Grace Chapel Knoxville Sermons

As limited earthly beings, it is easy to let our view of our earthly father translate into our view of our Father God. However, Abba Father is our perfect heavenly Father, and if we can let go of the small and limiting box that we try to force Him into, he has so much that He wants to pour out onto us. He wants to free us from the loneliness of being orphans and the shackles of being spiritual slaves into the glory of being His sons and daughters and co-heirs with Jesus.

In Part 2 of our series, we consider the action of God’s Grace to pour out undeserved love and favor in our lives. Through the powerful interaction, we find in chapter 8 of John’s Gospel, we see the grace of Jesus on display as he calms the chaos, disarms the enemy, and extends true freedom for all who will receive him.

In today’s sermon, we begin a month-long exploration of the “immeasurable riches” of God’s Grace. As we examine Paul’s personal letter to Philemon, we have a powerful picture of how grace operates - inviting all of us into reconciled relationships with God and one another. May we all recognize, respond and grow in the gift of God’s grace.

As we took time to reflect on the life of our church for the past 6 years, we are reminded that through our ups and downs, God has always provided. Grace Chapel Knoxville has gone through many stages and changes, but God always remains faithful. Therefore, as we look ahead to what the Lord has next for our body, we remember what the Psalmist said in Psalm 25; we want to take refuge in Him, be preserved by our integrity, and keep our eyes ever toward the Lord.

To walk in obedience can sound or feel restrictive at first glance. As humans with sinful natures, we want to control our lives and choices, but as Christians, we are invited to the life that God has for us. He wants to grow and stretch us in ways that will enrich and enhance our lives, but part of that journey includes active obedience to Him. If we can separate obedience from legalism and its negative connotations, we can be opened up to walk in the freedom of the joy, peace, and countless other blessings He has in store for our lives.

Forgiveness is costly. The ability to forgive and receive forgiveness can feel inconceivable when we are wounded or feel like we haven’t done anything to need forgiveness, but if we are looking to Christ as our example, then we must look at how He forgave. Even while he was suffering on the cross, Jesus looked at the faces of those betraying him and forgave them. How different would our churches, families, and friendships be if we forgave wholeheartedly like that? True forgiveness is costly, but Jesus paid the ultimate price so that we can forgive freely.

This week we launched into the next section in our discipleship journey - exploring the all-important topic of Jesus’ call to discipleship. Being a disciple is about becoming like our master in character and purpose. There are unique conditions involved in that relationship, that come with great cost, but ultimately result in life-giving characteristics in our lives. May we all count the cost, and answer the call to be disciples of Jesus!

This week we had the privilege of hearing from our friend, Pastor Dave Buehring. Often, as followers of Jesus, we have learned how to love, worship, obey and serve God, but we don’t know simply how to enjoy Him. We hope you will be blessed and encouraged by this message as Pastor Dave shares some practical ways we can learn to enjoy God.

The depths of the knowledge of who our God is are something that our earthly minds cannot understand. However, He invites us to explore His many attributes, to partake in who He is, and grow who we are by understanding Him a little more each day. Aligning who we are with God’s character, takes effort and intention, but the rewards enrich our lives in ways that are beyond what we can ask or even imagine.

Today we are joined by Bob Spencer and look at knowing God in the scriptures. God is in the scriptures and He wants to reveal himself through the Word and for us to experience Him.

Today we look at what it is to know God on a personal level and how to resist the lies of the enemy as we pursue intimacy and union with God the Father.

As we begin a new year and a new study together, we look back at the importance of the word discipleship. What does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus, and why is it so significant to work together as a body of believers to become true disciples? The life that we are called to is costly, but the rewards are priceless, but we must be willing to take up the cross of Jesus and invite his revelation and change in order to fully enjoy the gifts He wants to give us.

Enjoying Jesus is not only the message and invitation of Advent but the very heartbeat of the church. We have been welcomed into the family of God, and the Father’s heart for us is that we would enjoy Him now and forever. As we spend some time together unpacking Psalm 16 today, may we discover the same joy David experienced. Let’s respond to Jesus’ invitation to walk with Him, enjoy His presence daily, and embrace our future that is secure in Him!

In today’s sermon, we explore the powerful work of Renewal that Jesus works in the lives of those who receive Him. Let’s choose to participate in that process individually and collectively as He builds His church into a place of renewal. Let’s respond to His call to remove the grave clothes, that we all might freely experience His resurrection life.

In this week’s message, we reflect on the coming of Christ, and how this season of Advent reminds us of the beautiful call that we now have to carry our Savior to a world in need. Sharing Jesus is one of the greatest opportunities for the church, and also one of our most difficult challenges. May we adopt the same mindset we see in Mary to say yes to this adventure, believing that the joy of carrying the light of Christ far outweighs the darkness we face along the way.

In this week’s message, we explore how to walk in the gifts of the Spirit. May we all have increased awareness to see the needs around us, and be ready and willing to share what we have instead of focusing on what we lack. God cares deeply about people, and we can trust the Holy Spirit to give us what’s needed to love others well and share the life and hope of Jesus! For additional resources on the gifts of the Spirit, follow the link to check out parts 13-17 of the Abide series at www.gracechapelknoxville.net/abide

A healthy body needs all of its parts to function at full capacity; the Body of Christ is no different. The Holy Spirit was sent to the first church at Pentecost in order to bring the presence of God to the followers of Jesus who were meeting there together. They had joined together with a unity of mind that allowed for peace together. While their gifts were different, their goals were the same. The Spirit is our gift from God, but in order to fully receive that gift, we need each other; we need to live together in peace and unity to be built up fully as a healthy functioning body.

Being in community is something that is emphasized throughout the New Testament. Jesus challenged his disciples and followers to live life together. We all know that community is important, but when the realities of life set in, we have the tendency to pull away from people and try to go it alone. However, community offers us some really important gifts that can enrich our lives in ways that we may never expect; rest for the weary, food for the hungry, shelter from the storm, and a place to be challenged, to wrestle, and ultimately to grow, so let’s embrace the hard things and get in each other’s boats.

This week we discussed the importance of fellowship. Does being a Christian require being a part of a community of believers? While having a relationship with Jesus does not require that we are active in a body of believers, it does enrich and enhance our faith in ways that we may not even realize we need. Life is full of difficulties and battles that can be overwhelming alone, but if the body is functioning in a healthy way, we can bare each other’s burdens and journey through life in a way that brings glory to the Father and blessings to us that we aren’t even expecting.

The word doctrine is one that, as Christians, we don’t always jump at the opportunity to discuss. It can feel oppressive and limiting, but the doctrine of Jesus is freedom and joy. He teaches us about love and freedom, but we have to be willing to receive, live and practice His doctrine under his perfect authority to fully live out the potential He has for us.