UGA Freshley

God created us for community. But in order to experience that, we are going to have to change the way we think about relationships and live a different way.

Our society often defines success based on what we have accomplished and accumulated. Jesus has a different measure of success He wants us to embrace and live towards.

The Gospel is that faith in Jesus makes right our broken relationship with God. It’s that God’s Kingdom has come, is coming, and will continue to come until it fills the whole earth. And that Jesus is the King of that Kingdom. And The Gospel is that everyone who has faith in Jesus will live forever on the renewed earth that He will reign over - a place of perfect peace and joy because He rules with justice and righteousness.

One of the central claims of Christianity is this: Jesus Christ is Lord. That means He rules and reigns. But He rules and reigns in a way that He takes care of us. He is Lord. And the Lord is our shepherd.

God’s Kingdom has come, is coming, and will come fully when Jesus returns. We have been invited to receive it, participate in it, and tell others about it. And that’s really good news.

The Gospel is, in part, the good news that Jesus has made a way for our broken relationship with God to be made right. He died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sin, so that His right relationship with the Father could become ours - when we put our faith in Him.

We worship a King and a Father. While it can feel easier to relate to one over the other, we are meant to embrace both sides of God’s nature if we are going to grow in our relationship with Him and understand how we are invited to enter boldly and confidently into His presence. 

Tonight, we talk about having a faith that perseveres, endures, and lasts. We want to be marked by a faith that withstands life’s challenges, distractions, and hardships.