How can we remain stable in such an unstable world? The culture shifts by the day. When you focus on the world and set your hope on things like the stock market, bank accounts, political figures, celebrities, or even friends or family, you’ll find yourself very unsteady. Those things, while not all bad, will have ups and downs, but as Pastor Richard reminds us today, our Savior is steadfast, and we can find peace and stability in Him.

When you’re welcomed into the family of God through Jesus, you become a sibling in a vast and diverse family. There’ll be people in this family that surprise you. They may speak a completely different language or have a completely different wardrobe. Their background may be much more colorful than yours. They may hold different political views, but ultimately, as Pastor Richard will remind us today, in Christ they are family.

For people who have rejected God or at least ignored Him, the Gospel doesn’t make sense. Once Jesus breaks through the wall that sin builds around your heart, suddenly you gain an understanding that goes much deeper than intellect. As Pastor Richard will point out in today’s message, that’s the power of the Gospel. It reveals truth to our hearts where sin and the Prince of lies have deceived us into rejecting the very idea of God.

As Pastor Richard points out in today’s message, each one of us wants companionship. We want someone who will stand with us even in our darkest moments. This may be a point of pain – you may be lonely and feel like you don’t have that person. For others, you have a friend or spouse, but they’re only human and they will let you down. The good news is that Jesus desires to be a friend closer than a brother and He’s available to everyone.

When you share the Gospel with others, don’t be afraid to tell them your story. How you went from broken to healed. How you went from God’s enemy to God’s ally. In today’s message, Pastor Richard teaches that some stories of conversion are radical, and some are mild… but all are powerful. Your testimony can give others hope. It can let them know that just because they’ve run from God in the past, God still loves them.

What happens when you pour water into a cracked and broken vessel? Well, the water will spill everywhere and make a mess. A container can only be effective if its pieces are properly joined together, and the body of Christ is the container for God’s presence on Earth. Pastor Richard teaches you today that when there is disunity and conflict within the Church, His presence will begin to fade and lift away from that container.

Even though God had made a way for Gentiles to be accepted into the nation of Israel, many foreigners were left on the outside looking in, seeking after the knowledge of the one true God, but being shut out from religious teachings. But Pastor Richard reminds you today that there is no secret privilege that prevents you from having a relationship with Christ. The barrier between man and God has been broken, and you can know Him for yourself.

Make no mistake, God didn’t send Jesus to save you because you’re some big important person! No, in fact, in the face of eternity, you are just a speck of dust, a puff of vapor in the vast cosmos. But Pastor Richard reminds you today that you are much more important than what the world can make you feel like. In fact, your life is valuable enough to God that He sent Jesus to this world to die in your place and grant you salvation.

Have you ever gotten a food stain on a white shirt? Things like coffee or tomato sauce can deeply stain a piece of fabric within seconds, leaving a permanent mark that is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to erase. Pastor Richard reminds you that holiness has extremely high standards: you are either sinless and righteous, or you are sinful and corrupted. Without God’s intervention, even the smallest of sins will permanently stain your life.

Is there anyone in your life that treasures you? Anyone that makes you feel special, or wanted? Well, if you don’t have someone like that in your life, Pastor Richard wants you to know that Jesus wants you and desires you. In fact, you make up part of the Body of Christ, and you are being prepared for a great wedding feast to come in the last days. The Church is Christ’s inheritance, the bride awaiting the return of the groom.