Grace Dover Messages

Sermon by Kenny Foster, Senior Pastor, from Daniel 3:13-25 & 1 Peter 4:12-19. If discipleship in its practice is becoming a steward of the unity that God has given us in Christ, then how is the disciple to understand suffering and its role? This Sunday's sermon's focus is on following Christ through suffering. The text is remarkable in that it instructs us how to suffer according to God's will. Suffering according to God's will is seen in the gospel. The disciple understands suffering through understanding the gospel. The gospel says, Jesus suffered according to God's will by taking on our suffering so that we might share in his glory. This shared experience of suffering deepens our bonds as members of the household of God.

Sermon by Joshua Suh, Associate Pastor, from Psalm 141:1-2 & Luke 11:1-13. We continue to explore the responsibilities given to those who follow Christ. During Jesus’ ministry, he was constantly praying to God the Father and commanded that his disciples do the same. In today’s passage, we are told in prayer to ask, seek, and knock, and we will receive, find, and the door will be opened. Let us be disciples who constantly lift up prayers as incense before our living God.

Sermon by Kenny Foster, Senior Pastor, from Deuteronomy 15:7-11 & I John 3:16-18

As we continue our series on discipleship we see the heart of the disciple is motivated by the truth that Christ laid down his life for us. Moreover, Jesus laying down his life not only delivered us from our bondage, but it also shapes the way we are to live with each other. So whether we are Black, White, Asian, Latino, rich or poor, if we are disciples of Christ it is shown in the way we treat the poor among us. Discipleship in Christ means developing a relational quality with the materially poor that exemplifies the very basic truth of the gospel; he laid down his life for us.

Sermon by Joshua Suh, Associate Pastor, from Genesis 12:1-3 & Matthew 28:16-20. A key part of discipleship is not only desiring to grow and mature in Christ for your own benefit, but for the benefit and edification of the entire body of Christ. After leading and discipling the 12 for three years, Jesus commissions his disciples to “go therefore and make disciples of all nations.” This has been the plan of God since the beginning of time and it is the requirement of being a disciple of Christ.

Sermon by Kenny Foster, Senior Pastor, from Psalm 84:1-7 & Ephesians 2:11-22

We are continuing our series on discipleship and following Christ. But what is our discipleship accomplishing? The Bible is showing us that following Christ accomplishes a home for God that is not built by human hands. This home is the church! Through Jesus Christ's work in his people, God accomplishes his great purpose of bringing about the unity of heaven and earth. This unity comes not merely at the risk of Jesus' life, but the cost of his life. This unity that we've been given is seen clearly in the Eucharist as we are reminded that we who are many are one since we all partake of the one loaf. Jesus, through his body and blood has made those who were near and those who were far, one new man. For what purpose? So that in him they are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. This, in the words of Psalm 84, is the disciple's delight that is never fully satisfied.

Sermon by Joshua Suh, Associate Pastor, from Psalm 117 & Acts 11:19-26

What is a Christian? A Christian is someone who is “a follower of Christ.” Although this is a title that is common in our generation, the first believers were not called Christians until Acts 11 during the great persecution of the first believers. It was in Antioch that a group of Gentile Christians were first called Christians. We are reminded that we are Christians because we have all been saved by Jesus Christ, both Jews and Gentiles.

Sermon by Kenny Foster, Senior Pastor, from Psalm 133 & Romans 12:3-12

How does a church become a community that stewards their unity in such a way that not even death can separate them? That is what these texts tells us about the wonder of the unity that God, through Christ has given to his church. It is something to behold! Through Paul's instructions in Romans 12:3-12, we learn how to be stewards of the unity we have been given through the gospel.

Sermon by Joshua Suh, Associate Pastor, from Genesis 45:4-8 & Acts 2:41-42

As the new semester of ministry begins, we are reminded of the importance of growing in our faith through Christian discipleship. We are not called to grow only in our own personal relationship with God, but together as the people of God. This is the calling that God has given to his covenant people since creation, that he would be glorified through the unity of his body and bride, the Church.

Sermon by Jeff Rakes, Associate Pastor, from Ephesians 4:8-13 and 1 Corinthians 9:19-23.

Sermon by Rick Barr, Associate Pastor, from Psalm 103:8-12 and 2 Corinthians 5:18-21.

God is in the business of reconciling mankind to himself and gives us that job as well. He accomplishes the mission through his death for us. He tells us how he does this: by not counting our trespasses, our "bad stuff", against us. So, in carrying out God's mission in the world, we should be people who go around not counting people's trespasses against them, not counting any of their "bad stuff" against them.