Pastor Stan Mons
Sermon Transcription:
Let’s get into the word today, Church. The title for the message the Lord has given me for you today is do you believe. Do you believe? Let me take you to 2 Corinthians 13:5. Really, the reason, if you will, for the concept of proposing this question to yourself often—it's not a one-time thing. We'll see it in the word. Verse 5 of chapter 13: Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you are disqualified? Do you actually believe? Are you actually a believer in God's opinion? When He looks at you, would He say, "Now that's a believer"? Are you a believer? Do you believe and understand what that really means?
I pray that you have that very clear in your head by the end of this meeting. And I pray that you will become a believer today, that you will choose to believe. And if you realize today that you were already a believer, I just pray that your heart is set on fire, that you're excited, and that your faith is just fanned into flame. As a little fire—any boys in the room? We love to make fire. Especially—I was thinking about that this week. I remember an old man just grabbing me by the neck and pulling me away and rebuking the living daylights out of me for just making this little campfire right next to a big trash can.
Now, thinking back this week, I realized that could have gone really bad. I had no thought in my mind that it was a bad idea to start that fire right under a big metal trash can. But this man, in all these years—you know, the man treated me a little harsh, I thought. But then, thinking on that story, I realized this man saw the potential of where I was heading. And he, in love, treated me harshly and pulled me away and was stern with me because of what my actions could bring about. And he really—he was being very kind and very loving with me. But sometimes we don't really realize that as kids. But as that little fire can turn into a really big problem, a really big flame—that is really what I want to happen in our hearts towards the enemy. The enemy is very worried about the little fire in your heart turning into a big flame.
Because a big fire warms other people. A big fire actually attracts people. A big fire has the ability to clean things out. You know, every precious thing in this world is cleansed by fire. Especially gold. It is put in the fire for so long until the impurities come out. But you don't need a small flame. You need a very hot—you need a very strong flame to be able to do that.
So that is my prayer: that your little—if you already got one—that it will turn into a fan flame today. I want to take you to the book of Isaiah. Isaiah was a prophet in the early time of the Bible. And a prophet was really a preacher. But at that time, the Spirit of God was not given yet to the church, for example, as we see today. And so people didn't know God very well. And they didn't really know what to do. And they didn't hear from God. When they prayed, it felt to everyone like heaven was made out of brass.
They never had a touch of God in their heart. They never experienced the Spirit of the Lord in their life. They didn't have a grace that was always just, you know, putting God on their mind and pulling them towards God, even though they weren't seeking Him. The Holy Spirit does that work now. That didn’t exist back then. So people just did whatever they wanted—all the time, whatever they wanted, when they wanted it, how they wanted it. There was no conviction, no little small voice in the heart that says, But you know that’s not good for you. You know that’s not right. You know that’s going to hurt somebody.
That didn’t exist until the Spirit of God was given into this world the way it was after Jesus died and rose again. But the prophets—they would receive a measure of God’s Spirit so that they would be, if you will, God’s voice in the earth to keep the promise and to keep the expectation alive in the nation and in people’s hearts that God was going to do something extraordinary one day. That’s about all that most people could really understand: God claims He’s going to do something big. God claims He’s going to do something that’s really going to change a lot of lives. But that’s about all they usually understood about it.
Here Isaiah is prophesying during a great time of crisis. It’s a painful time, a difficult time, both for Israel and Judah—they were separate at the time. God’s people really didn’t want to trust God. They said they trusted Him, but a lot of Christians do that today, and they end up hurting a lot of people. The people of God said they trusted God, but what they were actually doing was trusting people and conspiring with people to get their stuff across, to make their will happen, and to bring about what they wanted in the world. The people of God were doing that at this time. When they were in trouble, they’d run to people, not to God. When they faced impossibilities, they’d run first to people, not to God. In doing so, they made great mistakes.
Then Isaiah, after trying to deal with all of that and, if you will, letting people know God’s opinion about it all, begins to give a message of hope to the people who are in so much trouble because of their decisions. They’re in exile. They’ve been taken out of their land, taken away by their enemy, brought to the country of their enemy. They’re stuck. They’re not free. Now Isaiah begins to give a message of hope for their future. Isaiah 59:15–21: "So truth fails, and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey. Then the Lord saw it, and it displeased Him that there was no justice. He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor; therefore His own arm brought salvation for Him, and His own righteousness, it sustained Him. For He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on His head; He put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloak. According to their deeds, accordingly He will repay, fury to His adversaries, recompense to His enemies; the coastlands He will fully repay. So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and His glory from the rising of the sun; when the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him.
"The Redeemer will come to Zion, and to those who turn from transgression in Jacob,” says the Lord. “As for Me,” says the Lord, “this is My covenant with them: My Spirit who is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your descendants, nor from the mouth of your descendants’ descendants,” says the Lord, “from this time and forevermore.” This last verse—the Lord is not speaking to the prophet. This last verse, the prophet is prophesying, giving us an insight into the conversation between God the Father and God the Son. This is what the Father said to the Son: "This is My covenant with them: My Spirit who is upon You, and My words which I have put in Your mouth, shall not depart from Your mouth, nor from the mouth of Your descendants, nor from the mouth of Your descendants’ descendants,” says the Lord, “from this time and forevermore.”
The Father promises that the way the Holy Spirit is going to sustain Jesus Christ, give Him strength to do the Father’s will, and provide the nearness and understanding of the Father’s mind to Jesus—the Father promises, I’m going to do the exact same for those that believe in You. Those that trust—we are going to treat them the exact same. We’re going to treat them like family. That’s what the Father is saying. But Isaiah is telling the people of God in his time: God is going to send a Redeemer.
Remember, this is a time of crisis. The people can relate—they’re in trouble. They’ve had to leave their homes. Some of them have had to leave their families. Some of them are separated from their children, taken to another land to serve a people that are really their enemies.
It’s a picture, if you will, of the person that is still lost in sin, who still doesn’t know Jesus, who still doesn’t know the love of God, and who still feels the weight of sin. If they die tonight, they do not know what is going to happen. They may not even believe in hell, but still, they do not know what is going to happen. And here, the Father says: I’m going to do something so miraculous. I’m going to send a Redeemer. Every price that you paid for your wrongs, everything that you broke with your actions or your words—I’m going to redeem you from those things. I’m going to pluck you out of it. I’m going to pay for those mistakes, and I’m going to give you a life that is not lived according to the wrongs you’ve done. I’m going to give you a life. I’m going to set you free. I’m going to treat you according to My character. I’m going to make you My family.
You’re going to have the benefits of being a part of the family of God. You’re going to have the protection of being part of the family of God. You’re going to have the homecoming celebration of the family of God. That’s what He promises. And then the Word tells us that this has happened—that Jesus has now come. John 1:29 and 36: "The next day John (this is John the Baptist) saw Jesus coming toward him and said, 'Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.' And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, 'Behold the Lamb of God!'"
Isaiah tells us there’s a Redeemer coming who is going to fix the unfixable because that is the Father’s desire for your life. It’s not the Father’s desire that you would burn in hell for every sin. It’s not the Father’s desire that you would have a painful, difficult journey in this life. It’s not the Father’s desire that you would struggle with feeling alone, feeling distant from God, and feeling distant from people—Nobody can relate. Nobody can understand me. That’s not the Father’s heart. The Father says: I’m going to send My Son into your world. He’s going to have pain. He’s going to struggle. He’s going to be able to relate to you. You’ll never feel alone again. And He is going to bring you into redemption. He’s going to be that Lamb. He’s going to be that sacrifice that is going to have to die in your place so that I can give you what I want to give you. I want to treat you like My own family.
Isaiah says He is coming, and John the Baptist says He has now come. The Messiah has arrived.
Do you believe? Mark 16:16:"He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned." In other words, He makes it very clear. Baptism is symbolic. We know that baptism is a picture of us saying: I’m going under the water. I’m leaving my old life behind. I’m coming out of the water. I’m now living for God’s plan. I’m now living for God’s truth, not my own. I’m now living believing in Jesus, not believing in my own strength. I now follow Jesus. That’s what baptism is really symbolic of: I now follow Jesus. And He says: Whoever believes and is baptized and follows Me will be saved. But he who does not believe will be condemned.
He doesn’t say, Whoever is not baptized—You believed. You trusted Me. Oh, well, you forgot to get baptized— that’s not what He said. But He does say: You can be baptized all you want, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. Do you believe? Church, what has God saved you from? So many people I meet in churches, and all I’m left wondering is: Do these people actually believe? Are these people actually saved? See, they tell me they’re saved, and when I ask them, Well, what from? they’re like, Uh, I guess hell. Well, that’s an easy answer.
What did God save you from in this life? What did He do that you could have never done?
If Jesus Christ—His own Spirit—came to live inside of you, surely you’d notice the difference. Surely some things would be changed. Surely you would have some stories of things that you were never able to break free from, and all of a sudden, when God came to live in your heart, these things—He did for you. He saved you from those things. It didn’t take your effort. It didn’t take your help. All it took from you was to be in trouble, and God did all of the saving. What has God saved you from? Do you know what He saved you from? Do you know what Jesus protects you from? Do you know what He set you free from? Can you tell the story, and is it an ongoing story? Is it something that is a relationship?
You are in a relationship with the Savior, and any time you do dumb stuff, He ends up saving you out of it. He ends up redeeming you. He ends up protecting you. He ends up putting you back on your feet. He ends up encouraging you. He ends up dealing with your discouragement. He ends up dealing with your depression. He ends up dealing with your sin. He ends up dealing with your flaws. You don’t really do it. You just bring it all with you, and He is the one that is just doing the saving. Is there a story in the life of the believer? Verse 17 and 18:"And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name, they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents, and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."
Jesus literally tells us: Satan will have no power over these people anymore. These people won’t be intimidated by the devil. As a matter of fact, if they ever notice the devil anywhere in any situation, even torturing a person, they’re going to speak up about it, and the enemy has no power anymore when one of My family members comes around. So when they speak in the name of Jesus, you’re going to see that the enemy has no power anymore. You’re going to see manifested in this world that I already won the battle and that I gave everything I own to you because you are My family. They will speak with new tongues. What does the Bible tell us? We don’t know how to pray, but the Spirit causes us to pray. He prays with utterings we cannot understand. The Bible tells us God is going to help you.
You don’t know how to pray? That’s okay. The Bible says: I know you don’t know how to pray, but God is going to send His Spirit so that He will teach you how to pray. What did Jesus save you from? He saved me from a prayerless life. I couldn’t build my prayer life. I prayed from time to time, but usually, I prayed because I felt guilty. I’d realize I hadn’t prayed for a month, and I’d feel bad and try to pray. It was hard work, and it never really worked very well. Jesus saved me from a prayerless life. He saved me from powerless prayer. He saved me from the “brass heaven,” if you will—the feeling that your prayers just don’t get past the ceiling. If you’ve ever felt like that, you know what I’m talking about.
Jesus saves us from that. He sends His Spirit and teaches us to pray. “They will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them”—what is He saying? Who was the serpent in the beginning? Again, He’s making a reference to the empire of darkness, the enemy, and all his workers. Even when mistakenly you take in poison—maybe you watched a movie you shouldn’t have watched or listened to gossip and accepted it when you really should have shut it down—when you take in poison in your life, Jesus says: You’re going to walk in so much grace that these things won’t ruin you. These things used to ruin you. Do you remember that time when you heard some gossip, and it changed the way you looked at a person? You couldn’t get it out of your head; you couldn’t get it out of your mind.
Jesus says: When you’ve become a believer and I come to live inside of you, you’re going to hear bad stuff—and guess what? Some of it is going to be true. But all that will happen in your heart is this: your heart will go out to that person. You’re going to love them. I’m going to teach you to love people. Your heart is going to be changed. “They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” What did God save you from? Most of you know this—I was part of a church growing up. I was very much not saved. I didn’t know it, but I grew up in church incredibly faithfully. Our church life looked like this: on Wednesdays, we had what we called “Club.” It was for kids. On Sundays, Sunday mornings, we had a service—it always felt too long. Then we’d go home, and in the afternoon, we kids had Sunday school.
Sunday school wasn’t convenient like it is here in Safe House Church. It was very, very tough. You went to church in the morning. From the earliest time I can remember—probably around three or four years old—I was sitting in the pews. They weren’t soft like these. I sat there, waiting through it, trying to be good. I had to be good. Then we’d go home, and in the afternoon, we’d have to go back to the building for Sunday school. After Sunday school, we again had a church service in the evening. We’d show up and sit down again. If I missed five services in my entire journey growing up, I really believe that would be an overstatement. We were always there, faithfully. I was always in church. I was always at Sunday school. My whole childhood and youth were filled with church. I loved youth. I loved the people, the hangouts, and the camps. At some of the camps, there were a few times when God even touched my heart. I loved that God touched my heart. But it didn’t go anywhere. I was touched, but not changed.
I had all of that—Bible study, oh, did I go to a lot of Bible study! I had it all my entire journey growing up. Yet after doing all of it, instead of looking somewhat like the three verses that Jesus gives: "He who believes and is baptized will be saved, but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name, they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents, and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
Instead of that, I loved the devil. I invited him into my life. Pastor, how’d you do that? Lies. I trusted in lies. The Bible tells us that the devil is the father of lies. I wanted the enemy to be my father. I didn’t have to ask him to be my father—I wanted his lies. I wanted to lie.
I trusted that lies kept me safe from rejection. I trusted that lies kept me safe from being exposed. I trusted that lies would keep me safe from being hurt by other people or seen for who I really was and then rejected. I trusted in lies. “And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name, they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues.” Church, I was so deceived. I knew in my deception I was wrong. I was deceived. But if you had asked me, if you had known me, I knew with all my heart that I was wrong. I believed that people who spoke in other tongues were moved by Satan, not by God. I believed it with all my heart, and I knew with all my heart that I was right.
I couldn’t deal with the devil. He set the rules, and I had to play freely or be stuck, depending on how he was moving the strings I was attached to. He set the rules, not me. “They will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them. They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” Church, laying hands on the sick for healing in Jesus’ name was so offensive to me. It could get me so angry that people spoke of these things and did these things. I believed it was of the devil. I would never have a part of it. I knew it with all my heart—all those years of going to church, all those years of attending Christian meetings and Bible studies. Then, in all truth, I came face to face with God’s Word. I came face to face with the test of God’s Word, and in being tested, I came out as the opposite of what God says a believer will be. Nothing was able to change it in my life. More sin didn’t change it. More church didn’t change it. The reason? I did not believe that I was forgiven.
I believed so many things, and I did so many things—some of which I would have said I did for God. But I did not believe that what God has done, He did just for me. I didn’t believe it. I didn’t believe that He did all these things so that I might get away with it—get away with every sin I’ve ever committed—and then have all that He freely gives at the same time. It’s unfair, but that is what my heavenly Father wants. He wants me bathed in grace when I least deserve it. I did not believe that I was forgiven in His eyes. I did not believe that He loved me already. Romans 3:21-26: But now the righteousness of God apart from the law (meaning apart from doing right and wrong and being right by doing right alone) is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, (there we have Isaiah) even the righteousness of God, (not the righteousness of the believer, not the righteousness of the Christian, not the righteousness of the good person) the Bible says the righteousness of God is now showing up. In other words, there was righteousness—people either did right and were righteous, or they did wrong and had no righteousness. The Bible says another kind of righteousness is going to show up on the scene. Remember what Isaiah says: Someone is coming. Remember what John said: He has now arrived.
A righteousness even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance, God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Amen! Give Him glory! Amen!
The Word tells us God is taking, if you will, His family seal—His family identity—and placing it in the lives of people who don’t deserve it. But He has loved these people. He has loved you. He has loved me. And so, He takes His family thing—His righteousness—and gives it to the undeserving. Who does He give it to? To those of faith, those that believe in Jesus Christ.
Church, I did not believe. I believed in God. I honored Him as far as I could. I had a reverence for Him. But I did not believe that the Messiah had already come for me, that redemption had already been purchased for me, that forgiveness had already been given out for me. I did not believe it. I believed it was possible. I believed it was possible only through Jesus. But I did not believe it had already happened and that God had already given all of that to me.
This is the problem with people not entering into that New Covenant we heard about when we took communion. People do not experience God treating them as His own family. They don’t experience God providing for them as His own family, redeeming them, healing them, changing them, loving them as His own family. Why? Because they do not believe that they are fully, perfectly, forever forgiven because of Jesus. That’s why. Spiritual eyes—the eyes of your heart—they don’t open. This is why discouragement stays in people’s lives. This is why sin may disappear for a moment and then show back up, becoming strong again. People don’t believe with all their hearts that God looks at them as if they’ve never done a wrong since they came out of the womb. People don’t believe it.
People don’t believe that God has done everything He said He would do. To be forgiven by the Father means He’ll never bring it up again—not when you do it again. It’s never an “Oh, you did it again” moment for the Father. It’s always a first-time offense. God never says, “Well, this is time number 733 and a half. Now I’m getting a little tired of this. You should’ve learned by now. Why don’t you feel ashamed of yourself?” The Lord doesn’t do that. He’ll never bring it up again—not even when you come to Him with an issue that you remember you’ve made mistakes with before. The Father says, “This is a first time for Me. Why are you coming to Me?” And you say, “Well, I come to You because Jesus died for me on the cross.” The Father says, “No problem then. We’re good.” But Pastor, it can’t be that easy. It wasn’t that easy. It took God coming in the flesh, coming into this world, living your and my life, if you will. Taking on your and my pain.
Taking on your and my sin. Dying a torturous death so that God can now tell you: “No, you come to Me because of Jesus. No problem. Forget about it. I don’t even remember these things.”
He also will not bring it up in judgment. When you stand before Him, to be forgiven by the Father means you’ve already been judged. Jesus died as a sacrifice for your sins. You believed on His holy name, and God says: “That’s good enough for Me. Case closed.” Psalm 103:12: As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. You see, scientifically speaking, you and I can find the most northern place on Earth. We can find the most southern place on Earth. But you can never find the most east or the most west.
You can forever keep going east in this world and never stop—not until the day you die.
You can forever keep going west and never find the end. That is what He is saying right here. The way I remove sins—He’s trying to explain to us what He is doing through Jesus Christ. He says, "The way I remove sins from you is in a way that you will never be able to find them again. No one will be able to reach them. Nobody will be able to find them, bring them up, or ever run into them again. When you are forgiven, I don’t bring it back up." Do you believe that God does not remember one single sin you have ever done when He thinks of you? When you come to mind? When there’s a conversation in heaven and your name is brought up? God does not have a little sting in His heart because of some of the things you’ve done or said. There’s no bad taste in His mouth because of the journey behind you. There’s no heaviness in the heart of God when your name is mentioned in heaven. He doesn’t say, “Well, I know everything about him—it’s been rough.”
There’s no past baggage with God. Just a deep, heartfelt smile on the face of the Father as He speaks of you, saying:"Yes, he’s the apple of My eye.""Yes, she makes My heart rejoice. I dance over her with singing. I can’t contain Myself—I love her so much." That is what happens in the Father’s heart because Jesus gave His life for you. Do you believe that God thinks of you this way? Do you believe that you are forgiven? Let me take you to Romans 10:13:"For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." That whoever includes you. Whoever calls on His name shall be saved. Really? It’s that easy? It cannot be that easy, Pastor! It can be that simple.
Church, there was such a large—what the Bible calls a chasm. It is a valley, a canyon, an impossible gap between you and the Father that could never, in all eternity, be bridged or scaled by any climber. God did all the work to bridge that canyon. He built a bridge so strong, so able, a bridge that will stand the test of time and carry the weight of any sin.
He did all the work. He designed it, built it, and even held the opening ceremony. He paid for it with His blood. He built that bridge so that, if you would just take one step of faith onto it, you would begin to cross the impossible separation that has always been between you and God.
He has paid so much. He has done so much work that all you have left to do is call on Him with all your heart and say: "God, I believe that You have done what the prophet was speaking about. I believe that You have done what John the Baptist was speaking about. I believe that what Your Word reveals is true. I believe You have built this bridge. I believe You have paid this price. I believe You were thinking of me when You paid the price. I believe." "And I’m going to take one step toward You, Lord. I’m going to call out to You. I’m going to start calling out to You because of Jesus."
You see, the murderer on the cross comes to mind. He had never been to church in his entire life. Never sang a hymn. Never sang a worship song. He possibly knew no Scripture—not a Bible verse from the Old Testament, and definitely not from the New Testament. He never went to Sunday school. Never went to a Bible study. Here he is, next to Jesus on the cross. Guilty. Dying a death for his wrongs. And he cries out to Jesus:"Jesus, would You remember me?" And Jesus says, "You will be with Me in paradise." I can just imagine, because of the grace of God, this man moments later showing up in heaven. Angels stand to the side, and some great saints of old are there. They’re a little surprised.
They ask, "What are you doing here? You never went to church. You never showed up. You never believed. I don’t recall you ever praying on your knees in your life." All he could say was, "Jesus said I could come. Jesus said I was welcome here." And that is how simple it is, Church.
The only reason we come to the Father, the only reason we cry out to Him, is because Jesus said we could come. Jesus said someone like us is welcome to come. When that is the only reason you have left for approaching the Father, I promise you, the Word is so clear: You will never be rejected. You’ll never be sent home. You’ll never be disappointed. "For whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." Hallelujah! Colossians 1:13-14 says this:"He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins." Church, this is the truth. This is God’s message. Now.
You may be challenged by the Holy Spirit today because you may not yet believe that this is true for you. He has delivered us. You feel you’re excluded. He has delivered us from the power of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son of His love. If you feel that’s not fully true for you today, it’s because you’re not believing. The invitation the Holy Spirit is giving you today is this: Believe that this has become the truth over you. This is exactly what Jesus did for you. He knew your name. This is what He bought for you. This is what He did for you. He has made you free from darkness.
Will you call out to Him? He has brought you into the kingdom of His Son. He loves you. You have redemption through His blood. In other words, He’ll deal with all the ramifications of your wrongs. He’ll fix some stuff in your life. And you have forgiveness because of His blood—not because you’re a good Christian, not because you’ve been to Bible study, not because of how you pray—because Jesus said you could come. Do you believe? If you would, stand with me for a moment. I believe with all my heart that it’s time to let go of some things—some thoughts you may have about yourself or even about God. Some feelings you may have about sin—the sin you feel gross about or the sin you’ve been giving yourself to, not knowing how to accept what God offers.
Maybe you even like your sin and don’t want to give it up. I’m telling you, God is not offended by you. He knows you. He loves you. And if anyone needs to make a change in your life, He will be the one making the change. He’s not asking you to make the change. He knows you cannot do it. He never asked you to do it. He’s telling you what He has done. And He’s asking: "Would you remember? Would you put on your mind what I have done? Would you give Me all the things you have done and see what happens? See if I’m trustworthy?" It’s time to fully trust and proclaim with all your heart: “I am right with God because of Jesus.” Can you say it? When was the last time you said this?
Think on it for a moment. Are you actually able to say out loud: “I am right with God because of Jesus Christ”? Do you believe in the power of the Cross? Church, if you believe that God has paid for your forgiveness, would you raise your hand today as a declaration? You may not understand it all. You may not know what to do next. But if that is all you believe, I’m here to tell you: God loves you. When you’re alone at home, go on your knees and say: "Father, I’m coming to You because Jesus told me I could come. I’m coming to You because Jesus paid for me. Teach me how to pray. I don’t really know what to say. I don’t really know what to do.” God will make His voice known to you. He’ll begin to speak to your heart. He’ll begin to speak to your mind. And you will know it’s God’s voice when He speaks. You won’t have to guess. It’s nothing strange, nothing weird, nothing mystical. This is the God who made you. You will recognize Him like no one else when He speaks into your life.
He loves you. And it’s His job—God the Holy Spirit’s job—to help you see Jesus more clearly. It’s the Spirit’s job to help you read this Bible and understand it. God is not telling you to become some “great Christian.” Do you believe? "These are the signs that will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons." The enemy will be no match for you because God makes you family. "They will speak with new tongues." God will teach you how to pray. "They will take up serpents, and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them." God will protect you from every device of the enemy, even the ones you mistakenly or accidentally partake in. "They will lay hands on the sick, and the sick will recover." You will no longer be used to hurt people or live a selfish life. God will use someone like you to bless people, to heal people, and to bring hope and joy into places where it didn’t exist before. He loves you. Do you believe? Many of you raised your hands. Can we just give God a shout of glory for reaching out to us first? Amen! Amen! Amen!
Lord Jesus, You’ve been good to me. Ever since the day I finally believed that I was forgiven. Lord, I lived a lifetime of sin and selfishness. I lived a lifetime of destruction and violence. And You sent Your Holy Spirit to convince someone like me that I am forgiven because of the blood of Jesus Christ. Father, would You distribute the power of Your Holy Spirit today? Show hearts and convince hearts that all these things are true for them, despite how bad they may feel they are. Lord, You’ve done it for me. You’ve never asked me for anything but to trust You at Your word. Would You do it for every person here and every person online? Lord, would You wipe away every lie of the devil that says we have to be better, get things out of our lives, or perform for You?
Would You show us the Cross so our hearts may finally see that who we are is forgiven—that we are forgiven? That we may believe? Let Your signs—not our signs—follow Your children. Make it clear who has been brought into Your family. Lord, I thank You for Your good news. I thank You, Lord, that You love us so much. You sent this good news into our lives. You instructed someone to speak it into our hearts. You made a place for us to hear Your good news time and time again. Lord God, You are good to us. Would You receive from us, in our gratitude, a song of worship as we seek to bless You? Yes, Lord, for Your great and wondrous gospel. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Hallelujah! You see, church, let me read to you these two verses again: "And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents, and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover." Please understand the Word. This is not a to-do list that God is trying to shove on you or expect from you. Here’s what you can expect if you believe today that God loves you enough to pay for your sins so that you don’t have to pay for them. If you believe that today, there will be times when, all of a sudden, you’re in your room or driving in your car, and you begin to sense something. You’re going to start seeing more clearly.
You might think: I think the devil’s trying to mess with me. You were doing fine, but then, out of nowhere, you’re hit with thoughts of depression or a feeling of heaviness. In that moment, God’s Spirit will place a small thought in your mind: Could this be the devil? You’ll be challenged to take that little step of faith and call out to Jesus. Say, “Lord, I rebuke the devil in Your name. Remove the devil off of my life. You have no room here anymore. You’re not allowed to work in my mind anymore.” The Spirit of God is going to teach you who you are now that you’ve been made part of God’s family. Being part of God Almighty’s family comes with incredible privileges and benefits. He sends His Spirit to teach you how to live in this new family.
You can expect that Spirit to show up in moments when you haven’t yet learned how to walk fully in those benefits. He’ll show up. He’ll give you small, clear thoughts—thoughts you might recognize as something new. They’ll be small invitations to take small steps of faith and call out to Jesus in your situation.
Watch Him save you from that thing. Watch Him save you from the enemy. Watch Him save you from not knowing how to pray. There will be still, small thoughts in your heart to pray randomly throughout the day. That’s the Holy Spirit saying: “Would you take a little step of faith? Jesus has already bridged the gap. I know you can’t do it on your own. Call out to Him, and I will begin to teach you to pray. I will make you into a man or woman of prayer.” When you realize halfway through a movie or a song that it’s trying to plant poisonous words into your heart, that realization—that awareness—is the Holy Spirit waking you up. He’s saying: “Right here, right now, is where Jesus can make a difference. Would you call out to Him?”
Watch what He will do. He can remove the desire for fleshly things in a moment if you cry out to Him. He gives you new desires. He gives you His desires. He gives you His love for people.
When they mess up your order at Starbucks, and your first thoughts aren’t loving, that might be a moment when the Holy Spirit whispers: “Would you call out to Me right now? Watch how I will save you from this. Watch how I will pour love into your heart where there wasn’t any before.”
This is not a to-do list. This is a list of what you can expect. God is going to teach you that you are no longer a vessel that can be abused by the devil. You’re no longer someone who hurts others. God is teaching you your new family identity. The enemy has no power over you. God will begin to use you to bring blessing and goodness into people’s lives. If you believe in Him, you can expect the Holy Spirit to put things on your mind. When He does, call out to Jesus. Call out to Him, and you will see Him do for you what you’ve never been able to do for yourself.
Lord, we bless You today. We thank You, Lord God, for Your simple gospel. You’ve sent us good news from Heaven. You’re not offended by our situation, our sins, or our failures. You’ve sent us the news that You want to make us part of Your family. You want to deliver us. You want to set us free from the things that hurt us and others. You set us free from poison. You set us free from hurting others. You turn us into Your own family—a people able to heal, love, serve, and bless, even those who may be against us. Lord God, by Your power, You make us part of Your family. We want to say thank You today, Lord God, for loving us so extravagantly. You are good and worthy of all praise, and we bless You. In Jesus’ name, Amen. Amen! Let’s give the Lord a hand clap! Amen!
-Pastor Stan Mons