Grace Messages

As Christians, we are (rightly) very concerned with God's will for our lives. What He wants us to do, how He wants us to live. But sometimes we get too concerned with it, in the wrong way. The answer to how to live in the will of God is, at its root, actually very simple!

When we hold on to these truths, we will find that we can truly live a confident life.

The Sum of All Things - In this New Year message we examine some passages of Scripture that provide a context for how we think about all things. These passages are grand, sweeping declarations that touch every aspect of life. They give us a better perspective on the past, present, and future.

In 1984, Mark Lowry penned the lyrics for what would eventually become one of the most beloved Christmas songs of our day; “Mary Did You Know?” His lyrics reflected questions that he would have had for Mary if they were able to sit down over a cup of coffee. This morning, I want to consider the question, What did Mary Know? Specifically, at least five things that Mary DID KNOW, if she took the information, she was given at face value.

Sermon from our 2022 Christmas Eve Candlelight service message and candle lighting.

Last week, we saw Jesus “clean house” and really put Himself on the radar of the Jewish religious elite. They had asked Him for a divine sign or miracle to validate the authority He claimed for cleansing the Temple. Jesus pointed them to His future resurrection as the ultimate sign to validate and verify His identity and His message. However, now, at this same feast, we will see that Jesus interacts with the multitudes and performs multiple signs. However, the signs are not the main purpose of this section – the main purpose of this section is to reveal to us that Jesus KNOWS all men. In fact, the next two chapters (3 & 4), are going to illustrate His incredible insight into people!

Last week, we finished looking at a very “momentous week” in the life of Jesus and His disciples. And on the final day of that week, we looked at the first of seven signs (water to wine), hand-picked by John to persuade his readers to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, this sign miracle was somewhat private, and thus He was still relatively “off the radar.” That will change this morning! Jesus will announce His presence in a way that will place Him permanently “on the radar” of the Jewish leaders through His first temple cleansing.

This morning, we will conclude the “momentous week” in the life of Jesus, John the Baptist, and His disciples with their attendance of a wedding feast. At this feast, Jesus performs the first of seven signs, hand-picked by John to persuade his readers to believe on Him. The first sign is turning water into wine. The turning of water to wine miracle was a somewhat “private” sign in that only the servants, Mary, and Jesus’ disciples knew about it. However, it was enough of a miracle that it convinced all of the disciples with Jesus to believe in Him!

This morning, we continue to move forward in a “momentous week” in the life of Jesus, John the Baptist, and future disciples. Remember last week, John the Baptist evidently sees the Lord Jesus returning from the 40 days of wilderness temptation (Matthew 4), and after John had baptized Him (Matthew 3). When John saw Him, He identified Him to the world! Two of John the Baptist’s disciples (Andrew and John the author) immediately followed Jesus to hang out with Him that day and now we will meet them and other disciples as well. This morning, we are going to see INTERACTIONS with Jesus produce DECLARATIONS about Jesus! John the Baptist’s testimony continues to trickle downhill from this point forward…

The Psalmist considers thankfulness to God from a different angle this morning. He asks and answers the question, “What IF God were not for us?” “What would life be like, if God were NOT on our side?” The Psalmist is very clear – it would not be pretty for the nation of Israel! It also would not be pretty for the believer in Jesus Christ. The fact that God is for us, should cause us to pause and thank God for His great love, interest, and care for us in our lives. What would our lives be like without God’s intervention? None of us should ever want to find out.

The subject of prayer can be intimidating. What does it mean to "pray without ceasing"? And how can we know that we are praying effectively? We can gain insight into the answer to these questions through the example of Christ and Daniel, along with a very reassuring passage in Romans 8. Let's find encouragement and freedom in praying.