SERMON RECAP
July 28, 2024 || Psalm 100 || Walt Alexander
Give Praise to God!
Main Point: Worship the Lord your King and sing to him with all your heart!
Sing loudly.
Sing mind-fully.
Sing gratefully.
Sing continually.
News
July 28, 2024 || Psalm 100 || Walt Alexander
Give Praise to God!
Main Point: Worship the Lord your King and sing to him with all your heart!
Sing loudly.
Sing mind-fully.
Sing gratefully.
Sing continually.
July 21, 2024 || John 17:20-26 || Walt Alexander
What Does Jesus Pray for the Church?
Unity. (v. 20-21)
Glory. (v. 22-24)
Love. (v. 25-26)
July 14, 2024 || John 17:11b-19 || Walt Alexander
What Does Jesus Pray for You?
MAIN POINT: Do not be anxious, you are more valuable to God than you could imagine & more purposed by God than you could dream.
Keep them faithful in the world. (v. 11b-13)
Keep them from the god of this world. (v. 14-16)
Send them into the world. (v. 17-19)
July 7, 2024 || 2 Timothy 3:10-17 || Gil Balch
Don’t Stop Reading
MAIN POINT: Continue to grow in godliness through God’s Word .
The Appearance of Godliness. (v. 12-13)
The Pursuit of Godliness. (v. 10-11, 14-15)
The Power of Godliness. (v. 16-17)
June 30, 2024 || John 17:6-11a || Walt Alexander
What does Jesus think about you?
MAIN POINT: Every Christian belongs completely to God, chosen by the Father & saved by the Son, to his delight and the praise of his glory.
All who belong to the Father are given to Jesus. (v. 6)
All who are given to Jesus receive him. (v. 7-8)
All who receive him glorify him. (v. 9-11a)
It is impossible to capture all that occurred during our mission trip to serve Lord’s Grace Church in Seoul, Korea in a few works!
When Pastor Songwhan Kang and I attended the Pastors College in 2008-2009, Lord’s Grace Church (and Trinity Grace Church!) did not exist. Now, there is a thriving church there and we have a dear partnership with them than spans many years.
The trip had two primary focuses:
To help Lord’s Grace Church host an adult, Bible conference entitled Don’t Waste Your Life for its members and visitors.
To host an English camp focused on the story of Jonah for the children, from elementary to high school age.
In addition to the Conference and the English Camp, we had the joy of worshipping with Lord’s Grace Church on Sunday!
The conference was entitled Don’t Waste Your Life. It was a study of the book of Ecclesiastes and its implications for how to live in this world.
Perhaps the most powerful moment for me occurred Friday night. After I preached on friendship from Ecclesiastes 4, Pastor Songwhan encouraged the church to apply the message together. It was a powerful moment. He led the church to respond prayerfully. One single lady was surrounded by women who re-committed their desire to be a good friend to her and weep with her after being abandoned. Numerous couples repented to one another and asked for help to be true friends to one another. Songhwan led the church in singing a traditional blessing song to one another, in which they prayed for one another and asked God to bless one another.
Below are some pictures of the conference.
The English camp focused on the story of Jonah and on God’s salvation. It included all the things we’ve come to love about vacation bible schools: Bible, crafts, games, skits, and more.
There were many highlights to the English camp, but the most encouraging was the effect of walking through a gospel tract and carefully explaining the gospel with the high schoolers. Several of them came to saving faith!
Read the testimony from Bess Trew to learn more.
Lord’s Grace Church in Seoul is my second favorite church. It’s amazing how a group of people 6,999 miles away can feel so much like family and I want to encourage you all that you are a part of that! Your prayers, your generosity in financially supporting us, and your investment in this body directly correlate to the sweet fruit we were able to see overseas.
Being in leadership of a ministry as my full-time job, I was looking forward to being more in the background on a trip like this. I wanted to serve the church, love the kids, and not end up on stage. It didn’t go exactly as I had hoped. What I thought were just swollen ankles from a 14-hour flight quickly became a complete inability to walk and multiple trips to the hospital where I ended up in a boot, unable to use even my arms by the last day, and in a wheelchair. Suddenly on this serving mission trip, I was being deadlifted in and out of vans and carried up flights of stairs by four men at a time, including my own Pastors—Servanthood at its finest. But I was reminded of something very sweet in the midst of this: I don’t think God is primarily interested in what we can do for Him. I don’t think He was exaggerating when He said our best works were as filthy rags. And even though my prideful flesh has an awful time swallowing that, I don’t think it’s something the Lord despises; I think He designed it that way—for us to be completely dependent on Him at all times and in all ways. We’re always fully dependent, but sometimes we are simply more aware of it than others, and if we let that awareness lead to intimacy with our Creator, any pain or untimely setback becomes infinitely worth it.
There was also a part of this trip that I will treasure for the rest of my life and am so thankful to get to share it with you all today. On the second day of the English camp, the high schoolers were learning how to share their testimonies. There was a wonderful and succinct prompt for discussion that covered one’s life before knowing Christ, recognizing their need for a savior, understanding the gospel, repenting and believing, and how one’s life looks different after knowing Christ. Most of the group I was with had similar answers to the first prompt: knowing their selfishness, quickness to anger, and one in particular articulating that growing up he saw God as more of an angry taskmaster than a Father. When I asked them when they knew they needed to be saved, one of them said she wanted to be saved but knew she wasn’t “there yet” and asked me to be praying for her. Another said very confidently that he believed salvation was a process, that we are always learning and growing and will hopefully learn or do enough someday to merit salvation. The other two emphatically agreed with him. It brought me so much joy to share with them the gospel of grace. The only one where our God and Savior does ask for full surrender, but requires nothing in the form of payment. There is nothing we can do to earn forgiveness, it was bought for us with the precious blood of Christ. What’s left for us is simply to repent and believe. All three of them seemed kind of stunned and if you remember meeting Suah when she visited a few months ago, she was one of them. With tears in her eyes, she said, “Wow, I am going to go home and pray tonight” and the other two nodded. Essentially I got to say “What are you waiting for?” and all four of us knelt down and I had the glorious privilege of watching these precious young people give their lives to the King. I’ve been walking with Jesus for half my life now and it is never lost on me, but especially a few weeks ago seeing their eyes light up with disbelief in the best way—the “is that really it..there’s nothing I have to earn?”—is really amazing. The same God that saved me in Mississippi is the same one saving them now in Seoul, Korea.
So the Lord didn’t need me there. The Holy Spirit had been moving in these kids’ lives long before we got there, and He’s continuing to move long after we’ve left. (I also know that the young man who gave His life to Jesus that day spent the entire trip talking with Tim Wilson. He did much planting and I just got to watch the harvest.) Jesus doesn’t need anything for us to receive salvation and He doesn’t need anything from us to tell people about it years later. His blood and His Spirit are more powerful than my personal witness. But I do think He enjoys letting us watch Him work.
Below are some pictures of the English camp.
This trip would not have been possible without your financial support and would not have been fruitful without your prayerful support. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
I wish you could all meet the folks of Lord’s Grace Church! One day, when the separation between language is no longer, I trust you will hear stories about how God was at work in this partnership between our church in rural Tennessee and Lord’s Grace Church in Seoul, Korea!
June 23, 2024 || John 17:1-5 || Walt Alexander
The Lord’s Prayer
MAIN POINT: The whole purpose of your existence is to see the glory of God in saving sinners through Jesus Christ.
The request. (v. 17:1)
The rationale. (v. 17:2-4)
The reason. (v. 17:5)
June 16, 2024 || John 16:16-33 || Taylor Hollingsworth
Take Heart
MAIN POINT: Take heart! Jesus has overcome the world to give us courageous joy in the God who loves us.
Jesus transforms sorrow into joy. (v. 16:16-22)
Jesus transforms silence into asking. (v. 16:23-28)
Jesus transforms fear into courage. (v. 16:29-33)
June 9, 2024 || John 16:5-15 || Taylor Hollingsworth
The Spirit of Truth
MAIN POINT: Live for Christ’s glory through the Spirit’s work.
The Spirit’s Unexpected Advantage. (v. 16:5-7)
The Spirit’s Convicting Work. (v. 16:8-11)
The Spirit’s revealing Work. (v. 16:12-15)
June 2, 2024 || John 15:17-16:4 || Walt Alexander
Have You Counted the Cost?
MAIN POINT: Every Christian must be prepared to calmly endure opposition & continue joyfully witnessing to Christ.
Every Christian must expect the hatred of the world. (v. 15:17-25)
Every Christian must expect bear witness in the world. (v. 15:26-27)
Every Christian must expect to endure persecution by the world. (v. 16:1-4a)
May 26, 2024 || Psalm 16:1-11 || Guest Speaker: Daniel McGraw
Full Joy in God
MAIN POINT: Set your heart fully on THE LORD who establishes the path of your life.
The Confession (v. 1-2).
The Contrast (v. 3-6).
The Confidence (v. 7-11).
May 19, 2024 || John 15:9-16 || Walt Alexander
The Joy-Filled Fruitful Life
MAIN POINT: The only way to live a fruitful life is to remain devoted to Christ & his commands.
As beloved children, obey his commands.
As friends, love one another.
As disciples, remember your mission.
May 12, 2024 || John 15:1-17 || Walt Alexander
Abide
MAIN POINT: Live now in the confidence that your past, present, & future are secure in Christ.
The Vine.
The Branches.
The Fruit.
May 5th, 2024 || 1 Corinthians 1:1-9 || “Guest Speaker” Gil Balch
MAIN POINT: Remember, as God’s child we have a unique identity in Jesus Christ.
We are a people who are created by God and for God. (v. 1-3)
We are a people among whom God is present and at work. (v. 4-7)
We are a people whose ultimate hope is Christ and his return. (v. 8-9)
April 28, 2024 || John 14:15-31 || Taylor Hollingsworth
The Paraclete
MAIN POINT: In light of Christ’s love, live courageously in the peace of Christ through the empowering help of the Holy Spirit.
The Foundation: Christ’s Love. (v. 15)
The Help: Christ’s Spirit. (v. 16-26)
The Courage: Christ’s Peace. (v. 27-31)
April 21, 2024 || Acts 17:1-14 || Guest Speaker: Brian Chesemore
April 14, 2024 || John 14:1-14 || Walt Alexander
Place, Person, & Privilege
MAIN POINT: The truly victorious Christian life is gained through a living faith in Jesus.
Place. (v. 1-4)
Person. (v. 5-11)
Privilege (v. 12-14)
April 7, 2024 || John 13:18-38 || Walt Alexander
Stricken, Smitten, & Afflicted
MAIN POINT: It is necessary for Jesus to suffer, but let none of us who follow him fall away.
The Betrayal of Judas. (v. 18-30)
The Glory of Jesus. (v. 31-35)
The Failure of Peter. (v. 36-38)
Hello, my name is Chris Pritchett and I just want to thank you for letting me share a slice of what Christ has done in my life.
Looking back, I can say that I lived much of my life in confusion, with no direction, and with no goals.
My childhood was plagued with loneliness, isolation, hunger, separation from family, and multiple types of abuse. I was not raised in church and grew up giving little thought to God.
In my early 20’s I spent several years living a very selfish and reckless life. I abused alcohol, treated women as objects, and went from high to high including a near-death encounter by overdosing on crack cocaine.
With those choices came numerous consequences and heartache in the years that followed. When I got married, my wife Cindy and all my children suffered due to my selfish lifestyle. Some of these consequences have been lifelong and are embedded lifelong memories.
But then about 15 years ago, God intervened in my life. He saved me. By Gods grace he knew that I desperately needed my wife Cindy in my life, and thanks to her church attendance became a regular pattern. The church bulletins were always previously placed in all the seats prior to the service. One morning the title said, “Believing in God, But Not Living Like It.” Reading this immediately crushed me. I was convicted and knew this was 100% me! I was saved before church even started. God called me to himself so profoundly that morning that I don’t remember the words I said. I just know I gave up, received him, and that specific morning changed the trajectory of my life forever. He forgave my sins and rescued me from a life of self-destruction.
God began placing Christian men in my life. Specifically, James Harrison who was my boss at a mechanical construction company. James was different. His large white board was full of people he would pray for while kneeling at his office chair. His heart was gentle, and his wallet was generous. James took the time to listen and counsel me through life’s circumstances and was always able to share scripture with me that was similar to my circumstances, and this left me encouraged. James loved me, he prayed with me, he spoke truth to me, and pointed me to Gods love for me.
However, I still felt shackled to my past because I thought that I should have no more sin in my life. I believed I should do more and work harder to earn my keep with God. Eventually I found myself believing that God couldn’t love me and that he viewed me as a failure. I struggled to feel close to God.
But God kept pursuing me. He sent relationships. He sent people to invest in me and live transparently. He anchored me in preaching that pointed to his grace and helped me understand His true character.
Ultimately it was God's kindness to allow the spirit of Jesus to live inside of me so that I may begin to know his love for me. I’m so thankful God did not leave me when I was most vulnerable. I don’t live in order to earn his love. I live in a thankful response to the love he’s already given for me at the cross. He’s placed a desire in my heart to try and honor him with my life.
God's word says there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.
I have sinned and I need a savior. And I stand here now because God has rescued me from a life of self-destruction and given me a life of freedom through his son Jesus Christ. In Jesus, there is no condemnation. There is always more that’s right in Jesus than there is what’s wrong in me, more forgiveness in him than sin in me. And however deep my mess goes, his holiness goes deeper. My sins, they are many, but his mercy is more. And he’s committed to changing me from the inside out.
March 31, 2024 || John 21:1-18 || Walt Alexander
Do You Have to See to Believe?