Grace Chapel Knoxville Sermons

In this week’s message (Mark 11:11-33), Jesus addresses the empty show of religion—like a fig tree with no fruit or a temple turned marketplace—and calls people back to prayer and real faith. His actions showed God’s authority and care, exposing what was false and opening the way to true life with Him. The question is simple: will we just nod in agreement, or truly give Him our allegiance and bear fruit?

When Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a young donkey, He was showing the world what kind of King He is. He came in humility and peace, fulfilling a prophecy spoken centuries earlier, while the crowds welcomed Him with shouts of “Hosanna!” from Psalm 118. What they didn’t realize was that this moment also lined up with the choosing of the Passover lamb—a picture of Jesus offering Himself as the sacrifice for our salvation. The triumphal entry reminds us that Jesus is both our King and our Lamb, and like the donkey that carried Him, we’re called to bring His presence into the lives of those around us and turn over control of our lives to him.

This passage tells the story of Bartimaeus, a blind beggar who recognized Jesus as the Messiah even before he received healing. Despite being silenced by the crowd, Bartimaeus cried out all the more, and Jesus stopped, called him near, and restored his sight. Jake highlighted that Jesus not only heals but brings complete wholeness (sozo): body, mind, and soul. Bartimaeus moved from sitting by the roadside to following Jesus on the way, a reminder that true faith both saves and transforms. As believers, we are called to encourage others to “take heart” and not become obstacles for those who are desperately trying to reach Jesus.

As Jesus is making his final approach to Jerusalem, He engages in some important conversation with his disciples. He prepares them with full transparency of his coming arrest, suffering, his death on the cross, and ultimately his resurrection. This sparks several conversations with the disciples regarding their own coming persecution, for some their martyrdom, and the need for patient endurance among his followers. Jesus reminds them that in His Kingdom, there is no grasping for power and control. Just as Jesus lays down his life for many as the servant of all, His followers are also called to lay down the pursuit of power and control and live as his bond-servants here on earth.

This sermon from Mark 10:17–31 shows us that while the rich young ruler came eagerly to Jesus, he was unwilling to surrender the “one thing” that held his heart: his wealth. Jesus reveals that every person has something they may cling to that threatens to take His place, whether it’s possessions, pride, control, or comfort. Out of love, Jesus calls us to let go of whatever holds us back and follow Him completely. Though surrender feels impossible in our own strength, God makes the impossible possible through His Spirit. True life and lasting riches are found not in holding tightly to temporary treasures, but in releasing them to embrace a real and eternal relationship with Jesus.

In Mark 9:30–50, Jesus redefines true greatness for His disciples. While they argued about power and position, Jesus pointed them instead toward humility, servanthood, and purity. He embraced a child as an example of receiving the least and warned His followers to take sin seriously, guarding both their own hearts and the influence they have on others. Greatness in God’s kingdom is not about prestige or control, but about sacrifice, holiness, and living at peace with one another. True greatness looks less like power and more like purity, as we live as salt in the world for the sake of Christ and His Kingdom.

In Mark 9:14–29, we encounter a desperate father, a suffering son, and a group of disciples unable to help. Jesus steps into the chaos and reminds us that the answer is always to bring our brokenness to Him. The father’s honest cry, “I believe; help my unbelief!”, is the kind of prayer Jesus honors; one that admits weakness yet trusts His power. Christ not only heals the son but restores the father’s shattered faith, showing us that prayer is not about our strength but about our reliance on His presence, compassion, and authority. True faith grows as we bring our doubts, struggles, and even our unbelief to Jesus in prayer, trusting Him to do what only He can do.

In Mark 9:1–13, we see Jesus transfigured before Peter, James, and John, giving them a breathtaking glimpse of His glory and confirming Him as the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets through the appearance of Moses and Elijah. This passage reminds us that intimacy with Christ invites us into moments of revelation where His true majesty shines through, not to keep us on the mountaintop, but to strengthen us for the challenges of everyday life. Just as Jesus was transformed before His disciples, we too are called to be transformed—no longer conformed to the world, but renewed in mind and spirit, with unveiled faces reflecting His glory. In Christ, we dare to hope, believe, and live in the freedom of His Spirit, trusting that the light of His presence is far greater than anything this world offers.

In today’s sermon, we take a look at Jesus healing a man’s physical blindness, and we see Peter’s eyes opened to the reality of Jesus as the coming Messiah. The good news of Jesus' power and presence is essential for us, as we also learn the cost of following Him. The question for all of us is, who do we say that Jesus is? May we fix our gaze upon Jesus as he brings true sight to our eyes!

Jesus understands his purpose and has compassion on those in need. He has no patience for the pessimism, distraction, and attacks of his skeptics. As his disciples, will we learn to bring what we have in our hands and invite him to permeate our hearts? Or will we keep our eyes only on what we can see - like our limitations and our overwhelming challenges - and find our hearts hardened in the process?

In today’s sermon, we see Jesus healing two people in very unlikely and even controversial ways. In these two stories, we see Jesus' loving, personal touch to heal. We are also taught about the power of faith, not only in our own lives, but also learn how our personal stories of faith can grow and produce faith in others. May we all see Jesus’ touch in and through our lives as He does all things well.

Jesus wants to free us from false and external forms of justification that keep us from a genuine repentance and true purity and healing. In this passage, Jesus makes it clear that we should not substitute traditions and outward behaviors to keep us moral and pure. Instead, let’s allow the Lord to expose broken ways of living and thinking that keep our hearts defiled and in bondage, that we might come to Him for true purity of heart.

From Genesis to Revelation, God is described as a Shepherd to His people, and in John 10, Jesus Himself says He is, in fact, the Good Shepherd. Let’s look at the intimate bond between the Shepherd and his sheep, that we may claim as David did, “The Lord is my Shepherd.”

We all feel the deep need for approval, security, and worth. In this Family Sunday message, we explore what happens when our identity is unsettled—and how the world’s solutions just bury us deeper. Drawing from Ephesians 3, we’ll see how being rooted and established in God’s love frees us from needing others’ approval, self-protection, and the drive to prove ourselves. It’s not about self-love—it’s about knowing whose you are and being freed to love from the overflow.

What does it truly mean to live out grace? In this week’s message, Kristen shares both personal stories and biblical examples that challenge us to go beyond mercy and embrace grace as a defining trait of our faith. From Mephibosheth to Peter, we see how God’s grace restores, uplifts, and transforms lives. Join us as we reflect on how we, as a church and as individuals, can be known by our love and grace in a world that desperately needs both.

On Sunday, Pastor David Thompson shared a special Father's Day message.

The hows of church aren’t obligations; they are responses to something incredible being made available. In this message, we explore the stunning contrast in Hebrews 12 between Sinai and Zion—between fear and full access to God. Through the blood of Christ and the anointing of the Spirit, we can draw near. As an anointed people, we gather and we extend.

The Church isn’t just tradition—it’s the present-tense expression of a new world that’s coming. This message draws a straight line from Christian eschatology to why we gather now, showing how the Spirit-empowered Church can align with the coming Kingdom because our future has been defined, revealed, and secured.

This week, we hear from Allison Allen, who shares on Psalm 84.

This week, we hear from Pastor Jonathan Allen, who continued in the Gospel of Mark, chapter 6.