This sermon, delivered by a 17-year-old first-time preacher named Alexis, explores the biblical understanding of purpose beyond career choices and life plans. Drawing from personal experiences at Teen Catalyst and Chosen conferences, the message emphasizes that God's purpose for believers is discovered through understanding their identity in Christ. The sermon systematically breaks down three essential elements: knowing who we are in Christ (identity), understanding what God calls us to do (calling), and taking appropriate actions (response). The central theological point is that Christians are called to live like Jesus—in love and in light—sharing His character with everyone they encounter. Rather than focusing on self-determined purposes, believers should pursue God's purpose: to represent Christ always, to be lights in the world, and to reconcile people back to God through Christ-like living.

We are all pilgrims and strangers on this earth, journeying through a world that often feels cold and unfamiliar . Yet, in the heart of every believer, there is a persistent longing for a place where we truly belong—a home where there is no more pain, no more separation, and no more sorrow . This longing is not a mere fantasy; it is a heaven-born purpose implanted by our Creator . Today, we turn our eyes away from the disagreeable things of this world and fix them upon the glorious reality of our eternal inheritance . Let not your heart be troubled: you believe in God, believe also in me

At the heart of this powerful message lies Jesus' invitation from Matthew 11:28-30: 'Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.' Through the lens of attachment theory—a psychological framework exploring how we form bonds and seek security—we discover a profound truth about our relationship with God. Just as little Mia found safety in her father's arms at the crowded market, we are invited to find rest in our Heavenly Father's embrace. The message unpacks four fundamental human needs: to be seen, soothed, safe, and secure. When these needs are met consistently, we develop secure attachment; when they're not, we develop patterns of avoidance, anxiety, or disorganization that shape how we relate to others and to God. The revolutionary insight here is that many of us approach God through wounded attachment styles—performing to earn His love, striving to prove our worth, or keeping Him at arm's length to protect ourselves. But the gospel of rest declares something radically different: there is nothing we can ever do to earn God's favor because it's already ours. When we filter God through our wounds, we turn relationship into religion, grace into performance, and rest into relentless striving. The pathway to healing begins with recognizing our wounds, receiving truth and grace, and rebuilding our identity in God's unchanging love. This isn't about doing nothing—it's about doing everything from a place of security rather than insecurity, from love rather than fear.

Chapters

Chapter 1: The Human Need for Rest and Security 0:00 - 7:00

We explore our deep human need for rest, peace, and security through the story of little Mia at the market, introducing how attachment styles shape our relationship with God.

Chapter 2: Understanding Attachment: Seen, Soothed, Safe, and Secure 7:00 - 15:00

We learn about the four fundamental needs—being seen, soothed, safe, and secure—and how these shape our identity and relationship with God as our ultimate caregiver.

Chapter 3: The Three Insecure Attachment Styles 15:00 - 25:00

We examine three insecure attachment patterns—avoidant, disorganized, and anxious—and how they create burdens in our relationships and spiritual lives.

Chapter 4: The Gospel of Rest Versus the Gospel of Insecurity 25:00 - 35:00

We contrast how insecure attachments create burdens of performance, control, and fear, while the gospel of rest offers constant love, safe vulnerability, and consistent grace.

Chapter 5: The Path to Healing and Restoration 35:00 - 45:00

We discover the five-step restoration path and embrace Jesus' simple invitation to come as we are, not to perform or earn, but to receive the rest He freely gives.

What does it truly mean to follow Christ's example of sympathy in a world that often rushes past those in need? This powerful exploration of Jesus' compassionate ministry challenges us to move beyond theoretical Christianity into active, transformative sympathy. Drawing from Matthew 9:36 where Jesus saw the multitudes and was moved with compassion, we're confronted with a sobering reality: Jesus preached, healed, and fed the people, yet still recognized the harvest was great and the laborers were few. The message unpacks four essential tenets of sympathy that Jesus modeled—sympathy listens, sympathy acts, sympathy costs, and sympathy weeps. Through the stories of blind Bartimaeus crying out 'Son of David, have mercy,' the Samaritan woman at the well, and Jesus weeping at Lazarus' tomb, we discover that true sympathy requires us to walk in another's shoes, to practice what the Greeks called 'pathos'—a sympathetic frame of mind that compels us to action. The Princeton Seminary study about the Good Samaritan reveals our uncomfortable truth: even those trained to preach compassion often fail to practice it when inconvenient. We're reminded that Jesus didn't just feel for people from a distance; He touched the untouchable leper, risking His own reputation and safety. This isn't about forming committees or waiting for perfect plans—it's about each of us becoming the answer to someone's prayer today. When we listen with Christ's heart, act with His hands, sacrifice as He sacrificed, and weep as He wept, we become living testimonies of God's kingdom on earth.

What does God truly desire from us? This profound exploration takes us on a journey through Scripture to discover that not all sacrifices are created equal—and some are rejected outright. Beginning with Cain and Abel's contrasting offerings, we encounter a sobering truth: God isn't interested in religious performance or self-directed worship. Cain brought the fruit of his labor, essentially spiritual fig leaves, while Abel brought what God requested—a blood sacrifice pointing to the coming Redeemer. This pattern repeats throughout Scripture: King Saul attempting to cover rebellion with religious activity, Ananias and Sapphira offering a hollow sacrifice meant to impress others rather than honor God. Yet we also witness breathtaking examples of accepted sacrifice—Abraham willing to offer Isaac on Mount Moriah, David purchasing the threshing floor at full price because worship that costs nothing is worth nothing, and Solomon building the temple on that very same mountain. The common thread? True sacrifice involves complete surrender, costs us something real, and points beyond ourselves to God's redemptive plan. In our modern context, we're called to be living sacrifices—not dead lambs on an altar, but breathing, surrendered lives offered daily to God. This means forgiving when it hurts, giving when it costs, standing for truth when it's unpopular, and choosing purity in a pleasure-obsessed world. The sanctuary system wasn't just ancient ritual; it was God's roadmap showing us the cost of sin and the path to redemption through Christ, our High Priest in the heavenly sanctuary.

The Road to Emmaus story from Luke 24:13-35 offers us a profound exploration of faith, doubt, and divine reassurance. Two followers of Jesus walked away from Jerusalem on resurrection Sunday, hearts heavy with confusion and disappointment. They had witnessed miracles, heard powerful teachings, yet when their Messiah was crucified, their faith crumbled. What makes this account so compelling is its raw honesty about doubt—even those who walked closest to Jesus struggled to believe. When Jesus joined them on the road, God kept them from recognizing Him, not as a cruel trick, but as a teaching method. Sometimes we need to work through our doubts by examining Scripture ourselves rather than having answers simply handed to us. As Jesus explained the prophecies about Himself, their hearts burned within them. This reminds us that genuine faith isn't blind acceptance; it's built through wrestling with Scripture, asking hard questions, and allowing God's Word to illuminate truth. The transformation was so complete that within an hour, these discouraged travelers rushed back to Jerusalem to proclaim what they'd discovered. We all face moments when circumstances shake our confidence in God. This passage assures us that Jesus meets us in our doubt, walks alongside us through confusion, and patiently guides us back to faith through His Word.