Empowered Podcast

09.25.2025

Sermon Summary

In light of the state of our hearts and our nation, because of a shift that is happening all around us, we are taking a small pause from the Slow Burn series in order to care for our hearts. In preparing for our 7-day fast this week, we are talking about how these present difficulties are working maturity in us. Paul tells the troubled Corinthian church a great parable of the treasure that is inside our broken bodies. He tells us of a great renewal and eternal weight of glory that goes beyond comparison—but this all takes place in the midst of hard times. In fact, Paul gives four counterweight statements of the battle that is happening around and within. He tells us the purpose of it all, as one who has personal experience, and shares the hope of it all. 

You can find this week's sermon notes and Sermon Guide here: https://gracechurchsp.org/resources/sermon-guides/

Fill the city with Jesus. This is the vision not just for our church, but for our people. The city is not just a physical location, but a collection of our family members, friends, co-workers, and acquaintances. How can you bring Jesus to your city?

——

Stay Connected

Website: http://www.gracechurchsp.org

Grace Church Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gracechurchsp

Grace Church Instagram: @gracechurch_sp

#fillthecitywithjesus

09.18.2025

Sermon Summary

This weekend, we gathered in anticipation to see our hearts fully set free and living in breakthrough. Jesus came to set our hearts free, and we tend to take Him at His Word. We made space to grieve, let our hurting hearts have space to mourn, and most importantly, connect them to a God who will restore us. As we looked through the book of Lamentations, it paralleled much of what we are seeing today: a city that is in ruins. As Jerusalem was in physical ruins, the spiritual condition of our cities is being destroyed by the slow erosion of sin. There is order to Lamentations' structure, just as there is in our lives, but in the middle of our routines, we are interrupted with pain and disorder that sin brings. Yet in the middle of this poetic and well-ordered book, there is a heart cry of Truth. In 3:22-24, we are reminded that in the middle of the pain, God's steadfast love never ceases. It’s truths like this that our hearts need to wait on, to listen intently to, so that in chapter 5, we can live out verse 21. Restore us to yourself, O Lord, that we may be restored. That’s what we are going after: restoration for all that the enemy has stolen.

You can find this week's sermon notes and Sermon Guide here: https://gracechurchsp.org/resources/sermon-guides/

Fill the city with Jesus. This is the vision not just for our church, but for our people. The city is not just a physical location, but a collection of our family members, friends, co-workers, and acquaintances. How can you bring Jesus to your city?

——

Stay Connected

Website: http://www.gracechurchsp.org

Grace Church Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gracechurchsp

Grace Church Instagram: @gracechurch_sp

#fillthecitywithjesus

09.11.2025

Sermon Summary

Keeping the fire in full flame, the gifts that God has given you are a response to His grace working in you. This week, we look at 2 Timothy again to gain a greater understanding of the grace of God–the activity of God. The grace of God is working inside of you as He reveals to you who He is in Scripture. This revelation of who God is reveals who you are and fuels great exploits even if it means suffering. Those hard times that come from doing good are working a greater purpose out in your life, a reinforcement of who you are, and a destiny from God.

You can find this week's sermon notes and Sermon Guide here: https://gracechurchsp.org/resources/sermon-guides/

Fill the city with Jesus. This is the vision not just for our church, but for our people. The city is not just a physical location, but a collection of our family members, friends, co-workers, and acquaintances. How can you bring Jesus to your city?

——

Stay Connected

Website: http://www.gracechurchsp.org

Grace Church Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gracechurchsp

Grace Church Instagram: @gracechurch_sp

#fillthecitywithjesus

Date 09.04.2025

Sermon Summary

In preparation for our 24 hours of prayer that will start on Friday, October 3 at 6 pm to Saturday, October 4th, we are discussing the correlation between the flame that is inside of us and the stewarding of the physical fire that we will keep burning for 24 hours. Paul tells Timothy the three elements of the spiritual fire of God's Presence within: the flame, honorable and dishonorable elements like gold, silver, wood, and clay (the fuel), as well as the breath of God (the oxygen). We need all three for the flame to continually be ‘fanned into flame’ because we have all received gifts from God. God has generously given us so much, and it's our responsibility to steward those gifts. Let's fan into flame the Presence of God within so that our city will be renewed in Him!

You can find this week's sermon notes and Sermon Guide here: https://gracechurchsp.org/resources/sermon-guides/

Fill the city with Jesus. This is the vision not just for our church, but for our people. The city is not just a physical location, but a collection of our family members, friends, co-workers, and acquaintances. How can you bring Jesus to your city?

——

Stay Connected

Website: http://www.gracechurchsp.org

Grace Church Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gracechurchsp

Grace Church Instagram: @gracechurch_sp

#fillthecitywithjesus

08.28.2025

A consistent illustration for the presence of God throughout the bible has been fire. Even the interaction of the Israelites with God was like a fire, dubbed their “consuming fire.” Too often, the church today is more like a pilot light that is flickering under the wind of the world, instead of burning like the light that we are called to be. As we gather, we fan into flame others around us through prayer, worship, encouragement, community, and the Word. Let's get back to the practices that keep the slow burn of God's Presence in our hearts.

You can find this week's sermon notes and Sermon Guide here: https://gracechurchsp.org/resources/sermon-guides/

Fill the city with Jesus. This is the vision not just for our church, but for our people. The city is not just a physical location, but a collection of our family members, friends, co-workers, and acquaintances. How can you bring Jesus to your city?

——

Stay Connected

Website: http://www.gracechurchsp.org

Grace Church Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gracechurchsp

Grace Church Instagram: @gracechurch_sp

#fillthecitywithjesus

08.21.2025

There is an ancient orientation of our hearts that sometimes gets lost in all the good works we do. It’s the central desire of our hearts. It’s the deepest longing of who we are to simply be with Jesus. We are strengthened in the LORD by spending time with Him, not just hours on end like a monk, but by taking the attention of our mind and our heart throughout the day to be turned towards God. When we pay attention to who He is and what He is doing, it allows our hearts to burn again. The love that we had at first often gets stifled by an increase of knowledge; let's return to our first love, stirring our hearts in response to all that God has done. Let us not give responsibility to others for the lack of passion; let us not blame church hurts, busyness, or what others have done to us to dictate our love for God. The slow burn of our hearts is to manage our affections for God over our difficulties and distractions. 

You can find this week's sermon notes and Sermon Guide here: https://gracechurchsp.org/resources/sermon-guides/

Fill the city with Jesus. This is the vision not just for our church, but for our people. The city is not just a physical location, but a collection of our family members, friends, co-workers, and acquaintances. How can you bring Jesus to your city?

——

Stay Connected

Website: http://www.gracechurchsp.org

Grace Church Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gracechurchsp

Grace Church Instagram: @gracechurch_sp

#fillthecitywithjesus

08.14.2025

Sermon Summary

More and more, our generation cries out for more freedom and more liberties. It is within our human nature to want to be free creatures with the autonomy to chase our own dreams and pursue whatever our hearts desire. However, the bible has some ideas of what it means to be “love-slaves” of Jesus. The early church apostles and many others in church history understood something about the nature of slavery that is lost on us today. In the worldly sense, slavery to earthly masters is seen as detestable and cruel. However, slavery to Jesus is ultimate freedom! How is this, and why is it important to yield to God all of our rights and allow Him to be our master as we walk with Him?

You can find this week's sermon notes and Sermon Guide here: https://gracechurchsp.org/resources/sermon-guides/

Fill the city with Jesus. This is the vision not just for our church, but for our people. The city is not just a physical location, but a collection of our family members, friends, co-workers, and acquaintances. How can you bring Jesus to your city?

——

Stay Connected

Website: http://www.gracechurchsp.org

Grace Church Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gracechurchsp

Grace Church Instagram: @gracechurch_sp

#fillthecitywithjesus

08.07.2025

Sermon Summary

Life is indeed a journey that seems long, but we are reminded in Scripture that it is short compared to eternity and that eternity in our hearts is exactly how we should live this life on earth. Without vision, we tend to die a little on the inside; we lose hope, become discouraged, and our hearts dull a bit. No matter the detours, delays, and the beautiful mountain top experiences your journey has taken you on, a heart that is on fire for Jesus is what the journey is really all about. On the Road to Emmaus, two men have this experience. With some disappointment over their expectations, they are saddened, but they encounter Jesus, who opens the scriptures, and they find later that their hearts had been burning. Does your heart burn, is it flickering, or is it just down to an ember? Let's journey to find out how we can awaken our first love again, to have our hearts set ablaze with the love of God.

You can find this week's sermon notes and Sermon Guide here: https://gracechurchsp.org/resources/sermon-guides/

Fill the city with Jesus. This is the vision not just for our church, but for our people. The city is not just a physical location, but a collection of our family members, friends, co-workers, and acquaintances. How can you bring Jesus to your city?

——

Stay Connected

Website: http://www.gracechurchsp.org

Grace Church Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gracechurchsp

Grace Church Instagram: @gracechurch_sp

#fillthecitywithjesus

07.31.2025

Sermon Summary

We call Jesus “Lord, Lord” but often still live like we’re in charge. We make our own plans, chase our own dreams, and ask God to bless our will instead of submitting to His. We treat Jesus like a great Rabbi with helpful advice, but not as KYRIOS—Master, Owner, Supreme Authority. Jesus taught that many will be surprised on judgement day because they picked and chose good works without full obedience to Him. We build on sand when we do what initially feels good, avoid hard obedience, and stay in control—but the storm always comes. We find unshakable joy, peace, and freedom when we build on the rock and do what He says, even when it’s hard. We follow Jesus as LORD when we repent, deny ourselves, obey immediately, and make disciples—before the storm hits.

You can find this week's sermon notes and Sermon Guide here: https://gracechurchsp.org/resources/sermon-guides/

You can learn more about trees at Bema Discipleship.

Fill the city with Jesus. This is the vision not just for our church, but for our people. The city is not just a physical location, but a collection of our family members, friends, co-workers, and acquaintances. How can you bring Jesus to your city?

——

Stay Connected

Website: http://www.gracechurchsp.org

Grace Church Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gracechurchsp

Grace Church Instagram: @gracechurch_sp

#fillthecitywithjesus

07-24-2025

Sermon Summary

"What is truth?" Humanity has pondered this question for thousands of years, and it has puzzled even the most brilliant thinkers of human history. It's a question that sparks both intense debate and intense longing. It's not just philosophical; it's deeply human. Sometimes we feel as if life raises more questions than it answers. However, God's word has much to say about truth. Jesus taught His disciples that they shall know the truth and that truth will set them free. What does this mean, and how can a deeper knowledge of God's truth set me free?

You can find this week's sermon notes and Sermon Guide here: https://gracechurchsp.org/resources/sermon-guides/

For more from Bema Disciplship, check out their website: https://www.bemadiscipleship.com/

Fill the city with Jesus. This is the vision not just for our church, but for our people. The city is not just a physical location, but a collection of our family members, friends, co-workers, and acquaintances. How can you bring Jesus to your city?

——

Stay Connected

Website: http://www.gracechurchsp.org

Grace Church Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gracechurchsp

Grace Church Instagram: @gracechurch_sp

#fillthecitywithjesus