GraceLife Sarasota

Letters From Heaven (Revelation) No.9- A Letter to Philadelphia (Not the American One)

May 29, 2022 17:21 - 33 minutes - 31.4 MB

Does God have a special place in His heart for the American church? Can the Bible be read as Americans? We tend to interpret scripture from an American perspective, I understand its easy to do because…we’re Americans. Sometimes that’s ok, but reading scripture as Americans doesn’t serve us well. The American experience is so atypical. We easily slip into flawed interpretations, missing out on something much bigger than the mere 246 years of America. Today’s passage requires us to put aside o...

Letters From Heaven (Revelation) No.8- Signs of a Dying Church

May 22, 2022 17:32 - 32 minutes - 29.8 MB

What if GraceLife received a letter from Jesus saying “GraceLife is dying! Repent, return to the Gospel, or be judged!”? Is GraceLife a living, vibrant, faithful, obedient church? IF Jesus wrote us a letter, would He list any good works? I worry about this continually. Then I see God use our church for His Kingdom, and my anxiety fades just a bit…for maybe an hour… then I worry about it again. Why do I worry so much? Do any of you ever think about this? If you’re emotionally, spiritually, fi...

Letters From Heaven (Revelation) No.7- Idolizing Compromise

May 15, 2022 16:37 - 30 minutes - 28.4 MB

Every person desires a community that embraces their personal values, enhances opportunity for success or happiness. It’s a natural to desire to live in a world that affirms your core values, protects what’s important, family, faith, success… Its why people move, change jobs, chose a church, become passionate about politics, volunteer, donate to charity. People of all faiths (even atheist), cultural backgrounds, political leanings, (big gov or small) moral values (pro-life or pro-choice) e...

Letters From Heaven (Revelation) No.6 - Two Jesus's

May 08, 2022 16:58 - 30 minutes - 27.9 MB

(REVELATION 2:12–17) “AND TO THE ANGEL OF THE CHURCH IN PERGAMUM WRITE: ‘THE WORDS OF HIM WHO HAS THE SHARP TWO-EDGED SWORD. [13] “‘I KNOW WHERE YOU DWELL, WHERE SATAN’S THRONE IS. YET YOU HOLD FAST MY NAME, AND YOU DID NOT DENY MY FAITH EVEN IN THE DAYS OF ANTIPAS MY FAITHFUL WITNESS, WHO WAS KILLED AMONG YOU, WHERE SATAN DWELLS. [14] BUT I HAVE A FEW THINGS AGAINST YOU: YOU HAVE SOME THERE WHO HOLD THE TEACHING OF BALAAM, WHO TAUGHT BALAK TO PUT A STUMBLING BLOCK BEFORE THE SONS OF ISRAEL, ...

Letters From Heaven (Revelation) No.5 - Faith That Conquers

May 01, 2022 17:32 - 31 minutes - 29.5 MB

Every follower of Jesus has wondered if they would have what it takes to stand up to real persecution. We imagine scenarios of being forced to choose between our faith or our life, or family & friends lives. It’s a hypothetical situation Americans can’t really answer since we don’t face that kind of persecution & likely won’t. That’s what makes today’s passage so difficult to preach, it’s a situation none of us are ever likely to face. Its much easier to preach about sin in the church, we re...

Letters From Heaven (Revelation) No.4 - Our First Love

April 24, 2022 17:23 - 33 minutes - 31.1 MB

For nearly 6 years GraceLife has lived in a comedy club, an office building, & a strip mall. We were forced love people before a building or the organization, to be Mobile, Organic, Biblical, & Generous. In this way our humble beginnings have been a blessing. They helped us find, and maintain our first love. That first love has been to relentlessly serve hurting people in our community thru love, generosity, & truth. Now with all the exciting things happening, there’s a challenge for GraceLi...

Letters From Heaven (Revelation) No.3 - The Voice of Resurrection Jesus

April 17, 2022 17:05 - 28 minutes - 26.9 MB

Traditionally the picture of Resurrected Jesus in our minds goes back to a 1st century image of Jesus. The stone rolled away, the empty tomb, the women informing the other disciples about the angle & Jesus is missing. We imagine Peter running to confirm it for Himself, we see Jesus, not yet full glorified appearing to His disciples. It’s a glorious image held dear in our hearts, but what if it isn’t the last image of Himself Jesus gave us to remember? This week, Revelation helped me realize I...

Letters From Heaven (Revelation) No.2- Greetings From Patmos

April 10, 2022 17:25 - 35 minutes - 32.5 MB

Lets read this passage written by a 90-year-old man in an isolated, 1st century prison, no plumbing, no electricity, no medical care, no heating or cooling, bad nutrition...(REVELATION 1:4B–8) JOHN TO THE SEVEN CHURCHES THAT ARE IN ASIA: GRACE TO YOU AND PEACE FROM HIM WHO IS AND WHO WAS AND WHO IS TO COME, AND FROM THE SEVEN SPIRITS WHO ARE BEFORE HIS THRONE, [5] AND FROM JESUS CHRIST THE FAITHFUL WITNESS, THE FIRSTBORN OF THE DEAD, AND THE RULER OF KINGS ON EARTH. TO HIM WHO LOVES US AND HA...

Letters From Heaven (Revelation) No.1- Intro To The Apocalypse

April 03, 2022 18:02 - 33 minutes - 31.1 MB

Historically, Revelation has been not only the most intriguing book in the Bible, but also the most intimidating. Yet somehow, even though its talked about a lot, in many ways it’s also the most neglected by individual believers. My experience is most Christians aren’t nearly as familiar with Revelation as they are other books in the Bible. Most have probably, for example red Genesis or the letters of Paul more often than Revelation. As a result, what most people know about Revelation, they h...

Remember These Things (2 Peter) No.12- The Return Of Jesus, Part 5 Perfect Waiting

March 27, 2022 17:33 - 34 minutes - 31.8 MB

“…SINCE YOU ARE WAITING FOR THESE, BE DILIGENT TO BE FOUND BY HIM WITHOUT SPOT OR BLEMISH, AND AT PEACE.” What are “these” we are waiting for? When Jesus returns, He will gather His church, then expose & remove evil. Obviously, followers of Jesus are supposed to be “waiting for these”, but what should our waiting look like? What does Peter mean when He says we should be found without spot or blemish, and at peace? What’s harder, believing in Jesus’ return, or being diligent to be found by Jes...

Remember These Things (2 Peter) No.11- The Return Of Jesus, Part 4 Desiring Judgement

March 20, 2022 17:26 - 32 minutes - 30.1 MB

Are there things about this world you believe should change? Things that if there was justice would be wiped away? War? Human trafficking? Racism & bigotry? Violent crime? Murder? Rape? What about Economic injustice? Corporate greed? Government corruption & evil? What about things like natural disasters that cause so much pain? What about cancer? COVID? What about other moral issues like abortion, euthanasia, on and on…Most people have some sort of vision or hope for what the world should be,...

Remember These Things (2 Peter) No.10- The Return Of Jesus, Part 3 Mercy Each Day

March 13, 2022 16:59 - 32 minutes - 29.9 MB

Waiting for the return of Jesus can be frustrating for some, a cause for anxiety in others, I mean it’s a big event! Have you ever heard people attempt to predict when Jesus will return? I’ve seen so many predicted days come & Go. Ironically, we want to know even though Jesus specifically says nobody will know the day or the hour He will return. One of the passages often used, in conjunction with others in Daniel & Revelation is today’s passage in 2 Peter 3. Its natural though, to scour scrip...

Remember These Things (2 Peter) No.9- The Return Of Jesus, Part 2

March 06, 2022 18:12 - 31 minutes - 29.2 MB

“STILL A MAN BELIEVES WHAT HE WANTS TO BELIEVE, AND DISREGARDS THE REST” – SIMON & GARFUNKEL, “THE BOXER” Have you disagreed with someone who refused to acknowledge important obvious points in your argument? We have all been on both sides of this equation though. Every human in history has been. Sometimes stubbornness starts with ignorance, in that situation there’s hope information & persuasion will help. But what about when someone knows the information but still refuses to acknowledge obv...

Remember These Things (2 Peter) No.8- The Return Of Jesus, Part 1

February 28, 2022 11:43 - 33 minutes - 31.1 MB

What is your first reaction to the phrase “the last days” or the return of Jesus? There is the churchy answer “Oh man what a glorious day that will be”, but all of us have a little anxiety right? Do you think biblical prophecy, signs that point to the possibility that the end is just around the corner? The topic is a little intimidating theologically, it makes you anxious. It should be the most comforting. Since the first century, one of the critical non-negotiables in Christian theology was ...

(SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT) + Remember These Things (2 Peter) No.7- Dry Springs

February 20, 2022 17:30 - 31 minutes - 28.9 MB

My wife Laura grew up in NY, she used to always tell me how bad chain restaurant pizza was, but I dismissed that. Then, we moved to NY just outside of Queens, a couple block away was Angeleto. It’s the best Sicilian pizza you’ll ever eat. The perfectly tangy sauce, fresh cheese, crunchy edges… transformational. In the city, on the corner of Spring & Mott was Lombardi’s (PIC) the best thin crust fired oven pizza ever. I could never settle for Pizza hut or Domino’s again. I can’t go back, I won...

Remember These Things (2 Peter) No.6- Humble Vigilance

February 13, 2022 19:07 - 30 minutes - 28.5 MB

Have you ever had someone you care about wounded, misled, or taken advantage of by someone or a group? How did that make you feel? What did you want to do? What did you want to say to those who did it? Did you play scenarios in your head what you would say, how it would go if you had a chance to unleash? When people we love are victimized, it’s fertile ground for outrage or anger, sometimes justified. Here’s another question. Have you ever wounded, misled, or taken advantage of someone else’...

Remember These Things (2 Peter) No.5- Judging Evil, Preserving Saints

February 06, 2022 17:23 - 32 minutes - 30 MB

Do you ever wonder why God sometimes seemingly lets evil have its way? Why doesn’t He judge it immediately? We know evil is caused by sin, perhaps even our own… but why does God even allow sin to be a thing in the first place? Wy must we even tolerate false teaching? Didn’t’ Christ suffer on the cross to defeat evil? Will evil ever get what it deserves? We grapple with these questions today, same as the 1st century church. We are even more exposed to false teaching than the 1st century chur...

Remember These Things (2 Peter)No.4- False Teachers 101

January 30, 2022 17:30 - 28 minutes - 26.4 MB

What is the problem with false teaching? Why is it so bad? Why is it so important? You may not realize it but without your church family & constant reminder you are very vulnerable to false teachers. Why are people so susceptible to false teachers? What makes false teaching so attractive, so alluring? It has Something for everyone… atheistic, deistic, philosophical, theological. It can be radical, subtle, or in between. False teaching is the fertilizer that causes overgrown depravity throu...

Remember These Things (2 Peter)No.3- Fully Confirmed

January 23, 2022 17:38 - 30 minutes - 27.8 MB

Why do we follow Jesus? Why do we go through the trouble of living in accordance to His commands? - Why do we put our faith and trust for eternity in His promises to the degree it changes how we live on earth? The reason? You have been convinced the words of Jesus are true, reliable enough to devote your life to Him. That makes sense, right? We follow Jesus, trust in Jesus because we’re confident He is the Way, the Truth & the Life. If that is true for you, are you able to articulate the re...

Remember These Things (2 Peter)No.2- Add To Your Faith

January 16, 2022 17:12 - 27 minutes - 25.4 MB

What if, I told you God says its ok to indulge the flesh with anything we want for the next 30 days? Eat or drink whatever, whenever, don’t worry about health repercussions, they aren’t important for this month. Don’t worry about sexual purity, integrity, or any biblical righteousness… for 30 days, none of that matters. Likely, if you are a follower of Jesus,, you know this is a bad idea. Even with a promise of no spiritual or earthly consequences, a follower or Jesus is repulsed by this id...

Remember These Things (2 Peter)No.1- Things To Remember

January 09, 2022 18:41 - 30 minutes - 27.9 MB

When your faith is challenged, by friends, family, or the world, how competently, confidently can you recall those things? Are you able to give a reasonable summary & defense of teachings of Jesus, & why they are reliable, trustworthy? Can you remember important things to enlighten those who don’t know truth, and encourage those who do? Of course, one person alone can’t know it all, but here are some things every follower of Jesus should remember. Things critical to our confidence, our abilit...

Remember The Cross(1 Peter)No.21- Remember Together

December 26, 2021 17:11 - 32 minutes - 31.3 MB

Have you ever had the privilege of spending significant time with Christians in other parts of the world? Several years ago, I went on a missions trip to a mountain village in Peru, mostly native south American Indians. I spent 10 days with precious believers who loved the same Jesus I did, read the same scriptures, embraced the cross. My experience with this little mountain village church started a transformation of my understanding of the church. Those memories have helped me as we have w...

Christmas Eve 2021- "The Perfect Gift"

December 25, 2021 00:54 - 10 minutes - 11.4 MB

A Christmas Eve message: - Did you ever receive the perfect gift? Can you remember your favorite Christmas gifts ever? For each person, the gift of faith from Heavenly Dad is unique, with exceptional circumstances, meaning, special revelation. -Sadly, over time we can forget how precious that perfect gift is, we begin to forget that very 1st day we opened it.

Remember The Cross(1 Peter)No.20- Understanding Evil

December 19, 2021 18:01 - 29 minutes - 28.6 MB

Imagine you’re in a burning building, & firefighters show up to rescue you, would you question their orders or direction as they tried to get you away from danger? Would you say, I don’t need trained firefighters to get out of this. All I need is God! He and I can handle anything! NO of course not, because as the heat and flames intensify, you’d be fully aware of the danger & do what they say. What about a different type of danger, what about evil? Most Christians seem oblivious to evil, igno...

Remember The Cross(1 Peter)No.19- Guarding The Flock

December 12, 2021 17:41 - 31 minutes - 29.9 MB

Have you ever heard the term “Sheeple”? What does that mean? Is it a compliment or an insult? Ever hear phrases like “dumb sheep”, or “led like sheep”? Nobody likes to be called a sheep. Sheep are very useful livestock, providing wool, protein (delish), keeping fields from being overgrown. But sheep are high maintenance, the get lost easily, and they can’t find their own way back home.- Why does Jesus call us sheep? Spiritually we’re just like sheep, easily distracted, lost, vulnerable, we ne...

Remember The Cross(1 Peter)No.18- Game Time

December 05, 2021 17:25 - 33 minutes - 31.6 MB

How many sermons have you listened to in your life? Is there a way to measure how you are applying the things we learn from God’s Word into our lives? The only way to know how strong our faith is, is to play a game. We need to be tested. The problem is, too many of us are content with just practicing, rarely getting on the field to play.

Remember The Cross(1 Peter)No.17- Joyful Suffering, Pt 1

November 28, 2021 17:48 - 36 minutes - 34.6 MB

Do you ever struggle with doubt about your faith in Jesus. Is heaven real? Is all this Jesus stuff legit? Is the promise of eternity w/God worthy of the sacrifices necessary for us to be a true disciple of Jesus? What if there was a way we could be reassured, even in moments of doubt, that our Jesus is reliable? What if that assurance is tied to real suffering, not suffering because of our sin, but suffering tied to Jesus? What if struggling with doubt is directly tied to how we handle suffe...

Remember The Cross(1 Peter)No.16- Preparing For Trouble

November 21, 2021 19:40 - 30 minutes - 28.8 MB

#16 in our series on 1 Peter: Preparing for future trouble is particularly important for many people. What about apocalyptic predictions or theories? Are you the person who takes them seriously? -What about biblical warnings like the “end of all things”? Should we take them seriously, or leave them for tomorrow? When it comes to preparation it’s important to know what the priorities are and make those your first focus. Related Sermons: https://tinyurl.com/MarkNo61-HopeOnAHillside https://tiny...

Remember The Cross(1Peter)No.15- Remember The Cross

November 14, 2021 17:45 - 29 minutes - 28.6 MB

Do you ever get discouraged about how often earthly passions get in the way of you Kingdom passions? How can we make sure our first priority is the Kingdom of God? Thats the question we seek to answer in week 15 of our series on 1 Peter

Remember The Cross(1Peter)No.14- Covenant Immersion

November 07, 2021 17:32 - 35 minutes - 33.5 MB

In this weeks sermon from 1 Peter 3:18-22, we learn about demons, the cross, Noah & the Ark, and how all of that together provides a beautiful picture of being immersed in the transformational promise God has made to redeem us. There's alot here this week, so grab a snack and settle in!

Remember The Cross(1Peter)No.13- Passionate, Ready, & Gentle

October 31, 2021 16:17 - 29 minutes - 28.4 MB

Have you ever been so passionate about something it drives you to fight for what you believe is right? Is that always the right thing to do? Are there times we should chose peace over conflict, even if we are 100% on the "right" side? We study that concept in this week's sermon from 1 Peter

Remember The Cross(1Peter)No.12- Βίος Vs Ζωή

October 24, 2021 16:15 - 34 minutes - 33 MB

Have you ever heard someone say, “I am blessed”? or “Life is good” What do they mean when they say that? Maybe it’s a job you love, financial security, a material goal like your dream car, dream house… That’s good stuff, right? In this week's sermon from 1 Peter we learn how Peter defined blessed, how to live a life "full of good days"

Remember The Cross(1Peter)No.11- Submit & Cherish

October 17, 2021 16:08 - 27 minutes - 26.9 MB

In this sermon from 1 Peter 3, we take a deep dive into what Peter meant when he told 1st century wives to submit to & honor their husbands and 1st century husbands to honor & cherish their wives. It's probably not what you think!

Remember The Cross(1Peter) No.10- Choosing Injustice

October 10, 2021 16:22 - 36 minutes - 34.3 MB

In this week's sermon from 1 Peter, we are commanded to be willing to put aside even our passion for earthly justice, for the sake of the Kingdom of God and the priesthood we have been called to.

Remember The Cross(1Peter)No.9- Obeying Bad Government

October 03, 2021 16:36 - 27 minutes - 24.8 MB

This weeks sermon from 1 Peter focuses on Peter's command for followers of Jesus to be obedient to government, even governments we disagree with. The reason? So we can make serving the Kingdom of God our priority before anything else.

Pedro Rodriguez, Founder Urban Youth Justice

September 27, 2021 00:29 - 29 minutes - 26.9 MB

Pedro is president & founder of Urban Youth Justice, a dynamic outreach to teens across the southeast in the juvenile justice system. A member of GraceLife Sarasota, Pedro has a compelling redemption story and a powerful message about the importance of discipleship, especially among society's most neglected.

Remember The Cross(1Peter)No.8- The New Priesthood

September 19, 2021 16:23 - 28 minutes - 26 MB

In week 8 of our series on 1 Peter we learn about the new "priesthood", how all followers of Jesus are called to relentless service, and to be a conduit of God's mercy and grace to those around us

Remember The Cross(1Peter) No.7- Beautiful Living Stones

September 12, 2021 17:30 - 29 minutes - 28.1 MB

In an emotional week for GraceLife, we start ch 2 of 1 Peter, where Peter describes God's people as "living stones" used to build a "spiritual" house of God. Its a powerful truth about loving God's people more than buildings.

Remember The Cross(1Peter)No.6- The Eternal Word

September 05, 2021 16:15 - 32 minutes - 31.3 MB

The concluding verses of ch 1 of 1 Peter are some of the most beautiful, complex verses in all the New Testament. In them Peter teaches the miracle of how the Gospel has the power to purify our souls, and how the evidence of that purification is the relentless love of His church.

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