us to do this more easily and frequently.

Scriptures: Romans 2:1-4

Keywords: repentance, kindness, spiritual growth

Our hearts are trick things - sometimes they lead us towards God, while other times they lead us away from him. In this sermon, we look at what Moses means when he tells us to "circumcise" our hearts and how this practice can help us know God in more meaningful ways.

Scriptures: Deuteronomy 10:12-17

Keywords: spiritual growth, stubbornness, pride, renewal, heart, circumcise

We all want to make some kind of impact or difference deep down, but the problem is doing so is difficult, confusing, and disconcerting. Jesus shows through an incredible act of service, before His greatest act of sacrifice, what it looks like to make a difference. He washes His disciples feet. He serves them. Jesus calls each of us to do the same. What could my life look like if I began to follow His example? If I pursued serving others, over serving my own interests and comforts?

Scriptures: John 13:1-17

Keywords: Serve, Jesus, Feet, Washing, Difference, Help, Love, Servant, Sacrifice

Everyone is, at some level, dealing with a deep need for approval. In this sermon, we see how God frees us from seeking approval from others and our own selves, instead calling us to rest in the approval that comes from him alone.

Scriptures: 1 Corinthians 4:1-5

Keywords: approval, anxiety, comparison, relationships, insecurity, confidence, freedom

It is practically impossible to live in our world without money. But, too often, money can become an idol. In this sermon, we look at how God wants us to see our wealth and possessions.

Scriptures: Matthew 6:19-21, 24

Keywords: money, wealth, possessions, stuff, comparison, generosity, freedom, contentment

God designed us to have feelings, but often our emotions end up controlling our lives. In this sermon, we look at how to live for something greater than what we feel.

Scriptures: Luke 10:38-42

Keywords: feelings, emotions, self-control, Mary, Martha, idols

When my identity is found in Christ alone, I can live for something greater than the fulfillment of my own desires. The true measure of success is then found in my faithfulness to do the will of my Father, and to accomplish his work from where I live and in the way he's uniquely created me. 

Scriptures: Ephesians 1:7-14 

Keywords: work, success, identity, performance, idols

The Bible talks a lot about idolatry. In this sermon, we look at how this practice is still prevalent today - just in different ways and forms - and, in turn, how we can live free from its dangerous affects.

Scriptures: 1 Thessalonians 1:2-10

Keywords: idols, idolatry, spiritual growth, freedom, repentance

When Jesus rose from his grave, he gave us the greatest of gifts: new life in the face of death. In this sermon, we look at our need for this kind of life and the hope we can now have because of the Resurrection.

Scriptures: Matthew 28:1-10

Keywords: Easter, resurrection, hope, death, Jesus, new life

In the final part of the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus tells us that evil is a reality we must face. In this sermon, we learn about the nature of evil and how Jesus delivers us from it.

Scriptures: Matthew 6:9-13

Keywords: temptation, evil, Lord’s Prayer, prayer, freedom, deliverance 

Scriptures: Matthew 6:9-13

Keywords: temptation, trials, testing, growth, maturity, Lord's Prayer, character

The Lord’s prayer is a prayer that is focused on us looking and living more like Jesus. One of the hardest pieces of this prayer is the truth that we’re called to forgive those who have wronged us. When we’ve been wronged, hurt deeply and personally we tend to want to ignore the pain, see the one who wronged us as evil and unforgivable, and return the pain they gave us. But typically the hardest thing about forgiveness is our misconception of it, what it really means to forgive, who it benefits, what it can offer, and how we can do it. During this sermon we look at the case for forgiveness in the way that God’s Word addresses it.

Scriptures: Matthew 6:9-13

Keywords: Forgive, Forgiveness, Forgiving, Trespasses, Debts, Debtors, Lord’s Prayer, Matthew 6

In the Lord's Prayer, Jesus offers us the model for the full and total restoration of friendship with God. He reminds us that forgiveness is a possibility with the one we pray to as our Father.

Scriptures: Matthew 6:9-13

Keywords: prayer, forgiveness, confession, sin, grace

Jesus tells us that God will provide for our needs. In this sermon, we look at how God's care for us enables us to live free from anxiety and worry.

Scriptures: Matthew 6:9-13

Keywords: anxiety, worry, provision, prayer, the Lord's Prayer, daily bread

As we continue our series on the Lord's Prayer, we look at the how praying for God's Kingdom to be present with and around us can change the way we live.

Scriptures: Matthew 6:9-13

Keywords: prayer, Kingdom, Lord's Prayer, hope, spiritual disciplines

How do we pray? Jesus gives us a helpful pattern in the Lord's Prayer. This week, we begin our series on prayer by remembering the importance of coming to God as our Father.

Scriptures: Matthew 6:5-13

Keywords: prayer, father, Lord's Prayer, spiritual disciplines

The Bible ends, in some ways, where it began: with a glorious vision of life spent near to God. In this sermon, we look at what God shows us about the end of the world and how we can live in light of this ending today.

Scriptures: Revelation 22:1-5

Keywords: revelation, John, end of the world, hope, judgment, worship, creation, prophecy

The Community that God establishes in the grand redemptive story told in the Bible, is a gathering of his people that will model what God expects of the entire world. God's hope for his church is for us to be formed by the Holy Spirit, so that we can be a people that will love God and love each other well.

Scriptures: Acts 2:42-47

Keywords: story, love, Holy Spirit, church

When God gives Jesus to the world, he gives us what we most need: an answer for our greatest problem. In this sermon, we see how Jesus redeems us from our brokenness and invites us into new life.

Scriptures: John 3:16-21

Keywords: Jesus, gospel, salvation, hope, bible, John

As we continue our series on the Bible, we see how God's commands and instructions help prepare us to surrender to Jesus as our only hope.

Scriptures: Deuteronomy 4:5-9

Scriptures: Exodus 3:1-10

After God creates the universe, the first human beings rebelled against him. In this sermon, we look at how this rebellion has affected us today and how God provides us the relief we most need.

As we start a new year, we explore how the Bible is one, grand story of God's redemption. In this sermon, we look at how God created the universe and what that tells us about how we can live today.

There are two types of people: those who make resolutions and those who don’t, but what if there’s something really important, deeply spiritual, about our resolutions? What if our resolutions not only impact our next year, but the new that God is trying to begin in you?