While we are all children of God in the sense that God created every single one of us, God has also chosen those He will have an intimate, special and privileged relationship with. This is a filial relationship, one that is not bestowed on us because of our own merit or good-ness, it's bestowed to us as a gift through Jesus Christ. Jesus' death made way for the Holy Spirit to do His work, by opening our spiritual eyes to the new reality of being a new creation, a new child of God. Without this d...
Dec 20, 2021•41 min
What's the problem? The problem is sin. Sin isn't just about 'breaking rules'. It's not just "making mistakes" and its not indulging in your favourite triple chocolate treat. It's the reason the world is broken, and it's the reason why Jesus came into the world. Because He knew we'd be completely helpless in our estate and that the righteous Judge, God the Father, would execute divine justice on our souls. Doesn't that sound dramatic? As I write this, I keep thinking this sounds like the plot of...
Dec 13, 2021•34 min
Why did Jesus come into this world in the first place? Because He loved us and He proved His love to us by entering into our fallen world. He couldn't stand by and watch God's children suffer in sin and destruction. He couldn't stand by, knowing that we would have to be judged by His Holy Father and knowing that we'd never have eternal life without someone to pardon our sins. So He came to earth, bringing spiritual life to spiritually dead people. Without the earthly presence of Jesus, the eyes ...
Dec 06, 2021•43 min
In this weeks service, we begin to celebrate the Advent of the birth of Jesus Christ. Pastor Paul Vanden Brink takes a look at the book of John, specifically chapter 1, verses 1-3. These few verses are filled with incredible depth of meaning and significance. Jesus is the 'word' that John is speaking of here, Jesus is the entirety of same exact power and glory that came from God's own mouth when He spoke the world into existence. If you have ever struggled with the meaning of life. Or if you bel...
Nov 29, 2021•38 min
Keith Williams is preaching from Romans 12:1-2. This text focuses on how we are to act because of, and as a result of, God's love for us. Because of God's great love for us, because He poured His love into our hearts, we now offer our bodies (in the form of helping others) in the service of God. As praise and worship to Him. We are predestined to do this by a loving, perfect Father who does not require us to earn this love, instead, His spirit compels us to act in love and service to others. For...
Nov 22, 2021•31 min
Do you want to know the key to knowing whether or not something or someone is fake? Immerse yourself in the real thing. People who come from families that are really toxic, have no idea what real love looks like, and so it's harder for them to spot the real deal. But people who have had experience with a lot of stable, healthy, loving relationships can more easily spot what an unhealthy one looks like. It's the same when you are trying to discern whether or not something that sound or looks like...
Nov 15, 2021•34 min
This week, we're continuing our sermon series on spiritual gifts. This sermon is very practical and filled with biblically based teaching on what exactly spiritual gifts are and how they are completely unique to each Christian. For those of you who like to feel extra special (like me), this ones a good one for your sense of purpose in life. There's even a graphic for all you visual learners out there. Chances are, you've got a couple of the gifts that are mentioned in this sermon and you might f...
Nov 08, 2021•48 min
This week we are looking at spiritual gifts. Spiritual gifts are gifts of service that God graciously and supernaturally gives to Christians. They are not earned and they are not developed by practicing really hard. Unlike a personal talent, God's spirit enables our gifts instead of us having to work at it. These gifts are for the common good and service to the church and are used to grow His kingdom. Pastor Paul unpacks the differences between spiritual gifts and human talent and talks about th...
Nov 01, 2021•31 min
Life can be incredibly disorienting. Some of us struggle with this feeling of disorientation more than others, but all of us can relate to it at some point or another. In Deuteronomy, we look at an entire nation of Israelites who are facing the death of their leader, Moses. The one who prophesied and led them through the wilderness. The one who literally saw the face of God - and survived it. And here he was, at the end of his life. There he was, but where were they? Without Moses? He was like a...
Oct 28, 2021•32 min
The metaphor of the church being the 'bride' of Christ is one of those metaphors that can require an extra shot of faith to be totally comfortable with. Especially if you are a dude. But listen to this: God chose you. And the metaphor of the bride is one of the ways this truth is illustrated. In the middle east, marriages were arranged. That means, you didn't get to choose who your spouse is, your family did. So when God is saying that His church is His bride, He is saying that He has chosen (or...
Oct 18, 2021•34 min
This weeks sermon focuses on the Spiritual body that includes each person who believes and follows Christ. We also talk about being spiritually dead and what it means to be unaware of our sin and unaware of Gods love for us. When we exist outside of the body of Christ - that is, outside of the body of believers, we are not connected to the spiritual heart of Christ and we are spiritually dead. Just as when an organ in our physical body is disconnected, it dies. When we are connected to Christ, G...
Oct 13, 2021•35 min
If someone had called me a "child of the devil" before I became a Christian, I'd have imagined them shaking their cane at me like Grandpa Simpson. "Youuuu child of the devil!" And I would have been mildly insulted too. But you know what? Anyone who absolutely refuses to submit to the Lord is actually a child of the devil. And that's what I was doing, that's what anyone is doing who willingly turns their back on God's love and His laws. Turning towards God and how He calls us to act, makes us chi...
Oct 04, 2021•34 min
If there was ever going to be a more important message for us to hear these days, it's the message of unity. With elements of division being felt, seen and experienced in every aspect of our lives, it seems like the world is literally falling apart. And, quite frankly, it is. But we can stand firm in the midst of the rubble around us, by remaining solid on what God teaches us through the Bible. I'm going to get bible-thumpy with you here - there's nothing more fundamentally true and unwavering t...
Sep 27, 2021•38 min
I used to think that Jesus referred to us as His sheep because they were cute and fluffy and happy to follow their fearless Shepherd. That's not exactly the case, and it's not because some of us aren't cute or fluffy. Pastor Paul Vanden Brink unpacks why Jesus refers to us as His flock and why it's a backwards, yet fitting, compliment. Scripture taken from John, Chapter 10:1-18.
Sep 22, 2021•35 min
This week, Pastor Paul talks about the Church as an embassy. What does that mean? And what does standing backwards in an elevator and wearing potato sacks at the beach have to do with how we, as Christians, belong to a spiritual embassy? Tune in to find out! Scripture taken from book Matthew 16:13-20.
Sep 16, 2021•38 min
Spoiler alert: Everything turns out beautifully in the end. When this life is over, when all of the division and tragedy and ugliness of the world has faded and the Story has unfolded, guess what. The ending is good, and beautiful and perfect and just. Take comfort in that, friends, as we look to Jesus for how we are to behave and act in this age of turmoil and strife. This sermon is based on the book of Revelation, chapter 5. www.gracevalleychurch.ca
Sep 06, 2021•28 min
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Aug 29, 2021•35 min
www.gracevalleychurch.ca Dr. John Span
Jul 19, 2021•19 min
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Jul 12, 2021•18 min
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Jul 04, 2021•32 min
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Jun 28, 2021•20 min
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Jun 21, 2021•30 min
www.gracevalleychurch.ca To listen to our podcast, head over to The Clearer Thinking Podcast stream on Soundcloud!
Jun 14, 2021•29 min
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Jun 07, 2021•33 min
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Jun 01, 2021•36 min
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May 26, 2021•20 min
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May 24, 2021•27 min
Volcanoes & Miami Beach | Episode 31 by Grace Valley Church
May 19, 2021•24 min
Our motivations for acts of compassion can get confused, self centered and misdirected.
May 17, 2021•26 min
You Can't Do It...No, You Can't! | Episode 30 by Grace Valley Church
May 11, 2021•17 min
