Ephesians: When the Gospel Story Meets Our Story - Pastor Jenna Morris

Thank you for listening to this message from

Lifehouse Church. God's good. It is so good to

have my daughter Jenna here. For those of you

who don't know, might be a little bit newer,

we were on staff together here at Lifehouse,

well, way back actually since the beginning,

since we planted the church, but really eight

years we spent together. She put up with me for

eight long years. I've put up with you my whole

life. This is true. Much longer than eight years.

So I'm celebrating today, but I'm so glad to

have her here. She's bringing the word. She's

a credentialed minister and God has gifted her

in so many ways and so many fashions. And my

mind was racing a hundred mile an hour about

all the things that we've walked through together

over the years. But I'm glad she got the whole

way back from Atlanta and got the opportunity

to be here and just to bring the word of God

to you today. So if you would just give her a

hand this morning and thank you. Good morning.

How's everyone doing? It is so good to be here.

This is my first time, well, my second time in

this building, but I love this space. What an

answer to prayer. There's so much more room for

more of you. This is so good. But we are so glad

to be here. So if you haven't met me, my name's

Jenna. I hope I get the chance to meet you today.

My husband, Brad, is the bald guy on the front

row there. Wave. He loves when I'm pointing him

out. And then our two little girls, Maisie and

Mia, you probably saw them running around in

pink somewhere, are here with us. And we're just

glad to be back with our church family at LifeHouse

and just spend time with our family this week.

We're grateful. For those of you that don't know,

we, for about a year, a little over a year, we've

been in Atlanta, Georgia. The Lord... called

us to move and be a part of what's happening

at Passion City Church in Atlanta. And it has

been nothing short of incredible over this last

year. We've had challenges, we've had lots of

growth, lots of amazing things, but God has been

so faithful. And so I just wanna say thank you

to those of you that sent us off in prayer and

continued to pray and are still praying and reaching

out. God is moving. all over the world. He's

moving in Atlanta. He's moving in Carlisle. And

it's just a, it's a joy to be a part of it. So

glad to be here. Go ahead and grab your Bible.

If you brought your Bible with you today, go

ahead and grab it. We're going to be, which I

love this. God was already moving before we got

here. We're going to be in Ephesians, just like

Beth started us off so beautifully this morning.

So if you just want to get ready, we're going

to spend a lot of time in Ephesians two through

five. So, so that you're ready to jump in, it'll

be on the screens or you can follow along as

we read in Ephesians. While you're turning there,

I wanna give you just a little bit of context.

How many know it can be helpful to have some

context around the scripture that you're reading?

So if you're not familiar with the book of Ephesians,

it's a pretty small book. It's about six chapters,

more like a letter. So it was written by the

apostle Paul, who was a church planner. He planted

some of the very first churches. And Paul's kind

of rhythm with church planning was he would come

to a place that the Lord was calling him to.

He would plant a church. get them set, get everything

started and rolling. And then he would move on

to the next place that God was calling him to.

And the way that he would continue to mentor

over time, pour in and encourage and correct

these churches were through letters. And so that's

actually what makes up a lot of the New Testament

are the letters that Paul's writing back to these

churches that he's mentored. So that's exactly

what's happening here in Ephesians. In fact,

this letter in Ephesians that we're reading today

is about eight, to 10 years after Paul was physically

there with the church of Ephesus, getting them

started, getting them just established as a church.

And when Paul is writing this, he is in prison.

So that's a really interesting perspective to

just keep reminding yourself of as we're reading

this. He is writing everything he says in Ephesians

from the Roman prison. So say there if you're

there. Are you in Ephesians? All right, good

stuff. We're going to read in Ephesians 2. We're

gonna start in verse four. But because of his

great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy,

amen, we just sang about it, made us alive in

Christ, even when we were dead in transgressions.

It is by grace you have been saved. And God raised

us up with Christ and seated us with him in the

heavenly realms in Christ Jesus. In order that

in the coming ages, he might show the incomparable

riches of his grace expressed in his kindness

to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace that

you have been saved. Through faith, it is not

of yourselves. It is a gift of God, not by works

so that no one can boast. I love that we started

off this morning and we're coming back to be

reminded God who is rich in mercy. has made us

alive in Christ. This is exactly what happens.

So when Paul was writing this letter to the church

of Ephesians, he essentially broke Ephesians

down into two major themes. And the first...

half of Ephesians was Paul reminding the church

of the gospel. So he reminded them, hey, it's

been eight to 10 years since I've been here and

we've started this thing, but don't ever forget

for one second the power of the gospel and what

God has done for you and what he's pulled you

from. And then the second half of Ephesians is

all about how that intersects with our life.

So that's what we're gonna talk about today.

What happens when the gospel story meets our

story? And so you see, we just read that exactly

what happens when the gospel story meets our

story. We're made alive. We sing about it, right?

We rejoice. Did you rejoice this morning? We

are made alive. We go from death to life. So

Paul's words weren't just for the church of Ephesus.

They're every bit as relevant to you and me to

be reminded. Because when we were raised, to

life in Christ, we weren't just, before Christ

came into our life, we weren't just bad, right?

We weren't just bad people who needed to be turned

good. We were dead, spiritually dead, lost in

darkness, hopeless. And Christ came in and made

us alive. That is something to celebrate. And

Paul's saying, don't forget it, guys. It's been

eight to 10 years, but don't forget, Christ has

made you alive. And what does that look like

in your life, right? And the beauty of all of

it too, he reminds them, is that it's nothing

you did. This wasn't because you did anything.

This wasn't because you deserve it, right? Can

a dead person earn anything? Can a dead person

do anything? No, right? This was a gift freely

given. From Jesus. And so Paul's reminding them,

and I want to remind us this morning, that we're

alive and that is something to celebrate. We

have a gift that was freely given and we got

to walk away from darkness and walk towards light.

That's something to celebrate. A few months ago,

our pastor at Passion City in Atlanta, he shared

this powerful story with us about a girl who

had an encounter where she came face to face

with death. And I want to share this story with

you. I'm going to read. I'm going to read you

her story. On a bright June day in 2024, 15 -year

-old Lulu Gribbon was swimming off Seacrest Beach

in Florida. What started as a normal, carefree

day turned into a moment of sheer terror when

a shark suddenly attacked her in the water. In

those critical moments, Lulu suffered severe

injuries, losing part of her left arm and part

of her right leg. It was a life -threatening

situation that could have ended in tragedy. But

then, a bystander on the beach, just an ordinary

man, a father, who happened to be there with

his kids, saw what was happening. Without a moment's

hesitation, he rushed into the waves. He fought

off the shark and pulled Lulu to safety, carrying

her back to shore. His quick and selfless action

was the difference between life and death for

Lulu. I think we have pictures of Lulu. Actually,

I don't know if you've heard Lulu's story, but

she kind of went viral on Instagram for just

this incredible rescue. This is Lulu after her

accident. I think we've got some pictures of

her after her accident. And the third picture

that we have is actually her and Stephen, the

man who rescued her, the father that was at the

beach that day that rescued her. They got to

reunite. a little while after the accident and

just celebrate the rescue of what happened. Can

you just imagine as I was hearing this story

and I was thinking about being in Lulu's position,

can you imagine? Has anybody endured a shark?

Maybe somebody has in here. Has anybody endured

a shark attack? You wouldn't have. Okay, so none

of us have. So just imagine it with me for just

a moment. Just imagine being in her position.

You're swimming in the ocean. It's a beautiful

day. You're having a great time relaxing on vacation.

And then all of a sudden, the worst fear, the

absolute worst possible thing happens. And you're

all of a sudden faced with death, right? Face

to face. Can you imagine just being locked? I

can only imagine how hard she was fighting to

get loose from the grip of that shark. She was

probably fighting and fighting, and then she

started seeing blood, and then she probably got

really hopeless. She probably started thinking,

you know what? This could be the end for me.

And then all of a sudden, out of nowhere, a father

comes and pulls her, fights off a shark, fights

the fins of the shark, pushes the shark off of

her, and literally pulls her from the mouth of

the shark. Can you just imagine? Can you imagine

what was happening in the water that day? Can

you imagine being Lulu? Lulu's story is my story.

Lulu's story is your story. Lulu's story is our

story. Friends, we were drowning. We were in

the mouth of the shark. Before Christ came into

our lives, we were in the death grip of darkness

and devastation. And Christ just reached out

and he pulled us from the mouth of darkness.

That is us. That is the gospel. It never gets

old, right? It never gets old. It's new. It's

exciting. I don't know about you, but I wanna

wake up every day and I just wanna be in awe.

I don't ever wanna, and do I? No, but I want

to. I wanna strive every morning to wake up and

just be in awe. Thank you, God. Thank you every

single day. that I was headed to death and you

just pulled me out. I can imagine Lulu every

day is probably grateful. Probably at one point

in her day, she gets faced with a reminder of

how she was saved, a reminder of how her life

could have been over and ended. But because somebody

saved her, she was rescued and the trajectory

of her life was changed. And that's exactly what

Christ did for you and me. After Paul beautifully

sets up this reminder in the beginning of Ephesians,

he continues to go on through Ephesians 4 and

Ephesians 5, and he really explains what it looks

like to live in response to the gospel. So now

we're reminded, we know, we understand this beautiful

thing that God's done for us. How does it affect

our lives? And so he really lays it out. So we're

going to jump back. If you still have your Bible

open, we're going to jump back into Ephesians

4, and we're going to start in verse 1. As a

prisoner of the Lord, so remember Paul's in prison

when he's writing this. As a prisoner of the

Lord, then I urge you to live a life worthy of

the calling you have received. Be completely

humble and gentle. Be patient, bearing with one

another in love. Make every effort to keep the

unity of the spirit through the bond of peace.

Then jumping all the way down to verse 21, Paul

really starts to lay out what it looks like to

reflect the gospel. Verse 21, when you heard

about Christ, you were taught in him in accordance

with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught

with regard to your former way of life, put off

your old self, which is being corrupted by its

deceitful desires and to be made. new in the

attitude of your minds and to put on the new

self created to be like God in true righteousness

and holiness. He goes on to explain, therefore,

each of you must put off falsehood and speak

truthfully to your neighbor for we're all members

of one body and in your anger, do not sin. Do

not let the sun go down while you're still angry.

And do not give the devil a foothold. He continues

to instruct them. Anyone who has been stealing

must steal no longer, but must work. Do something

useful with their hands that they might have

something to share with those in need. Do not

let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths,

but only for what is helpful for building up

others according to their needs. And do not grieve

the Holy Spirit of God with whom you were sealed

for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness,

rage, anger, brawling, and slander, along with

every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate

to one another, forgiving each other just as

in Christ God forgave you. Paul is urging the

church, let your life be a beautiful reflection

of what God has done for you. Don't ever forget

it and then let your life reflect it in every

moment. He lays out all through that passage

some ways that we can reflect Christ. And he

continues on. We're going to take a closer look

in Ephesians 5 in just a second. A closer look

at some of those parallels. Paul literally makes

almost like a chart in just a minute. We'll look

at that. where he parallels what it looks like

before Christ and then what it looks like after

Christ. But I think if we're not careful, I think

we can look at this passage and maybe even in

a minute when we look at those charts, I think

we can look at those parallels that Paul makes

and we can almost see a lot of rules and regulations,

right? Sometimes we can see that. when we look

at scripture. But that's why I love Paul's intention

here. He starts the entire book off reminding

us of the good news of the gospel. This isn't

rules and regulations, right? This is a story

of rescue. And this is what it looks like to

reflect the gratefulness of what God has done

for us. You know, he also, even in the second

part of Ephesians, he weaves all through, when

it's primarily instruction like we just read,

he still weaves through the reminders of what

Christ did, his sacrifice, and his love for us.

You know, when we fix our hearts and our minds

on the gospel, our only appropriate response

becomes to desire everything of Jesus. You know,

it kind of becomes like a lot less of I can't,

or we shouldn't, or we won't, and more of there

is nothing I desire more in this world than to

align my life with Jesus in every way. You know

what that reminds me of? Any parents in the room,

especially parents of little kids, but parents,

yes. It reminds me of when Brad and I became

parents, right? So before kids, we didn't realize

it at the time. We certainly do now. We didn't

realize it at the time, but we had so much time

before kids, right? There was so much time. It

was just endless. There was time after time after

time. Before kids, I was thinking about this,

you know, we used to be able to just be like,

hey, let's just go somewhere. And then we just.

Went somewhere. Like we just got in the car and

we just left and we just went to that place and

there was no planning and there was no, we just

went, right? Before kids, we could plan a vacation.

We could plan a trip and we could pack up like

maybe a bag, maybe like a bag and a backpack,

get in the car and go. Now, after kids, our entire

house goes into the Subaru, like the whole thing.

And then as if that's not enough, we've got this

big like black. box that goes on the top, and

it's full of snacks, like just millions of snacks.

Because before kids, we did not need snacks.

We need so many snacks, right? Before kids, this

is the last one. Before kids, I was reminded

of this this morning, actually, right when we

walked in here. Before kids, I used to be able

to go to the bathroom completely alone, like

just by myself. It was just me, right? There

was a lot of things that I could do before kids

that were convenient. I liked them. They were

nice, right? But it didn't take long when Brad

and I became parents, it didn't take long for

those things to feel so much less valuable in

comparison to this new life with our amazing

kids, right? Right, because before kids, I never

knew what it was to look at someone or to know

someone was coming into existence and fall immediately

and unconditionally in love with them. Now I

fell in love with Brad deeply over time, but

to immediately, I just, I had to make sure over

time, right? It was quick, it was quick, but

it wasn't immediate, right, right? Before kids,

I didn't know what immediate unconditional love

was. The moment that I found out there was a

being inside of me, mamas, you know this, unconditional,

the moment you find out you're gonna be a parent.

Unconditional, it's like nothing you can explain.

It's unreal, right? Before I was a parent, before

kids, I didn't know how much joy would just come

from the smallest things, right? How much joy

would come from pointing them to Jesus? How much

joy would come the first time that you hear that

little crackly voice just whisper a prayer or

say the name Jesus? I didn't know how much joy

would come from little handprints that are just.

whether they're made of paint or dirt, all over

the house, right? I didn't know the joy that

would come from a hug from behind that almost

knocks you over or a little whisper of, I love

you, mommy, at night. It became my joy to step

into my new life with my kids and leave my old

life behind. It became my joy to love and serve

my kids, to teach them and walk with them. When

we live in response to the gospel, it becomes

our joy to set aside the old life, to set aside

the things that were all about us. It becomes

our joy to set those aside and walk in our new

life with Jesus. Say it with me, out with the

old, in with the new. Say it. Out with the old,

in with the new. It's a joy to walk in this new

life. And Paul instructs in chapter four that

the believer is to take off. the old self that's

being corrupted by deceitful desires and put

on the new self created to be like God in true

righteousness and holiness. And here's where

we jump into those charts that Paul literally

lays out for us. And I just wanted to share a

couple of the examples that Paul shares in chapter

five. He really lays it out. It's literally like

a chart. Yeah, we have it up there. On one side,

there's all of these things that our old self

takes off and that our new self walks in, right?

Our old self takes off lies and anger. Our new

self in Christ puts on truth and peace. Our old

self takes off theft and revenge and puts on

generosity and forgiveness. Our old self takes

off gossip and foolish talk. Our new self walks

in encouragement and thanksgiving. And I can

imagine for a lot of us, this list goes on and

on. There's more and more. Maybe for you, your

old self was gripped by fear and anxiety. And

then Jesus came into your life and now you walk

by faith and you're rooted in peace. Maybe our

old self was bound to idols, but now in Christ,

we put him above everything else. Maybe our old

self was walking with pride. and selfishness.

But now our new self puts on humility and we

love people well, right? Everything in Christ

is made new. And it might look different for

you. Fill in the blank. We were all walking in

some kind of darkness before Christ and he's

made us new. Raise your hand. Anybody in the

room ever have a new car? Anybody? Okay. So a

good bit of you know, if not, you can just imagine.

Think about that moment that you had a brand

new car, right? And I'm not talking new to you,

which absolutely, that's amazing. I'm talking

brand new, has a new car smell, like that new

kind of car. You have that new car, you get in

the car. You're feeling on top of the world,

right? You get your shades out. You put the window

down. You crank the music. You are checking out

all the controls. You're like realizing you at

your seat not only gets hot, but it gets cold.

Your steering wheel gets hot. Like there's all

the cool things, right? It's exciting. It's new.

You're feeling on top of the world. And then

if you're anything like me, not if you're a car

person, but if you're anything like me, maybe

four or five months goes by and all of a sudden

it doesn't really smell like a new car anymore.

All of a sudden there's like, wrappers and water

bottles on the ground. I know this is not you,

Brad. Stop looking at me like that. He's very

clean with his car. But for me, you know, it

just, it ends up like kids are throwing backpacks

and bags and toys and all of the sudden over

time, it just becomes this means of transportation.

right? All of a sudden, this thing that was so

new and so exciting, it's just getting me from

place to place. It wears off, right? Or maybe

this one is really me. I had to put the car one

in there, but this is really me. Brad tells me

that I have a little bit of a problem with water

bottles. I don't know if you can relate, but

I feel that if you buy a new water bottle every

month, you will in fact drink more water. I tend

to do that, right? You get a new water bottle.

It's exciting, right? We should be drinking so

much water. So to do that, we get a new water

bottle. It's the perfect one, right? Like if

it fits perfectly in your hand, it doesn't get

stuck in the cup holder, clear straw, so no surprises.

Like it is, it's the perfect water bottle. It's

so exciting. And for like a full week, your water

intake is perfect, right? You are doing good.

Like, and then maybe a week, a week and a half,

two weeks goes by. maybe three weeks if you're

lucky, and that water bottle is on the top shelf

behind all of the other water bottles and all

of the other cups, right? It wears off or it

breaks. That happens to me. It breaks. It wears

off. The newness and the excitement wears off.

Can I tell you something? Christ, our life with

Christ, the gospel is new every day. day it doesn't

wear off the gospel doesn't get put to the back

shelf of the cabinet the goodness and the newness

and the mercy and the forgiveness and the grace

of the gospel does not lose its new car smell

it is fresh and it is new and the scripture reminds

us all throughout scripture we're reminded we

can see this i want to share quickly a couple

with you in second corinthians it says therefore

we do not lose heart though outwardly we are

wasting away yet inwardly we are being renewed

day Colossians says, Lamentations says, Romans

says, do not conform to the patterns of this

world, but be transformed by the what? The renewing

of your mind. Then you will be able to test and

approve what God's will is, his good, pleasing

and perfect will. Wouldn't it be beautiful if

the longer we were walking with Jesus, the more

we looked like him? Think about that for a minute.

If we're being honest, maybe some of us who have

been walking with Christ for a long time, if

we're being honest on the weekends, maybe we're

still sitting around with friends and we're still

in that gossip circle, right? We're sitting around

with our friends and we're still just engaging

in every bit of that conversation about other

people. Or maybe some of us have been walking

with Christ for a long time, but we have... We're

still that sarcastic person that we were before.

And we end up tearing down more people than we're

lifting up, right? If we're honest, like, let's

be honest. Let's not just say, yeah, I'm new

and I never do that stuff anymore. Let's be honest.

Take a real look inside. The gospel is not meant

to be relevant only on the day that you place

your faith in Christ. The gospel is meant to

be relevant every moment of every day. It's pertinent.

It's not just the good news that we share and

hope somebody puts their faith in Jesus. It is

the message of our lives as Christ followers.

It is the lens that we should see everything

through. It is the lens we should make decisions

through. It is the lens we should conversate

through. It's the lens that we live our lives

through. Now, I don't know about you, but I want

to look in the mirror every morning and see just

a little bit more of Jesus. Are you with me?

When the gospel story meets our story, everything

changes. We go from death to life. We live in

response to that good news and to the freedom

and the grace that's been extended to us. And

then we walk in our new life that's rooted in

God. One of the very first friends that I met

in Atlanta that Brad and I met actually was a

friend named Sarah and her husband Bryson. They

were the very first people before we even moved

to Atlanta that we connected with. And Sarah

and Bryson. are just this amazing couple who

love the Lord. They made our transition to moving

to Atlanta so smooth. They welcomed us into Passion

City Church. And Sarah in particular has just

become a dear friend to me. Sarah is somebody

who exudes the love of Jesus. She's that person

that opens the door and you're meeting her for

the very first time. And it's like you've known

each other your whole lives and it's Christmas

and she welcomes you in. That kind of joy exudes

from her. incredible person. And she has an amazing

story of what God has done in her life. And so

I want to share my friend Sarah's story with

you this morning. So if you just turn your attention

to the screens, you can see what God has done

in Sarah's life. Honestly, the majority of my

childhood before 18 is loneliness. Always felt

lonely. I felt like no one was for me. My parents

divorced when I was 11. There was abuse within

our family and it was just dark. It was a dark

place. I started having anxiety attacks and depression

by the time I was 16. I mean, I turned to alcohol

early. I turned to partying early. And when I

went down that path in middle school and high

school, it was just darker and deeper. I sat

in that loneliness, and it just became home.

And so a week before I graduated high school,

I had gone to the church. And I remember that

youth pastor, Reed Hughes, talking to me about

Jesus. And so I talked to him about my feelings

and everything I was struggling with. And he

led me to the Lord, May 10, 1987. And I knew

then that I was making a 180 -degree turn. I

knew that night. So I grew up in a pretty violent

household that had a lot of alcoholism in it.

It was a very lonely home because they were so

busy fighting that I just didn't really matter.

And they fought on and off until I was 16. And

my dad finally got arrested and he got pulled

out of the home. And at that point, my mom transitioned

into being an abuser. One night when I was 16,

my mom's dog. bit me because my mom and I were

fighting we got him off and I was laying in the

yard bleeding waiting for the ambulance to come

in she came out there and told me that she hated

me and she would rather keep the dog and that's

when I decided to leave so when I moved out I

started living with a boyfriend and it just started

this whole trajectory of just bouncing from relationship

to relationship I would just define myself by

whatever that they would say about me and however

long I could hold a relationship but I didn't

have any worth, and I didn't have anybody telling

me I was worth anything. So I was just empty.

I spent a season in my early 20s in church, and

through that I met some people and just ran into

some situations with them where I was really

in need, and they kind of turned me away and

almost shamed me. Because I had had those interactions,

it was really easy for me from that to then just

generalize that Christians were hypocrites. But

yeah, they just didn't seem like they at all

cared. They only seemed like they cared about

themselves. I mean, when you already believe

that you're worthless, and then you go to a place

that's supposed to tell you that you're worth

something, and the people don't. It really only

dug that hole deeper for me. So in 2014, I started

going back to college at the University of North

Georgia for science. And through science, I just

felt totally empowered. I could understand the

concepts like it was nothing. It was easy for

me. It came natural to me. And it was the first

time I really felt like I had worth because I...

I felt smart, and nobody had ever told me I was

smart or capable my whole life. And so as I learned

about science, man, just the rage against Christians

was just fueled in me. Christians are hypocritical,

and they're repressive. It was just like normal

to just slam Christianity. And I was in this

class called The Mechanisms of Disease. There

we're talking about white blood cells and the

way that your body knows the specific type of

infection. that it needs to respond to, whether

it's a parasite or a pathogen. And it's super

specific, and it's very intricate. And I just

had this moment when I thought, oh no, oh no,

oh no. You can't tell me that billions of years

of chance have gotten us here. I think it's from

a higher power. And in that moment, it was just

full -on panic, because everything that I thought

I knew about... Christianity and God and science,

it just all collided and I had just shattered

my identity again. In the same semester, I was

teaching organic chemistry and there is another

TA with me teaching organic chemistry. And it

just grew this really sarcastic friendship. And

over time, I started to realize that he wasn't

just like this sarcastic man. He was actually

really gentle and kind and steady. And then I

realized that he was a Christian. And I was like,

oh, no. I was really diving deep into young adults

at Passion City Church, and I was just really

trying to focus on my faith with God at that

point. Along that same timeline, it was down

in my basement with my mom and my sister. We

were watching a show, and then after the show

ended, I kind of just turned around, and I was

like... Hey, I'm dating this girl that is like

six years older than me, and she's not a Christian,

and I'm just confused. And I kind of had this

sense and feeling that I needed to try to step

in and talk to Janelle. I really had this expectation

that she was going to reject me or not think

that I was good enough for her son, just based

on what I had learned from other Christians,

feeling like I had no worth or value. And it

was not that way at all. She accepted me wholeheartedly,

and she... made me feel and know that I had value.

And that was easy for me to say because I had

come from that broken place. I was that broken

girl. And I'm like, this may be her one chance

to see grace, to see love like she's never experienced

before. And I had had that. And she was accepting

and she was kind. You could just tell that she

was generous, and I don't mean financially. I

mean with her time and with her love and with

her space. And she sat with me in those hard

conversations a lot because I still was pretty

unsure about Christians and what it meant to

be a Christian. I had a lot of questions, and

I had done a lot of things that I didn't think

allowed me to be a Christian. I thought I was

kind of disqualified at this point. And she modeled

that idea that, like, you can never be too far

gone for God's love. It's just amazing to see

both of my parents, specifically my mom, just

be loving and graceful and gentle towards Sarah.

And she was just such a gift of generosity in

that for me. I just started attending Passion

to see where my relationship with God could go.

And every time I saw her at church, she was becoming

someone different. And then in 2017, Janelle

invited me to Passion Conference for the first

time. Jesus was already working in her life in

turning her heart toward him. And at the very

end, it was the year that Sean debuted Worthy

of Your Name. I remember the purple cross and

just closing my eyes and just having this full

revelation of how beautiful God was. She starts

worshiping with such abandon, tears flowing down

her face. And just listening to when Sean is

singing, you're my author, you're my maker. You

know, my Redeemer, all of those things, and thinking,

oh, like, you really are that for me. She said,

and it was literally like a veil was lifted in

that moment. And the beauty of Jesus that had

never been there before. And I was like, that's

it. And that moment at Passion Conference, that

was really the liftoff for me. That really pushed

me forward into a wholehearted pursuit of Jesus.

That is what happens when the gospel story meets

our story. I don't know where you're at this

morning. I know some of you. I don't know a lot

of you. And I don't know where you walked in

today. I don't know if you're finding yourself

more like maybe Janelle. Maybe you've been walking

with the Lord for a long time. And this morning,

you need reminded of the goodness and the mercy

and the grace. How easy it can be for us to just

get used to life, right? We can just move on

with our days and life gets busy and it can be

so easy to just downplay the goodness and the

power that the gospel has in our life every single

day. Maybe for you, maybe you've been walking

with the Lord for a long time and you have just

got comfortable, right? You just got comfortable.

If you're being honest, if you look maybe over

the last year or the last two years, Not a whole

lot has changed. You know, you've got, you hit

that age where everything's going good and not

a lot has changed. And if you're honest, you're

not seeing the fruit that comes from continually

walking and growing with Jesus. And in a moment,

we're going to pray if you guys want to begin

to play. I just want to encourage you to reflect.

Take this next few minutes. We're going to sing

and we're going to worship together in a moment.

But I just want to encourage you, would you just

take these next few moments and just reflect.

Look at your life and be honest. If you've been

walking with the Lord for any amount of time,

years, like Janelle, or maybe a few years, or

maybe even a year. Are you seeing a difference

from the moment you said yes to where you are

now? Are you seeing fruit? Are you seeing growth?

There is so much goodness that comes from walking

with Jesus. Maybe this morning you're like, no,

I can actually do really a lot more with Sarah.

Maybe this morning you're coming from a place

of darkness. Maybe you have, like Sarah, experienced

brutal. abuse and difficulties and challenges

and struggles your whole life. Or maybe it's

a season you've just walked into and things are

hard and they're tough. And maybe you haven't

officially made the decision. Maybe you're hesitant

like Sarah and you haven't made the decision

to put your faith in Christ. Can I just urge

you this morning? There is no better decision

that you will make in your life than to turn

it over to Jesus. There is no place on this earth

or in your own will that you can find the peace

and the joy and the freedom and the growth that

comes from a life with Jesus. And so I could

not leave this place this morning without giving

you the opportunity. If you cannot say, you know

what? I don't think I've ever actually confessed

my faith in Jesus. I don't think that I've put

it or I've been hesitant, but I feel this pulling

and I want to walk away from it. I don't wanna

be stuck in the jaws. death. I want to walk in

the freedom. I want to walk in newness. I want

to be made new. That can happen this morning.

We're going to pray in a minute, and it's not

a magical prayer. The power comes from you making

the decision to walk away from your old life

and to step into this newness of God. Your life

will never be the same. And there is a church

full of people and a staff team here that is

just... eagerly waiting to walk beside you to

show you what it looks like to open the bible

to show you what it looks like to actually get

something from scripture and and see god in every

part of scripture and understand what it's saying

there's there's an entire team waiting to pray

for you and teach you how to get on your knees

and pray living for jesus isn't a magic pill

it doesn't make everything better immediately

but i can tell you it is a hope that you will

find in no other place And it is life -changing.

I'm gonna ask you if you would stand with me

this morning. And we're gonna pray and for privacy

of others. And just so we can focus, would you

just bow your heads with me? And as I talk and

as I pray, and even in a minute as I sing, can

you just block everything out? Every distraction

from the morning, every distraction that's beside

you, every just thought that's going on of what's

happening up in the week. Would you just lay

it right now at the feet of Jesus? When you take

a moment of inventory, if you were in that first

group and you've been walking with the Lord for

a while, take a look. What has the fruit been

like? When's the last time you were in awe, on

your knees, just praising him for saving you

from death? And if you're in that second group

this morning with every eye closed this morning,

I just wanna ask you, would you take a step of

boldness? If that's you this morning and you

wanna say, you know what? I'm done living in

the darkness. I'm done having no hope. I want

to put my faith in Jesus. Would you just raise

your hand this morning? Because I wanna pray

with you and I wanna encourage you this morning

that there is so much more in a life with Jesus.

So I'm gonna give you just a moment. I wholeheartedly

believe that someone is sitting here this morning

and you related so much to what Sarah said. And

I can tell you, Sarah is full of life and is

life easy for her? No, but she's full of life

and hope and joy. Her life drastically changed

coming to know Jesus. I wanna give you just one

more moment. Is there anyone this morning that

wants to be bold, raise your hand and say, I

want that freedom. I wanna walk like Sarah. I

wanna walk in the freedom of Jesus. Thank you,

Jesus. Thank you, Lord. I'm gonna pray over us.

Father, I thank you. Thank you for those that

just rose their hands. God, thank you that in

this very moment, as I speak, you are changing

lives. God, I thank you that you have rescued

us. God, that you cared so deeply about every

single person. God, that you sent your son to

die a brutal death. God, so that we could live

in freedom and hope with you. And God, I just

pray for those that just rose their hands so

boldly to put their faith in you. God, I just

pray right now that they would have a moment

between you and them. God, where they would confess

and say, Lord, you are my Lord and I believe

and I trust in you. Lord, I pray that in this

moment they would confess their sin. And they

would lay it at your feet and they would walk

away from their sin. God, they would walk away

from their old life and turn and walk toward

you, Lord. That is how we come to salvation in

you. And I thank you, Jesus, that it is attainable

to us right in this moment. I thank you, Father.

I thank you for your freedom. I thank you for

your goodness. God, I thank you for LifeHouse

and a body of believers who is so rooted in your

word. God, who desires to come up beside one

another and walk with one another and point each

other to your word and to your freedom in you,

Lord, to growth in you, to the things of your

word and who you are, God. I thank you, Jesus.

I thank you for a new life in you. God, I thank

you for pillars that are standing in this church

that have been walking with you for years and

years. God, I pray that they would leave this

room this morning strengthened. Lord, I pray

that they would leave this room this morning

humbled. Lord, just brought back to that moment

when they put their faith in you, God, and in

the all that they stood in, God, that you, a

God of the universe, would look at a sinful,

messy person like me. And you would choose to

sacrifice and save me and then continue to grow

me and walk with me and be in relationship with

me. God, bring us back to being in all of who

you are and what you've done for us. Father,

we love you and we worship you and it is only

in your name, God, that we seal all of these

things. God, yes and amen. Thank you, Jesus.

to this message from Lifehouse Church. We pray

that you were impacted powerfully by this message.

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