GCCWS Weekend Messages

Out of the forgiveness we have experienced through Jesus, we are called to forgive others.

The Bible commands us to love one another. Christians are called to love God, neighbors, and enemies, Jesus specifically identifies loving fellow believers as the distinguishing mark of discipleship.How can we as the church love one another?

The church is God's divine design, functioning as the body of Christ with Jesus as the head. Like a human body, the church has many diverse parts that depend on each other, with each member playing a unique role according to their God-given gifts. Humility fuels this body, eliminating both superiority and inferiority complexes. God expects church members to practice the 'one another' commands found throughout the New Testament - loving, forgiving, honoring, and serving each other. As Christians, we're called not just to attend church but to be the church, living out our faith in ways that impact the world around us.

Jesus teaches us to balance our faith and citizenship through His response to the Pharisees' tax question: 'Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's.' As Christians in America, we have obligations to our government including paying taxes and obeying laws, but our primary citizenship is in heaven. While these authorities are distinct, God's authority is always higher. We must live with Jesus first, fulfilling our earthly responsibilities while fully surrendering to God. Only through revival and awakening, when followers of Jesus get serious about their faith, can healing come to our broken nation.

The glory of God, described as His weightiness and splendor, is both overwhelming and intimate. When the tabernacle was completed in Exodus, Moses couldn't enter because God's glory filled it completely. This reveals God's nature as both holy and near - transcendent yet present with His people. Like the Israelites who were led by God's presence in the cloud, we're invited to follow God with childlike wonder rather than trying to fully comprehend Him. By embracing the mystery of God's glory, we align ourselves with our true purpose and find rest for our restless hearts.

God's jealousy is fundamentally different from human jealousy—it's His commitment to protect the covenant relationship He established with His people. While human jealousy stems from insecurity and control, God's jealousy reflects His passionate love and desire for an exclusive relationship with us. In Exodus 34, we see two contrasting responses to God's jealousy through Moses and Aaron. Moses prioritized intimacy with God, trusted His word, and was willing to sacrifice, while Aaron compromised and created chaos. To live with godly jealousy means choosing relationship over religion, trusting God's guidance about our alliances, and being willing to give up anything that competes for our devotion.

God's goodness is not just a characteristic but His very nature, most perfectly displayed through Jesus Christ. Moses' story in Exodus reveals how God shows His goodness especially when we're at our lowest points. God displays His goodness through creation, His Word, and His gifts, but salvation through Jesus is His ultimate expression of goodness. We can respond to God's goodness by believing in Christ, doing good to others, practicing gratitude, and worshiping Him. By recognizing God's goodness daily, we can experience His transformative power even in difficult circumstances.

Continuing our Exodus Series

When Moses was on Mount Sinai, the Israelites grew impatient and asked Aaron to make them a golden calf to worship, despite having witnessed God's miracles. This incident reveals how easily our hearts can turn from God when authority seems absent. Aaron's failure as a leader demonstrates how even those close to God can make terrible decisions when they don't guard their hearts. The lesson for us is twofold: we must vigilantly guard our hearts against deception and promptly confess our sins rather than hiding them. God's forgiveness is always available, no matter how far we've strayed.

Our society has had a sometimes confusing, often complicated relationship with the fourth commandment of the Ten: “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.” Across the nation, there was a body of laws called “blue laws” that defined how Sunday was to be observed as a Sabbath day. These laws banned certain business and recreational activities, restricted retail sales, and put limits on travel, hunting, sports, theaters and more, all in an attempt to protect Sunday as a day for rest and worship. All in an attempt to legislate obedience to the fourth commandment, but the attempt failed! Most of the legislation was eventually overturned. And from experience, we should have learned that obedience to God’s Word cannot be mandated in state houses and supreme courts. Pastor Paul captured God’s design of the Ten Commandments well when, in his sermon two weeks ago, he reminded us that the commandments are directed at the human heart. They are designed to force us to ask hard questions rather than create hard lines of “dos and don’ts.” They are designed to cause us to pause and think.