The Holy Inhale

I want to invite you to open your Bibles with me to the book of Genesis and find with me chapter 1. Later on, we will finish out our time together in James 1. There are moments that slow you down and God speaks. Now, before I tell you about one of those moments in my own life, let me ask you something. Have you ever noticed that we all hear voices? Not audible ones—I'm talking about the constant stream of thoughts, worries, and demands that never seem to stop. Some people say these voices don't mean anything—they're just brain chemistry and random thoughts. Others say we should listen to whatever feels right to us. But what if there's actually a way to tell the difference between voices that help us and voices that hurt us? What if some voices are worth listening to and others aren’t? It was about five in the morning. For some reason, I couldn't sleep. And in His kindness, God moved me out of bed and led me outside. It was mostly dark, but I managed to find my clothes, got dressed, grabbed my briefcase, and slipped quietly out of the room without waking Alicia. No one else was awake—just me and Remi. So I stepped outside and went to my little spot by the pond and the willow tree. For those of you who have heard my heart, the tree reminds me of where the disciples slept while Jesus went a bit further to pray. But as I sat there in the cool morning air, waiting for the sun to come up, I struggled to pray. The issue was, there are a lot of voices in my life, fighting for my attention. The voice of anxiety telling me all the things that could go wrong. The voice of ambition pushing me to achieve more, do more, be more. There's also this voice of comparison whispering that I'm behind, that others are doing better, that I'm not measuring up. And then there's the voice of hurry—always hurry—telling me there's no time to sit still, no time to listen, no time to wait on God. Go... and go... and do and do... and accomplish. The more things I get done today, the more worth I am to God, the church, my family and friends. And I think to myself... this has got to be all wrong. Why do I give so much time to these voices? It's like my heart wants to be satisfied, but I can't find anything to quiet the constant noise in my mind and heart. And here's the thing—it's only 5:30 in the morning. The voices never sleep. They seem to wait for me to wake up, just so they can start all over again. Here's what I realized about these voices: they all have one job, one goal and one aim. To get me to react. To respond. To listen and believe them, and to convince me that everything this world offers is what will finally make me happy. They want me to put action and power behind what they say. Think about what God says in Isaiah 30:15: "In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.” Did you hear those words? In returning and rest. That means coming back to God instead of running to everything else. When our overwhelming thoughts hit our minds, we return to Him instead of spiraling. When comparison starts whispering, we return to His truth about who we are. And rest. Not the kind of rest where you collapse from exhaustion, but the kind where you stop striving and let God be God. Where you quit trying to control everything and trust that He's got it. In quietness and trust. Quietness means we stop the noise. We turn off the phone, we step away from the chaos, and we create space to hear His voice above all the other voices. And trust. That's where we put our confidence in His character instead of our own ability to figure everything out. Not in doing more, achieving more, or figuring everything out. But in coming back to Him and being still. And so in that moment, right there by the pond before the sun came up, I took a deep breath. And I slowly let it out. And I saw something….. ill share it later…

But for now, I want us to open Genesis together. Because sitting there that morning, I started wondering about something I'd never really thought about before. Turn with me to Genesis 1:1-2. "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.” Did you catch that word "hovering"? It's the same word used to describe a mother bird caring for her young. Picture this: before any word was spoken, before "Let there be light," there was this moment. The Spirit of God hovering, moving gently over the waters. And sitting there by that pond, I found myself asking a question I'd never asked before: What was it like before anything existed? What was happening in that moment before God spoke? Here's what hit me: if every word we speak begins with a breath, and if God speaks, does God breathe? I know that sounds strange, but think about it. Before every sentence you say, there's an inhale. Before every voice, every sound, there's that moment of… kind of pausing to gather air. So what if God operates the same way? What if before every "Let there be, moment where God created with his words" there was a pause, a gathering, an inhale?

Now I want you to experience what I'm talking about. Let's do this together. I want us to take a simple, deep…. breath together. Ok??? On the count of three, I want you to take a deep breath. Sound good? Let's do it together. One, two, three. Breathe in... and out. Pretty simple, right? Does anyone here feel a little better after that deep breath? Here’s what’s amazing about what we just did… You just took into your body about 25 sextillion molecules of air. Sextillion. I didn't even know there was such a word. That's 25 with 21 zeroes behind it. More molecules just passed through your nose than all the grains of sand on all the world's beaches. Those air molecules were made up of different elements, one of which is oxygen—about 20% of what you just breathed in. Side note: thankfully, you breathed in clean air and ht person beside you didn’t lay out one of those splagnezimia farts. If it had been filled with smoke or smelly methane gas, your body would have immediately rejected it. It wouldn't have been relaxing at all. But watch this… Here’s how it got into you. Your brain sent a message to your diaphragm and ribs, telling them to contract, increasing the size of your rib cage, enabling your lungs to expand, which then allowed that air to rush in. That air went down your trachea into your lungs, where it came into contact with millions of tiny balloon-like projections called alveoli. They brought those oxygen molecules in touch with red blood cells—the transportation system for oxygen in your body. You have about 20 trillion of these red blood cells. Your body is making about 2.5 million of them per second, and each one contains about 270 million oxygen-binding molecules of hemoglobin. Are you following this or have I lost you yet?? Good.. lets keep going… These red blood cells picked up the oxygen molecules and carried them throughout your entire cardiovascular network—this massive collection of blood vessels that reaches every cell in your body. If we laid out those blood vessels in a straight line, end to end, they would wrap around the entire world multiple times. So where did these red blood cells get the energy to transport that oxygen throughout your body? Your heart. It pumps an average of about 100,000 times a day. So in that one breath you took, your heart was the powerhouse that got the oxygen you inhaled to every part of your body that needs it. And all of that happened in just one breath.

Now you might be thinking, "Alright Pastor, where are you going with this?”

Here's what's been on my mind. We just experienced something incredible together. But what if I told you that the same God who designed your lungs to need oxygen also designed your soul to need something else? What if the breath you just took is actually a picture of something much deeper? Before any word we speak, there is always, a breath. Every sentence, every voice, every sound begins with an inhale. Theres this pause. And if that's true for us, what about God?

Listen, God doesn't gasp for air. He doesn't rush. He gathers. His "inhale" isn't weakness—it’s what we call, His presence. It's the pause of perfect love before love gives itself away. Let me show you what I mean. Before any "Let there be," there was the stillness of perfect joy within the Trinity. In Proverbs 8, wisdom—who is Christ—says, "I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him." Before the world was even created, there was joy. Perfect joy. The Father delighting in the Son, the Son rejoicing before the Father. And this love doesn't disappear when Jesus comes to earth. At Jesus' baptism, we hear it: "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased." You can almost hear the Father's smile in those words, can't you? That's not God discovering something new about Jesus—that's eternal delight finally being spoken where those created in His image can audibly hear it. And the Spirit? Oh, the Spirit! He's right there creating space for us to be part of this joy. Listen to what Paul tells us in Romans: "You have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, 'Abba! Father!’" Do you see what this means? Do you see the staggering reality of what God has done? The same Spirit who is present in this beautiful, eternal relationship between Father and Son—that very Spirit—comes into your heart. Your heart! And He gives you the ability to call God "Dad" just like Jesus does. You can call the Creator of the universe "Dad." Not because you earned it. Not because you deserved it. But because the Spirit of God Himself has made you a son, a daughter, in the family of God. And in Ephesians, Paul says, "Through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father." The Spirit doesn't just show us this love from a distance like we're looking through a window at something we can never have. No! He opens the door. He invites us in. He says, "Come. Come and taste what you were made for.” He creates the space for you—yes, you—to be joined with the Son and the Father. Can you believe this? You are invited into the very life of God. Jesus says this about the Spirit “the Holy Spirit will take what is mine and declare it to you." Picture this: Right now, at this very moment, there is perfect joy flowing between the Father and the Son—an endless river of delight, of love so pure it's beyond our imagination. And here's the miracle: the Holy Spirit takes that very same joy—not a copy, not a lesser version, but the actual joy of God—and He breathes it directly into your heart. Right here. Right now. You see, before God ever spoke the first word of creation, before He said "Let there be light," those words were already born out of this perfect joy within Himself. Every word God speaks comes from a place of overflowing Love. And here's what should fill you with gratitude: You don’t… have to stay outside this joy…….You don’t.

You don't have to wonder if there's room for you. You don't have to question whether you're truly welcome. But, before we move on…. let me tell you why the Spirit has come. Because when you understand this, it will change how you see everything. Jesus says something incredible in John 16:14:… he tells his disciples in the high priestly prayers that, “He, meaning the comforter, the holy Spirit will glorify me.” That might sound simple, but listen—this is the Spirit's whole mission. He didn't come just to make you feel included or to give you a spiritual experience. He came to open your eyes to see Jesus. Now, when Jesus says that the Spirit will take what is His and declare it to you... we have to ask: what belongs to Jesus? What is “His"? Everything.!!!! Jesus says in John 16:15, "All that the Father has is mine." Think about that for a moment. The Father's infinite love? That's Jesus's. The Father's perfect joy we talked about earlier—that river of delight flowing in the Trinity? That belongs to Jesus too. The Father's power that spoke galaxies into existence? Jesus's. Every blessing, every promise, every good gift—it all belongs to Him. But here's what will take your breath away: because…. of the cross and the empty tomb, what belongs to Jesus now belongs to you. Paul says it plainly in 1 Corinthians 3:21-23: "All things are yours... and you are Christ's, and Christ is God’s." And I think we can get this all wrong. We can… We think our faith is just supposed to get us through the day, to somehow help us muddle through this journey. And yes, that's true in a sense... but friend, we're thinking INWARD. … The goal of the Holy Spirit isn't to make your life a little easier. His goal is to reveal Christ to you in such a stunning way that your heart melts with delight. When you truly see Jesus—not just know about Him, but see Him—everything changes. And here's the thing: if there's no transformation happening, something's not right. The Spirit doesn't put on a show for its own sake. He doesn't come to create empty spiritual experiences or religious highs. He comes to awaken dead hearts to the beauty and worth of Jesus Christ crucified and risen.

And here's the acid test—this is how you know if the Spirit is really at work: Not by whether there are tongues or miracles or loud emotions. Those can all be faked. Here's the real test: Is Christ being lifted high? Is the gospel becoming more precious to you? Is Jesus more beautiful to you today than He was last month? And is real holiness—life-altering, sin-killing holiness—taking root in your life? Because listen carefully:……. the Spirit's greatest miracle isn't that He makes people spectacular. It's that He makes sinners holy. That's His signature. That's His glory. That's His work. He shows you Christ in such a way that you can't help but be changed from the inside out.

So how does this happen? How does the Spirit actually bring us into all that belongs to Jesus? How do we go from being outsiders to being family? Here's the beautiful simplicity of it: through faith, by grace. That is the means by which you are brought into the very inhale of God. Think about what that means. The Spirit doesn't just give you information about God's presence—He brings you into it. You and I are adopted. We are redeemed, and brought in, through Christ, but by the Spirit. Through faith, you're not just learning about the joy that flows between Father and Son; you and I are breathing it in. By grace, you're not just hearing about God's love; you're living inside of it, and he lives inside of you. When you put your faith in Christ, the Spirit does something miraculous: He takes you from the outside and places you right in the center of God's own life, and He puts the center of who He is—the Spirit of Christ—right in the heart of you. Think about what that means. It's not just that you get to visit God's presence occasionally, like a guest who's allowed in the house for special occasions. No—the Spirit takes up residence inside you. Paul says it this way: "Christ in you, the hope of glory." The same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead is living in your heart. You become part of that eternal conversation of love. You start breathing the same air, so to speak, that flows in the heart of the Trinity. . His presence becomes your home, and your heart becomes His home. This is why Paul can say with such confidence that "all things are yours"—because through faith, you've been brought into the very place where all of God's treasures are kept. Not someday when you die, but right now. The Spirit has made you family, and family gets to come inside. You're not standing at the door hoping to be noticed. You're not pressing your face against the window wondering if there's room. No!!!!!…….Through faith, by grace, you are home. You're breathing the air of heaven, living in the very presence of the God who delights in you.

And church…… this should change everything about how we face life's challenges… and…..how we speak to one another in love. Now, here is where James comes in... I want to take the time we have left together to ask: Do we, as Christians, speak, to one another, and to others, as those who are living within the inhale of God? I want us to look at James chapter 1, and find with me verses 19, kelt begin here.. James begins by saying, ‘19 My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, ’ Now, theres a rhythm here. Like breathing. Quick to hear—that’s the inhale. Slow to speak—that’s the pause Slow to anger—that’s the exhale. James is teaching us that before anything comes out of our mouths, something must first come in from God. But here’s the problem—we usually live this backwards. We’re quick to speak, quick to anger, and slow to listen. We exhale before we inhale, and it leaves us gasping. It’s why so many of our conversations turn defensive, why so much of our energy gets wasted in conflict. Because we’re speaking from empty lungs, from our own fear and frustration, instead of from the breath of God. James says in verse 20, look with me… , ‘20 because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. ’ In other words, human reaction—our quick exhale—will never build the kind of life God desires. Anger, defensiveness, frustration—these don’t form Christ in us, they deform us. What do I mean by deform? Think about it: every time we choose anger instead of patience, our hearts get a little harder. Every time we react out of frustration, the image of Christ in us gets a little more blurred. Every time we gossip, or murmur, or slander, or tell half truths, it never brings with it, the exhale of Christ. And, What happens afterward? There’s regret, there’s distance, there’s a wedge in our relationships with one another. That’s deformation—it pulls you out of the shape of Christ’s love, and you live by the your flesh.. Galatians tells us—Galatians 5:19–21—‘Now the works of the flesh are evident: enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions…’ Anytime we see these rear up—whether within the church or out in the world—we’re watching the fruit of the flesh at work. Enmity—hostility that fractures unity. Strife—conflict that never seems to end. Jealousy—resentment that eats away at joy. Fits of anger—explosions that wound the people closest to us. Rivalries, dissensions, divisions—splits that tear the body of Christ apart. And church, let’s be clear—these don’t form Christ in us. They deform us. They bend us out of His shape, out of His love, and they leave us gasping for breath. But here’s the hope: Galatians doesn’t stop there. Just a few verses later Paul says, ‘But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.’ In other words, when you breathe in the presence of God—when you slow down enough to receive the Word He has already implanted in you—the Spirit who already lives in you brings this fruit to the surface. What comes out of you is no longer the chaos of the flesh, but the life of Christ. And I’ve said it before, what comes out of you is usually the evidence ion what’s happening within you.

Listen, church… What’s your daily rhythm? What are you inhaling before you speak? Again… listen, The world doesn't need more people who are right—it needs more people who are whole.

I'm gonna call up our worship team for us to close, and I want to finish my story.

Here's the thing... all of the voices in our life want us to react. To respond. To lash out at others... or to speak ill of others... or to assume or shame or put down. Think about it—the voice of anxiety doesn't just want you to worry, it wants you to speak that worry over others. What if this happens? What if that goes wrong?" The voice of comparison doesn't just want you to feel inferior, it wants you to tear others down to build yourself up. The voice of hurry doesn't just want you to rush, it wants you to be impatient with everyone who's moving slower than you. All these voices have the same goal: get you to exhale before you inhale. Get you to speak from your wounds instead of from God's healing. Get you to react from your fears instead of respond from His love. But that morning by the pond, when I finally stopped listening to all that noise and started breathing in God's presence, that's when I saw something… I noticed something beautiful in the water… Two fish. Just floating there. Not swimming frantically. Not searching for anything. Just being still in the water that surrounded them. And it hit me: they weren't struggling to stay wet. They weren't anxious about whether the water would be there tomorrow. They were simply surrounded by what they needed, held by what sustained them, breathing in what gave them life.

That's when I realized something about myself—about all of us. We spend so much of our lives frantically swimming around life, looking for God's presence, trying to create spiritual moments, working up feelings, striving to earn His approval, creating what we would call church or faith, and we ,live so exhausted in trying to find God anywhere and everywhere… but he’s already there. Just like those fish, we're already surrounded by what we need. And if we have come to faith in Jesus... we're already given what we've been searching for. His very presence. You see, through faith, by grace, you've already been brought into the very center of God's life. The Father is delighting in the Son, the Son is glorifying the Father, and the Spirit of Christ is already living in you. You're not trying to get God's attention—you already have it. And if you do not have faith in Jesus Christ... if you've never surrendered your life to Him... then friend, this morning isn't just about learning a better rhythm for your relationships. This is an invitation into the very life of God Himself. You see, the reason you feel like you're frantically swimming, the reason those voices of anxiety and comparison and hurry feel so loud, is because you're trying to find in this world what can only be found in Christ. You're looking for love that won't disappoint you, peace that won't be shaken, joy that won't fade—and all of that is waiting for you in Jesus. Listen, friend… The gospel isn't complicated: Jesus lived the perfect life you couldn't live, died the death you deserved to die, and rose again to give you the life you could never earn. And when you put your faith in Him—when you stop trying to save yourself and trust that He's already done it—everything changes.

Church… The invitation is simple: come home……. Come home. Those fish taught me that morning that life isn't about swimming harder—it's about learning to be still long enough to feel the water we're already in. Church, you're already in the water. God's love is already surrounding you. His Spirit is already hovering over you, just like He hovered over the waters at the beginning of creation. The question isn't whether His presence is here. The question is: will you slow down enough to notice him, and will you inhale, pause and exhale his love to others.?

Let’s stand, and worship together. *

A Funeral Message

TI would like for you to turn your attention to the book of Romans and find with me chapter 14, and once you find chapter 14 would you be so kind, and only if your able, would you stand with me in honor of God’s Word tonight. I will be reading our verse today from the Christian Standard Bible and if your able, follow along with me from verses 7 to verse 9.

Hear the word of the Lord…. 7 For none of us lives for himself, and no one dies for himself. 8 If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. 9 Christ died and returned to life for this: that he might be Lord over both the dead and the living.. Now, I ask for grace for I need a moment to turn to Matthew gospel, and find Chapter 11.

I’ll read verse 29. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. Heavenly Father, I thank You for Your wonderful presence and your faithfulness to be near those who are hurting and broken hearted. I Pray, in this hour that Your Word would be planted deep into our hearts. Help us not to be a forgetful hearer but a doer of Your Word.

Strengthen us to meditate on Your Word and so build our life on the rock of Your truth. In Jesus’s name we pray, Amen. You may be Seated. She would be so humbled by your kind words over her life tonight. If I was to sum up her life. The life I knew as her pastor. I would sum it up with one word, Jesus. This past Saturday, I sat with family and friends and I was telling them on how Charles Spurgeon had pointed out that in all four gospels given to us, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

And out of 89 chapters of Biblical text, there is only one place in the Bible where we hear Jesus himself, tells us what his heart looks like. and it’s found only in Matthews gospel where Jesus says this of himself, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matt. 11:28–30) In this one place in the Bible, it’s as if the Son of God, pulls back the fleshly veil that covers his heart, and he gifts us the opportunity to peer down into the core of his heart and see him for who he truly is. Jesus says, “I am lowly and gentle in heart.” That’s what Jesus says.

According to his own testimony, this is Christ’s very own heart. This is the core of who he is. And it’s the very nature of her spirit. Think about it. Jesus says, I am gentle. In other translations it says, I am Meek. Humble. Gentle. What we learn is this… Jesus was never trigger-happy. Not harsh, or reactionary, or easily angered. He is the most understanding person in the universe. The posture most natural to him is not a pointed finger but open arms.

Regardless of who you are… he says, come. The most humblest invitation by Jesus to you and to me is to just come. Now, This is only in the time that I’ve known her. Which has been in her mid to late 90’s. Her family may know a different side of her. I can only imagine how many times you boys have tested her gentleness and her sanctification. But I can affirm this..

regardless.. she loved you boys dearly. She was every word of what Peter would say of a Christ-like wife other husband, and to you boys… Peter writes, “but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious.” Jesus also said, he was lowly… Do you know what it means to be lowly? It’s a word that doesn’t connect to being gentle, but it overlaps it.

It’s translated in many of our bibles as being humble. Such as in James 4:6: “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” In Mary’s song while pregnant with Jesus, for example, this word is used to speak of the way God exalts those who are “of humble estate” (Luke 1:52). Paul, in the same chapter as he says, that our bodies are to be living sacrifices, used to glorify Christ, he uses the word lowly when he tells us to “not be haughty, but associate with the lowly” (Rom.

12:16) The point to what Jesus is saying by saying that he is lowly, is to say that he’s is accessible. He’s willing to listen. He’s approachable. In all honesty, when you encounter his presence, you’ll find yourself wanting to be around Him more. I loved every minute that I was around her. Because She was always kind, and lowly, and gentle and meek, and thoughtful. When I was in her presence, I always found myself to be at rest.

But she would go on to tell me one time that she wasn’t always good. Just a couple months ago I sat with her at her table. Filled with papers, and cards and a magnifying glass, and often there would be a tea cup sitting on the corner wall by her chair. And we began having conversations but it was hard to communicate because she couldn’t hear very well. So one day I said to her…

“why don’t you start telling me about your life growing up. You might not be able to hear me, but I can hear you.” What was it like growing up in the 1920’s and during he great depression, and through so many other things. Just think about it. She lived through some amazing moments. Time magazine was first published only 9 days before she was born. Bubble gum was invented when she was 5.

The US went into the great depression when she was 6. By the time she was 17, McDonald’s was founded and when she turned 18, Pearl Harbor was attacked thrusting the US into the second Word War. IN the 1960’s the beetles were formed in Liverpool England. She lived through the 70’s, the 80’s the 90’s and the 2000’s. There is so much she could have said to me.. but do you know where she started.

She began telling me of when she was a teenager and she wasn’t a very good person. Believe it or not.. she goes, pastor… I’ve been known to be a little mischievous. She began telling me about when she was in school and she would sit up on the front row and her and another boy would cheat on their tests. Until one day, her and her friend went to a tent revival and she received Jesus into her heart.

She began telling me how, when she went back to school she was a different person. She didn’t want to cheat anymore. She had to tell the boy that sat up front with her, that she couldn’t cheat anymore. She just said, “I got saved and I didn’t want to look back.” And I never noticed it until last night as I was thinking about this tory she had told me…

but she was giving me the gospel, in her own way she was giving me me the gospel. The frost gift that God gives to each and every person is their testimony. She could have talked about the wars, or the beetles, or to her amazing marriage to Lee, and her love for her boys… but the first story was to tell me about how her life was changed one day in a tent, by a revivalist, where she lived one way, but when she had a real, authentic interaction with Jesus, who offered her grace, and love and forgiveness.

Who met her there in that tent, with a heart that was lowly and gentle, her life was changed. That’s why I believe the Holy Spirit led me to Romans chapter 14. Romans 14 reminds us of this.. That we are not our own but that we belong, body and soul, both in life and death, too God and to our Savior Jesus Christ. The essence of the Christian life is not to be lifted up.

But to lift the name of Jesus. You see, this is what she would have heard in that tent meeting. God sent his Son, Jesus, to save us by grace and to adopt us into his family. All of which came through the shedding of the blood on the cross. Then in three days, the Son, was raised to life and now sits at the right had of the father. So now, because of that grace, in our gratitude, we want to resemble our Father.

We want the family resemblance. We want to look like our Savior. We want to please our Father. We want a heart that is lowly and gentle. And the only way for that to happen is for His son to come and live in us. We’re not to live as if we belong to ourselves or the world… As Paul had said, and as she had lived.. we belong to Christ.

And that could mean several things. But when we’re called to live for Jesus. I think of two things… First of all, it means we are not to determine for ourselves what is right or wrong. We give up the right to determine that, and we rely wholly on God’s Word. She lived this kind of life… a holy life, a life that says, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

A life that would resemble the famous hymn, It is well with my soul. Regardless of what happens, God you are in control over my life. She lived a life totally surrendered to her Lord. Also, to belong to Christ, meant that we stop putting ourselves first, and we always put first, what pleases God and what loves our neighbor. Let’s be honest… it’s easy to love God.. but sometimes it’s hard to love those who are hard to love.

I don’t think there was a soul here on earth that she didn’t love. Her words were always compassionate. Her words were always encouraging. Her words always pointed to Jesus. Could we live like that? Could we, every day, choose God's way, choose love, even when it means laying down our own wants and desires for someone else? Could we live everyday putting what we want, and how we want it, and what we think is right or wrong behind us to please God and to love others.

She did. And she showed us by her example that we can Love God and Love others and serve both faithfully. She showed us what a holy life looked like, to wholly give ourselves to our savior. Mind, body and soul. It means she trusted God through thick and thin, through the good and the bad times, in life and in death. Her faith was rooted in love. She lived this life of belonging!

I to Jesus and Jesus to I. You too can live this life. I can’t promise you 100 years of life like hers, but I can promise you this… Jesus says, If you put your faith in him, you will inherit eternal life. That a promise… And when Christ comes into your heart like it did jeans… you too can sing the words to the song we’re about to hear. When it's all been said and done, There is just one thing that matters, Did I do my best to live for truth.

Did I live my life for you, Lord I'll live my life for you. For none of us lives for himself, and no one dies for himself. 8 If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.*

I Am the Vine

When I was a kid, my Nana - who was my great grandmother - had this beautiful grapevine in her backyard. Every summer when I would visit my dad's side of the family, my cousins and I would go out into her vines and eat the grapes. They were those real big reddish purple ones just awning there off the vine. Oh man, they were so delicious, except.. for one natural thing they had in them… seeds. I hated the fact that with each, delicious, succulent grape, that would explode in our mouths, there was this inconvenient seed stuck right there in then middle of it. You know, as kids, we'd often complain about those seeds. They were such an inconvenience. But as I was studying for this message, I began thinking about this phrase 'new life and new beginnings,' and something hit me. It looks some time, but Looking back now, I realize something I didn't when I was a kid. Those seeds, which seemed like such an inconvenience to us cousins, were actually essential for new growth and new life. What I didn't realize at the time... I was just spitting them away. I was wasting the opportunity to sow and cultivate new life. Isn't that just like our relationship with Jesus? Sometimes the parts of our faith that seem difficult, even inconvenient, are actually the very things that become the seeds that help us grow in our faith. There's six words I've learned, but I'm also learning every day when it comes to trials and hard circumstances. It's this: 'I can trust God with this.’ The Bible reminds us of those 6 words in Psalm 119 verse 71: 'My suffering was good for me, for it taught me to pay attention, Lord, to your decrees.’ You see, what looks like an inconvenience today might just be God planting seeds for tomorrow.

I want to invite you to open your Bibles with me to John chapter 15, because before we get to joy, and what it means for us.. I need to set up how joy becomes available to us first. (Read John 15: 1-11) My prayer this week for each and every one of you.. was "Father, I pray that everyone here, and listening online would experience a life-changing understanding and a burning passion in their hearts for a fresh way of knowing you." I prayed that you would experience God, even more by his grace, greater than I have, so that when you go through rough times, and hard valleys in your life, when all feels like it’s dark and hopeless, you too can look back to this day and say, “That’s the day that I truly understood joy. Because here’s a question… "Have you ever stopped to consider what truly motivates your faith? “Why are you following Jesus?” Remember those early followers who flocked to Jesus in John chapter 6? They craved miracles and blessings, but when His message challenged their expectations, what did they do? They vanished. And I got to thinking this week, Isn’t it tempting for us to do the same? We have that saying, when the going gets tough, the tough get going. But sometimes, when we get going, we get going the wrong way.

Abiding is so important to the christian. Did you notice what Jesus said in the beginning of our Scripture? “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch of mine that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” Did you notice Jesus’s language here? How he doesn't say 'I am a good vine' or 'the best vine.' He declares, 'I am the true vine.' This isn't a competition; it's a stark contrast between life and death." Listen, Jesus isn’t going, I am better or best…. this isn’t what is being contrasted here.. What Jesus is saying, is it’s not a matter of best or good, but true verses false. He’s saying, “I am the true vine.” All other vines you tap into are false vines… they bring false hope and false joy into your life. Every vine, you come across isn’t a vine that brings life but death. I keep wanting to contrast by going back to the followers in John 6, if you remember, when they look to Jesus they say, “what can we do???”. and Jesus wasn’t saying here’s a list of dos and don't’s to tap into.. no, Jesus says to those following him, just believe in the one that God has sent… The one, God has sent is the one that offers the bread you need, I am that bread, the bread that gives you life. It’s not about quantity of bread but the quality of it. These people were trying to draw from a vine that didn’t bring life. Now, Think about our how we experience relational life with one another. Think about all the things in your life where you try to draw and tap into vines that are not of Christ? Did you know one of the ways to see what vines you tap into, is by seeing what makes you angry. "What makes the fires of anger rise within you? What gets under your skin and when you think about it, it makes you upset. James says this in James 4:1–2. He writes, “What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you?” (James 4:1) He goes on to say, “You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel.” (James 4:2) James is holding up a mirror to our souls, and what we see might make us uncomfortable. Because right there, in our anger, in our conflicts - we see what's really feeding our hearts. Think about it - every argument, every bitter word, every broken relationship isn't just about that moment. They're warning signs, flashing lights telling us we're trying to draw life from dead vines. Our anger? It's like a spiritual diagnostic tool, exposing exactly where we've gotten tangled up in the wrong vines. But here's the beautiful part - God doesn't just show us the problem; He offers the solution. Every flash of anger isn't just exposing our wrong connections - it's an invitation to be grafted back in. It's a chance to let the Master Gardener cut away what's choking us and reconnect us to the only source of real love.

But that leads us to the most important question: So, how does one abide in Christ? What does it mean to abide? To abide means to have a life-giving connection to Jesus. Paul used this phrase - being "in Christ." I did something interesting this week... we’ve been in the book of Ephesians at one of our house churches, and I sat down with the book of Ephesians, and I just started circling a phrase. Every time Paul wrote the words "in Christ," I put a circle around it. You know what I found? In just the first chapter alone - in only 13 verses - Paul says "in Christ" 13 times. Once in every single verse. Now, that's not an accident. See, Paul is pulling back the curtain on the heavenly realm, showing us this spiritual world around us, and he's making this incredibly important point: to experience any spiritual blessing, you and I must be "in Christ." Think about what that means - every spiritual blessing in heaven, our ability to love and be made into the image of Jesus, the forgiveness of our sins and the ability to forgive those around its, the riches of His grace being poured out on those He loves, all that wisdom and understanding, even understanding the mystery of the Father's will - all of it comes through one thing: abiding and being in union with Christ. And look at what Jesus says in our passage - it's a mutual connection, a mutual union. "Abide in me and I in you." My version, the CSB says, to remain in me, and I in you.

This is the heart of the Christian life; this is the essence of our Christian experience. That we abide, and remain in Christ. There must be a life-giving connection between us and Christ. It means we're connected to Jesus in such a way that we're crucified with Him, risen with Him, ascending with Him, and even seated with Him in heavenly places. It's being a branch that is rooted and grounded in a life that's found by knowing, trusting in, and obeying Jesus - and nowhere else. That's first. A life-giving connection - that's the foundation, and it comes by faith in Jesus. That’s first.. A life-giving connection; that’s first, and it comes by faith in Jesus.

But there is a second part to abiding.… Abiding in Christ means not only life-giving connection, but a growing dependence on Christ. Look at John 15:5: "I am the vine, you are the branches; whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”

Have you ever noticed how you never think about breathing until you can't? Like when you're swimming and you stay under water just a little too long? In that moment, your whole body screams for air. Every cell in your body knows exactly what it needs - not wants, but needs. That's not something you had to learn; it's written into your very existence. Your body knows that without air, there is no life. And do You know what's fascinating? That first breath you took as a baby - you didn't have to think about it. You didn't have to choose it. Your body knew what it needed for life, and it reached for it. And every moment since then, whether you're awake or asleep, your body keeps reaching for that air because it knows one fundamental truth - without it, there is no life. That's what Jesus is talking about when He says "apart from me you can do nothing." He's not just suggesting a better way to live - He's telling us that He's as essential to our spiritual life as breath is to our physical life. Real dependence on Christ isn't something we achieve; it's something we awaken to. Faith in Jesus is the same way but the only difference is this… we’re already dead. Spiritually, we’re dead in our sin. This what makes faith so interesting to me… because it’s not I’m living my life independently from God, and I have some sort of life right now, and God catches me right before I die and saves me.. NO!!.. I’m already dead in my sins. I’m already dead and when I put faith and trust in Jesus Christ, just like Paul tells us in Ephesians, I am resurrected with Him. I want my life to be so intertwined with Christ that depending on Him becomes as natural as breathing. Each and every day, through abiding, I want my dependence on Him to grow deeper. That's why I love what Paul prays in Ephesians 1:17: "I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better."

That’s my greatest desire. Not just to know Christ, not just to follow Christ, but to be in such deep union with Him that each day, my desire for Him grows stronger. That’s abiding.. to me. Because here's the thing - when you're growing in dependence on Christ, you can't help but live differently. It's unavoidable. Growing dependence always leads to a life that looks nothing like the life we lived before we knew Christ. When hate creeps into your heart, you recognize it: "Lord, that isn't a vine from you, I repent and seek your love.” When you're tempted to speak negatively of others: "Lord, that isn't a vine from you, I repent and seek your love.” When you catch yourself putting others down: "Lord, that isn't a vine from you, I repent and seek your love."

Growing dependence always leads us to live differently, and when we begin to recognize actions and loves in our life that are not of Christ... those moments are when God prunes us. Jesus says, "Every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” Are you ok with that? That's a tough question, isn't it? Are you ok to be pruned by the Holy Spirit? Because to be pruned is to be surrendered to the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit in your life. Paul tells the Galatians, "The desires of the flesh are against the Spirit and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh; for these are opposed to each other." Part of the Holy Spirit's work in the Christian's life, in this process to make his creation Christ like, is pruning out sin. But here's our biggest problem - …..we don't want to name our sin. Jesus reminds us of this when He says, "Light has come into the world, but people loved their darkness instead of light." Our natural inclination is to keep our sin in the shadow. There isn’t any freedom in that. Because here is what we do.. When we hide our sin, We make sin theoretical. Theres no practical practice of naming sin in our life. We come to the altar and pray these nice, safe, general prayers: "Oh God, I am a sinful person, forgive me of all my sins." Then we get up, dust ourselves off, and feel holy just because we admitted we're like everybody else - …… we’re broken. But have you ever notices that - it's easier to live a surface-level Christian life than to go deeper. It's easier to mumble "forgive all my sins" than to look in the mirror and say: "God, I need to confess how I've been treating people with contempt in my heart Lord, I need to face this bitter, self-righteous attitude I've been carrying” Father, I need to be honest about how I've been putting everything else before my time with you” As long as sin stays nameless and faceless, you'll ignore it. Every time. Well Jesus, just forgive me." "For what?" "For my sins." "Which ones? That's no different than wearing dirty clothes and going around telling people you're dirty but you don't know where the smell is coming from. Remember what Jesus said - when the Holy Spirit comes, He will do what? He will convict the world of sin. Nameless sin isn't conviction... it's just guilt. There's a world of difference between the two. Conviction points to something specific, something we can actually address. When we just say "Lord, forgive all my sins" without letting the Holy Spirit show us what needs to change, we're just swimming in guilt without moving toward growth. Think of it this way - real conviction is like a doctor's diagnosis. A good doctor doesn't just say "You're sick." They tell you exactly what's wrong so it can be healed. The Holy Spirit works the same way. He doesn't just leave us feeling bad; He shows us exactly what needs to change. He gets specific: "That comment you made about your coworker? That wasn't love." "The way you ignored that person in need? That wasn't my heart." "That attitude you're carrying? That's not from me.” When the Holy Spirit actually convicts us - when He shows us these specific areas where we need to change - that's when real transformation happens. You see, church, transformation doesn’t happen until what? Until were honest about where we are. I want saved until when.. until my eyes were open that I did not know Jesus. Until my eyes were opened to the way I was living my life. And I needed a savior. when we’re totally honest about our sin, That’s when we start living differently. That's when we start bearing real fruit. Church, here's the hard truth: growing dependence always changes you. It has to. If following Jesus isn't changing you, you might not be following Jesus. If you can spend time with Him and walk away without a list of things you need to get right, you probably didn't really spend time with Him. Because He's perfect! And in His perfection, He has a standard that you and I are to navigate our lives by. But that standard will have no authenticity if we're not willing to be pruned from the things that are not of Him. You know what? I thank God for His pruning. Yes, it hurts. Yes, it's uncomfortable. But it's necessary because it brings life and fruit in our lives. But even more importantly - pruning proves that God loves you and me.

And that's where we discover something remarkable about abiding in Christ. It's not just about having a life-giving connection or growing in dependence - it's about living differently even when it hurts. Because sometimes, that different way of living shows up in the most unexpected places - like finding joy in the middle of the pruning, joy in the middle of the pain. I know what you're thinking - joy in suffering? That sounds like an oxymoron. And yet, look at what Scripture tells us: James writes with boldness, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds." Not if, but whenever. Paul goes even further - "I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” And right here in our passage, Jesus tells us, "I have told you these things so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.” So what is this Christian joy? Yes, Galatians tells us it's a fruit of the Spirit. But to really understand it, we need to look at Jesus. Do you know what brought Him joy? It wasn't comfort. Look at the cross… no comfort there. It wasn't ease. What in his ministry was easy? The single thing that brought Jesus joy was and still is, doing the Father's will. That was the center of Jesus’s joy. I think about my kids, and this shift in their hearts over the years. When they were little, man, they couldn't wait to help mom and me with anything. I'd say, "Can someone grab my shoes?" and suddenly it was like a race - three kids sprinting to be the first one to help, arguing over who got to serve dad. They'd come back with these huge grins, giggling, just delighting in the fact that they'd done something that made their father happy. They found joy in my joy. Then as they grew older, there was a time recently before we moved when I took all three to olive garden. And When it came time to pay, I realized I needed my wallet from the car - you know how they have those phone payment things now, but ours wasn't working. So I asked, "Would someone be kind enough to run out to the car and grab my wallet?" And you know what happened? Instead of fighting over who got to help, they fought over who didn't have to go. Abby was the first one - finger straight to her nose, "Not it!” What happened to that delight in doing the father's will? You know, sometimes I look at that change in my kids and I have to wonder - isn't that exactly what happens in our relationship with God? That eager delight we once had in serving Him sometimes fades into reluctant obligation. And over time, what happens? We get burned out. Church, I've got to remind you of something important - the ministry you serve in? It's not for me. It's not even for the church. You serve for the delight of doing the Father's will.A And I know it can get tough. I know it can get strenuous. I know you can get burned out. I've been there. We've all been there. And maybe that's why these words from spiritual giants of our faith hit so hard: John Piper reminds us, "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him... The chief end of man is to glorify God BY enjoying Him forever.” David Platt challenges us further: "We are settling for a Christianity that revolves around catering to ourselves when the central message of Christianity is actually about abandoning ourselves.” And Francis Chan gets right to the heart of it: "The reality is that most of us know we should have a more intimate relationship with God but don't want to put in the effort. We are banking on the fact that He is loving enough to get us into heaven, which He is." What if serving within the church wasn't just checking boxes on a to-do list? What if it became the place where we discovered that infinite joy Lewis talked about? What if every time you served, instead of asking "What do I have to do?" you asked "How can I delight my Father's heart today?"

But look at Jesus - His delight was to please the Father. His joy wasn't about happiness; it was about abandoning everything, all of himself, into the loving arms of God the Father. His joy was tethered to doing His Father's will, and He longs for us to experience that same joy.

But here's the question that changes everything: How do we experience this joy? You see, joy isn't something we manufacture or chase after. Joy was born in you the day Christ was born in you. I like to think if it this way… Joy isn’t something we chase, it is someone who has chased us first. The question is… Have you been caught? Think about that - just like a newborn's first cry announces new life, joy announces the new life of Christ in us. I remember the day my life changed because I was saved... it wasn't sorrow I cried, it wasn't happiness I felt - it was pure, uncontainable joy that poured out. Joy overflowed out of me, because Jesus was born within me. Joy wasn't something achieved; it's something I received, when my heart was given life and I was born again. And you know what? That same joy that flooded my heart that day - it's meant to flood through us into the lives others.

As Peter comes up, I want to close with this reminder... You know, as we're heading into Christmas, it's easy to think about all the joy we want to receive - the presents, the family time, the special moments. But Jesus flips the script on us here in verses 11 and 12. He tells us something incredible: "I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.” Did you catch that connection? Jesus links complete joy with loving others. It's like He's saying, "You want to experience the fullness of joy? Start giving it away." But here's the key - what are you sharing? What are you giving? You're not just sharing happy feelings or good wishes - you're sharing Christ himself. The joy you're sharing is the same joy that changed your life - it's Jesus. Remember those grape seeds from earlier? We wanted to just enjoy the fruit and spit away the seeds. I wanted the good stuff, but I didn’t want what I thought was bad, or work. But Jesus is showing us that true joy works exactly the opposite way - it grows when we share Him in others' lives. When we share Christ, we're planting seeds of real, lasting joy. This Christmas, what if we shifted our focus? Instead of asking "What will bring me joy?" what if we asked "Whose life can I plant joy into?" What if, as living sanctuaries of his very presence, we become Joy-Givers! Maybe it's that neighbor who's spending Christmas alone. Maybe it's that family member who's really hard to love right now. Maybe it's that coworker who's struggling through the holiday season. When Jesus says "Love each other as I have loved you," He's not giving us a comfortable suggestion - He's showing us the path to complete joy. And here's the beautiful thing: just like those grape seeds that seemed like such an inconvenience actually held the power for new life, every difficult moment of choosing to love someone else holds the potential for joy to multiply. And it can begin right here… in our little congregation. Ad each of us, share Jesus with one another. Let's walk out of here today with this challenge: This Christmas season, don't just look for joy - Plant the joy of Christ that’s in you, in others. Because when we love others like Jesus loved us, we're not just spreading joy - we're experiencing the complete joy Jesus promised. And I believe, that’s better than any Christmas present under the tree. Amen? Let’s pray… *