Richard Ellis Talks

Many people have a fear of death. As Christians, we don't need to be afraid, because we know we'll be spending eternity with Jesus. But just because we know where we're going after this life, doesn't mean everybody does -- and it's our job to tell them about Christ's love instead of ignoring their fate and letting them live in fear and hopelessness.

The Old Testament law was an exhaustive list of all the rules people were supposed to follow in order to appease God. And yet, it comes with a curse of death, because if we break one law, we've broken them all -- and it's impossible to follow them all, because we're not perfect! But Jesus's death flipped the script and changed everything, and it's only by faith in Him that we're saved from the fate we deserve: death up a tree.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus instructed His followers, "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." Today's culture often associates "meekness" with "weakness", but in reality, it takes a strong person to allow themselves to be controlled by the Holy Spirit! When we try our hardest to act godly, the work will wear us down sooner or later. But when we yield ourselves to Jesus, His work in our lives manifests itself in fruit of the Spirit -- a fruit that others will notice and want for themselves, too!

In the middle of tough times, it's easy for us to ask God why it's happening. But at the root of all tragedy is the sin issue of humanity, and in the end, even when we don't know the "why" of the situation, we know "Who" the solution is. Jesus took all of our sin upon Himself when He died, allowing for everybody to be saved. Hard times will still come, but the only One who can save us is Jesus.

Mary wasn't perfect. And yet, God used her to bring His Son into the world. After Mary gave birth to Jesus, she continued to be faithful and followed Old Testament law by bringing fowls to the temple to be sacrificed. Little did she know that she'd also brought the Lamb of God, who would become the ultimate sacrifice and take away the sins of the world.

The Israelites wasted 20 years because they refused to repent and follow the Lord. The consequence of their actions was that they only made things worse for themselves! Sometimes, when we wait to repent, God brings more consequence in order to draw us back to Himself. But the good news is this: He will always deliver us when we call on Him.

God called Mary to bear His Son -- the Messiah who would be born to save mankind. Mary's response to God was one of faith and obedience, but it was also one of dependence on Him to equip her with all she'd need to carry out His plan. Like Mary, God calls each of us to the kind of obedience that requires our dependence on Him. When He leads us into situations where we have to rely on Him, it allows our faith to grow and Him to show the amazing works only He can do through us.

God wants to reach people through us. But we have to be able to see past the impossibilities and step out in obedience, first! When He calls us to something, we've got to trust Him to provide whatever is needed to accomplish His purpose.

Jesus Himself said that He came so that we may have life to the fullest. So why do we have such a hard time grabbing hold of that truth? God offers each of us a life filled with purpose, but we first have to be willing to walk into His plan in order to experience the life that He's promised us.

God's faithfulness to fulfill His promises has been shown from the dawn of creation. We can trust God to be faithful in everything He's promised. The question is: can He trust us to be faithful to Him?