For six months, we've been exploring the different names of Jesus throughout the New Testament, each one revealing how He shows up in our lives, each one deepening our relationship with Him.

But this Christmas, we come to what I believe is the foundation of every other name we've studied: Immanuel, God with us.

Seven hundred years before the first Christmas, before angels appeared to shepherds, before Mary and Joseph found their way to Bethlehem, Isaiah prophesied: "Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she shall call his name Immanuel."

God Himself would take on flesh and blood so we could have a personal relationship with Him.

But Isaiah didn't stop there. In chapter 9, he gave us an even greater description of how this child would personally impact our individual lives: "His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace."

Ever been at a crossroads moment? Faith stretched, confused, mind swirling, not knowing what decision to make?

Isaiah announces that the Messiah will be our Wonderful Counselor and that word "wonderful" in Hebrew means something only God can do.

This matters because God's thoughts are above our thoughts, His ways above our ways. We need supernatural ability to know His plans for our lives. The biggest problem I face isn't the circumstances, it's my own natural understanding.

When I try to figure it out on my own, when I try to put God in some human reasoning box, frustration follows.

The enemy of trust is doubt. And doubt spreads like a disease, eroding our faith, making us assume things that aren't true.

We doubt because we trust in things other than God: what we can control, predict, explain. No wonder we live in anxiety.

Here's what I've learned: the worst thing I could ever receive are some things I've asked God to give me. God doesn't answer because He's trying to protect me from myself. There's a way that seems right to a man, but its end is death.

Jesus doesn't merely possess wisdom. He IS wisdom. When you walk with Him, God's wisdom is revealed in your life in real time.

Jesus is not a lesser form of God. He's not God's assistant or representative. Jesus IS God in the flesh. The whole fullness of deity dwells in Him bodily.

Remember when the disciples were in the boat with Jesus during the storm? They knew it was Jesus who got in the boat with them. They knew it was Him sleeping on the cushion. But they'd never been in a position where they needed to experience the power of God until that moment.

After Jesus calmed the storm, they looked at each other and asked, "Who is this that even the wind and sea obey Him?" They knew Jesus, but they'd never experienced this level of His power.

You never need to know Jesus as healer until you're sick. You never need Him as deliverer until you're in bondage. You never need Him as provider until you face a need you can't fulfill.

And at that very moment when you're without options, the Mighty God shows up and reveals another level of relationship you'd never experienced before.

There are moments when encouragement isn't enough. When advice isn't enough. When strategy isn't enough. We need the power of God; that effective strength, that capacity to accomplish what's intended.

When God's power is revealed, transformation happens. Freedom breaks forth. Doors open. Provision comes.

The manger wasn't the beginning of Jesus' existence, it was the revelation of Jesus. He existed in eternity before Genesis 1:1. When He took on human form, He was representing and relating to us as a father relates to his children.

Jesus is the source of life. Apart from Him, we can do nothing. He knows your name, your needs, your wounds, your struggles. And He cares for you as a father cares for his children.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He will never leave you or forsake you.
His presence in your life doesn't depend on your behavior, what you deserve, or making sure it all works out. It's a promise of His character.

For those who've had disappointing or abusive earthly fathers, understand this: Jesus as Father is not the representation of your earthly father, He's the perfection of your earthly father. He takes wounds and heals them. He brings peace to trauma.

Peace is not something you find. Peace is something you receive. It's an attribute of relationship with God, not a product or attitude.

First, we need peace WITH God; our relationship restored through Jesus' sacrifice. Then we experience the peace OF God; the answer to anxiety, worry, fear.

Worldly peace depends on circumstances.
Christ's peace depends on His presence living through us.

This Christmas, Jesus extends four invitations:

• Wisdom for the confused
• Power for the weak
• Care for the broken
• Peace for the restless

This isn't just a historical event or holiday tradition. We're celebrating a child born to invite us into relationship with Him. And He's still inviting us today.

So, I encourage you to surrender.
Receive the gift.
Know Him in the depths of who He is.

That's the foundation of every name: God with us.

God looked at everything He created and said it was good. But then He looked at Adam, alone in paradise with direct access to God Himself, and said something wasn't good, man was alone. Even in a perfect world with a perfect relationship with God, something was missing. We were designed for relationship with one another.

Fast forward to the New Testament, and Jesus is still emphasizing this same truth. In John 10, He talks about one flock under one shepherd. We're not meant to be scattered individuals doing our own thing. We're called to be a unified community, a body working together.

And here's what amazes me: God looks at us with all our frailty, all our mistakes, all our shortcomings, and says, "You're still My plan A for reaching the world."

Sometimes I think when I get to heaven, I'm going to ask God, "What were You thinking?"

1. Spiritual Protection
Hebrews 3:12-13 warns us not to develop a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from God. So how do we protect against that?

"Encourage one another daily, as long as it is called today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness."

Satan's strategy is simple: isolate you from the body. Because when you're isolated, you lose the voices that can speak into your life and illuminate your blind spots. Every single one of us has blind spots. If you don't think you have one, that IS your blind spot.

We actually need one another. I know that's anti-American in our independent culture, but it's biblical. Two are better than one. If one falls, the other can lift him up. A cord of three strands is not easily broken; you, me, and God in the middle.

2. Strength for Your Heart
Ever been overwhelmed? Burdened? Ready to wave the white flag? That's when you need the body.

The word "encourage" literally means to give courage to someone. When you're discouraged, experiencing a loss of courage, you need people to deposit their courage into you. You need people to add faith to yours when yours is shaking. You need someone to come alongside and help carry the burden you're tired of carrying alone.

Here's the thing though: you don't come to church to GET God. God is already with you everywhere you go. You come to church to GIVE to others what God has revealed to you. That's how the body functions.

In the body, burdens are shared, faith is strengthened, hearts are encouraged, freedom is experienced, wounds are healed, sin is confronted (in gentleness), and victories are celebrated. That's what happens when we're connected.

3. Jesus Manifests His Life
God has given you gifts specifically designed to benefit the body. But here's what happens when you disconnect:

• Your gifts go unused
• The body goes under-supplied
• Someone else misses out on what God placed in you

Think about this: What if you've been praying for months for an answer, and you choose to disconnect from the body on the very day God placed that answer in someone else's heart to share with you?

You miss the answer to your prayer because you disconnected.

That's why Satan works overtime to divide, limit, and distort the body. He knows what happens when we come together with completed lives.

The last two years have been hard for our church. We've faced health crises, staff transitions, family emergencies, and spiritual attacks on every member of our leadership team. There have been moments when we've looked at the waves instead of the One who controls them.

If we've missed the mark, if there were needs we didn't see, if we've disappointed or wounded you, we're truly sorry. We ask your forgiveness. Your limited view isn't wrong, but it's also not the only view. There's a lot happening when several hundred people gather together.

But here's what I want you to know: We're not going anywhere. We're not quitting. We're not backing up. In fact, we're more resolved than ever. And I genuinely believe God is going to do more in 2026 than we've ever seen before.

No one likes pruning. No one enjoys the refining process. But on the backside of that comes a work the Lord completes in His perfection.

You need the body as much as the body needs you. We're in this together, and we're going to see God do incredible things. Don't lose heart. God is sufficient. God is on the throne. God is doing what He does.

Stay connected to the flock, it's God's design for your protection, your strength, and your growth.

There's a myth floating around modern Christianity that's slowly killing the church: "It's just me and Jesus, and that's enough."

Sounds spiritual, doesn't it? Just you and the Savior, no need for messy relationships or complicated church stuff. But here's the problem, that might be a Western Christian mindset, but it's not a biblical one.

Go all the way back to Genesis 2:18. God looked at Adam in the Garden of Eden and said, "It is not good that man should be alone." This was before sin entered the world.

Everything was perfect, Adam had direct access to God, and yet God said something wasn't right. Adam was alone.

So God created Eve, not just as a companion, but to establish a principle that would carry through all of Scripture: We are created for relationship. We are not meant to be isolated.

In John 10, Jesus said something profound: "I have other sheep that do not come from this sheepfold. I must bring them too, and they will listen to my voice, and there will be one flock and one shepherd."

Jesus was the chief shepherd, and He was bringing together Jews and Gentiles, all of us, into one flock. Not scattered individuals doing their own thing, but a unified community under one shepherd.

When Scripture uses the word "flock," it's describing the church, a community of believers, the unity of a group under one shepherd.

Here's where it gets real. Romans 12:5 says, "We who are many are one body in Christ and individually we are members who belong to one another." Did you catch that? We belong to one another.

This isn't about showing up on Sunday, looking at the back of someone's head, and calling it fellowship. That's attendance, not belonging.

Real life doesn't happen sitting in rows, it happens when you get out of the row and sit in a circle with people who know you beyond your name.

You know how easy it is to live for Jesus by yourself? In your prayer closet, everything's great. You can worship without worrying if you're off-key. You can pray without messing up the words. It's just you and Jesus having a wonderful time.

But then you close the door and encounter people. People who haven't been where you've been. People with different opinions, preferences, and ways of doing things. People who, let's be honest, can be sandpaper in your life.

Here's the truth: Nothing God shows you in private is proven until it's lived out in the context of relationships. God wants your horizontal life to reflect your vertical life. If you can't take what God showed you in private and put it into practice when real life happens, you haven't learned enough yet.

When you belong to the body of Christ, several things are true:

• You are placed, not random. God intentionally designed a body for you to fit into. You're not an accident. You're strategically fitted.
• You are needed, not optional. Your gifts matter. Your presence matters. Your encouragement matters. Your story matters.
• You share life, not just space. Belonging is more than just sitting near people, it's walking with people, bearing burdens together, grieving together, celebrating together.
• You walk in mutual responsibility. We are our brother's keeper. We care about each other's growth and carry each other's burdens.
• You find identity, not just activity. You're part of a family, joined to a purpose, functioning as part of God's mission on earth.

We live in a consumerist culture that wants church to be about us, the style we like, the timeframe that works, the ministries we prefer. But Christianity is not a consumer relationship. It's a covenant relationship.

If you hurt my feelings, we work through it. If you offend me, I forgive. If something doesn't go my way, I die to myself. That's covenant. And yes, it gets messy. Where there are people, grab a shovel.

1. Do I truly see myself as part of the body or just an individual who occasionally attends?
2. Am I consistently connected or drifting to the edges?
3. Do I act like I don't need the body or treat others as if they aren't needed?
4. Am I following the chief shepherd or letting personal preference influence my connection?

Here's the bottom line:
You are limiting your own growth when you isolate. You are limiting the freedom of God in your life when you don't feel like you need anyone else.

The church isn't perfect. It can be messy. But it's still God's plan A. And He designed you to grow in the context of relationship with one another.

You were never meant to walk alone.

Following Jesus is about the journey. It's about the way we live our lives until we get to be before the Lord. And if we aren't being changed over a period of time, then we're not truly following. We're just spectating.

Jesus made this crystal clear in John 8:12 when He said, "I am the light of the world. He who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." Following Him should reflect in our lifestyle, in the very way we live. So what does that actually look like?

Jesus said in John 8:31, "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples." That word abide means to stay, to live, to remain in the same position over a period of time. This isn't about treating the Bible like a spare tire, only used in case of emergency.

When we abide in His word, we're letting Jesus rewrite our thinking. Before we renew our minds in Christ, all our minds are skewed by the world. Your spirit got saved, but your mind? It's still controlled by this culture until you intentionally renew it by spending time in God's Word.

A follower of Jesus doesn't just mix in a little bit of Jesus into an already skewed worldview. We allow God to completely rewrite the story; how we view marriage, money, forgiveness, justice, everything.

Jesus gave us a new commandment in John 13:34-35: "Love one another just as I have loved you... By this all people will know that you are my disciples if you have love one for another."

He didn't say the world would know us by our preaching, our worship volume, or how many Bible verses we know. He said they'd know us by our love for one another. And the standard? The way Christ loved us, while we were yet sinners.

This means forgiving enemies, serving unconditionally, laying down our lives for others, covering weaknesses instead of exposing them, and carrying the burdens of the hurting.

Love is the family resemblance of followers of Jesus.

In John 15:8, Jesus said, "By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and prove to be my disciples." This is the proof, not how often you come to church or how much Bible you know, but whether there's evidence in your life that you're connected with God.

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Look back over your life for the last few days.

Have those things been evident? Or have you been hateful, irritated, agitated, and lacking self-control? That's the flesh, not the Spirit.

This is the one nobody wants to hear in our "you do you" culture. But Jesus was clear in Luke 9:23: "If anyone wants to become my follower, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me."

Notice the order: first deny yourself, then take up your cross, then follow. You can't skip steps one and two and just get to be a follower. Most of us, the biggest obstacle in following Jesus isn't the devil. It's ourselves.

Self-denial means refusing to let self-centeredness lead your life, surrendering the throne of your heart to God, and laying down your rights, preferences, ego, and control.

As a believer, you have no rights. Paul said, "You are bought with a price. You do not belong to yourself."

And taking up your cross? In Jesus' day, a cross meant one thing...death. It's an active voluntary choice to die to the desires of your flesh, your pride, your stubbornness, your sinful habits.

All of us ought to be dead men walking.

Here's what's beautiful about all this: God isn't telling you to just try harder. He's saying come closer. If you're not following Him the way you should, it's because you're not close enough to Him. It's not about working harder, it's about coming closer.

And He's not calling you to be perfect. He's calling you to be surrendered, to move in His direction, to trust the One who carries you.

Stop being a spectator. Stop looking from the outside in. God's inviting you to experience His life flowing through you. That's the lifestyle of a follower of Jesus.

In our social media culture, following someone is just one click away. It requires nothing from us, no sacrifice, no cost, no commitment. But when Jesus says "follow me," He means something radically different.

Here's a statement that might challenge you: Jesus didn't come to call believers. He came to call followers.

Don't misunderstand, believing is absolutely critical. It's how we enter into relationship with God. But James 2:19 gives us a sobering reality check: "You believe that God is one. You do well. Even the demons believe, and shudder!"

The Greek word for "shudder" literally means to get goosebumps. Think about that. Demons break out in goosebumps at the name of Jesus, yet many professing believers show less reverence for His authority than the demonic realm does.

Believing was never meant to be the end, it's the birth of our relationship with God. And here's a principle worth remembering: If what we say we believe doesn't change the way we live, then what we believe isn't worth believing.

When Scripture says "believe in Jesus," the Greek actually reads "believe into Jesus." It's active, not passive. You're stepping into His life, entering into His mercy, placing yourself into His hands, trusting into His Lordship. You're stepping into the death and resurrection, living because He lives.

Jesus said "follow me" 84 times in Scripture, compared to "you must be born again" just three times. That's significant. He's calling us to something deeper than mental agreement.
When Jesus walked up to His disciples, He only said two words: "Follow me." And Matthew 4:20 tells us their response: "Immediately they left their nets and followed Him."

Not after a prayer meeting. Not after talking it over. Not after negotiating the terms. Immediately.

Here's the truth: You cannot obey Jesus and keep everything the same. He's not an add-on to your existing life. Jesus never said "invite me into your life." He said, "Leave your life and come into mine."

In Eastern culture, following a rabbi meant leaving everything to live with him, eat with him, go where he went, and absorb his teaching. The goal wasn't just to know what the rabbi taught, it was to become like him, to imitate his life.

That's what Jesus meant when He gave the Great Commission: "Go and make disciples of all nations." He wasn't asking us to get people to show up at church occasionally. He was calling us to bring people into a whole-life apprenticeship under His leadership.

Two critical truths about following:
Delayed obedience is disobedience. We have made hesitation spiritual. "Let me pray about that." "I'm waiting for confirmation." "I need clarity." When God speaks clearly and we say "later," we're not waiting, we're rebelling.

Partial obedience is not following. We want Jesus to follow us, to bless our plans, to approve our choices. But that's backwards. Following means His works become our works, His thoughts become our thoughts, His ways become our ways.

If Jesus is saying "follow me" to you today, ask yourself:

1. What's the net you need to drop? Is there a sin, a relationship, or a comfort zone keeping you from fully following?
2. Where has Jesus told you to move, and you've been stalling? Are you spiritualizing the waiting while actually just disobeying?
3. What part of your life doesn't look like Jesus? If you're following your rabbi, you should be resembling Him.
4. Where do you need to imitate Him instead of the world? Following isn't just knowing, it's imitation.

Jesus doesn't wait until you feel ready. He says "follow me" and expects us to move. If He says move and you don't move, you're not following, no matter how much information about God you've accumulated.

Say yes when it's inconvenient. Say yes when it costs you. Say yes when your flesh screams no. Say yes when your comfort zone is threatened. Say yes even when you don't see the full picture.

Are you a believer or are you a follower? Have you learned anything new from Jesus lately, or are you still living on what you knew 20 years ago?

Jesus is still saying "follow me." Right now. At your heart's door.

It starts with one yes. But let me prepare you, it will require a thousand more.

The question is: Will you say yes?

We often hear about Jesus being our Good Shepherd, the one who protects, guides, and laid down His life for the sheep. But have you ever considered the other side of this relationship? If Jesus is the shepherd, that means we are the sheep. So what is our responsibility to the shepherd?

In John 10:3-4, Jesus reveals something profound: "The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name, and he leads them out." Notice the emphasis, the sheep don't just know about the shepherd. They know him.

This knowing isn't casual acquaintance. The Hebrew word "yada" and the Greek "ginosko" both speak of intimate, experiential knowledge that deepens over time. It's the same word used to describe the physical intimacy between a husband and wife, that's how personal our relationship with Jesus should be.

Jesus himself defines eternal life this way in John 17:3: "That they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you sent." Eternal life isn't just about going to heaven when you die, that's the reward. Eternal life is knowing the Father intimately, right here, right now.

Here's where it gets practical. Jesus says in John 10:5, "Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him for they do not know the voice of strangers."

A stranger's voice is any message, influence, or impulse that contradicts the truth and nature of Jesus. We're surrounded by these voices every day, through media, culture, relationships, and even our own thoughts.

The key? You don't recognize counterfeits by studying every possible fake. You recognize them by becoming so familiar with the true shepherd that anything else stands out immediately.

But here's our problem: instead of fleeing from stranger's voices, we negotiate with them. We rationalize. We entertain the possibilities. And every moment we spend negotiating with temptation makes us more vulnerable to it.

Practical ways to flee:

• Turn away from voices and teachings that contradict God's Word (remember: God isn't schizophrenic, He won't contradict His written Scripture)
• Close spiritual open doors, what you watch, listen to, and absorb matters
• Leave conversations and environments that dull your sensitivity to the Spirit
• Guard your heart and mind through worship, prayer, and truth

Sometimes we don't hear God's voice because we're not on the same frequency. It's not that God stopped speaking, we've just stopped listening in the right way.

God communicates spirit-to-spirit, not just mind-to-mind. First Corinthians 2:14 reminds us, "The unbeliever does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them because they are spiritually discerned."

How do we tune in?

His voice is confirmed by Scripture, every word harmonizes with His written Word. His voice is verified by His Spirit, Romans 8:16 says the Spirit bears witness with our spirit. His voice is proven by good fruit, look for the evidence of transformation. His voice is cultivated through stillness, Psalm 46:10 says, "Be still and know that I am God."

That last one might be the hardest for us. We're busy, over-committed, stressed, and maxed out. We wear shirts with "Be still" printed on them while running 90 miles an hour from one activity to another. But God's voice often comes as a whisper, and we're too loud to hear it.

When your spiritual hearing feels dull, when prayers seem to hit the ceiling, when God feels distant, try this: move closer. Cut out the noise. Be still before Him.

James 4:8 promises, "Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you."

The question isn't whether God is speaking. The question is: Are you close enough to hear what He's saying?

The shepherd's voice isn't a relic of the past. It's still speaking, still giving purpose and direction, still protecting you from your own efforts, and always looking out for what's best for you. But you'll only recognize it by spending time in His presence.

So today, carve out the space. Get quiet. Draw close. Your Good Shepherd is calling your name.

There's something powerful happening when we move from understanding who the Good Shepherd is to actually becoming shepherds ourselves. Because here's the reality, all of us are leading somebody. The question isn't if you are a shepherd, it's how you are shepherding.

Spiritual leadership begins at home. Period. You can't come to church on Sunday, talk about God, and then live like the world the other six days and expect your family to reflect Jesus. It doesn't work that way.

Deuteronomy 6:6-7 makes this clear, God's Word should be on our hearts, impressed on our children, talked about when we sit at home, when we walk along the road, when we lie down, when we get up.

Everywhere. Every moment.

Because if we spend six days living like the world and only one day living like Christ, we're going to look like the world, not like Christ.

Here's a truth that'll make you squirm: culture is created by two things—what you celebrate and what you tolerate. If the culture of your house looks a certain way, it's pointing directly to those two things.

Your actions will always speak louder than your words. If you say prayer matters but your family never sees you pray, does it really matter?

1. Know their spiritual condition. Ask questions about their faith, fears, and struggles. Create a safe space for honesty, not a place where everything's easy, but where wrestling is allowed without condemnation.
2. Lead through your words. Regularly remind your family of God's promises and His love. Use Scripture naturally in conversation. Make Jesus something they want to engage with, not something they have to do.
3. Model spiritual discipline. Children learn what we live. Exhibit a prayerful lifestyle. Read and discuss biblical topics. Engage in worship, not as duty, but from joy.
4. Protect and disciple. Be intentional about what media and entertainment you allow. If you don't know what your flock is consuming, you're not protecting them well.
5. Pursue the lost relentlessly. Jesus will always leave the 99 to rescue the one. Love your difficult family members enough to take a wound every day if that's what it takes to bring them back.

But here's the thing, we can only do any of this if we're following Jesus ourselves. We don't have the power to live this out in our own strength.

Psalm 23 isn't just poetic beauty. It's a promise about God's character and how He'll care for you:

• Providence: The Lord is MY shepherd
• Contentment: I shall not want
• Rest: Green pastures
• Peace: Still waters
• Healing: He restores my soul
• Guidance: Paths of righteousness
• Protection: Valley of the shadow of death
• Confidence: I will fear no evil
• Presence: You are with me
• Victory: A table before me in the presence of my enemies
• Consecration: You anoint my head with oil
• Abundance: My cup overflows
• Grace: Goodness and mercy all the days of my life
• Eternity: I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever

Every single one of us needs something different from our Shepherd today. Some of us need rest. Some need victory. Some need guidance. He's promising all of it, but only if we follow Him.

There's something powerful about understanding what a shepherd actually does, not the greeting card version, but the real, dirt-under-your-fingernails kind of shepherd. Because when Jesus said, "I am the good shepherd," He was picking up centuries of prophetic weight and saying, "This is Me. This is what I've always been."

God's Plan From the Beginning
In Ezekiel 34, God called out the religious leaders of the day, the shepherds who were supposed to care for His people but instead fed themselves. They didn't strengthen the weak, heal the sick, or seek the lost. So God made a declaration: "I myself will search for my sheep and seek them out."

This wasn't plan B. This was always the plan. God was foretelling Jesus, the One who would forever be our judge, Savior, shepherd, and spotless lamb. Everything in the Old Testament was pointing to this moment when Jesus would stand up and say, "I am the good shepherd."

What Makes Him Good
Here's what blows my mind about Jesus as the shepherd: He knows you personally. And I don't mean He knows about you, I mean He knows you the way a husband knows his wife. The Greek word used is ginosko, and it's the same word used for that level of intimacy.

Think about it this way: Would you rather look at a picture of a basket of fruit, or would you rather walk through an orchard, grabbing fruit fresh off the tree and tasting it? That's the difference between knowing about Jesus and actually knowing Him. He wants you in the garden, not staring at a picture.

And here's the kicker, He chose you. In John 10:18, Jesus makes it clear: "No one takes my life from me, but I lay it down of my own free will." When He was in that garden wrestling with what was coming, when He was carrying that cross up the hill, He was looking into eternity. He was looking at you, individually, and saying, "I choose you."

Nobody forced His hand. He could have stopped it at any moment. But He looked into your eyes and said, "You're worth it."

The Two Fights
Here's where I need to be straight with you. There are two fights we're in, and the church has done a really good job highlighting the first one while completely dropping the ball on the second.

The first fight is for your soul. Will you believe Jesus died for you? Will you accept Him as your Savior? That's critical, it's fire insurance, it's eternal life, it's everything.

But if you stop there, you've got a problem.

The second fight is daily picking up your cross and following Him. We've got a lot of people who believe in Jesus but aren't following Him. And we wonder why there's no power moving in the church. Jesus didn't just die so you could have eternal life, He lived so you would know how to live.

Not a Monster in the Sky
Listen, I get it. Maybe you had a bad father. Maybe leaders have broken you. But that's not who God is. From Genesis on, God picked up the imagery of a shepherd, and a shepherd doesn't walk around waiting for his sheep to mess up so he can beat them.

He rescues. He protects. He leads. Yes, He corrects, but it's not about punishment, it's about correction back to His heart. God loved you so much that He put His Son's life on the line for you. That's not someone who just wants a bunch of rules. That's someone who wants a relationship.

The Question
So where are you? Do you know Jesus, or are you just satisfied with the picture of the fruit basket? Have you ever actually decided to follow Him? Because believing in Him and following Him are two very different things.

The good shepherd is looking at you right now. When He was carrying that cross, He was looking at you and saying, "I'm going to do this for you."
Is He worth following?

Don't let the enemy rob you of what the Lord has done for you. The shepherd is calling. The question is, will you follow?

Understanding the Shepherd: Why It Matters More Than You Think

The most important thing that will ever happen between God and your soul is to love and to be loved.

Let me say that again. The most important thing that will ever happen between God and your soul is to love and to be loved. That is the entire character and heartbeat of God Himself, He wants you to love Him, and He wants you to be loved by Him.

Over the next several weeks, we're diving deep into one of the most powerful images in all of Scripture: Jesus, the Good Shepherd. But before we can truly understand what it means when Jesus says, "I am the Good Shepherd," we need to understand what a shepherd actually was and what they did.

Why Shepherds Matter
The imagery of shepherd and sheep appears over 200 times in the Bible. That's not by accident. God doesn't choose metaphors randomly. This is probably one of the most frequently used images in all of Scripture, which means it's critically important we understand it.

The problem is we live in East Texas. We don't see sheep everywhere. We see cows and ranchers, which is completely different. Unless I'm mistaken, there aren't many shepherds here who wake up, grab their staff, and head out to care for sheep.

But in Jesus's time, everyone understood shepherds. It was part of their culture. So when Jesus used shepherd imagery, they immediately grasped the depth of what He was saying. We don't have that advantage, which is exactly why we're spending time on this.

Biblical Shepherds
Throughout Scripture, God uses the shepherd metaphor to describe leadership and His interaction with humanity. In Genesis 49:24, God calls Himself "the shepherd, the rock of Israel." Moses was a shepherd before he led Israel out of Egypt, he was literally tending sheep when he encountered the burning bush. David was a shepherd before he became king.

And in Ezekiel 34, God rebukes leaders who exploit the flock and promises He Himself will become the shepherd.

It all culminates in John 10:11 when Jesus declares: "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep."

But what does that mean? What does it mean to be the good shepherd?

The Real Weight of the Role
To be a shepherd demands courage, endurance, attentiveness, deep commitment, and often great sacrifice. Let me walk you through five major areas of a shepherd's responsibility.

1. Guide
A shepherd led sheep to pasture and water. Sounds simple, right? Except sheep are notoriously helpless, prone to wander, and constantly need guidance. Sound familiar?
Shepherds didn't walk behind the flock like a cattle drive, they walked ahead, leading from the front, often calling sheep by name. And they used a staff, not just as a walking stick, but as a tool to extend their reach, to hook wandering sheep by the neck and pull them back in line.

When you hear "Thy rod and thy staff comfort me," this is what it means. The staff kept you on track. It extended the shepherd's reach so he could guide you, touch you, comfort you, letting you know he's never out of reach.

2. Protect
The rod, a club-like weapon, often with metal at the end, was primarily for protection. Israel's landscape was rugged and dangerous, full of wolves, lions, and bears. David testified he killed both a lion and a bear defending his flock (1 Samuel 17:34-36).

Think about that. A good shepherd would step between his sheep and a lion if that's what it took. That was the job. The rod wasn't primarily for beating sheep into submission, it was for defending them against predators.

When you understand this, "Thy rod and thy staff comfort me" takes on new meaning. There's someone willing to lay down his life to protect you.

3. Provide
A shepherd had to know the terrain, plan routes ahead of time, and be aware of seasons. He couldn't just wake up and wander randomly or his flock would die. He had to think ahead, where's the food? Where's the water? How do we get there safely?

As sheep grow and eat all the food in one pasture, they need to move to new pastures or they'll die. Same with our spiritual walks. Healthy things grow. Growing things change. A shepherd prepares for that.

4. Heal and Comfort
This is where most people run. A good shepherd never left an injured sheep behind. He constantly checked for wounds, parasites, infections. He tended to the sick and weak. He even sang over his sheep, because singing brings comfort.

Sheep are emotional animals. They can go into depression. Sound familiar? And here's the hard part: wounds, infections, and parasites come with yuck, smell, blood, pus, stuff you don't want to deal with.

But if you're not willing to deal with the infected wound, you won't be a good shepherd. If you're not willing to get into the emotional space where the wound is and deal with the hard stuff, you're not going to be a good shepherd.

Most people check out here. "Emotions? I'm out. I don't have time for that." You won't be a good shepherd.

5. Seek the Lost
When one sheep went missing, the shepherd left the 99 and searched for the one. Why? Because that sheep had value. Jesus illustrated this in Luke 15, He left the 99 to find the one.

The lost sheep is almost always in a place it shouldn't be, in the hardest terrain to reach, caught in briers, vulnerable to predators. The shepherd needs all his tools, staff to pull them out, rod to protect against predators, voice to comfort the distressed sheep.

He leaves the 99 safely to find the one because the one has value.

The Weight of Leadership
All of a sudden, this shepherd job feels really heavy, doesn't it? It's not just a guy sitting in a field watching sheep. It's someone willing to lay down his life, go to extreme lengths, deal with the messy and uncomfortable, all to make sure his sheep are well cared for.

You see, you can be a sheep owner and not a shepherd. If you have a kid, that makes you a sheep owner, they didn't have a choice.

The real choice is: Will you be the shepherd or just stay a sheep owner?

Questions to Consider
Every person in here is shepherding somebody. Every one of you. And every one of you is being shepherded by somebody.

The question is:

• Who are you leading? 
• Who are you following?
• Who has God entrusted to your care? Spouse? Kids? Employees? Friends?
• Are you leading from the front or pushing from the back?
• Do your sheep bear your mark? Do they reflect you?
• Are you aware of their condition? Have you inspected them for wounds?
• Are you willing to sacrifice for them like a shepherd would?
• Will you deal with the hard, nasty, infected wounds? Or keep pretending they don't exist?

Most of our youth are drowning, and their parents are oblivious, because the parents are drowning themselves. We stopped following the Good Shepherd and started following our own hearts. And when we follow our own hearts, we always end up in the thicket.

The shepherd imagery isn't just for pastors. It's Jesus's call to every one of us because we all have influence. It's a picture of compassion wrapped in responsibility. A shepherd leads with love and carries the full responsibility of those he loves.

Jesus didn't just emulate a shepherd. He redefined it with sacrifice, intimacy, and eternal security.

Next week, we're diving deep into what it means that Jesus is the Good Shepherd.
But today, leave pondering these questions.

Are you a shepherd or just a sheep owner?

Because now that you understand the weight of a shepherd, you get to choose.

There's a common thread that runs through the entire life of Jesus, from the manger to the cross. That thread is obedience to the Father.

Jesus summed it up perfectly in John 6:38 when he said, "For I have come down from heaven not to do my will, but to do the will of him who sent me." That single statement revealed the heartbeat of his entire 33-and-a-half-year ministry on earth.

Jesus only did what he saw the Father doing. He only spoke what he heard the Father speaking. His entire life was about obedience, not reluctant compliance, but joyful alignment with the Father's will.

I heard a great definition of obedience years ago: Obedience is doing what you're told to do, when you're told to do it, with the right heart attitude.

We've all been that little boy standing in the corner who says, "I may be standing on the outside, but I'm sitting down on the inside." We obey, but we do it reluctantly, with irritation and complaints. That's not the obedience Jesus modeled.

When we look at Jesus's life, we see three powerful characteristics of true obedience:
1. Obedience Rooted in Love
Jesus showed us that the most genuine expression of love for God is obedience. Not words. Not emotions. Not feelings. Action.

First John 2:3-4 is blunt: "By this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says 'I know him' but does not keep his commandments is a liar and the truth is not in him."

That word "liar" might sting, but here's why it's true: if our behavior contradicts what we say, we're not living in truth. We can raise our hands in worship on Sunday, but if our behavior outside the church walls contradicts what we professed, we're living a lie.

Jesus said it clearly: "If you love me, you will keep my commandments" (John 14:15). Our obedience is evidence of our love relationship with God.

And here's the beautiful part, when obedience is rooted in love, it's not burdensome. First John 5:3 says, "His commandments are not burdensome." When you love God, keeping his commands becomes a natural outflow of your relationship, not a weight dragging you down.

2. Obedience That Requires Humility
Philippians 2:6-7 contains revolutionary truth: Jesus, "although he existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a bondservant."

Think about that. Jesus existed eternally as God. The manger wasn't the beginning of his existence, he was with God and was God before Genesis 1:1. Yet he was willing to leave his rightful position, to lay aside his divine privileges, and take on human form to provide our salvation.

He could have said, "Father, I'm comfortable here. There's got to be another way." But he didn't. His first step of obedience was humility.

Notice the order in Philippians 2:8: "He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death." Humility precedes obedience. Before Jesus could obey, he had to get rid of self. He had to bow low and say, "Your will be done."

Many people today want the power of Christ without the posture of humility Christ modeled. We want the freedom and benefits without taking on the posture. But the path to Christ's power always flows through humility.

3. Obedience That Endures Suffering
Here's an uncomfortable truth: Jesus's obedience was tested and proven through suffering.
We go to great lengths to eliminate discomfort from our lives. We want to follow Jesus without hurt, inconvenience, rejection, or pain. But when we try to eliminate all discomfort and live in a sterile environment, we hinder ourselves from going deeper with Christ.

Paul understood this in Philippians 3:10: "That I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death."

We love the first part about resurrection power. We shout "Amen!" to authority and victory. But the verse doesn't stop there. True depth with God comes through sharing in his sufferings and becoming like him in his death.

In the battleground of suffering is where you grow. In the battleground of testing is where your roots go deep.

Jesus's obedience was tested in Gethsemane. In agony, he prayed, "Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours be done" (Luke 22:42).

The cup represented everything, the cross, the suffering, the rejection, the betrayal, the physical pain, the public humiliation, the spiritual separation. Everything your salvation and mine required him to pay.

Jesus was essentially saying, "Father, if there's any other way, please let this cup pass. But if not, not my will, but your will be done."

Every one of us will have Gethsemane moments. Maybe you're in one right now. You don't like where you are. You wish there was an easier way. But maybe God has you there so this can be your Gethsemane, the place where you say, "I don't enjoy this process, but I'm willing to do what you've led me to do."

Jesus was betrayed by close friends. Rejected. Deserted. He endured physical pain beyond what any human should endure; beaten so badly that Isaiah 53 says you couldn't recognize him as human.

But worse than the physical and emotional pain was the spiritual agony. As Jesus hung on the cross carrying the sin of the world, God the Father, who had been beside him for 33 and a half years, had to turn away because of the sin Jesus bore.

That's when Jesus cried out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46).

Have you ever felt like God was distant? Like he seemed far away in your weakest moment? That's when we follow Jesus's example, we trust the heart of God even when we can't see the hand of God.

Hebrews 5:8-9 says something remarkable: "Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him."

If Jesus, being God's son, had to learn obedience through suffering, doesn't it make sense that we'll learn obedience through uncomfortable moments too?

Without Jesus's obedience to the cross, none of us would have forgiveness. None of us would have relationship with God. None of us would have the abundant life that flows through the power of the Holy Spirit.

The cross isn't just jewelry we wear or wall décor in our homes. The cross is where sinners become saints. Where guilt is exchanged for grace. Where despair gives way to hope.

And God is calling us to walk in that same pathway, to live lives that emulate the pattern Jesus left for us. Because that's where true freedom is. When we live based on obedience, we're liberated to be who God wants us to be.

Not forced. Not obligated. But choosing joyful surrender.

And that changes everything.

Worship has become one of the most misunderstood, and most contentious, aspects of church life. Over the years, I've watched people leave churches because "the worship is better over there" or "I don't like the style here." It's heartbreaking because we've completely missed what God intended worship to be.

Worship was never meant to be about us, our feelings, our preferences, our comfort. It's about God and His glory. Always has been, always will be.

In John 4, Jesus had a conversation with a Samaritan woman at a well. When she brought up worship locations and traditions, Jesus cut straight to the heart of the matter: "The hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him."

Notice what He didn't say. He didn't say worship is about a place, not the mountaintop, not the temple, not even the church building. He's seeking authentic worshipers whose worship comes from the heart. If the only time you worship Jesus is when you walk through church doors on Sunday, you're missing it entirely.

Picture yourself holding a mirror. Most of us live our lives with that mirror facing us, focused on our needs, our preferences, our feelings. We even bring that mindset to church. We expect the worship team to shine Jesus on us so we can "feel" His presence. And when we don't feel it, we walk out disappointed.

But here's what God showed me: What would it look like if 300, 400, 500 people came into church and instead of holding mirrors facing themselves, they all turned their mirrors toward heaven? What if we came to reflect Jesus back to Him, to pour out the worship He placed in our hearts?

That's what we were created for. Not to be filled, but to pour out. The filling is the byproduct, not the purpose.

Here's something powerful: worship isn't just an act of praise, it's a spiritual weapon. In the book of 2 Chronicles, we see that God's people began to sing and praise and the Lord set ambushes against their enemies. When you're under spiritual attack, when the enemy is tearing at your life, your greatest defense is to worship God.

But I can't do that for you. No pastor, no worship team can worship on your behalf. It requires you to turn your mirror, align your heart with God's, and pour out authentic praise, not because of how it sounds, but because of who He is.

I'm going to step on some toes here. October has been hijacked by darkness. Halloween has roots in Celtic festivals celebrating the occult, death, and evil spirits. Meanwhile, the Jewish calendar marks this season with Rosh Hashanah (self-reflection), Yom Kippur (repentance), and the Feast of Tabernacles (celebrating God's faithfulness).

What was meant to be a month of turning our hearts back to God has become a month celebrating darkness. And the church has just gone along with it.

Here's my challenge: Can we take October back? For the entire month, fill your life with worship. In your car, at home, on the way to work, let worship be the soundtrack of your days. Not because it's legalistic, but because you're aligning your heart with God's presence.

Make worship your lifestyle, not just a Sunday activity. Watch how it changes your home, your family, your perspective. Because when God's people boldly worship Him, the heavens open and spiritual battles are won.

Jesus led His disciples in worship through the Psalms before going to the cross. Even in His darkest hour, He worshiped. That's the example we follow.

So stop waiting for someone to give you Jesus. Stop critiquing the worship style or the off note. Turn your mirror to heaven and worship the King who is worthy of it all. Because authentic worship was never about you feeling something, it's about Him receiving everything.

One of the most common questions I hear is, “Pastor, do you believe we’re living in the last days?” By that, people mean: Are we close to the return of Christ? It’s the same question the disciples asked Jesus in Matthew 24:3.  They wanted to know the signs of His coming and the end of the age.

Let’s start with a key distinction: the rapture and the second coming are not the same event. The word “rapture” isn’t in the Bible, it’s a term that describes being “snatched away.” At the rapture, Jesus comes in the air to gather His church. Believers who have died will rise first, and then those who are alive will be caught up together to meet Him.

The second coming happens later, at the end of the tribulation, when Jesus returns to the earth, specifically, the Mount of Olives, with His church to establish His millennial kingdom.

Jesus outlined several signs in Matthew 24 to help us recognize the season of His return, not the exact day or hour, but the general timeframe.

First, spiritual deception will increase. Jesus warned that many would come claiming to be the Christ and would mislead people (Matthew 24:4-5). We’re seeing this today, a willingness to embrace lies over truth, especially when the truth challenges our desires.

Second, global unrest will escalate. Wars, rumors of wars, famines, and earthquakes will become more frequent (Matthew 24:6-7). These are like birth pains, they start small and intensify. Right now, there are numerous armed conflicts, widespread famine, and a noticeable rise in seismic activity. Jesus said not to be frightened by these things, but to be aware, they signal that the end is near.

Third, persecution of believers will grow. Jesus said His followers would be hated, arrested, and even killed because of their faith (Matthew 24:9). Today, millions of Christians face severe persecution worldwide, with many giving their lives for the gospel.

Fourth, moral and social decline will become widespread. Lawlessness will increase, and most people’s love will grow cold (Matthew 24:12). We see this in the celebration of sin, the rejection of biblical values, and a culture that prioritizes personal comfort over spiritual commitment.

But there’s hope. Jesus also said the gospel would be preached throughout the whole world before the end comes (Matthew 24:14). God is still moving powerfully, revivals are breaking out, and people are turning to Christ even in the darkest places.

So how should we live in light of these signs?

1. Stay alert. Be spiritually awake and discerning. Test everything by God’s Word and resist deception.
2. Live in readiness. Like in the days of Noah, don’t put off preparing your heart. The rapture will happen suddenly, in the twinkling of an eye, and there won’t be a second chance to get ready.
3. Endure in faith. Stand firm, even when your faith is tested. Salvation isn’t just a one-time event, it’s a journey of being saved, transformed, and one day glorified when we see Jesus face to face.

The real question isn’t just, “Are we living in the last days?” but “Am I ready for the last day?”

If Jesus returned today, would you be taken to be with Him or left behind?

If you’ve never received Jesus, don’t wait. Come to Him today.

If you’re a believer but have grown complacent, recommit your life to Christ now.

Let’s live with urgency, hope, and readiness, because He is coming soon.

You know that feeling, right? When something you know you shouldn't do suddenly seems incredibly appealing? Maybe it's that extra drink, the gossip session, or the little white lie that would make everything easier. We've all been there, that moment when our better judgment goes to war with our desires.

I've been thinking about this lately because temptation seems to be everywhere these days. And here's what I've realized: even Jesus himself faced this same struggle. If the Son of God wasn't exempt from temptation, what makes us think we should be?

What Temptation Really Is
At its heart, temptation is pretty simple, it's when something wrong starts looking really right. It's the enemy dangling a counterfeit in front of us, whispering, "Hey, maybe God's way isn't the only way. Maybe you deserve a little more than what He's offering."

I've noticed Satan has a playbook he loves to use. He's been running the same plays for thousands of years because, honestly, they still work on us. When I read about Jesus in the wilderness in Matthew 4, I'm struck by how familiar these tactics feel.

First, he waits for our weak moments. Jesus had been fasting for 40 days when Satan showed up, not exactly when someone's thinking clearly about food choices. The enemy does the same thing to us. He doesn't usually tempt us when we're feeling strong and connected to God. No, he waits until we're exhausted, discouraged, or going through a crisis.

Then he messes with our identity. "If you are the Son of God..." he said to Jesus. With us, it sounds like, "If you were really a good Christian, you wouldn't struggle with this," or "If God actually cared about you, would you really be going through all this?"

Here's what really gets me, Satan offered Jesus all the kingdoms of the world. The irony? Jesus already owned them all as Creator. The enemy loves giving us cheap knockoffs of what God has already planned for us. He'll offer a shortcut to success when God's preparing us for something better. He'll dangle instant gratification when God's teaching us patience for a greater blessing.

But underneath it all, every temptation comes down to one question: who are you going to worship and follow?

Learning from Jesus
So how did Jesus handle it? His response gives us a roadmap that actually works.

Jesus fought back with Scripture. Every time Satan tried something, Jesus responded with "It is written..." He knew God's Word so well that the truth was right there when he needed it. That's not about memorizing Bible verses to win arguments, it's about filling our minds with God's truth so we can recognize lies when we hear them.

Jesus also never wavered about who he was. Satan tried to make him question his identity, but Jesus stood firm. We need that same confidence in who God says we are: completely loved, totally forgiven, part of his family, brand new creations in Christ.

And here's the big one, Jesus refused to give Satan even a moment of worship. Not even a little bow. Not even a "maybe we can work something out." His allegiance was clear.

The Real Secret: It's Not About Trying Harder
But here's what I've learned the hard way: beating temptation isn't about gritting our teeth and trying harder. I spent years thinking I could willpower my way out of my struggles.

Spoiler alert: it didn't work.

The real answer is surrender. And I know that sounds backwards, how can giving up help us win? But stay with me here.

We often think of worship as singing a few songs on Sunday morning. But real worship is so much bigger than that. Romans 12:1 puts it perfectly: "Present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God. This is your true worship."

That means letting God have the final say in our decisions. It means obeying him even when it's inconvenient or doesn't make sense to us. It means being willing to let go of anything he asks us to release. It means trusting him with our future, even when we can't see the plan.

Here's what surrender looks like in real life: actually meaning it when we pray "Your will be done." Living for God's approval instead of constantly seeking human recognition. Letting our worship come from our hearts, not just going through the motions.

It's easy to sing about surrender, but living it out is one of the hardest things we'll ever do. It means coming to God with open hands and saying, "I may not have much to offer, but everything I am is yours. Use me however you want."

The Power of an Open Door
There's this beautiful picture in Revelation 3:20 where Jesus is standing at the door of our hearts, knocking. What strikes me about this image is that there's no doorknob on the outside. Jesus won't force his way in, he waits for us to open the door from within.

His grace is always there. He's always pursuing us. But we have to make the choice to let him in.

Are you worn down by the constant battle today? Feeling like you're losing the fight against temptation? Here's the invitation: surrender. Open the door to Jesus. Bring him everything, your burdens, your doubts, your need to control everything, your craving for approval.

Tell him, "God, I can't do this on my own anymore. I need you. Come and do whatever you want in my life."

This isn't a one-and-done prayer. It's a daily choice, sometimes a moment-by-moment choice. It's about constantly letting go of our own ways of doing things and making room for God to work, even when it feels uncomfortable.

When we really embrace this path of surrender, something amazing happens, temptation starts losing its grip on us. We begin experiencing the freedom, peace, and abundant life Jesus promised. Our worship becomes more than words or songs; it becomes the very way we live.

So wherever you are today, whatever you're fighting, take a moment to surrender. Open your hands, open your heart, and invite God to have his way. Trust me, his plan for you is so much better than anything the enemy could offer.

In that surrender, you'll find the strength to overcome.

What if your view of Jesus is a little too soft?

We tend to picture him as calm, gentle, meek, maybe carrying a lamb or smiling at children. Those images are true, but they're not the whole picture. Somewhere along the way, we've domesticated the Lion of Judah into a house cat. But Jesus is so much more than our comfortable images allow.

Here's what I want you to understand: The holiness of Jesus means he is your final judge and the only one who can save you from that judgment.

Understanding True Holiness
Throughout Scripture, God is described as holy. The Hebrew word kadosh means sacred, set apart, morally pure, all the time. To be holy means completely pure, utterly set apart, free from defilement, and morally flawless.

In Isaiah 6, the prophet sees seraphim, the highest class of angels, standing above God's throne, calling out to one another: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts. The whole earth is full of his glory." They couldn't say it just once. They repeated it three times to capture the enormity of God's holiness.

That's the Jesus we need to see, not a tame version, but the truly holy one.

He Lived Perfect Holiness
Jesus didn't just claim holiness as a title. He lived it every single day in a world full of temptation and compromise. He never sinned, not once. No selfish thoughts, no hidden motives, no moral shortcuts.

Even his enemies couldn't find fault in him. At his trial, Judas admitted, "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood." Pilate's wife warned, "Have nothing to do with this righteous man." The thief on the cross declared, "This man has done nothing wrong." A Roman centurion concluded, "Certainly this man was innocent."

But Jesus didn't just avoid sin, he actively pursued righteousness in every moment. And more than loving what was good, he hated what was evil. He called out religious hypocrisy. He overturned tables in the temple. He spoke truth even when it offended people, because he loved them enough to want their transformation.

One of the greatest failures of the modern church is tolerating evil with silence and compromise. Jesus never did that.

The Cross Reveals Holy Love
If you want to see holiness in action, look at the cross. That's where we see both his love and his holiness most clearly.

Jesus, the holy one, pure and perfect, became sin for us. Not symbolically, but literally. He carried all our rebellion, all our shame, all our filth. The only man who never deserved to die died for people who only deserve to die.

That's not just love. That's holy love.

His holiness led him to the cross. He couldn't ignore sin or sweep it under the rug. He took it seriously enough to die for it. This is where holiness and love collide, his love drove him to the cross, and his holiness demanded what happened there.

If you water down Jesus's holiness, you'll never fully understand the cross. That sacrifice only has power because the one offering it was without sin. Your salvation is secure not because you're good, but because he is holy.

He Returns as Judge
But Jesus's holiness doesn't end at the cross. One day soon, the Holy One won't just be the Lamb of God, he will be the judge. There will come a moment when the time of grace ends and the time of judgment begins.

Jesus made this clear: there will be a day when he draws a line between those who belong to him and those who don't. He's loving and merciful, but he's also holy. And that means he will not ignore sin forever.

He died to separate us from sin. But if we refuse that separation, if we cling to our sin and reject the Savior, he will honor that decision. He won't force his holiness on anyone, but he will judge those who deny it.

Your Response Matters
How will you respond to this holy Jesus? Not the safe, comfortable version we've grown accustomed to, but the real one, the Lion of Judah, the Lamb who was slain, the judge who will return.

If you've never surrendered to Jesus, let today be the day. Not because you need to clean yourself up first, but because only he can make you clean. The Holy One became sin so you could become holy.

And if you're a believer who's been coasting, remember this: Jesus wasn't casual on the cross. Don't be casual in your discipleship.

The holiness of Jesus is both terrifying and beautiful, and it demands a response.

When we gather as a church, it's easy to think the building is what makes us the church. But here's the truth: the church is not this building, the church is you. The church doesn't exist in these walls until you show up. It's about each one of us bringing what we have together.

Hebrews 10:24-25 reminds us not to forsake gathering together because we're supposed to love and serve one another. The person sitting to your left and right, that's the church. The church should go everywhere you go. You should reflect Jesus everywhere you go.

Today, I want to talk about Jesus as the heart of a servant. And here's what I've discovered: the why we serve is more important than that we serve. When you get your why, you'll serve from your heart, not from duty.

Servantship is living to serve and love others selflessly, following Jesus's example with humility and compassion. It's a readiness to meet the needs of others without seeking personal gain or recognition.

That second part is crucial. Often, we stop serving when we don't get the recognition we expected. We're looking for the wrong person to validate our service.

In Mark 10:43-45, Jesus taught his disciples something radical: "Whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many."

Notice Jesus makes a distinction. If you want to be great, you'll be a servant, someone who chooses to serve. But if you really want to get it, you'll be a slave, someone completely owned by and surrendered to God. A slave doesn't even have a choice to serve. It's who they are because they reflect their master.

The more we serve, the more we lead. It seems backwards, but in God's kingdom, the only way up is down.

Jesus was a master at using parables, simple stories that everyone could understand to illustrate spiritual truth. He used them to challenge cultural norms and say, "I know that's what the world does, but God does something completely different."

The Good Samaritan
In Luke 10, a religious teacher asked Jesus, "How do I get eternal life?" Jesus responded: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind. And love your neighbor as yourself."

The teacher questioned, "Who is my neighbor?"

So Jesus told the story of a man beaten and left for dead on the roadside. A priest walked by. A Levite walked by. The very people who should have helped did nothing. But a Samaritan, someone the Jews despised, stopped. He had compassion. He took the man to an inn, paid for his care, and promised to cover any additional costs.

Jesus asked, "Which of these was the neighbor?" The answer: the one who showed mercy.
Your neighbor is everyone you come in contact with. The Samaritan understood that people mattered no matter who they were. Jesus said, "Now go and do the same."

There's an eternal impact to our service. We'll stand before God one day, and how we served the "least of these" will matter.

Jesus didn't just teach about service, he lived it. In John 13, Jesus washed his disciples' feet. This was the lowest, most humble act imaginable. Yet God himself in human form humbled himself to serve.

He told them, "If I then, the Lord and the teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I gave you an example that you should do as I did to you" (John 13:14-15).

If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them. Not just knowing, doing.

Jesus never elevated himself to a position where he expected people to bow down. He modeled the opposite. He was literally God with skin on, and he chose to serve.

Here's what sets Jesus's service apart: he served out of compassion, not duty. He didn't serve because he had to. He served because he loved.

Look at how often Scripture records Jesus being "moved with compassion":

• When he saw the crowds, he had compassion and healed their sick
• He touched the eyes of the blind with compassion
• He reached out to the leper with compassion
• He saw people like sheep without a shepherd and taught them
• He fed the hungry because he had compassion
• Even on the cross, he said, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do"

Time after time, Jesus was moved by compassion. It was never out of duty. He looked at people, saw their value, and said, "I will serve because I love you and I'm glorifying the Father."

Why are you serving?

In Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus describes the final judgment. He'll separate people like a shepherd separates sheep from goats. To those on his right, he'll say:

"Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me."

The righteous will ask, "When did we see you like this?"
And Jesus will answer: "Just as you did it for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it for me."

Service is an outpouring of your relationship with God. He moved with compassion for us and sent his son to serve us. Now he expects us to do the same, to love our neighbor as ourselves.

Jesus lived out the ultimate act of service when he died on the cross. John 15:12-13 says, "My commandment is this: to love one another just as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, that one lays down his life for his friends."

Jesus didn't just talk about service, he walked it out. The day he died, he had no bed to lay on. He didn't even have his own tomb. He came to pour it all out for humanity, and then he called us to do the same.

Not out of duty. Out of love.

After everything we've explored, let me redefine servantship for you: Servantship is love in action. That's it. It's showing that you love people with your actions.

You shouldn't serve because someone's telling you to. Service isn't about a name, a logo, or branding. It's about the overflow of your love for people.

If you serve in kids' ministry, don't do it because the church needs you. Do it because those kids need to see someone pursuing God. They need godly men and women to show them what that looks like.

If you serve on the Welcome Home team, it's not just to hand out papers. It's because you don't know what that person walking through the door has been through. Your smile and "you matter" might be exactly what they need.

Every act of service should come from a place of compassion, not duty. It should pour out of you because you're in an authentic relationship with Christ. When you see people the way God sees them, service becomes natural.

Here's my challenge: Where are you serving? Not because an organization asked you to, but because Jesus modeled it and expects it.

We have opportunities to serve all around us, in our church, in our community, in quiet moments when no one's watching. The man beaten on the side of the road. The person at the grocery store who has to put items back. The lonely neighbor who never gets visitors.

Serve because you care about people. Moved with compassion. Not waiting for recognition or applause, but knowing that the Master sees every act done for the least of these.

One day, we'll stand before Jesus. And when we do, may he look at us and say, "Well done. You cared for the least of these. You served as I served. You loved as I loved."

That's servantship.

That's love in action.

That's the heart of Jesus.

"No one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the skins burst, the wine spills out, and the skins are destroyed. Instead, they put new wine into new wineskins and both are preserved." - Matthew 9:17

This verse paints a vivid picture of something we all experience but often resist: change.
In biblical times, wine was stored in animal skin containers. When fresh juice was poured into a new wineskin and fermentation began, gases were released and the skin expanded.

Once the process finished, the wineskin became rigid, stretched to its limit, no longer flexible or pliable.

Jesus is saying this: When God wants to pour something new into your life, He's looking for you to become a new wineskin, pliable, flexible, able to absorb what the newness of God actually is. If you try to cram what God is currently doing into something old and rigid, it won't expand. It will rupture, and both the wine and the wineskin are wasted.

We all love the idea of something new. New car, new house, new clothes. But it's the process we find challenging, because there's nothing new experienced without God stretching us.

Years ago, people wore t-shirts and bumper stickers with "WWJD" - What Would Jesus Do? That's not a bad question when facing a dilemma. But I think there's an even more pressing question: What is Jesus doing? What is Jesus saying right now?

When you ask that question, be ready for the answer. Because when God reveals what He's doing and saying, it will always involve you being stretched spiritually. It will take you out of your comfort zone. It will challenge preconceived ideas. It will stretch you in what you're willing to receive.

Why? Because God is always about creating something new.

Here's the problem: If Jesus creates all things new, and eight out of ten people hate change, we've got a conflict. We're immediately at odds with what Jesus is doing because of our resistance to change, and usually that resistance comes from our fear of the unknown.

1. Change Is Initiated by Jesus
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. Old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new." (2 Corinthians 5:17)

When you received Jesus into your life, did you notice He didn't just leave things the way they'd always been? He wasn't satisfied with touching up the paint on the old house or doing a small remodel. No, He demolished the way life used to be in order to introduce the life He wants you to experience.

Jesus said He came to give life, not just ordinary life, but life in abundance, to the full. The only way you'll ever experience abundant life is if you're willing to let old things go and follow the newness Jesus is creating inside you.

Change is not an obstacle to His renewal. It's the very process.

2. Change Is Part of God's Plan
"There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven." (Ecclesiastes 3:1)

Change is not random or meaningless. God allows change in our lives for a reason. I'm a big believer in seasons. Just because God operated one way at one time doesn't restrict Him from changing how He operates at another time.

We try to put God in a box that's predictable, manageable, comfortable. But when Jesus dealt with people, even in healing, He used a variety of methods. Sometimes He spoke and people were healed from a distance. Sometimes He laid hands on them. Sometimes He used mud. Sometimes He used spit.

If you were healed by Jesus putting mud on your eyes, you might start thinking everything Jesus does will involve mud. But it may not. Jesus works in different ways in different seasons.

Right now, you may be in a season God is adjusting or transitioning. You may be fearful because you've never been in this season before. But it's not punishment, it's preparation for what God wants to do in your life.

Change isn't a sign that God has lost control. It's proof that He's at work.

Isaiah 43:19 says, "Behold, I am doing a new thing. Now it will spring forth. Do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert."

God is doing a new thing, present tense, active. He's inviting you into a lifelong process of change because we never reach a place where we've arrived. His plan is that you're more conformed to the image of Jesus today than when you first got saved. You're growing deeper today than last year. You're further in your understanding of God today than previously.

Why? Because we're in a process of being transformed into the very image of Jesus.

3. Change Is Uncomfortable, But Always Beneficial
I grew up enjoying change. I like different ways, different rhythms. But I've learned something about myself, I love change as long as it doesn't involve the things I like the way I like them.

Haven't you noticed? We all love the idea of change until it touches something we need to change. Then it doesn't seem fair. Then it seems insensitive. Then it seems like God's not looking out for our best interests.

Here's where it gets really challenging. John 15:2 says, "Every branch in me that does not bear fruit, He takes away." Okay, we get that. If it's not working, eliminate it.

But then Jesus says: "And every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so it may bear more fruit."

Wait, branches that ARE bearing fruit get pruned too? That seems confusing, even insensitive. Why would God look at healthy things in our lives and prune them?

You might be thinking, "God, I'm so blessed with this relationship/ministry/situation right now." And God says, "I'm so glad you're blessed." Snip.

"God, this is really producing great things in my life." "That's fantastic." Snip.

"God, I'm in the middle of my calling, doing what I've always dreamed." "I'm glad your dreams are being fulfilled." Snip.

God doesn't prune to hurt us. He prunes because His vision for us is greater than the vision we have for ourselves. He sees what we cannot see. He knows what we do not know. And even though something may be healthy and successful right now, He knows that if we'll adapt and shift, what results in the future will be so much greater.

This takes tremendous trust. Our comfort zone is not what God is about. Change is not for our comfort, it's for our calling.

It's like a sculptor working with a block of marble. In his mind, he sees a masterpiece. But right now, it's just a big block of stone. So he takes a chisel and hammer and begins chipping away, removing everything that doesn't look like what the masterpiece looks like in his mind.

None of that sculpting process is painless. It all comes with having stuff removed. Things we think are really important, God may look at and say, "If we prune that for a season, greater fruit will develop on the other side."

When the chisel is painful, we trust the Artist.

Sometimes we preach about change in theory. But today, our church walked through it in real time. After five and a half years of faithful leadership in our student ministry, my daughter, Krista, felt God calling her to transition to a new season. It was painful. It was difficult. She wrestled with God, "I can't just leave them with no one."

But here's how sweet and faithful God is: While she was wrestling with what to do, God had already brought a family into our church, a couple who had spent 13-15 years leading student ministries, directly gifted in the exact areas she had prayed for.

Before we even knew we had the need, God had already moved to provide.

That's why God prunes. Not to hurt us, but because He sees what we can't see. He knows this family will build on what was established, and the fruit will be greater than anything before.

God is always doing something new. He's always moving you from one level to another, conforming you more into the image of Jesus. The question is: Will you be a new wineskin, pliable and ready for what He wants to pour into your life?

Change is hard. Transition is uncomfortable. Pruning is painful. But on the other side is greater fruit than you could ever imagine, and a God who has already gone before you to prepare the way.

Trust the Artist. He's creating a masterpiece.

There's a crucial difference between feeling bad for someone and actually doing something about it. Today, I want to talk about compassion, specifically, the compassion of Jesus that reveals the Father's love for us.

But first, let's clarify something important. Last week we talked about grace, God's undeserved favor, giving us what we don't deserve, like salvation through Jesus.

Compassion is different. Compassion is about deep concern that moves to action. Grace addresses our eternal need, forgiveness and relationship with God. Compassion addresses our present needs: hunger, sickness, loneliness, pain.

When we look at Jesus's compassion, we're actually seeing the Father's heart. In John 5:19, Jesus said, "The Son can do nothing by himself. He can only do what he sees his Father doing."

Go all the way back to the Garden of Eden. When Adam and Eve fell, God acted compassionately. He came looking for them, calling out, "Where are you?" He covered them with animal skins. He even gave them a promise about defeating the serpent; a promise fulfilled in Jesus on the cross.

After the Israelites worshiped the golden calf, God described himself to Moses this way: "The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in loyal love and faithfulness" (Exodus 34:6). That's God's self-description—compassionate.

And in the parable of the prodigal son, Jesus illustrated the Father's compassion perfectly. While the son was still far off, "his father saw him and felt compassion and ran and embraced and kissed him" (Luke 15:20).

The father restored the son, put a robe on him, a ring on his finger, and threw a celebration. That's our heavenly Father's heart toward us.

Before we go further, let's clarify what we don't want to mistake for compassion:

• Pity acknowledges something. "Oh, poor guy. That stinks to be you."
• Sympathy feels. You send a card to someone who's sick or grieving.
• Empathy understands. Someone in similar circumstances can relate to your situation.
• Compassion acts. It takes action.

The word "compassion" comes from the Latin compassio, meaning "to suffer with." Webster defines it as "the sympathetic consciousness of another's distress together with a desire to alleviate it." That alleviating part, that's compassion.

Going beyond just seeing it to actually doing something about it.

Jesus demonstrated compassion in powerful ways. He frequently healed the sick, blind, deaf, and paralyzed, not just to show His power, but out of deep compassion.

His miracles were preceded by emotional identification with those He touched. He didn't heal mechanically. He got down to their level, saw people for who they were, and had great compassion not to leave them.

In the feeding of the 5,000, Jesus was grieving John the Baptist's death. He tried to get away to a quiet place, but the crowds followed. Matthew 14:14 says, "When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and began healing their sick." Then He fed 5,000 people because He knew they hadn't brought food.

Jesus had compassion for outcasts. When a leper begged, "If you are willing, you can make me clean," Jesus was "moved with compassion, reached out his hand and touched him and said, 'I am willing. Be made clean'" (Mark 1:41). People thrown away by society, Jesus went to them and brought restoration.

In the story of the Good Samaritan, a Jewish man was beaten, robbed, and left in a ditch. A priest walked by. A Levite walked by. But a Samaritan, someone who wasn't supposed to care about Jews, stopped. "When he saw him, he had compassion" (Luke 10:33). He bandaged wounds, took the man to an inn, and paid for his care.

When we speak of Jesus's compassion, Jesus didn't just feel, He also took action. He never offered pity. He didn't pat people on the head and walk away. He touched them. He healed them. He listened. He wept. He even resurrected a friend. He fed them and restored them.

The crucifixion is the supreme example of Jesus's compassion. "No one has greater love than this, than to lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13). Jesus suffered and died to take the place for our sins.

From the cross, Jesus said, "Father, forgive them because they don't know what they're doing" (Luke 23:34). He was praying for those who crucified Him, not just Roman soldiers, but the religious leaders who instigated His death. He wanted to see them come to a real relationship with God.

And to the thief on the cross who said, "Remember me when you come into your kingdom," Jesus replied, "Today you will be with me in paradise" (Luke 23:43), showing compassion to someone who moments before had been cursing Him.

Here's something important: Compassion isn't permission. It's an invitation to healing and transformation. We have a saying at our church: "It's okay not to be okay, but it's not okay to stay that way."

When you're receiving compassion, don't take it for granted. Don't treat compassion as a license to continue in unhealthy or sinful ways. Don't manipulate other people's kindness or use mercy to avoid responsibility.

The Israelites abused God's mercy in the wilderness, constantly complaining even as God met their needs. Judas watched Jesus minister for years, then betrayed Him because Jesus didn't do what Judas wanted.

Abusing compassion dulls grace. It hurts the helpers. It fosters immaturity, keeping you stuck without growth. Jesus's compassion meets us where we are, but it never leaves us there. If we're in tune with what Jesus is doing in our hearts, we should want to change.

To follow Christ is to reflect His compassion. We need to offer mercy, a path to forgiveness, not just forgiving forward, but offering salvation to those who need Jesus. We need to offer hope and prayer for healing.

The right response to compassion is repentance, gratitude, and transformation. We don't earn it, but we honor it by letting it change us. When you truly receive compassion, you don't want to keep doing the thing that broke you. You want to get well.

Romans 2:4 says, "Do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, not realizing that God's kindness is intended to lead us to repentance?"

Make that call of reconciliation. Deliver the meal. Sit with the grieving. Include the lonely. Serve the disabled. Get involved in ministry. The challenge is: Don't just feel something, do something.

Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, "You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it'll be too late."

Who is God calling you to show compassion to today? Not pity. Not sympathy. Not even just empathy. Compassion = love that takes action.

Grace. It's one of those church words we use a lot, throw around frequently, but may not fully understand. The Greek word is charis, meaning favor, kindness, or goodwill freely given. It's the unmerited love toward the undeserving.

That's how God dealt with us. He was moved by mercy, moved by compassion, and dealt with us by grace when Jesus died on the cross. We can have the free gift of eternal life by His grace, undeserved favor.

This theme runs throughout Scripture. There are 335 verses in the Old Testament dealing with God being gracious.

Psalm 86:15 captures it: "But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abundant in loving kindness and truth." That exact verse is quoted nine times in the New Testament. Why?

Because grace is God's character. It's the essence of who He is. God doesn't just do grace things. God is grace.

When Jesus came on the scene, He took on the manifestation of God's very character. Jesus was fully man and fully God, the representative of God on the planet. Everything God is, Jesus is. So God being gracious, Jesus became gracious in the flesh.

John 1:14-17 says, "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us...full of grace and truth...For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ."

Jesus is the physical representation of God's grace in tangible, visible form. He's not just an idea or attitude, grace is a person, and that person is Jesus.

This passage makes an important distinction between the law and Jesus. The law came through Moses to reveal sin but not to empower righteousness. The law reflected God's holy standard, but no one could maintain it. Romans 3:20 says the law makes us "conscious of our sin and the recognition of sin directs us toward repentance but provides no remedy for sin."

Jesus came to be the remedy. He fulfilled the law by dying on the cross to restore us to relationship with God. It goes beyond just forgiveness of sin. Yes, we'll go to heaven when we die, but God wants us to live in the power of His gracious relationship now until we get there.

Titus 2:11-12 says, "For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all people." When did grace appear? At the birth of Jesus. Grace isn't a concept, it's a person who came and brought salvation.

Here's where many people get confused. Some think, "Now that I'm under grace and not the law, I can do whatever I want with no restrictions." That's a distortion of grace.

Grace wasn't given so you could be free to do whatever you want. Grace was given so you'd be empowered to live a righteous life, transformed into the image of Jesus.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, "The law says you shall not commit adultery. But I say anyone who looks at a woman and lusts after her has already committed adultery in his heart." Grace isn't removing the restriction, it's expanding it. God no longer deals with just external behavior but with the purity of our hearts.

Jesus said, "The law says an eye for an eye. But I say if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn the other cheek also." Grace turns retaliation upside down because it's not about getting revenge, it's about living righteously in relationship with God.

The law said if a Roman soldier forced you to carry his load one mile, you had to do it. But Jesus said, "Go an extra mile." Show God's abundance and the immeasurability of His grace.

Is grace easier than the law? No, because grace deals with our hearts, not just our behavior.

Jesus didn't just teach about grace, He lived it. From birth to resurrection, Jesus dealt with people in need with great kindness, respect, value, love, and compassion. He extended grace and said, "I'm giving you a model of how to live out this life of grace."

Yes, thank God you're saved by grace, but don't live like a heathen till you get to heaven. Reflect the grace you've been given.

Grace Extends Forgiveness
In John 8, the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery to Jesus. The law said she should be stoned. Jesus said, "Those without sin, cast the first stone." One by one, her accusers left. Jesus told her, "Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more."

Grace meets us at our worst moments but doesn't leave us there. It lifts us up.

Grace Honors the Outcast
In Luke 7, a woman of the streets came to Jesus, poured perfume on His feet, and wept. The religious people were irate. Jesus said, "Her sins, which are many, I know every one of them. But she loved much, for she has been forgiven much."

When you comprehend the depths of your forgiveness, it leads you to abandon yourself to worship. Those who've been forgiven much love much.

Grace Restores the Fallen
The prodigal son spent his inheritance on immoral living and ended up in a pig pen. He came to the end of himself and said, "I'll go back to my father. Maybe he'll let me be a servant."

But while he was still far off, "the father saw him and felt compassion and ran and embraced him and kissed him" (Luke 15:20). The father threw a celebration: "My son who was dead is now alive. My son who was lost is now found."

Grace restores the fallen. It looks for ways to restore.

Grace Is Present After Failure
Peter told Jesus, "I'll never leave you. I'll never betray you." But he denied Jesus three times. After the resurrection, Jesus told Peter, "Feed my sheep." Even after failure, Jesus recommissioned him.

On the day of Pentecost, 3,000 people got saved. Who preached? Peter, the same guy who betrayed Jesus. Grace doesn't just restore you. Grace recommissions you.

First, receive His grace. You don't have to perform to be loved. Just receive it.

Second, live by grace. Stop striving. Live in the transforming power of relationship with God.

Third, extend grace to others. Freely you've received grace, so freely extend it.

Just because you can say something doesn't mean you should. Just because you want to post something on social media doesn't mean you should. Except by the grace of God, there goes you. That could be your marriage you're criticizing. That could be your child you're condemning.

The safest place in your life is at an altar of surrender with a God who's looking down the road saying, "Is today the day my son or daughter comes to the end of themselves and realizes the best life is the life I have for them?"

Grace is not a concept. Grace is a person and it's the person of Jesus living through us.

Last week we talked about the authority of Jesus, how absolute and definitive it is, how the Father transferred that authority to Him. Today, we're talking about how Jesus transferred that authority to us.

We were saved so that we would live. We were not saved to be dead. Jesus took the cross not for us to be zombies walking through life, but to walk in resurrection power. That authority is in every one of you today.

We need to change our thinking that we're weak or don't have a position to speak to the enemy. That's not truth. The truth is God gave you authority.

Many of us hold up martyrs, those willing to die for their faith. We even set goals: "Someday I hope I'll be strong enough that if someone threatens me, I'll die for God." But let me challenge you. How much harder is it to wake up every day and say, "Christ, I will live for you today"?

If you'll do that, when the moment comes, you will die for Him. But along the way, you won't be checking off boxes hoping you make it to heaven. He wants so much more.

Our authority starts in our identity. Romans 8:15-17 says we didn't receive a spirit of slavery leading to fear, but the Spirit of adoption. We cry "Abba, Father." The Spirit bears witness that we are God's children. And if children, then heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ.

You're an heir. When you accept Jesus, you become a son or daughter of God. You get all the benefits. You didn't earn it. You were born into it. When you accept Jesus and walk in His purpose, you become part of a family that owns everything, has control of everything, and has all authority in heaven and earth.

Do you walk like that? Or do you live like you just go wherever the waves toss you?

Remember, when Jesus was baptized and the dove came down, God said, "This is my son in whom I am well pleased." Jesus was fully man at that point. He had to be fully man to endure all things and prove His divinity. So when we say "that was Jesus, I can't do that," we're wrong. Jesus operated in Holy Spirit anointing that gave Him authority from God while being fully man.

In John 14:12, Jesus said, "The person who believes in me will perform the miraculous deeds I am doing and will perform greater deeds than these because I am going to the Father." This isn't saying He's a genie in the sky. But when you ask anything in His name, consistent with His character and heart, He will do it.

Acts 1:8 says, "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses...to the farthest ends of the earth." You're going to receive Holy Spirit fire that empowers you to live out your calling. But not for you. He gave it so you could take Him all over the world.

There is no plan B. The only plan A to reach this planet is you.

We have a very real enemy that hates us because we reflect Christ. Some of us have been so defeated we don't even recognize the enemy anymore. But listen, we have authority over the enemy.

Mark 3:14-15 says Jesus appointed the twelve to preach and have authority to cast out demons. He gave this authority not for themselves, but so they could go reflect Him wherever they went.

But here's a caution from Acts 19. A Jewish exorcist tried to cast out a demon saying, "In Jesus's and Paul's name, come out." The demon said, "Jesus I know. Paul I know. But you? I don't know you." Then proceeded to beat him so badly the man ran off naked.

If you don't operate in the authority of Jesus's name, demons don't recognize you. In our flesh, none of us have authority. But when you align with God's heart, when Jesus resides in you, the authority Jesus had extends to you and demons will know your name.

Some of you think, "That was just the apostles." But Luke 10:17-20 says the seventy returned with joy saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name." Jesus said, "I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning. Behold, I give you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy."

Those weren't apostles. They were just seventy people. You have been given authority to tread over serpents and scorpions. Are you living like that? Or is the enemy treading over you every day?

This authority isn't just for special occasions. It's meant to be lived out every single day.

Learn to pray with confidence. Your prayers are backed by Jesus's authority. James 5:16-18 says the prayer of a righteous person has great effect. Elijah was human like us, and he prayed it wouldn't rain, and it didn't for three and a half years. Then he prayed again and it rained.

Remember when Vincent asked us to pray for rain in Zambia? We prayed, and the very next week it rained for days. That's not just for prophets and apostles. It's for us.

But if the only time you take your needs to the Lord is by handing a prayer request to someone else, you're abdicating your responsibility. The authority starts with you. Are you walking to the throne room boldly every day?

Even Jesus in Gethsemane prayed so fervently He was dripping blood. He prayed three times for the cup to be removed. God said no. And Jesus said, "Your will be done" and climbed on the cross. Sometimes God says, "This is yours to bear." But when your obedience lines up with the Father's, you will change the world around you.

Declare God's promises daily. Speak faith over your circumstances. God will always fulfill His promises, not necessarily your desires, but His promises.

Minister to others. Every person here is a minister. God didn't call you to be a zombie. He called you to be a minister of His word wherever you go.

Where are you right now? Have you been pushed back so far that you've surrendered your authority? Have you accepted defeat? Have you given up your God-given authority to speak to the enemy?

Your families need you to live. Your kids need you to live. This generation needs someone real who actually lives what they speak.

Have you given up authority in your life to addictions? You can't break it, but God can. Are you living like it, or is it just words?

Ephesians 3:20-21 says God is able to do super abundantly more than all we dare ask or think, infinitely beyond our greatest prayers, hopes, and dreams, according to His power at work within us.

He can do more than anything we can imagine. The only reason it doesn't happen is because we don't think it, believe it, or operate in it.

If you've given up authority over situations in your life, pick it back up today. Speak to the enemy. If it's finances, speak to it. If it's healing, speak to it. If it's broken family, speak to it. If it's addiction, speak to it in the authority of Jesus.

It's time to stop living like a zombie and start living in the authority Christ gave you. Church wasn't meant to be a checkbox. It was meant to be lived. But you can't live if you've already accepted defeat.

It's time to go back to war.

We're starting a sermon series that will run through December, six months focused on the name of Jesus. Why so long? Because the name of Jesus is kind of a big deal. It's definitive, not debatable.

If you miss these first messages, you'll wrestle with everything else that's coming. There's a foundational principle you must understand first: the authority of Jesus.

Authority is the God-given right and power to lead, govern, or command, which should be exercised responsibly in obedience to God's sovereignty. All authority starts and ends at God's sovereignty. Anything outside that is no longer biblical authority.

My authority as a pastor, your authority as a husband, wife, or boss, it only extends to the point that we fall under God's sovereignty. When we step outside that, our authority ceases.

In Luke 3:16, John the Baptist is in the river baptizing people. Jesus is on the riverbank. John says, "I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire."

John recognizes what's about to come, someone operating on a completely different playing field. That's authority.

Then Jesus walks into the river to be baptized. Luke 3:21-22 says the heavens opened, the Holy Spirit descended on Him in bodily form like a dove, and a voice came from heaven: "You are my beloved son with whom I am well pleased."

This is a big moment. God steals the show. He publicly empowers Jesus with all His divine authority. The dove, a physical representation of the Holy Spirit, lands on Jesus. The Father is empowering the Son.

And God does something He only does about five times in the Bible: He speaks audibly in a public way. When God intervenes audibly, you better listen because it has massive importance. He says publicly for everyone to hear, "This is my son, my beloved, who I'm well pleased."

God audibly empowered the authority of Jesus in this moment.

After baptism, Jesus goes to the wilderness for 40 days where Satan himself—not a lackey, not demons, but Satan, tests Him. Why? Because Satan recognized the authority that just descended onto earth. He knew if he could get Jesus there, everything changes.

Jesus is tempted in all things, then returns "in authority and power of spirit." He defeated Satan in temptation. That's authority.

When Jesus comes out of the desert, He walks into a synagogue. They hand Him a scroll, Isaiah 61. He reads: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recover the sight of the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

Then Jesus makes a declaration: "Today this scripture has been fulfilled even as you have heard it being read."

He's reading about the coming Messiah and declaring it's now fulfilled. People were amazed because "he spoke with authority." Definitive authority over everything God gave Him purview to do.

In John 5:19-23, Jesus makes a profound statement: "The Son can do nothing of himself unless it's something he sees the Father doing. For whatever things the Father does, the Son also does in the same way."

If you've seen Jesus, you've seen the Father. What the Son does is what the Father does. What the Father loves is what the Son loves. They are connected.

But here's the big statement in verse 22: "For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son."

Who's your judge? It's Jesus. All sin debt, everything God needed paid, was paid for by Jesus at that defining moment on the cross. God is satisfied. Someday when you stand before judgment, Jesus will be on that throne simply asking, "Did you know me?"

That's a pretty big authority. All authority of your salvation was handed over to Jesus.

Jesus's authority extends beyond salvation:

Authority over nature. Mark 4:39 - He's sleeping in a boat during a storm. Disciples are scared. Jesus stands up and says, "Peace, be still." The storm stopped. Not "Could you maybe die down?" Definitive authority with a simple rebuke.

Authority over sin and disease. He healed paralysis, forgave the woman caught in adultery, spoke over sickness. Not one time did He say, "Maybe we'll see if God..." He spoke and it was done.

Authority over demonic forces. Mark 1:23-27 - A demon-possessed man sees Jesus walk in and freaks out: "Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God!" Jesus hadn't even spoken yet. The demon recognized His authority without Jesus doing anything.

Jesus rebuked him: "Silence, come out of him." He was speaking with authority. So even demons recognize Jesus's authority. Do we?

Authority over death. He raised Jairus's daughter, the widow's son, Lazarus. Then ultimately died, went into hell, grabbed the keys, and walked out alive Himself. Definitive authority over death and the grave.

Philippians 2:9-11: "Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed upon him the name that is above every other name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow in heaven, on earth, and under the earth."

There is no other name that will ever come close to the authority given to Jesus.

Jesus today sits at the right hand of the Father, a place of reverence and honor. And here's what He's doing:

• Pouring out over you (Acts 2:33)
• Singing over you
• Interceding for you (Romans 8:34)

We can rest knowing Jesus sits beside the Father fighting for you today. If Jesus said it, it's done. You've already been forgiven. It's not "if He will do it." It's done.

The world is very confused about who Jesus is. Ask people on the street and you'll get answers ranging from "a myth created by man" to "just a good teacher" to "everything."

But this morning, we need to be clear at LifeSource: We are not confused about who Jesus is.

Today we're asking: Who is Jesus? And we're looking at it through the lens of His purpose. Jesus is the way of salvation.

In Matthew 16, Jesus asked His disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?" They answered with various opinions, John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, a prophet. Then Jesus made it personal: "But who do you say that I am?"

Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus responded, "You are blessed, Simon, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father who is in heaven."

Understanding Jesus isn't an intellectual exercise or academic pursuit. It's a spiritual revelation from God Himself.

The name Jesus is derived from the Hebrew name Yeshua, which means "Yahweh saves" or "the Lord of salvation." The very purpose for why Jesus was born is revealed in His name.

In Matthew 1:21, the angel told Joseph: "She shall bear a son and you will call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." The reason He came was revealed in the name He was given.

Why is Jesus the only way of salvation?

First, He's the only one identified as God's Son. At Jesus's baptism in Matthew 3:16-17, heaven opened, the Spirit descended like a dove, and God's voice declared: "This is my son whom I loved. With him I am well pleased." This was God's public declaration, the first time the Trinity was revealed together.

Second, He's the only person to have lived a perfect human life. Hebrews 4:15 says He was "tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin." Jesus understands your struggles, your weakness, your loneliness, your suffering, yet He dealt with it all without any sin.

Third, He's the only sacrifice for sin. First John 2:2 says, "He himself is the atoning sacrifice for our sins and not only for ours but for those of the whole world." When man fell in Genesis 3, we were separated from God. Jesus became the sacrifice that reconciled us back to a holy God.

Fourth, He's the only mediator between God and man. First Timothy 2:5: "For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus." You don't need to go through a pastor or priest. Jesus stands between us and God, applying His blood to our sin debt so we're acceptable before the Father.

In John 14:6, when Thomas asked how to know the way to God, Jesus said: "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

That's controversial in today's world. How can there be only one way? The culture says all roads lead to heaven as long as they're paved with good deeds. But that's not what Jesus said.

"I am the way. Not a way." It gets very narrow. That's why there's a narrow way that leads to salvation and a wide way that leads to destruction.

Peter confirmed this in Acts 4:12: "There is salvation in no one else. For there is no name under heaven that has been given among men whereby men must be saved."

First, mankind is separated from God by sin. Romans 3:23: "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." It doesn't matter how good you are, how often you attend church, or how many good deeds you do. That sin nature was inherited from Adam and Eve's fall in Genesis 3.

Second, sin has a cost we cannot pay. Romans 6:23: "For the wages of sin is death." A wage is something you earn. We've all lived under the control of sin, so there's a wage attached; spiritual death, eternity separated from God in hell.

But here's the good news: Jesus paid the price of our sin for us. Romans 6:23 continues: "But the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Jesus died on the cross to provide forgiveness you couldn't provide on your own.

It's a gift. You can't earn it. If you could earn a gift, it would be a wage. Titus 3:5 says, "He saved us not by works of righteousness that we have done, but on the basis of his mercy."

Be careful demanding justice from God. Our justice is death. What Jesus did through mercy and grace was take your place. He made you acceptable when you were not acceptable.

Ephesians 2:8-9: "For by grace you are saved through faith. This is not of yourselves. It is a gift of God. It is not from works so no one can boast." God made it so none of us can brag, we didn't do anything to earn it. He just gave it freely by grace.

First, confess and repent of sin. First John 1:9: "But if we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous, forgiving us our sins and cleansing us from all unrighteousness."

Confess means to agree with God, acknowledging you're lost in sin and need a Savior. Repent means to think differently, to change your mind about your sin and see it the way God sees it.

Second, believe in Jesus. Believe that Jesus died on the cross for you, was buried, and three days later arose victorious over death, hell, and the grave. Romans 10:9: "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."

Third, accept Jesus's death on the cross for the forgiveness of your sin. Stop defending, rationalizing, or intellectualizing your sin. Come to honest awareness: "God, I need you. I'm a mess. The only way I'll have relationship with you is because of what Jesus did on the cross for me."

First John 5:11-13: "God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his son. He who has the son has the life. He who does not have the son does not have the life."

You can be called many things, but the most important is to be identified as God's children, loved unconditionally, with God actively involved in your life.

Maybe today you're truly understanding for the first time what it means to be lost because of sin. Maybe the light bulbs are coming on and you're realizing Jesus died on the cross for you. He has a life for you. He wants better for you than what you've experienced.

Today would be a great day to start a brand new life in Jesus. It's simple. Come to God saying: "Thank you for sending your son. Thank you for dying on the cross. Thank you for providing the way of salvation. Right now today, I ask you to come into my life. Forgive me of my sin."

God loves you more than you can imagine. He demonstrated it when He sent His son to die on a cross while we were still enemies, lost in our sin.

That's why it's by mercy. That's why it's by grace. And that's why it's only by Jesus.