The Bible clearly states that the righteousness of God is a gift to those who place their trust in Jesus.  Our personal righteousness can never measure up to God’s requirements, so He gives us the righteousness of Jesus to replace our own.  Our striving to be good enough or worthy enough to be in a “right” relationship with God shows that we have zeal for God’s ways but lack the knowledge that the righteousness of God can only be received as a gift, and that by faith.  As we believe and receive this gift of God, it will work in our lives to produce the fruit of righteousness which is righteous behavior. 

History shows that many things have been taught by the Church to distort the image of God in the earth.  In John 3, Jesus speaks at length with Nicodemus explaining spiritual issues to him.  The spiritual issues discussed in this encounter gives us a good understanding of what it means to ‘believe in Jesus’ as well as the consequences of not believing in Him.  The goal of God through Jesus Christ was not to judge the world but to save it.

The will of God for our lives is to give thanks in all things.  When we face times of trial, the act of faith that accesses the grace of God, which does for us what we cannot do for ourselves, empowers us to thank Him, and in doing so makes Him bigger than the trial we’re facing.  When thanksgiving is not present, it’s easy to become complainers and move into a victim mentality with a negative attitude, rather than victors behaving triumphantly.

Sin is bad and obedience to God is good.  With this foundational understanding, it is necessary to examine an effective strategy for conquering sin.  In this sermon we look at principles involved with behavior coming from what we believe.  An effective strategy is to deal with the solution to sin rather than dealing with symptoms of sin.  The solution to sin is to repent (change the way we think) and be transformed (behavior changed) by the renewing of our mind (how we think).  Consecration (giving ourselves to things that increase our love for and relationship to God) is necessary for our growth as Christians.

A sermon preached by our Children's Pastor Michael Gonzalez:
The purpose of our lives is to glorify God, and as we fullfill this purpose our souls are truly satisfied, and as our souls are truly satisfied, God is once again glorified.

Politics, Government & The Christian – Part 3
Continuing with quotes from the Founding Fathers, we see clearly that the laws originally established in America were based on scripture and biblical principles.  A change has taken place which is dramatically altering the legal system in our country.  We have moved from the unchanging laws of God found in the Bible to “legal positivism” where the law is determined by the “State”.  Christians should be actively involved in promoting a return to America’s roots rather than accepting laws which have been interpreted through the lens of a judge’s personal opinion.

Politics, Government & The Christian – Part 2
In Part 2 of a series on Politics, Government and Christians, we examine various quotes from our Founding Fathers concerning the issue of a Republic form of government working only when the people are religious and moral.  A dependence on God along with Christian education is paramount for a Republic to work properly.  Without this foundation, the citizens will become servants to the government rather than the government serving the people.

Politics, Government & The Christian
Jesus said that we are the “salt of the earth”.  He also declared that we are “the light of the world”.  These are statements that indicated that our influence should be felt in the culture and society.  The “Gospel of the Kingdom” is what Jesus said would be preached in all the world, right before the end.  Christians should not have their heads in the sand, ignoring the moral disintegration we see today.  We should be engaged in encouraging Christian influence in seven critical areas:  Family, Church, Education, Media, The Arts, Business and Government.

Pure Religion
The Book of James teaches that “pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble.”  Widows and orphans are important to God.  The opportunity we have to give to meet their needs is something we need to take seriously and not look to government programs to do what we are obligated and privileged to do.  Our heritage as Christian Americans is to willingly give to meet the needs of the needy, not to be taxed (having the money taken from us) so that the government can be the benefactor.

Choices
The freewill that God has given us is revealed in the choice we make throughout life. Life and death is set before us and we are to chose life, that is, those decisions that consider the Lord in the process. Spiritual maturity is gained by constantly making better and better choices that are determined by our relationship with God, and not our own will or understanding. Good choices lead us closer to Him, and bad choices create problems in our life. God’s solution for bad choices is repentance, cleansing, forgetting the things that we have put behind us, and reaching forward to the things before us! As we continue to make good choices (sowing to the Spirit), we know the plowman will overtake the reaper.

Considering the Least
Jesus said that when we minister to the least, that we are doing it to Him. Not unto Him, but to Him. What an incredible statement in the light of our tendency to be respecters of persons, and show partiality to the lovely, popular, rich or celebrity. For Grace Community Church to be a safe place, we need to have a vision of  respecting all people, no matter what their station in life is. Loving the unlovely, and reaching out to those who are least is pleasing to God. It pleases Him so much, that His parable of how to inherit the kingdom is founded on it!

Assistant Pastor Joyce Doerter reveals from the  scriptures and personal experience the transforming power of thanksgiving and  gratitude. Our attitude is something we can choose to control, and the  benefits affect other people as well as ourselves. The scriptures reinforce  this truth and our experience confirms it. Have an attitude of gratitude!

In the 6th chapter of Romans, Paul drives the point home that we died with Christ, and through water baptism, we are buried with Him.  This death now qualifies us to live with God, and to live a new life.  In Colossians, Paul states, ‘if then you were raised with Christ’, it will have certain effects and bear a certain fruit.  The question is posed though, are we living in the life that God has provided through the offering of Jesus Christ, or are we living a life that reflects the nature that Jesus died to save us from?  What we “put off” and “put on” determines the answer to these questions.

As It Is In Heaven

When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, He taught them what is called ‘The Lord’s Prayer’.  It is actually the disciple’s prayer.  Jesus taught us to pray for His Kingdom to come and that His will would be done on earth as it is in heaven.  The Great Commission can actually be fulfilled as we pray for the things that are caused by this sin cursed earth to be impacted by the way it is in heaven, thus bringing His kingdom to earth.  We are to contend earnestly for the faith to appropriate every provision of Calvary .

Jesus Is Perfect Theology

When considering and determining what God is like, it would be difficult to ascribe to Him anything that can’t be found in the person of Jesus Christ.  The crucifixion of Jesus introduced a New Covenant and a new way of God relating to man.  God’s “acts” are revealed in the Old Testament, but His nature is revealed in the New Testament through His Son, Jesus Christ.

Too often the assumption is made that if God allows something to happen, it means that it is His will for it to happen.  A misunderstanding of sovereignty will lead to this conclusion.  In God’s sovereignty, He allows things to happen that are not His will.  The Bible declares that God is willing that ‘none should perish’, and yet it is clear in scripture that there are those who will perish.  It is not God’s will that we sin, yet He ‘allows’ us to.  Through these misunderstandings God is blamed for evil which makes it difficult to fully trust Him.  But the truth is that God is good, and He’s good all the time.