Videos from Grace Church, Modesto.  

We're a fellowship in Modesto, California, that takes the Bible seriously, aiming to teach all its truths accurately, without alteration or compromise, and to live our lives accordingly.

Grace Church

Returning to our series on the promises God makes to His people, we consider that He will bless us with many good things and also bless the good things He has given us. 
 
We look at two things: If you will walk with the Lord, 
*He will bless your possessions, and 
*He will bless your household. 
 
We see that the spiritual blessings that the believer receives are far greater than any material blessings the Lord may choose to give. We also reflect on the fact that material possessions can actually destroy those who have not trusted in the Lord Jesus - the health and wealth "gospel" is not taught in the Scriptures. 
 
So if you would have these promises to apply to you, you must repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, walk with Him in holiness, and then trust that He will take care of all your needs and is able to do abundantly beyond all you ask or think. 
 
www.gcmodesto.org

Returning to our series on the promises God makes to His people, we consider that He will bless us with many good things and also bless the good things He has given us.

We look at two things:  If you will walk with the Lord,
*He will bless your possessions, and
*He will bless your household.

We see that the spiritual blessings that the believer receives are far greater than any material blessings the Lord may choose to give.  We also reflect on the fact that material possessions can actually destroy those who have not trusted in the Lord Jesus - the health and wealth "gospel" is not taught in the Scriptures.

So if you would have these promises to apply to you, you must repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, walk with Him in holiness, and then trust that He will take care of all your needs and is able to do abundantly beyond all you ask or think.

www.gcmodesto.org

111106pm - He Will Bless What He Gives - Exodus 23:25

We look at two more important Gospel truths: 
*First, we are justified by God's grace alone, through faith alone, apart from any works on our part. 
*Second, if we really are justified, we will do good works - we will become more like Jesus, and the good works we do will be the evidence that we are truly saved. 
 
We are encouraged to examine our own lives for the works that will show we have sincerely and savingly believed on the Lord, Jesus Christ. If we find them lacking, we are urged to come to Christ now and to trust Him alone to be saved. 
 
www.gcmodesto.org

We look at two more important Gospel truths:
*First, we are justified by God's grace alone, through faith alone, apart from any works on our part.
*Second, if we really are justified, we will do good works - we will become more like Jesus, and the good works we do will be the evidence that we are truly saved.

We are encouraged to examine our own lives for the works that will show we have sincerely and savingly believed on the Lord, Jesus Christ. If we find them lacking, we are urged to come to Christ now and to trust Him alone to be saved.

www.gcmodesto.org

111030am - Justified by Faith Alone - Romans 4:5

The Father, out of His great love, sent Jesus His Son into the world to save; Jesus, out of His great love for the Father and for man, was willing to become a man to lay down His life. 
 
We consider that in order to reconcile us to God, 
*The Father had to be willing to give us His Son. 
*The Son had to become one with us. 
*He had to be willing to make this payment. 
*And His payment had to be great enough to save us. 
 
Has your debt been removed? Do you have peace with God? Have you been reconciled with Him? If not, then trust in Him this morning. If you are willing to come to Him, He will save you. Look to Him now in faith and receive His offer of life and love. 
 
www.gcmodesto.org

The Father, out of His great love, sent Jesus His Son into the world to save; Jesus, out of His great love for the Father and for man, was willing to become a man to lay down His life.

We consider that in order to reconcile us to God, 
*The Father had to be willing to give us His Son.  
*The Son had to become one with us.  
*He had to be willing to make this payment.  
*And His payment had to be great enough to save us.  

Has your debt been removed?  Do you have peace with God?  Have you been reconciled with Him?  If not, then trust in Him this morning. If you are willing to come to Him, He will save you.  Look to Him now in faith and receive His offer of life and love.

www.gcmodesto.org

111016am - Peace through the Blood of His Cross - Colossians 1:19-20

The Gospel is the message of God's infinite love to those who are infinitely hateful, the message of free and infinite blessing to infinitely undeserving sinners. 
We consider two things: 
 
*First, that the Lord hates sin and is angry with sinners with infinite hatred and anger, but 
*Second, that His infinite love is demonstrated by the fact He offers salvation freely to all who will come to Him through Christ, and that He sent Christ to die on the cross to make this offer possible 
 
 We are challenged to come to Christ now if we have not done so already, and to make sure we talk about both God's anger and His love when we go out to proclaim the Gospel. 
 
www.gcmodesto.org

The Gospel is the message of God's infinite love to those who are infinitely hateful, the message of free and infinite blessing to infinitely undeserving sinners.  
We consider two things:  

*First, that the Lord hates sin and is angry with sinners with infinite hatred and anger, but  
*Second, that His infinite love is demonstrated by the fact He offers salvation freely to all who will come to Him through Christ, and that He sent Christ to die on the cross to make this offer possible

 We are challenged to come to Christ now if we have not done so already, and to make sure we talk about both God's anger and His love when we go out to proclaim the Gospel.

www.gcmodesto.org

111009am - The Demonstration of God's Love - Romans 5:6-9

We consider one more blessing that comes from walking with the Lord: honor. Our passage shows us this by way of negative example and by way of positive statement in the case of Eli. 
 
We consider three things: 
*What honor is. 
*What honors you can expect from the Lord in this life and after this life, if you will glorify Him with your life. 
*How you can honor the Lord and so receive greater honor from Him. 
 
Do you want honor for yourself from the world? You might get it, but you won't be able to keep it. If you seek the glory of the world, the Lord may remove from you what you have, as He did Eli. If you seek honor from God by honoring Him, He will honor you in this life and allow you to keep that honor forever. 
 
www.gcmodesto.org

We consider one more blessing that comes from walking with the Lord:  honor.  Our passage shows us this by way of negative example and by way of positive statement in the case of Eli.  

We consider three things:  
*What honor is.
*What honors you can expect from the Lord in this life and after this life, if you will glorify Him with your life.  
*How you can honor the Lord and so receive greater honor from Him.  

Do you want honor for yourself from the world? You might get it, but you won't be able to keep it. If you seek the glory of the world, the Lord may remove from you what you have, as He did Eli. If you seek honor from God by honoring Him, He will honor you in this life and allow you to keep that honor forever.

www.gcmodesto.org

110911pm - The One Who Honors Me, I Will Honor - 1 Samuel 2:30

Jesus says, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath." 
 
We consider two things: 
*Why the Lord instituted the Sabbath (to be a blessing to man), and 
*What exceptions mercy permits on this day. 
 
The author to the Hebrews writes, "So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His" (Heb. 4:9-10). Jesus lived, died and rose again - completing the work of the New Creation before entering into His rest. If you trust in Him, He will make you a part of that creation, and one day you will enter into the rest to which each succeeding Sabbath continues to point. 
 
www.gcmodesto.org

Jesus says, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath."  

We consider two things:
*Why the Lord instituted the Sabbath (to be a blessing to man), and
*What exceptions mercy permits on this day.  

The author to the Hebrews writes, "So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God.  For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His" (Heb. 4:9-10). Jesus lived, died and rose again - completing the work of the New Creation before entering into His rest. If you trust in Him, He will make you a part of that creation, and one day you will enter into the rest to which each succeeding Sabbath continues to point.

www.gcmodesto.org

110904am - The Sabbath Was Made for Man - Mark 2:23-28

We see another element of the long and blessed lives the Lord will give us if we trust and obey Him: peace with our enemies. 
 
We consider this at three different levels: 
*The Lord promises peace with our personal enemies, 
*He promises peace on a national level, and 
*He promises peace on a global level. 
 
We are challenged to pray, and to faithfully serve the Lord in His kingdom, as we are the means by which the Lord will bring this about this peace. 
 
www.gcmodesto.org

We see another element of the long and blessed lives the Lord will give us if we trust and obey Him:  peace with our enemies.

We consider this at three different levels:
*The Lord promises peace with our personal enemies,
*He promises peace on a national level, and
*He promises peace on a global level.

We are challenged to pray, and to faithfully serve the Lord in His kingdom, as we are the means by which the Lord will bring this about this peace.

www.gcmodesto.org

110828pm - Peace with Your Enemies - Proverbs 16:7

The Old Testament is the Word of God and is still applicable to us as God's people. 
We consider how much of the Old Testament applies, which parts of it do and which do not. 
 
We see two things: 
*First, that fasting is still sometimes your duty in the New Covenant, and 
*Second, that you need to exercise some care in applying the Old Covenant teachings in the New Covenant. 
 
Why were the disciples of John so concerned over their religious fasting? Why were Matthew and the disciples all feasting? Because they understood that only by loving and following the Lord they would have eternal life. Therefore, if you aren't trusting Jesus, do so now. 
 
www.gcmodesto.org

The Old Testament is the Word of God and is still applicable to us as God's people.
We consider how much of the Old Testament applies, which parts of it do and which do not.  

We see two things:  
*First, that fasting is still sometimes your duty in the New Covenant, and 
*Second, that you need to exercise some care in applying the Old Covenant teachings in the New Covenant.  

Why were the disciples of John so concerned over their religious fasting?  Why were Matthew and the disciples all feasting?  Because they understood that only by loving and following the Lord they would have eternal life.  Therefore, if you aren't trusting Jesus, do so now.

www.gcmodesto.org

110828am - New Wine in New Wineskins - Mark 2:18-22

In the evening, the whole city gathered at the door, and Jesus, instead of telling them to go away until they met certain conditions, received them. Jesus stands ready to receive you now too -- just as He was ready and willing to receive those who came to Him in our text -- if you come to Him on His terms. 
 
This morning, we consider three things: 
*That the Lord is willing to receive you and minister to you if you will come to Him. 
*That sometimes even those in the "church" may put obstacles in the way, but the Lord calls you to come to Him now. 
*That the Lord wants you, if you know Him, to invite others to come to Him now for the same reason, because He stands ready to receive them. 
 
Jesus stands ready to receive you -- don't be afraid that He will turn you away; He won't, if you come to Him in faith. 
He stands ready to receive you now -- don't put it off until you think you've done something to make you more worthy. 
 
www.gcmodesto.org

In the evening, the whole city gathered at the door, and Jesus, instead of telling them to go away until they met certain conditions, received them.  Jesus stands ready to receive you now too -- just as He was ready and willing to receive those who came to Him in our text -- if you come to Him on His terms.  

This morning, we consider three things:  
*That the Lord is willing to receive you and minister to you if you will come to Him.  
*That sometimes even those in the "church" may put obstacles in the way, but the Lord calls you to come to Him now.  
*That the Lord wants you, if you know Him, to invite others to come to Him now for the same reason, because He stands ready to receive them.  

Jesus stands ready to receive you -- don't be afraid that He will turn you away; He won't, if you come to Him in faith.  
He stands ready to receive you now -- don't put it off until you think you've done something to make you more worthy.

www.gcmodesto.org

110717am - He Stands Ready - Mark 1:32-34

We begin to look at some of the "great and precious" promises God has given for our motivation and encouragement as we serve Him. 
We consider two things: 
*First, the promise in our text that the Lord will give every good thing, and 
*Second, the condition of this and every other good promise the Lord makes, that it applies to those who walk uprightly. 
 
We are encouraged this evening to gain what the Lord has promised to give us, remembering that "He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?" (Rom. 8:32). 
 
www.gcmodesto.org

We begin to look at some of the "great and precious" promises God has given for our motivation and encouragement as we serve Him.
We consider two things:  
*First, the promise in our text that the Lord will give every good thing, and
*Second, the condition of this and every other good promise the Lord makes, that it applies to those who walk uprightly.  

We are encouraged this evening to gain what the Lord has promised to give us, remembering that "He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?" (Rom. 8:32).

www.gcmodesto.org

110710pm - No Good Thing Will He Withhold - Psalm 84:11

We close our series on the characteristics God's servants need in order to be useful to Him. We review what we have seen in the preceding messages, before receiving a final practical exhortation concerning the things we need to do in order to pursue godliness. We see six things: 
*We need to use the means of grace. 
*We need to keep ourselves from being seduced by the world. 
*We need to keep our minds focused on spiritual things. 
*We need to use our time wisely. 
*We need to remember why God put us here. 
*We need to spend time with others who want to serve the Lord. 
 
www.gcmodesto.org

We close our series on the characteristics God's servants need in order to be useful to Him.  We review what we have seen in the preceding messages, before receiving a final practical exhortation concerning the things we need to do in order to pursue godliness.  We see six things:
*We need to use the means of grace.
*We need to keep ourselves from being seduced by the world.
*We need to keep our minds focused on spiritual things.
*We need to use our time wisely.
*We need to remember why God put us here.
*We need to spend time with others who want to serve the Lord.

www.gcmodesto.org

110703pm - Press on toward Heaven - Luke 13:24

We consider who Jesus actually is (which the demon he was dealing with in this passage instantly recognized) - the Holy one of God. 
We see three things: 
*Who Jesus is 
*The warfare going on between God and Satan and his angels 
*The outcome of this warfare 
 
We are challenged to remember why Jesus was sanctified, set apart, and sent into this world - to redeem us. Through the fall of Adam in this spiritual warfare, we became unholy, and apart from the grace of God, we have no hope of salvation. Jesus didn't come into this world to condemn the world. Rather, He came to save, and he accomplished this goal. Through His blood on the cross He has made it possible for those who trust in Him to become holy. 
 
www.gcmodesto.org

We consider who Jesus actually is (which the demon he was dealing with in this passage instantly recognized) - the Holy one of ...

110703am - The Holy One of God - Mark 1:23-27

Jesus' work leading up to His crucifixion consisted mainly of four things: 
*His preaching, 
*His obedience, 
*His teaching, and 
*His miracles. 
 
In our passage, we see an example of His teaching -- which is the kind of teaching that advances the kingdom: teaching with authority. We focus on two things: 
*That Jesus taught with authority, and 
*That His teaching was authenticated through miracles. 
 
We are challenged to seek the same authority as we testify of Christ to others. Unbelievers are cautioned not to continue to reject the message of the Gospel that comes in the power of the Spirit, as this is not a safe way to behave. 
 
www.gcmodesto.org

Jesus' work leading up to His crucifixion consisted mainly of four things:  
*His preaching,    
*His obedience,  
*His teaching, and 
*His miracles.  

In our passage, we see an example of His teaching -- which is the kind of teaching that advances the kingdom:  teaching with authority.  We focus on two things:  
*That Jesus taught with authority, and
*That His teaching was authenticated through miracles.  

We are challenged to seek the same authority as we testify of Christ to others.  Unbelievers are cautioned not to continue to reject the message of the Gospel that comes in the power of the Spirit, as this is not a safe way to behave.

www.gcmodesto.org

110626am - A New Teaching with Authority - Mark 1:21-28

We consider that to be useful to the Lord, we must walk with God, like Enoch, whom the Lord took to be with Him because Enoch was pleasing to Him. We see three things: 
*What it means to walk with God, 
*Why we should walk with God, and 
*How we can walk more closely with God. 
We are challenged to strengthen our walk with God by placing our trust entirely in Jesus Christ and using the means that God has given us. 
 
www.gcmodesto.org

We consider that to be useful to the Lord, we must walk with God, like Enoch, whom the Lord took to be with Him because Enoch was pleasing to Him.  We see three things:  
*What it means to walk with God,  
*Why we should walk with God, and
*How we can walk more closely with God.   
We are challenged to strengthen our walk with God by placing our trust entirely in Jesus Christ and using the means that God has given us.

www.gcmodesto.org

110612pm - Walk with God - Genesis 5:21-24

We see the beginning of Jesus' public preaching ministry. John's ministry comes to an end when he is arrested by Herod. With John now gone, Jesus takes up where he left off in preaching the kingdom. We consider two things: 
*First, why John's public ministry needed to conclude before Jesus' public ministry could begin, and 
*Second, what the message was that Jesus preached. 
We are challenged to accept this message - to truly repent and truly believe (in contrast to the repentance and faith being declared by many churches today), and if we have already done this, we are exhorted to bring the Gospel to those who have not heard. 
 
www.gcmodesto.org

We see the beginning of Jesus' public preaching ministry. John's ministry comes to an end when he is arrested by Herod. With John now gone, Jesus takes up where he left off in preaching the kingdom. We consider two things: 
*First, why John's public ministry needed to conclude before Jesus' public ministry could begin, and
*Second, what the message was that Jesus preached. 
We are challenged to accept this message - to truly repent and truly believe (in contrast to the repentance and faith being declared by many churches today), and if we have already done this, we are exhorted to bring the Gospel to those who have not heard.

www.gcmodesto.org

110612am - Jesus' Ministry Begins - Mark 1:14-15

Though sin still lives in us, we must not live in any sin - we must fight against it. And we must know our sins so that we can fight against them. 
 
We consider three particular sins Christians are liable to, and that therefore we must be on our guard against. 
*Secret sins. 
*Besetting sins. 
*So-called "little" sins. 
 
Sin is our greatest enemy and we must not make peace with it. Rather, we must kill it. This is the way we will show that we truly live and the only way we will be useful to the Lord. 
 
www.gcmodesto.org

Though sin still lives in us, we must not live in any sin - we must fight against it. And we must know our sins so that we can fight against them.

We consider three particular sins Christians are liable to, and that therefore we must be on our guard against.  
*Secret sins.  
*Besetting sins.  
*So-called "little" sins.  

Sin is our greatest enemy and we must not make peace with it. Rather, we must kill it.  This is the way we will show that we truly live and the only way we will be useful to the Lord.

www.gcmodesto.org

110501pm - Sin Is Not Your Master - Romans 6:12-14

As we examine some of the justifications people give for not coming to Christ and receiving Him as Savior and Lord, we come to the reason: "I won't come to Jesus because...there's something I don't want to give up." 
 
Our passage tells us of a man who came to Jesus hoping to find the way to heaven; but he left when he found out how much it would cost - he wasn't willing to pay the price. 
 
Are you willing to pay the price? 
What stands in your way? Will you set it aside in order to follow Him? 
 
Don't let the things of this world stand in your way, as they did the rich young ruler. 
 
www.gcmodesto.org

As we examine some of the justifications people give for not coming to Christ and receiving Him as Savior and Lord, we come to the reason: "I won't come to Jesus because...there's something I don't want to give up."

Our passage tells us of a man who came to Jesus hoping to find the way to heaven; but he left when he found out how much it would cost - he wasn't willing to pay the price.  

Are you willing to pay the price?  
What stands in your way?  Will you set it aside in order to follow Him?  

Don't let the things of this world stand in your way, as they did the rich young ruler.

www.gcmodesto.org

110320pm - What's in Your Way? - Matthew 19:16-30

We look at another facet of communion with the Holy Spirit - "He bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God." He not only shows us that He loves us. He shows us the extent of that love: that we would be His children. 
 
We consider two things: 
*First, that the Spirit gives us this relationship to God in Christ. 
*Second, that the Spirit shows us we have this relationship. 
 
Has He shown you that you're a true believer? Then rejoice and praise Him! 
 
Has He withheld this assurance from you? Then seek Him more earnestly through faith and repentance, the means of grace, and Christian service until He grants it to you. 
 
Has He shown you that you've deceived yourself and you are not a true believer at all? Then repent, turn to Christ, trust in Him for salvation and ask Him for His Spirit of adoption to dwell richly in you. 
 
www.gcmodesto.org

We look at another facet of communion with the Holy Spirit - "He bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God."  He not only shows us that He loves us.  He shows us the extent of that love:  that we would be His children.  

We consider two things:  
*First, that the Spirit gives us this relationship to God in Christ.  
*Second, that the Spirit shows us we have this relationship.  

Has He shown you that you're a true believer?  Then rejoice and praise Him!
  
Has He withheld this assurance from you?  Then seek Him more earnestly through faith and repentance, the means of grace, and Christian service until He grants it to you.  

Has He shown you that you've deceived yourself and you are not a true believer at all?  Then repent, turn to Christ, trust in Him for salvation and ask Him for His Spirit of adoption to dwell richly in you.

www.gcmodesto.org

110313am - We Are Children of God - Romans 8:16-17

In our message this week, we have a reminder of the duty of fasting for the believer. We consider five things: 
*What fasting is. 
*Why we ought to fast. 
*The circumstances in which we should fast. 
*The benefits of fasting. 
*How to fast. 
We are encouraged to use fasting as a divinely appointed means to humble our bodies ad souls and seek after the Lord with greater earnestness. 
 
www.gcmodesto.org

In our message this week, we have a reminder of the duty of fasting for the believer. We consider five things:  
*What fasting is.  
*Why we ought to fast.  
*The circumstances in which we should fast.  
*The benefits of fasting.  
*How to fast.  
We are encouraged to use fasting as a divinely appointed means to humble our bodies ad souls and seek after the Lord with greater earnestness.

www.gcmodesto.org

110213am - Seeking the Lord through Fasting - Ezra 8:23

We consider that since Jesus has completed His work, the Spirit's presence with believers is better than His continuing physical presence in this world. We've probably all thought at one time or another that it would have been great to live when Jesus walked the earth, or that it would be wonderful if He were here now. Jesus tells us that it's better He's not here, but that the Spirit is. Why is this the case? That's what we consider as we examine our communion with the Holy Spirit and His general work. 
 
www.gcmodesto.org

We consider that since Jesus has completed His work, the Spirit's presence with believers is better than His continuing physical presence in this world. We've probably all thought at one time or another that it would have been great to live when Jesus walked the earth, or that it would be wonderful if He were here now. Jesus tells us that it's better He's not here, but that the Spirit is. Why is this the case?  That's what we consider as we examine our communion with the Holy Spirit and His general work.

www.gcmodesto.org

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