Grace Baptist Santa Clarita: Service Podcast

As Jesus approaches the cross, He turns to the Father in prayer asking for what has been sovereignly decreed from before time began. By so doing, He models for us not only the privilege of prayer, but the perseverance necessary to accomplish the work God has given each of us to do. Are you willing to invest yourself, to spend and be spent for the glory of God, to accomplish the work He has given you to do?

The disciples of Jesus are overwhelmed with sorrow, and Jesus, being the Good Shepherd desires to comfort them. He is in the final stages of His farewell discourse and continues to instruct them on the reality of His death, resurrection and eventual departure. He will not abandon them. Through His victorious cross, He will provide them joy and peace.

It shouldn’t seem hard for us to imagine the bewilderment the disciples must have been feeling through these last few chapters. And, as their understanding of Christ’s path to the Cross and back to the Father becomes clearer, so also does their dismay about what it will mean to lose the physical presence of Christ with them. But in our verses today, Jesus wants His followers not to feel alone but filled and empowered. Not sorrowful but joyful. Not fearful but expectant.

This weekend, we bring our series on prayer to a close with a deep dive into what it means to pray strategically. If we look at the prayers of Paul, we find the requests he brings before God the Father are much more lofty, more noble and spiritually elevated than our usual prayers. The reason? Paul most often prays strategically. That means he focuses on strategic spiritual needs knowing that if God grants those, all the other temporal things will be granted as well.

This week we will look at four basic rules for prayer, and then a fifth rule which calls us to pray even when we break all the rules. What does this mean? Only this: Strive to pray with a prepared heart and a desire to approach God properly. But, rest in the fact that our loving Father hears and responds even to defective prayers. The bottom line is this: Pray as best you can, but also pray when you are not at your best!

When Jesus exhorted His disciples “When you pray..,” He showed them that prayer is not optional. But how are we supposed to pray and for what are we to pray? This weekend we enter into the murky waters of the “how to” of prayer. But, we do so realizing that no pattern or phrase can make our prayers worthy of being heard or answered. It is all grace and that grace is found in Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord alone.

Over the next four weekends, we will be thinking deeply about prayer and reminding ourselves of its importance in our lives as Christ-followers. We begin by simply asking “What is prayer, and what is its purpose?”

This weekend, we look at the task of Gospel witness in a world that is at enmity with the Gospel message, and find assurance that it is still the Lord’s mission, and He is working in and through us to accomplish it right on time.

“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in Me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.” John 15:4-5

Last week we sat with the disciples and heard Jesus call us to true belief in who He truly is: the only Savior, and God in the flesh. This week we will again learn from Jesus about the critical evidence of true belief: obedience to God the Son, and reliance on God the Spirit. It is an essential truth that whatever God commands of us He is faithful to enable in us through the Spirit He has given to us. Sadly, we too often forget about God the Spirit’s place in our lives, and fail to rely on all He brings to us.

This weekend, we continue in our study of John’s gospel. This text is all about true belief, that is, faith that trusts in who Jesus really is, and what He has accomplished. The disciples have walked with and learned from Jesus for years and yet, they still were confused. Like them, we need to understand and fully trust what Jesus says about the fundamentals of saving faith. First, only faith in Jesus brings us into a forgiven relationship with God the Father. Second, those who are true believers in Jesus - Christ-followers - are privileged now to be the means whereby the work of Jesus Christ continues in the world.

We wrap up our series - The Beauty of the Burden - this weekend, acknowledging that Christ has changed our identity, given us a new way of loving and living, freed us from self-focus, and gifted us for a reason: that we may serve Him joyfully, and faithfully, and hear “Well done, you good and faithful servant” when He comes again. But what does it mean to “serve Christ”? This weekend we look into our own hearts and give ourselves a spiritual performance review. May the Lord enable in us what He asks of us, and may we hear “well done” on the last day.

This weekend, we see how the Holy Spirit equips us with gifts that benefit the various parts of Grace Baptist Church. We agree with the apostle Paul; we do not want to be unaware of how these gifts serve, unite and build up the Body. As the Spirit equips us, we become a body that is increasingly captivated by Christ, who then makes and multiplies those that want to follow and worship Jesus with us.

For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. (Galatians 5:13)

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and Godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession who are zealous for good works. (Titus 2:11-14)

Continuing on in “The Beauty of the Burden,” we remember from last week how our new Gospel-Identity is established by the foundation of love Christ established. This week, we examine the rhythm and outflow of Gospel-Centered Love. Jesus being our perfect example, we are encouraged to pursue our joy in loving the way that He loved.

This is the first of a six-week series called, “The Beauty of the Burden.” In this series, we will examine how to walk in the set of expectations and responsibilities we have for one another as we follow Christ. In other words, we want to discover what it means to be a “one-another” kind of believer. To do this rightly, it is fitting to begin by discussing our identity in Christ. God put you here for a reason, and it is our privilege and joy to help you discover why.

This weekend, we journey back to the Passover meal once again to hear Jesus tell His disciples He will die, and then leave for a place where they cannot come. The disciples certainly would have been confused and afraid. What kind of Messiah comes, dies, and then leaves us? But, Jesus quickly gave them orders as to how they were to live after His departure. In fact, He took an old commandment and intensified it: Love one another as I have loved you!

This weekend, we journey back to the Passover meal once again. Jesus has modeled love and humility by washing the disciples’ feet ... even Judas’. Now the mood changes drastically, from brotherhood to betrayal. The drama is thick and emotional here and the questions are many. What are we to make of Jesus’ troubled spirit? How does Satan “enter into” Judas, and does this mean Judas is not responsible for his actions? Lastly, what light do we take away from this dark text?

This weekend, we see Jesus as exemplifying great love and sacrificial service. But He is more than just an example to admire. He is the LORD we are called to imitate.