Bethesda Christian Church Sermon of the Week

Jesus makes a distinction between following after religion, and the empty dead works of rituals, contrasting it to a divine relationship. Jesus offers eternal life not as a hope but as an assurance. Your salvation is not resting on your strength to hold on to God. It is resting on God’s strength to hold on to you. How will you respond to this assurance?

A man working for insurance with God is a man who will never be at rest. Whatever you do to merit God’s approval will never settle that inner restlessness. However, rest for your soul is a gift Jesus offers. Come to Jesus in repentance, and you will find rest for your soul.

Not all belief is saving faith. There is a difference between being impressed by Jesus and truly turning to Him as a follower. Only Jesus has the authority to free us from sin, and the freedom He gives is greater than any freedom the world can offer. Through Him we are released from trying to earn God’s favor through rituals, religious acts, penance, or self-condemnation. True freedom comes through faith in Jesus.

Once you put your faith in Jesus, you are established in Him. This isn’t something we can accomplish on our own—it is only through Jesus that we are made firm and secure. The gospel is not merely the starting point of your journey of faith; it is the foundation on which your life is built. We are called to grow deeper, to mature, and to continue building our lives on that truth.

We needed redemption because, without Jesus, we are broken and bound under the curse of sin. No amount of human effort can redeem a soul—only Jesus can. He redeemed us by paying the highest cost imaginable. His own blood. You are no longer owned by your past. You cannot lift the curse on your own, but Jesus already has.

Through Christ’s redeeming work, believers receive full adoption into God’s family, the Spirit of sonship, and the inheritance of Christ Himself. Because of Jesus, we are no longer slaves but sons and daughters—fully loved, fully welcomed, and fully heirs of God Where in your life are you living more as an orphan instead of a son or daughter of God?

In Jesus, you are reconciled with God. Reconciliation is not a goal to achieve, but a reality to receive. Our sin is no longer counted against us, Jesus took it on. God has now set your value priceless because of Jesus.We are now fit to be reconciled to God, not because of what you have done or could do, but only because of what Jesus has done.

Forgiveness is tied to sacrifice. Jesus became the final sacrifice for us and something we cannot achieve on our own. We still will make mistakes, so we are called to confess our sins to one another. Confession does not re-secure salvation - it restores fellowship. The discipline from God is not in judgement but because He loves us.

We know that Jesus has set us free. We are justified—declared guiltless, free to go. Yet so often we feel like we still owe something, like we’ll never be good enough. But is that how it really works? Righteousness is not earned; it’s a gift. You are righteous because of Jesus—not because you never fail, but because Christ never failed. Faith isn’t about effort; it’s about trust. Trusting that Jesus took your sin and credited you with His righteousness.

When we put our faith in Jesus, we often think first about what we receive someday—eternal life after we die. What do we receive while we're still here on earth? In week one of our new series, we discover that Romans 5 tells us we are no longer enemies of God and are at peace with God. This is not a peace that we can earn or cultivate, but a peace that is given freely. This peace is foundation for everything else we cover in the coming weeks.