A Sure Hope

Have you ever been in line to buy coffee or food only to discover that the person in front of you paid for it? The gift was free to you, but the person who paid for it covered the full price. Today, Pastor Dave wants you to know that when Jesus offers you His gift of grace, it is free for you, but for Him, it was everything.

Do you remember getting separated from your parents in a store as a child? Initially, having freedom was fun, but you soon felt scared. Meanwhile, your parents were doing everything to find you. Today, Pastor Dave teaches that Jesus gave up everything to find His lost sheep because that’s what a good Shepherd does!

If you're a parent, you know that your kids won't always behave. As a good parent, you must teach them that their actions have consequences, just as God does with all of His children. Today, Pastor Dave encourages you to allow God to guide you back on track so that your life can consistently follow His path.

I think it’s safe to say that everyone needs a little guidance in this life. Many don’t know how to navigate through the storm, and that’s where Jesus comes in. In today’s message, Pastor Dave wants you to know that you can have an abundant life with Christ; all you need to do is let Him guide you to it!

God wants you to be spiritually alive! That means you can see Him moving, and you know His will and follow it. Today, Pastor Dave is going to encourage you to keep your spiritual eyes open. Having faith just based on works without a relationship is spiritual blindness. God wants you to be alive, blessed, and at peace.

If you don't see God moving in your life, you must let The Holy Spirit guide you. Jesus warned against teachers who were spiritually blind, and you need to ensure that you're not the same way. Pastor Dave's going to point out today that you have to have faith God will move, and be obedient to His voice when He does.

Jesus becomes more and more personal to you as you grow closer to Him. That's what a healthy Christian life looks like: a continually growing relationship with Jesus. In today's message, you'll be reminded by Pastor Dave to set aside time every day to spend with God in prayer and reading His Word.

Christianity isn't just about the final destination. It doesn't end with salvation and having hope for eternity. As you'll hear today with Pastor David, it's a journey. It's a continual process of growing in The Lord each day. It's spending time with Jesus daily and allowing God to change you from the inside out.

All of us are born spiritually blind. When Jesus comes passing nearby, as He did for the blind man in today’s passage, how will you respond? Will you call out to Him for help? As Pastor Dave points out in today’s message, the process of healing can be uncomfortable, but it’s the only way to bring life to our broken hearts.

God’s Law was never meant to be manipulated to serve human agendas. But that’s exactly what we see the Pharisees doing in today’s message. As Pastor Dave will remind us in today’s message, God gave the law to show our need for Him – for our benefit and His glory – not to prop up our own authority or pride.

For those of us with healthy vision, we tend to take it for granted. The world is clear and full of color. But, spiritually, all of us are born blind. Our vision is clouded by selfishness that goes against God’s design. As Pastor Dave will point out in today’s message, when Jesus saves us, He brings restoration to that vision.

Today’s passage details a unique encounter between Jesus and a man born blind. It’s a strange story, but at its heart, it reveals the compassion of Jesus. As Pastor Dave encourages us, Jesus looks at each of us with this same compassion. His methods will differ, but He brings spiritual healing to each one of us.

Jesus doesn't care about your background or what you've done. He can still restore you and move in you. And if you were born into hardship, it doesn't mean it's because you did or will do something to deserve it. Pastor Dave's going to remind you today that Jesus can reach you where you are and bring you comfort.

Jesus looked at the blind man at the well with compassion when everyone else who saw him there ignored him. It's how Jesus looked at everyone. Today, Pastor Dave's going to remind you not to fall into the habit of simply ignoring someone - because it might make you uncomfortable or inconvenience you.

Jesus has been around since the beginning of time. He's God, and God's Son in One. Today, Pastor Dave's going to show you how the Pharisees took it as blasphemy when Jesus said that He had existed since before Abraham. They missed the truth because they were blinded by their lack of a personal relationship with Jesus.

The truth of God's Word sets you free. You're made new from the bondage of sin. Jesus lived a life as a perfect example of what a child of God should look like, and it was far different than the religious leaders who claimed to follow God's Word. Today, Pastor Dave's going to encourage you to focus on the relationship part or your religion.

Everyone has a choice they have to make on their own on whether or not to accept Jesus as their Savior. Today, Pastor Dave's going to show you how your life should look when you make that choice. You should resemble Jesus, and be about the work of The Father. It should be clear to others that you serve God.

There's nothing to root your faith in if you don't believe the words of Jesus, and what He did on the cross for you. Today, Pastor Dave will encourage you to grow in your relationship with Jesus, and not just your knowledge of His life. That's where you'll truly find peace, but it takes believing in Him.

Just going to church or claiming that you're a Christian in the workplace doesn't make your relationship with Jesus authentic. As you'll get to hear today with Pastor Dave, Jesus wants authenticity. Jesus wants you to serve Him out of your love for Him. Something is missing in your faith if you just serve Him out of duty.

Do your actions prove to others that you're following Jesus? If you believe what He says in God's Word, they should. Today, Pastor Dave will warn you about the unbelief that Jesus saw in the Pharisees of His time. Their hearts weren't in their faith. Jesus wants a relationship, and He wants you to believe what He says.

In Pilgrim’s Progress, the character, Christian, is carrying around a burden on his back. It’s heavy, and weighs him down. This burden is signifying sin and the weight that we each carry, when we’re trying to do things our way. But Pastor Dave wants you to realize today that Jesus can take that burden and cast it away.

That alarm is beeping on your bedstand. Slowly, you edge out of the warm blankets and try to motivate yourself to get dressed, eat something, maybe work out. But all during that time, Jesus is saying, “Spend some time with me.” In today’s message, Pastor Dave encourages you to prioritize God’s Word in your day.

Imagine if you were a slave and you were offered freedom. It would be the best news you’ve ever heard. But what a missed opportunity, if you discarded that information from your master and kept going on with life, continuing in your bondage. Today, Pastor Dave expresses the heart of people who disregard God’s invitation.

One of the age-old questions of skeptics is this, “How can a loving God allow evil in the world?” Pastor Dave makes sure you’re clear today on God’s care for the world, and the events going on. He’s not rejoicing in the iniquity that unfolds. He sent His Son to cover the sins of everyone. He came to restore humanity.

You might relate to what it’s like to have a stubborn and resistant child, who’s obstinately being defiant to what it is you’d like them to do. Pastor Dave makes it clear today that this is how it is - when Jesus is offering His salvation to people, but they’re resistant to what He’s generously giving, and missing out on the blessing.