Gospel Grace Church Sermon Audio

- Speaker: Isaac Gagarinas - The rise of the internet changed the trajectory of society in countless ways. One of the greatest was the creation of a new medium of engagement which is the digital world. Now, people have the ability to engage with ideas, videos, music, and content. Friends can both connect with old friends and make new friends they never would have otherwise. But what exactly is the digital world? How should Christians engage it? In this class we start with a biblical anthropology, recognizing that God has created us as embodied beings. As embodied beings, we are made for embodied reality and embodied relationships. Therefore, the goal of this is to rightly value the digital world so that we as embodied beings can rightly engage the digital world.

Acts 4:32-5:2 - Speaker: Lukus Counterman - At the end of Acts 4, the believers experienced sweet community. People were caring for one another and pursuing the good of the church. That is until a deceitful couple named Ananias and Sapphira put God to the test. They thought their fake spirituality would sneak under the radar. Surely, they could be selfish inside and put on a spiritual show outside. Nope. God judged them and displayed the importance of holiness and integrity in the church. The community responded in the fear of the Lord and more and more believers were added to the assembly. This church growth irked the religious leaders of the day, and they turned up the heat of persecution in Acts 5. They arrested, beat, and threatened the apostles. But these Christians were resolved to obey God rather than man. They went on preaching Jesus in Jerusalem and beyond. May the Lord give us hearts of integrity in worship and courage in witness.

- Speaker: Isaac Gagarinas - Today, we take the principles we have discussed so far and apply them to the smartphone. Utilizing Tony Reinke's book, 12 Ways Your Phone is Changing You, we focus on the topic of distraction. The smartphone is a modern technology that provides many benefits to society but also comes with dangers. Few dangers are clearer than distraction. This class seeks to consider why our smartphones are uniquely designed to contribute to our distraction and why we ourselves have an appetite for distraction. By understanding our phones and getting at the heart of distraction, we then consider several biblical principles to move away from distraction and move our hearts toward the eternal things of Scripture. It is from these principles and heart postures that we can then form healthy phone habits.

Acts 17:16-34 - Speaker: Christopher Hile - A framework for engagement equips us to take steps toward cultural literacy in order to love our neighbors and reach them with the gospel. In today's lesson, we describe how to enter, explore, and expose the culture around you in an effort to extend the hope of the gospel to your neighbors. This framework is grounded in Paul's speech in Acts 17:16–34.

Matthew 5:1-12 - Speaker: Jared Jenkins - In Matthew 5, Jesus begins his well-known Sermon on the Mount, which serves as the “code of conduct” for citizens of his kingdoms. In verses 1-12, Jesus shows us who these citizens, these kingdom-dwellers, really are. He starts by describing them as “blessed” or "happy". In this chapter, we see Jesus gives a countercultural perspective on happiness and being blessed by God. According to him, true happiness isn’t found by those who pursue riches or achievements. No, according to Jesus, happiness is for those who are lowly and destitute. This Sunday, we will explore the reason for why the lowly and destitute can be called “blessed.”

Romans 15:5-7 - Speaker: Jon Kopp - “Community is not a spiritual luxury or an optional addition to the exercises of private devotion. Such fellowship is a spiritual necessity; for God has made us in such a way that our fellowship with himself is fed by our fellowship with fellow-Christians, and requires to be so fed constantly for its own deepening and enrichment.” J. I. Packer, God’s Words.

Jeremiah 29:1 - Speaker: Christopher Hile - This week, we are exploring the biblical theme of God’s people in exile. As we locate ourselves in the world of the Bible, we gain a right understanding of who we are, and this shapes how we live. I’m doing so, we see that Christians are dual citizens who await our heavenly home while seeking the good of the city we are in.

- Speaker: Isaac Gagarinas - In our second class, we move our discussion from the nature of technology to building a framework for using technology. By surveying several biblical texts, this class first draws out several important biblical principles. Through these principles, the class then formulates a four-question framework for using technology. These are questions to help Christians establish wise technological habits for themselves. All the while, the goal is to both form wise habits and discern heart postures that our technology reveals within us.

Acts 4:1-31 - Speaker: Lukus Counterman - In Acts 4, the church faced its first wave of opposition. What began as a movement that engendered people’s favor, turned into something that threatened the religious establishment. The more people believed in Jesus the more religious leaders felt unsettled. They arrested Peter and John, called them before the Sanhedrin, and commanded them to stop teaching in Jesus’ name. Well, in the face of opposition, the apostles continued to proclaim the gospel in the power of the Spirit. And subsequently, thousands more in Jerusalem were saved. May the Lord teach us how to respond in the face of opposition. May he embolden us to share the good news through the power of the Spirit.

- Speaker: Christopher Hile - How do we engage our culture with the gospel? This is a multifaceted question because it necessitates that we not only know our Bibles–who God is and how he is at work in the world–but we also need to know the world around us. This class, the first of a 7-week series on Christian engagement, attempts to situate us in the world around us by explaining how things came to this. Understanding our cultural context is crucial to loving others and engaging them with the gospel.

1 Peter 4:10-11 - Speaker: Josh MacAvoy -

Genesis 1:28 - Speaker: Isaac Gagarinas - As an introduction to "The Christian and Technology" series, this class introduces some of the common challenges associated with modern technology. Listeners are challenged to think critically about both technology and their hearts in relation to technology. The class finishes by surveying a brief theology of technology as man must consider his relationship to technology.

Colossians 3:1-17 - Speaker: Jonathan Jarrett - Maybe you’re just starting to explore biblical Christianity and don’t really know much about Jesus at all yet. Or perhaps you’ve recently started getting to know Jesus and you’re thinking, “I’m going to church, I started reading my Bible—what now?” Or maybe you’ve been following Jesus for years but feel stuck in your walk, like you’ve hit a spiritual plateau. Do you think that can happen? Where you plateau in your walk and you don’t really know whether you’ve been changing or growing the last 6 months or even a year? Well, no matter where you are today, here’s the good news: while Paul was writing to the Colossians, the God inspiring his letter had you in mind too. So Paul—one of history’s best followers of Jesus—shows us in Colossians 3 how we, as disciples of Jesus are to grow in him.

Acts 2:42-3:26 - Speaker: Lukus Counterman - Acts 3 gives us a beautiful illustration of what salvation is like. There’s a man born lame, broken, and disabled. What a picture of our own state prior to Christ. This crippled man is a poor beggar, much like us as bankrupt sinners. The lame man is outside the temple, separated from God. We too are distant from the Lord because of our sin. But in Acts 3, the man is healed by faith in the powerful name of Jesus. In like manner, we can be spiritually healed by calling upon the name of the Lord. Praise God for the gracious work of his Son, Jesus.

Acts 2:1-41 - Speaker: Lukus Counterman - Acts 2 is an account of the feast of Pentecost following Jesus crucifixion and resurrection. 50 days after the cross, people were gathering in Jerusalem to celebrate God’s provision of the Law and his provision of their yearly harvest. But this particular year, God provided something else. He poured out his Spirit upon believers. This miracle 2000 years ago, truly was the firstfruit of a great harvest to follow. Ever since, those who believe on Christ are given the gift of the Holy Spirit! Now, Peter shows that this outpouring was not random or coincidental. It was all tied to Jesus, the one that was crucified just weeks before in Jerusalem. When the people heard that, they were “cut to the heart” and through repentance and faith as many as 3000 were saved that day. Praise be to God, that many more have followed the same path of trusting in Jesus and have received the same gift of the Spirit.

Acts 1:1-26 - Speaker: Lukus Counterman - Welcome to our new series through the book of Acts! Through the fall and spring semesters we will study the work of our exalted Lord through his Spirit in his church. As the book unfolds, Luke starts by orienting us to Jesus’ grand mission. What we discover is that the gospel was meant to be shared. So, in this first chapter, Jesus outlines its reverberation from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth. What’s beautiful about Acts 1 is that we are invited to find our place in the mission of the church and do our part for the glory of Christ. So, may our hearts be encouraged to spread the good news of the gospel to both neighbors and nations.

Galatians 5:1-15 - Speaker: Josh Lankford - A lot of people want freedom, but to what end? Kids want the freedom to play with mom's phone. High school students want the freedom to make their own decisions. College students want the freedom to take a nap. And adults want the freedom to take off work for the holidays. Did you know that Christians have freedom too? Christ's sacrifice on the cross issued freedom to every Christian. But to what end? Well, that's exactly what we're going to discover this Sunday together. I won't spoil it here, but rest assured, it's a freedom that keeps us squarely within the grace of God, away from performance, and moving towards our neighbor. It's a freedom that has its climax in love toward one another, because God has first loved us.

2 Timothy 4:9-22 - Speaker: Lukus Counterman - This week we will finish our series through the book of 2Timothy. It’s been a wonderful opportunity to think about perseverance in the gospel. As Paul moved toward death, he wanted gospel work to continue. And so, he encourages the next generation to pick up the baton of faith. In our final passage, Paul alludes to three sources of strength for perseverance in God’s work. May the Lord encourage our hearts as we seek to live for him!

Romans 6:1-14 - Speaker: Will Galkin - In Romans 6:1-14, Paul destroys the objection to God’s grace found in Romans 6:1, “Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?” He states that Christians are dead to sin and alive to Christ. This means that Christians are no longer enslaved to sin but are now free to serve Christ. Properly understanding a Christian’s union with Christ helps eliminate the temptation to drift into the false teachings of legalism or antinomianism (no law). Rather, Christians can enjoy the promise in Romans 6:14: “For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.”

- Speaker: Lukus Counterman - A hummingbird near Bingham Canyon, Utah was seen pressing its bill against the biggest red “flower” in town. No one knows for sure how long it took for the bird to realize that you can’t get nectar out of a traffic light! You know, we act like that bird sometimes. We expend a lot of energy to feed our souls with food that doesn’t satisfy. There is a longing in every heart that only God can quench. So he says, “Come to me.” The satisfaction God offers is free for us, because it was paid for through the cross-work of Jesus. May the Lord teach us the good news, the gospel this Sunday from Isaiah 55. We must stop trying to quench our own souls and receive the satisfying grace of God.