Grace Chapel Knoxville Sermons

Pastor Jonathan brought an encouraging word on loving one another. He highlighted how John uses a musical quality in his writing to reaffirm key themes with repeated phrases that work like a chorus. In this passage, John repeatedly affirms the power of love and the destructiveness caused by the absence of love. This truth anchors us in the importance of abiding in God’s love. When we live like that, we can truly be “loved people, who love people."

In today’s message, we are discussing the incredible significance of what we consistently put into practice in our lives. The truth is that the habits we form, form us. We are either conforming to the patterns of a broken world leading to death, or we are growing in the way of Jesus which is life. May we all discover the power of practicing the righteousness of God, as we become more and more at home with Jesus.

This week Mark McComas teaches through 1 John 3:1-3 and challenges us not to read scriptures through our modern framework of Christianity, but by beholding the truth of who God is, and that we can know him and be known by him.

Today we explore John's warning about antichrists and false teaching. He gives us clear direction on avoiding these errors, and a firm foundation of Spirit and Truth to stand on that we may abide in the truth of Jesus. We don’t have to be fearful, but we should be prepared. Let’s purpose to abide in truth so that we may remain anchored in Christ.

This week, we discussed 1 John 2:12-17. John is encouraging readers to remember what anchors them, and how vital they are to one another. When the enemy comes to tempt us with desires of the eyes, flesh, and pride, John says we should find all that we need in God, and to link arms with one another so that we aren’t fighting the battles alone.

This week we honored mothers by remembering the story of Jesus, his mother, and John in John 19:26-27. Jesus honored his mother, even in his suffering, by acknowledging her suffering and entrusting John into her care. Jesus recognized that John needed a spiritual mother and Mary would be blessed by being able to pour into John. Spiritual mothers and fathers are a vital part of the walk of every Christian, and so we should be eager to step into that role for someone else and find that spiritual parent for ourselves.

This week, Bob Spencer spoke about the commandment from 1 John 2:7-11. This commandment is a simple one that is throughout the Old and New Testament. John reminds us of the commandment to love one another. There is a temptation to create categories for people we deem “unloveable” to excuse ourselves from following this command fully, but the commandment and example from Jesus are clear, love one another without abandon.

In our discussion of 1 John, this week, we discussed chapter 2 verses 1-6. In these verses, we learn that Jesus fulfills many roles in our lives if we allow him to. He is our advocate; his sacrifice allows us to walk in the freedom that he promises us. He is our commander; his commandments come from a heart that is full of love for us, and if we can follow those commands, (or try to) he can pour his love into us so that we may pour that love into others. Finally, he is our guide; when we follow in his footsteps, ask him for guidance, and go where he guides us, we can be in the light and free from the darkness.

This week Krystal Hawkins taught us from 1 John chapter 1 about walking in the light. Where there is light, there cannot be darkness. The light that comes from being in a relationship with Jesus includes our relationship with him, but it also includes our relationships with one another. Being in the light is a reflection of our walk with the Lord, and if we are walking in the light, it is impossible for his glory to not radiate from us. We have to be willing to take an active part in letting his light into our lives to renovate our hearts and shine into the dark places, but if we are willing to embrace that journey, with Him in control, we can step into a life full of his glorious light.

Following Resurrection Sunday, we continued our discussion on the clothing that Jesus wore during His death and resurrection, but also what we are clothed in once we decide to become His followers. This week we reflected on how we are clothed from above, with new life, wisdom, and power. The garments that the Lord has for us are good and perfect, but we often try to just choose the pieces we want or think we need. Our savior was clothed in humility so that we may be clothed in new life and power. May we step into those garments and leave behind the rags we have been wearing.

This week we celebrated our risen, Savior, Jesus, and explored what his clothes told us about him and his character. We see the humility and sacrifice of Jesus, as he lays aside his garments to wash his disciples’ feet. Through the story of the woman who is healed by touching his garment, we see that Jesus uses his power and authority, not for his own gain, but to love and serve humanity. And, as Jesus was wrapped in swaddling clothes, as a child, we see the creator of the universe wrapped in the frailty of humanity, that he might lay down his life for us. Jesus took on the garments of humanity, laying aside his divinity, in order that we might be clothed with salvation!

As Jesus began his journey towards Jerusalem and ultimately the cross, he had several significant encounters along the way. May we see Jesus inviting us into his true riches, glory, and healing. As followers of Jesus let’s be purposeful to engage in what might seem to be interruptions, in order to share Jesus with people in need.

Pastor Dave Buehring joined us this Sunday and delivered a great word based on Paul’s letter to the Corinthians. We walked step by step through this encouraging and challenging passage found in chapter 13 that defines God’s love and how we ought to love one another. May we all open our hearts to the Lord and allow him to reveal, reconcile, and redeem our love for Him and one another.

As we wrapped up our series this week, we spent some time reflecting on how important it is for the church to live on mission with Jesus. In the book of Acts, we have many wonderful examples of people being present and intentional to minister to others, attentive and responsive to the Holy Spirit’s prompting, and willingly facing their fears and life’s challenges to bring the hope of Jesus to a world in need. May we learn from their examples and embrace a lifestyle of living on mission!

As followers of Jesus, discipleship should be a part of our everyday life. When Jesus first called Andrew and Peter, he gave them three simple instructions that still apply to us today: follow, change, and mission. It can be tempting to choose one or two of these instructions to live out, but without all three, we are missing out on the full life that we are promised in Him. As individual believers and as a church body, may we be actively choosing to follow him, allowing him to change us, and staying on mission with him.

Fellowship is a common word in the church world. We normally use it to describe the fun and easy meals we enjoy together after service or a Wednesday evening hangout, but what does real fellowship actually look like? When we are really sharing our lives with other believers in the body, we need to be open to the difficult and challenging times that sometimes will occur. Luckily, we have a God who promises us the help we need to love others well which leads us to the blessings that come when we live in true fellowship with one another.

This Sunday we discussed the importance of God's presence in our church. Jesus' primary message to the disciples in John chapters 14-17 was that they learn to abide in him, being rooted in a loving, healthy relationship with God. This is such a vital part of a healthy, mature church body, that we must rely upon the presence of God. This will produce healthy fruit in the life of the church, and empower us to reproduce the life of Jesus in others.

This week Jonathan Allen spoke about the familiar parable of the houses built on the sand and on the rock. He discussed the three characteristics of the wise man: coming to Jesus, hearing from Jesus, and doing what he says. As Christians, we should be making all decisions by going through all three steps in this process, but too often, we neglect one or more of these crucial pieces. As a church body, we want to build our house on a strong foundation, so when the inevitable floods of life come, we can be a safe space for our community to take shelter.

This Sunday we returned to our Built Together series and focused on using our Treasure to build up the church. There is a key mindset shift that Jesus invites us into in Luke 12, calling us to move from striving to stewarding. The Lord is our generous provider, and we can learn to trust Him for provision and lean on Him to help us use all that is in our care well.

This week, we spent time celebrating the previous year, looking ahead to some plans for this year, and sharing an update on church finances and the remodel project for our new church home. We hope this is encouraging and equipping for all of us as we step into this next season together. As a church family, let’s humbly and prayerfully submit our plans and our ways to the Lord in this new year!