Grace Bible Church - Sermons 1999

The Joy of Humility

Sun, 26 Dec 1999 12:00:00 -0500

This is the last Sunday of this year, some are saying it is the last of the Millennium, but being a purist, that will not occur for another 53 weeks. The new Century and Millennium starts on January 1, 20001. Someone joked that the Y2K experts will discover this fact in January 2000 and begin to warn people about the danger of the new Millennium starting in 2001. They won't want to be out of work!

The Love of God

Sun, 19 Dec 1999 12:00:00 -0500

This morning we come to what may well be the most familiar verse in all the Bible - John 3:16. But before we can look at that verse we must make sure that we understand the context in which it is set.

You Must Be Born Again

Sun, 12 Dec 1999 12:00:00 -0500

What does it mean to be "born again." This morning we are going to be looking at John 3 where this term originates, but the term has been perverted over the years to mean something different than what Jesus meant by it when He said it to Nicodemus.

The Zeal of Jesus

Sat, 04 Dec 1999 12:00:00 -0500

What is Jesus like? As we enter into the Christmas season, the common perception focuses on Jesus as the innocent baby lying in a manger. The greeting card pictures drawn of the scene are of a cute, smiling baby lying in a beautiful manger - often it is more like a cradle - and surrounded by cute animals - often baby animals. This is Jesus meek and mild who would not and could not harm anything.

Jesus' First Miracle

Sun, 28 Nov 1999 12:00:00 -0500

One of the great privileges of being a pastor is weddings. I enjoy being able to perform marriage ceremonies and be a first hand witness to all that goes on. I meet with the couples that sort of float in to see me for premarital counseling. They have great big eyes for each other and they see the world through wonderful rose-colored glasses. Everything is beautiful. The bride will commonly speak of the coming wedding ceremony with great expectations. They present their dream of how everything would look just perfect. It is a joy to help them plan and make that dream come true. It is also a joy for me to perform the ceremony and see the joy in their faces as they hold hands and make their vows to one another.

The First Disciples

Sun, 14 Nov 1999 12:00:00 -0500

How do people respond to Jesus Christ? That will depend in a large part in what the are looking for before the meet Him. Those who are not interested in spiritual things and those who already have their minds made up about will generally ignore Him. Those who are seeking the truth and are willing to investigate will find Him. We will see this principle displayed this morning we are going to look at the beginning of Jesus' public ministry in John 1:35-51 and the response of the first disciples.

The Witness of John

Sun, 07 Nov 1999 12:00:00 -0500

Have you ever wondered why references are so important? If you apply for a job, you have to list references on your application. If you want to rent an apartment, you have to give references. If you apply for a loan, you will have your credit history searched. If we lived in a perfect world our own statement about who we are and what we are like would be sufficient. But we do not live in a perfect world. By experience each of us knows that a person can claim anything they want, but it doesn't mean it is true. We want to have something to verify that the claims are true. The person could be telling the truth, but then again, perhaps they are self-deceived or are lying.

Halloween - An Historical & Biblical Perspective

Sun, 31 Oct 1999 12:00:00 -0500

This evening is Halloween. A festival that a generation ago was considered even by the Christian community to be pretty innocuous. As a child, I, like many of you, participated in all the activities commonly associated with this Fall celebration.

The Word Became Flesh

Sun, 24 Oct 1999 13:00:00 -0400

This morning we begin our actual study of the text of the Gospel of John. Last week's introduction was an overview with emphasis on the purpose of the book. John specifically states his purpose in 20:31, but these have been written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.

Introduction to the Gospel of John

Sun, 17 Oct 1999 13:00:00 -0400

This morning we begin our journey in the Gospel of John. Before we can begin this journey we need to be introduced to our guide and get a brief description of what we will encounter on our way to our destination. We also will want to know why we should undertake this journey. Today will be an Introduction to the Gospel of John.

The Heart of the Church

Sun, 10 Oct 1999 13:00:00 -0400

This morning I will complete my series on the purpose and nature of the church by talking about the "Heart of the Church." I am not referring to our emotions by that, but rather what is at the center of our lives as Christians and as a church. There should be a driving force, a motivation that causes us to want to live the Christian life and see the church, the Body of Christ, grow. Without this motivation the Christian life will be very difficult to live. It will be full of frustration, hurt, pain, guilt and even severe depression.

Using Your Gift(s)

Sun, 03 Oct 1999 13:00:00 -0400

I have been stressing the purpose and nature of the church for a couple of months now. The reason? We can not fulfill our purpose if we do not know what it is. We cannot function effectively if we do not know how God has designed us to work.

The Gifts to the Body of Christ

Sun, 26 Sep 1999 13:00:00 -0400

For several weeks we have been examining the purpose and nature of the church. The purpose of Grace Bible Church is to Glorify God by Making Disciples of Jesus Christ. We strive to do that by Communicating New Life in Christ - Evangelism. Cultivating New Life in Christ - Edification. Caring for One Another in Christ - Fellowship and - Worship. And for the last couple of weeks we have concentrated on worship - Celebrating New Life in Christ.

The Work of Worship

Sun, 19 Sep 1999 13:00:00 -0400

This morning I want to continue on the topic of worship. This topic came up a few weeks ago in our series on the Purpose of Grace Bible Church. We use the statement, Glorifying God by Making Disciples of Jesus Christ, as a simple definition of our purpose, but we also expand that into four statements that express the essential aspects of how we fulfill our purpose. 1) We Communicate New Life in Christ through Evangelism. 2) We Cultivate New Life in Christ through Edification. 3) We Care for New Life in Christ through Fellowship and 4) We Celebrate New Life in Christ through Worship.

The Focus of Worship

Sun, 12 Sep 1999 13:00:00 -0400

This morning I want to bring before you something that has been on my heart for sometime. I would like to express to you something that is both a concern and desire. In some ways I especially want you who are new to Grace Bible Church to understand this because it defines for you where we desire to go as a church.