There are some things in life that are hard…But forgiving someone who hurt you deeply? That’s different. Because forgiveness isn’t just hard—it feels unfair. They said it. They did it. They caused the damage. And now… I’m supposed to forgive? Let me ask you: Who do you need to forgive right now? Not theoretically. Not someday. Right now. Because here’s the truth: You cannot follow Jesus fully while holding on to unforgiveness.

Reach Community Church

If you knew that Jesus was returning one week from today, what would change in your life over the next seven days? Would it change what you watch, what you say—or how you say it—or how you spend your time, your money, even what you drink? The list could go on. My guess is everyone in this room would change something, and some of us would change everything. So why is that? Why do we live like what we do and say doesn’t really matter? Why do we put off the very things we know we’re called to do? Because we tell ourselves, “I’ll deal with it later—I’m just too busy right now.” But one day we will all stand before the Father. In Matthew 12, Jesus confronts religious leaders and says, “You will be known by your fruit… and out of the overflow of your heart your mouth speaks,” meaning your words reveal your heart, and just a few verses later He says that on the day of judgment people will give an account for every careless word they speak—feel the weight of that. Because if you don’t feel the weight of your calling as a follower of God, you will drift, and when you drift, everyone around you feels it. Jesus spends a significant portion of His teaching talking about His return and judgment—why? Because He wants His people to be ready. So the question is, are you ready?

There’s a difference between being interested… and being all in. You can be interested in fitness and never go to the gym; interested in investing and never buy a stock; interested in eating healthy and still hit Chick-fil-A 4 times a week. We live in a world full of interested people. And the danger is—we’ve brought that into Christianity. We’ve created a version of faith where: you can believe in Jesus, agree with Jesus, even like Jesus…but never actually follow Him. And Jesus never invited people to just believe something about Him. He invited them to leave something for Him.That’s the tension: Have we reduced following Jesus down to just believing in Him?

There are moments in life when it feels like it’s too late. Too much has happened. Too many mistakes. Too far gone. You missed your chance.
You had your opportunity. And now… it’s over. And most people assume that’s how it works with God too. That at some point, the door closes. But what we’re about to see is this: As long as there is breath in your lungs… the invitation of Jesus is still open.

Have you ever known exactly what you should do…and still walked away from it? Not because you didn’t understand. Not because you didn’t have enough information. Not because you didn’t even believe it was right. But because doing it was going to cost you something you weren’t ready to give up. Maybe it was a relationship. Maybe it was a habit. Maybe it was control. Maybe it was something you had built your life around. And in that moment, everything became clear. You didn’t have a knowledge problem…
you had a heart problem. Because it’s one thing to know the right answer. It’s another thing to surrender what’s in the way. And that’s where following Jesus gets real. Not when it’s easy. Not when it fits your life. But when He puts His finger on the one thing you don’t want to let go of.

Think about the last time you were deciding who to invite to something. Maybe it was dinner. A party. A group text. And without even realizing it, you started making a list: “Yeah, I’ll invite them…” “Definitely not them…” “That might get awkward…” Because we all do this. We decide who belongs…and who doesn’t. Now here’s the question: Who would be on your “definitely not” list? Because in todays text. Jesus walks straight up to someone who would have been on everyone’s list……and invites him anyway.

Everyone knows what it feels like to want an invitation. An invitation to the party. An invitation onto the team. An invitation into the group. Because an invitation says something powerful: You belong here. And when we look at the ministry of Jesus, one thing becomes clear—He is constantly inviting people. Fishermen. Tax collectors. Sinners. Skeptics.
Even a criminal hanging on a cross. And the incredible thing is that the same invitation still exists today. Over the next four weeks, we’re going to see that invitation again and again in the life of Jesus. And my hope is that we won’t just see it in the text—we’ll actually hear the invitation that Jesus is still extending today: Come… follow me.

Reach Community Church

Today I want to convince you to talk to yourself. Now before you tune me out because that sounds crazy, let me remind you of something — you’re already doing it. Every single one of us is. All day, every day, there’s a voice running in the background of your life. You interpret events. You evaluate yourself. You replay conversations. You predict outcomes. You preach to yourself constantly. Paul David Tripp says, “No one is more influential in your life than you are, because no one talks to you more than you do.” That inner voice is shaping you — for good or for harm. The question isn’t whether you talk to yourself. The question is what you’re saying. Is it truth or fear? Grace or condemnation? Hope or despair? So today, I want to help you take back control of that conversation. I want to convince you to start preaching the gospel to yourself — again and again. And to show us how that’s done, we’re going to Psalm 42, where we meet a man who refuses to let his discouragement have the final word.