Pastor Paul unpacks Isaiah 61 and connects it to the Beatitudes we find in the Gospel of Matthew 5, and its challenge to us as believers not to just believe God’s promises—but to own them. Paul reframes what it truly means to be “blessed,” showing how Jesus transforms our expectations in seasons of mourning, anxiety, disappointment, and hardship. Rather than living captive to negative predictions spoken by culture, family, or fear, we’re invited to embrace God’s greater promise found in the Epistle to the Romans 8:28—that He works all things together for good for those called according to His purpose. Centered on the hope secured through Christ’s sacrifice, we’re called to surrender limiting expectations, reject defeat, and “come and see” how God can redeem any situation for His glory and our good.

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