Gospel Grace Church Sermon Audio

Colossians 1:28-29 - Speaker: Jon Kopp - Behind the title of this series is an assumption: Gospel Grace is at a crossroads. More and more people are gathering in worship and growing in community. There is an exciting buzz of momentum around what God is doing here, and there are few places across our ministry where we aren’t having to adjust and make room. The question is: what is next? As we chart a way forward, we want to clarify and emphasize not just what we are going to do, but how we are going to do it.

2 Corinthians 2:12-12:17 - Speaker: Lukus Counterman - In 2 Corinthians 2:12-17, Paul goes to great lengths to discuss authentic gospel ministry. He has been on trial, so to speak, by the Corinthians because of his change of travel plans and cancellation of his second visit to them. They accused him of being fickle and maybe even dishonest. They suggested that he couldn’t be trusted and perhaps even lacked apostolic authority. In his attempt to affirm his love and explain why he changed his plans, Paul believes it’s necessary to define and defend true gospel ministry. As we study this text together, may the Lord help us embrace genuine gospel ministry. May we participate in and partner with those who give their lives to it.

- Speaker: Lukus Counterman - In this class, we will discuss the importance of meaningful membership. We will look at implicit arguments pointing to the need for a committed relationship to Christ’s body. And then with a knowable church membership, we will discuss critical aspects of Shepherding care.

2 Corinthians 2:5-11 - Speaker: Lukus Counterman - In 2 Corinthians 2, Paul had just finished explaining his change of travel plans. He had initially intended to visit the church of Corinth, go up and see some friends in Macedonia, and then return to Corinth for a second visit. Well, the first stop went so poorly that Paul canceled his return ticket and went straight back to Ephesus. Paul had been publicly humiliated, openly rejected, and utterly shamed in front of the congregation while they stood silently by, doing nothing. It was a terrible visit, so Paul wrote a letter and instructed them to discipline the offending brother. His actions were inexcusable and his refusal to repent was poisonous to the church. Well, the Corinthians did end up excommunicating the man from the assembly. And in turn he sorrowfully repented of his sin. But now the church needed to restore this man. So, Paul continues 2 Corinthians 2 with instructions on church discipline, and it’s intended goal. This is an important text, becaus

Psalm 119:65-72 - Speaker: Josh MacAvoy - Psalm 119 is the longest song in the entire Bible; it has more verses than the entire book of Philippians, Ephesians or Galatians! This Psalm is a well-known acrostic poem, broken into 22 distinct segments (one for each letter of the Hebrew alphabet) with each segment being eight verses long and each verse in Hebrew starting with that associated letter. This Psalm is skillfully crafted and arranged to make it memorable as a teaching aide in communicating it’s two dominant themes – (1) the call to delight in God’s good word (2) in the middle of real-life struggles. In our time together tomorrow, we will look at one of these eight-verse segments, from verses 65-72, taking special note of the good from God and the good describing God in these verses.

2 Corinthians 1:12-2:4 - Speaker: Lukus Counterman - Paul has had a difficult relationship with the church of Corinth. There have been numerous ups and downs. And the conflicts have sapped his emotional energy. He’s made multiple trips to visit the congregation. He’s written numerous letters to deal with problems. But it seems like it’s one thing after another. So what should a believer do when they’re struggling through a relationship dilemma? Well, Paul teaches us that we need to make theologically-informed decisions in the fog of conflict, and let Jesus lead the way. May the Lord guide us through his word as we seek to follow him.

2 Corinthians 1:3-11 - Speaker: Lukas Counterman - The opening 2 Corinthians is different from most of Paul’s other letters. In 2 Corinthians, instead of devoting attention to the church’s situation and steadfastness, Paul focuses on his own adversity and God’s faithfulness. The change in norm is likely because of the strained relationship between Paul and the Corinthians. They weren’t looking kindly upon their founding apostle. They were critical of him and his ministry life. As a matter of fact, they looked disparagingly at his sufferings. They thought a true servant of the Lord should be blessed and favored, not trampled and abused. So, in our text this weekend, Paul is going to argue that God uses suffering for our good and his glory. The gospel paradox revealed in suffering is that God provides comfort in affliction. So, may the Lord help us see his good purposes in the tough seasons of life.

2 Corinthians 1:1-2 - Speaker: Lukus Counterman - Welcome to our new expository series through the book of 2 Corinthians! For the next two semesters we are going to look at Paul’s most personal epistle. It’s a letter that highlights different expressions of gospel paradox. Paul will talk about life through death, wealth in poverty, comfort in affliction, and strength in weakness. In Jesus’ upside-down kingdom things don’t always play out the way we’d expect. May the Lord lead us and grow us through our study of 2 Corinthians.

Psalm 1 - Speaker: Josh Lankford - You thought we were done with the Psalms, didn't you? Nope! Here we are again, finding ourselves under the counsel of the Psalms as we walk with God as a church. Someone once said that Psalm 1 is "the main entrance to the mansion of the Psalter," and that's a pretty good description. It's a Psalm about living God's way and becoming the type of people God wants us to be–people who love God's instruction and leave their sinful ways behind. We emphasize God's Word so much at Gospel Grace, and this passage is one of many that have shaped our love for God's truth. Come this Sunday (and bring a friend again) to hear about the beauty of following God's way and the reward of loving his Word!

Hebrews 2:5-9 - Speaker: Lukus Counterman - The book of Hebrews builds a case for why Jesus is better. In the opening chapters the author explains how Jesus is better than angels. And one of the reasons why is because Jesus (not some heavenly messenger) tasted death for everyone by suffering on the cross. Now, he didn’t offer himself as a substitute for people because of their merit or worth. He didn’t die just for those who were good or moral (as if anyone could claim to be that). Instead, the text says that “by the grace of God” he died in the place of sinners. It was God’s unmerited favor, his grace, that motivated such an amazing sacrifice. Jesus is truly better. So may we hold fast to him.

- Speaker: Will Galkin - What is the Gospel? People have all sorts of answers to that question. Some say it’s how God keeps people out of hell. Others think it has something to do with Jesus dying. Still others define it in social terms, something about helping the oppressed or fixing what’s broken in the world. And then some treat it like a moral example: “Because of Jesus, I should try to be a better person.” But when the Bible talks about the gospel, it calls it good news. That’s what the word means. Romans 1:16 tells us it’s not just news, it’s the power of God for salvation. The clearest summary of the gospel is found in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4: Christ died for our sins, He was buried, and He rose again on the third day. To really understand why that’s good news, you need the whole story. In Romans 1 through 4, the Apostle Paul lays it out. The gospel is the good news that a holy God has made a way for sinful people to be forgiven and restored to Him through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Ch

Psalm 23 - Speaker: Lukus Counterman - We aren’t sure what the exact nature of David’s difficulty was when he wrote Psalm 23, but it was characterized by enemies, threats, and dark valleys. Now, labels such as “anxiety” and “depression” weren’t applied to people back then, but David seems to have faced emotional and spiritual stress. It stands to reason with all that he went through in his life from the loss of a child to the betrayal of those closest to him. So, what should the people of God do in times like that? Where should they turn in seasons of stress and suffering? Our psalm this weekend is a treasured text because it points us to the Good Shepherd and gracious host who meets us in our trouble and rescues us forevermore. May the Lord use his word of comfort to strengthen our hearts.

2 Samuel 2:1-12 - Speaker: Lukus Counterman - World news and current events expose humanity’s rebellion against God. But often we don’t understand how such contrarian forces are able to continue. Where is God and why isn’t he doing something? Well, Psalm 2 reminds us that he is doing something. He’s laughing at the futile attempts of the wicked to thwart his plans. The King of kings will rule and reign over all,enemies will be defeated, and the people of God will enjoy untold blessings. But we live in between the already and not yetof the Kingdom. The King has come but he’s coming again. And while we wait, we must encourage all who will listen to “Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and [they] perish in the way.” May the Lord be our refuge in this time when nations rage, and may our hope be in him as we look forward to his soon return.

Psalm 34:1-22 - Speaker: Lukus Counterman - Have you ever felt spiritually discouraged? Maybe you’ve been navigating some difficult trials in your life or facing some painful circumstances. It’s not easy to worship and praise God in tough times. Psalm 34 however, gives us insight into the mingling of pain and praise. It helps us lift our voices to the Lord even when our heads hang low. Join us tomorrow morning as we boast in the Lord. Perhaps you’ll be encouraged once again to taste and see that the Lord is good.

Psalm 96 - Speaker: John Moon - Sing to the LORD! This is the call of Psalm 96 - a call to daily worship God for his nature, His character, and reputation. It's a call to daily proclaim the good news that He saves. It's a call to daily declare His glory to the world. It's a call to worship – not only to God's people, but to the entire world. It pictures the heavens, the earth, the sea, the sea creatures, the fields, the land creatures, the trees, the forest ultimately all filled with joy and rejoicing. In the Old Testament this psalm anticipated the worldwide mission of the Christian Church (Matt 28:16-20). Early Christians saw the significance of the psalm, and the old Latin version in verse 10 has: ‘Say among the nations, the Lord reigns from the cross.' May god help us as the people of God to sing the glory of God to the nations, so that they could join the ever growing choir of our great God.

- Speaker: John Bowman - In the latter stages of life, the Lord has blessed you with wisdom and life experience that is invaluable to the church; wield and disburse it generously. And explore ways to financially bless the younger generations and church to model a multi-generational faithful legacy.

1 John 3:17-18 - Speaker: Isaiah Maynard - Week four of our Gospel Growth: A Theology of Mercy and Compassion. Welcome to the last week of our four-week series through our Gospel Growth: A Theology of Mercy and Compassion. For the last of our time today I’d like to start by briefly reviewing the past three weeks. Then, I’d like to spend the rest of our remaining time talking about what it looks like for us to live out a theology of mercy and compassion here in Salt Lake City, and at Gospel Grace. With any teaching, we do not want to merely fill our minds with knowledge of the theoretical—instead we want to be transformed by truth, and have our actions and lives changed. James said it better: "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves." (James 1:22).

Psalm 16 - Speaker: Isaac Gagarinas - Many of the Psalms we’ve studied this summer were written in a season of deep trials. Psalm 16, however, is not one of these. Psalm 16 asks the question, “What does it look like to trust God not just in trials, but also in normal seasons of life?” Even in normalcy, David pushes his readers to consider where they find security and where they find true joy. Today, not tomorrow, is the day for Christ followers to identify their truest refuge and find their greatest delight. Prepare to both trust and delight in God as we go to Psalm 16 together.

- As the burdens, demands and temptations of mid-life proliferate, financial decisions take on more complexity and weight. This devotion aims to ground this phase in scripture while exploring some practical considerations for allocating capital faithfully and considering debt.

- Speaker: Chan Choi - In this class, we will journey into the fourth century to uncover the life and legacy of Basil the Great - bishop/pastor and theologian. We will examine how Basil extended mercy ministry to serve the vulnerable with dignity and purpose, all while boldly proclaiming the gospel and defending the orthodoxy against the heresies of his day. His example offers a historic blueprint for integrating truth and compassion in ministry today.