in-depth Sermon Breakdowns
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The Urgent Search: Stop Getting Distracted. Start the Rescue Mission.
When we make the rescue of the lost our priority, everything else fades in comparison, and we experience the true joy of heaven.
Sermon Summary
In Luke 15, Jesus shares three parables that reveal the heart of God for the lost: the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son. Focusing on the parable of the lost sheep, we see a picture of urgent, relentless pursuit—a shepherd who leaves the ninety-nine to search for the one that has wandered away. This is not a casual search, but a desperate, determined mission because the longer the sheep is lost, the greater the danger it faces. In the same way, God’s heart aches for those who are far from Him, whether they are outside the church or lost within its walls.
Redemption is not just a theological concept; it is the recovery of what was lost, the restoration of broken lives, families, and relationships. The story of Lou Johnson, who was reunited with his lost World Series ring after decades, illustrates the deep joy and sense of rebirth that comes with redemption. Yet, the value of a human soul far surpasses any earthly treasure. Jesus paid the ultimate price for each of us, not because of our worth in the world’s eyes, but because of His infinite love.
It is easy to become complacent or even pharisaical, forgetting the urgency of the search for the lost. The religious leaders of Jesus’ day were offended that He welcomed sinners, but Jesus’ compassion compelled Him to seek out those who were broken and far from God. We must guard our hearts against indifference and remember that the church is not a social club, but a rescue mission. The call is to align our hearts with God’s, to love what He loves, and to join Him in the urgent search for lost souls.
Being lost is not always obvious; sometimes it happens gradually, distracted by the world or even by good things that pull us away from our first love. Whether someone is lost outside the flock or within the house, the Shepherd’s heart is to seek, to find, and to rejoice over every soul that is restored. Our response must be, “Here I am, send me.” When we make the rescue of the lost our priority, everything else fades in comparison, and we experience the true joy of heaven.
“When we make the rescue of the lost our priority, everything else fades in comparison, and we experience the true joy of heaven.”
Watch/Listen
Message Study Guide
Youtube chapters
[00:00] - Welcome
[01:20] - The Story of Lou Johnson: A Picture of Redemption
[02:33] - The Need for Redemption in Our Generation
[03:41] - A Wave of Revival and the Call to Readiness
[04:30] - Keeping the Main Thing the Main Thing
[05:23] - The Heart of Christ for the Lost
[06:22] - The Joy of Finding the Lost Sheep
[07:23] - The Good News and the Bad News
[08:55] - Why Sinners Were Drawn to Jesus
[10:29] - The Danger of Pharisaical Attitudes
[15:30] - Understanding Sheep and the Nature of Being Lost
[18:04] - The Subtlety of Drifting Away
[19:36] - Lost in the House: The Parable of the Lost Coin
[23:06] - Compassion: The Heart of the Shepherd
[26:34] - The Urgency of the Search
[29:19] - God’s Rescue Mission Through Us
[33:31] - The Joy of Redemption
[34:38] - The Infinite Value of a Soul
[37:41] - Responding to the Call: Here I Am
[39:49] - An Invitation to Be Found
[42:38] - Closing and Altar Call
Key Takeaways
Redemption Is the Recovery of the Lost, Not Just the Forgiveness of Sin Redemption is more than a transaction; it is the restoration of what was lost, the reclaiming of broken lives and relationships. Just as Lou Johnson’s joy was not in the ring itself, but in what it represented—a piece of himself restored—so God’s joy is in seeing His children brought back from separation. The heart of God is not satisfied until every lost soul is found and restored to fellowship. [02:33]
The Danger of Becoming Pharisaical Is Real for Every Believer It is possible to become so accustomed to the blessings of God and the routines of church life that we lose compassion for the lost. The Pharisees were offended by Jesus’ association with sinners, forgetting that they too were once in need of grace. We must continually examine our hearts, lest we become indifferent or judgmental, and remember that the good news is always good—especially for those who know they need it. [10:29]
Being Lost Can Happen Gradually and Even Within the Church Like sheep, we are easily distracted and can wander away from the Shepherd, sometimes without even realizing it. The parable of the lost coin reminds us that it is possible to be lost “in the house”—to be present in church, yet far from God’s purpose. The call is to return to our first love, to recognize when we have drifted, and to allow God to restore us. [19:36]
The Search for the Lost Is Urgent and Demands Our Full Attention The shepherd does not delay or make excuses; he leaves the ninety-nine and searches until the lost sheep is found. The longer a soul is lost, the greater the danger. We are called to share in this urgency, to prioritize the rescue mission above our own comfort or distractions, and to be willing to be used by God in seeking and saving the lost. [26:34]
Heaven’s Joy Is Found in the Redemption of One Lost Soul The true measure of a church’s success is not in its programs or presentations, but in the restoration of the lost. When one sinner repents, there is rejoicing in heaven that surpasses any earthly achievement. Our value is not in what we can offer, but in the price Jesus paid for us; and our greatest joy is found in joining the Shepherd’s mission to bring others home. [34:38]
Bible Reading
Luke 15:1-7 - Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him. 2 And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, "This Man receives sinners and eats with them." 3 So He spoke this parable to them, saying: 4 "What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? 5 "And when he has found [it], he lays [it] on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 "And when he comes home, he calls together [his] friends and neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!' 7 "I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.
Isaiah 53:6 - All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
Revelation 2:4-5 - "Nevertheless I have [this] against you, that you have left your first love. 5 "Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place--unless you repent.
Observation Questions
In the parable of the lost sheep, what actions does the shepherd take when he realizes one sheep is missing? What does he do after finding it? [06:22]
According to the sermon, who were the people most drawn to Jesus’ message, and how did the religious leaders respond to this? [08:55]
What does Isaiah 53:6 say about the condition of all people, and how does this connect to the parable of the lost sheep?
In Revelation 2:4-5, what does Jesus say is the problem with the church, and what does he call them to do?
Interpretation Questions
Why do you think Jesus chose to compare people to sheep in this parable? What does this say about our spiritual condition and our need for a shepherd? [16:37]
The sermon mentions that being lost can happen gradually, even within the church. What are some ways people can become “lost in the house” without realizing it? [19:36]
The shepherd’s search is described as urgent and relentless. Why is urgency so important in seeking the lost, according to the sermon? [26:34]
The Pharisees were offended that Jesus welcomed sinners. What warning does this give to believers today about our attitudes toward those who are far from God? [10:29]
Application Questions
The sermon warns about becoming complacent or “pharisaical” in our faith. Have you ever found yourself losing compassion for people who are far from God? What led to that, and how can you guard your heart against it? [10:29]
The story of Lou Johnson’s lost and recovered ring was used as a picture of redemption. Is there something in your life that God has restored or redeemed? How did that change your perspective on God’s love? [02:33]
The parable of the lost coin shows that it’s possible to be “lost in the house.” Are there areas in your spiritual life where you feel you’ve drifted from your first love? What steps can you take to return? [19:36]
The shepherd leaves the ninety-nine to search for the one. Is there someone in your life right now who is “lost” and needs to be pursued? What is one practical thing you can do this week to reach out to them? [26:34]
The sermon says, “The church is not a social club, but a rescue mission.” How can our small group or church better reflect this mission in our activities and relationships? [23:06]
The joy in heaven is over one sinner who repents. When was the last time you celebrated someone coming to faith or returning to God? How can you make this a bigger priority in your life? [34:38]
The call is to respond, “Here I am, send me.” What might it look like for you to say “yes” to God’s rescue mission this week? Is there a specific step of obedience or risk you feel God is asking you to take? [37:41]
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If you'll join me there, Luke chapter 15. For you Bible scholars, you will know that Luke chapter 15 is one of the pastor's favorite chapters because of the incredible depth and wealth of knowledge and revelation.
Luke chapter 15 contains three parables that Jesus told—three stories that are so central to the gospel, central to our understanding of who Christ is and His relationship to us, the lost.
It's the story of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son. I want to take a moment to consider the story of the lost sheep for a few moments this morning.
A message I've titled, The Urgent Search.
I read about a man named Lou Johnson. Lou Johnson was a 1965 World Series hero for the Los Angeles Dodgers. And for 30 years, he was trying to recover the championship ring that he had lost.
In 1971, he had lost the ring due to a robbery. Some drug dealers came and took it from him. He also was involved with drug and alcohol abuse, and it had cost him everything that that magical season had provided to him, including his uniform, his glove, the bat that he used to hit the winning home run in that deciding game.
And when the president of the team learned that Johnson's World Series ring was about to be auctioned on the internet, he immediately paid the price tag of $3,457. He bought the ring before any bids had been posted.
And he did for this man, Lou Johnson, what former Dodger outfielder had been unable to do for himself.
At 66 years old, he had been drug-free for years by this time, part of the Dodger community relationship. The employee acquired the gold ring and put on a big celebration and began to weep when he offered it back to Lou Johnson. He said, "It felt like a piece of me had been reborn."
This is what redemption looks like.
Redemption is when we are able to recover what once was lost.
We are living now, church, in a time where redemption is desperately needed. Redemption in our families, redemption in marriages, redemption in our homes with relationships.
We are living in a time where our nation, for the last 50 to 60 years and plus, has been turning away from God consistently.
But I believe that God is on a search. I believe the Holy Spirit in our generation is seeking and saving that which is lost.
There is something happening in the supernatural realm and our church and our fellowship and each one of us as individual believers—we are either going to be part of that redemption or we're going to miss it.
I read that letter from Pastor Scott Lamb. I'm not sure if you heard that, but it had a profound impact on me when he said these words:
He said, "I believe, my brothers, that we are in the midst of the greatest move of God since the Jesus People movement when I got saved."
Pastor Scott Lamb said that.
And I believe that that's true. I believe there is a wave of revival coming our way.
But I want you to know that just because there's revival doesn't mean revival comes to the Potter's House in Virginia Beach.
God is looking for soil to plant the seeds of redemption in. And our hearts must be ready and willing to receive if we are going to see a redemption of lost souls in our generation.
We cannot be dissuaded. We cannot be distracted. We cannot be diverted.
Pastor Mitchell always used to say, "The main thing is to make sure that the main thing stays the main thing." And that's good advice.
He looked at what God was doing in our fellowship at that time before he passed away in 2020.
And his desire, as well as mine here this morning, is that we can remain on track. We can continue that the church of God will not be diverted from the will of God.
And if we're going to do that, church, then we have to have the heart of God.
We have to love what He loves and hate what He hates.
And my call this morning is to join in with Jesus in this urgent search for lost souls.
Let our minds be fixed on this task that is before us. And every church generation since the time of the apostles, this is our mandate—our mandate.
Let's look at the heart of Christ in this parable from Luke chapter 15, verses 1 through 7. Very familiar, but please pay attention closely this morning.
Jesus said, "All the tax collectors and sinners drew near to Him to hear Him."
That's what you call redemption.
Jesus found the ones that needed help and they drew to Him.
And the Pharisees and the scribes complained, saying, "This man receives sinners and eats with them."
So He spoke this parable to them, saying:
"What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness or the dangerous place and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?
When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
When he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost.'
And I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance."
*The Urgent Search.*
I want to pray for a moment.
Lord, we come by the precious blood of Jesus. I pray our hearts, God, would be turned, Lord, from selfish desires, Lord, from the ways of this world, and we would be reminded this morning of the desperate search that You are on, God.
That I pray that You would align our hearts with Yours, Lord, to be involved in this great commission—winning the lost, redeeming those that are in need of redemption.
God, playing our part in that process, that Your church would be on fire for You, Lord, not lost in the difficulties and dangers and diversions of this world.
I'm praying, God, that You would empower us by Your Holy Spirit today.
We give You glory in Jesus' name.
Because people say, Amen.
Let's look at this scripture very quickly this morning.
Verse 1 of our scripture says that all the tax collectors and sinners drew near to Him to hear Him.
Jesus was doing what He did—that is, preaching the good news of the kingdom of God.
That good news, as we spoke about in our Bible study on Thursday, that good news includes the bad news.
You cannot understand good news unless you know the bad news.
The bad news is that we're all sinners. We're all broken. We're all lost. We're all in need of a Savior. That includes you.
And without the bad news, we cannot understand why the good news is good.
And so Jesus preached repentance. He preached, "You must turn from sin to believe in the Lord God, in the kingdom of heaven which is at hand."
And as He preached that message, which included truth, but truth in love, there were many people that were drawn to His teachings.
And it's no wonder, it's no mystery why the people that were most drawn to the teachings of Jesus were the ones that the religious people didn't like.
They were the tax collectors.
Here we go.
Anybody here love the IRS?
So if we are not fans of the IRS today, tax collectors, guess what?
Tax collectors in that day were also pretty unpopular.
Also because they were collecting taxes for the Roman government. And as Jewish people, it was like they had betrayed the Jews among themselves.
And so these were seen as the bad people. The immoral people. The tax collectors. The sinners. The prostitutes. The thieves.
Those who are on the outs.
The liars, the cheaters, the drunks.
And when Jesus came on the scene preaching the good news, you know what? Good news sounded good to them.
Be careful this morning when you get so filled with the Spirit of God that the good news is no longer good to you.
Be careful that you've been to church so much that the preaching of God's good news is boring to you now.
I've heard that a thousand times.
"The good news? Let me hear a different sermon, Pastor."
If the good news is no longer good to you, you're in trouble.
Like the religious people in Jesus' time, the good news had become a burden to them.
It became something they didn't want to hear.
They didn't want to hear the message of Jesus.
They didn't like that the bad people were flocking to Him and hearing Him.
These people that the Pharisees were so upset about—the reason they came to Jesus is because they knew.
They knew that this message was being preached from a place of redemption.
They were not being scorned at.
He was not cutting them down.
He was actually, by preaching the truth to them, raising them up, giving them good news for their lives.
News of redemption.
It's not simple curiosity or seeking a blessing like the prosperity gospel.
News of redemption.
No, they came because they were truly blessed by Jesus' teaching.
Their lives were changed as a result.
The attitude that Jesus highlights by telling this parable—the attitude of the Pharisees—was nothing short of demonic.
Can we be real?
Who gets upset when people are saved?
The devil does.
Satan hates it when Jesus' good work is being done.
And so the attitude of the Pharisees and the scribes, verse 2, says, "This man is receiving sinners and even eats with them."
Ew, yucky.
How could He?
How could He give good news to people who don't deserve it?
That's everybody, by the way.
How could He be kind to people who have made terrible mistakes and sins in their lives?
How could such a great teacher even eat and spend time and relate to those people?
Now, let's just take a moment to recognize that just because Jesus related to these people doesn't mean that He joined in with their sin.
Let's be clear about that.
Jesus was perfectly in the world but not of the world.
And so even though He related to them, He did not enter into their sins.
He was able to relate to bring them in.
And the reason I say that is because some people get the idea, "Well, Pastor, if we're going to reach the prostitutes, we've got to go down to the red light district and spend time in some hotel."
Uh-uh. No, no.
We are in the world. We are not of the world.
We do not cast away restraints to reach the lost.
But what we must do is we cannot turn our hearts off toward even the worst of the worst.
When's the last time you reached out to someone who needed the power of God?
When's the last time you spent time with or even ate with someone you considered to be a sinner?
Because if we are not careful, church, we are not exempt from the danger of becoming Pharisees ourselves.
I am not exempt from the danger of being a Pharisee.
I am not exempt from being so blessed in my relationship with Christ that I don't want to spend time with the wicked, the lost, the broken, the thieves, the liars.
And it's very easy for us to fall into that Pharisaical attitude when we see God moving and we say, "Ew, I don't like that. Why would God save that person?"
The Pharisee prayed in Luke 18 verse 11.
He prayed to himself.
I love that line.
Jesus says that the Pharisee prayed to himself in Luke 18 verse 11.
He said, "God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this guy," the tax collector.
He goes on to say that that tax collector begins to beat his chest and say, "Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner."
And Jesus asked the question, "Which one of these men walks away justified, forgiven of his sins?"
The tax collector did.
And so this is the situation that Jesus is addressing—that the bad people are gathering to Him and becoming good people, and the so-called good people are looking at the bad people saying, "We don't like them."
This is the situation that Jesus uses this parable of the lost sheep.
And I want you to just drink deeply of it this morning because it's so helpful.
Verse 4 of our scripture He says, "Which one of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?"
Let's consider what it means for a moment to be lost—the sheep.
We have to understand a little bit about the society which Jesus was speaking to.
Everybody knew what it meant for a shepherd to have a sheep, to have a flock of sheep.
We don't understand that today because we don't see shepherds. We don't see sheep.
One of the greatest things you could ever do is when you travel to other countries, you could go out into the fields, and you can see literal shepherds with literal sheep.
This is one of the things we used to do when we lived in Bulgaria.
We'd drive outside of our town, just a 15, 20-minute drive, and it wouldn't be long until you're driving and up on the hill, you'd see a sheep. You'd see a group of sheep and a shepherd leading them around.
And it was like, wow, it's really a thing. Unbelievable.
And it has been a thing for thousands of years, but you just don't see it. You don't know it.
But when you understand about sheep, you have to understand that it's easy for sheep to get lost.
Sheep do not have good vision.
They're prey animals, which means their eyes are on the sides, which means they can't focus on individual things.
Sheep are more motivated by, you know, their bellies.
And so what can happen is as a shepherd is leading the flock, one little sheep, he's walking along following the little tail in front of him, and he sees a little piece of grass over here.
Ooh, that looks yummy.
And then he takes another step.
Ooh, that's yummy.
And by the time he gets to the third or the fourth piece of grass, the rest of the flock has moved on.
And he didn't notice.
And it's so easy for sheep to get lost because that's what sheep do.
Without the shepherd, you know what happens to a sheep without a shepherd?
What do you call a sheep without a shepherd?
Lunch. Exactly.
It's not long before a sheep is going to be destroyed by an enemy because a sheep on its own has no defense system.
It doesn't have sharp teeth.
It doesn't even have sharp claws.
It is just a walking sandwich for the next person, the next predator to come in and eat.
So it's dangerous for a sheep.
There's a certain kind of excitement in the world, isn't there?
So Jesus, He's making a comparison between us and sheep, and we are more like that sheep that is easily lost than we like to admit.
In the course of our lives, I want to tell you, it's easy for you to get lost too.
In the course of all the distractions, all of the diversions, all of the amusements, all of the entertainment that we are inundated with every day, I want to tell you, it's easy to get lost.
Might as well say amen.
It's easy for me to get lost because our hearts are attracted to so many things that are not good for us.
Our hearts are drawn to that which might destroy us.
And without the influence of Christ, without the protection of the flock around us, guess what you are?
You're lunch too.
You're lunch for the enemy.
He seeks to kill, to steal, and to destroy.
And I want to tell you, he's very good at it.
He's got a lot of experience.
And without a shepherd, without a flock, the world can become attractive and appealing.
Without a shepherd, without a flock, guess what?
YouTube can become quite appealing.
False teachings can be quite appealing.
If the sheep doesn't listen to the shepherd or is not attached with the flock, he can wander off on his own, thinking that he's going to be just fine.
But he's still a lost sheep.
And whether that lostness is lost.
So this first parable, I believe, is being taught to teach about those that are without Christ, those who are detached from His kingdom.
But Jesus also told another parable about the lost coin.
You keep reading that chapter, you'll discover a woman who loses a coin in her own house.
There is nothing more frustrating to me than losing something in my own house.
So frustrating.
Where are the keys to the car?
I don't know.
And you, you know, you spend the whole house, you spend time, you know, moving things around.
And for me, that's very frustrating because I should know where this thing is.
I hate that.
It's in my house.
I saw it in my house, but where is it?
The parable of the lost coin is, I believe, more referring to those of us who can get lost in the house of the Lord.
It's not that you've left the doors.
It's not that you've stopped coming.
It's not that you stopped believing in Jesus.
But we can get lost in the house too.
It's not that you—
Isaiah 53 verse 6: "All we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his own way. The Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all."
And I tell you, we all need to be found.
Sometimes we get off on a tangent.
Sometimes it's worse than that.
Jesus rebuked the churches of Revelation because even knowing Christ and knowing His will, they still diverted from the plan.
They left their first love.
He said, "I know your works. You've done many great things. You're still doing good things, but your good things have separated you from Me. You're lost. Return to your first love."
Jesus said.
Is it possible that there's still some lost sheep in Virginia Beach?
Is it possible that you might be working next to some lost sheep?
Is it possible that in your family, people that you talk to on a regular basis, is it possible that they are lost sheep?
That having followed the desires of their heart, have been diverted from the plan of God for their life, and now they're separated from the plan of God, the flock, and separated from the shepherd.
It's easy for us sometimes as, you know, faithful people—you’re a faithful person—it can be easy to become like the Pharisee and say, "Well, they get what they deserve. Not my problem."
But that's not the heart of God because that's not the heart of the shepherd.
When Jesus saw the multitudes, remember, these are the same multitudes who in a short order are going to shout, "Crucify Him, crucify Him," and send Him to the cross.
Jesus was not unaware of that.
And yet when He saw the multitudes in Matthew 9:36, the Bible says He was moved with compassion for them because they were weary and scattered like sheep without a shepherd.
Can that still get in here?
You know, when we get saved, the Bible says that God fills us with His Spirit.
You cannot be saved without the Spirit of God.
Part of God's Spirit is a compassion for broken and busted and ugly and lost people.
Because that's who we are.
The church is not just a meeting place.
The church is a rescue mission.
We are supposed to be taking on the will of our Father.
Jesus looked at the multitudes and He saw them with compassion.
Look at them, how broken they are.
They need a shepherd.
In one other instance, Jesus looks out across Jerusalem and He prays, He says, "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how I wanted to gather you like a mother hen would gather its chicks."
And what a beautiful, almost a motherly heart of Jesus, our Savior.
Jesus was not some softy, right?
I mean, He flipped over tables in the temple.
He had a muscular attitude when He needed it.
But in that moment...
Jesus was not some softy, right?
Jesus was not some softy, right?
Jesus was not some softy, right?
Jesus was not some softy, right?
Jesus feels the heart of compassion toward His people.
"Jerusalem, I wanted to gather you and take care of you and protect you and be a shelter for you, but all you did was run away from Me. All you did was try to hurt Me."
What I'm saying this morning is that it is incumbent, it is necessary for all of us to make room in our hearts for lost sheep.
You got room in there?
Yes.
We got to take care of our family.
We got to take care of our needs.
We have to take care of all of those things.
We must be responsible.
But we can't forget the lost.
Because here in this parable Jesus tells us about the shepherd.
He tells us what the shepherd's heart is.
Verse 4: "What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them—watch—does not leave ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one which is lost until," say the word, "until he finds it."
This search is urgent.
Jesus is not putting it off.
You know why?
Because the longer the sheep is lost, the more dangerous the situation is.
If you've ever paid attention to a search and rescue operation, if a child, for example, is lost, nobody knows where the kid is, it's critical that that search begins now.
Okay, we're gonna wait a week and then we're gonna start looking?
No.
We're gonna look right now.
Even if it's three in the morning, we're gonna go through the forest with flashlights because the sooner we can find them, the better.
It's urgent.
It's not time for sleeping.
It's time for searching.
The shepherd is not putting it off.
He's not waiting until he's got all of his ducks in a row.
He's not waiting till he's financially sound.
In fact, he's putting the rest of the flock in greater danger, saying, "Guys, you got to keep it together because I need to go find the lost one."
The shepherd goes after the one that is in the greatest need.
What about us?
The search was urgent to this shepherd.
There was nothing more important.
Do we have that kind of heart and passion for the lost, for the broken, for the sinner?
He didn't seek with complacency or with slowness like there was plenty of time.
Jesus said in Luke 19:10, "The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost."
Pharisees put it off.
Pharisees passed to the other side of the road when the man falls among thieves.
Uh, I'm sure somebody will take care of him.
The Bible uses the word "when he began to seek."
Did you catch it?
I hope you did because I made you repeat it.
In verse 4 it said, "He went after the one which is lost until he finds it."
In other words, he puts off his other priorities.
He continues to search until the sheep is found.
He does not give up.
He does not get diverted.
Oh, church, the American church has become diverted.
American Christianity has become diverted.
We become entertained.
We become hungry for all kinds of itching ears and teachings that make us feel better but ignore the lost.
I want to call this congregation: we cannot be diverted.
As I mentioned at the beginning, there is something happening in the supernatural realm.
I believe there is a wave of revival coming to our city, coming to our schools, coming to our high schools and our universities and our military bases.
There is a renewed hunger for the things of God.
And listen, God can save people however He wants to.
You've heard stories, places like Iran, where it is illegal to have a Bible, to openly speak about Jesus.
You have heard incredible stories of how Jesus reveals Himself through dreams and visions, and people find themselves repenting and speaking in the name of Jesus, even if they've never heard it before.
That's incredible.
God can do that if He wants to.
But I want to tell you, that's not the normal way that God brings His message to the lost.
Far greater and far more commonly, God has put the gospel message in the hands of people like us, people like you.
Now, many people hear a message like this and feel unprepared.
"Pastor, I don't think I have the words to speak.
I'm not sure.
Maybe I don't want to preach a false doctrine.
I don't," you know, and people feel intimidated about talking about Jesus.
Here's why you need the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit can put words into your mouth that make you sound a lot more awesome than you are.
As a preacher, I want to tell you, God has done this in my life over and over again.
You might think that I have wonderful words and powerful sermons, but I'm telling you, I'm just like you.
The Holy Spirit speaks, and He says things that I don't even know about.
And God can use your mouth the same.
Moses said, "Lord, I don't know what words to say."
God said, "You know who made that mouth of yours, Moses? That was Me. I did that. And if I made it, I know how to use it."
But you've got to open it.
Charles Spurgeon said, "If you have no desire to see others saved, you are not saved yourself."
I believe if the Spirit of God lives in you, then the heart of God is being stirred right now—the heart of the shepherd to find the lost sheep.
There's plenty of them.
And the problem with many churches is that we become so focused on myopic issues and self, you know, self-mutilation and arguments within, between one another, that we forget that there's a lost world around our every neighborhood.
Probably your neighbors, my neighbors need Jesus.
They're lost sheep.
Let's put our eyes back where they're supposed to be, brothers and sisters.
Let's close with the results.
Thank you for your patience.
Verse 5: "When the shepherd finds the lost sheep," says, "When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders rejoicing."
I remember so clearly being in Romania for a Bible conference.
Tay is already laughing too.
And Pastor John Dumas was preaching on this very topic, this very sermon, this very scripture.
And as an illustration for what it's like when the shepherd finds the sheep, you know what he did?
He asked another pastor in Romania to go to the local village and find a sheep.
And at this moment of his message, he instructed the pastor to come into the Bible conference carrying a sheep over his shoulders.
You know what the problem was?
When the pastor went to the local village and found that little sheep, he didn't give it a bath first.
And that little sheep was covered in urine and feces.
And in comes this pastor with a shirt and tie, and he's like—you can see it on his face—that this thing was filthy, nasty.
It had not had a bath, not been cleaned for ages.
And here he's like almost not wanting to touch it but carrying it on his shoulders.
And the moment it entered the room, the stench filled the hall.
Here's the thing about sheep.
They don't clean themselves.
I want to tell you, Pastor Christie, that day he was not overjoyed about that thing being on his shoulders.
But I want to tell you, the good shepherd cares about sheep who are filthy and dirty and in need of a good bath.
Hallelujah.
And for joy, joy.
Listen to what He said.
He lays it on His shoulders rejoicing.
He's so happy that He calls His neighbors.
Verse 6: He calls together His friends, His neighbors.
He says, "Rejoice with me, for I found my sheep which was lost."
Listen, if you want to buy a sheep today, can I just tell you?
A sheep is not that expensive.
You can get one for less than 100 bucks.
And it was also true back then.
It's like not that expensive.
It's not like He won a new car.
You know what I'm saying?
But a sheep has more than just monetary value.
See, when I look out across this audience this morning, I'm looking at sheep that have been redeemed.
And your physical body contains no more than $5 worth of chemical compounds.
But the value, the value in the eyes of God is infinite.
Think of what Jesus did to rescue lost sheep.
Whenever you question, "What's your worth to God?" I want you to think about Jesus.
I want you to think about the cross.
Think about the blood.
Think about the cross.
Think about the nails.
Think about the piercings, the insults.
Think about the crown of thorns.
And you realize the price that Jesus paid for a sheep.
He was willing to lay down His life for the sake of the sheep.
And when He finds that sheep, when there is redemption, there is great joy.
Oh, I want to tell you, the Bible does not say there is great joy after the church has a good committee meeting.
The Bible does not say there is great joy when we have a rocking song service.
The Bible says nothing about any joy about having a perfect presentation on the screen.
There is no joy about putting carpet on the floor or completing the church building.
There is no joy about all of the things we worry ourselves.
You know where the joy comes from?
One lost soul repents, turns to Jesus.
There is no joy in all the world than finding a lost soul, a lost sheep.
They rejoice because the labor of the shepherd was not in vain.
There's a personal level here.
Listen to what He said again in verse 6:
"Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep."
And He didn't say, "I found a sheep."
"I found my sheep."
He's personally connected to it.
No matter how dirty, filthy, unclean, depraved.
You know, I pray God give us drunks, drug addicts.
Give us people who failed their families.
Need redemption.
God give us people who don't believe in themselves but You still believe in them.
Isaiah 6 verse 8:
"I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send, and who shall go for us?' Then He said, 'Here I am, send me.'"
Can I tell you that's all God needs from you this morning?
It's just a "Here I am."
What do you want me to do, Pastor?
I want you to pray, say, "Lord, here I am.
I need to be part of the rescue mission."
Because when we are focused on that, church, everything else becomes small and insignificant in comparison.
This is what keeps us on track.
This is how we keep the main thing the main thing.
We are in pursuit of lost souls.
We are winning souls.
We are making disciples.
We are not going to change.
Let's bow our heads and close our eyes.
Oh God.
God, help us.
Thank You.
Thank You that You've allowed us, Lord, to be part of this incredible rescue mission.
Lord, soften our hearts this morning.
Humble us.
Keep us in Your perfect hands, Lord, so that we can be used by Your Holy Spirit to seek out and to save some lost sheep.
Before we close this service, I want to speak to people who are here this morning.
You're seated in one of these comfy blue chairs.
But if you'd be honest for a moment, maybe you'd say, "Pastor, I'm not right with God.
I might be here, but in my heart, I'm lost.
The attractions of the world, the desires of my flesh, have caused me to be separated from the flock, separated from the shepherd.
And as I'm seated here today, I know that I'm not right with God.
I know that if I died, I would not be in His presence for eternity."
You are exactly in the right place this morning because there's good news for you.
The Bible says that while we were yet sinners, Christ came and died for the ungodly.
That is, you don't have to clean up your act first.
You don't have to get religious.
You don't have to purchase a Bible.
You don't have to act like a Christian first.
All He wants from you is a "Here I am, Lord.
I'm broken.
I'm lost.
And I need a new life in Christ."
You can recognize your sin and turn from it today and put your trust and your faith, your hope in Jesus Christ.
The Bible says that you can be born again, a new life in Christ.
That's what it means for the sheep to be found, to be added into the flock, to become part of God's family, the spirit of adoption.
And if you need that this morning, listen, there's an altar here where you can pray.
Say, "God, have mercy on me.
I'm lost.
I'm a sinner.
I'm broken.
And I need a new life with Christ."
If that's you, I want to pray with you.
Would you lift up a hand quickly?
Honest hearts and honest minds right now, we lift up a hand.
"Pastor, pray for me.
I've gotten off track.
I've lost my connection to the Savior."
If that's you, can I pray for you?
Is there anyone here?
Quickly, quickly lift up a hand.
I want to believe God with you.
Is there someone here believing God right now?
You need salvation.
Would you lift up a hand?
Amen.
There's those who may have gotten lost in the house.
The next parable is the parable of the woman who lost a coin in her own house.
And when she lost it, she began to sweep.
She began to clean.
She began to pick up furniture and look around and find that lost coin.
Listen, you have value.
No matter what your spiritual journey looks like this morning, maybe you're saved.
Thank God.
You're on your way to heaven.
But it's possible for us to get lost in the journey.
To get, to make decisions that remove us from God's perfect will and purpose for our lives.
And maybe you find yourself in a moment of separation.
And like David, like David who sinned with Bathsheba, oh, he prayed, "Lord, do not remove Your Holy Spirit from me."
And he indicated that because of the sin that he committed, that his heart had become separated from the God that he loved.
And that's possible for us this morning too.
Maybe you're saved, but you're away from God.
You're lost.
You're a prodigal.
You need to come back home.
I want to pray with you.
Is there someone here quickly to recognize that's the need of your heart?
Would you lift up a hand quickly?
Thank you.
Is there someone else believing God right now?
Thank you.
Someone else, God's speaking to you, the Spirit of God moving on your heart.
Would you respond with these honest hearts today?
Say, "Pastor, I need prayer.
I want to be in the perfect will and plan of God for my life."
Would you lift up a hand with these?
Would you lift up a hand?
Lost in the house.
Prodigal son, daughter, please don't leave this place without having a heart right with God.
I'm not afraid to turn from sin and trust in Christ.
Is that you?
Quickly.
Anyone else?
These honest hearts.
You lifted up a hand.
Would you lift up your eyes?
You're sincere, my man.
You're sincere.
I want to pray with both of you.
Would you come?
We're going to pray right here at this altar.
Thank God.
You can kneel down right here.
We're going to open up this altar for prayer.
God's going to speak to us.
God's going to help us.
Thank you.
Let me speak now to the congregation.
Oh, church, let us not become so callous in these wicked days that we live in, that we lose compassion for the lost and the broken.
I believe that God is putting somebody specific on the heart of God's people today, and you need to find a place at this altar to lift them up.
God, that You would restore the compassion.
God, let me love what You love and hate what You hate.
And if that's the prayer of your heart, I want to open up this altar for prayer.
You want to be part of God's incredible rescue mission?
Let's stand up to our feet.
We open this altar for prayer.
Would you come and begin to believe God with me?
Let's stand up to our feet.
Let's stand up to our feet.
Keep an eye on our Facebook Page for Daily Devotionals based on this message over the next five days.
Written with Love by Pastor Adam Dragoon
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Father, Forgive Them: How Real Revival Begins
Forgiveness is not excusing evil or erasing consequences. Rather, it is a release of the debt of vengeance, a refusal to let bitterness poison our souls. It is an act of faith, trusting that God is wise and just enough to handle the wrongs done to us.
Sermon Summary
In these recent days, we have witnessed a remarkable move of God, as seen in the outpouring of testimonies following Charlie’s memorial service. The impact of one life, lived for Christ, has stirred hearts across the world.. drawing atheists, prodigals, and the broken back to the feet of Jesus. The comments and stories shared are only a glimpse of the deeper work God is doing, reminding us that our lives can be a catalyst for others to seek Christ, even in our absence.
At the heart of this movement is the radical, supernatural power of forgiveness. We looked to the cross, where Jesus, in his greatest agony, prayed for his enemies: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” This is not a natural response; it is the very character of God, imparted to us by the Holy Spirit. Forgiveness is not just a virtue to admire, but a calling to embody. It is the mark of true Christian transformation—a new creation, not merely a reformed lifestyle.
Forgiveness is not excusing evil or erasing consequences. Rather, it is a release of the debt of vengeance, a refusal to let bitterness poison our souls. It is an act of faith, trusting that God is wise and just enough to handle the wrongs done to us. When we forgive, we echo the heart of Christ, who interceded for those who crucified him, fulfilling prophecy and opening the way for our own forgiveness.
This kind of forgiveness is impossible in our own strength. It is only possible when we have been born again, filled with the Holy Spirit, and have drunk deeply from the well of God’s mercy. If we struggle to forgive, it is a call to examine whether we have truly received God’s forgiveness ourselves. The challenge is not just to receive forgiveness, but to become a conduit of it—drawing from the well God has filled in us, and pouring it out on those who have wronged us.
Tonight, the invitation is to lay down every grudge, every offense, every wound at the feet of Jesus. To trust him with our pain, and to let the supernatural power of forgiveness flow through us, bringing healing, freedom, and revival—not just to ourselves, but to a watching world.
“Forgiveness is not just a virtue to admire, but a calling to embody. It is the mark of true Christian transformation—a new creation, not merely a reformed lifestyle.”
Watch/Listen
Message Study Guide
Youtube chapters
[00:00] - Welcome
[00:57] - The Impact of Charlie’s Memorial
[01:55] - Testimonies of Changed Lives
[05:50] - Erica Kirk’s Forgiveness on Display
[09:40] - The Depth of Christ’s Forgiveness
[10:47] - Jesus’ Prayer on the Cross
[14:37] - Praying in Pain and Injustice
[19:11] - The Call to Forgive Like Christ
[22:23] - God’s Forgiveness from the Beginning
[25:49] - The Father’s Heart Toward His Children
[26:52] - The Supernatural Power of the Holy Spirit
[29:30] - The Link Between Forgiving and Being Forgiven
[32:13] - The Depth of Sin and the Need for Forgiveness
[34:11] - Forgiveness as a Witness to the World
[37:14] - Personal Forgiveness vs. Consequences
[39:46] - The Challenge to Forgive What’s Been Lost
[40:19] - Forgiveness as Faith
[43:37] - The Need for New Birth
[45:47] - Responding to God’s Call
[47:53] - Releasing Unforgiveness at the Altar
[50:44] - Prayer for Forgiveness and Release
[53:50] - Forgiveness in the Body of Christ
[55:48] - Closing Prayer
Key Takeaways
Forgiveness Is the Mark of New Birth, Not Just Good BehaviorTrue forgiveness is not a product of human willpower or moral effort. It is the evidence of being born again, of having received a new heart and a new spirit from God. If forgiveness feels impossible, it may be a sign that we need to encounter Christ afresh and receive his transforming power. [44:38]
Forgiveness Is an Act of Faith in God’s Justice and WisdomTo forgive is to relinquish our right to vengeance and trust that God is both able and willing to deal with every wrong. It is a declaration that God is big enough to handle what we cannot, and that his justice is more perfect than ours. This act of faith frees us from the burden of bitterness and allows God’s peace to rule in our hearts. [40:19]
The Depth of Our Forgiveness Flows from the Depth of God’s Mercy to UsWhen we struggle to forgive, we must remember how much we have been forgiven. Every sin, every failure, every act of rebellion—God has shown us mercy again and again. Drawing from this well of grace, we find the strength to extend forgiveness to others, even when it is costly and painful. [37:14]
Forgiveness Does Not Remove Consequences, but It Releases Us from BitternessPersonal forgiveness is distinct from legal or societal consequences. We are not called to erase justice, but to release the poison of resentment from our own souls. Holding onto unforgiveness only harms us, while releasing it brings supernatural freedom and healing. [38:55]
Forgiveness Is the Light That Draws the World to ChristThe world is watching how believers respond to pain and injustice. When we forgive as Christ forgave, it is so foreign and supernatural that it provokes curiosity and longing in those who witness it. Our willingness to forgive becomes a living testimony of the gospel’s power to transform hearts and reconcile enemies.
Bible Reading
Luke 23:33-34— And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments.
Matthew 5:44— But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.
Colossians 3:12-13— Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
Observation Questions
In Luke 23:34, what does Jesus pray for while he is being crucified, and who is he praying for?
According to the sermon, what made Erica Kirk’s act of forgiveness at the memorial service so powerful and unusual? [09:40]
In Colossians 3:13, what reason does Paul give for why we should forgive one another?
What does Jesus command us to do in Matthew 5:44, and how is this different from a natural human response?
Interpretation Questions
The sermon says forgiveness is not just a good habit, but a sign of being “born again” and having a new heart. Why is true forgiveness described as supernatural rather than natural? [44:38]
How does the act of forgiving others demonstrate faith in God’s justice and wisdom, according to the sermon? [40:19]
The pastor mentioned that holding onto unforgiveness is like “taking a poison pill and hoping the other person dies.” What does this mean about the effects of bitterness on our own lives? [38:55]
Why does the sermon say that the world is drawn to Christ when they see Christians forgive in radical ways? [34:11]
Application Questions
Think about a time when you were deeply hurt or wronged. What was your first reaction—was it more like the natural response of revenge, or did you try to forgive? What would it look like to respond like Jesus did on the cross? [10:47]
The sermon challenges us to “lay down every grudge, every offense, every wound at the feet of Jesus.” Is there a specific grudge or wound you are still holding onto? What is stopping you from releasing it to God tonight? [47:53]
The pastor said, “If forgiveness feels impossible, it may be a sign that we need to encounter Christ afresh and receive his transforming power.” Have you ever struggled to forgive someone? What steps could you take to seek God’s help in this area? [44:38]
When you think about how much God has forgiven you, does it make it easier or harder to forgive others? Why? How can you remind yourself of God’s mercy when you are tempted to hold onto bitterness? [37:14]
The sermon points out that forgiveness does not erase consequences, but it does release us from bitterness. How can you practice personal forgiveness even if justice still needs to be served? [38:55]
The world is watching how Christians respond to pain and injustice. Is there someone in your life who is watching how you handle a difficult situation? How could your response be a testimony to them? [34:11]
The pastor led the church in a prayer to “drop the bucket down into that well of deep forgiveness.” What is one practical way you can “draw from the well” of God’s forgiveness this week and extend it to someone who has hurt you? \[50:44]
-
Amen. Thank you. Hallelujah. Let's open up our Bibles tonight. I want to look at us. And as these days and these weeks have been unfolding, it's been one incredible revelation after another. There are spiritual things happening all around us. Whether we know it or not, whether we can receive it or not, that is still a question that needs to be answered tonight.
But this event that we streamed on Sunday, the memorial service, was, if you watched it, you know. If you know, you know. Something happened in that memorial service. And in order to share with you what I believe is important, I want to read to you some comments.
So this video was, there was live in the stadium, they say about 65,000 people. And then it was streamed out on all of the social media landscape, including YouTube, and over 100 million people viewed it. 100 million. We're talking about Super Bowl-level exposure.
And just as I was looking through some of the comments, you know, you're never supposed to read the comments, just so you know, for your mental health. But in this case, I wanted to see what was happening in the comments of this video. And I want to share with you a few highlights.
One person named Bethany said, "I haven't shared my faith with anyone since I was 10 years old. In the last week, I invited four people to my church, and I don't plan to stop anytime soon. Charlie's death will not be for nothing."
One man named RJ said, "Thank you, Charlie. I considered myself an atheist most of my life. But something in me has changed. I will be going to church next week. I will be learning about Jesus Christ. I will learn how to pray, so I can pray for your soul every day."
One person named Smitty said, "First time attending church, 38 years old. And it won't be my last. Thank you, Charlie."
Another person, Dreamer of Stars, says, "Today was my first day back to church in 22 years."
Lana Kravitz said, "I've been an atheist my entire life. But after Charlie was killed, something changed in me. I started to pray every day. I cry every day because such a precious young man was taken from us. I feel sorry for Erica and the kids, for his parents, for the nation, for people around the world. I'm from Russia. I've always had—and still have—an American dream. Charlie never let that dream die. He has achieved so many things at a young age nobody could do that. Thank you, Charlie. We won't let you down."
Threadlights One said, "I started going to church again after more than a decade. I think I will be going from now on. Thanks for everything. We will never be the same after attending this life-changing celebration. Erica Kirk showed us what Christianity is all about. I realized that I need to be more like a Christian."
Somebody named Chris said, "I'm 34. I left church almost 20 years ago. Charlie brought me back. As much as I might still have disagreements with many churches, we need to reunite and hold together. God is great."
Josh Braymiller said, "Went to church for the first time in my life yesterday. Charlie moved me in ways that I can't express. I never believed in God or had much faith in anything, but after witnessing that tragedy, something inside of me was awakened. Something I can't quite put my finger on. It's called the Holy Spirit, my brother. So I decided to go to church and hopefully find Jesus and some answers. Along with him, I will continue to try and learn about Christ, and I will do my best to live like him."
Just a couple more. This person says, "I turned 29 in two weeks. I lost my faith when I was 13. I started watching Charlie Kirk about four years ago. He finally got me coming around to the idea last year, but it's been slow finding my way back. I think today was the nudge I needed. He was my favorite to watch. He was able to be firm or assertive. He shed tears. This week has been difficult."
A middle-aged Christian father from Hong Kong says, "I used to go to church as a child, but I drifted away and lost my soul. Through Charlie Kirk's guidance, I found my way back to Jesus. Thank you so much."
For some reason, this person says, "Charlie’s death hurts me in a way I never imagined. All of a sudden, I wanted—and started—to read the Bible. Just a few days ago, my mom's been telling me to do so for years. Okay, I just read about ten of them. What I’m telling you is, if you go look at the comment section on that video—just that one video alone—you’re going to see hundreds, hundreds of comments like that. And I want you to know that that is just the tip of the iceberg. That’s only the people who think to write a comment, and that’s only the people who are willing to share.
So my thought was this: be the kind of person that when you die, people want to live for Jesus. People want to open their Bible. People want to start praying for the first time. But I want to say tonight—and what I want to preach on—you, this evening, is there was a highlight. Probably the best moment of the whole memorial. I want to show you a clip of that moment. It was Erica Kirk.
And she's again standing in front of an audience of 65,000 plus another 100 million watching online. And I’m just going to let what she said speak for itself because the entire speech is about 30 minutes long. We’re going to watch a clip of about three minutes. And every word it seemed was dripping in the Holy Spirit. We were on the edge of our seats, and this is how it culminates.
It’s a real soul that’s been filled with the Holy Spirit, having supernatural strength. And as incredible as that moment was—and I’ve got to say, I don’t think I’ve seen a better moment on public airwaves—something. And as incredible as that was, I want you to know that that forgiveness that was given, it was offered and it was given. We don’t know if it was received. But it was a fraction of a fraction of the forgiveness that Christ had to offer to His enemies on the cross.
You ask, how can a person do that? Because she learned about it somewhere. She learned it from her Savior. My question is, have you?
We’re going to see in our Scripture tonight one of the fundamental Christian virtues that has changed the world. That has turned sinners into saints. That has caused criminals to become Christ-like. And that principle, that ethic tonight is called forgiveness. It is not just a theory. It is not just an idea. It’s not just a virtue written in a book. It’s meant to be lived in her life and in yours.
Let’s read from this tragic moment on the cross. Luke chapter 23, verse 33. Very familiar. "And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him. And the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left. And Jesus said, 'Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.' And they divided His garments and cast lots."
Let’s pray for a moment. Lord, we come in the name of Jesus. And by the precious blood that was shed, Lord, I thank You for Your Spirit and for Your grace. It gives us power to do what we think we cannot do. There are people right here in this place that are holding on to grudges, that have been hurt, that have been lied about, that have been slandered. There are people here that are angry—angry at others and maybe even angry at You, Lord. And I’m praying, Father, that You would give us the strength like this woman on the screen to be able to forgive those who have taken something from us—something precious. And I’m believing You, Lord, for healing in this place. Touch every heart in Jesus’ name. God's people say, "Father, forgive them."
Let’s consider this prayer for a moment tonight. To the uninitiated, to the unchristian, to the person who doesn’t know Christ, this seems like an impossible prayer. How could you do that? The natural way of things, the carnal way, the fallen nature—our natural instinct—you see it when children are small. If someone, if one little three-year-old comes up and hits another little three-year-old, what happens next? Retaliation. Revenge. If I throw a baseball at you, you throw a football at me, and the fight continues. That is how we are pre-programmed. That is the sinful nature. That is the way of the world. That if you hit me, I hit back two times harder. And that is not our Savior. That is not holy.
But to the unbelieving world, this prayer seems impossible—especially when you consider who Jesus was and why He was hanging on the cross that day. Jesus was not hanging there because He was guilty of any crime. He was not hanging there because He had stolen something or blasphemed. They accused Him of many things, but how many know Jesus kept the law perfectly? Not only did He keep the law, but He came into the world as a light shining in the darkness—to do good works, to heal the sick, to open prison doors, to bind up the brokenhearted. Jesus did good things. And that’s why this is the greatest injustice that has ever occurred on planet earth: the perfect man receiving the death penalty on the cross.
If there’s anybody in all of history who has a gripe, who has a reason to complain, who has a reason to hold on to the grudge, it’s Jesus. What did He—here’s Jesus hanging on the cross, the worst moment of His life, the most difficult and painful place on planet earth in all of history—and what do we find Him doing? He is not just praying for His family, His followers, His disciples. In that moment, He is praying for His enemies. This was something that Jesus had already taught about in the Sermon on the Mount. But how many know Jesus never teaches something without showing us how to do it? He says it’s easy for us to forgive our friends— even the pagans do that. To be a blessing to friends. But what about enemies? Pray for them, for those who persecute you. And He is only doing what He has taught others.
In this moment, interestingly enough, these words also fulfilled prophecy. It was predicted 800 years before Christ came to the earth. It’s in Isaiah chapter 53, verse 12. Here’s the prediction about the Messiah who was to come: "Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great; He shall divide the spoil with the strong, because He poured out His soul unto death. He was numbered with the transgressors. He bore the sin of many." Does this sound like anybody to you? He bore the sin of many, and listen—He made intercession for transgressors. So, 800 years before Jesus lived, it was predicted that this is exactly the path of the chosen one—the one who would save the universe. He would be a prayer warrior—not for the righteous, but for the broken, the lost, the bound, the murderers, the killers, the rapists. Jesus is the pure, perfect Lamb of God, rejected and crucified by the very people He loved and prayed for.
Sometimes that’s hard for us to consider as we go through life, because guess what? Along the way, we’re all going to have a few enemies. There’s going to be somebody who hurts you, speaks evil of you, besmirches you, attacks you unjustly. Now, I’m not talking about the problems you get yourself into—that’s a whole different category, right? There’s a category of stupid decisions that lead to bad consequences. That’s one thing. But the question is: what do you pray for when you’re hanging on the crosses of your life? When you’re unjustly accused? When people speak evil about your name, your family? When someone takes something from you—something precious, something you had hopes and dreams for?
What Jesus demonstrated for us—and what He sows into every one of His followers—is the possibility and the expectation that we are called to be people of forgiveness. If we go down that path, it solves nothing. Because once you exact your revenge on people, guess what? The emptiness still remains. Did you ever figure that out?
Let’s look a little closer at this prayer. First of all, who did Jesus pray to? He prayed, "Father, forgive them." This whole prayer is centered in the relationship that Christ has with His Father— that eternal relationship from the beginning of time. And that loving relationship is a relationship of trust and faith. And even though Jesus is experiencing the worst that the world has to offer, He still prays, "Father." In that one word, there is trust—trust to say that God, You are still in control. Even though I don’t understand all of this, I still believe that You are my Father, and I am Your Son.
True forgiveness—the ability to forgive the evildoer and the enemy—is born out of the nature and the character of God. How does someone forgive their enemy? Like we saw on the screen here. How does that happen? Because people like Erica Kirk are not operating in their own strength. Because she has been born again. She has received a new spirit, a new life, a new standard, a new way of thinking. And even though it’s still painful—you could see, couldn’t you? You could see the pain on her face as she releases those words—there is something supernatural that takes place. And yet, where does the strength to do that come from? Because she has a Father. She has been born into a new family. And now she bears the resemblance of the Father.
Our Father—your own image—they run and go crazy and do stupid things and shake their fists at you. I’m sure glad I’m not God, because if I were God, y’all would be dead. You know what I’m saying? Yeah, hit the small button. My image—God—is merciful and just. That even from the very beginning, you know, God gave Adam and Eve a warning. Didn’t He? What was the warning? "If you take of this fruit, you eat of it, what’s going to happen?" You’re going to die. That was the warning. "This is my tree. Don’t eat the fruit. If you eat that fruit, you’re going to die." Then they thought they knew better than God. They got confused by the enemy. Eve took of the fruit and gave her husband, and he ate also. And you know what should have happened next? They should have keeled over and died. Isn’t it amazing that God, from the very beginning, shows His forgiveness by not—God is holy. They deserved the punishment that He warned about. "I told you guys, if you eat this, you will die." They didn’t die that day. The process of death began. And yes, there were consequences for their sin. But God didn’t kill them. And the very next thing that happens is, the Bible says, they tried to cover themselves with plants, with leaves, with whatever they could find—trying to look the part, like Tarzan and Jane. And it wasn’t working very well. So the Bible says that God clothed them with the skin of an animal. You have to think about that for a second. Where did the skin come from? Something else had to die. Some poor little animal was scurrying along through the garden, having a wonderful day, and God said, "Come here." And He took the skin off that animal. I have a good guess which animal it was—maybe we’ll find out someday. But I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that God killed a lamb—and took its skin and used that skin. God became the very first Jewish tailor, making animal-skin suits for His creation. But because He still loved them, He forgave them and clothed them, as a good father does.
You know, it’s so good. It’s so good. One of the things we’ve heard again and again—Charlie said—is, "You know, it would be really good if you grow up and get married and have lots of children—more than you can afford." It’s one thing he said over and over. And one of the reasons why that is a good thing is because when you have children, you get a college-level education about God. You begin to understand things you never understood before about the heart of God. And all of a sudden, you have these little creatures in your house. Yeah, they’re cute. But you know what? They make bad smells, and they do bad things sometimes. But because they’re yours, and because they bear your name and your image, you love them. And no matter what they do, you’re always going to love them. Isn’t that incredible?
And this is the relationship that the Father has with His creation. Can I tell you tonight? Can I remind you—even people who have done you wrong are still made in His image. To forgive. This is the prayer that Jesus prayed to the Father. He said, "Forgive them." When our nature calls for revenge and hatred and retaliation, Jesus prayed for forgiveness. This is what He taught in the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5:44: "Love your enemies. Bless those who curse you. Do good to those who hate you. And pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you." Can I tell you? If you’re not saved, that’s impossible. If you don’t have the Holy Spirit in you, you can’t even get down the freeway without using four-letter words. You know what I’m saying? It doesn’t happen in our flesh.
But if we are filled with the Holy Spirit—what kind of Spirit? The Holy Spirit makes you holy, makes you like Him. I’m not saying it’s easy. I’m not saying it’s natural. No, it’s supernatural. What do you do? See, often it takes moments like this. It takes moments where we’re bearing our cross, where we’ve lost all other support systems in our lives. You know, it’s amazing to me—people who name the name of Christ, but then don’t do the things Christ did. It’s possible to go to church. It’s possible to know some Scriptures—and still have been wronged. You can see that rage begins to fill their eyes. You can see blood pressure rising, veins popping out of their neck. And what that is—that is a natural response. And we all understand the natural response. But if we call ourselves Christians, if we call ourselves people filled with the Holy Spirit, that should not be our response. And if that is your response here tonight, you’ve got to check your heart. You’ve got to examine and say, "Am I really in the faith?" Because I don’t think I could stand up there and say what she said.
And now, don’t get the idea tonight that I’m trying to offend you or hurt your feelings. I’m just trying to say, look—if that kind of forgiveness is not in you, it just means you’re still operating under the old rules, under the natural way, the carnal way. And everybody understands that. We would have compassion for that. But it’s not Christian. Not only to be forgiven, but to be a conduit of forgiveness toward others.
In the Sermon on the Mount again, Jesus teaches us to pray. This is what He taught us in Matthew 6:12: "Forgive us our sins." Okay, that’s pretty understandable, right? As we live in this broken world, and as we are still connected to our fallen flesh, there will be times we fall into sin and trespass. Yes, I’m not the only one, right? Can we be honest? Because really, your sins can’t be forgiven unless you can be honest about them. Okay? So forgive us our sins every day. And then He says, "Forgive us our sins as we have forgiven those who sin against us." Verse 14: "If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins." So there is a direct correlation. There is a connection between your willingness to forgive and God’s willingness to forgive you.
If God forgave you the way you forgive others—purpose of forgiveness—verse 34 of our scripture, Jesus says, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do." It’s almost like when He says that, it’s almost like these men are unaware—how wrong it is that they’re doing. It’s almost like they’re sinning in ignorance. So they’re not as guilty as they seem. But I don’t think that’s what is meant here. Jesus is not excusing or blinking at their sins. He’s not affirming them, who are doing Him wrong unto death. This is not the case. And we know this by looking at Scripture. For example, Pilate, he knew what he was doing when he washed his hands of the responsibility. Judas knew what he was doing when he took 30 pieces of silver to betray the Lord. Annas, the high priest, who spun his web in the darkness, he knew what he was doing—leading a good man to death. Not one of them could say, "I’m not guilty." Right?
But how was it then, in what sense, that they were ignorant? I believe the ignorance is not in whether they knew or not what they were doing was wrong. The ignorance was in the depth of how wrong it truly was. Lord, they don’t understand how deep and how terrible this truly is for them. They are in desperate need, Lord, of forgiveness. Isn’t this doubtless true of every sin you commit as well? We look at sin as if it’s just a little part-time problem, a little plaything, a little toy I can keep on the side. But when we understand what the Bible says about sin, we will understand that all sin is a killer. It’s like inviting a scorpion.
God answers this prayer. John 3:17: "God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved." I want to tell you, when Jesus prayed this prayer, God the Father answered it. Later, in Colossians, we get the meaning of the cross. Colossians 2:13: "You, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us, and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross." That’s what we’re talking about. That’s what Christ accomplished with His prayer.
And if it’s true then that we have repented of our sins, that we have been born again into a new life with Him, then forgiveness is not just something for us to receive. Hello? It’s for us to practice. And I can tell you, you—and so we have to realize that when we go through things, when people hurt us, when there’s name-calling, when there’s worse than that—there’s theft, there’s crimes committed against you—sometimes we don’t realize this is how God gets His message out into the world. Because it is so foreign to the world. Because it’s so strange. Because I guarantee you, there are sinners, there are people who watch that speech, and they did not understand how she could do that. And it creates in the unrepentant heart a longing—if that is what it means to be a Christian. I know I can’t do that on my own. But if that’s what real Christianity looks like, why does God allow the evil in this world to take place? Sometimes we don’t pray. I preached this a couple of weeks ago. We don’t pray for persecution. Right? We don’t hope that we are killed, and that bad things happen. I’m not hoping for that. But listen—the reason why God allows those things sometimes is to give true believers the opportunity to exercise the forgiveness you have received. It’s like a deposit. God makes a deposit into the bank account of your life—His forgiveness. And for the rest of your life, whenever something bad happens—someone does something bad to you—you get to make a withdrawal. You get to dip down into that deep well of forgiveness that you have received.
If you ever have a hard time forgiving somebody, here’s what you need to do: you need to think about how many times you have violated God’s will. You need to think about how many times you knew to do right, and you didn’t do it. And God still had patience with you. And He still didn’t strike you with a lightning bolt. And He still gives you so many blessings. And then you can realize, wow—I have this wellspring of forgiveness that God has poured into my life. Maybe I could drop down a bucket and pull out a little bit.
I do want to say quickly, before we close, that there’s a difference between personal forgiveness—like we saw on the screen—and consequences for crimes. I don’t believe that Erica Kirk was calling for the government to let him go or to pardon his crimes. No, he’s still going to pay a consequence for his sins. But the kind of forgiveness she had the ability over is personal. She’s not going to hold on to that. She’s not going to be angry about it.
And listen, they say that bitterness and unforgiveness is like taking a poison pill and hoping the other person dies. Because the longer you hold on to it, the more it eats away at your soul. And more than that, the longer you stew in your rage, the longer you dwell on it, what’s happening? God is no longer able to pour out His forgiveness onto your life.
What you hear now is not easy, but it’s the path of the cross. Consider what she said one more time. Her husband was publicly murdered in a gruesome manner. I do not recommend you actually look at it, because when I did, it’s been haunting me. And yet, at his public memorial, she stands and says, "That young man, I forgive him." And I do that—I forgive him—because it’s what Christ did, and it’s what Charlie would do. This is no cheap sentiment. It was costly. There was pain on her face as she said that.
So here’s my challenge for you: Has someone murdered what’s precious to you? Maybe your dreams. Maybe a hope or a vision you had. Someone has murdered your reputation—spoken evil of you. Will you, in your pain, echo the words of Jesus on the cross: "Father, forgive them"? Or will you refuse to carry the debt of vengeance on your soul?
The reason why this matters, church—the reason why it’s so deeply linked with the Christian ethics and the Christian worldview, and why the Bible’s mindset is rooted in this—is because forgiveness at its core is an issue of faith. Either you believe God is good enough, smart enough, and big enough to handle the problem that’s on your hands, or He’s not.
What forgiveness is, is saying, "Lord, I cannot carry this burden of vengeance. I can’t do it. But I believe that You can. I believe that You are big enough, that in Your way and in Your time and in Your ability, You’re smarter than I am, You’re more holy than I am, and You are able to do what I cannot do." So, Lord, I am leaving this in Your capable hands. Forgiveness is faith. I’m trusting You, Lord.
Jesus was hanging on the cross that day. And when He prays for those who put Him on that cross, that’s exactly what He’s doing. "Lord, my Father, I still trust You." Even though I’m bleeding and I’m dying. The longer you hold on to unforgiveness, the more damage it will do to your soul and the further away from God you’ll become. Because that’s not what God does. God does not hold on to bitterness. Did you know that? He’s not like that. The moment—aren’t you glad?—that you can come to the Lord and say a single prayer: "Lord, I’m a sinner. I’m broken. I’m lost." And God’s not up there going, "I’m still..."
The culture is very personal. It’s very real. This is a lesson happening right in front of our eyes. Before we close tonight’s service, maybe you’ve come in here and you’re being honest. You look at that video, you listen to the words that lady spoke. And if you’re really honest, maybe you’d say, "I don’t know if I was in that situation. I don’t know if I could say the same thing. I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t." I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have that strength, that courage, that power, that ability to say, "I forgive the murderer of my husband and the father of my children." You’re not sure if you have that power. What you’re really saying is, "I’m not sure if the Holy Spirit lives in me." Because that is not natural. That’s not pre-programmed.
The way we all come into this world is programmed for vengeance, for retribution, for revenge. That’s natural. We understand that. We know that well. But that’s not the way of God. And what it reveals in your heart—if there’s a question mark of, "Could I forgive my enemy the way she did?"—what it reveals is that maybe the Holy Spirit doesn’t live in you the way you think. It could mean you’re religious but not spiritual. It could mean you’ve had some experiences with God, but it’s all on the outside. It has never penetrated into the heart of your soul.
What Jesus described—His work of salvation—is called being born again. We’re not talking about a reformed lifestyle. We’re not talking about a new habit on Sundays. We’re talking about a new creation in Christ. And that’s the only way. The only way to have the power of forgiveness in your life is if you become a new creation in Him. I cannot inherit this for you. I cannot teach a class to show you how to be more forgiving. No. This is something we inherit from the Father by His Spirit.
And if you’re here tonight, you’re saying, "I’m not sure if I have that," Pastor, "if I’ve got that in me," maybe it’s time to make sure. You cannot forgive if you haven’t been forgiven. And if you need the forgiveness tonight for your sins, now’s the time. Why are we putting it off?
True revival is marked by repentance—not just bigger church services, not just bigger worship sets, but lives changed. People serving the Lord with... people who deserve that, take the grace of death in the peace. This is the way you... Because there’s the ability to bring us back up tomorrow, and I’m sure I can take that. If you’re going through it, you can’t even tell. How to things at ease of luck in—gression—their hearts and their minds, loving God with all that they have.
And I wonder tonight if you need that power of salvation, forgiveness from God. You can respond right now with an uplifted hand and say, "Pastor, pray for me. I need what you’re talking about." It’s not religion. It’s not church membership. It’s being born again—a new life in Christ. If you’re here tonight and you need that, please do not leave this place without it. There’s a God who loves you. He cares about you. And the moment you turn from sin and trust in Christ, you will be transformed. You’ll be a new creation.
Is there anyone here tonight you want to respond? Uplifted hand. Maybe you’re backslidden in your heart. There’s been a time, maybe like these, that I read those comments from the YouTube video. Some of them said, "I ran from God 20 years ago." "I ran from God 15 years ago." There are a lot of people in this so-called Christian nation. A lot of people who ran from God X number of years ago. Is that you tonight? Maybe God’s catching your attention. Maybe you’re realizing that your faith wasn’t all that you thought it was. It’s time to come home, prodigal. Is that you? Quickly, you’d lift up a hand. Pastor, I’m not right with God, but I want to be. Is there anyone here? Quickly, with an uplifted hand. Please, let me pray for you. Someone here. God’s speaking to you. You’re hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit right now, the voice of the Savior calling you. Is there anyone else? Anyone else at all tonight? Lift up a hand for prayer.
Amen. Then I want to open up this altar this evening. We’re going to pray together. Church, this is an opportunity. I spoke tonight about forgiveness, and I would dare say every person here is going to have to deal with the issue of forgiveness. God allows offense and pain and persecution in your life. This is the way that God shines His light into the darkness. But so many times, if we call ourselves believers, we don’t take it right. Many times. But I want to believe God that He’s speaking to somebody here. There is some unforgiveness at work in your life, and you want to lay it before the altar. You want to say, "Lord, I’m going to trust You." This issue of forgiveness is an issue of faith. Lord, I’ve been believing myself instead of believing You.
And if you want to bring that to the Lord, we’re going to do that together in prayer as we open up this altar. Can we stand to our feet tonight? We’re going to pray for a few moments. Maybe there’s a person that’s coming to your mind right now. A person or a situation, a circumstance that continues to cause you pain. And tonight, God’s putting His finger on an issue in your life. Would you come? Would you find a place of prayer? Let’s let our voices be heard tonight. There needs to be a release.
You saw it on the screen tonight. She struggled, she struggled, she struggled, and she let the words out of her mouth: "I forgive him." And in that moment, there was a release—a supernatural release of power. In her own life, a blessing of the Holy Spirit fell upon her and the entire audience. What would happen tonight if you released your unforgiveness right now? As we pray, please take this moment. We’re going to worship, but you need to pray. There’s an issue in your heart tonight. Let’s leave it to God. Let’s believe Him. Let’s trust Him with all of our heart. Let’s pray tonight.
I want to make one last statement. I want to pray with us, with everyone tonight. I just want to say that sometimes the hardest forgiveness we have to give is not for the stranger, but for the person. There are some people here—you’re carrying a burden because you look in the mirror and you see somebody you hate. You see somebody—you see only failures. Isn’t it funny how we look at ourselves one way, and the way that God sees us is very, very different? He sees somebody that He’s working on. He’s changing. He’s transforming. He’s got a future and a hope. But many times, we think of ourselves, and we only see the evil that we’ve done.
I’m going to just lead you in a prayer this evening. We’re going to let God release His Holy Spirit into our lives. Let’s say together: "God in heaven, I am so grateful for Jesus who died on the cross and rose from the grave so that my sins could be washed. I am drinking deeply of Your forgiveness, Your mercy, and grace over my life, which I do not deserve. But by faith, I receive Your love, Your truth, Your righteousness, and Your forgiveness. Oh, fill the well of my soul with forgiveness, because I know I will have need to draw from that well as people hurt me, as people persecute, as offenses come against me. Lord, please help me not to become bitter, but to drop the bucket down into that well of deep forgiveness and draw it out for those who also don’t forgive or don’t deserve my forgiveness, but I will willingly give because that’s what You did for me. I trust You that You are smart enough, strong enough, wise enough to handle the offenses against me. If I hold on to it, I get worse. So I release it to You, Lord. I release those who’ve hurt me into Your hands. Lord, I trust You and I believe You. Thank You for the Holy Spirit and the strength that He gives to me. In Jesus’ name. Amen."
Let’s give Him praise tonight. Oh, Jesus, we thank You.
Listen to Colossians 3:12 as we close: "He is speaking to the church here. Is it possible that Christians could offend one another? Is that even possible? Is it possible that I have to show mercy to y’all? And you got to show mercy to me?" That’s what it says. Listen: Colossians 3:13. "If anyone has a complaint against another, even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do."
The reason why a bunch of crazy people can come together under the banner of Jesus Christ, from different backgrounds, different personalities—some people like sandpaper, like me—you know. Some people can be difficult. We can all be difficult. And the reason why we can come together and love one another, and be a family, and be the body of Christ—the only way that happens—is if we are practicing. Some probably are. It’s okay. It’s okay. If you’re mad at me, don’t hold on to that. Matthew 18 principle—we need to talk. I got more coming. It’s okay. I learned this week that I was holding on to something for a long time I didn’t even know about. It came up in a conversation, and I had to ask for forgiveness. I’m not beyond that. We need humility. We need meekness. We need long-suffering. You know what that means, right? In Greek? To suffer for a long time.
Stephen, close us in prayer.
Keep an eye on our Facebook Page for Daily Devotionals based on this message over the next five days.
Written with Love by Pastor Adam Dragoon
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The Whistleblowers: Why Speaking Truth Will Cost You
God does not promise an easy path, but He promises His presence, His vindication, and the privilege of being part of His redemptive work in the world.
Sermon Summary
In the midst of grief over the loss of our beloved sister Nisha, we are confronted with the age-old question: why do bad things happen to good people? As we wrestle with sorrow, anger, and confusion, we find comfort and perspective in the Word of God. Hebrews 11 reminds us that many heroes of faith endured suffering, destitution, and torment, and yet the world was not worthy of them. Their early departure is not a sign of injustice, but rather a testimony to their value in God’s eyes—He brings them home because this world is not worthy of such faith.
Turning to Jeremiah, we see a man called from youth to be a prophet—a spiritual whistleblower—tasked with exposing sin and proclaiming truth, even when it brought him ridicule, isolation, and pain. Like modern whistleblowers who risk everything to expose wrongdoing, Jeremiah faced relentless opposition, mockery, and even violence. Despite his moments of despair and the temptation to remain silent, the Word of God burned within him like a fire he could not contain. His calling was not glamorous, but it was inescapable; to be silent was more unbearable than to suffer for the truth.
We are reminded that standing for truth in a fallen world is costly. Worldly protections are unreliable, and retaliation is real. Yet, God’s promise to Jeremiah—and to us—is that He will be with us, even when others reject or persecute us. Our responsibility is not just to point out what is wrong, but to bring the hope and solution of the gospel. Silence in the face of evil can make us complicit; we are called to speak, to act, and to trust God with the results.
Ultimately, the story of Jeremiah, and the examples of modern-day whistleblowers, challenge us to examine our own lives. What injustices or evils do we see around us that God is prompting us to address? Are we willing to endure discomfort, misunderstanding, or even hostility for the sake of truth? God does not promise an easy path, but He promises His presence, His vindication, and the privilege of being part of His redemptive work in the world.
“God’s promise to Jeremiah—and to us—is that He will be with us, even when others reject or persecute us.”
Watch/Listen
Message Study Guide
Youtube chapters
[00:00] - Welcome
[00:51] - Wrestling with Grief and Injustice
[02:22] - The Hall of Faith and Unnamed Sufferers
[05:14] - “Of Whom the World Was Not Worthy”
[06:06] - Introducing Jeremiah and the Whistleblower Analogy
[08:08] - Modern Whistleblowers and Their Cost
[11:04] - Jeremiah’s Honest Struggle
[12:33] - Jeremiah’s Upbringing and Calling
[14:00] - God’s Commission and Our Fears
[15:10] - The Mission: Tearing Down and Building Up
[18:15] - The Cost of Exposing Darkness
[20:30] - Retaliation and the Limits of Worldly Protection
[22:19] - Jeremiah’s Despair and Temptation to Quit
[25:32] - The Rarity of Being Noticed for Quiet Faith
[27:13] - Modern Examples: Faith and Retaliation
[30:25] - Silence as Complicity
[31:00] - The Inescapable Fire of God’s Word
[34:04] - Responding to Mockery and Trusting God
[36:43] - Vindication and Legacy
[38:37] - Living Faithfully in a Fallen World
[41:03] - Invitation to Salvation and Prayer
[42:37] - Altar Call and Closing Prayer
Key Takeaways
The world is not worthy of the faithful: When we see good people suffer or leave this world too soon, it is not always a sign of injustice. Sometimes, it is God’s way of honoring them, declaring that this world is not worthy of their faith and character. Their lives and suffering become a testimony that challenges and inspires us to deeper faith. [05:14]
The call to speak truth is both a privilege and a burden: Like Jeremiah, we are called to be spiritual whistleblowers, exposing darkness and proclaiming God’s truth. This calling is not always welcomed; it often brings rejection, ridicule, and even personal cost. Yet, the fire of God’s Word within us compels us to speak, even when silence seems easier. [18:15]
Worldly protections are unreliable, but God’s presence is sure: Legal or institutional safeguards may fail, and standing for truth can bring real danger. However, God’s promise is that He will be with us, delivering and sustaining us through every trial. Our security is not in human systems, but in the faithfulness of God who sees and rewards our obedience. [20:30]
Silence in the face of evil is complicity: When we witness wrongdoing—whether in our families, workplaces, communities, or culture—remaining silent can make us accomplices to sin. God calls us to courageously speak and act, trusting Him with the consequences, and believing that our faithfulness can bring change and hope. [30:25]
Faithfulness may bring suffering, but God vindicates His servants: Jeremiah’s life was marked by pain, misunderstanding, and opposition, yet he could not abandon his calling. In the end, God honored his faithfulness, using him to impact nations and generations. Our suffering for righteousness is never wasted; God sees, remembers, and ultimately vindicates those who stand for Him. [35:38]
Bible Reading
Jeremiah 20:8-11 NKJV For when I spoke, I cried out; I shouted, "Violence and plunder!" Because the word of the LORD was made to me A reproach and a derision daily. 9 Then I said, "I will not make mention of Him, Nor speak anymore in His name." But [His word] was in my heart like a burning fire Shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding [it] back, And I could not. 10 For I heard many mocking: "Fear on every side!" "Report," [they say], "and we will report it!" All my acquaintances watched for my stumbling, [saying], "Perhaps he can be induced; Then we will prevail against him, And we will take our revenge on him." 11 But the LORD [is] with me as a mighty, awesome One. Therefore my persecutors will stumble, and will not prevail. They will be greatly ashamed, for they will not prosper. [Their] everlasting confusion will never be forgotten.
Hebrews 11:36-38 NKJV Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented-- 38 of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, [in] dens and caves of the earth.
Observation Questions
In Jeremiah 20:9, what does Jeremiah say happens when he tries to stay silent about God’s message?
According to Hebrews 11:36-38, what kinds of suffering did the heroes of faith endure, and how does the writer describe their relationship to the world?
In the sermon, what modern example was given to illustrate the cost of being a “whistleblower” for truth? [08:08]
What promise does God give to Jeremiah about facing opposition and fear? [15:10]
Interpretation Questions
Why does Jeremiah describe God’s word as a “burning fire shut up in my bones”? What does this reveal about his calling and inner struggle? [31:00]
The sermon says, “the world was not worthy” of people like Nisha and the unnamed faithful in Hebrews 11. What does this mean about how God values His people, especially those who suffer? [05:14]
The message draws a parallel between Jeremiah and modern whistleblowers. What are the risks and rewards of standing up for truth, both in Jeremiah’s time and today? [19:32]
How does God’s promise of His presence and deliverance change the way Jeremiah (and we) can face rejection or persecution? [20:30]
Application Questions
The sermon challenges us to consider what injustices or evils we see around us that God might be prompting us to address. Is there a situation in your family, workplace, school, or community where you feel God is nudging you to speak up? What holds you back? [38:37]
Jeremiah was tempted to stay silent because of fear, ridicule, and pain, but he found that silence was even more unbearable. Have you ever experienced a time when you felt compelled to speak up for what’s right, even though it was uncomfortable? What happened? [31:00]
The message says, “Silence in the face of evil is complicity.” Are there areas in your life where you have chosen silence instead of action? What would it look like to take a first step toward speaking or acting for truth? [30:25]
God told Jeremiah, “Do not be afraid of their faces, for I am with you to deliver you.” How can you remind yourself of God’s presence and protection when you feel afraid to stand for truth? [15:10]
The sermon mentions that worldly protections are unreliable, but God’s faithfulness is sure. When have you relied on human systems for security, and how did that compare to trusting God? [20:30]
The story of Nisha and the heroes of faith in Hebrews 11 reminds us that suffering is not always a sign of injustice, but sometimes a testimony to faith. How does this perspective change the way you view suffering in your own life or in the lives of others? [05:14]
The call to be a “spiritual whistleblower” is both a privilege and a burden. What practical steps can you take this week to be faithful to God’s calling, even if it costs you something? [18:15]
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Bibles, the book of Jeremiah, we're going to look at Jeremiah chapter 20. I don't want to belabor the points that Pastor Adam made this morning in relation to the passing of our sister Nisha. I felt that he ministered very effectively and really gave us a lot of hope that we will indeed see her again in eternity.
But I will say this as sort of an intro into what I want to minister tonight. So we got the news that Nisha had passed away. It was Friday morning. We were here for the prayer meeting, for morning prayer. So, of course, that hit us like, you know, a freight train. I went to work and later that day, my wife came and joined me for lunch during my lunch break, and we just sat and we just talked and, you know, what was going on in our heads, you know, what was going on in our hearts, what we were thinking, feeling, weeping, on and on.
But one of the things that she shared with me was that she wasn't just sad about Nisha's passing. She was also mad about it. And that kind of surprised me. And I actually, I said to her, I don't understand that. What do you mean? And she explained that it's not right that wonderful people like Nisha, who are just a blessing to everybody that she comes into contact with, that wonderful people like that pass on, many cases, far too soon, according to our measurement of time, far too early.
I believe Nisha was just past 50 years old. While others who are wicked, who are abusive, who are hypocritical, who are adulterers, on and on the list can go, they get to live. They get to live, many times, long lives. And yet they live on while people like Nisha suffer and eventually pass away way too early.
And as she said that to me, the scripture popped into my mind. And it was when Pastor Adam began to preach this morning, it was almost the exact same. It was Hebrews chapter 11. And when he began this morning, I knew right when he started that it had been the Holy Ghost that was ministering to us in that moment.
You know, the beginning of Hebrews chapter 11, as Pastor mentioned this morning, it's what we call the Hall of Fame of Faith. And you start to, they start to list, the author of Hebrews starts to list all these great heroes of the faith, you know, by faith, Noah, and by faith, Abraham did this and that, and by faith, most, it's like you're reading it and it's like, you know, wow, this is amazing. And it's like, you can hear a song playing in the background. It's so glorious.
But then in verse 36, it's like it takes a turn and it says, still others, after it's listed, you know, all these heroes of the Hall of Fame, and it's like, still others, who they don't name, had trials of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. They were stoned. They were sawn in two. They were tempted. They were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented.
Those last three things, destitute, afflicted, tormented, I think that captures almost exactly what Nisha was going through in their last days, especially toward the very end. And she was, how many know she was destitute? She was depending on the government to provide the treatment that never came. She was afflicted, obviously, from the cancer. And she was tormented.
Now, I know many will say, no, no, no, she was so positive. Yes, she was, but she hated that hospital room. Though she was full of hope, she hated being confined to that bed. She wanted to get up and move and walk. And she shared with us that the nursing staff, they just, you know, we asked while we were there, hey, can you help her get up and walk around? Oh, well, we'll have to check, and I'll have to get it cleared with somebody.
So all of this, afflicted, tormented, but then, verse 38, this is the scripture that the Holy Spirit spoke to me, of whom the world was not worthy. You see, it's not that precious people like Nisha are taken from us too soon. It's that this world is not worthy of such wonderful, godly people of faith.
It's almost like a punishment against the earth that God is taking people like Nisha out of it and saying, you know what, you don't deserve her. So I'm bringing her home with me.
At the heart of my wife's question was really, why do bad things happen to good people? Have you ever found yourself asking that question? Tonight, I want to look with you at someone in the scripture who qualifies as one of those good people that had numerous bad things happen to them. And I think, especially in light of all those going back to school tomorrow, we can really learn a lot from this person's experience and his example.
If you want to, as I said, Jeremiah 20, we're going to look at verses 8 through 10. Before we look there, recently, over the past few years, there's been a term that's come back around in our everyday news cycle. The term is whistleblower. How many have heard this term kicked around? What is a whistleblower? I'm glad you asked.
There's a place called the National Whistleblower Center. They say it's someone who reports waste, fraud, abuse, corruption, or dangers to public health and safety. They report it to someone who is in the position to rectify the wrongdoing. A whistleblower typically works inside the organization where the wrongdoing is taking place. However, being an agency or company insider is not essential to serving as a whistleblower. What matters is that the individual discloses information about wrongdoing that otherwise would not be known.
Here in the U.S., we've had whistleblower protection laws dating all the way back to the beginning of the Constitution. 1777 was the first one. Allowing people to come forward with information without fear of retaliation. Some government agencies even have whistleblower reward programs.
But that doesn't mean that if you see something immoral or illegal happening and say something, that everything's just going to be all right. I picked up an article in the New York Post. This is from May of 2024. It said, "The sky is falling, at least on Boeing. A second whistleblower has died under mysterious circumstances. Just two months after another whistleblower allegedly shot himself in the head. And the attorneys, for both men, hope their deaths don't scare away at least ten more whistleblowers who want the company to clean up its act."
Joshua Dean, age 45, a former quality auditor at Spirit Aerosystems, which assembles fuselage sections for Boeing, died Tuesday morning from a quote—unquote—fast-growing mystery infection. They just don't know. His death comes less than two months after another whistleblower, John Barnett, age 62, died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. Barnett had worked for Boeing for 32 years. He was found dead in his Dodge Ram truck holding a silver pistol in his hand in the parking lot of his hotel after he failed to show up for the second part of his testimony for a bombshell lawsuit against the company.
So at the same time, Boeing said last month that it had a $355 million loss, falling revenue, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy workmanship from a growing number of surviving whistleblowers. It was announced abruptly in March of 2024 that the Boeing CEO would step down by the end of the year in a move widely seen as a reaction to the ongoing safety crisis.
An attorney who represented both of the dead whistleblowers said these men were heroes. So are all whistleblowers. They loved the company. They wanted to help the company do better. They didn't speak out to be aggravating or for fame. They're raising concerns because people's lives are at stake.
In the text we're about to read, the prophet Jeremiah has been dealing with fallout from the experience of being someone who has been a long-term whistleblower. He's been calling out his own people for years, and it's taken a toll on him. And here we find him having a moment with himself. It's a moment of brutal honesty.
In Jeremiah 20, verses 8 through 10, he says:
"For when I spoke, I cried out, I shouted violence and plunder because the word of the Lord was made to me a reproach and a derision daily. Then I said, I will not make mention of him nor speak any more in his name, but his word was in my heart like a burning fire, shut up in my bones, and I was weary of holding it back. And I could not. For I heard many mocking, fear on every side, report, they say, and we will report it. All my acquaintances watched for my stumbling, saying, perhaps he can be induced. Then we will prevail against him, and we will take our revenge on him."
Let's pray together tonight.
Father, in the name of Jesus, God, I need You. I cannot do this on my own. I need Your grace. I need the Holy Ghost tonight. Father, I ask that You would speak to every life, every heart. I pray that You would open every ear to hear what You would say to each one in this place. We thank You for Your mercy, for Your grace, for the blood of Jesus Christ tonight. We give You glory. In Jesus' name, amen.
The whistleblowers. I want to first look at the calling.
Jeremiah grew up. He was a church kid. He grew up hearing the word of God. His father was a priest. And just like many youth from previous generations, especially here in America, who were taken or maybe dragged to church by their parents or grandparents, relatives, there was some kind of religious influence in the home, maybe even a strong one.
We see it still a little, especially in the black and Latino communities. But unfortunately, we're seeing less and less of it as time goes on. It's unknown if Jeremiah went to school to become a priest himself. But just by reading his later writings, it's obvious this man knows the word of God.
One historian said that Jeremiah's future life and thought were molded to a large extent by an early acquaintance with the writings of the prophets, such as Amos, Hosea, Isaiah, and Micah, and probably also the lives and sayings of the prophets Elijah and Elisha.
We may not know his exact upbringing, but what we do know is that as a youth, Jeremiah hears from God regarding the destiny for his life. In Jeremiah 1, verses 4 and 5, it says:
"Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 'Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.'"
In other words, regardless of whatever religious upbringing he might have had, he still needed to develop his own personal relationship with God, just like all of us do.
His calling from God might sound like something glorious or glamorous. You know, God says, I sanctified you. It means I set you apart. I ordained you. It means I'm giving you a special mission. I ordained you to be a prophet, someone who's going to speak on my behalf, someone who's going to have to give rebukes when necessary, someone who's going to have to give encouragement at other times. Sometimes you're even going to have to tell the future. A prophet to the nations.
Your mission is not just to your close relatives and your friends or even your own countrymen, but I'm calling you to speak to people who have no idea who I am. And Jeremiah argues back. He says, wait, I'm too young. But God says, no, you're not.
Some of you kids need to hear that tonight. You're not too young. Then, as if to answer Jeremiah's real fear, how many know God always answers the heart of the issue? He doesn't just treat the symptoms. He goes to the root cause.
Verse 8 of chapter 1, he says, "Do not be afraid of their faces, for I am with you to deliver you," says the Lord. That's what the real deal is. Deep down, we're afraid of the faces they're going to make at us. What they're going to, you know, how they're going to look at us and they're going to mock us. They're going to make faces at us. They're going to say mean things about us. They're not going to accept me. They're not going to hear what I have to say. They're going to laugh and mock at me. Later on, you know, I'm going to close my eyes and all I'm going to be able to envision is them pointing and laughing at me. Mocking, mocking, calling me names. I'm going to be tormented by their faces.
But God says, do not be afraid of their faces. I am with you to deliver you. In short, we're afraid of rejection. But God says, do not be afraid. I am with you. They might reject you, but I don't. In fact, I'll protect you.
Verse 9, chapter 1, verse 9. Then the Lord put forth His hand, touched my mouth. And the Lord said to me, "Behold, I have put My words in your mouth." See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms to root out, to pull down, to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.
That is our calling as well. No matter how young or old we are, we are called to go and speak to the nations, to root out and to pull down, to destroy and throw down. That is, to expose and confront false doctrines. Some of them are rooted deep in the culture, and we're called to pull up those weeds by the root, expose them to the daylight, to tear down spiritual strongholds that the enemy has established. Poverty, perversion, pride, error, lies, jealousy, on and on, through prayer and fasting, studying the Word of God. You're breaking down walls, throwing down brick by brick until it's just a heap of ruin.
But we're not just called to tear down. We're also called to build and to plant, to plant the seeds of gospel truth, to build God's kingdom here on the earth. Mark 16:15, "Go into all the world, preach the gospel to every creature." Matthew 28:19, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you." And, lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen.
In other words, expose the evil works of darkness, but it's not just enough to expose it. We must bring the truth in its place. It's not enough to just point out problems. You've got to bring solutions. My wife is always telling me this. You know, I used to be famous for pointing out problems. Well, we want to do this. Well, there's this issue, that issue, this issue. And one day she was like, don't just bring me problems. Bring me solutions.
God's calling us, just as He called Jeremiah, to be whistleblowers, like a basketball referee blowing the whistle when a foul takes place. We are to blow the whistle on the enemy's plots and plans. Jeremiah did this all throughout his life. He calls his own people out for their sins, especially for idolatry, disobeying the commandments. But God forewarns him. In Jeremiah 1:19, "They will fight against you, but they will not prevail against you. For I am with you," says the Lord, "to deliver you." So, Jeremiah knows from the beginning, this is not going to be a cakewalk. And it won't be for you or me either.
I want to look secondly with you at worldly protection. You know, just because there are whistleblower protections in the law and even whistleblower rewards, doesn't mean that there's not going to be retaliation. The two dead Boeing whistleblowers found that out the hard way.
Oh, wait, but I'm sure their deaths were just coincidences. I'm sure that, you know, once they started to testify, both of them just, you know, that's what happens. You just die. They just happened to coincide with their bombshell testimonies. Right.
Can I tell you, retaliation is a powerful motivator. How many of us have ever seen something wrong and wanted to say something, but we feared for our jobs or our safety or even our lives? The potential for revenge keeps most people quiet. And for those courageous folks who stepped up and said something and then had their lives destroyed, it only reinforces to everybody else, shut up or else.
The problem is worldly protections by the government are only as good as the government itself. But what happens if you're calling out the government? Sure, they're legally obligated to protect you, but as many whistleblowers have found out, the retaliation still happens.
God told Jeremiah that if he spoke God's word, God would be with him to deliver him. But in order for Jeremiah to be delivered, guess what? He's first going to have to get into some trouble. And that's exactly what happened. In chapter 7, those he preached to refused to listen to him. And that also happened in chapters 13, 17, 18, and 19. And chapter 20, where we pick up our text, he's beaten and put in stocks.
And that's where we find him. Never mind what's going to happen to him in later chapters—the mocking, the ridicule, the threats, the maltreatment, the violence. It's no wonder that in our text we find him utterly frustrated, talking to himself in a moment of weakness. And saying, forget it. How many of us have ever done this? In a moment of frustration, just start to talk to yourself. Anybody ever talk to yourself? Come on. You're normal if you talk to yourself. It's all right.
Especially in these moments of frustration, you start trying to work things out in your mind. He's saying, "Forget it. Done. I'm not going to speak about God anymore. I'm not going to speak for God anymore. I'm not even going to talk about Him. It's not worth it. Why do I keep doing this to myself?" You know, these are thoughts running through his mind. "Why do I keep doing this to myself? Do I just have a fetish for pain? What?" They don't listen to me anyway. They smear my reputation. They even hurt me.
Verse 8 of our text, you can hear the utter desperation in His voice. Jesus, the Word of God, that which is supposed to be this powerful thing that I bring to the people. He says it's a reproach. The Word of God is a reproach. In other words, He's being criticized for bringing the Word of God. He says it's a derision to me. That means He's being laughed at for it. And not just once, not just sometimes, but every single day.
And this is where whistleblowers' struggle often happens. It's after we've gone through it and we're alone with our thoughts. Bible scholar Arthur Cundall said, "How many times have I been mocked, ridiculed, laughed at, accused of being brainwashed, in a cult, a liar, on and on because of the Word of God?" I'd be lying if I said, "You know, when it happens, I just thank God." I just thank God when people start mocking, ridiculing me. It's great. Oh, nothing like it. Yeah, right. Instead, it's, I have the exact same thoughts Jeremiah does. I just won't talk about God anymore. It'll be so much easier if I just don't mention Him.
I’ll just go live a nice, quiet life somewhere. I'll just hope that people notice that there's something different about me. Hopefully, they'll notice that I don't cuss. Hopefully, they'll notice that I don't drink or do drugs. Hopefully, they'll notice that I'm not listening to the same kind of music they listen to. And when the situation is just right and all the stars align and they come to me and say, "What's different about you?" Then I'll seize the opportunity and tell them about Jesus.
Now, does that ever happen? Maybe once in a blue moon, sure. But it does not happen very often. Most people, can I be honest with you? Most people out in the world are too self-absorbed to notice how different you are. There are some. It's happened to me before. "Hey, man, there's something different." But it's like one in a thousand. Most people are too self-absorbed to notice.
And so that leaves us with these thoughts. "Why should I keep doing this? Did God really tell me to do this? Maybe it's all been in my imagination. Maybe it wasn't the Holy Spirit." Thank God that for our sakes, this was not the end of Jeremiah's story.
I want to finally look with you at the blessing. So you might be asking, "So if I see something moral or unjust happening at my child's school, at my job, at my city council meeting, at my church, in my family— but I know that if I say something, I'm going to pay a high price. Why should I?" It's true that in this world, you will face backlash any time you stand up for the truth and call out a wicked person or a wicked system. But there's a reason that people still do it.
I found an article in the Catholic National Register. It says, "An FBI whistleblower who spent two years fighting to regain his security clearance after questioning the agency's leadership, said that his Catholic faith and his desire to serve the public motivated his actions." I felt convicted in my actions by the Holy Spirit, said Marcus Allen, the FBI whistleblower.
Allen served in the Marine Corps from 2000 to 2005, and he held a top-secret security clearance since 2001, with the exception of the two years that they suspended it. He joined the FBI in 2015. In 2019, he was the Employee of the Year in the Charlotte Field Office. March of 2022, the FBI suspended his security clearance.
According to Allen, his disciplinary actions were the result of concerns he had raised with his supervisors about the FBI director, Christopher Wray, concerning the events of January 6th, 2021. He said he believed the action was also a result of his refusal to get the vaccine. According to the FBI, Allen was suspended due to security concerns related to his allegiance to the U.S. and also personal conduct.
In an interview, he said that he expressed concerns to his supervisor that the FBI director had refused to answer questions from lawmakers about federal agents and informants at the Capitol on January 6th. He further asked whether there were confidential informants present during that day, during the protest and the attack on the Capitol.
He said, "This guy's amazing," he said that he was suspended as a form of retaliation, a concern that they're now investigating. He further noted that during the discovery process, his lawyers found that one official had referred to him as delusional for praying to the Holy Spirit for his decision-making process. How do you like that? "Oh, you talk to God? You're crazy."
Another official referred to him as over-the-top regarding his opinions on politics and religion. His lawyers argued that the FBI's decision to revoke his security clearance was based on his religious beliefs, which are protected under the First Amendment. But how many know? They retaliated anyway.
Anyway, there are pretty disturbing comments about my faith in the discovery documents, he told the newspaper. "My faith apparently was a problem for these people." Anytime there's an event like January 6th, he said, "Of course we have agents there." It's such an easy question for anybody in the FBI to answer. "Why couldn't the director just do it?"
Allen added that normally there's a legitimate reason for us to have people there. Not just there to cause an issue or commit an act of violence. We have people there, and there's a legal reason justifiable for them to be there. That's what I think I was trying to call attention to with my chain of command, he said, but I think they were more concerned that I questioned the integrity of the director.
He said that he felt the need to speak up about his concerns. And he made this statement: "Silence can make someone an accomplice to sin." What a powerful statement that is. "Silence can make someone an accomplice to sin."
He says, "I consider myself a faithful Catholic Christian, animated by the gospel of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ." This man's life was basically ruined for two full years for standing up to the agency that he loved and served. But was the truth more important than his career? He had to make that choice.
In our text, Jeremiah, as he's talking to himself, saying how it's just not worth it to even speak about God anymore. Thank God. Listen to his conclusion. In verse 9, he says, "I will not make mention of Him or speak in His name anymore. But His word was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary of holding it back, and I could not."
His word was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones. Many times, Jeremiah wanted to give up, but he couldn't. He couldn't because he dealt with God's word. He lived. God's word lived in his heart. He couldn't because that word burned in his heart like fire. He couldn't because that word pressed against his very being as if it were shut up in his bones, requiring great energy to hold it in. And he says, "I was weary of holding it back."
One scholar named Feinberg said he found out the impossibility of denying his call. He learned that it was irreversible and that God's word was irrepressible. Another scholar by the name of Morgan said, under the stress and strain of his sufferings, he was tempted to abandon the work, to refuse to speak anymore in the name of Jehovah. But when he attempted thus to find release from suffering in silence, it was impossible, for such silence became more intolerable than the suffering.
It says, "I could not." It cost him so much pain and humiliation, but Jeremiah could not, not preach God's word and preach it faithfully. In other words, he wasn't just airing his feelings and opinions. It wasn't just like, "I've got to give these people a piece of my mind." There were a lot of unfaithful and untruthful preachers and prophets in his time. Jeremiah was compelled to preach a message faithful to God. He wasn't speaking his own message.
F. B. Meyer said, "To speak is an awful responsibility," and wait, but not to speak would be impossible. 1 Corinthians 9:16, Paul says, "Woe is me if I do not preach the gospel." This is not just a way of ignoring criticism, and Jeremiah doesn't just dismiss it.
Verse 10, he says, "I heard many mocking." They mocked his message of fear and coming catastrophe. They waited for his stumbling, hoping that an unfaithful life would invalidate his message, and then they could take their revenge on him. They nicknamed him "Terror on Every Side." That was their nickname for Jeremiah. "Terror on Every Side." Oh, look who's coming. "Terror on Every Side."
In other words, they took his warnings, and they used it against him. So the answer isn't just to ignore and dismiss the mockers. Jeremiah acknowledges them, takes into consideration the things they've said, and then he formulates a response.
In verse 11 of chapter 20, he says, "But the Lord is with me as a mighty, awesome one. Therefore, my persecutors will stumble and will not prevail. They will be greatly ashamed, for they will not prosper. Their everlasting confusion will never be forgotten. But, O Lord of hosts, you who test the righteous and see the mind and heart, let me see your vengeance on them, for I have pleaded my cause before you."
David Guzik said, "Despite the pain and difficulty of his work and his many enemies, Jeremiah found confidence in God as a mighty, awesome one. God's might and awe were a greater fact than his own pain, humiliation, rejection, and beatings. God became bigger, and his misery became smaller. The mighty God would work for and protect his faithful messenger."
He says, "O Lord of hosts, you who test the righteous and see the mind and heart," Jeremiah was content to leave the matter to God and to His wisdom and strength. The judge of all the earth would do right.
For the FBI whistleblower Marcus Allen, he trusted in God for his vindication. He later sued the FBI and reached a settlement in May of last year, which reinstated his security clearance, and they gave him all his back pay.
For the Boeing whistleblowers—yes, there were two who paid with their lives—but without them, there wouldn't be at least ten more who have threatened to come forward. Just the threat of exposure has done a great deal.
It's been revealed that Boeing, once a great company run by genius engineers, has since become a joke of a company run by accountants. They cut costs for things like quality control. You know, when you fly in a Boeing jet, aren't you counting on there to be QA, like people who go behind the mechanic and make sure they did the job right? Well, these guys had cut the costs—eh, quality control. It resulted in a number of recent embarrassing mishaps and two fatal crashes.
Also, Boeing is the company who sent rockets up to the International Space Station and then, oh, whoops, they broke. We can't get our astronauts home. Remember that? They were stuck there for like nine months, and Elon Musk had to go get them. He didn't go personally—I’m joking—they sent SpaceX rockets to go get them.
Boeing CEO, as I mentioned, has stepped down, and they just announced that they, in sort of a mea culpa, are coming clean now. They said that one of the biggest mistakes they had made was to hire on the basis of DE&I, and they've since completely gotten rid of their whole DE&I department.
Eventually, Jeremiah, he's taken prisoner by the Babylonians. But in a strange twist, unlike the Jews—his own people—the Babylonians treated him well while the other Jews were enslaved. And Jeremiah was able to become the prophet to the nations that God originally said he was going to be.
He wrote letters of prophecy to many nations, including Babylon, Damascus, Moab, Ammon, and Egypt, where he was finally taken to live out his final days with some of the other exiles.
You know, it's Jeremiah's writings where we get the image of God as the potter and we are His clay. Jeremiah 18:6, "O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter?" says the Lord. "Look, as the clay is in the hands of the potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel." It's his writings where we get that imagery.
And as I close, do bad things happen to good people? Yes, absolutely. Of course they do. And good things happen to bad people. And good things happen to good people. And bad things happen to bad people. And the rain falls on the just and the unjust. And as long as we live in a fallen, sinful world, that is going to continue.
But that being the case, that means that we must live in this fallen world to, in effect, change around us. We must be in the world, but not of the world.
What kind of things do you see happening around you that you know deep down you are supposed to be speaking up about? In your family. In your workplace. In your community. In our culture. In our nation. Kids. In your school.
Does what you see stir something within you to say something? When you see the evil that's permeated our culture, does righteous anger burn within you so that you're weary from holding it in? You say, "I've got to say something."
See, blowing the whistle is costly. It's dangerous. Yes, perhaps even deadly. But if you're doing what's right, speaking for God, sure, some are going to mock. That's true. Some may even try to do you harm. But if you hold fast, like Jeremiah, you can trust that God will be the one that will vindicate you.
Can you say amen tonight? Why don't we bow our heads and close our eyes as we bring this service to a close? We're going to pray for the youth immediately following the time of prayer here.
Maybe you're here tonight and Jesus is not your Lord and Savior. You are not right with God as we sit here tonight, and you begin to examine your heart, and you just be honest with yourself and you would say, "You know what? If I were to stand before God right now and He were to judge my life, I don't think I would make heaven my home."
And if you can honestly say that and it terrifies you, let me give you some hope. We serve a God who loves you, cares about you, who does not want to see you go to hell. We serve a God who wants you in heaven with Him. And He didn't just say that He loves you. He didn't just say that He wants to be with you. He proved it.
God so loved the world, He gave His only begotten Son. Whoever believes on Him would not perish, but have everlasting life. God didn't send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that through Him, the world might be saved.
Can I ask you something? Are you saved? Are you right with God tonight? If not, I implore you, do not leave this place until you get your heart right with God.
How do you do that? Jesus said, "Unless you are born again, you will not see the kingdom of God." Okay, so how do I be born again? Romans 10:9, "If you would confess with your mouth, Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved."
For all who call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Are you saved tonight? If you're not saved in this place and you would like to be, we want to just pray with you. Would you just lift up your hand very quickly, just up and back down? Perhaps you've fallen away. Perhaps you used to walk with God, but you've fallen away, and you want to come back tonight. Is that you? Would you lift up your hand? We can pray with you, pray a simple prayer of repentance leading to salvation. Is that you? Unsaved? Amen.
Church, I want to open up the altar tonight. I want to open up the altar for a time of prayer. We want to just come and lay hold of God tonight. Some of us are going back to work, some of us going back to school, and how many know there's going to be times that we need to speak up, say something, and we need the strength of God. We need the Holy Ghost. Help us do that.
Let's come tonight. These altars are open. Let's come down and pray. Let's call upon God. Maybe you have something that's unrelated on your heart that you need to speak to God about. I encourage you to come down tonight. These altars are open. Let's pray.
Keep an eye on our Facebook Page for Daily Devotionals based on this message over the next five days.
Written with Love by Pastor Adam Dragoon
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🔥 Living Lit: How to Burn for God Without Burning Out 🔥
The story of Moses at the burning bush in Exodus 3 is a powerful reminder that God’s work in our lives is never just about a single moment or a fleeting experience. God is not interested in mere visitations; He desires to inhabit us, to set us aflame with His presence in a way that endures and transforms.
Sermon Summary
The story of Moses at the burning bush in Exodus 3 is a powerful reminder that God’s work in our lives is never just about a single moment or a fleeting experience. God is not interested in mere visitations; He desires to inhabit us, to set us aflame with His presence in a way that endures and transforms.
Many times, we find ourselves stepping into moments or places where something significant is already happening, but without the backstory, it’s easy to miss the weight of what’s unfolding. This is often how people approach the things of God—seeing others moved, worshiping passionately, but not understanding the depth behind it.
Moses’ life is a study in contrasts: from the heights of Egyptian privilege to the obscurity of shepherding in the desert. At 80, Moses likely saw himself as washed up, his best days behind him. Yet, God saw destiny and purpose where Moses saw only failure and routine. The burning bush was not a random miracle, but a test—would Moses notice the extraordinary in the midst of the ordinary? It was only when Moses turned aside, curious and hungry for more, that God spoke to him. This is a pattern: God often waits for us to draw near, to become attentive and hungry, before He reveals Himself.
When God called Moses by name, it was deeply personal. God didn’t address him by his failures or his occupation, but by his unique identity. This is how God calls each of us—not as faceless numbers, but as beloved individuals with a place in His unfolding story. Yet, before Moses could draw near, God required him to remove his sandals—a symbol of leaving behind fleshly desires and pursuing holiness. God’s presence is holy ground, and intimacy with Him always calls for transformation.
God’s commission to Moses was not based on Moses’ qualifications, but on God’s own sufficiency: “I AM who I AM.” Our calling is anchored not in our abilities, but in God’s presence and power. Like Moses, we may feel unqualified or inadequate, but God’s Spirit animates us, making us vessels for His purposes. The fire of God is available to all who will turn aside, become hungry, and pursue Him with a surrendered heart. This is not just for a select few, but for every believer—God wants to set each of us ablaze, to live “lit” with His Spirit, impacting the world around us.
“The fire of God is available to all who will turn aside, become hungry, and pursue Him with a surrendered heart. This is not just for a select few, but for every believer—God wants to set each of us ablaze, to live “lit” with His Spirit, impacting the world around us.”
Watch/Listen
Message Study Guide
Youtube chapters
[00:00] - Welcome
[00:55] - Missing the Backstory: Entering God’s Story
[02:18] - God’s Desire: Habitation, Not Visitation
[05:02] - Prayer for Transformation
[06:54] - Moses’ Journey: From Privilege to Obscurity
[09:40] - Personal Testimony: Lost Opportunities
[11:12] - God’s Perspective on Our Past
[12:33] - The Burning Bush: Ordinary Meets Extraordinary
[14:12] - Turning Aside: The Test of Attention
[17:24] - The Divine Hiddenness of God
[19:50] - The Personal Call: Moses, Moses
[23:07] - Holy Ground: The Call to Holiness
[25:57] - Entering God’s Covenant Story
[31:04] - God’s Commission: The Call to Go
[34:31] - “I AM” and Our Identity
[36:43] - The Spirit Animates the Glove
[39:00] - Living Lit: The Fire for Every Believer
[41:00] - The Need for New Life
[42:47] - Responding to God’s Invitation
[44:16] - Altar Call and Closing
Key Takeaways
God Sees Destiny in Our Obscurity
Even when we feel like our lives are defined by past failures or present insignificance, God sees potential and purpose. Moses spent decades in obscurity, but God was preparing him for a pivotal role in His redemptive plan. Our seasons of hiddenness are not wasted; they are often the soil where God cultivates humility and readiness for His calling. [11:12]The Extraordinary Awaits in the Ordinary
The burning bush was not a spectacle for its own sake, but a test of attention and hunger. God often places moments of divine invitation in the midst of our routines, waiting to see if we will turn aside and seek Him. Spiritual breakthroughs frequently come to those who are willing to pause, notice, and pursue the subtle stirrings of God in everyday life. [14:12]Intimacy with God Requires Holiness
Before Moses could draw near, he had to remove his sandals—a symbol of shedding the old ways and embracing God’s standard of holiness. True closeness with God is not possible without a willingness to let go of fleshly desires and pursue righteousness. Holiness is not about perfection, but about a heart posture that says, “Lord, I want to be set apart for You.” [23:07]Our Identity and Calling Are Anchored in God’s Sufficiency
When Moses doubted his ability, God responded not with a pep talk, but with a revelation of Himself: “I AM who I AM.” Our sense of inadequacy is met by God’s all-sufficiency. The call to “go” is not about our strength, but about God’s presence going with us, empowering us to fulfill His purposes beyond our limitations. [34:31]The Spirit of God Animates and Empowers Ordinary Lives
Like a glove animated by a hand, our lives are meant to be filled and moved by the Spirit of God. This is not reserved for spiritual elites, but is the promise of Pentecost for every believer. When we yield to the Spirit, God’s fire can burn in us without consuming us, making us living witnesses of His power and grace in every context of life. [36:43]
Bible Reading
Exodus 3:1-15 (ESV)
Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.” When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” And he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.
Then the Lord said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. And now, behold, the cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” He said, “But I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.”
Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.”
Observation Questions
What was Moses doing when he first encountered the burning bush, and why is this detail important? [12:33]
According to the passage, when did God actually speak to Moses, and what did Moses do to prompt this? [14:12]
What did God ask Moses to do before coming closer to the burning bush, and what did this action symbolize? [23:07]
How did God introduce Himself to Moses, and what significance did this have for Moses’ identity and calling? [25:57]
Interpretation Questions
Why might God choose to reveal Himself in the midst of Moses’ ordinary, routine life rather than during a dramatic or “spiritual” moment? [12:33]
What does the burning bush that was not consumed represent about God’s presence in a believer’s life? [02:18]
Why do you think God called Moses by name, and not by his failures or his job title? What does this say about how God views us? [19:50]
When Moses expressed doubt about his ability to fulfill God’s calling, how did God respond, and what does this teach us about the source of our strength and identity? [34:31]
Application Questions
Moses spent decades in obscurity, feeling like his best days were behind him. Have you ever felt like your past failures or current “ordinary” life disqualify you from being used by God? How might God be preparing you in your current season? [11:12]
The burning bush was a test of Moses’ attention and hunger for God. Are there “burning bush” moments in your daily routine that you might be overlooking? What would it look like for you to “turn aside” and pay attention to God’s invitations this week? [14:12]
God required Moses to remove his sandals before coming closer—a symbol of leaving behind fleshly desires and pursuing holiness. Is there something in your life that God might be asking you to “take off” or let go of in order to draw nearer to Him? [23:07]
God’s call to Moses was not based on Moses’ qualifications, but on God’s sufficiency. In what areas do you feel unqualified or inadequate, and how can you lean into God’s “I AM” rather than your own “I am not”? [34:31]
The sermon compared our lives to a glove that only comes alive when filled with God’s Spirit. In what areas of your life do you feel like an “empty glove,” and how can you invite the Holy Spirit to animate and empower you? [36:43]
The fire of God is available to every believer, not just spiritual “elites.” What steps can you take this week to become more “hungry” for God’s presence and to live “lit” with His Spirit in your home, work, or relationships? [39:00]
The story of Moses shows that God’s presence transforms ordinary people for extraordinary purposes. Who in your life needs to see the evidence of God’s fire in you, and how can you be intentional about letting God’s presence shine through you this week? [40:03]
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Let's open up our Bibles to the book of Exodus. Join me there, Exodus, chapter... This message God has been putting on my heart for the last few weeks, and I hope to share with you a part of what God is doing in my own life, and I want to encourage you this morning.
Have you ever run into a situation where maybe you walk into a room where something important has been happening already? Maybe somebody's been watching a movie, and you come in right at the end, at the climax of the scene, and there's a statement that comes from the screen like, "Never let go, Jack! Never let go!" And you observe the people who have been there for three hours watching this, tears begin to flow, hearts begin to melt, but you haven't seen it. You haven't been there, and you're walking in going, "What's the big deal here?"
Have you had an experience like that where you're walking into the last moment, maybe like picking up a book and reading the last chapter without reading all of the rest of the story, without knowing any context or drama? And when that happens to us, it leads to us feeling disappointed or unimpressed or thinking, "What's the big deal?"
And I think that feeling accurately describes how many people come to a church service or come into the kingdom of God. It's easy for us to look around at others who might be feeling all the feels, worshiping with passion and zeal, looking into the Word of God with fervency and hunger.
And especially as newcomers or as new believers, we can say, "What's going on here? What's the big deal?" Without knowing all of the context and all of the history.
I want to talk about how God, in our Scripture, God speaks to Moses. There is a whole story, there's a whole background that we need to embrace this morning because—uh—John Bevere, a famous Christian author, he says this: the Lord's desire for us is not simply a visitation. Maybe you've heard that word described when God begins to pour out His Spirit on a particular movement or a church or a service. We say, "God was visiting that service." Well, that's not an inaccurate description. I believe that the Lord's desire is not visitation. God wants people who are not just momentarily sparked. How many know God's not into the sprinters? He's into the long-distance runners.
God wants people who are not momentarily sparked and excited for a single service or a single song at a worship concert. What God is looking for this morning is—there—someone here who could be set aflame with His presence. In the Scripture we're about to read, we find Moses as he encounters the burning bush. That little curiosity—he found a bush, and the Bible says it was burning but not consumed. And I believe right there is a picture of how our experience in this world can be if we would be inhabited by the Holy Spirit—not just visited once in a while, but the fire of God burning in our hearts, and we would not be consumed.
And I pray that that would describe you before you leave this place today. Let's read together, Exodus chapter 3, verse 1:
"Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of the bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed."
Then Moses said, "I will now turn aside and see this great sight. Why? The bush does not burn." So when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, "Moses, Moses." And he said, "Here I am."
Let's pray for a moment.
Lord, we come not in the strength of intellect or human arguments. We come in the power of the Holy Spirit today, asking for Your grace and Your presence in this service right now. Holy Spirit, we yield to You, asking You to fill our hearts, to feed our souls today. God, our heart's desire as we gather in this house is not just to make an appearance, not just to make a noise, but God, we want our hearts to be transformed. We want our minds to be transformed and renewed. God, we ask that You would help us today and send us out as flames of fire, as on the day of Pentecost—that those flames would visit each and every one of us, that we can be filled with Your fire but not consumed. Help us this morning, in Jesus' name. God's people say, amen.
Let's look, first of all, at a message I've titled—hopefully I get this term right—"Living Lit." And we're going to turn aside to see, first of all. Let's look at this ordinary service with an extraordinary invitation.
Now, just thinking about this moment, it's such a critical moment in my mind in Scripture, where Moses, the Bible says he's 80 years old. The first 40 years of his life were lived in Egypt—living in the lap of luxury, with all the finest meals, all the privilege and power that the world has to offer. Finest schools, finest tables—the best that the world had to offer. Moses lived it for the first 40 years of his life.
One day, Moses has an encounter where he sees an Egyptian beating a Hebrew slave. And he connects himself—maybe for the first time—and says, "Wait a second, that's not right. Those are my people." And in that moment, anger, a rage, rises up in Moses. Moses goes out and kills the Egyptian who had been beating that Hebrew slave. And as a result, he ends up burying that abuser in the sand. He thinks he got away with it, but it comes out later—someone has observed him, someone has seen it. He is caught in the act.
Then the Bible says, at the age of 40, he runs away from his responsibilities. He runs away from the potential punishment that is upon his life, and he runs away from Egypt. He starts a new chapter in the life of Moses.
The first half of his life was a lap of luxury. The second half of his life, now he begins to live in a different way. He escapes to the backside of the desert, marries a wife, becomes a shepherd, and lives the second 40 years of his life in total obscurity. What a contrast from the first half of his life.
Second half of his life—nobody knows who he is, and nobody cares. The only people who care about him are just a small circle: his wife, a couple of kids, his father-in-law, and a group of sheep. He leads them around the wilderness.
And you know, I bet Moses was pretty comfortable in that life. He probably would say, if you talked to him at age 80, "Yeah, I lived a high life. I tried that one time. Yeah, I lived in Egypt—I know what it's like. But, man, I like the simple life. Let's keep it easy. Let's keep it simple. Let's keep men, though, taking care of the sheep—that's my jam. I'm going to do that. And I'm okay with that. I'm good with that. I'm happy."
Besides, any chance that he ever had at power or ability or fame or wealth—any chance he ever had—that's so far in the distance. I wasted that opportunity. I messed that one up.
I think about my own life. You probably don't know this, but there was a time in my life when I started going to college. Billy Paschal, you started. Yeah, it's true. I took a year and a half at the local community college in Gilbert, Arizona. You know what happened to that? I was on a scholarship. I had a presidential scholarship—full ride—to go to community college. You know what I did with that?
How did you know, Mr. David? Little blonde chica—and by the will of God, by the way—I got saved, and I started a different kind of life. Because of that, I squandered a perfectly good opportunity to take a full ride for four years at a community college. And I walked away from it, and I lost it.
And you know what? I think the same thing about Moses. Later for that—I don't want it anymore. Moses probably saw himself as a failure, a washed-up, no-good, backside-of-the-desert nobody. But isn't it true? God saw something very different.
He did not see someone who was wasted away. He did not see someone who was finished. He did not see someone who was washed up and used up. God looked at Moses and said, "That's my man." He has the perfect position. He has the perfect opportunity. And, by the way, he has the perfect name.
His name is Moshe in Hebrew—Moses—which means "to be pulled out of." He got his name when the daughter of Pharaoh pulled him out of the water and said, "Let's call him that." Moses—he was called out of the water. Do you know how symbolic and meaningful that was? Because God is going to use Moses to draw His people out of slavery and bondage.
God says, "That's my man." He's been named the thing he's going to do from the very first day. God saw destiny. God saw opportunity. Moses saw nothing but baggage—washed up, no good, wandering in the desert, doing what he's done for probably decades. Same old, same old—nothing special.
But when something extraordinary comes out of ordinary times—Moses, the Bible says these words: it says, "Moses was tending the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and he came to Horeb, the mountain of God. And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of the bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed."
Now, I just want to ask you to consider that. I've talked about this before, but please think about this for a moment. It was not uncommon for a bush to burn. This is a quick way for a shepherd or someone camping outdoors to get a quick burst of warmth or to cook a meal—you just set the bush on fire, and you get enough for a little meal, perhaps a little warmth. It was not uncommon for the bush to be on fire.
The thing that was uncommon is this: the bush was burning, but not consumed. Now, how is it possible that Moses could know that? It's possible only if he's walking down, he's got his shepherd's staff, he's walking, tending the sheep, and he glances over—there's a bush on fire. That's weird. Could have kept going.
The only way he could notice—*but*—I'm not watching it burn out. He had to stand there and watch it. He had to observe. He had to look. He had to notice. And the Bible says, then Moses said, verse 3, "I will now turn aside and see this great sight. Why does the bush not burn?" He says, "I got to figure this out. I got to get closer."
Now, notice this: God did not speak to him while Moses was walking with the sheep. God did not speak to him when he first noticed the fire. God only began to speak to him after Moses said, "Wait a second, what is happening here? I got to get a little bit closer. I got to check this thing out. I got to see why it's not just burning but continuing to burn."
And it's when Moses got curious and observant—and, shall we say, hungry to see something else—that God began to reveal Himself to Moses. I want to say the same thing is true in your life this morning.
You can do the routine. You can go to work, come home. Go to work, come home. Cook the meal, do the dishes, do the laundry, do all the things. And how many of you know—we are creatures of habit—something waiting for you. He has a calling. He has a revelation. He has a purpose. He has a person that you need to speak to. He has a job. He has a ministry. He's got something outside of the ordinary.
But often we miss those things because we walk by and think, "Unusual?" He looked and beheld—the bush was burning with fire. I want you to take a moment this morning to consider: is God trying to get your attention?
You know, when God speaks to us, there is a theological truth that the Bible reveals, and it's called the divine hiddenness of God. Isn't it interesting? If God wanted to, He could make Himself obvious to everybody, right? God could appear in human form. God could write His message in the clouds. God could take over every airwave like the aliens on Independence Day. And God could appear on every television screen and speak with clarity, audibly, to every person at the same time, saying, "I am God. You are not. Believe in me."
He could do that, right? And yet, isn't it interesting that God has decided to remain largely hidden, out of view of our normal experience in life? It was not until Moses turned aside to draw near that God revealed Himself.
This is what the Bible says about Jesus: Revelation 3, verse 20—"Behold, I stand at the door and knock." You know, Jesus, what that means is that Jesus does not kick down the door. He has chosen, in His divine wisdom, to remain hidden. Spoke in parables, remember? Jesus spoke in parables to His disciples and to everyone else. He says in Matthew 13, verse 13: "Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear." In other words, you're not going to get this if you just hear. You are going to get it if the poet is playing side effect in the dark—I should be. You are going to get it. The obvious message I'm trying to say: I speak in a parable because I want you to hear what I say, then think about it, then wonder about it, then ask a question about it. And I need you to be hungry. I need you to see that fire burning and say, "Wait, what's that about?"
You can do all the religious activities—attend church, read the Bible, say prayers—this week, this month? I believe God is calling us this morning. So, the burning bush was no miracle. It was a test. God is trying to find out whether Moses could pay attention to Him.
I wonder if He's putting any tests before you. Let's look secondly, then, at the holy ground. When God calls Moses by name. So, once Moses passes this first test and says, "What is this thing? I’ve got to dive a little deeper. I’ve got to search more closely," then the Bible says, verse 4:
"So when the Lord saw that He turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, 'Moses, Moses.'" And he said, "Here I am."
God spoke. The first word that God spoke to Moses in that moment was—He spoke His name. He called Him by His identifier. He did not say, "Child of Abraham," "Shepherd," calling Him by His occupation. The Bible says God knew His name and called Him personally.
Whenever you see in the Bible when God uses someone's name and doubles it up like that—"Moses, Moses"—it is a Hebrew way of expressing a desire to get a message across. God uses this all throughout the Bible. Jesus looked at the city of Jerusalem and said, "Oh, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how I wanted to gather you as a mother hen, but you would not." It's a personal and heartfelt calling.
I want to have—I don't want to just pour out some information into your brain, Moses. I don't want to just give you a debriefing of my plan. I want a personal relationship with you.
Isaiah 43, verse 1: "Fear not, I have called you by your name. You are mine." Isn't it wonderful to serve a God who knows us by name? You know, we live in a time where we have a government, right? And if you ever try to contact your government or have any dealings with the government, you know what they want from you? What's your number? You got a 10-digit number somewhere. We need to know that number because who cares about your name? We don't know you. We don't want to know you. We just need your number. Because to the government, to the world, we are nothing but just another human—just like Pink Floyd, just another brick in the wall.
But to God, each one of you has unique talents, abilities, perspectives, history. Each one of you has your own—something to offer that nobody else has. There's only one Moses, Moses. And I want to say that when we turn aside, when we have this decision to hunger, to thirst, to say, "Lord, what is it you want from me?" I believe God will cry out to you.
This is no mere calling of man. This is not just a mission. This is a call to a personal and very intimate relationship. God says, "Moses," and Moses responds, "Here I am." Then He says, "Stay away." It's so interesting—God says, "Moses, Moses," and then Moses says, "Here I am," and then God says, "Don't come any closer. Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground."
God says, "Moses, before we proceed, something in you needs to change. We need some adjustments to be made." Why? The removal of the sandals is a picture of the removal of carnal or fleshly desires. Leviticus 10, verse 3: "Those who come near to me must be regarded as holy." 2 Corinthians 6, verse 17: "Come out from among them and be separate." And so, we can never draw near to God without also pursuing righteousness.
Saying goodbye—we talked this morning in our Sunday school about the enemy that is in us, our flesh. How many of you have a flesh that you contend with? Your flesh speaks to you sometimes. You have arguments with your flesh. Your flesh says, "Stay in bed." Your flesh says, "It's okay to take care of number one." No. Well, nobody else is going to. Your flesh is aligned with the will of the world and the enemy of our souls. How many know that this morning?
And so, if we are going to step another step closer into the fire of God, we have to understand: you can't draw near to His presence, His power, His calling, and His purpose for your life without also taking very seriously the call to holiness. Take off your shoes, Moses. Before you get close—then He introduces Himself.
The Bible says, as Moses draws near, he obeys the Lord, takes off his sandals. And he says, in verse 6: "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob." And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God.
God introduced Himself. He said, "Hey, Moses, I’m not just a flame in a bush. I am the God who has created the universe." The same promise I gave to Abraham is the same promise I extend to you. This is a covenantal signature.
God had spoken to Abraham and said, "I will establish my covenant and everlasting covenant with you." See, God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. And if you are in Christ, the Bible says, if you are in Christ, then you are the seed of Abraham—Galatians 3:29.
So, God approaches us, and He causes us to enter into a destiny and a kingdom that is so much bigger than ourselves. Think about this: Moses is all by himself out there with some sheep. He approaches this flame, and God says, "He is entering into a whole new dimension."
Remember the story of Abraham, his son Isaac, his son Jacob, the people of Israel, Joseph, and all. And He says, "Now Moses, you are taking your place in my story that I am writing." When we get saved, we can never fully understand the depth of everything we enter into.
When you are born again, you can never fully realize that when you trust in Christ for salvation—to heal you from your sins and give you a new life—you have no clue the history you are entering into: 2000 years of revelation in the Christian church. You have no idea the future that awaits those who will endure to the end.
It's incredible to fathom that you are stepping into a new life, a new history, a new present, a new future. It's not just church membership. Hello? We're talking about a kingdom and the King above all kings, and the name above all names. And you are stepping into that.
Yeah, you're not just cracking open a Bible for the first time. You are entering into a promise of covenant, given thousands of years ago, fulfilled in the life of Christ, and lived out in your daily life.
I read a quote this week that said: if you are alive, you have something that all the kings and pharaohs of human history could never have—you have today. You have what? God’s commissions.
Moses, verse 10: "Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh, that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt." But Moses said to God, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh? And that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?" So He said, "I will certainly be with you." And this shall be a sign to you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.
Then Moses said, "Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is His name?' what shall I say to them?" Verse 14: "God said to Moses, 'I AM WHO I AM.' And He said, 'Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: I AM has sent me to you.'"
I want you to catch this before we close this morning. God gives Moses his commission. Now, remember the position of Moses—80 years old. He thought he was washed up. He thought he had nothing left in his future. But now God says, "You didn't think you had another chapter, but I’ve got another chapter for you." And the Bible goes on to say Moses lives a total of 120 years. But at 80, he couldn't see the next 40. All he could see was this moment—his failures, his past, his brokenness, his anonymity, his obscurity. All of his failures and inhibitions.
And yet, God calls us to go. God’s got an action plan for your life. The word go itself has the feeling of not being content where you are. I’m going somewhere. And I believe God has a destination for every person in this place.
God has a place for you to go—whether you've been saved five minutes or fifty years. God still has a go for you. God still has someone for you to reach. God still has miracles for you to perform. God still has ministries for you to fulfill. God still has holiness for you to pursue. God still has revelation in His Word that you haven't figured out yet.
Is that true? Or did you figure the whole thing out already? I’d love to talk to you about that, because I sure haven't.
The work that God is calling you to is beyond yourself. Jesus said, "Go and make disciples of all nations." God's presence is the foundation for His calling. He does not call us to comfort. He calls us to go.
Now, think about this: in His earthly ministry, Jesus called some to follow Him. Follow me. And for years, they followed Him. We see in the Gospels that the twelve apostles were with Him for three years. But Jesus didn't say that to everybody.
You remember the story? When Jesus commanded the demons to set a man free—He delivered that man, and the man, grateful, naturally said, "Jesus, please, I want to be with You." That was amazing. I’m a new man. I want to follow You. Because I have a mission for you there.
When you walk back into that city, and people see you in your right mind—no longer gnawing on your ears, fully clothed, not ranting naked through a cemetery—they will say, "What happened to that guy? Tell me what happened." And you will say, "I met a man. I met a man. I was tormented by a legion of demons, but with a word, He set me free." And that man went out and became an evangelist, spreading the good news in his city.
He was not with Jesus physically, but Jesus was with him spiritually. Can you say amen? When He sends us to go, He says, "I will always be with you." This is what God is saying to Moses: "Listen, Moses, you're going to go. You go in your weakness, in your self-doubt, in your inability. But when you get there, they will ask you, 'Who sent you?' You say, 'I AM sends you.'"
I love this—the I AM. The anchor of our identity is I AM. Jesus says, "I AM." Before Abraham was, I AM. John 8:58. Revelation 1:8—"I am the Alpha and the Omega." Jesus equates Himself with the God who revealed Himself to Moses at the burning bush.
And so, here’s where it comes into your life. Are you ready? I AM. When you say, "I'm not prepared," what does God say? When you say, "I'm not qualified," what does God say? The God who made you wants to live in you.
And so, you don't have to depend on your abilities, your qualifications, your preparation, your power—none of that. God says, I AM that I AM. And His will, His purpose for you—He’s been calling you to a more intimate relationship with Him.
But often we, like Moses, say, "Oh, Lord, I’m a, my lips, my mouth—I can’t talk. What are you talking about? How am I supposed to talk to Pharaoh?" I heard one lady online describing this: a man she was telling about the Spirit of God, how He lives in us, and how without the Spirit of God, we are all spiritually dead. And that man took offense. He said, "I'm spiritually—would you call me a spiritually dead person?" And she explained it this way, which I thought was very fitting: imagine a glove. A glove is made in the image of a hand. But without a hand in the glove, the glove is lifeless and dead—unable to do what it’s supposed to do. But as soon as you put a hand in the glove, the glove comes alive. It becomes an outward expression of the hand inside.
This is what it's like with the Spirit. Without the Spirit of God, without the life of God, yes, we're spiritually dead. We're on our way to destruction. But when the Spirit of God lives in us—when He is in you, not just visiting on Sunday—how many know? The life for God is not here on Sunday morning. It’s after you leave. Thank you. Go to your house, and you start to live for God there. You go to your job tomorrow morning, and you live for God there. The Spirit of God lives through you. You become His hands and His feet.
And just like God said to Moses, "I’ve got something unique, special, and purposeful for your life." God says, "You’ve got abilities." It’s not about your preferences. It’s not about your dreams. Just like Jesus, our position is—and not that—can describe your life. People look at you and say, "What is going on there? This person is supposed to be destroyed. This person is supposed to be depressed. If I went through what they’re going through, I’d be bummed out." But you're not. Hands up, tears streaming down your face, the presence of God all over you, the Word of God in your mouth—just like Miss Nisha right now—you can explain it supernaturally because the Spirit of God lives in her. She is living lit. She's on fire for God, even in her hospital bed today.
And whatever you're going through, you don't have to let the world infect your mind and heart. You can be on fire for Him—the Spirit of God.
On the day of Pentecost, I’m closing, the Bible says that a tongue of fire, flame, came and rested on each and every one of them. It didn't matter if it was the Apostle Peter, who had just three times denied the Lord—guess what? The flame rested on him. It didn't matter if it was a little child who knew nothing except that Jesus is Messiah—a flame came and rested on him. It didn't matter their background, how biblically literate they were, how experienced. The fire of God falls and rests on every single one of them. That’s the promise of Pentecost.
And I want to tell you, every person here—you don't have to be a pastor, you don't have to be an evangelist, you don't have to be a professional minister. But the Spirit of God wants to rest on you. He is here today. The bush is burning. Will you turn aside to see this thing? Will you become hungry and say, "I need more of this"? At this altar, I believe God—God wants to help us today.
Let's bow our heads for a few moments as we reflect and think about our own lives. Right now, as we're here in this place, our heads are bowed, eyes are closed—for just a moment. I believe someone here, God is moving powerfully on your heart in this moment. You've been hearing this message. Maybe even if you didn't understand everything, you understand this: you're in desperate need of a touch from God.
The Bible says we come into this world broken, lost. We get involved in things we shouldn't be involved with. We begin to do things we know we shouldn't do. We start walking away from that little conscience—Jiminy Cricket—that speaks to us. And we begin to walk away from what is right. The Bible calls that our sinful nature. Without Christ, without His Spirit, it's only natural that God's judgment will fall on the unsaved, on those who are broken and lost. It only makes sense. God is righteous, and He will not allow any sinful activity or people in His presence.
See, the kingdom of heaven is a holy kingdom. Nothing unholy will enter there. So if there is sin at work in your life—wickedness, perversion, lies, deceitfulness, greed, anger, rage—listen, God says, "I have no part with that." But here's the good news: you can be changed. You can be transformed in a moment. If you will confess your sins and trust Jesus, the Bible says plainly, you can be born again. Old things will pass away. Everything becomes new. And those who are in Christ no longer practice the deeds of the flesh. We crucify our flesh, and we begin to live clean.
Maybe you're here today and say, "Pastor, I really need that. I need a new life. I need a changed life." Before I leave this place, God wants to touch you. You see the potential of what God created you to be. Before we close this service, you need a touch from heaven.
You're here today, and you desperately need that. I want to ask you to do one thing: just lift up a hand quickly. Say, "Pastor, I'm not saved, not right with God, but I want to be." Thank you for that hand. Somebody else, God's speaking to you. I'm not asking how religious you are or how many church services you've been to. You need a transformed life. Is that you? Quickly, I want to see your hand. Thank you for that hand. Thank you. Thank you. God's speaking to you.
Oh, there's a fire from heaven who wants to fall upon us today, but it's not automatic. Will you reach out? Will you turn aside to see this thing? Will you take off the sandals and say, "Lord, come close into my life"? Is that you? Quickly, lift up a hand with these honest hearts. Quickly, quickly. Right now. God's dealing with you. Thank you. Thank you, brother. Someone else right now. God's dealing with you. Don't miss this opportunity. He's going to pour out His Spirit in this place.
Is there anyone else? Quickly, with an uplifted hand—pray for me, Pastor. I need the Spirit of God to animate this dead, lifeless life of mine. Amen.
If you lifted up your hand, just do one more thing: lift up your eyes and look at me quickly. Are you sincere this morning? You're sincere over here? Sincere? Thank God. Thank God. If you're sincere and if you're able, I’d like you to come and meet me here at this altar. We're going to pray together. Would you come right here? Right here. Come up front. God's going to help you. Don't be ashamed. God's going to speak to you. God’s going to help you. Thank you. Would you kneel down right here at this altar? God's going to move.
Keep an eye on our Facebook Page for Daily Devotionals based on this message over the next five days.
Written with Love by Pastor Adam Dragoon
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The House That God Builds: A Gospel Message Hidden in Solomon’s Temple
The story of Solomon building the temple in First Kings 5-8 is a powerful picture of how God works to build His house—both in the Old Testament and in our lives today. Just as every skyscraper in a city skyline has a unique story and required careful planning, resources, and teamwork, so too does the church of Jesus Christ. Each believer is a miracle, brought in by the new birth, and each local church is a testimony to God’s ongoing work and faithfulness.
Sermon Summary
The story of Solomon building the temple in 1 Kings 5-8 is a powerful picture of how God works to build His house—both in the Old Testament and in our lives today.
Just as every skyscraper in a city skyline has a unique story and required careful planning, resources, and teamwork, so too does the church of Jesus Christ. Each believer is a miracle, brought in by the new birth, and each local church is a testimony to God’s ongoing work and faithfulness.
The process begins with the Father’s blueprint. David, though he desired to build the temple, was not permitted by God because he was a man of war. Instead, he gathered all the necessary resources and entrusted them to his son Solomon. This reflects the heart of God the Father, who from eternity had a plan for redemption and the building of His spiritual house. The Son’s obedience is then seen in Solomon, who takes the resources and instructions from his father and faithfully implements the plan. This is a foreshadowing of Jesus, who perfectly fulfilled the Father’s will, culminating in the finished work of the cross.
But the story doesn’t stop there. Solomon appoints twelve governors to provide for the needs of the kingdom, just as Jesus appointed twelve apostles to feed His household with the Word of God. The building of the temple also required the help of King Hiram, a Gentile, who provided the timber that Israel lacked. This is a beautiful picture of how God’s plan was always to include the nations, breaking down barriers and making one new people in Christ.
The stones for the temple were shaped in the quarry, away from the building site, so that no sound of hammer or chisel was heard during construction. In the same way, God shapes each of us in the secret place—through prayer, worship, and personal surrender—so that we can be fitted together as living stones in His spiritual house. Yet, all the human effort and preparation is incomplete without the presence of God. When the temple was finished, the glory of the Lord filled the house, just as the Holy Spirit fills and empowers believers today.
Ultimately, the purpose of God’s house is not just for one nation or group, but for all peoples to know His name. Solomon’s prayer of dedication points forward to Jesus’ high priestly prayer, interceding for all who would believe. Our calling is to join in this mission, surrendering to God’s shaping, being filled with His Spirit, and praying for the nations to come to know Christ.
“When the temple was finished, the glory of the Lord filled the house, just as the Holy Spirit fills and empowers believers today.”
Watch/Listen
Message Study Guide
Youtube chapters
[00:00] - Welcome
[01:10] - Reflections from Chicago’s Skyline
[03:00] - The Miracle of the Church
[04:30] - The Father’s Blueprint: David’s Preparation
[07:15] - The Son’s Obedience: Solomon Builds
[11:24] - Twelve Governors and Apostolic Ministry
[14:55] - The Gentile King Hiram’s Role
[17:30] - Living Stones: Shaped in the Quarry
[20:45] - The Glory of God Fills the Temple
[23:35] - The Holy Spirit and the New Temple
[26:03] - Solomon’s Prayer for the Nations
[27:04] - Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer and Our Mission
[29:30] - Invitation to Salvation
[32:40] - Responding to God’s Call
[34:42] - Surrender and Prayer at the Altar
Key Takeaways
God’s work in building His house always begins with His initiative and plan. Before any public work is seen, there is private preparation—just as David gathered resources and made plans before Solomon began building. In our lives, God is always at work behind the scenes, preparing us for His purposes, even when we don’t see immediate results. [07:15]
The obedience of the Son is essential to the fulfillment of the Father’s plan. Solomon’s willingness to follow David’s instructions mirrors Jesus’ perfect submission to the Father, culminating in the finished work of the cross. Our salvation is not based on our own efforts, but on Christ’s complete obedience and sacrifice, which we receive by faith. [11:24]
God’s mission is always bigger than one person or group; it requires the participation of many. The appointment of twelve governors and the inclusion of King Hiram, a Gentile, show that God’s house is built through diverse contributions. The church is not about individual personalities, but about a body of believers, each bringing their unique gifts and backgrounds to serve God’s greater purpose. [14:55]
Spiritual formation happens in the “quarry”—the secret place of prayer and surrender—before we are set into God’s house. Just as the stones were shaped away from the temple site, God works on our character in private, chiseling away what doesn’t belong and preparing us to fit together with others. This process can be painful, but it is necessary for us to become vessels fit for His use and to experience true unity in the body of Christ. [23:35]
The ultimate goal of God’s house is to be filled with His presence and to be a place where all nations can encounter Him. The glory of God filling the temple points to the Holy Spirit filling believers, empowering us to fulfill God’s mission. Our calling is to pray, intercede, and reach out so that people from every background can come to know Christ and be united as one in Him. [27:04]
Bible Reading
1 Kings 5:1-5 NKJV - 1 Now Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants to Solomon, because he heard that they had anointed him king in place of his father, for Hiram had always loved David. 2 Then Solomon sent to Hiram, saying: 3 You know how my father David could not build a house for the name of the LORD his God because of the wars which were fought against him on every side, until the LORD put [his foes] under the soles of his feet. 4 But now the LORD my God has given me rest on every side; [there is] neither adversary nor evil occurrence. 5 And behold, I propose to build a house for the name of the LORD my God, as the LORD spoke to my father David, saying, "Your son, whom I will set on your throne in your place, he shall build the house for My name."
1 Kings 6:7 NKJV - 7 And the temple, when it was being built, was built with stone finished at the quarry, so that no hammer or chisel [or] any iron tool was heard in the temple while it was being built.
1 Kings 8:10-13, 41-43 NKJV - 10 And it came to pass, when the priests came out of the holy [place], that the cloud filled the house of the LORD, 11 so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD. 12 Then Solomon spoke: "The LORD said He would dwell in the dark cloud. 13 I have surely built You an exalted house, And a place for You to dwell in forever." ... 41 "Moreover, concerning a foreigner, who [is] not of Your people Israel, but has come from a far country for Your name's sake 42 "(for they will hear of Your great name and Your strong hand and Your outstretched arm), when he comes and prays toward this temple, 43 "hear in heaven Your dwelling place, and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to You, that all peoples of the earth may know Your name and fear You, as [do] Your people Israel, and that they may know that this temple which I have built is called by Your name.
1 Peter 2:4-5 NKJV - 4 Coming to Him [as to] a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God [and] precious, 5 you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 2:14-16 NKJV - 14 For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, 15 having abolished in His flesh the enmity, [that is], the law of commandments [contained] in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man [from] the two, [thus] making peace, 16 and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity.
Observation Questions
According to 1 Kings 5:1-5, what role did King David play in the building of the temple, and why was Solomon chosen to actually build it? See [07:15]
What was unique about how the stones for the temple were prepared and assembled, according to 1 Kings 6:7? See [20:45]
In the sermon, what was the significance of King Hiram, a Gentile, providing materials for the temple? See [14:55]
When the temple was finished, what happened that showed God’s approval and presence? (1 Kings 8:10-11) See [23:35]
Interpretation Questions
The sermon compares David’s preparation and Solomon’s obedience to the relationship between God the Father and Jesus the Son. What does this teach us about how God works in our lives and in the church? See [07:15]
Why do you think God chose to have the stones shaped in the quarry, away from the temple site? What does this say about how God shapes us as believers? See [20:45]
The inclusion of King Hiram, a Gentile, in the building of the temple is highlighted in the sermon. What does this reveal about God’s heart for the nations and for diversity in His church? See [14:55]
Solomon’s prayer in 1 Kings 8:41-43 looks forward to all nations coming to know God. How does this Old Testament vision connect to Jesus’ prayer in John 17 and the mission of the church today? See [27:04]
Application Questions
The sermon says that God is always working behind the scenes, preparing us for His purposes, even when we don’t see immediate results. Can you think of a time in your life when God was preparing you for something before you realized it? How did you respond? See [07:15]
Solomon obeyed the instructions and used the resources given by his father. In what areas of your life do you find it hard to trust and obey God’s plan, rather than your own? What would it look like to surrender those areas to Him this week? See [11:24]
The sermon points out that the church is not about one person, but about many people with different gifts working together. What unique gifts or experiences do you bring to the church? How can you use them to serve others? See [14:55]
God shapes us in the “quarry”—the secret place of prayer, worship, and surrender. What does your “secret place” with God look like right now? Is there something God is trying to chisel away in your character? How can you make more space for Him to work in you privately? See [20:45]
The ultimate goal is for God’s house to be filled with His presence and for all nations to encounter Him. How can you pray for and reach out to people from different backgrounds in your community? Is there someone specific God is putting on your heart? See [27:04]
The sermon challenges us to join Jesus in interceding for others, not just praying for our own needs. What is one way you can pray for the nations, your neighborhood, or someone who doesn’t know Christ this week? See [27:04]
The process of being shaped by God can be painful, but it’s necessary for unity and usefulness. Is there an area where you’ve been resisting God’s shaping? What would it look like to surrender that area to Him today? See [34:42]
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First Kings chapter five.
So many of y'all know that my family and I traveled to Iowa in the last week to take part in a funeral for my Aunt Julie. That's my mother's sister who passed away a couple of weeks ago.
And so we laid her to rest. Thank God she was saved. She is in glory today.
I want to thank all of you once again for your prayers and your support during this time.
On the way back, I had a long layover. My daughter and I were traveling back, and we had about six hours in between planes.
We've done enough sitting in airports, so we decided to take the orange line and we got on the L train and went down to downtown Chicago—the Loop, as they call it.
One of the things, if you've ever been to a large city like that, even here in Virginia Beach, they have a few, but there you are immediately struck by a skyline filled with amazing tall buildings.
In a large city like that—New York, Houston, Phoenix, even Washington D.C. to some degree—you see these incredibly huge skyscrapers.
And you think about what it would take—what kind of undertaking would have to happen—to get a building just a single building.
It's a massive, monumental project—metal and glass going up into the sky hundreds and hundreds of feet.
You think about what it would have to take—metal and metal and metal and metal and metal—and just one.
But then, considering all of those buildings on that skyline as we're riding on that train, it's quite overwhelming.
It's not only what you see; it's that every single building there has a story—that there was a massive undertaking, a plan which was implemented, materials which had to be secured and put together.
Each one of those buildings has its own incredible story of how it got there.
I want to tell you, that's exactly true of the church of Jesus Christ.
That's true of the church generally, the church universal, and it's also true of individual communities of believers like we have here at the Potter's House in Virginia Beach.
Each one has a unique story, a fingerprint—an incredible undertaking of God, miracles that have taken place to get us to where we are today.
How many know each and every one of you is a miracle?
If you are saved and part of this family, it means a miracle had to take place.
You know what it's called? The miracle of being born again.
That's how we even enter into this incredible club that has been around for 2000 years.
It starts with a miracle. It is continued through miracles, and every opportunity we have to shine a light on how miraculous it is, I think we should do it.
In the book of 1 Kings chapter 5, this message was inspired as we were reading our daily Bible reading plan.
A couple of things stood out: King David, who is securing provisions. His heart is to build a temple for the house of the Lord.
We are going to see that God did not allow David to build that temple but instead gave the job to his son Solomon.
And this story began to explode in my mind—I hope you will see what I saw as I was studying this story.
Let's read together.
We want to read first of all 1 Kings chapter 5. We're going to bounce around a little bit, but I want you to begin here in verse 4.
It says, "The Lord my God has given me rest on every side; there is neither adversary nor evil occurrence. And behold, I purpose to build a house for the name of the Lord my God, as the Lord spoke to my father David, saying, 'Your son whom I will set on your throne in your place, he shall build the house for My name.'"
Let's pray for a moment.
Lord, we come by the precious blood of Jesus.
We thank You for the Word of God, which gives enlightenment and revelation to our hearts.
I'm praying that You would speak to us today.
We need the anointing of Your Holy Spirit to show us Your gospel truth through these testament scriptures.
We give You all the glory in Jesus' mighty name.
God's people would say, Amen.
We see a story of how God builds His house.
And I want to look first of all at the father's blueprint.
Now, remember, it's King David who has—
You can read the stories of how he gains victory in many places.
He has victory over many enemies.
The Bible calls him a man after God's own heart.
There's a lot to learn from the life of David.
But as I began to think about this story, if we think about it through the lens of David as the father and Solomon as the son,
In our scripture here in 1 Kings chapter 5, David is at the end of his reign.
The wars have been fought, the land is now at peace.
His heart turns to something greater than just building a palace for himself.
Now he wants to build a house for the glory of God.
The Bible says that as he turns his heart toward this goal, because he is a man of blood, a man of battle, God would not allow David to build this house.
Rather, he begins to gather what is necessary—resources: gold, silver, bronze, timber, stones—and he begins setting aside all the materials needed.
And he is not going to build the house himself.
He is going to give all of that material to his son Solomon.
And as I was thinking about that, my goodness—
Isn't it true that this is the role of the father?
I began to see that between David and Solomon, there was a relationship here that reflects the heart of the Father, God, and His Son, Jesus Christ.
How many know this morning that God the Father is the preparer?
It is His plan from the beginning of time that Jesus steps into David's preparation.
Then, it is a picture of the Father's role in our salvation.
From before the world—
Before the world, God had a plan.
Redemption was not an afterthought.
From the moment of creation, the Bible says Jesus was slain from the foundations of the world.
Acts 15:18 says, "Known to God from eternity are all His works."
And God the Father, from the beginning of time, had a plan in His mind—to do what?
To build His house.
To build His house.
God is the one who initiates.
There is private preparation before public building.
Secondly, we see the son's obedience.
As David, the king, gathers all this wealth and resources, he puts it into the hands of his son, King Solomon.
Now Solomon has a decision to make:
Is he going to do the will of the Father, or is he going to do his own thing?
We know these are imperfect pictures.
We know these are men reflecting characteristics of God, but imperfectly.
Both David and Solomon had shortcomings and sins.
However, we also see a picture of the relationship between Father and Son with David's materials and instructions.
It falls to Solomon to begin the work.
He is the one to implement the plan of the Father.
Every beam of wood, every stone of granite, every ornament follows the design.
In 1 Kings 6:38, it says, "In the 11th year, in the month of Bull, which is the eighth month, the house was finished in all its details and according to all its plans. It took seven years to build."
And as I thought about Solomon taking all of the resources from his father and putting them to work to build a house for the Lord—
Oh, isn't it true that Jesus is the perfect?
He is the sacrificial substitute.
He is the implementer of the Father's plan.
He takes all the wealth and resources from God the Father and puts them to work in building a house for God.
Jesus took the Father's plan and performed it to perfection.
On the cross, John 19:30, Jesus cries out His final exclamation before tasting death:
"It is finished."
In Greek, "Tetelestai"—one word that means, "It is accomplished."
The debt has been paid, the race fought and won, and we benefit.
But it’s Jesus who paid the price.
It is finished.
The work is complete.
That means—
That’s good news for you, because there’s nothing left to do.
This work of salvation has been completed at the cross.
All that remains for us is to receive by faith.
According to the plan, Jesus was about His Father’s business.
He told His disciples, "I did not come to do what I wanted, but to do the will of Him who sent me."
And do you see the perfect reflection from the life of Solomon to the life of Jesus?
We serve a God who makes a plan, and the Son of God who follows and executes that plan.
Now, what's interesting about this story is that it goes even deeper.
As I read these chapters, I felt like one of those conspiracy theory people, connecting dots with yarn strings.
I was like, "Whoa."
So, let’s go to the next step.
In chapter 4, verse 7, the Bible says Solomon had 12 governors over Israel, each providing food for the king and his household, one for each month of the year.
Isn’t that interesting?
That Solomon, as the son of King David, has 12 governors to supply for the king’s household.
It’s interesting—Solomon doesn’t run it all on his own.
He appoints these governors.
And guess how many?
Twelve.
Any bells ringing yet?
As Jesus, the Son of God, implements the will of God, He also chooses 12 disciples—12 apostles.
In Matthew 28:19, Jesus gives instructions:
"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things I have commanded you."
And He adds, "Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."
This appointment of 12 governors foreshadows the apostles sent out by Jesus to feed His household—not with bread, but with the Word of God.
In Acts 1:8, Jesus says, "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
What do we learn from this?
That ministry is never a solo effort.
No church is about one person or personality.
Every church, and the church as a whole, is a body—each with different strengths, able to accomplish more together than separately.
The picture gets bigger in chapter 5.
Look at this:
In 1 Kings 5:7, it says that King Hiram of Tyre—another king—heard about Solomon and rejoiced greatly.
He said, "Blessed be the Lord this day, for He has given David a wise son over this great people."
Hiram gave Solomon cedar and cypress logs according to all his desire.
Who is Hiram?
The Bible says he is a king of a Gentile nation—Tyre, not your car.
A Gentile nation separated from the promises of God.
But when King Hiram sees what God is doing through Solomon—building the temple for the King of kings and Lord of lords—he rejoices.
He says, "I will provide the timber, the lumber needed to build this house."
They will harvest it, transport it, cut it, prepare it.
They will help build the temple.
Israel did not have those materials, but King Hiram, a Gentile king, provided through an ally.
Isn’t this an amazing picture of what God does in His church?
In the book of Acts, the promises of God extend beyond Israel.
Jesus came first for His people—the Jews.
Many rejected Him.
And so, the apostles turned to the Gentile nations.
Ephesians 2:14-16 says, "He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace."
This morning, that means the promises of God, foretold in the Old Testament but not fully seen until the book of Acts, are now being received by the Gentile world.
In Acts, some Jews called Judaizers believed that Gentiles had to become Jews first—circumcision, law-keeping—to follow Jesus.
A council in Jerusalem discussed this, prayed, and looked at the Scriptures.
They concluded:
"God has blessed the Gentiles. We see in them the same Spirit—laying hands on the sick, speaking in tongues, lives changed. If God sees fit to send His Spirit, who are we to stand in His way?"
From that time, the Gentile nations received the good news.
The same message that came to you is going out to all the world, changing lives everywhere.
Today, we might not face the same battles—Jews demanding Gentiles practice Jewish customs—but there's a reflection.
Churches can become clicky, exclusive.
People can be territorial—"I like my seat," or "I don’t like how they live or talk."
God forbid, if God saves people and brings them in, we are all the same at the foot of the cross.
There is no longer Jew nor Greek, male nor female, slave nor free—Paul says, "We are all one in Christ."
And thank God, even in Solomon’s time, there was a role for a Gentile king—Hiram—to provide materials for the house.
That was one thing David could not provide—the Gentile king.
Now, look at this:
In 1 Kings 6:7, it says that the temple was built with stones finished at the quarry, so that no hammer or chisel was heard in the temple while it was being built.
Get the picture:
Not only timber was needed to hold up the roof, but the walls were made of stone.
If you go today to Jerusalem, you can still see the foundation stones Solomon laid.
They are made of granite.
What’s interesting about granite?
It’s not found in Jerusalem.
It was imported from a long distance away.
And what is explained here is that they didn’t want the sound of hammers and chisels in the temple site.
So, they fashioned every stone at the quarry according to the plan.
They cut stones in the mountains, then transported and placed them precisely.
They would send instructions:
"Tell the builders to make one exactly three by two cubits."
And they would craft it accordingly, then bring it into Jerusalem and set it in place.
The Bible says about us:
We are "living stones"—1 Peter 2:5.
"Ye also, as living stones, are built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ."
What I see in this truth this morning is that every one of us has a secret place—a relationship with God.
If you don’t have one, you can have one before you leave today.
In your secret place, God shapes your character—resisting temptation, yielding to the Holy Spirit.
He’s got a hammer and a chisel, shaping you, removing what shouldn’t be there.
He’s guiding, knocking off rough edges, investing in you—like Jeremiah’s potter with clay—making a vessel fit for the Master’s use.
That miracle happens in your secret place.
God brings us together, fits us, forms us into a house where He will dwell.
Worship is the process by which God shapes us into the likeness of His Son and sets us into His purpose.
Are you in the quarry right now?
God’s knocking off rough edges, pointing out what doesn’t belong, shaping you to be more like Him.
The purpose? So that we can come together as a house where the Lord dwells.
Let’s look then at 1 Kings 8:10.
The Bible says that as the temple was being constructed—the timber, the stones—those were what man could do.
But then, something happened that man cannot do.
In verse 10, it says, "It came to pass, when the priests came out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the Lord, so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled that house."
After the temple was completed, the priests brought in the Ark of the Covenant, representing God's presence and power.
As they came out, a cloud appeared—so thick that people couldn’t see.
That cloud was the presence of God's holiness—the glory of God.
It’s the same cloud that covered Mount Sinai when Moses received the Ten Commandments.
It was so overwhelming, they had to leave.
They couldn’t continue.
Isn’t it beautiful that the Lord fills the temple made by human hands?
We see it in the book of Acts, don’t we?
After Jesus’ death and resurrection, He dwells on earth for 40 days, then tells His disciples to wait in Jerusalem.
In Acts 2, on the day of Pentecost, they are all together, in one place, and they are filled with the Holy Spirit.
They begin to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gives them utterance.
That building—God’s spiritual house—continues today in your life and mine.
How many know that God no longer dwells in a house made with human hands?
Your life is now the temple of the living God.
Wherever you go, you carry His presence.
The Spirit empowers us to do what we could never do in our own strength.
1 Corinthians 3:16 says, "Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?"
The baptism of the Holy Spirit is not optional; it’s essential for fulfilling the church’s mission.
It’s possible to have a beautiful church building but be void of God's Spirit.
It’s possible to look good on Sunday but be full of dead men's bones inside.
It’s possible to be religious but not have a real relationship with God.
God wants to fill what He’s doing in your life.
My last connection in this story comes from 1 Kings 8:41.
As all this takes place—the Father providing, the Son obeying, the Gentile nations supplying, the temple being built—there’s a prayer, a dedication.
King Solomon, seeing what God has done, fills the temple and begins to pray.
Look at his prayer in 1 Kings 8:41:
"Moreover, concerning a foreigner who is not of Your people Israel, but has come from a far country for Your name’s sake—when he comes and prays toward this temple, hear in heaven, Your dwelling place, and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to You."
Solomon is dedicating the temple.
The purpose of that temple was to be a place where all nations could come—find peace, healing, salvation.
It was very imperfect, though—a place of sacrifices, a marketplace by the time Jesus came.
That’s why Jesus started flipping over the tables.
He said, "This is supposed to be a house of prayer, but you’ve made it a house of merchandise."
The real reason for the temple was so that the whole earth might know the name of Yahweh.
And I see in that prayer a reflection of Jesus’ high priestly prayer in John 17.
He’s at the Last Supper, giving His final teaching.
He prays in John 17:20:
"I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word—that they all may be one."
Are you included in that prayer?
Have you heard the word through the apostles?
Yes.
Have you read it in the New Testament?
Yes.
Have you heard it through the church’s teaching?
Yes.
Because we have received His word, Jesus is praying for you and me.
And His prayer?
That we all may be one—regardless of background, race, or nationality.
That we can come together as one in Christ.
Isn’t it beautiful that Solomon prays that this house would be a place where the whole world could know Jesus?
And Jesus Himself prays for the temple—meaning you and me—that we would be a house where His name is known.
Our job now is to go out, proclaim this good news, and bring those who do not know Him into the knowledge of Christ.
Hebrews 7:25 says, "He is able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, because He always lives to make intercession for them."
Remember, Solomon is a Christ figure in this allegory.
As Solomon intercedes for the nations to the Father, so Jesus lives to intercede for us.
His primary mission?
His primary ministry?
Right now, in 2025?
He’s interceding for His church.
He’s interceding on our behalf to the Father.
God’s heart is not tribal; it’s global.
We are not here to exalt a man, a mission, a fellowship, or a nation.
We are here to exalt the name of Jesus.
And Jesus said, "If I am lifted up, I will draw all men to Myself."
So, we lift up Jesus.
How do we become like Jesus?
By doing what He does.
If His primary ministry is prayer and intercession,
then we should follow His example.
Let’s not just pray for our needs, but pray for the nations—
for the unreached, for our neighborhoods, for our families, for the unity of the church, for fruitfulness and effectiveness in the time God has given us.
As we do, we recognize the Father’s plan, the Son’s obedience, the Spirit’s empowerment, the unification of Jew and Gentile, and yes, you are part of this great mission.
What a beautiful story that points us to the mission God has set before us.
Let’s bow our heads and close our eyes for a few moments.
I pray not only that we see interesting connections between Old and New Testament truths, but that we apply them to our lives.
As our heads are bowed and our eyes are closed, I want to ask:
Have you become part of this great mission?
The mission initiated by God, implemented by the Son, empowered by the Spirit?
It’s possible to know all these things intellectually, to be impressed, to have revelation, and still not know the Savior.
Are you one of those living stones?
Is God forming and fashioning you for His use?
Are you saved?
Are you set free?
Are you born again?
Has your life been changed by the power of God?
If not, you can receive that today before you leave this place.
If you’re not right with God, we want to give you an opportunity to trust in the only One who can save you.
I can’t save you.
The church can’t save you.
But Jesus, the risen Son of God, has all authority to rescue and redeem you from your sins.
We’ve all fallen short of God's glory.
And honestly, what we deserve is condemnation.
But thank God for His grace and mercy at the cross.
If you will turn from sin and trust Jesus today, you can be transformed in a moment.
Pastor, that’s me.
That’s what I need.
I need a relationship with the living God through Jesus Christ.
Is that you?
Quickly, can I see your hand?
Lift it up.
Thank you for that hand.
Someone else?
God’s dealing with you.
God’s speaking to you.
An honest heart this morning.
God, touch your life.
I see that hand.
Someone else?
God is speaking to you.
He’s drawing you by His love and grace.
Don’t miss this opportunity today—to receive salvation by faith, by grace.
Is that you?
Quickly, with honest hearts, lift your hand and say,
"Pastor, pray for me. I need salvation. I need healing. I need forgiveness."
Anyone else?
Quickly, one last call.
Thank God.
If you lifted your hand, would you do one more thing for me?
Just lift up your eyes.
Lift up your eyes.
Are you sincere?
Are you sincere this morning?
Amen.
I want to pray with you.
Would you come?
We’re going to have someone meet with you and pray with you here today.
God’s going to help you.
Thank you for your honor.
God’s going to help you, sister.
Good to see you.
Hallelujah.
Amen.
You can come.
Sister, you want to come and pray for these?
Thank you.
Amen.
Pray for you to lift up in Jesus’ name.
Hallelujah.
As these are coming to this altar, we’re going to pray together.
Can we stand together in this place?
We’re going to believe God to help us.
What a master plan that God has for us.
We are called now to be part of this grand plan of God—a plan to reach the nations.
And maybe this morning, you are in a season where God is shaping and forming you for the master’s use.
I want to open this altar for those who want to surrender their lives to the process of shaping and molding—saying, "Lord, I’ve been resistant. I’ve been quenching the Spirit, and I know You have more for me."
You want to come and surrender.
Maybe this morning, you want to be filled with the Spirit, because we can do nothing in our own strength.
If we’re going to do all that God has called us to, we need the Holy Spirit to fill the temple.
This morning, I want to pray with you.
Let’s open up this altar for prayer.
God’s dealing with you—would you come?
Would you come and join us here as we pray?
Lord, use my life.
Join me in Your purpose, Your plan, Your will for my life.
We’re going to pray together as we sing a song of worship.
God’s speaking to you—would you come and join these at the altar?
We’re going to cry out to God for a moment.
Hallelujah.
Still in the audience, you can be seated as we pray, but let’s believe God for a few moments to help us today.
Keep an eye on our Facebook Page for Daily Devotionals based on this message over the next five days.
Written with Love by Pastor Adam Dragoon
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