Sunday at Grace
Dear Church Family and Friends,
I'm up early this morning reviewing tomorrow's sermon. I'm continuing to preaching about the UPWARD LIFE in Christ. Tomorrow's message is from Romans 3:23-26 about "Bearing with one another like Jesus." It is about God's desire that we stand together, bearing with each other as the people of God.
There is a word in the passage that is difficult to understand. This word is PROPITIATION. I'm not going to go into the various ways people have defined this word, but simply want you to hear what John Stott says about it, "It would be hard to exaggerate the difference between the pagan and the Christian views of propitiation. In the pagan perspective, human beings try to placate their bad-tempered deities with their own paltry offerings. According to the Christian revelation, God's own great love propitiated His own holy wrath through the gift of His own dear Son, who took our place, bore our sin, and died our death. God gave Himself to save us from Himself."
God BEARS WITH US through His Son Jesus who died in our place. Why do we BEAR WITH one another? We do it because God through Christ Jesus BEARS WITH you and me.
The UPWARD LIFE is not an easy way to spend your days. It seems that our self-centered striving for independence and personal satisfaction work against the kind of BEARING WITH that the Bible demands of us. It is harder and harder to get together and stay together. Yet, God wants us to BEAR WITH each other in ways that defy and defeat the pull of our individual satisfactions. The truth is, we are more like Jesus together than we can ever be by ourselves. I look forward to all that God is going to do tomorrow at Grace as we BEAR WITH one another one more time in worship and fellowship. DON'T MISS IT!
There is a word in the passage that is difficult to understand. This word is PROPITIATION. I'm not going to go into the various ways people have defined this word, but simply want you to hear what John Stott says about it, "It would be hard to exaggerate the difference between the pagan and the Christian views of propitiation. In the pagan perspective, human beings try to placate their bad-tempered deities with their own paltry offerings. According to the Christian revelation, God's own great love propitiated His own holy wrath through the gift of His own dear Son, who took our place, bore our sin, and died our death. God gave Himself to save us from Himself."
God BEARS WITH US through His Son Jesus who died in our place. Why do we BEAR WITH one another? We do it because God through Christ Jesus BEARS WITH you and me.
The UPWARD LIFE is not an easy way to spend your days. It seems that our self-centered striving for independence and personal satisfaction work against the kind of BEARING WITH that the Bible demands of us. It is harder and harder to get together and stay together. Yet, God wants us to BEAR WITH each other in ways that defy and defeat the pull of our individual satisfactions. The truth is, we are more like Jesus together than we can ever be by ourselves. I look forward to all that God is going to do tomorrow at Grace as we BEAR WITH one another one more time in worship and fellowship. DON'T MISS IT!
Pastor Mike
Sundays Are Great At Grace
Welcome to Grace Baptist Church. Of all the names given to churches everywhere, the name chosen by this congregation over 50 years ago says everything about the heart of God whom we serve. God's purpose of Grace was in His heart before sin was ever in the heart of man.
Grace expresses the eternal purpose of God to redeem us from our sins: "For by grace you have been saved through faith and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God" (Ephesians 2:8, NASV). Grace is the glorious display of God' sovereign goodness.
The character of Grace Baptist Church is not only conveyed in the gospel we preach, but in the manner by which God's amazing grace is shown through our fellowship and sharing with others. Our church is committed to not only proclaim the message of God's amazing grace, but also to show it by the way we live for Jesus every day. We truly want to be people who are filled with God's grace and freely give it away.
We invite you and your family to come attend our services and see if we are the people we propose to be. Better yet, come join with us and help us become more and more a people who are like what our name says we are, "...much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ." (Romans 5:17b, NASV)
I pray God's grace for you. It will abundantly save you through faith in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:7, NASV). God's amazing grace will bless your life, your family and friends, as you daily live for Jesus. I look forward to seeing and greeting you soon in the name of Jesus. "...Grace be with you" (Colossians 4:18).
Pastor Mike Williams
Grace expresses the eternal purpose of God to redeem us from our sins: "For by grace you have been saved through faith and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God" (Ephesians 2:8, NASV). Grace is the glorious display of God' sovereign goodness.
The character of Grace Baptist Church is not only conveyed in the gospel we preach, but in the manner by which God's amazing grace is shown through our fellowship and sharing with others. Our church is committed to not only proclaim the message of God's amazing grace, but also to show it by the way we live for Jesus every day. We truly want to be people who are filled with God's grace and freely give it away.
We invite you and your family to come attend our services and see if we are the people we propose to be. Better yet, come join with us and help us become more and more a people who are like what our name says we are, "...much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ." (Romans 5:17b, NASV)
I pray God's grace for you. It will abundantly save you through faith in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:7, NASV). God's amazing grace will bless your life, your family and friends, as you daily live for Jesus. I look forward to seeing and greeting you soon in the name of Jesus. "...Grace be with you" (Colossians 4:18).
Pastor Mike Williams