Grace International Congregation

How does Jesus teach Christians to pray? His teaching on what is commonly referred to as the “Lord’s Prayer” is much more than many people realise. Jesus makes a distinction between those who pray to God as a landlord and those who pray to God as Father. His words suggest that the types of prayers by many people around the world are not what God is looking for. What do you think about Jesus’ radical teaching on prayer?

Many people claim to worship God, but how does Jesus teach that God wants to be worshipped? Is He primarily concerned with external religious actions? Jesus says God is interested in the heart attitude and the reasons for which a person worships. No one was more rightly critical of religious people in Jesus day than Jesus Himself. But why? Listen and find out what Jesus has to say about religion and the heart.

We hear a great deal about personal rights in our Western society. Oftentimes, people become rather vocal when they believe their personal rights are not being respected. But what does Jesus say the Christian’s view of personal rights should be? How should a Christian respond when his “personal rights” are violated? This is one of several important questions Jesus addresses at the end of Matthew 5.

What does the Gospel of Jesus have to do with our everyday problems and realities as human beings? The answer is actually much more than most people think. At the end of Matthew 5, Jesus gives six teachings that He contrasts with what the religious leaders and the religious tradition taught about God and His law. Here is Jesus’ authoritative teaching on sexual desires, marriage and keeping one’s word.

When Jesus the Messiah stands up to give the proper interpretation and understanding of the law everyone should listen closely. What does Jesus demand of His followers and how should they properly understand and properly follow God’s law? Jesus gives the answer by showing illustrations of how to understand and live God’s commands from the heart in Matthew 5.

What did Jesus come to do? Was what He taught consistent with the Jewish Bible or was He doing something completely new? Jesus answers this question and speaks to the misunderstandings that some had about the Jewish Law and what Jesus had come to do. His answer has many implications for Christians today and how they live in a way that honours God.

Many people may be familiar with what Jesus said about being the salt of the earth and the light of the world. However, few have stopped to consider what Jesus meant by these phrases and few have connected their meaning with the important words Jesus said just before. Who does Jesus call to be salt and light? How can they be salt and light? Where do they get the strength or power to be those things and what difference does […]

Why would someone be angry with you for doing what is right? This is the very question Jesus answers in this portion of the Sermon on the Mount. It seems odd that many people in the world would be upset with Christians for trying to live right lives, showing mercy to others, being humble and trying to be peacemakers. Yet Jesus says such people should expect to be rejected and sometimes physically harmed for doing these good things. He goes […]

When Jesus guarantees a blessing for certain people, such a promised is certainly worth listening to. But who are those that Jesus says are blessed? It is not the people you might think nor is it those the world often admires. In these brief statements (Matthew 5:6-9), Jesus describes several groups of people who have God’s blessing on their lives and therefore live for him. Are you one of them?

It is not uncommon for kings, queens, presidents and prime ministers to give a public speech at the beginning of their reign or term. But what would the King of Kings and Messiah choose to say if He were to give an “opening speech”? Jesus’ first public address in Matthew’s Gospel account is often called the Sermon on the Mount and is just such a speech. In many ways it outlines what Jesus has come to do and teach and […]

The book of Habakkuk begins with a lament and complaint, and ends with a song and dance. How do you go from the depths of anguish to the heights of assurance when you are suffering. The last chapter of Habakkuk shows us what it looks like to live by faith.

How can a Holy God use an evil empire to judge His chosen people? In a world where those who mock God often seem to prosper, we too may ask a similar question. Why do the wicked seem to succeed and the righteous suffer? What is God doing in such times. Habakkuk asks such a question and then patiently waits as God responds with truths that have much to teach us today as well.

Habakkuk lived at a time when things in Israel were going from bad to worse. For a long time, his prayers go unanswered. But when God finally responds, the answer is inexplicable and unbelievable! This passage teaches us that God is in control even over evil and uses it to achieve his purposes.

What’s Paul’s goal?  His goal is to know God, to gain Christ and be satisfied in him.   Why does he press on?  1. Because of what Christ has achieved for him in the past (salvation); 2. Because of what Christ has achieved for him in the future (heaven and new body).   How does he press on? 1. Don’t be like those who don’t know Christ and fixing in eye on Jesus.

People often seem to be sceptical about Jesus and the claims of the Bible. Yet, what many people do not realise is that some of Jesus’ closest followers were also sceptical and hard to convince. John’s Gospel account tells us that several of those who followed Jesus did not believe He rose from the dead right away. Throughout these accounts, the evidences that convinced those early sceptics and doubters are given. You might be surprised at the amount of evidence […]

Christians say that the gospel is good news, but what exactly is that good news? What do a set of prophecies hundreds of years before Jesus have to do with an African official’s trip to Jerusalem? More than you might think. These passages show us that the gospel brings a reorienting of one’s heart, a removal of one’s sins and a radical reversal of one’s values.

How does one of Jesus’ female followers react when He is publicly shamed and insulted in front of several people? The response of Jesus in this situation is not what you might expect. Both the way Jesus responds to the one who insulted Him and the way He responds to the woman tell us much about who He is and what He has come to do.

In the early public ministry of Jesus, He began by choosing His own disciples and they responded by following Him right away. The crowds also began to hear about Him and to bring all that were sick or had significant issues to Him and He was able to heal all of them. By showing His absolute power over physical sickness and even demon possession, Jesus gave evidence of who He was to the people.

Directly after telling us of Jesus being tempted by the devil, Matthew explains that Jesus’ earthly ministry fulfilled an ancient prophecy. This prophecy involves a metaphor of light and darkness as well as a consideration of more than just the Jewish people. Perhaps surprisingly, this passage explains that Jesus had come for all people and that He had come to bring light. But would mankind receive this light?

People sometimes think that because Jesus is the Son of God, his divine nature elevates him to some lofty plane of existence where he does not feel pain or tiredness or stress or loneliness. But this passage shows us that Jesus was made like us in every way except without sin. He has weaknesses. He feels physical weakness like hunger. And he also feels spiritual weakness like temptation. From Jesus, we can learn how to resist temptation, and more importantly, […]