Thank you for listening to this message from
Lifehouse Church. God's good. It is so good to
have my daughter Jenna here. For those of you
who don't know, might be a little bit newer,
we were on staff together here at Lifehouse,
well, way back actually since the beginning,
since we planted the church, but really eight
years we spent together. She put up with me for
eight long years. I've put up with you my whole
life. This is true. Much longer than eight years.
So I'm celebrating today, but I'm so glad to
have her here. She's bringing the word. She's
a credentialed minister and God has gifted her
in so many ways and so many fashions. And my
mind was racing a hundred mile an hour about
all the things that we've walked through together
over the years. But I'm glad she got the whole
way back from Atlanta and got the opportunity
to be here and just to bring the word of God
to you today. So if you would just give her a
hand this morning and thank you. Good morning.
How's everyone doing? It is so good to be here.
This is my first time, well, my second time in
this building, but I love this space. What an
answer to prayer. There's so much more room for
more of you. This is so good. But we are so glad
to be here. So if you haven't met me, my name's
Jenna. I hope I get the chance to meet you today.
My husband, Brad, is the bald guy on the front
row there. Wave. He loves when I'm pointing him
out. And then our two little girls, Maisie and
Mia, you probably saw them running around in
pink somewhere, are here with us. And we're just
glad to be back with our church family at LifeHouse
and just spend time with our family this week.
We're grateful. For those of you that don't know,
we, for about a year, a little over a year, we've
been in Atlanta, Georgia. The Lord... called
us to move and be a part of what's happening
at Passion City Church in Atlanta. And it has
been nothing short of incredible over this last
year. We've had challenges, we've had lots of
growth, lots of amazing things, but God has been
so faithful. And so I just wanna say thank you
to those of you that sent us off in prayer and
continued to pray and are still praying and reaching
out. God is moving. all over the world. He's
moving in Atlanta. He's moving in Carlisle. And
it's just a, it's a joy to be a part of it. So
glad to be here. Go ahead and grab your Bible.
If you brought your Bible with you today, go
ahead and grab it. We're going to be, which I
love this. God was already moving before we got
here. We're going to be in Ephesians, just like
Beth started us off so beautifully this morning.
So if you just want to get ready, we're going
to spend a lot of time in Ephesians two through
five. So, so that you're ready to jump in, it'll
be on the screens or you can follow along as
we read in Ephesians. While you're turning there,
I wanna give you just a little bit of context.
How many know it can be helpful to have some
context around the scripture that you're reading?
So if you're not familiar with the book of Ephesians,
it's a pretty small book. It's about six chapters,
more like a letter. So it was written by the
apostle Paul, who was a church planner. He planted
some of the very first churches. And Paul's kind
of rhythm with church planning was he would come
to a place that the Lord was calling him to.
He would plant a church. get them set, get everything
started and rolling. And then he would move on
to the next place that God was calling him to.
And the way that he would continue to mentor
over time, pour in and encourage and correct
these churches were through letters. And so that's
actually what makes up a lot of the New Testament
are the letters that Paul's writing back to these
churches that he's mentored. So that's exactly
what's happening here in Ephesians. In fact,
this letter in Ephesians that we're reading today
is about eight, to 10 years after Paul was physically
there with the church of Ephesus, getting them
started, getting them just established as a church.
And when Paul is writing this, he is in prison.
So that's a really interesting perspective to
just keep reminding yourself of as we're reading
this. He is writing everything he says in Ephesians
from the Roman prison. So say there if you're
there. Are you in Ephesians? All right, good
stuff. We're going to read in Ephesians 2. We're
gonna start in verse four. But because of his
great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy,
amen, we just sang about it, made us alive in
Christ, even when we were dead in transgressions.
It is by grace you have been saved. And God raised
us up with Christ and seated us with him in the
heavenly realms in Christ Jesus. In order that
in the coming ages, he might show the incomparable
riches of his grace expressed in his kindness
to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace that
you have been saved. Through faith, it is not
of yourselves. It is a gift of God, not by works
so that no one can boast. I love that we started
off this morning and we're coming back to be
reminded God who is rich in mercy. has made us
alive in Christ. This is exactly what happens.
So when Paul was writing this letter to the church
of Ephesians, he essentially broke Ephesians
down into two major themes. And the first...
half of Ephesians was Paul reminding the church
of the gospel. So he reminded them, hey, it's
been eight to 10 years since I've been here and
we've started this thing, but don't ever forget
for one second the power of the gospel and what
God has done for you and what he's pulled you
from. And then the second half of Ephesians is
all about how that intersects with our life.
So that's what we're gonna talk about today.
What happens when the gospel story meets our
story? And so you see, we just read that exactly
what happens when the gospel story meets our
story. We're made alive. We sing about it, right?
We rejoice. Did you rejoice this morning? We
are made alive. We go from death to life. So
Paul's words weren't just for the church of Ephesus.
They're every bit as relevant to you and me to
be reminded. Because when we were raised, to
life in Christ, we weren't just, before Christ
came into our life, we weren't just bad, right?
We weren't just bad people who needed to be turned
good. We were dead, spiritually dead, lost in
darkness, hopeless. And Christ came in and made
us alive. That is something to celebrate. And
Paul's saying, don't forget it, guys. It's been
eight to 10 years, but don't forget, Christ has
made you alive. And what does that look like
in your life, right? And the beauty of all of
it too, he reminds them, is that it's nothing
you did. This wasn't because you did anything.
This wasn't because you deserve it, right? Can
a dead person earn anything? Can a dead person
do anything? No, right? This was a gift freely
given. From Jesus. And so Paul's reminding them,
and I want to remind us this morning, that we're
alive and that is something to celebrate. We
have a gift that was freely given and we got
to walk away from darkness and walk towards light.
That's something to celebrate. A few months ago,
our pastor at Passion City in Atlanta, he shared
this powerful story with us about a girl who
had an encounter where she came face to face
with death. And I want to share this story with
you. I'm going to read. I'm going to read you
her story. On a bright June day in 2024, 15 -year
-old Lulu Gribbon was swimming off Seacrest Beach
in Florida. What started as a normal, carefree
day turned into a moment of sheer terror when
a shark suddenly attacked her in the water. In
those critical moments, Lulu suffered severe
injuries, losing part of her left arm and part
of her right leg. It was a life -threatening
situation that could have ended in tragedy. But
then, a bystander on the beach, just an ordinary
man, a father, who happened to be there with
his kids, saw what was happening. Without a moment's
hesitation, he rushed into the waves. He fought
off the shark and pulled Lulu to safety, carrying
her back to shore. His quick and selfless action
was the difference between life and death for
Lulu. I think we have pictures of Lulu. Actually,
I don't know if you've heard Lulu's story, but
she kind of went viral on Instagram for just
this incredible rescue. This is Lulu after her
accident. I think we've got some pictures of
her after her accident. And the third picture
that we have is actually her and Stephen, the
man who rescued her, the father that was at the
beach that day that rescued her. They got to
reunite. a little while after the accident and
just celebrate the rescue of what happened. Can
you just imagine as I was hearing this story
and I was thinking about being in Lulu's position,
can you imagine? Has anybody endured a shark?
Maybe somebody has in here. Has anybody endured
a shark attack? You wouldn't have. Okay, so none
of us have. So just imagine it with me for just
a moment. Just imagine being in her position.
You're swimming in the ocean. It's a beautiful
day. You're having a great time relaxing on vacation.
And then all of a sudden, the worst fear, the
absolute worst possible thing happens. And you're
all of a sudden faced with death, right? Face
to face. Can you imagine just being locked? I
can only imagine how hard she was fighting to
get loose from the grip of that shark. She was
probably fighting and fighting, and then she
started seeing blood, and then she probably got
really hopeless. She probably started thinking,
you know what? This could be the end for me.
And then all of a sudden, out of nowhere, a father
comes and pulls her, fights off a shark, fights
the fins of the shark, pushes the shark off of
her, and literally pulls her from the mouth of
the shark. Can you just imagine? Can you imagine
what was happening in the water that day? Can
you imagine being Lulu? Lulu's story is my story.
Lulu's story is your story. Lulu's story is our
story. Friends, we were drowning. We were in
the mouth of the shark. Before Christ came into
our lives, we were in the death grip of darkness
and devastation. And Christ just reached out
and he pulled us from the mouth of darkness.
That is us. That is the gospel. It never gets
old, right? It never gets old. It's new. It's
exciting. I don't know about you, but I wanna
wake up every day and I just wanna be in awe.
I don't ever wanna, and do I? No, but I want
to. I wanna strive every morning to wake up and
just be in awe. Thank you, God. Thank you every
single day. that I was headed to death and you
just pulled me out. I can imagine Lulu every
day is probably grateful. Probably at one point
in her day, she gets faced with a reminder of
how she was saved, a reminder of how her life
could have been over and ended. But because somebody
saved her, she was rescued and the trajectory
of her life was changed. And that's exactly what
Christ did for you and me. After Paul beautifully
sets up this reminder in the beginning of Ephesians,
he continues to go on through Ephesians 4 and
Ephesians 5, and he really explains what it looks
like to live in response to the gospel. So now
we're reminded, we know, we understand this beautiful
thing that God's done for us. How does it affect
our lives? And so he really lays it out. So we're
going to jump back. If you still have your Bible
open, we're going to jump back into Ephesians
4, and we're going to start in verse 1. As a
prisoner of the Lord, so remember Paul's in prison
when he's writing this. As a prisoner of the
Lord, then I urge you to live a life worthy of
the calling you have received. Be completely
humble and gentle. Be patient, bearing with one
another in love. Make every effort to keep the
unity of the spirit through the bond of peace.
Then jumping all the way down to verse 21, Paul
really starts to lay out what it looks like to
reflect the gospel. Verse 21, when you heard
about Christ, you were taught in him in accordance
with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught
with regard to your former way of life, put off
your old self, which is being corrupted by its
deceitful desires and to be made. new in the
attitude of your minds and to put on the new
self created to be like God in true righteousness
and holiness. He goes on to explain, therefore,
each of you must put off falsehood and speak
truthfully to your neighbor for we're all members
of one body and in your anger, do not sin. Do
not let the sun go down while you're still angry.
And do not give the devil a foothold. He continues
to instruct them. Anyone who has been stealing
must steal no longer, but must work. Do something
useful with their hands that they might have
something to share with those in need. Do not
let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths,
but only for what is helpful for building up
others according to their needs. And do not grieve
the Holy Spirit of God with whom you were sealed
for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness,
rage, anger, brawling, and slander, along with
every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate
to one another, forgiving each other just as
in Christ God forgave you. Paul is urging the
church, let your life be a beautiful reflection
of what God has done for you. Don't ever forget
it and then let your life reflect it in every
moment. He lays out all through that passage
some ways that we can reflect Christ. And he
continues on. We're going to take a closer look
in Ephesians 5 in just a second. A closer look
at some of those parallels. Paul literally makes
almost like a chart in just a minute. We'll look
at that. where he parallels what it looks like
before Christ and then what it looks like after
Christ. But I think if we're not careful, I think
we can look at this passage and maybe even in
a minute when we look at those charts, I think
we can look at those parallels that Paul makes
and we can almost see a lot of rules and regulations,
right? Sometimes we can see that. when we look
at scripture. But that's why I love Paul's intention
here. He starts the entire book off reminding
us of the good news of the gospel. This isn't
rules and regulations, right? This is a story
of rescue. And this is what it looks like to
reflect the gratefulness of what God has done
for us. You know, he also, even in the second
part of Ephesians, he weaves all through, when
it's primarily instruction like we just read,
he still weaves through the reminders of what
Christ did, his sacrifice, and his love for us.
You know, when we fix our hearts and our minds
on the gospel, our only appropriate response
becomes to desire everything of Jesus. You know,
it kind of becomes like a lot less of I can't,
or we shouldn't, or we won't, and more of there
is nothing I desire more in this world than to
align my life with Jesus in every way. You know
what that reminds me of? Any parents in the room,
especially parents of little kids, but parents,
yes. It reminds me of when Brad and I became
parents, right? So before kids, we didn't realize
it at the time. We certainly do now. We didn't
realize it at the time, but we had so much time
before kids, right? There was so much time. It
was just endless. There was time after time after
time. Before kids, I was thinking about this,
you know, we used to be able to just be like,
hey, let's just go somewhere. And then we just.
Went somewhere. Like we just got in the car and
we just left and we just went to that place and
there was no planning and there was no, we just
went, right? Before kids, we could plan a vacation.
We could plan a trip and we could pack up like
maybe a bag, maybe like a bag and a backpack,
get in the car and go. Now, after kids, our entire
house goes into the Subaru, like the whole thing.
And then as if that's not enough, we've got this
big like black. box that goes on the top, and
it's full of snacks, like just millions of snacks.
Because before kids, we did not need snacks.
We need so many snacks, right? Before kids, this
is the last one. Before kids, I was reminded
of this this morning, actually, right when we
walked in here. Before kids, I used to be able
to go to the bathroom completely alone, like
just by myself. It was just me, right? There
was a lot of things that I could do before kids
that were convenient. I liked them. They were
nice, right? But it didn't take long when Brad
and I became parents, it didn't take long for
those things to feel so much less valuable in
comparison to this new life with our amazing
kids, right? Right, because before kids, I never
knew what it was to look at someone or to know
someone was coming into existence and fall immediately
and unconditionally in love with them. Now I
fell in love with Brad deeply over time, but
to immediately, I just, I had to make sure over
time, right? It was quick, it was quick, but
it wasn't immediate, right, right? Before kids,
I didn't know what immediate unconditional love
was. The moment that I found out there was a
being inside of me, mamas, you know this, unconditional,
the moment you find out you're gonna be a parent.
Unconditional, it's like nothing you can explain.
It's unreal, right? Before I was a parent, before
kids, I didn't know how much joy would just come
from the smallest things, right? How much joy
would come from pointing them to Jesus? How much
joy would come the first time that you hear that
little crackly voice just whisper a prayer or
say the name Jesus? I didn't know how much joy
would come from little handprints that are just.
whether they're made of paint or dirt, all over
the house, right? I didn't know the joy that
would come from a hug from behind that almost
knocks you over or a little whisper of, I love
you, mommy, at night. It became my joy to step
into my new life with my kids and leave my old
life behind. It became my joy to love and serve
my kids, to teach them and walk with them. When
we live in response to the gospel, it becomes
our joy to set aside the old life, to set aside
the things that were all about us. It becomes
our joy to set those aside and walk in our new
life with Jesus. Say it with me, out with the
old, in with the new. Say it. Out with the old,
in with the new. It's a joy to walk in this new
life. And Paul instructs in chapter four that
the believer is to take off. the old self that's
being corrupted by deceitful desires and put
on the new self created to be like God in true
righteousness and holiness. And here's where
we jump into those charts that Paul literally
lays out for us. And I just wanted to share a
couple of the examples that Paul shares in chapter
five. He really lays it out. It's literally like
a chart. Yeah, we have it up there. On one side,
there's all of these things that our old self
takes off and that our new self walks in, right?
Our old self takes off lies and anger. Our new
self in Christ puts on truth and peace. Our old
self takes off theft and revenge and puts on
generosity and forgiveness. Our old self takes
off gossip and foolish talk. Our new self walks
in encouragement and thanksgiving. And I can
imagine for a lot of us, this list goes on and
on. There's more and more. Maybe for you, your
old self was gripped by fear and anxiety. And
then Jesus came into your life and now you walk
by faith and you're rooted in peace. Maybe our
old self was bound to idols, but now in Christ,
we put him above everything else. Maybe our old
self was walking with pride. and selfishness.
But now our new self puts on humility and we
love people well, right? Everything in Christ
is made new. And it might look different for
you. Fill in the blank. We were all walking in
some kind of darkness before Christ and he's
made us new. Raise your hand. Anybody in the
room ever have a new car? Anybody? Okay. So a
good bit of you know, if not, you can just imagine.
Think about that moment that you had a brand
new car, right? And I'm not talking new to you,
which absolutely, that's amazing. I'm talking
brand new, has a new car smell, like that new
kind of car. You have that new car, you get in
the car. You're feeling on top of the world,
right? You get your shades out. You put the window
down. You crank the music. You are checking out
all the controls. You're like realizing you at
your seat not only gets hot, but it gets cold.
Your steering wheel gets hot. Like there's all
the cool things, right? It's exciting. It's new.
You're feeling on top of the world. And then
if you're anything like me, not if you're a car
person, but if you're anything like me, maybe
four or five months goes by and all of a sudden
it doesn't really smell like a new car anymore.
All of a sudden there's like, wrappers and water
bottles on the ground. I know this is not you,
Brad. Stop looking at me like that. He's very
clean with his car. But for me, you know, it
just, it ends up like kids are throwing backpacks
and bags and toys and all of the sudden over
time, it just becomes this means of transportation.
right? All of a sudden, this thing that was so
new and so exciting, it's just getting me from
place to place. It wears off, right? Or maybe
this one is really me. I had to put the car one
in there, but this is really me. Brad tells me
that I have a little bit of a problem with water
bottles. I don't know if you can relate, but
I feel that if you buy a new water bottle every
month, you will in fact drink more water. I tend
to do that, right? You get a new water bottle.
It's exciting, right? We should be drinking so
much water. So to do that, we get a new water
bottle. It's the perfect one, right? Like if
it fits perfectly in your hand, it doesn't get
stuck in the cup holder, clear straw, so no surprises.
Like it is, it's the perfect water bottle. It's
so exciting. And for like a full week, your water
intake is perfect, right? You are doing good.
Like, and then maybe a week, a week and a half,
two weeks goes by. maybe three weeks if you're
lucky, and that water bottle is on the top shelf
behind all of the other water bottles and all
of the other cups, right? It wears off or it
breaks. That happens to me. It breaks. It wears
off. The newness and the excitement wears off.
Can I tell you something? Christ, our life with
Christ, the gospel is new every day. day it doesn't
wear off the gospel doesn't get put to the back
shelf of the cabinet the goodness and the newness
and the mercy and the forgiveness and the grace
of the gospel does not lose its new car smell
it is fresh and it is new and the scripture reminds
us all throughout scripture we're reminded we
can see this i want to share quickly a couple
with you in second corinthians it says therefore
we do not lose heart though outwardly we are
wasting away yet inwardly we are being renewed
day Colossians says, Lamentations says, Romans
says, do not conform to the patterns of this
world, but be transformed by the what? The renewing
of your mind. Then you will be able to test and
approve what God's will is, his good, pleasing
and perfect will. Wouldn't it be beautiful if
the longer we were walking with Jesus, the more
we looked like him? Think about that for a minute.
If we're being honest, maybe some of us who have
been walking with Christ for a long time, if
we're being honest on the weekends, maybe we're
still sitting around with friends and we're still
in that gossip circle, right? We're sitting around
with our friends and we're still just engaging
in every bit of that conversation about other
people. Or maybe some of us have been walking
with Christ for a long time, but we have... We're
still that sarcastic person that we were before.
And we end up tearing down more people than we're
lifting up, right? If we're honest, like, let's
be honest. Let's not just say, yeah, I'm new
and I never do that stuff anymore. Let's be honest.
Take a real look inside. The gospel is not meant
to be relevant only on the day that you place
your faith in Christ. The gospel is meant to
be relevant every moment of every day. It's pertinent.
It's not just the good news that we share and
hope somebody puts their faith in Jesus. It is
the message of our lives as Christ followers.
It is the lens that we should see everything
through. It is the lens we should make decisions
through. It is the lens we should conversate
through. It's the lens that we live our lives
through. Now, I don't know about you, but I want
to look in the mirror every morning and see just
a little bit more of Jesus. Are you with me?
When the gospel story meets our story, everything
changes. We go from death to life. We live in
response to that good news and to the freedom
and the grace that's been extended to us. And
then we walk in our new life that's rooted in
God. One of the very first friends that I met
in Atlanta that Brad and I met actually was a
friend named Sarah and her husband Bryson. They
were the very first people before we even moved
to Atlanta that we connected with. And Sarah
and Bryson. are just this amazing couple who
love the Lord. They made our transition to moving
to Atlanta so smooth. They welcomed us into Passion
City Church. And Sarah in particular has just
become a dear friend to me. Sarah is somebody
who exudes the love of Jesus. She's that person
that opens the door and you're meeting her for
the very first time. And it's like you've known
each other your whole lives and it's Christmas
and she welcomes you in. That kind of joy exudes
from her. incredible person. And she has an amazing
story of what God has done in her life. And so
I want to share my friend Sarah's story with
you this morning. So if you just turn your attention
to the screens, you can see what God has done
in Sarah's life. Honestly, the majority of my
childhood before 18 is loneliness. Always felt
lonely. I felt like no one was for me. My parents
divorced when I was 11. There was abuse within
our family and it was just dark. It was a dark
place. I started having anxiety attacks and depression
by the time I was 16. I mean, I turned to alcohol
early. I turned to partying early. And when I
went down that path in middle school and high
school, it was just darker and deeper. I sat
in that loneliness, and it just became home.
And so a week before I graduated high school,
I had gone to the church. And I remember that
youth pastor, Reed Hughes, talking to me about
Jesus. And so I talked to him about my feelings
and everything I was struggling with. And he
led me to the Lord, May 10, 1987. And I knew
then that I was making a 180 -degree turn. I
knew that night. So I grew up in a pretty violent
household that had a lot of alcoholism in it.
It was a very lonely home because they were so
busy fighting that I just didn't really matter.
And they fought on and off until I was 16. And
my dad finally got arrested and he got pulled
out of the home. And at that point, my mom transitioned
into being an abuser. One night when I was 16,
my mom's dog. bit me because my mom and I were
fighting we got him off and I was laying in the
yard bleeding waiting for the ambulance to come
in she came out there and told me that she hated
me and she would rather keep the dog and that's
when I decided to leave so when I moved out I
started living with a boyfriend and it just started
this whole trajectory of just bouncing from relationship
to relationship I would just define myself by
whatever that they would say about me and however
long I could hold a relationship but I didn't
have any worth, and I didn't have anybody telling
me I was worth anything. So I was just empty.
I spent a season in my early 20s in church, and
through that I met some people and just ran into
some situations with them where I was really
in need, and they kind of turned me away and
almost shamed me. Because I had had those interactions,
it was really easy for me from that to then just
generalize that Christians were hypocrites. But
yeah, they just didn't seem like they at all
cared. They only seemed like they cared about
themselves. I mean, when you already believe
that you're worthless, and then you go to a place
that's supposed to tell you that you're worth
something, and the people don't. It really only
dug that hole deeper for me. So in 2014, I started
going back to college at the University of North
Georgia for science. And through science, I just
felt totally empowered. I could understand the
concepts like it was nothing. It was easy for
me. It came natural to me. And it was the first
time I really felt like I had worth because I...
I felt smart, and nobody had ever told me I was
smart or capable my whole life. And so as I learned
about science, man, just the rage against Christians
was just fueled in me. Christians are hypocritical,
and they're repressive. It was just like normal
to just slam Christianity. And I was in this
class called The Mechanisms of Disease. There
we're talking about white blood cells and the
way that your body knows the specific type of
infection. that it needs to respond to, whether
it's a parasite or a pathogen. And it's super
specific, and it's very intricate. And I just
had this moment when I thought, oh no, oh no,
oh no. You can't tell me that billions of years
of chance have gotten us here. I think it's from
a higher power. And in that moment, it was just
full -on panic, because everything that I thought
I knew about... Christianity and God and science,
it just all collided and I had just shattered
my identity again. In the same semester, I was
teaching organic chemistry and there is another
TA with me teaching organic chemistry. And it
just grew this really sarcastic friendship. And
over time, I started to realize that he wasn't
just like this sarcastic man. He was actually
really gentle and kind and steady. And then I
realized that he was a Christian. And I was like,
oh, no. I was really diving deep into young adults
at Passion City Church, and I was just really
trying to focus on my faith with God at that
point. Along that same timeline, it was down
in my basement with my mom and my sister. We
were watching a show, and then after the show
ended, I kind of just turned around, and I was
like... Hey, I'm dating this girl that is like
six years older than me, and she's not a Christian,
and I'm just confused. And I kind of had this
sense and feeling that I needed to try to step
in and talk to Janelle. I really had this expectation
that she was going to reject me or not think
that I was good enough for her son, just based
on what I had learned from other Christians,
feeling like I had no worth or value. And it
was not that way at all. She accepted me wholeheartedly,
and she... made me feel and know that I had value.
And that was easy for me to say because I had
come from that broken place. I was that broken
girl. And I'm like, this may be her one chance
to see grace, to see love like she's never experienced
before. And I had had that. And she was accepting
and she was kind. You could just tell that she
was generous, and I don't mean financially. I
mean with her time and with her love and with
her space. And she sat with me in those hard
conversations a lot because I still was pretty
unsure about Christians and what it meant to
be a Christian. I had a lot of questions, and
I had done a lot of things that I didn't think
allowed me to be a Christian. I thought I was
kind of disqualified at this point. And she modeled
that idea that, like, you can never be too far
gone for God's love. It's just amazing to see
both of my parents, specifically my mom, just
be loving and graceful and gentle towards Sarah.
And she was just such a gift of generosity in
that for me. I just started attending Passion
to see where my relationship with God could go.
And every time I saw her at church, she was becoming
someone different. And then in 2017, Janelle
invited me to Passion Conference for the first
time. Jesus was already working in her life in
turning her heart toward him. And at the very
end, it was the year that Sean debuted Worthy
of Your Name. I remember the purple cross and
just closing my eyes and just having this full
revelation of how beautiful God was. She starts
worshiping with such abandon, tears flowing down
her face. And just listening to when Sean is
singing, you're my author, you're my maker. You
know, my Redeemer, all of those things, and thinking,
oh, like, you really are that for me. She said,
and it was literally like a veil was lifted in
that moment. And the beauty of Jesus that had
never been there before. And I was like, that's
it. And that moment at Passion Conference, that
was really the liftoff for me. That really pushed
me forward into a wholehearted pursuit of Jesus.
That is what happens when the gospel story meets
our story. I don't know where you're at this
morning. I know some of you. I don't know a lot
of you. And I don't know where you walked in
today. I don't know if you're finding yourself
more like maybe Janelle. Maybe you've been walking
with the Lord for a long time. And this morning,
you need reminded of the goodness and the mercy
and the grace. How easy it can be for us to just
get used to life, right? We can just move on
with our days and life gets busy and it can be
so easy to just downplay the goodness and the
power that the gospel has in our life every single
day. Maybe for you, maybe you've been walking
with the Lord for a long time and you have just
got comfortable, right? You just got comfortable.
If you're being honest, if you look maybe over
the last year or the last two years, Not a whole
lot has changed. You know, you've got, you hit
that age where everything's going good and not
a lot has changed. And if you're honest, you're
not seeing the fruit that comes from continually
walking and growing with Jesus. And in a moment,
we're going to pray if you guys want to begin
to play. I just want to encourage you to reflect.
Take this next few minutes. We're going to sing
and we're going to worship together in a moment.
But I just want to encourage you, would you just
take these next few moments and just reflect.
Look at your life and be honest. If you've been
walking with the Lord for any amount of time,
years, like Janelle, or maybe a few years, or
maybe even a year. Are you seeing a difference
from the moment you said yes to where you are
now? Are you seeing fruit? Are you seeing growth?
There is so much goodness that comes from walking
with Jesus. Maybe this morning you're like, no,
I can actually do really a lot more with Sarah.
Maybe this morning you're coming from a place
of darkness. Maybe you have, like Sarah, experienced
brutal. abuse and difficulties and challenges
and struggles your whole life. Or maybe it's
a season you've just walked into and things are
hard and they're tough. And maybe you haven't
officially made the decision. Maybe you're hesitant
like Sarah and you haven't made the decision
to put your faith in Christ. Can I just urge
you this morning? There is no better decision
that you will make in your life than to turn
it over to Jesus. There is no place on this earth
or in your own will that you can find the peace
and the joy and the freedom and the growth that
comes from a life with Jesus. And so I could
not leave this place this morning without giving
you the opportunity. If you cannot say, you know
what? I don't think I've ever actually confessed
my faith in Jesus. I don't think that I've put
it or I've been hesitant, but I feel this pulling
and I want to walk away from it. I don't wanna
be stuck in the jaws. death. I want to walk in
the freedom. I want to walk in newness. I want
to be made new. That can happen this morning.
We're going to pray in a minute, and it's not
a magical prayer. The power comes from you making
the decision to walk away from your old life
and to step into this newness of God. Your life
will never be the same. And there is a church
full of people and a staff team here that is
just... eagerly waiting to walk beside you to
show you what it looks like to open the bible
to show you what it looks like to actually get
something from scripture and and see god in every
part of scripture and understand what it's saying
there's there's an entire team waiting to pray
for you and teach you how to get on your knees
and pray living for jesus isn't a magic pill
it doesn't make everything better immediately
but i can tell you it is a hope that you will
find in no other place And it is life -changing.
I'm gonna ask you if you would stand with me
this morning. And we're gonna pray and for privacy
of others. And just so we can focus, would you
just bow your heads with me? And as I talk and
as I pray, and even in a minute as I sing, can
you just block everything out? Every distraction
from the morning, every distraction that's beside
you, every just thought that's going on of what's
happening up in the week. Would you just lay
it right now at the feet of Jesus? When you take
a moment of inventory, if you were in that first
group and you've been walking with the Lord for
a while, take a look. What has the fruit been
like? When's the last time you were in awe, on
your knees, just praising him for saving you
from death? And if you're in that second group
this morning with every eye closed this morning,
I just wanna ask you, would you take a step of
boldness? If that's you this morning and you
wanna say, you know what? I'm done living in
the darkness. I'm done having no hope. I want
to put my faith in Jesus. Would you just raise
your hand this morning? Because I wanna pray
with you and I wanna encourage you this morning
that there is so much more in a life with Jesus.
So I'm gonna give you just a moment. I wholeheartedly
believe that someone is sitting here this morning
and you related so much to what Sarah said. And
I can tell you, Sarah is full of life and is
life easy for her? No, but she's full of life
and hope and joy. Her life drastically changed
coming to know Jesus. I wanna give you just one
more moment. Is there anyone this morning that
wants to be bold, raise your hand and say, I
want that freedom. I wanna walk like Sarah. I
wanna walk in the freedom of Jesus. Thank you,
Jesus. Thank you, Lord. I'm gonna pray over us.
Father, I thank you. Thank you for those that
just rose their hands. God, thank you that in
this very moment, as I speak, you are changing
lives. God, I thank you that you have rescued
us. God, that you cared so deeply about every
single person. God, that you sent your son to
die a brutal death. God, so that we could live
in freedom and hope with you. And God, I just
pray for those that just rose their hands so
boldly to put their faith in you. God, I just
pray right now that they would have a moment
between you and them. God, where they would confess
and say, Lord, you are my Lord and I believe
and I trust in you. Lord, I pray that in this
moment they would confess their sin. And they
would lay it at your feet and they would walk
away from their sin. God, they would walk away
from their old life and turn and walk toward
you, Lord. That is how we come to salvation in
you. And I thank you, Jesus, that it is attainable
to us right in this moment. I thank you, Father.
I thank you for your freedom. I thank you for
your goodness. God, I thank you for LifeHouse
and a body of believers who is so rooted in your
word. God, who desires to come up beside one
another and walk with one another and point each
other to your word and to your freedom in you,
Lord, to growth in you, to the things of your
word and who you are, God. I thank you, Jesus.
I thank you for a new life in you. God, I thank
you for pillars that are standing in this church
that have been walking with you for years and
years. God, I pray that they would leave this
room this morning strengthened. Lord, I pray
that they would leave this room this morning
humbled. Lord, just brought back to that moment
when they put their faith in you, God, and in
the all that they stood in, God, that you, a
God of the universe, would look at a sinful,
messy person like me. And you would choose to
sacrifice and save me and then continue to grow
me and walk with me and be in relationship with
me. God, bring us back to being in all of who
you are and what you've done for us. Father,
we love you and we worship you and it is only
in your name, God, that we seal all of these
things. God, yes and amen. Thank you, Jesus.
to this message from Lifehouse Church. We pray
that you were impacted powerfully by this message.
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