Grace Chapel Knoxville Sermons

The kingdom of God feels like some magical place that is floating in the sky, but what Jesus preached to his disciples and others is that the kingdom of God is present and available for us on this side of heaven. He wants us to be a part of his kingdom by allowing Him to be the ruler of our lives. It means that we must give up control of our own tiny kingdoms where we think we have control and turn that power over to Him. The kingdom of God is all around us, but it is up to us if we want to participate in His kingdom and give him the authority in our lives that he deserves.

Today we heard from two beloved ministries: Donna Boone & Julio, from Josiah's House, shared an update from the Dominican Republic and Andrew & Dira Soreano shared their upcoming opportunity to serve in Indonesia with Compassion First.

In the Old Testament, the presence of God dwelled in places built by humans who were given very specific instructions by God. His temple was sacred and holy and could only be entered by a select few people who had to go through very particular and detailed instructions to bring sacrifices on behalf of the people. However, that was never the way we were created to know God. He always intended his people to be in intimate fellowship with Him. When Jesus came and died, the veil in the temple was torn allowing us to have access to God the Father through the Holy Spirit, and Jesus did the work of creating that sacred space so that we can enter His presence at any time or place. This amazing gift allows us to carry His presence with us, to bear his likeness, and to wield His power in ways that we cannot even ask or imagine.

Today we are excited to start a new series titled, “The Church in Acts.” When we look back to its origin we see that, from the very beginning, there was a very clear mission for the early church. We also see that there was a very clear message they were to carry to the rest of the world. All of this, powered by the Holy Spirit, is what we are being called into today as Christ followers. We must understand our roots and commit ourselves to this ministry!

The enemy uses many methods to attack us, so it is important for us to be aware of his tactics and ready to stand firm. Distortion, distraction, discouragement, deception, and division are all tools that the devil uses against believers in our daily lives. If we are unprepared, these, often subtle, strategies are able to derail us from the life that God intends for us. This week, we discussed the ways that these schemes can creep into our lives and minds, and some of the tools that we have at our disposal to fight back.

Jesus holds the ultimate victory against the enemy, however, while we are living in this fallen world, God invites us to participate in spiritual warfare against the forces of evil. When we are going into this fight, it is important to remember that our battleground is on a spiritual level, not among flesh and blood. We must identify strongholds that the enemy may hold in our lives and work to replace them through the healing power of Jesus. We also need to be aware of the weapons that we have at our disposal. He has fully equipped us with everything we need to fight a winning battle, but we must be willing to put on His full armor so that we do not fall victim to the schemes of the devil. Jesus is fighting battles on our behalf, so let us join with Him to defeat the enemy and topple the strongholds that we cannot bring down on our own.

Spiritual warfare seems so intimidating and overwhelming, but it is really just about truth and lies. The enemy has convinced the world of so many lies and many of them are very tempting to believe. We want to make spiritual warfare about the “big sins” in the outside world, but that is how the enemy gains a foothold in our lives. He is able to convince us about lies in our own lives and distract us with shame or self-righteousness, but the good news is that Jesus was able to defeat his lies in the desert and then ultimately with his death and resurrection. Now it is up to us as believers to choose whether we want to choose to live within the truth that Jesus offers or succumb to the lies that can entangle us.

This week we are kicking off a new series on spiritual warfare. In today’s sermon, we focused on Satan, who he is, and how he works. He is real and powerful, primarily working through deception & lies, but thank God he is ultimately defeated in Christ. Therefore, we should be aware and sober-minded regarding his activity, but not afraid because our victory is sure.

This week, we had a family meeting focused on the importance of investing in relationships in church community and the significance of water baptism. We also gave several important updates regarding our Kid's Ministry and key ways we can participate as we grow and reach our community.

In this week’s sermon, we discuss the vital role of living “in Christ” so that we can truly experience healthy relationships. Through the power of Jesus, we are able to live free of our broken demands to find deep fulfillment and have all our desires met in our relationships with each other. Instead, He empowers us to love sacrificially, to find freedom through submission, and to live out committed God-centered relationships.

Today, we are continuing our series on Relationships, specifically focusing on several more pillars for healthy relationships. We will explore the importance of generosity, faithfulness, honor, and blessing as we learn to love one another. May we ultimate honor God as we learn to treat his image bearers well.

Today we had the privilege of hearing from our good friends Andrew and Dira Soreano as they shared their opportunity to serve in Indonesia. May we all faithfully pray for our friends as they pursue serving on the mission field, and be encouraged to invest our lives in God’s Kingdom purposes.

Relationships are an essential part of the life of a disciple of Jesus. He prioritized people, and so should we. As we learn to walk in healthy relationships, there are many challenges along the way and much room for needed growth! Thank God that he has given us grace, invited us into humility, and pours out his love so that we may learn to love one another well.

In Part 3 of this series, we discuss the all-important topic of prayer. God has given us an incredible gift, an invitation to spend time in his presence. As we become more aware and attentive to His Presence, we learn to care about what he cares about and our faith grows as we dare to entrust our hopes into his care.

Today we explore the spiritual discipline of worship. The scripture invites us to practice regularly worshipping God by engaging our hearts in adoration, responding in love, and leading an obedient life. Let’s purpose to focus our hearts to see God for who He really is, and then walk rightly aligned with Him in love and service.

“The Disciple’s Disciplines Part 1” by GraceChapelKnoxville

In this week’s sermon on Hearing God’s voice, we focus on the need to cultivate a responsive heart. As we see in the story of Peter and Cornelius found in Acts 10 - awareness and obedience are essential to hearing God’s voice and seeing the fruit of His work in and through our lives. May we purpose to listen and respond to the Holy Spirit’s prompting, and discover the joy of a vibrant relationship with God!

God wants to speak to each of us. Relationship with us is His desire, and so He can use many ways to communicate. Through the story of Jesus’ conception, we are able to see some of the ways that He communicated with Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, and others. He still wants to speak to us in similar ways, but we must use discernment, and His Word, and be actively seeking His voice in order to receive the messages He wants to send us.

Hearing God’s voice can seem intimidating, “out there” and reserved for mystics and spiritual leaders. And yet our Creator designed each of us for a communal relationship with him. He calls each of us by name and desires to speak into our lives in a deeply personal and intimate way. In this teaching, we explore what it means to answer His call and make space to commune with our heavenly Father.

Most people who have spent time in church know the story of Zacchaeus and maybe even the song, but the story of Zacchaeus tells us a deeper story of repentance and acceptance by a man who was considered deeply flawed by his peers. Jesus was not ashamed to dine with Zacchaeus, in fact, He openly exclaimed his excitement in front of a crowd, and in return, Zacchaeus eagerly offered to restore anyone he had wronged in the past. Jesus’ love and forgiveness should motivate us to joyfully repent and restore our earthy relationships just as He restores and forgives us.