828 Church

Purpose - the reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists.

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:10 ESV

Only God knows and has the authority to say who we are and why we exist.

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11 ESV

Without a sense of transcendent purpose and a commitment to it, even the best plans will leave you lost at sea.
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Calling

I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called. Ephesians 4:1 ESV

A sense of calling will help keep you from quitting when the journey is hard.

With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Ephesians 4:2-3 ESV

If you believe what your doing is optional, at some point you will opt out.
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Character
If you pursue your calling more than Godly character you’re in for a crisis.

Character is critical and will hold you steady more than your calling ever can.

This God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord proves true; He is a shield for all those who take refuge in Him. Psalm 18:30 ESV
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Conviction

Conviction - A strong sense of and a determination to do what is right in God’s eyes.

When the craziness of life makes your calling less clear, Godly conviction will keep you on course.

When you live with Godly convictions, you’ll access Godly provision.
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Compassion

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. Lamentations 3:22 NIV

Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary. Hebrews 6:18b-19 NLT

Life is an ocean of possibilities and promise, but all who journey will at times face a tumultuous sea.

The Art of Anchoring

How and When to drop Anchor

The wisdom of the prudent is to discern his way but the folly of fools is deceiving. Proverbs 14:8 ESV

So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most. Hebrews 4:16 NLT

We are always meant to anchor ourselves to the hope we have in Him!

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. I Thessalonians 5:16-18 ESV

Choosing the Right Anchor

Now set your mind and heart to seek the Lord your God. Arise and build the sanctuary of the Lord God, so that the ark of the covenant of the Lord and the holy vessels of God may be brought into a house built for the name of the Lord. 1 Chronicle 22:19 ESV

The bigger the boat and waves the bigger the anchor needs to be.

We are called to the open ocean where the big waves live.

The anchor must be significant enough to handle both the boat and the burden of the wind and waves.

Choose the right Anchorage

There is nothing we can anchor to that will hold us in this life, except the God who gives us life in the first place.

They remembered that God was their rock, the Most High God their redeemer. Psalms 78:35 ESV

Now when people take an oath, they call on someone greater than themselves to hold them to it. And without any question that oath is binding. God also bound himself with an oath, so that those who received the promise could be perfectly sure that he would never change his mind. So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary. Hebrews 6:16-19 NLT

We are meant to Anchor ourselves to God Himself, only then will the anchor hold.

The love of Christ revealed on the Cross is Real
Real stuff cost more.
This is real love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us… 1 John 4:10 NLT
My confidence is in Gods capacity, His character and most of all His compassion.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the
Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. Isaiah 43:2-3 ESV
Real love is the most obvious and impressive when things are hard not when things are easy.
Real love was displayed on the Cross and resurrected with Christ when He walked out of the tomb.
Only when we are alive in Christ are fully capable of Christlike love.
The love of Christ revealed on the Cross is Selfless.
This is real love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away
our sins. 1 John 4:10 NLT
But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8 ESV
The most inexplicable evidence for creation in the universe is selfless love of Christ.
Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13 ESV
The love of Christ revealed on the Cross is Limitless.
Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 1 Corinthians 13:7 ESV
God’s love can bear the weight of your life and history, and your present pain and strain.
The love of Christ revealed on the Cross is Certain.
And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither
angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow, not even the powers of hell
can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below. indeed, nothing in all
creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:38-39 NLT
The Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son
and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’). Isaiah 7:14 NLT
The love of Christ revealed on the Cross is Yours!
God loves because of who God is, not because of who we are. Phil Yancey
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but
have eternal life. John 3:16 ESV
God loves each of us as if there were only one of us. Augustine
Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you,
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10 ESV

Then Jesus went with them to the olive grove called Gethsemane. Matthew 26:36 NLT

“Sit here while I go over there to pray.” He took Peter and Zebedee’s two sons, James and John, and he became anguished and distressed. He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” Matthew 26:36-38 NLT (read through and briefly elaborate.)

Jesus’ heart was heavy with the weight of the entire world, with all its sin and separation: past, present, and future. (While the divine Jesus was determined the human Jesus was hurting!)

This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. Hebrews 4:15 NLT

For everyone who’s ever felt a desperation beyond description; understand this, Jesus understands!

He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying. Matthew 26:39 NLT

And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. Luke 22:44 NLT

2 Corinthians 5:21 - He became sin who knew no sin so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God!

“My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Matthew 26:39 NLT

Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” Matthew 26:39 NLT

An incredible load of guilt met the undefeated love of our surrendered Savior, in Gethsemane.

Then Jesus left them a second time and prayed, “My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, your will be done.” When he returned to them again, he found them sleeping, for they couldn’t keep their eyes open. Matthew 26:42-43 NLT

So he went to pray a third time, saying the same things again. Then he came to the disciples and said, “Go ahead and sleep. Have your rest. But look—the time has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Up, let’s be going. Look, my betrayer is here!” Matthew 26:44-46 NLT

All those who journey soon or late, Must pass within the garden's gate ; Must kneel alone in darkness there, And battle with some fierce despair. God pity those who cannot say : “Not mine, but thine;” who only pray, “Let this cup pass;” and cannot see The purpose in Gethsemane. Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Jesus did not come into the world to make bad men good. He came into the world to make dead men live! - Leonard Ravenhill

We have to die to our will before we can live His!

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20 KJV

The power of the resurrection is released in the lives of the ones who give themselves to God in Gethsemane.

Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.
And when I am dying, how happy I’ll be, If the lamp of my life has been burned out for Thee.
Charles Studd

Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Romans 12:12 ESV

Hope is a precious priceless commodity.

Misdirected Hope

As they were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day.” And they were greatly distressed. Matthew 17:22 ESV - - - He tried to help them see the path to true redemption.

If our hope is in a specific earthly outcome rather than our faithful God, we’re set up for disappointment.

And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you. Psalms 39:7 ESV

Hope is not found in a way out but a way through. - Robert Frost

“A time is coming and in fact has come when you will be scattered, each to your own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me. “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
John 16:32-33 NIV


By this time it was about noon, and darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock. The light from the sun was gone. And suddenly, the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn down the middle. Then Jesus shouted, “Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!” And with those words he breathed his last. When the Roman officer overseeing the execution saw what had happened, he worshiped God and said, “Surely this man was innocent.” And when all the crowd that came to see the crucifixion saw what had happened, they went home in deep sorrow. But Jesus’ friends, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance watching. Luke 23:44-49 NLT

Lost Hope

Passion and purpose are common casualties of a hopelessness.

When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. Psalms 34:17 ESV

Even in crisis, hope isn’t actually gone, we just need to learn or remember where it’s found.

“Hope” is the thing with feathers - That perches in the soul - And sings the tune without the words - And never stops - at all. Emily Dickenson

Resurrected Hope

Early on Sunday morning, as the new day was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went out to visit the tomb. Suddenly there was a great earthquake! For an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled aside the stone, and sat on it. His face shone like lightning, and his clothing was as white as snow. The guards shook with fear when they saw him, and they fell into a dead faint. Then the angel spoke to the women. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come, see where his body was lying. And now, go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and he is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there. Remember what I have told you.” The women ran quickly from the tomb. They were very frightened but also filled with great joy, and they rushed to give the disciples the angel’s message. And as they went, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they ran to him, grasped his feet, and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t be afraid! Go tell my brothers to leave for Galilee, and they will see me there.” Matthew 28:1-10 NLT

I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels—a plentiful harvest of new lives. John 12:24 NLT

What a great opportunity to let the God of the empty tomb do big work in our lives!!!

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. 1 Peter 1:3 ES

Hope is the music that lifts our hearts to heaven even when we don’t know the words to the song.

Miracle - an extraordinary event in the physical world that surpasses all known human or natural powers and is therefore considered supernatural.

A man named Lazarus was sick. He lived in Bethany with his sisters, Mary and Martha. This is the Mary who later poured the expensive perfume on the Lord’s feet and wiped them with her hair. Her brother, Lazarus, was sick. So the two sisters sent a message to Jesus telling him, “Lord, your dear friend is very sick.” John 11:1-3 NLT

Incredible Crisis

But when Jesus heard about it he said, “Lazarus’s sickness will not end in death. (John 3:16) No, it happened for the glory of God so that the Son of God will receive glory from this.” So although Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, he stayed where he was for the next two days. Finally, he said to his disciples, “Let’s go back to Judea.” John 11:5-7 NLT

God doesn’t have to cause a calamity to be able to use it for our good and His glory.

Then he said, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but now I will go and wake him up.”
The disciples said, “Lord, if he is sleeping, he will soon get better!” They thought Jesus meant Lazarus was simply sleeping, but Jesus meant Lazarus had died. So he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. And for your sakes, I’m glad I wasn’t there, for now you will really believe. Come, let’s go see him.” John 11:11-15 NLT

Jesus ultimate aim is a salvation that covers our eternal crisis more than our temporary one.

Eternal Perspective

Grace for life's most challenging moments only works when it’s anchored in eternity.

When Jesus arrived at Bethany, he was told that Lazarus had already been in his grave for four days. Bethany was only a few miles down the road from Jerusalem, and many of the people had come to console Martha and Mary in their loss. When Martha got word that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him. But Mary stayed in the house. Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask.” Jesus told her, “Your brother will rise again.” “Yes,” Martha said, “he will rise when everyone else rises, at the last day.” Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?” “Yes, Lord,” she told him. “I have always believed you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who has come into the world from God.” John 11:17-27 NLT

Trust in the Miracle worker

When Mary arrived and saw Jesus, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.” When Jesus saw her weeping and saw the other people wailing with her, a deep anger welled up within him, and he was deeply troubled. “Where have you put him?” he asked them. They told him, “Lord, come and see.” Then Jesus wept. The people who were standing nearby said, “See how much he loved him!” John 11:32-36 NLT

A compassionate Miracle worker

But some said, “This man healed a blind man. Couldn’t he have kept Lazarus from dying?”
John 11:37 NLT

The lost and broken will always make an accusation against what God wills no matter what He does.

Jesus was still angry as he arrived at the tomb, a cave with a stone rolled across its entrance. “Roll the stone aside,” Jesus told them. But Martha, the dead man’s sister, protested, “Lord, he has been dead for four days. The smell will be terrible.” Jesus responded, “Didn’t I tell you that you would see God’s glory if you believe?” John 11:38-40 NLT

No situation is too far gone for God.

So they rolled the stone aside. Then Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, thank you for hearing me. You always hear me, but I said it out loud for the sake of all these people standing here, so that they will believe you sent me.” Then Jesus shouted, “Lazarus, come out!” And the dead man came out, his hands and feet bound in graveclothes, his face wrapped in a headcloth. Jesus told them, “Unwrap him and let him go!” John 11:41-44 NLT

A miracle working God.

Lazarus was pre-resurrection proof that Jesus had dominion over death.

Jesus is our miracle.

I am leaving you with a gift, peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid. John 14:27 NLT

The peace we find in Jesus isn’t circumstantial; it’s transcendent, and it’s found in His presence.

You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Psalms 16:11 ESV


Everything we need, in every season and circumstance, we find in Jesus!

By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires. 2 Peter 1:3-4 NLT

Miracles happen in the presence of Jesus!

Have mercy on us and help us, if you can.”“What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes.” The father instantly cried out, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!” Mark 9:22-24 NLT

There is no pit so deep that God's love is not deeper still. - Betsie Ten Boom

Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him. Psalms 91:1-2 NLT


I am the Lord, the God of all the peoples of the world. Is anything too hard for me? Jeremiah 32:27 NLT