Pastor Hans continued going deeper into last week’s Foundations of Belief message by focusing on the question, “Why Jesus?” He explored Jesus’ own claims to deity, emphasizing that Christ is the great “I AM” who existed before Abraham and is fully God in the flesh. Through the seven “I AM” statements in the Gospel of John, Pastor Hans showed how Jesus reveals Himself as the source of life, truth, salvation, guidance, and hope. He then explained five reasons God became man: to reveal God’s nature to the world, to demonstrate perfect obedience to the Father, to provide a sinless example of holiness, to make salvation possible through His sacrificial death, and to establish the pattern and promise of the future resurrection. Ultimately, the message reinforced that Jesus is not merely a teacher or prophet, but God incarnate, sent to reconcile humanity to Himself and offer eternal life to all who believe. Ultimately, the message affirmed that a firm foundation of faith begins with recognizing Jesus as the Son of God who came to reveal the Father, conquer sin and death, restore our relationship with God, and provide the only source of salvation, Jesus.

Because of Christ’s victory on the cross, sin, evil, and death no longer have the final say. Christianity declares that God came in the flesh, that Jesus is the only way to be reconciled to God, and that all who trust in Him have the hope of eternal life. Through Christ, believers can live with confidence, knowing that death has been defeated and victory has been secured forever.

This Way: Following God's Direction Series

Part 4: The Lord is My Shepherd

Pastor Hans concluded the series by reminding us that God is our Shepherd King. Just as a shepherd cares for his sheep, Jesus, the Good Shepherd, faithfully cares for us. He provides, guides, and protects His people, supplying our needs, leading us in the right direction through His Word and Spirit, and watching over us with His loving care. Because He is a good and faithful Shepherd, we can trust Him to take care of us every step of the way.

This Way: Following God's Direction Series

Part 1: What does it mean to be led by the Spirit?

In Week 3 of the This Way series, Pastor Hans Hess focused on the gift and guidance of the Holy Spirit. Pentecost reminds us that God did not leave us to navigate life alone, He sent the Holy Spirit to lead, strengthen, guide, and pray through us. The central truth of the message was that believers are called to live Spirit-led lives, staying sensitive to God’s direction and empowered through prayer in the Spirit.

In the second message of the This Way series, Pastor Hans Hess taught that the direction of our lives is shaped by the choices we make. God continually speaks and leads His people, but we must decide whether we will follow His way or our own. Isaiah 30:21 reminds us that God is faithful to guide us, but walking in His direction requires obedience, surrender, and trust.

This Way: Following God's Direction Series

Part 1: Defeating the Fear of Indecision

Pastor Hans Hess opened this series by reminding us of something simple, yet so powerful: God is always speaking and guiding. The question is are we listening, and are we willing to move?

“This is the way, walk in it” (Isaiah 30:21).

Yet so many times, we find ourselves stuck…not because God isn’t moving, but because we’re afraid to make a move. This message reminds us that indecision is often the very thing keeping us from God’s direction. We wait, hesitate, overthink, and delay, when in reality, God has already equipped us and is waiting on our response. Through the story of Esther, we see that purpose is found in action, not avoidance.

At the end of it all, it comes down to this: It’s Your Move.

Foundational Truths

1. God is good and wants the best for you.

2. You have been given free will.

3. God leads, but He does not control.

4. Following God always requires a decision.

Overcoming the Fear of Indecision

1. No Decision is a Decision

(Esther 4:6–8)

Avoidance is not neutrality, it’s a decision.

2. Every Decision Involves Risk

(Esther 4:13–16)

Esther stepped forward knowing the cost: “If I perish, I perish.”

You can’t step into purpose without stepping through risk.

3. When You Move, God Moves

(Esther 5:1–3, Exodus 14:13–17)

God told Moses: “Go forward.”

Not:

But MOVE...Because movement activates God’s power.

What Happens When You Move

Your obedience could be connected to someone else’s breakthrough.

Final Takeaway

God has already:

Now it’s your move. Step out...Trust Him...Take action...Because when you move…God moves.

Redeemed Series

Part 3: Redeemed from Poverty

This final message in the Redeemed series focuses on a powerful and often misunderstood truth: We have been redeemed from poverty and made to thrive in Christ.

From the beginning, God’s design for His people was not lack, struggle, or barely getting by. In the Garden, there was provision, abundance, and everything Adam and Eve needed. Poverty, like sickness and spiritual death, entered as a result of the fall and the curse of sin. But through Jesus, redemption does not stop at forgiveness or even healing, it restores us back to a life of provision, purpose, and flourishing.

Psalm 1 paints the picture of what a redeemed life looks like: a person planted, steady, fruitful, and sustained. Not dry, not lacking, but thriving like a tree by living water. This is not just about material wealth, it’s about a blessed life…one marked by stability, provision, fruitfulness, and impact.

Redemption calls us out of a poverty mindset and into a Kingdom mindset where God is our source, and we are positioned to both receive and release His provision.

What Redemption Does in Us

1. We’re Positioned to Live a Blessed Life

The life of blessing begins with pursuing holiness and alignment with God. Psalm 1 shows that when we walk with God and not with the patterns of the world, our lives become rooted and established. Blessing is not random, it is connected to relationship and obedience.

2. We’re Rooted in God’s Word

Meditating on the Word day and night transforms how we think, live, and expect. Joshua 1 reminds us that true prosperity and success come from knowing and doing God’s Word. As we renew our minds, we shift from scarcity thinking to trusting God as our provider in every area.

3. We’re Called to Be Fruitful and Productive

A redeemed life produces. Like the tree in Psalm 1, we are created to bear fruit in every season. This means using what God has given us, being faithful, working diligently, and stewarding opportunities well. God increases what is used, not what is buried.

4. We’re Empowered to Live Generously

Generosity is a key mark of a redeemed life. 2 Corinthians 9 reveals that God provides so that we can abound in every good work. We are not blessed just to hold onto it, but to release it. Giving breaks the grip of greed and positions us to trust God as our source.

We are blessed to be a blessing.

The Heart of the Message is this…redemption restores us to a life of thriving, not just surviving.

Through Christ, we are no longer bound to lack, fear, or a poverty mindset. God invites us into a life where we trust Him, walk in obedience, produce fruit, and live with open hands.

Because of that:

Redemption isn’t just about getting by…it’s about living in God’s provision and purpose.

You weren’t just saved…you were made to thrive.

Redeemed Series

Part 2: Redeemed from Sickness

This second message in the Redeemed series focuses on another powerful truth: We have been redeemed from sickness and made whole in Christ.

From the fall in the garden, sickness and disease entered the human race as part of a broken world under the curse of sin. In the Old Testament, sickness was seen as one of the results of the curse under the law. But through Jesus, redemption reaches deeper than forgiveness alone. He did not just come to save souls from sin, He came to bring wholeness to the entire person.

Throughout the Gospels, Jesus consistently healed the sick, delivered the oppressed, and revealed the heart of the Father. Acts 10:38 says that Jesus went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil. Healing was not a side ministry of Jesus, it was central to His mission. And it did not stop with Him. He gave His disciples authority to heal, and the apostles continued that ministry in the book of Acts.

This message reminds us that healing is not merely a hopeful possibility, it is part of the redemptive work of Christ. Matthew 8 declares that Jesus took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses, tying healing directly to the work of the cross. Just as He paid for sin, He also carried sickness, disease, and the curse so that we could walk in freedom and wholeness.

What Redemption Does in Us

1. We’re Made Whole Through Christ

Jesus did not come only to forgive sin, but to restore what was broken. His redemption reaches spirit, soul, and body. He makes whole what sin, sickness, and the enemy tried to destroy.

2. We’re Given Authority in His Name

Jesus gave His followers power and authority over demons and disease. The ministry of healing was not reserved for Jesus alone, it was entrusted to His disciples and continues through the Church. We do not minister healing in our own strength, but in the authority of Jesus’ name.

3. We’re Freed from the Oppression of the Enemy

Acts 10:38 reveals that those Jesus healed were often oppressed by the devil. Sickness is not something to make peace with spiritually. Jesus came to confront oppression, break its hold, and bring freedom to those bound by it.

4. We’re Invited to Walk in Faith for Healing

Jesus responded again and again to faith. From the paralytic lowered through the roof to the lame man at the gate called Beautiful, healing flowed where faith reached for Him. We are called to know God’s will, pray in Jesus’ name, command sickness to go, and have confidence that He is still working.

The Heart of the Message is this…

Healing is part of redemption. It is not separate from the Gospel, and it is not something Jesus occasionally did to prove a point. It is part of what He purchased through His finished work on the cross.

Because of that:

Redemption isn’t just about being forgiven…it’s about being made whole.

Easter Series 2026: Eyewitnesses of Jesus

Part 3: Peter

Peter’s story is not just about failure…it’s about what Jesus does after the failure. Peter didn’t drift away slowly, he denied Jesus directly. Face to face with pressure, he said: “I do not know that man.” Three times. And when it was over, Scripture says he went out and wept bitterly. This is the weight of sin, not just what he did, but the realization of it. And that's where grace came looking for him. After the resurrection, the angel says: “Go tell His disciples and Peter…” Why mention Peter? Because Jesus knew something...Shame would try to keep Peter from coming back. So before Peter could even make a move toward Jesus…Jesus made a move toward him. That's where the restoration of what shame tried to steal comes in. When they meet again, Jesus doesn’t say: “Explain yourself.” He says: “Do you love Me?” Three times. Each question wasn’t reopening the wound, it was healing it. And then Jesus speaks purpose again: “Feed My sheep.”

The Depth Behind "Feed My Sheep":

What Forgiveness Does:

Peter’s lowest moment didn’t define him, Jesus’ forgiveness did. He went from weeping in shame…to walking in purpose.

The full series message concludes:

Key Takeaway - You don’t have to stay where you fell, because Jesus is still calling your name.