Upside-Down Savior - Pastor Nathan Nass

There was a man whose faith amazed Jesus. Do you know who it was? A Roman centurion. He said to Jesus, “ I do not deserve to have you come under my roof, but just say the word and my servant will be healed ” (Matthew 8:8). Faith recognizes its unworthiness. Jesus shouldn’t set foot in our houses. We don’t deserve it. This is why we start every service by confessing our sins. Yet, faith trusts in J...

I hope you understand this about life: It’s often when we run out that Christ begins. We don’t always feel God’s presence. But he’s here! It’s often when we feel like we have nothing left that Christ begins to make his presence felt. Because that’s when grace kicks in. What’s grace? God’s undeserved love. Before Jesus did his first miracle, he let it become an emergency. He let all other solutions...

Where do you find Jesus? He once said, “ Didn’t you know that I had to be in my Father’s house? ” (Luke 2:49). Finding Jesus isn’t complicated. You find Jesus wherever you find the Word of God. Jesus is never lost. Jesus is never far away from any of us. He’s always as close as those Bible passages you have memorized. Jesus is always as close as the Bible app on your phone or that Christian friend...

Jesus is the Savior of the nations. Do you realize what good news that is? If Jesus is the Savior of Jewish people in the year 0, how many of us are included in that? Zero. But if Jesus is the Savior of all nations on earth from every time and every place, how many of us are included in that? All of us! If Jesus’ birth was for blue collar Jewish shepherds and scholarly Gentile wise men, how many o...

Jesus loves you with eternal love. Want proof? Think of how many opportunities Jesus has had to stop loving you and me. Over the history of the world, over the history of your own life, Jesus has had a million opportunities to change his mind about his love for us. Yet, he still came. He was still born for us in Bethlehem. He still died on the cross for us and our sins. Jesus had a million reasons...

I don’t know what your darkness is today. But I know it’s there. I don’t want you to leave this Christmas without knowing this: You have a Light. You have a Savior. Jesus was born for you. For you! Jesus died for you. For you! Jesus rose for you. For you! Whatever darkness is in your life, Jesus doesn’t shy away. He enters your darkness. He crawls deep into every hole that you’ve dug. To save you....

Take your family to Bethlehem this Christmas. By that, I mean take your family to Jesus. Often. There you will find something even Amazon doesn’t offer: Peace. Forgiveness. Joy. For you! Do you at your house read the Christmas story together around the Christmas tree? I hope you do. Do you sing Christmas carols at your house, with candles lit? I hope you do. Before you open gifts, do you say, “The...

What’s on your bucket list? I bet there are things you’d like to do before you die. Maybe it’s to take a trip or see your grandchildren get married or buy your dream house… There was a man in the Bible who has a bucket list. Do you know what Simeon’s bucket list was? One thing: See the Messiah. See Jesus. When he saw Jesus, Simeon sang, “Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant...

Life doesn’t work out the way we expect. What we believe about Jesus often doesn’t seem to match with what we see in our lives. Even John the Baptist had moments of doubt. Jesus gently responded, “John, don’t let life fool you. Look at what I’ve done for you. Look at the good news I say to you. Trust in me!” This Christmas, don’t let life fool you. When it seems like there’s no reason for joy, don...

God is faithful. To every promise. To every Word. Even when we’re faithless, God is faithful. That’s hard for us to believe. It’s easy for us to doubt. So sometimes the best thing for us is to stop talking. To be silent. To listen. Because hope comes through the Word. Just ask Zechariah. When he doubted God’s promise, God took away his ability to speak for nine months. Zechariah learned to listen...

All around us, we see signs that Judgment Day is coming. So do you know what Jesus says? “ Lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near ” (Luke 21:28). If you long to never sin again, long for Judgment Day. If you long for the conflict in your life to be gone for good, long for Judgment Day. If you long for the end of sickness and disease, long for Judgment Day. If you long to actua...

“I can’t, but God can!” That’s what Mary learned. The angel Gabriel announced to her that even though she was a virgin, she would give birth to God’s Son. Sound impossible? Yes! But not for God. Mary learned, “I can’t, but God can!” That led Mary to sing a joyful song of praise to God—the Magnificat. “I can’t, but God can!” I hope you realize that’s true for you too. “I can’t see how anyone could...

Your King comes. That’s the message of Advent. Your King comes! Not because we fooled him into coming. Jesus doesn’t come and say, “Oh, I thought you’d be different.” No! Jesus knows us just as we are. Yet, in grace, he still comes. He comes to forgive our sins. He comes to fill our needs. He comes to hear our prayers and dry our tears and calm our hearts. He comes to give us joy and hope and purp...

“ That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses ” (2 Corinthians 12:1-10). The Bible gives us a totally different perspective on Thanksgiving. If today you look at your life and all you see is weakness, Jesus must really love you. Do you realize that? God’s grace is seen most clearly in our weaknesses. Faith in Jesus says, “Thank you, Jesus, for this pain that every day leads me back to...

“ This is my body, which is for you ” (1 Corinthians 11:24). Those are some of the simplest words in the Bible. Sadly, those are also some of the most controversial words in the Bible. Is the Lord’s Supper really the body and blood of Christ? Yes, it is! On the night before he died, Jesus gave his disciples his last will and testament. What did Jesus leave behind for us? Himself! His body and bloo...

Contrary to what you’ve heard, Jesus judges. Judgment Day is a real thing. One day, the world will end, and all people will be judged. Who will do the judging? Jesus. That’s a good thing! Your eternal life doesn’t depend on how other people feel about you today. It depends on Jesus. Your future is in the hands that were once pierced with nails for you. You aren’t going to be judged by your physica...

Do you know what God says about his people—those who believe in Jesus as their Savior? “ The world was not worthy of them ” (Hebrews 11:38). Wow! Aren’t those powerful words? As faithful believers face mistreatment and suffering, they are tempted to think they are worthless or unworthy. The opposite is true. “ The world was not worthy of them. ” When the world rejects Christians and their faith in...

It’s easy to feel like the end is coming for God’s church. There seem to be so many things stacked up against Christianity: The devil. Anti-Christian government. False teachers. Militant Islam. The apathy in our own sinful hearts. We see them all. Christianity is about to die, right? That’s impossible! True Christianity will never end. Because Jesus Christ has promised that his eternal gospel will...

A man asked Jesus a great question: “ Of all the commandments, which is the most important? ” (Mark 12:28). Jesus said, “ The most important one is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandmen...

God’s Word has a lot to say about abortion. “ You created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb ” (Psalm 139:13). When it comes to human life, God has the right to choose. Not you. Not me. God is the Creator of every human life from the moment of conception, and God has the right to choose. Here’s what’s amazing: God choose you! He chose to give you life. That means that your l...

Jesus looks at life upside-down. In God’s kingdom, things work differently. Jesus didn’t come to rule and be served. He came to serve and to give his life for us. Jesus made himself the very last, the servant of all, so that from the bottom he could lift up and save and forgive us all. That’s why you don’t have to fight to get to the top. Jesus puts you there. You are his child by grace! Then Jesu...

The Bible tells us the truth about death. There are only two options for eternity. Here’s the first: “ All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and the day that is coming will set them on fire ” (Malachi 4:1). How does that sound? Awful! That’s why we need Jesus and his salvation. Through faith in Jesus, here’s the second option: “ For you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness w...

There is nothing better than having your name written in God’s book of life in heaven. Whatever you daydream about, heaven is better. Do you believe that? Jesus wants you too! Winning a championship would be cool, but it’s nothing compared to having your name written in heaven. Having a dream retirement would be cool, but it’s nothing compared to having your name written in heaven. The greatest jo...

“ There is a time for everything ” (Ecclesiastes 3:1), yet no matter how much you are able to enjoy and experience on earth, you will always be left wanting more. Death always leaves us with unfilled plans and unmet dreams. Have you noticed that? Why? Wise Solomon long ago explained: “ God has set eternity in the human heart ” (Ecclesiastes 3:11). How long do human hearts want to live? For eternit...

There is a battle going on, but it’s not a battle for the soul of this nation. The nation doesn’t have a soul. Know who has souls? People do! The battle that matters is for people’s souls. They don’t need a certain president. They need the one and only Savior—Jesus Christ. So put on the full armor of God. See how God’s righteousness and salvation protect your heart and your mind. Then go and fight...