When we accept Christ’s gift of salvation, it is not simply the end of our sinful existence. It is the start of a brand new story. As Pastor Ray joyfully recounts the resurrection of Jesus, we are reminded that it was the beginning of a new era. The empty tomb was not the end of a story; it was the beginning of freedom for all who would accept Christ’s offer to break the chains of spiritual oppression that all of us are born into. It is the start of a journey to being make more and more like Him.

What a profound thought. God is often viewed as a cruel God, when He is exactly the opposite. He is Love. His judgement is a byproduct of being a pure and just God. A cruel God would have made impossible rules and just sat by waiting for us to fail. But, as Pastor Ray points out in today’s message, God isn’t just sitting by. He went to extreme measures to offer us a solution. He gave His only Son, literally a part of Himself, to purchase our freedom from sin and the consequences of it.

Jesus presents a stark contrast to the typical earthly ruler or politician. Whether it be through military power or through popularity contest, the rulers of men are usually self-serving and solely focused on maintaining control and power over their subjects. You may be hard pressed to find one who would sacrifice 5 minutes, let alone anything significant for the sake of their subjects or citizens. Yet, as Pastor Ray illustrates in today’s message, the Messiah gave His very life for our sake.

God is working to accomplish His will in the world, and He is using all of His children to that end. We are guaranteed to experience hardship and oppression as we dwell in this fallen world. Satan is hard at work against us. God never wanted that for us, but, as Pastor Ray reminds us in today’s message, we can rest assured that God is on our side and He will transform even the worst circumstances to bring glory to Himself and teach us to trust and rely on His strength and wisdom.

The current of our culture is strong. We are being bombarded from all sides with voices that tell us our beliefs are outdated and obsolete. We are being told to fall in line or at least keep to ourselves. As Pastor Ray challenges us in today’s message, now is the time to stand strong in our faith. We have a message of love and grace. A Savior who gave everything for us. Most of us will never suffer anything worse than name calling for His sake, but what would we endure in the name of Jesus?

Today, Pastor Ray will be teaching us through the account of Peter coming back to the Lord after denying Him three times. Peter, just like us have denied the Lord in one way or another. Just like Peter, we also have fallen short in some areas with our relationship with God. Once Peter was sorrowful over his sin, he repented and ran towards Jesus! Peter didn't run away from God, but he ran to God for forgiveness. When you fall short, don't allow the enemy to condemn you, run to God!

In today’s passage, Jesus repeatedly refers to God as “Father”. Human fathers cover a broad spectrum as far as their ability and performance in that role. As Pastor Ray illustrates, even the most loving, devoted fathers fail to even come close to loving in the extreme, profound manner that our Heavenly Father has loved us. He dove right into the muck to rescue us. Nothing could stop Him. We can never go too far. We can never be too deep in our sin. He paid the ultimate price so we can be safe in Him.

Have you ever prayed and asked the Lord for something, and instead of answering your prayer, He puts His finger on something in your life that needs to be changed? As Pastor Ray continues his teaching series through the Gospel of John, he'll be explaining how God cares more about our holiness than our happiness. We too often view God as a genie that we go to and ask for our wishes to be granted. We should be asking God what He desires of us.

All throughout our lives, the world has always placed certain labels on us. The unfortunate truth is there may have even been horrible labels placed on us by family members and those closest to us, that have caused us great pain. As Christians, we have been labeled by God as His beloved children. Today, Pastor Ray will be encouraging us to remember how we are now new creations in Jesus, and no matter what we've done in the past, and no matter what labels we may have had, we are now redeemed!

Today, Pastor Ray will be explaining how even though the disciples were terrified of being hunted down by the religious leaders, they quickly forgot about their troubles when they saw Jesus. Jesus appeared to them and showed them His nail scarred hands, and all their doubts and fears quickly melted away. One of the most important things we can do when we're experiencing hardships is to focus on how Jesus took the penalty of our sins and that we will one day be with Him in Paradise.