Sermons at Granite Creek Community Church

Today we are going on very great journey and we will be traveling for 5 weeks on this journey. Today we are going to see how Grace Changes Everything and How Martin Luther Changed The World. Martin Luther remains one of the most important and influential people in the western world. The year 2017 will see both scholarship and popular media reflect and comment on Martin Luther and his legacy—sometimes negatively. His reform of the church, his translation of the Bible, and his reshaping of Christian life changed the religious, social, and political face of Europe. These reverberations are still felt today—even here in far-away America, where Christianity and even the nation itself would look very different were it not for Martin Luther. Grace is a word that believers sing about all over the world. Sadly though, many people fail to understand the full meaning of God's grace and how it applies to their daily lives. As a result, they spend their days with no real sense of peace, joy, or happiness. This is an answer to the question why grace changes everything. The word freedom as defined by Dictionary.com is "the condition of being free of restraints". To a believer freedom means we are free from the restraint of sins. We no longer have to obey what our flesh desires. We can choose to follow after our Spirit and thus denying our flesh. Without the freedom that we receive through the blood of Christ, this is not possible. Ephesians 2:1-5 (NIV) "1As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. 4But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved." We were all incapable of living righteously because we had to gratify the cravings of our sinful nature. We were forced to do what it wanted. There was no choice, no freedom. Why? Because we had no ability to turn from sin. To remain free in the liberty of Christ we must choose not to do any that will bring us back into bondage. When we are saved, we are freed from the restraints of our sin. But we can choose to give up areas we have freedom over. We can choose to do what the flesh wants. In doing so we are giving our freedom in that area away. But if we turn to God, and ask for His help we can regain that freedom again.

Today we are going on very great journey and we will be traveling for 4 weeks on this journey. Today we are going to see how Grace Changes Everything and How Martin Luther Changed The World. Martin Luther remains one of the most important and influential people in the western world. The year 2017 will see both scholarship and popular media reflect and comment on Martin Luther and his legacy—sometimes negatively. His reform of the church, his translation of the Bible, and his reshaping of Christian life changed the religious, social, and political face of Europe. These reverberations are still felt today—even here in far-away America, where Christianity and even the nation itself would look very different were it not for Martin Luther. Grace is a word that believers sing about all over the world. Sadly though, many people fail to understand the full meaning of God's grace and how it applies to their daily lives. As a result, they spend their days with no real sense of peace, joy, or happiness. This is an answer to the question why grace changes everything. The word freedom as defined by Dictionary.com is "the condition of being free of restraints". To a believer freedom means we are free from the restraint of sins. We no longer have to obey what our flesh desires. We can choose to follow after our Spirit and thus denying our flesh. Without the freedom that we receive through the blood of Christ, this is not possible. Ephesians 2:1-5 (NIV) "1As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. 4But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved." We were all incapable of living righteously because we had to gratify the cravings of our sinful nature. We were forced to do what it wanted. There was no choice, no freedom. Why? Because we had no ability to turn from sin. To remain free in the liberty of Christ we must choose not to do any that will bring us back into bondage. When we are saved, we are freed from the restraints of our sin. But we can choose to give up areas we have freedom over. We can choose to do what the flesh wants. In doing so we are giving our freedom in that area away. But if we turn to God, and ask for His help we can regain that freedom again.

Today we are going on very great journey and we will be traveling for 4 weeks on this journey. Today we are going to see how Grace Changes Everything and How Martin Luther Changed The World. Martin Luther remains one of the most important and influential people in the western world. The year 2017 will see both scholarship and popular media reflect and comment on Martin Luther and his legacy—sometimes negatively. His reform of the church, his translation of the Bible, and his reshaping of Christian life changed the religious, social, and political face of Europe. These reverberations are still felt today—even here in far-away America, where Christianity and even the nation itself would look very different were it not for Martin Luther. Grace is a word that believers sing about all over the world. Sadly though, many people fail to understand the full meaning of God's grace and how it applies to their daily lives. As a result, they spend their days with no real sense of peace, joy, or happiness. This is an answer to the question why grace changes everything. The word freedom as defined by Dictionary.com is "the condition of being free of restraints". To a believer freedom means we are free from the restraint of sins. We no longer have to obey what our flesh desires. We can choose to follow after our Spirit and thus denying our flesh. Without the freedom that we receive through the blood of Christ, this is not possible. Ephesians 2:1-5 (NIV) "1As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. 4But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved." We were all incapable of living righteously because we had to gratify the cravings of our sinful nature. We were forced to do what it wanted. There was no choice, no freedom. Why? Because we had no ability to turn from sin. To remain free in the liberty of Christ we must choose not to do any that will bring us back into bondage. When we are saved, we are freed from the restraints of our sin. But we can choose to give up areas we have freedom over. We can choose to do what the flesh wants. In doing so we are giving our freedom in that area away. But if we turn to God, and ask for His help we can regain that freedom again.

Today we are ending our 4 week journey with Abraham and Isaac. I hope you all had fun on this journey and will join me again when we travel to a completely different story and we go on a completely different journey. Today we learn that Abraham was being tested to see what he would do to his son Isaac. In Genesis 22 we learn that is where Abraham is being tested. 22 Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied. 2 Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”

Today we are starting a new series on Abram and going on a completely different journey. This will be a four week journey. In Genesis chapter 15 we come to one of the high-water marks of Old Testament revelation, summarized for us in verse 6: “Then he believed in the Lord; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.”

Today we are starting a new series on Abram and going on a completely different journey. This will be a four week journey. Today we are talking about Faith. What does the bible say about faith. Abraham father of faith is about how he was tempted, faced adversity, failed, triumphed and overall kept the faith. When Abram went to Egypt to escape the consequences of a devastating drought in Egypt, Abram feared that he might be killed in Egypt on account of his wife who was a woman of exceptional beauty. Instead of relying on God’s protection, Abram lied and claimed that Sarah was not his wife, but his sister. In the process, Abram not only put his marriage at risk (the Egyptian Pharaoh actually took her into his harem), but also exposed his wife and the Pharaoh to possible adultery. Amazingly Abram repeated this attempted deception when he went to Gerar. Instead of relying on God’s protection, Abram again resorted to deception to try and save his own skin. Even though God had promised Abram numerous descendants, Sarai’s infertility was a challenge to both Abram’s and Sarah's faith. So, instead of trusting God, Abram and Sarai decided that they needed to “help God out” –they decided that Abram would sleep with Sarai’s maid-servant, Hagar, and build a family through her. Hagar conceived and bore Ishmael to Abram, but this act of Sarai and Abram would cause them both a lot of anxiety and discomfort. God knew that Abraham would struggle with the call before him, but He also knew that Abraham’s struggle would produce great growth and faith. There are 4 things that helped out in this situation. (1) Abraham was an old man when God called him to set out on this journey. 2. Abraham laughed at God and so did his wife Sarah…and God heard them. 3. Abraham lied about his wife being his sister, not once but twice. 4. Abraham trusted God when many of us wouldn’t have. God said to Abraham, “’Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.” Genesis 22:2

Today we are starting a new series on Abram and going on a completely different journey. This will be a four week journey. Today we are talking about Faith. What does the bible say about faith. Hebrews 11:1 tells us that faith is “being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Perhaps no other component of the Christian life is more important than faith. We cannot purchase it, sell it or give it to our friends. So what is faith and what role does faith play in the Christian life? The dictionary defines faith as “belief in, devotion to, or trust in somebody or something, especially without logical proof.” It also defines faith as “belief in and devotion to God.” The Bible has much more to say about faith and how important it is. In fact, it is so important that, without faith, we have no place with God, and it is impossible to please Him (Hebrews 11:6). According to the Bible, faith is belief in the one, true God without actually seeing Him. Faith is not something we conjure up on our own, nor is it something we are born with, nor is faith a result of diligence in study or pursuit of the spiritual. Ephesians 2:8-9 makes it clear that faith is a gift from God, not because we deserve it, have earned it, or are worthy to have it. It is not from ourselves; it is from God. It is not obtained by our power or our free will. Faith is simply given to us by God, along with His grace and mercy, according to His holy plan and purpose, and because of that, He gets all the glory. Some examples of faith are: Hebrews chapter 11 is known as the “faith chapter” because in it great deeds of faith are described. By faith Abel offered a pleasing sacrifice to the Lord (v. 4); by faith Noah prepared the ark in a time when rain was unknown (v. 7); by faith Abraham left his home and obeyed God’s command to go he knew not where, then willingly offered up his only son (vv. 8-10, 17); by faith Moses led the children of Israel out of Egypt (vv. 23-29); by faith Rahab received the spies of Israel and saved her life (v. 31). Many more heroes of the faith are mentioned “who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies” (vv. 33-34). Clearly, the existence of faith is demonstrated by action.

Today we are starting a new series and going on a completely different journey. This journey we will be on for only three weeks. Today ends our three week Journey on the One Flesh Series. I hope you all enjoyed this journey and are excited to see what more journeys we can go on.

Today we are starting a new series and going on a completely different journey. This journey we will be on for only three weeks. So please come on this journey with us where two shall become one. There are four things that really destroy marriages. They are called “The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. First Horseman – Criticism. The first one is criticism. In criticism, you frame your complaints as if there’s something defective in your partner. One puts the other one down. It is a global description of a flaw in your partner’s personality. There is a direct implication that something is wrong with your partner’s character. e.g.: Second Horseman – Defensiveness. The second horseman is defensiveness. When you feel under attack, people get defensive. Defensiveness is an attempt to protect yourself; to defend your innocence or to ward off a perceived attack. Sometimes it is done by counter-attacking, or by whining (innocent victim stance). e.g. “Me? What about you?” The Third Horseman: Stonewalling. The third Horseman is Stonewalling. In Stonewalling, the listener withdraws from the interaction while staying in the room. There is an effort not to give a clue that he or she is even listening. You will see this type of non-verbal behavior: The final Horseman is contempt. Contempt is really something to eliminate when it exists in a relationship. It includes things like threats, name calling, and insulting. To do that, we have to change a lot of things in your way of relating.

Today we are starting a new series and going on a completely different journey. This journey we will be on for only three weeks. So please come on this journey with us where two shall become one. In the Gospel of Mark, the Lord Jesus teaches that “from the beginning of creation ‘God made them male and female.’” He then declares a great and beautiful truth inscribed in creation: “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. So they are no longer two but one flesh” (Mark 10:6–8).