But We See Jesus

I don’t know about you, but I’m incredibly thankful just for what the Lord is doing in our midst. Amen. Those are really precious times, where we can come into His presence. Jesus said, “Where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.” And that’s our heart: that we would gather together in His name, and that everything that we do, everything that we are, all of our focus, all of our attention, would be Jesus. Amen. And when we do that, the Holy Spirit wants to bring glory to the name of Jesus. There really is nothing that would hinder Him from doing so, except for our heart and our posture. But when we come and we gather together in His name, the Holy Spirit moves. The Holy Spirit will glorify the Son, and it is beautiful. Amen.

Wouldn’t you say Jesus is worthy of His reward? And do you know what His reward is? Us. Amen. I do not want to prevent Jesus from receiving His full reward, which is all of me. It’s all of you. That we would empty ourselves and give ourselves completely and wholly to Him. Those are precious times, and I’m just so thankful. Honestly, today I’m not even going to go through announcements or any of that. I don’t want to distract from what I think the Lord is doing this morning.

Not a rah-rah moment

If you have your Bibles, you can turn to Hebrews chapter 2. I want to bring what I believe to be a prophetic word to our church today. And I was like, should I even say that? Because I don’t want this to be hype. Sometimes when the Lord is moving, there is a temptation in us to bring a little bit extra to the table, to bring a little bit of ourselves to the table. Do you guys know what I’m saying? The Lord is moving, the Lord is doing something, but because we are so eager, or because we are so determined or motivated in the wrong capacity, we bring an extra “hallelujah” that we actually don’t even mean, and we try to bring this rah-rah moment.

The church is not meant to be just emotion. Amen. Will there be emotion? Yes. Will you sense the Holy Spirit? You should. Will you feel things? Yes. Will the Holy Spirit stir things in you? Yes. But may we never be fake about the move of the Holy Spirit. He’s too precious for that. And I do not want to jeopardize what the Lord is doing in this place. I know none of you do either.

And so when I say I believe the Lord has a prophetic word, I want to bring that to you humbly and sincerely — not as a rah-rah moment, not as this cheerleading thing. No, that we would actually take this and say, “Lord, what are You saying, and how can I come into alignment with that? How are You speaking that over me? How are You speaking this over my life? How are You speaking this over my family?”

When life pulls our eyes away

And so we’re going to go to Hebrews chapter 2, and I’m just going to very simply say: but we see Jesus. But we see Jesus. When there are things going on in life, it’s easy for us to lose our focus on Jesus. It’s easy to get our eyes off. You guys know what I’m talking about. When expectations aren’t met, when things aren’t being done or things aren’t happening the way we thought they should, we tend to get restless. We tend to start looking for other solutions.

When we started going through the book of Hebrews — and we’ve made great progress; we introduced the book of Hebrews and we did chapter 1 — that is what the church was facing when this book was written. It was written to a church that was facing persecution, and the people were wondering, “Did we make the right choice?” Because those that were following Jesus were being persecuted. They weren’t being treated well. They weren’t able to trade at the market. Their families were going hungry. Their kids were going hungry. How many of you know it’s — I shouldn’t say it’s easy, but it’s easier — to follow the Lord when it really only affects you? But when it starts affecting your family, there is a real temptation to jump ship, to find other solutions, to go in other directions.

And I believe the word that the Lord is bringing to us today is this: no matter what is going on, no matter what we face, no matter what we are surrounded by, no matter the opportunity, that we would have a voice and a word that says, “But I see Jesus.” When my family seemingly falls apart. When my kids are not following the Lord. When my job and my career have fallen apart, and I have no direction, and I feel like I have no purpose. I want us to be people who declare, “But I see Jesus.” Let’s say that together: “But I see Jesus.”

Because there will be times and temptations where the enemy, and life, will just want you to get your eyes off of Jesus. “You know what? You deserve to take some time off. You deserve to do your own thing. You don’t have to go to church. You don’t have to be in fellowship. You don’t have to start that ministry the Lord’s called you to today. You’ve got time.” It’s time to keep our eyes on Jesus.

And I want us to start in Hebrews 2:9. This is the word that I’ve been praying over our church for some time. Hebrews 2:9 says, “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.”

What I love about our times of worship is that we get to have this posture where we can put aside all the distractions and we can declare who He is. How many of you know there are different ways that we fix our eyes on the Lord? But they all work together. We see Jesus in our times of worship. We see Jesus when we come to Him in His Scripture. We see Jesus in our times of prayer and devotion. We see Jesus when we’re together in an atmosphere of unity, receiving His Word. We’re not going to talk about all those things, but there is something so significant when we fix our hearts and we posture ourselves in such a way that we say, “I refuse to be distracted by anything else. I need Jesus.”

And when we have that hunger — what did Jesus say? “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst.” Why? Because they will be satisfied. If you are here today and you’re saying, “I want more of Jesus,” you must have a heart that refuses to settle for anything else. You must have a heart that says, “Lord, I need You. I’m desperate for You. Lord, would You increase my hunger? Would You increase my thirst, increase my desire?” How many of you know Jesus would love to answer that prayer?

If your love has grown cold, ask the Lord: “Lord, would You cause my heart to burn for You again?” If you haven’t talked to Him for weeks, how many of you know He didn’t go anywhere? He’s right there. Just say, “Jesus, would You come and meet me right now, where I’m at?” Blessed are those who hunger and thirst, for they will be satisfied. You want more of Jesus? Hunger for Him. Choose Him. Have a heart and a grit that is determined that no matter the circumstance, no matter what happens, “I see Jesus.” Amen.

Jesus is the story

In Hebrews chapter 1 — we talked about it a couple weeks ago — we talked about how Jesus is better. The author talks about how Jesus is supreme in all things. He’s a better voice. He’s a better Savior. He’s a better authority. He’s the name above all names, seated at the right hand. But I love how the author goes here into chapter 2, verse 9. He totally shifts from the intellectual argument and says this: but just see Jesus. Because if you can see Him, everything else falls into place. Do you know what I mean?

Let me use this as a for-instance. If we only use Scripture to try to improve our marriage, if we only use Scripture as a book of wisdom to figure out what I need to do with my life, we miss the point. And what happens is Scripture becomes just this convoluted mess of stories, because we actually aren’t reading it or receiving it through the right lens. If we don’t approach Scripture through the lens of Jesus at all times, it won’t make sense. But when Jesus is our starting point, how many of you know it all comes together?

We had a meeting about kids’ church recently. There’s this curriculum that we’re doing with the children that attend here. How many of you know it’s not just playtime, free time, when your kids come to church here? We actually teach them about Jesus, and we worship Jesus, and we pray that they would fall in love with Jesus. And they do. Did you know that? It’s awesome. I’ve said this before, but maybe my favorite moment in the church recently was when I was doing kids’ church and I said, “Who’s ready to worship Jesus?” And they all screamed, “Yeah!” And they ran. I was like, “Lord, out of the mouth of babes.” Oh my goodness. And it’s hilarious, because we do movements to everything, so they literally will fall down, they’ll stand up. But they love Jesus.

But we had a meeting with some of our leadership, the people that serve in kids’ church, and there’s this curriculum that goes through the Bible, Genesis through Revelation, with all the stories and things that we can learn. But I wanted to make sure that we’re not just telling them stories from the Bible, because if that’s all it is, we might as well talk to them about the Avengers or Lord of the Rings or whatever. When we share the story of Noah, it’s more than just a story of cute animals. It is a glimpse into the heart of God, about His righteous judgment and His grace. That through every story we would bring the lens of Jesus, and that they would know, “This is who Jesus is. This is what He’s done. This is His heart toward me.” They don’t use those words, but then they can see Him more clearly. Are you guys with me?

When we approach Scripture as though “I just need scriptures to improve my marriage, I need scriptures to help raise my kids,” it won’t make sense. And what happens is our heart actually becomes hard, and we lose the love that we have for Jesus, because we just can’t hang in there. When you read Scripture, I would encourage you, always read Scripture looking for Jesus, and He will jump out at you. If you just read it as a religious practice, there’s not much there. But when we read it through the lens of Jesus as our starting point, it comes to life.

Because here’s the thing: I love Scripture. If you love Scripture, that’s a good thing. We should love Scripture, because Jesus is the Word of God in the flesh. And so, yes, we should love Scripture. But if we only love the text but we miss the Lord, it leads to a lack of love, and it leads to a lack of understanding His heart toward us. And so loving Scripture is important, but it must lead to meeting Jesus. Listen: Jesus is not just a part of the Bible story. He is the story.

Listen to what Jesus said in John 5:39. He said, “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.” Let me say that again, because I think I read it terribly. “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.” Jesus is saying, if you come to the Scriptures and you don’t see Me, you’re missing the point. He’s saying all Scripture speaks of Me — from Genesis through Malachi, from Matthew through Revelation. All Scripture testifies of Me.

And it pains my heart that there is so much preaching in the church that doesn’t even include Jesus. We talk about ways to have better marriages. We talk about ways to raise a godly family. We talk about ways to be successful in your career. But we leave out the cross of Jesus. We leave out the death and resurrection of Jesus. And all it is is a bunch of morals. How many of you know Jesus in Scripture is more than a book of morals? It’s more than a book of wisdom. Wisdom is a person, and His name is Jesus. Are you guys with me? Is this okay?

And so all Scripture is about Jesus. All Scripture speaks of Jesus. He is not just a part of the Bible story; He is the story. If you struggle to read Scripture, I would say this: open your Bible and say, “Lord Jesus, would You show me Yourself today?” And now read, and watch Jesus come alive right before your eyes. That we would see Jesus.

Crowned through suffering

“But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels.” Now, that’s not talking about His spiritual place. How many of you know Jesus is exalted, the name above every name? What it’s talking about is He humbled Himself to the point of becoming a man. Jesus gave up His place in heaven and He became a man. And He didn’t come born into a kingdom, into a throne room. He was born in a manger. When Jesus came to earth, He came low. Amen. There is something about the posture of humility that actually brings salvation and healing. There is something about Jesus as the suffering Christ that we should see.

I mentioned this a couple weeks ago, but when Jesus was standing before Pontius Pilate, He was beaten. He was bruised. He was bloodied. He was whipped. He did not look in good shape. And Pontius Pilate began to ask Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” And Jesus said nothing. Why? Because He was the image, the perfect image of God. And I find it interesting that the perfect image of God is the suffering Jesus.

I remember someone in our church — we love her — we were in worship, and she said, “I have this vision.” I’ve shared it once before, but I’m going to share it again, because it’s so good. She said, “I had this vision where we were worshiping, and Jesus said, ‘Do you want to see My scars and My wounds?’ And He turned His back, and all of His scars were crowned with jewels.” And I think, how true is this: that shame and suffering on earth is eternal reward and glory in heaven. And Jesus came to suffer, to die, to give of Himself, and He did it in a way where His complete heart was love and affection toward us.

And it says, “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels” — talking about how He humbled Himself. Notice He came why? “For the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor.” It sounds like two different statements, but it’s one and the same. He came for the suffering of death, to be crowned with glory and honor. It’s interesting to me that Jesus came for the suffering of death to be crowned with glory and honor, but so much of our time — so much of believers’ strategy in life — is to do everything they can to be comfortable.

But that’s not what Jesus meant when He said, if you choose to follow Me, pick up your cross, deny yourself, and follow Me. Jesus said persecution will come to those who follow Me: “If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you.” In other words, if we are not being persecuted, there should be a warning signal. Is this okay? This isn’t meant to be condemnation. Because when we see Jesus, all those doubts, all those fears, those concerns that you carry every day — when we see Jesus and we pick up that cross, all of those things start to fade away. Why? Because I’m too busy. I can’t hold on to my guilt or my shame anymore. Why? Because I’m carrying my cross. I can’t worry about the shame or the guilt or that addiction anymore. Why? Because I’m not looking at that anymore. I’m fixed on Jesus. Some of you got that.

And so Jesus is our starting point, and He came for a purpose: to suffer and to die for us, that we would see Him. Why do we sing about the cross so much? Because He is the image of God. He’s the perfect image of God, and the cross is the perfect heart of the Father toward us. When we see Jesus on the cross, we see Jesus in His glory. We see Jesus giving His life. We are seeing the love of God.

He opened their understanding

Listen to what Jesus said to His disciples in Luke 24, starting at verse 44. It says, “Then He said to them, ‘These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.’” So here’s Jesus again saying, listen, all of the Law, all of the Prophets, all of those things were written concerning Me. Say this: “All Scripture is about Jesus.” All of it. Here He is again: it’s all concerning Me.

Verse 45. Now listen to this — oh, that this would be our prayer: “And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.” These were disciples that had followed in the footsteps of Jesus. They slept in the same room as Jesus. They saw Him do miracles. They were with Him. They saw the dead raised to life. And yet there was a moment where Jesus had to open their understanding to the Scripture. Friends, only Jesus can open your understanding to the Scripture. Invite Jesus and say, “Jesus, would You open my understanding?” If you’re born again, His Holy Spirit is in you, and the Holy Spirit is our teacher. But it is a valid prayer to say, “Would You open my eyes?” Didn’t we just talk earlier about how our approach and our posture often dictate what we receive? If we can come with a humble heart that says, “Lord, I’m desperate for You. Would You open my understanding to Your Scripture?” — what a powerful thing that could be.

Notice: Jesus opened their understanding that they might comprehend the Scriptures. You see, when Jesus opens the book for us, it becomes more than just a book. When Jesus opens the book and you start reading Scripture, you’re no longer just reading Scripture; Scripture starts reading you. And all of a sudden it begins to challenge you in the way that you think. It begins to challenge some of the values that you carry, the way that you’ve been living life, some of the mindsets that you’ve adopted to protect yourself because you were hurt. And all of a sudden this Scripture begins to read you, and it begins to bring deeper understanding. It begins to bring transformation as the Holy Spirit works in you. Amen. Oh, that Jesus would open our eyes to His Holy Scriptures, that we would know the path of life — which is Him. It all comes back to Him. Okay? You guys with me?

He opened their understanding. What a beautiful moment. Verse 46 says, “Then” — everybody say “then.” No, no, no. He opened their understanding to the Holy Scriptures, and verse 46 says, “Then” — everybody say “then” — “then He said to them, ‘Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead.’” The first thing that Jesus brings to their understanding is that He came to suffer, He came to die, and to rise again.

If it is the first thing, do you think this might be important for us to know? Do you think that this might be important for us to see, the same way that the disciples saw it? That He would open our understanding to the Scriptures, and as He does, the first thing that we see is Jesus crucified and risen from the dead. And when we see that, all the other things begin to fall into place. All the other things begin to fall into alignment. Didn’t Jesus say, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you”? He’s saying, if you can go through life and just see Me, you will do what you are created to do. You will be who I’ve called you to be. You will have the marriage. You will be the father that I’ve called you to be. You will be the mother that I’ve called you to be. You will have the career. Why? Because you have laid all things down and you have said, “No, I will not live life like everybody else. I will see Jesus.” Do you see the difference? He’s everything. He’s everything. Somebody say amen.

Jesus suffered death for everyone. The ultimate act of love and sacrifice was Christ taking our place on the cross. How many of you know, because of sin, we deserve nothing more than death and eternity apart from Him? And it’s interesting that sometimes people will say, “I just don’t like God’s way to eternal life.” Can we just be thankful that He made a way? “Well, I don’t like everything that the Bible says.” Well, that’s not our decision. I’m not God. He is a holy God, and He knows what is holy, what is light, what is darkness. And my job is to have a heart that is humble enough to receive Him, to fix my eyes on Him, so that I can live in a way that is holy to Him. How many of you know we live this life not unto ourselves? We live this life unto Jesus. That’s what it means to pick up our cross and to follow Him — to literally follow in His footsteps. Oh, that we would see Jesus.

A crown of thorns, radiating glory

But how many of you know Jesus died on the cross, and after suffering, Jesus was crowned with glory and honor? And you want to know what the proof is that He made it? Do you want to know what the proof is that He is seated at the right hand of the Father right now — in the flesh, by the way? Did you know that when Jesus became man, He is permanently man? He is God, but He is man. He is flesh. The proof that He is seated at the right hand of God is that He sent His Holy Spirit. That is the seal of the promise.

I want to share this picture. It’s a picture of Jesus that someone painted — not for me. Can we put that picture up? Boom. This is a picture that someone painted. I don’t know if they were doing some TikTok or Instagram or something; I don’t even remember what they said. I just saw the painting in the background and I said, “I need that painting.” This is the picture that we keep up when we do our times of worship and prayer. I know art is art; some people are like, “What is this?” Okay. It’s beautiful. That’s what it is. Okay.

What I love about this is up at the top. What I see is a crown of thorns, and I see glory radiating like gold. How can you reconcile the two, suffering and glory? That’s not American. American is success, achievement. True success is this: laying down your life, giving it completely and wholly to the Lord, and following Him for the rest of your life, to the point that no matter what happens, no matter what discouragement — even if there is sickness in your body and you don’t know why the Lord hasn’t healed you yet — you say, “But I see Jesus.” Do you see this? Do you see the heart? And I believe this is a word that the Lord is bringing to us as a church.

Deny yourself and follow Him

Jesus says in Matthew 16:24 — Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” Do you trust Jesus enough to do that?

Which gospel message did you say yes to? Did you say yes to the gospel that says, “Just say a little prayer, keep Jesus in your back pocket, do your thing, and you’ll go to heaven”? Or did you say yes to Jesus, who said, “Deny yourself, pick up your cross, and follow Me. Love people like I love them. Serve them like I served you”? This is discipleship. This is what it means to be a disciple of the Lord Jesus: to deny yourself, to pick up your cross, to choose Him.

What does it mean to deny yourself? It means that everything that you are — all of your plans, all of your agenda, all of your goals, everything you’ve worked for, all of your relationships, your ministry — everything gets placed at the feet of Jesus, and you say, “It’s not me. It’s not mine. Lord, I’m fully Yours.” The scary part about that is, when you give your life to Jesus, He takes it. And there are things that are holy to you, things that might be precious to you, that are not from Him. And they have held you in bondage, and they have captivated your heart, and they have become an idol, and they have prevented you from seeing Him clearly.

You see, a part of seeing Jesus is actually having a humble heart that will repent and say, “Lord, I’ve gotten off. I have put other things before You — things that I thought were You, things that I thought were pleasing to You, but they’re actually not.” Things that He never spoke; things that we just thought were good. How many of you know God is not just good; He is holy? He is perfect. He’s not just right; He doesn’t just know what’s best. He’s perfect. Amen.

Denying yourself is laying everything at His feet. It is a life of dying to self so that we may live for Him. And listen, when we do this, it leads to true freedom. There is nothing more liberating than this. This will not make sense to the world. This will not make sense in your mind. But there is nothing more liberating than being people who sit at the feet of Jesus and stay there. There is power when we truly see Jesus. Addictions fall away. If you have addiction in your life, my word to you: look to Jesus and keep your eyes on Him. Struggles lose their grip. We find strength and we find joy, because we’re not holding those things anymore. You’re holding on to your cross. You have picked up your cross. You don’t have time to look at those things, because your eyes are fixed on Him. And when we live this way, you will find joy unspeakable.

Listen, church, you cannot live fifty-fifty. You cannot be half in on this Jesus thing. You are either in or you’re out. Jesus said, I would rather you be hot or cold, but because you are lukewarm, I will vomit you out of My mouth. You cannot live a life that is pleasing unto Him being fifty-fifty. You cannot give yourself to this world and to Jesus. We have to give ourselves wholly to Him. Amen. And that starts today. I said, that starts today. You can be free from sin today. Today, Jesus.

Can we stand? Just lift our hands to the Lord. Let me read this scripture, Hebrews 12:2, which means this will probably be in a future sermon. Hebrews 12:2 says, “looking unto Jesus.” Can we just do that right now? Just close your eyes. Lift your hands. Lift your hearts to the Lord. That’s how we do this. It’s by the blood of Jesus that we come in — the blood that was shed for you, that gives us full access. But it says, “looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Come to the altar

I believe the Lord wants us to respond today to this invitation, and I don’t believe that we should do that from our seat. I believe that we should come up to the altar. The altar is just coming up to this space. Because here’s the thing: your heart and your mind will follow your action. This isn’t religious. This isn’t just a holy ten-by-twelve place. You are making a decision, and when we decide, our heart will follow. And Jesus is saying, “Will you give Me your heart today? Will you give Me all of you? Will you give Me your full attention? Will you fix your eyes on Me? Would you stop looking at those things that are not pleasing, that are hurting you? Would you stop doing those things that are outside of who I’ve called you to be, that are keeping Me from speaking to you, from leading you? Would you give up those things and lay them down today?”

And so I want us to come to the altar. If you are here and you have lost sight of Jesus in your life — you haven’t seen Him, you might be wondering if He’s even real, you’re questioning because things just don’t seem to be working out — if you have lost sight, if you have lost your first love, if that moment that you once had has faded and it is no longer there, and you want to be on fire for Him again, I believe the Lord wants to touch you today.

If you are here and you’ve never actually seen Jesus — maybe you’ve not given your life to Him — today is the day of salvation. Today is your day to give your life to the Lord. And if you’re here and you are struggling with sin, guilt, or shame, I want us to come forward, and I want us to look to the cross, where Jesus suffered for you, and He paid for it. He bled and He died on the cross so that you don’t have to carry those things anymore. And so if that is you today, if the Lord is speaking to you, I want you to make your way forward right now. Come forward and just begin to fill this space. If you need a heart that burns for Him, come forward. If you want to give your life to Him again, come forward. If you’ve been carrying guilt and shame, come forward. It is time. It is time to fix our eyes on Him wholly and completely.

Lord Jesus, we love You. Just keep coming. If you’re up here, begin to just lift your hands to the Lord and just begin to say the name of Jesus. Just begin to call out to Jesus right now. Just say, “Jesus, come fill me. Speak to me. I give myself to You. I want to do it Your way. I want to know You, Lord. I want to know Your heart.” Just begin to talk to Him right now as best you know how. You don’t need to have the perfect words. If you are out here, begin to just extend your hands to these people that are up front, and begin to pray in the Spirit. Everybody, just begin to pray in the Spirit.

Thank You, Lord Jesus. We thank You for Your presence. We thank You, Lord, that if we come hungering and thirsting, You fill us. Only You can satisfy and fill those dry places, Lord. We can spend eternity searching, but Lord, there is none like You. You are so precious. You are so holy. Lord, speak to us.

And I’m going to ask that we all begin to pray this. I’m going to say a prayer, and I’m going to ask that all of us pray this out loud together, loud enough for the person next to you to hear. Let’s just pray. Say, “Heavenly Father, I’ve sinned against You. I thank You for loving me. I repent this morning of my sin. They are many, and I’m sorry. Cleanse me this morning with the precious blood of Jesus. I turn from the world. I turn from Satan himself. I turn from my ways, and I turn completely to You, Jesus. And I declare publicly that You are the Son of the living God, born of a virgin. That You lived a perfect life, a holy life. You suffered and died and shed Your blood to destroy the power of sin. I declare You were buried, and three days later raised from the dead. You are God Almighty, and You have ascended to the right hand of the Father, and You are coming again to rule and reign. Find me ready, Lord Jesus. Take my life. Make it Yours. Come and live inside of me. I receive You today, in Jesus’ name.”

Thank You, Lord. Just begin to say, “Thank You, Lord. Thank You, Jesus.” We receive it by faith. We receive what You’ve done, Lord.

Church, can we just extend our hands again? I just want to pray this over every person. You don’t have to repeat this; let me pray this over you. Jesus, You’re the one who promised us — the promise of the Father is ours, a precious filling, the baptism of the Holy Spirit. And You said that when we ask, You will give it freely. And so if you have come forward this morning, just with your eyes closed, just simply and gently — you don’t have to beg — just begin to say, “Father, send me the power of the Holy Spirit. Fill me with Your Spirit right now. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit.” Very simple.

And Father, You’ve heard their prayer. Come, Lord, like a mighty rushing wind, like a blanket upon them. Equip them, Lord, to live a victorious Christian life. Empower them, Lord, to share Jesus wherever they go. Lord, that You would fill them afresh. Where places of their heart are cold, Lord, that You would bring a fire and a flame. Lord, that You would put a fire in their heart. Lord, that You would put a fire in their mouth, that they would be bold witnesses of who You are and what You’ve done. Lord, that they would see You, and that You would give them strength to keep their eyes on You. Lord, that they would see You in all of Your beauty, in all of Your glory. We give You thanks, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

If you are down here, you’re welcome to stay, but I wanted to read this benediction before we go. Let’s close our eyes, and let me bless you as you go.

As you go forth today, may we always fix our eyes on Jesus, our Savior, who was made lower than the angels to taste death for everyone. May we see Him in Scripture, where He’s not just a part of the story, but He is the story. May He be our focus as we journey through life, guiding us with His truth and filling us with His Spirit. May we see Jesus in His suffering, and may we remember He endured the cross for our sake. But let us also behold His glory: the Lamb who was slain, now crowned with honor and seated at the right hand of God, reigning forever. And as we follow Him, may we take up our crosses daily, laying down our desires, and find the freedom that only comes through surrender to His will. Now go in the grace and power of Jesus Christ, who is both the author and the finisher of our faith. May His peace, love, and strength be with you as you live for Him. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Transcribed from the message recording and lightly edited for reading.