Grace Church Of The Bay Area

Why do Christians suffer? And why do we go through hardship? Is it for the sake of Christ and the Gospel, or is it because of our sin and disobedience to the Truth? When we suffer for the Gospel of Christ, there is blessing. In fact, it is a privilege to suffer for His sake. Ultimately, we will endure suffering for that which is important to us. Does Christ matter to you? Today, Pastor Roger brings us four explanations of the significance of Christian suffering.

With the New Year often comes resolutions. And many of those resolutions have to do with changing our conduct. Today Pastor Roger brings us a very timely message from the Apostle Paul on Christian conduct. Which is not just about making a commitment to obeying His Word, but about aligning our lives with the character of God. We must ask, do I conduct myself in a manner worthy of the Gospel? Listen along to four distinctives of Christian conduct.

Welcome to another 5th Sunday Q&A. Today Pastor Roger deals with the topic of Jesus’ genealogy, and God’s sovereign timing in sending Him for earthly ministry. Also, the purpose of dinosaurs in creation. The benefit of “rising early”, or rather leading a disciplined life. Finally, he ends our Q&A discussing the role of politics and sharing the Gospel.

With Jesus comes a message of peace. For in Christ, we are no longer at enmity with God (Col. 1:20-22). In Christ, we have peace (Jn. 14:27, Ro. 5:1). Today Pastor Roger brings us a message from Ephesians chapter 2: explaining our natural condition, and all that Christ accomplished to bring us peace. But he also explains the reality of God’s righteous judgement for those who reject Him. Praise God for the Gospel!

There is one thing we can’t get back once we lose it, and that is time. Our time on earth is limited. And how we spend our time as Christians, matters. We must also ask ourselves what or whom are we living for? Today Pastor Roger brings us a practical, and very important message, from the Apostle Paul, explaining how we can make the most of our time while away from our home. Listen and learn three steps to efficiently maximize your time on earth.

To be, or not to be? A familiar question from Hamlet that we have all heard at one point or another. It is one that considers life and death. One that Hamlet poses, intent on knowing which is better. As Christians, however, we understand that it is only in Christ that our lives have value (Acts 17:28). And in our passage today, Paul will answer that question from a biblical perspective. Listen to a very powerful message from Pastor Roger as he gives us five noble perspectives on life and death.

At some point in our faith, we have probably asked the question, can I lose my salvation? From Scripture, the answer is clear: we are saved by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8-9). Our salvation is entirely from God, and therefore, we are confident that we can’t lose it (Ro. 8:38-39). Furthermore, our confidence in daily Christian living should be in God, and God alone. If only that Christ may be exalted in our life! Today Pastor Roger brings us a very impactful message on five points of confidence for daily Christian living.

What, or more importantly, Who, motivates you? Doing the right thing does not always mean having the right motive. In fact, doing the right actions, without the right heart attitude, are like filthy rags (Is. 64:6). There is no love in it. At these moments we must ask ourselves, are we serving others out of a love for God and His people, or not? And if not, we don’t stop doing good – we change our motivation. Today Pastor Roger gives us three ministry lessons on motives and having a biblical perspective.

At times, life can be very difficult. So, what do we do? How do we keep our focus on God? James teaches that we are to consider it all joy when we encounter various trials (Jas 1:2–4). Much of our answer is found in having the right perspective. But in the end, our priority should be to focus on God, and others. Listen to a very encouraging message from Pastor Roger as he teaches three ways to keep our focus on God in the midst of trials.

Today we look at part 2 of how to pray for our Christian friends. We learn that positionally we are in Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness, which is something that does not change. Therefore, we must act like it. We must discern what is excellent and do it. And what is the purpose of prayer? When it comes to praying for others, as with everything else, our goal must be for the praise and glory of God— regardless of the outcome.

In our world today, we often see books on how to improve oneself. For the Christian, however, it is quite the opposite. As Christians we are to be others’ focused. We are also to excel still more in love and good deeds. To reject the good for the sake of striving after the best, what is excellent. We are also to want that for our fellow believers. We are to pray for it. Today, Pastor Roger begins a two-part study on five specifics to pray for your Christian friends.

We come upon another 5th Sunday Q&A. Today Pastor Roger touches on the topic of Angels and Demons, and an Angel’s choice to follow Satan. We also learn about demon possession. He then changes gears to talk about studying the Scripture in it’s original language, and the meanings of iniquity, transgression, and sin. We then look at the grounds for biblical divorce. And finally, our role in evangelism.

What does love look like on a practical level? As in everything, we need to model Christ. We are to love like Christ loved, which is seen no more clearly than in His self-sacrifice on the Cross. We are to be selfless. We must also understand that Christlike love is about others becoming more like Him, despite our personal feelings. Today Pastor Roger gives us three practical descriptions of Christian love.

When we came to saving faith in Christ, as a onetime event, we were justified. And in the future, when we die and go to heaven, we will be glorified. But what about now, as believers? To put simply, we are in the process of being sanctified. That is, the process of becoming more like Christ, or our spiritual growth. What does that look like? Today, Pastor Roger seeks to answer that question by giving us four worshipful views of sanctification.

Everything we have, including our friends, is a gift from God. Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends” (Jn. 15:13). True biblical friendship is not about you, or who you are, it’s about others. It is a friendship that is Christ centered, marked with humility. Today Pastor Roger gives us five elements of biblical friendship. How can you be a biblical friend?

Today marks the beginning of our study in the book of Philippians. As we look at the first two verses, Pastor Roger will be giving us a lot of facts about Philippi. Now some of those facts are not going to change our spiritual life. But there are others that provide examples for us to follow in the life of the Apostle Paul. And essentially, whenever we read the Scriptures, those are the facts, the definitive question is how are we going to respond?

We now come to our final sermon of Galatians as we look at Paul’s concluding remarks. And although we may tend to glance over this conclusion, there are truths that we must consider and apply. Pastor Roger now teaches three clarifications of Paul’s character that will guide our practical faith.

On the Cross, our Lord eliminated the debt owed by mankind, that is, our debt of sin. Our faith is centered on what Christ accomplished on the Cross. And there are so many reasons for us to be thankful for what He accomplished. Today, Pastor Roger gives us four reasons to glory in the Cross of Christ!

In our passage today, we learn that fearing God and finding satisfaction in God are synonymous in the mind of Solomon. How do you fear God in normative life? Find joy in Him. Find satisfaction in Him. And we do that by keeping His commandments. Pastor Adam now teaches four ways your heart displays satisfaction in God. And ultimately, everything you do has value if your heart is right with God.

The wise man is smart, but there are limits to his knowledge. As Aristotle puts it, “The more you know, the more you know you don’t know.” The truth is, we can’t know everything. So what can I know? What can I know for certain in this uncertain world? Listen and learn as Pastor Adam teaches five unpredictable certainties of life under the sun.