Gospel Grace Church Sermon Audio

1 Timothy 2:8-15 - Speaker: Lukus Counterman - In an age when churches are so diverse in worship structures and styles, and when the roles of men and women in ministry take so many different forms, perhaps now more than ever the we need the Word of God to speak. In our text this week we will look at God’s plan for corporate worship. He has instruction for both men and women, and it’s for our good. So, may God be glorified in his church as we follow his lead.

1 Timothy 2:1-7 - Speaker: Lukus Counterman - As Paul finishes warning the church about false teaching and distracting teachers, he tells us to fight the good fight of the faith. Now, that’s all well and good, but how should we wage the good warfare in a Christian congregation? Well, Paul admonishes the church to begin the fight on its knees. Begin with prayer. Our text this week encourages us to pray for everyone and preach to everyone because God has a good heart towards everyone. God’s desire and Christ’s death are our only hope, so may we pursue that above all else.

1 Timothy 1:12-20 - Speaker: Lukus Counterman - Paul wrote the letter of 1Timothy to help the church of Ephesus be the pillar and buttress of truth in their community. He wanted them to be rightly ordered and grounded in the gospel. But false teaching had crept in and blown them to and fro with every wind of doctrine. So, the apostle called them back to the faith that had previously been delivered to them. They needed to hear once again that Jesus came into the world to save sinners. And the mercy every believer received was meant to be an example to those around them. May the Lord ground us in the gospel afresh, and give us thankful hearts as we serve him.

1 Timothy 1:1-11 - Speaker: Lukus Counterman - In the book of 1 Timothy, Paul helps us understand God’s design for the church. He addresses important themes like the church’s doctrine, its public worship, its formal officers, its social responsibilities, and its attitude toward material possessions. As John Calvin put it in his 1556 commentary, “this letter is highly relevant to our own times.” In a day when so many churches are tempted to get distracted, corrupted, or diluted, perhaps now more than ever we need God’s blueprint. May our study of 1 Timothy help us pursue God’s design for the church.

- Speaker: David Doran Jr. - A disciple of Christ hears his invitation to prayer! Jesus lived as a human, endured human weakness, overcame temptation, impacted others and accomplished the Father’s will for His life through the power of the Spirit, in prayer. Jesus Christ has done the work to welcome us into HIs fellowship and strength experienced in prayer. The path for believers to endure human weakness, overcome temptation, impact others, and accomplish the Father’s will for their lives comes through the power of the Spirit, in prayer.

Ephesians 3:14-21 - Speaker: Jotham Manoranjan - In Ephesians 3:14-21 we witness Paul's overwhelming emotion to the magnificence of God's work. Paul prays in response to the great truths of the first few chapters of Ephesians and prompts us to reflect on how theology impacts our hearts, the motivations behind our prayers, and the focus of our concerns in prayer. The passage reminds us that understanding God's love goes beyond intellectual pursuit; it requires the transformative work of the Spirit and the indwelling of Christ. Ultimately, the passage emphasizes the limitless power of God. God can do far more abundantly than we can ask or even imagine. Through Him, we can comprehend the incomprehensible and experience the fullness of God's love and grace.

Luke 2:1-22 - Speaker: Will Galkin - The sudden appearance of the angels in Luke 2:8-14 caused the shepherds to respond with fear. However, the angels brought the good news of great joy. They shared that God had sent humanity a means to fully reconcile with Him. After 400 years of no revelation, the people of God were tempted to wonder if God had forgotten them. Our text shows that God had not forgotten His people and that Jesus was the promised Messiah of the Old Testament. This good news reminds us that God is in control, brings us to Christ, and demands a response. What will you do with the good news of great joy?

Malachi 3:13-4:6 - Speaker: Lukus Counterman - In our final section of the book of Malachi, the prophet addresses the cynical attitudes of the people. Israel is struggling with whether it’s worth serving God. When they look around, it seems as if the proud advance and evildoers face no consequences. So why fear the Lord? Why live for him? Well, the prophet corrects this flawed perspective and calls the people to consider the second coming when God will clearly distinguish between the wicked and the righteous. The pleasures of sin only last for a season, but to those who fear the Lord, the sun of righteousness will bring both blessing and protection. May the Lord help us keep our eyes on him when doubts and fears arise. And may we patiently wait for his return when all will be made right.

Malachi 3:6-12 - Speaker: Lukus Counterman - Somewhere deep down inside each person is a reticence towards giving. We struggle with greed and consumption. And perhaps the Christmas season exposes that more than any other time of year. A holiday that was initially focused on giving, somehow turned into a season of getting. Well in Malachi 3, the people of Israel were clutching and grasping instead of giving and offering. They weren’t bringing the “full tithe” to the temple, and the Lord calls them out. He wants his people to rethink their relationship with money and ultimately give him his due. But it’s not so that he can get rich, but rather so that we can express trust. The Lord promises that those who give by faith will receive his favor, because at the end of the day giving is a matter of the heart. May God, the greatest giver of all, teach us to be generous this season.

Malachi 2:17-3:5 - Speaker: Lukus Counterman - The people of Israel in Malachi’s day were such hypocrites. While the priests failed to teach God’s word, and while the people failed to bring acceptable sacrifices to the temple, they had the audacity to call for God’s judgment on others. When God’s patience prevailed and his justice was delayed as a window of amnesty, the people accused God of not caring. “Where is the God of justice,” they asked in a snarky tone. Well, God is the judge of all the earth and he will do what is right in his time. One day all will be held accountable. But while we await his coming let us each receive his cleansing. May we be purified instead of purged. May we be cleansed instead of consumed. (2Pet. 3:9-10) puts it like this, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promises as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish but that all should reach repentance. The Day of the Lord will come…”

Malachi 2:10-16 - Speaker: Lukus Counterman - We are back in Malachi this week and we are picking up our study in chapter 2. The text addresses the difficult topic of divorce and intermarriage with unbelievers. While this book was written some 2,400 years ago, it still has great relevance for our culture today. God’s plan for marriage is that it would picture the covenant love that Christ has for the church. So, may God’s Word help us biblically address our problems in marriage and honest acknowledge the impact our choices can have. And at the end of the day, may he be glorified in our relationships.

Genesis 1:26 - Speaker: Joe Skinner - Having established how God views sex and sexuality, we will take time to examine how that affects the way we understand ourselves primarily. What are the practical outflows of understanding our primary identity not through the lens of our sexuality, but rather, through the less of scripture --namely, made in God's image-- and how that affects the way we live out our sexuality.

1 Corinthians 15:42-44 - Speaker: Ben Henderson - Glorification is often misunderstood. However, it is the great hope we have as believers, the physical resurrection of our bodies. With these, we will live with God forever in the New Heavens and the New Earth.

James 4:1-10 - Speaker: Will Galkin - Double-minded people are unstable as they cannot go in different directions simultaneously. Something in their heart knows they are to pursue God, yet they find themselves drifting to find satisfaction elsewhere. This type of person sees people as mechanisms to get to their idols. However, since idols cannot satisfy the double-minded person, they become angry with those around them. This emptiness of the heart only causes the double-minded person to quest for more satisfaction through idolatry. The cycle of dissatisfaction only continues. Ultimately, this slide will only be arrested through submission to God. As one submits, God gives the grace to forsake idolatry and find wholeness in one's relationship with God.

Ezekiel 16:4-63 - Speaker: Alex Morrison - Our sexuality has a purpose beyond reproduction and pleasure. God designed sexuality to help us know him more deeply. This session unpacks how sex points us to God and how every person's sexuality, single or married, should lead them to finding satisfaction in God.

Philippians 3:10-14 - Speaker: Ben Henderson - Out of all the gospel concepts we've learned, sanctification can be the most frustrating. While propitiation and justification and redemption happen instantly, sanctification is an ongoing process. In this lesson, we learn that "Sanctification is the ongoing work of God to transform his people into greater Christlikeness.” We understand that sanctification is ongoing, transformative, and accomplished by the Holy Spirit with the Word of God as the instrument and the church as the context.

Ecclesiastes 7:1-14 - Speaker: Danny Brooks - Have you ever thought, “It would have been better if I had not been born?” You are not alone. Many of us have had those very thoughts. We wrestle with the hard circumstances and difficult experiences of life and wonder "Why?" Why me? Why this? Why now? What's the point of living if things are always going to be this hard? At the end of Ecclesiastes 7, the Preacher calls us to "Consider the work of God: who can make straight what he has made crooked? In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him." It's not only a sobering reminder that we are not sovereign over our days or the difficult circumstances, but God is! Like so many of us the author of Ecclesiastes is straining to see God's goodness and control in the crooked things around him. But again and again he returns to the goodness and sovereignty of God in all of life. It

Mark 10:45 - Speaker: Josh Lankford - Join us as we discuss that aspect of the gospel that describes how God has purchased us back to himself, from slavery to sin, at the cost of Jesus' life through redemption.

- Speaker: Alex Morrison - Sexuality is a loaded term in our culture and we want to have a biblical perspective of what it means. God created humanity and therefore he created sexuality. This session is a discussion on God's thoughts on sexuality and builds a foundation for understanding God's thoughts about sex.

Ephesians 5:22-33 - Speaker: Jeremy Kimble - This weekend, we are thankful to have Jeremy and Rachel Kimble with us. Jeremy will be preaching on the topic of marriage from Ephesians 5. Pursuing a Biblical understanding of marriage isn’t just for married couples – it should be a pursuit for every Christian. Tim Keller says it this way: “The Bible begins with a wedding (of Adam and Eve) and ends in the book of Revelation with a wedding (of Christ and the church). Marriage is God’s idea…The concept and roots of human marriage are in God’s own action, and therefore what the Bible says about God’s design for marriage is crucial” (Tim Keller, The Meaning of Marriage). Ephesians 5 will guide us through God’s design in the intricate dynamics of marital roles, and unmask idols that threaten them. May God help us to reframe our perspective, seeing marriage as a conduit to glorify God, and in doing so, foster relationships grounded in love, respect, and God’s good purpose. Jeremy is an Associate Professor of Theology a