I know there are a number of people in dire need of this Message today—I personally am one of them. I want to share with you all what God has shared with me. Some will hear these things and think, “Man, you guys must be depressed!” My answer to that is extreme pain and difficulties come to even the most engaged and joyful people. And the burden they bring has nothing to do with depression, but with the passion felt and the helplessness often experienced. So, either your time just hasn’t come yet [hold on tight because it is a guarantee that life will happen], or maybe you’ve allowed yourself to live a bit too carefree because this world has burdened and broken Christ’s heart (the toughest and most joyful of all), and He has called us to share in and carry that weight with Him. When you get to a place in your life for various potential reasons—where you sincerely feel you just have nothing left in you and you don’t have the will to try anymore (relationships, sickness, conflict, sins, ministry, job, family, uncontrollable events that hit like a hammer and often stay); where you feel very alone, as if no one knows quite how badly you are suffering inside (no one sees, appreciates, seemingly cares what’s happening in your life); where you feel you have lost the reason, lost the motivation to keep going anymore; where you question where God is in this moment and you can’t seem to even sense His presence or comfort, and you even wonder if you are in His will anymore; where you’ve done all you can, faithfully and nothing is working out right, nothing is getting better—when we get to this point in our minds and souls, we need consolation and hope desperately. But if that’s all we get (consolation and hope), we have been done an injustice. At this point in our fight we don’t just need comfort, we need courage, perseverance, and a reason to continue the battle or we will quit. We will surrender in the company of empathetic and well-meaning consolers and Satan will win. As we abandon our faith and sacrifice for Our Jesus.

What do you do when you don’t even want to do anymore? How do you find the “encouragement” to press on? First, you realize that you are in great company. You are not the only one who has reached this point, even though Satan will make you feel this way. The majority of the most faithful and obedient servants of God in Scriptures have made it to this point in their journeys: 1 Samuel 1:7-8, 10; 1 Kings 19:4-5; Job 7:3-4, 15-16. And what about David, Naomi, Joseph? The disciples? The list goes on endlessly. What about Jesus, the Messiah? A Man of sorrow, deep grief, filled with burdens (Isaiah 53), weighted down, almost to despair: Matthew 26:37-38. Next, get a firm grasp on the reality and importance of just where you are in these moments—it is possibly one of your most important times with God, possibly your key to mental, emotional and spiritual healing that you would have found and experienced in no other way. How is suffering the key to healing? Because it is in these times when you have no other motivation or hope in your life, that you will decide concretely, wholeheartedly to follow Jesus Christ because he has become your only hope: John 6:68-69. You draw closer to Him for no other reason in your life than because He is worthy because you love Him and because He has become your greatest hope. He becomes the One you cling to with all your might, as we were meant to do all along but were too self-sufficient: Psalms 71:14. It is here that you will learn to trust in faith like never before, that He really is in control. He can make a way out of chaos and mess if you just keep walking, sometimes letting that be all you can do; that others have tremendous value even when they are broken, hurtful, or rejecting as you learn to keep loving selflessly, without reward; that life does not have to be lived in constant comfort, provision or happiness in the moment to be rewarding and full—but often just the opposite. Real living, real purpose, real love is almost always grown, lived out and experienced in some of the toughest, heaviest times of life. It’s these moments that shape, build, and grow who we are and what we hold dear in life, what we cling to, that shape our true joy in living. Through purpose and sacrifice for those things, we learn that victory may not always be in changed circumstances, in physical blessing, or even in removal of pain, but in how deeply you learn to trust, cling to, and honor God; in how deeply you draw nearer to Him in the midst; in how you recognize what is truly important in the life you have been given: Philippians 4:11-13. It’s only in the difficult struggles and costly moments that we truly commit to what we believe in and care about with faith that can only be proven and strengthened in resolve. Don’t waste these opportunities in despair, but embrace them with one goal when you have nothing else left to cling to. Listen to Paul’s motivation when awaiting death in his last imprisonment at Rome: 2 Timothy 2:7-11. Paul says when all is lost, when you have no reason or hope left on which to cling, remember Jesus, the reason you fight, and endure all things for the sake of His children around you. This shows whether you truly love Him more than your life—when His people are more important than your discomfort.
It is difficult to even know where to begin when you are empty and emotionally broken. So, where do you even start? How do you find your way out of Satan’s attacks? 1) Remove any option of quitting. Decide that you will show Jesus Christ, your Savior who died for your soul, that you are in this for Him to any end, until He alone tells you to step away—doing it all for His sake alone, even if nothing changes. Decide to show Him with your life what you’ve claimed with your lips: Galatians 2:20; 2 Corinthians 5:14-15; John 4:34. Your calling is to live the life He has planned for you right now, not the life you decided you should live or have. When pleasing Him is the only motivation you have left, you are living your faith to the fullest, and you have no idea where you will be in a month, a year—no idea what God may be planning to do if you stay. 2) Guard your mind from bitterness and resentment, concerning how you ended up in this trial. Don’t dwell on one more negative thing about your circumstances, what has been done to you, what you’ve lost, or what you can’t accomplish. Focus on truly loving, serving, and praying for those who may even be part of your pain; understanding that your life in Christ is rooted in loving even the broken and undeserving, and that your calling in Him is bigger than your pride or discomfort. Focus on the fact that if God is with you (He is), He will do amazing things you can’t imagine, or He has planned for His glory in your perseverance. Your triumph is not in winning the battle but in your faith-filled obedience in the trial: Daniel 3:17-18. 3) Remove all the distractions that are keeping you from hearing and leaning on Him more deeply. Remove negative talk and gossip. Remove everything keeping you from being with Him now. Understand that prayer and truth are the privilege and power that will carry you through. Prayer and truth keep your perspective in trials; keep your love for others tour focus on His purposes. Prayer and truth keep you clinging to all that matters—Him. Prayer and truth give you hope, worth, and perseverance in His work. Prayer and truth release Him to do amazing things you can’t imagine. Jesus went away into desolate places alone to pray often (when tired, weary, anxious, in need of power and wisdom). If He needed prayer to get through His trials, how much more do we need it? Satan will attempt to steal these things away most of all. 4) Stand ready to give all, lose all. Release your needs, release your identity, release your security, release your desire for acceptance from anyone—give it all to Him alone. Care only about what He thinks of you, care only if you are pleasing Him, obeying Him. Release yourself to His Sovereignty and purpose first. If you can’t do this in troubled times, you never truly surrendered anything in life to Him before. Decide that you are not the most important thing in this situation and refuse to defend your rights; refuse to do only what makes your life better. Let your hope and self-worth rest on these thoughts: I have my God, His love, His salvation, His future. I have one sole purpose—bigger than anything else in life—to follow His desire and see the worth of those around me. Therefore, my course, my focus is unchanged no matter where it leads. Understand that adversity and trials are literally God’s path to often strengthen us beyond our own ability. We are ripened by the Son, in our trials to become so much more than we think possible, do so much more than we would attempt. Muscles only grow with resistance. Soldiers become elite through testing and real experience (battle-hardened soldiers know how to win): James 1:2-4. Don’t waste your chance to grow into the warrior God is Calling because you want to shrink back into your comfort: Hebrews 10:35-38. Maybe one of the biggest reasons for your trials is to learn this one thing. God only works through broken and humble people: Matthew 5:3. [poor]. It means, those who realize they are not the power or the answer or the righteousness. Those that realize they make mistakes are sinful so they will not condemn others. Those that will not rely on what they are capable of doing. Those who are ready to be filled and led by something new and different because they know they can’t do it alone. That is being spiritually poor. Most of us here today are not truly broken and humble enough to let Him flow. And it often takes trials which bring us to the end of ourselves to empty us enough to be filled with something much better. What does it take for Satan and this world to make you quit, to make us miss what God was willing to do through you? Because our lives were too precious to be poured out? Listen to Jesus’ Own Words regarding our perseverance in Him: Luke 14:29, 33; Luke 9:62. Don’t let Satan win. Don’t give in to adversity that crushes, but hold to your purpose. Let these Verses be our security and inspiration: Acts 20:24; Acts 21:13; 2 Corinthians 4:7-9, 17-18.
Never give in to surrender; never stop walking at any cost. Make your single goal when you can’t focus on anything else in your distress be to hold onto Him, follow Him, until you are incredibly victorious or you have honored Him in your sacrifice to the end. Either way, you win. Let your joy in life be that He is working through you. Understand that real life and love are grown in the sacrifice of the battle, not in the rest and ease of life: 1 Corinthians 13:7-8, 13.

Question: If the Rapture doesn’t occur in our lifetime, how many in this room are going to pass away at some point? How many will stand before Christ at the Bema Judgment and be accountable for how we have lived on this earth as His Bride? Obviously every one of us. But do we live like it? In that moment, as everything is laid bare before Our King. The actions and choices of the lives we are living right now will clearly establish just how much we have genuinely loved and trusted Him verses how much we have loved this life over Him: 2 Corinthians 5:10-11. We will be rewarded, entrusted, and assigned positions of honor and authority (positions closer to Jesus) according to what we have done in devotion to Him that reflected what was sincerely important to us in this life: 1 Corinthians 3:11-15. So, stop and ponder: are you building with gold, silver and costly stones, or hay and straw? What things in our lives, right now that seem so important to us that we give so much time and effort towards building and protecting, that we base so much of our very identity, pride and self-worth upon will instantly not even matter to us in the slightest? Maybe even be shameful to us in that moment because of the improperly placed significance it held? How are we spending the lives He bought with His Sacrifice? Consider the Judgment we experience on that Day will only be for us to see and understand our own hearts clearly because He already knows our hearts at this very moment: Jeremiah 17:10.

How many times have we said, or heard others say, "I am so thankful that God saved me from my sins?” I understand and obviously totally agree with that statement. But most often all we really mean by that is, "I am so thankful that I am forgiven and saved from Hell." Many of us do not realize or ever contemplate all we are being forgiven and saved from in our sin. Or what the real effects of sin would be on us right now if we had not been saved from them through His Word, Spirit and Blood. Or, what that sin truly represents to God and how it affects Him. We cannot even begin to appreciate our deliverance from sin until we see these things clearly. We cannot ever praise, worship and thank Him from the heart until we comprehend where we were and how we've hurt Him. So today, let's stop and take a hard look at these things together. For some, maybe for the first time and I promise you, it will change your view of God and of the sins we often still covet.

We have done a number of lessons on prayer through the years, but this one will be very different because it won’t be about ‘how to pray’ but rather a restoration of our faith in prayer. A remembering of its power and purpose, when done effectively because everything that we do—everything that we are as a church, and as individuals—to God completely relies upon our desire to pray. It is that paramount in our lives. Many of us do not pray as we know that we should be praying. And when we do pray, most often, it is not in real earnestness and passion. it is not with boldness and faith. And if you get behind all the proper ‘church answers’—and often behind even our own conscious thoughts sometimes—we do not pray as we should because we do not truly believe that it makes a real difference. If we did, you couldn’t stop us from praying. A lot of Christians kind of feel that other than drawing closer to God and bending my will to fit His, do my prayers really matter? Do they actually change anything?

For those of us who have lived in the joy and security of God’s love and salvation for many years, we can many times experience that gift, rest in His security and peace, and yet miss so, so much about all that our salvation reveals of the true heart of our Lord, and what it really cost Him for our security. For all those who do not know Christ as their King and Savior, there are so many questions about Him. Why is He so special, above all other religions? Why is He supposed to be the “Only Way?” What does it truly mean to “Be saved,” to “accept Jesus as my Savior?” Won’t everybody be saved in the end? Won’t all religions save you, as long as you are sincere? Today, we will take a Biblical look at these questions and more because not only is this the single most important topic you will ever in your life contemplate—you will learn more about Who Jesus truly is than you have ever known in your life. You will know clearly what it means to accept Him as your Savior and God, and you will see clearly how incredible His love really is and why He definitively and unmistakably is the only way.

Why do we need to be saved? And from what exactly? Genesis 1:1, 26-28, 31. So, God made a perfect, beautiful, Paradise and called it “very good.” Then He created man and woman in His very image—meaning as intelligent, creative, skillful, loving, productive beings. He created them to be everything necessary to fulfill one another in perfect intimacy and design, and He gave the whole earth to them to care for and have authority over—as He dwelt with them walked with them, had perfect love and fellowship with them. But they chose to embrace the temptation to rebel against Him; chose to follow the deception of the King of fallen angels, Lucifer; chose to doubt God’s goodness and become their own gods just like our mentality today. And this seed of selfishness and evil that sprang in their souls ruined the perfect love, trust and fellowship God had with them, bringing separation from God, and death as a result. All creation under their authority was cursed with the same fate and this seed of evil has been passed and taught to every generation: Romans 5:12; Romans 3:23. Salvation, then is God’s Plan to take away our guilt of rejecting Him; to take away the sentence and punishment of the sins in our hearts and lives; to restore our perfect unity and love with Him by making our hearts and souls as loving as His once again, and to make all the cursed creation we ruined new again: Revelation 21:1-5. God knew we would fall even before He placed us here on earth and He already had plans to come to our aid: Ephesians 1:3-5. Everything that God has done through the ages, every page of His precious Book has been written and lived out in His passionate and costly quest to restore us back into intimacy, joy, and adventure with Him on a perfect earth once again. That is salvation for those who desire it.
The next logical question is: “If God loves so deeply, why did He let us fall in the first place?” He let it happen because real, intimate, passionate love requires a free will and a desire from both involved. God knew that free will would allow some to reject Him and hurt others. He knew it would bring pain and chaos for a time. But He also saw every soul that would truly embrace Him in love, even through the tainted and ruined world we created. And so, this dilemma basically gave Him three options: 1) Never create this magnificent masterpiece called mankind with whom He could spend an eternity of joy and intimacy, with whom He could share blessings and adventures beyond our wildest dreams. 2) He could destroy all the evil that has ever existed since we fell and start over from scratch, losing every soul that He knew before they were in existence. We wouldn’t know because that includes you and I who are part of that rebellious mob He loves dearly. 3) He could make a way to bring justice for the evil done and yet forgive, redeem, heal and embrace
those who saw Him for Who He truly is—which would be hard, costly and painful. But all things that are of great worth are expensive, and God saw all of the temporary pain and sacrifice as well worth the Love found in the end: Romans 8:18. And this short time of trials and testing has been ordained by Him to allow us to show Him, in return, just how much we truly want Him, how much we trust Him, how much we will endure to be with Him as well: 1 Peter 1:6-9. God allowed this—even when He knew it would be hard and costly because He was not willing that any be lost: 2 Peter 3:9; 1 Timothy 2:3-4. He allowed this mess because any cost is worth having us back. Without the fall, we would never see just how far He would go to save us, never know how deep His humility, mercy and love run—because it cost Him infinitely more than it cost us. We would never have real choice given to us, and we would never have seen the horrors that pure selfishness, evil and pride could bring. But, if God went to such extreme measures to save us all, why does He not just save everyone through His Work? Why will some still be forever rejected? Let me ask you this question: How many times have you heard people say (or even said yourself): Why does God allow such terrible things? Why doesn’t God just take out those evil people? Why doesn’t God just remove the evil from the world?” And you are right, for feeling this way. But, remember we are all part of that evil right now, and He is long-suffering until any who would want Him will turn from evil and trust Him. But for those who refuse to accept love and selflessness, refuse to live for anyone but themselves, how could a just God (that we already question for allowing sin for a short season) not possibly remove those who refuse to surrender their sin even for a short time? How could that be loving, just, fair to those who do choose Him? When it would simply destroy all He makes new again? Understand that God is not willing that any be lost, and He did not create hell and damnation for any of His own: Matthew 25:41. They openly, freely, rebelliously chose to join Satan and his fallen hoard, even, over Jesus’ own dead body, placed there to save them. So, we see why Salvation is needed by all men; we see why He had to allow the fall that demanded Salvation; we see that, even though He wants all to be Saved; His justice and love for those who want Him will not allow for the evil in some hearts to be with Him.
Let’s take a look at just what it means to be ‘saved,’ what Salvation is and is not. It is easier and clearer to start with what Salvation is not: Salvation is not just about getting your sins forgiven so that you can live in Paradise when you die. Salvation is not just about living a better life or attending church so you will be worthy to be saved. Salvation is not just believing there is a God even just believing Jesus exists: James 2:19. Salvation is not about proclaiming your belief and trust in Christ and living the life you choose to live afterwards but wanting blessings. Salvation is not given because God is so nice and good that He decides to forget about what you did or bend or break His own Laws to let you into Heaven. Salvation is: realizing that you have sinned against and lived against the God Who loves you and created you for Him, that you lived against the God whose very creation you have the privilege of living in right now. It’s realizing that you have a seed of evil in you that has helped to ruin His Creation and is capable of unspeakable evil. Salvation is realizing that you cannot be allowed in His perfect Heaven when you would simply destroy it again. It’s realizing that you should be done away with, rejected. Then it is realizing He has placed such value, worth and love on you that He is willing to destroy His entire Creation and start over just to have you with Him. It’s realizing that Jesus Christ—the Eternal Go, the Masterful, Artistic Creator of all in existence, the worshiped, loved, Ruler of countless beings in Heaven, the One who holds all power, riches and authority—is so precious and humble even in all that power and authority that He would give it all away—become One of us, walk with us in our pain, be judged in place of us, hated, made a worthless criminal, be rejected by His Father God on our behalf, be unimaginably tortured for our sins and die thinking He was rejected and alone because nothing He owned as God was more important than saving you and being with you again. Salvation is realizing these things and then understanding that He deserves your everything in return. It’s seeing His preciousness, humbleness, sacrifice and then wanting to turn from everything that made Him go so far to save us. It’s trusting that what He says is good that you want never again to do the things He died to remove and forgive: Romans 12:1-2. Salvation is accepting such an amazing gift given to you, knowing there is nothing you could do to save yourself—because no amount of good works can take away the Law, take away the punishment deserved for what has already been done. And God is a just and righteous God who cannot simply put away sins that have hurt others—they must be paid for. So, He had to pay that price Himself. He did not excuse you; He did not remove the Law; He did not give a pass. He paid for everything you ever did Himself so you could be considered innocent: Colossians 1:13-14; Ephesians 2:8-10; 1 Peter 2:24-25; John 3:16-17. Salvation is saying “If He gave His life for mine I will give my life for Him.” And I will live all my life trying to please Him, trusting Him enough to stay away from all He died to save me from knowing His ways are better than the world’s; willing to give up anything and everything just like He did for me, to show my love back to Him—simply because He is unbelievably worthy after giving up so much for me. It’s knowing that He alone made the way for my Salvation, but He doesn’t want someone who just needs a ticket punched. He wants someone who wants Him back just as passionately Who’s willing to give just as much in return, or the relationship is not real: Matthew 22:37-40. It is trusting that He knows we are weak and will fail sometimes, but that He is not focused on us having a perfect life, rather, in having a perfectly given heart ready to get back up, trust His forgiveness and keep trying to please Him in all I do; having complete confidence in His love for me even in my failures. It’s being unashamed of Him in a world that hates Him. It’s being ready and wanting to give Him everything in my life—health, money, possessions, reputation, relationships—if He asks it of me. Because I trust Him, because I want to make Him happy, because He has earned it with His Own Life. It is forsaking all and being completely happy, knowing that I have Him and He will care for me: Philippians 3:7-8. It is gladly giving Him my whole life just as He gave His for me. Anything less is simply using Him for your own gain.
So, why are we so adamant that Jesus is the only way? No matter how many ideas we have about the afterlife, there is only one that is true. Every other religion in the world tells how to live kindlier or how your good must outweigh your bad. But God is perfect; God is just; God is fair; God is pure. And living better or letting your good outweigh your bad, does not pay for the evil that has been done. Only the sacrifice of God can do that. And only Jesus made the payment Himself. Jesus did not take away the Law; He fulfilled its sentence for you. No one else did this. Every other religion focuses on your good deeds and good life. Only Jesus is concerned with changing your heart to righteousness. Only Jesus seeks passionately for your love and not just your good actions or abject worship. Of course, there is only one Creator, one way. It would not even be logical to assume otherwise. And no other religion known has the history of a real man that lived, died and rose again; the prophecies fulfilled; the total dedication, humbleness and love to become One with us; be our Brother, unashamed in our sins; the care and sacrifice enough to die in order to cover our sins: Acts 4:10-12.
What about those who wait their whole lives and decide to accept Jesus on their deathbed? Are they Saved? Many have asked this question, hoping to put off living for God until later. But others—because they sincerely worry about someone who accepted Christ at the end of their lives. Let’s look at two verses which give a solid, Biblical answer: Luke 23:39-43. Did this criminal ever have the chance to live a single day for Christ? No. Did he come to Jesus in his final moments on earth? Yes! But He was saved—for certain. Why? Because Salvation has nothing to do with your deeds and all to do with your sincere heart wanting Him. 1 Samuel 16:7; 1 Chronicles 28:9; John 2:23-25: A sincere heart wanting Jesus in their last days will always find His mercy and Salvation because Christ is not a legalist. He does not have to follow a set pattern that we hold Him to. He simply wants your heart! and nothing is hidden from His eyes. But if we live any way we choose, betting our Salvation on a quick prayer of repentance in the end, trying to hold God’s feet to some self-believed fire, trying to save our souls, but never truly caring about Christ. He sees this clearly and He does not play games. He is not under any obligation or binding agreement. He does not want, nor does He have any obligation to anyone who simply tries to use Him for their purposes. He deserves so much more. He deserves our everything, because God Himself has given His everything in sweet, humble, dedicated passion to bring you home to Him. What else could possibly be more important than giving yourself to Him completely? Now is the time: 2 Corinthians 6:1-2.

We’re going to cover a lot, so just focus on what is for you. Somehow, most Christians today have this deeply embedded, subconscious idea in our hearts that living for Christ simply means: removing what Jesus calls “Sin” from our lives, then continuing to live, do, work, go, buy, act as we have planned in life, as long as it is not overtly sinful—hoping to get blessings and favor from Him because we have proclaimed His Name and have removed the destructive things of which He disapproves. But this mindset is completely foreign to what every Scripture actually calls us to be as His disciples. Many of us are living our lives for Christ halfway at very best; removing and avoiding sins in our lives and not even trying too hard at that. But never really giving our entire lives to Him, as every page of scriptures command and instruct. We are not surrendered and belonging to Him in our lives. We are simply changing a few things about our lives, removing a few things that are considered offensive to Him. And as long as our lives do not seem overtly sinful or openly offensive to Him, we consider this as having devoted our lives to Him. In the Great Breakfast Buffet of Heaven, we are chickens, offering a few eggs here and there. But we are called to be pigs, offering bacon and sausage. All in, totally committed, costing everything. I say that jokingly, but stop and consider: is He truly “Lord of all” in your life? Romans 11:36 - 12:2; Matthew 13:44-46; Galatians 2:20.

Seriously consider if the men and  women who made it into Scripture, who are supposed to show us how to be close to God, had just “curbed their sins a little bit” and decided that was what it took “to follow God with their lives.” Would Noah have dedicated 75 years to building an Ark? Would Abraham have left his “well-to-do” family in Ur to chase a Promise he didn’t understand I n a land he’d never been to? Would Moses have faced the most powerful man on earth and wander in the desert with those who questioned and rejected him? Would Daniel have risked the highest office in Babylon to instead be offered as lion food? Would Hosea have married a prostitute? And went back to her again? Would Mary and Joseph have destroyed their futures simply to be shamed and rejected all their days? Would Paul have given up a powerful, prestigious position to become hunted, tortured, imprisoned and executed? Would John choose boiling in oil only to be exiled to slave labor on the Isle of Patmos? Would Jesus Christ have offered Himself to torture and death as a Criminal? These people chose to change every facet of their lives; chose to leave their lives, leave or change occupations. They chose to leave relationships, start new relationships; chose to go against governments and society; chose to leave the life they had planned to accept a new one. Some to join in God’s Will and Mission on earth; some to avoid disobeying His Commands. All by choice, at great change, even risk of great loss: Colossians 3:2-3; 2 Corinthians 5:14-15. These core statements about becoming a disciple of Jesu are not just sweet ‘theological or spiritual declarations.’ They were not just for exemplary Bible characters, and today are not just for a few, select Saints. But for every person who has surrendered to the will of Christ. Nothing has changed; we are called to this same life right now. Just because we have trouble recognizing, just because we may resist or ignore this fact does not make it less true. Living for Christ with your whole life is not just about sinning les, not just about what to let go of, but about everything you pick up, change, pursue, and decide your entire life, being given to Him in love and trust. First, remove yourself from consideration. Do not start, or interrupt one thing we consider from here with: “I deserve to have this. This is what I want in my life. This is where I’d like to go. What I would like to attain. I only have one life, one chance. Isn’t my life and happiness important? I don’t like change. I’m just fine where I am.” Let me ask you something big here Hopefully, it will be a serious wake-up call): What would have happened if any of the men of Scriptures felt their own lives were too important, too special, or worthy above others to change, interrupt or be given to God’s Will? Would we even know who they are now? Would their lives really have mattered in the scheme of things? Would their personal successes have made the impact, their lives made, when given away? Would we have God’s Word or Will? What if Jesus—God on earth—had felt His Life was too special? Would you even be sitting here with breath in your lungs? What if every grave dug for someone who died to protect your freedom, whose life was just as unique, special, promising, and full of potential, was never dug because they were too special and chose self? Would you be sitting here? God knows all of your potential [He gave it to you], and He wants you to be joyful and successful. But also know that your idea of success in this world is based upon a completely different foundation than God’s. And His successes are what truly last in the end; His are the only ones that matter. Know that we wouldn’t even have an opportunity at success if He had not placed us here, gave us what we have now, and saved us from our own destruction. Therefore, our life is not even ours to even decide what we think should be done with it because we have literally chosen to give it away to Him, just as He has done for us. Know that your life and mine are absolutely no better than all the lives given for us to be here today and know about His Salvation for us; no better than all the hurting, broken lives around us now. Know God’s way of measuring your life as successful Is based upon nothing else but your willingness to give it away to Him: Luke 14:33. We start with humility, real perspective, and sacrifice. And then we ask ourselves some easy (but revealing) questions. The key is this:
Answer these questions in honesty and decide if you are willing to change whatever they may reveal simply because God is Worthy, because He became our Servant, because we want to serve Him more than we want our own life. 1) Are you living right now, where I shouldn’t be? Are you literally dishonoring Him with my current lifestyle or habits? That means pornography, substance abuse, living with someone, having unwed sex, freeloading off someone else, holding grudges? If you know you have embraced something in your lifestyle that you have justified or put off dealing with, you are not surrendered to Him and you must start here. He is smarter; He Loves perfectly; He has reasons for everything He asks. Trust Him wholeheartedly or stop lying to yourself. 2) Are your relationships in His Will? Are you with someone Scriptures say you shouldn’t be with because they are not following Him? Because they are not Scripturally free to be with you; (divorce for wrong reason/wrong sex); because you are not Scripturally free to be with them and should be trying to reconcile to the one you left. Trust that He has a better Plan with the right person that will bring more fulfillment and less pain. Are you contemplating or actively pursuing a divorce from someone who has not Scripturally given a reason? Focus everything on honoring and healing them as His wonderful plan compels us to do in real love rather than chasing what you feel you deserve or want instead. 3) Do you put your desire to enjoy leisure activity and downtime over the importance of knowing and serving Him? Do you spend hours a week enjoying social media, hobbies, sports, games, and yet have no time or desire to spend time knowing Him in study and prayer? Or to spend time serving those in your life around you helping others at home or in His body of believers? No time to invest His world that is lost and broken because you are too occupied with self? Do you even stop and access the needs and desires of those around you? Have you taken an honest look at the conditions of the time and place in which you now live to see where you may be God’s answer, to see where you may be needed right now? Answer the call from God and decide to change what you derive pleasure from; letting your leisure activities and rewards come after you have actually given yourself in joy and concern to God and others first. 4) Is your desire to live a fun, fulfilled life with your family or spouse completely taking the place of anything you would do for God? Are you robbing your own family of the treasure of serving and instead teaching worldliness, selfishness, and pursuit of pleasure over responsibility and commitment? Teach them to humbly serve with you in the most practical and selfless ways. 5) Are you working where He would have you work? The hours He would have you work? Or are you involved in an occupation that is not honoring Him? Are you working so hard to achieve material things that you have no time for God or loved ones? Make the decision to put God first, people first, convictions first, at any financial cost or lifestyle change. 6) Have you discerned the times in which you are living the beliefs, practices, attitudes, laws in your society and weighed them against God’s principles and commandments? And chosen to follow God’s Ways everywhere they are at odds? Or have you taken the easy path going along with the culture, become part of the world around you? Weigh every aspect of the world in which you now find yourself and take fulfillment and joy in drawing a line for Christ and stepping out of the world’s ways, at any cost. Stand for God, stand for real love, stand for truth, and let the world see Christ rather than you. 7) Do you spend your financial and material blessings on building more, having more, and looking better to the world, or being a blessing to others in real need and supporting God’s work? Do you have a nice home, cars, clothes, phones, internet, gaming systems, and yet say you have nothing to give to others or church because you are just too poor? Realize the blessings you have received from Him; realize the real needs of those around you that are so much greater, and show the love and mercy you have received. Your giving is supposed to be sacrificial, supposed to cost something, supposed to mean you might do without sometimes. That is where joy is found, character is built and seeds are planted (faith). 8) Have you simply, literally asked God what would He have you do in His Kingdom and meant it? With the talents, skills, education and opportunities, He has given to you? What would He have you to prepare for, run to, involve yourself in, commit to doing which may be scary, costly, difficult, bigger than you. but is needed for your Kingdom, for your hurting people. Maybe a ministry, maybe missions, maybe teaching, maybe fostering/adopting, maybe just loving on someone near you. 9) Are you focused on genuinely, lovingly addressing every soul that touches or even passes through your life for whatever time they are present? Whether a coworker, a church member, a friend or even a cashier or mechanic? Are you focused with concern on their worth at that moment? Jesus showed the Love of the Father, showed genuine concern and met the most needs one person at a time—usually those He met along the way—because He walked in total surrender at all times. Do those around you see Jesus, or you? When Mary was greeted by the Angel Gabriel and told she had been chosen by God to carry the Messiah, she responded in love and devotion in this way: Luke 1:38. [handmaid]. In the Mosaic Law, an indentured servant working off debt or a criminal sentence to another could (after their debt was paid and they were free to leave), give themselves to the one they had been indebted to by choice for life. If they had been cared for and loved so dearly, they wanted to remain part of the household: Deuteronomy 15:16-17. Mary was saying just this. God had been so loving and kind to her that she had given herself to Him forever as His servant to do whatever He asked of her.
If we know He Loves us so much, if we know we will prosper with Him, it is time for us to forget what we have been taught about being His disciples, exchange who is on the Cross and Who is on the Throne. And offer ourselves in reality as His bond-slave for life. If you do, He will lift you up, give you His Glory and make you His treasured Bride instead.

Just after Jesus was Crucified and His disciples were left with crushed faith and hopelessness, two of those disciples were walking to a village called Emmaus when Jesus joined them in their walk. Jesus kept them from recognizing Him for a reason which we are about to see: Luke 24:13-27. Just like these disciples, so many people (even Christians) are having struggles with faith in a world that ridicules and rejects our Jesus. So many others are simply clueless to the overwhelming proof that our Jesus is absolutely the Creator and Savior of their very lives.

It has become commonplace—almost epidemic today—to proclaim Christ as Savior while living a life which Scriptures would clearly call worldly—even blasphemous at times. It has become commonplace to feel safe and secure in our salvation and walk with God simply because we’ve said a prayer and got baptized at some point; or had an emotional moment of repentance, or a time of walking with God in our life only to slowly go back to a completely worldly walk. Some seemingly get close to God every time there is trouble in their lives only to trust self again when the burden has passed. With so, so many “Christians” living their lives in this manner today, it is absolutely imperative that we address how this looks to God.
And what the true state of a person’s salvation and heart may be in this mindset. Like it or not, believe it or not, scripturally we are drawing very near the end. Not only are lives and hearts being torn apart as many walk falsely in their faith, but many will soon be caught unprepared and lost when the trump sounds very soon. There is an age-old notion and debate as to whether a person can lose their Salvation after they have truly accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior. With all of my heart—backed by overwhelming Scriptures—I believe God’s Word teaches that: God will never leave nor forsake you and that nothing will make God stop loving and wanting you. But that you and I have every freedom and potential to leave Him: Hebrews 3:12-14; Galatians 4:8-9, 11; Colossians 1:21-23; 2 Peter 3:17-18; Matthew 10:22; Matthew 24:11-13; 1 Corinthians 15:1-2; Matthew 5:13. These verses literally spell out the fact that we can leave Him, but never does God give up on us or abandon us in our sins or doubts: 2 Timothy 2:13.

I had several directions that I planned to potentially go this week…Wanting some “Lifting and Faith-Increasing” sermons…After the many hard-pressing sermons we have endured lately!
As is often the case…God Spoke clearly… And I had to change course!...And this Message seemed to take on the mentality that Jude…The half-brother of Jesus… Had when penning his Epistle.
Jude 1:3
The subject of today’s Study is, not only needed and powerful!...But one of the most uplifting… In our day… That we could hear!...And is actually… Almost a Part 2… To last week’s Study!...From How much God Loves you… To… What are we going to do about it?! So… Please open your minds… Prepared your hearts… And GROW WITH ME TODAY!

The majority of the sincerest, believing, devoted Christians are not truly bringing God joy and pleasure in their lives today. When we hear this, we almost feel defeated and hopeless, wondering how much more do you need to do to make Him happy? Or, you instantly go to self-condemnation in your mind, thinking, “You don’t have to tell me how much I mess up, or how bad I am. I already know, thank you very much.” But the answer is so much simpler than this, and so much more wonderful and powerful in what it says about our God, as though God Himself, were saying it to you now. Your Christian life—your choice to believe in, and follow Christ—is not about living better than you did before. It’s not about sinning less and doing more for Him. It’s not about struggling to keep His commands; it’s not even mainly about trusting that His sacrifice is all that can save you—it’s about seeing His unfathomable love for you and being so moved by His pure love and selfless pursuit of you; that you are broken by His dedication and attraction, blown away by the worth and joy He has placed in you. And in turn, accepting it so deeply that you so sincerely love Him back. Nothing on earth is more important than having His presence in your life, than wanting to be the source of His joy and pleasure, than being close with Him, no matter the cost: Mark 12:28-30.