Archive for the ‘Faith In Action’ Tag
“Our Father Loves All Creation With Human Participation!” Pt 2
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Audio Part 2A:
Audio Part 2B:
Full Audio Message:
Scripture: Revelation 4
Summary:
In this deeply pastoral and theologically rich message, Pastor Timothy Brassell continues his Lenten journey through the Book of Revelation, calling the Church to unlearn fear-based readings and rediscover the book as a revelation of God’s triune love—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
At the heart of this sermon is a needed reorientation: Revelation is not primarily about destruction, but about participation in God’s love through Jesus Christ. Pastor Tim reminds us that Jesus Christ is the key to understanding all of Scripture, and especially Revelation. The unveiling is not chaos for chaos’ sake, it is the unveiling of Jesus as both fully God and fully human, revealing that humanity itself has been lifted into God’s life.
A central theological truth runs through the whole message: God has made His life our life, and our life His life in Jesus Christ. As Thomas F. Torrance writes, “Jesus Christ has made our human life his own, that he might make his divine life ours.” The early church confessed this same mystery when Athanasius wrote, “For He became man that we might become god.” Pastor Tim makes clear that this does not mean we become God by nature, but that in Christ we are brought into real participation in His life.
From there, the sermon presses into a powerful reminder: grace is not a concept, it is a Person. Jesus Christ Himself is God’s grace, living and active in us through the Holy Spirit. Through Him, we are not merely forgiven, but transformed, empowered, and drawn into His ongoing life and mission.
Pastor Tim also reframes how we hear Revelation. Instead of beginning with fear, he asks us to begin with love: Do you see how much the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit love you? Revelation 4 gives us a throne-room vision of worship, sovereignty, and peace in the middle of a chaotic world. The 24 elders and living creatures show that all creation is ultimately gathered around the throne of God, giving glory to the One who is worthy.
The sermon also helps us understand that Revelation speaks through apocalyptic language, symbolic, not merely literal. Pastor Tim compares it to coded language, like that used in the Underground Railroad, meant to communicate truth faithfully in dangerous times. These symbols are not meant to confuse believers, but to strengthen them with hope: God is in control, evil will not win, and Christ’s people are called to endure with courage.
Even in the midst of chaos, Pastor Tim emphasizes that God is not absent. He is overseeing, redeeming, and working all things toward His purpose. In one of the sermon’s most memorable lines, he reminds us: “What matters more than your brokenness is Jesus’ fixedness.” That is why our lives matter now. As N. T. Wright says, “What you do in the present… will last into God’s future.” Our participation in Christ today is not wasted, it is caught up in God’s eternal purpose.
Finally, Pastor Tim brings the message into the present by naming some of the “beasts” of our own day: loss of meaning, isolation, consumerism, and the decline of embodied community. In response, the Church is called not to retreat from the world, but to participate with Christ in redeeming it through worship, witness, love, and real community. Even when the Church feels small or weak, it remains central to God’s purpose for the sake of the world.
Reflective Moment:
Take a moment to pause and reflect:
Have I been viewing Revelation through fear, or through the lens of God’s love?
Do I see myself as merely forgiven, or as someone sharing in the very life of Jesus?
Where is God inviting me to move from observation into participation?
Because of Jesus, you are not outside of God’s plan, you are included. Because He lives, you are not alone in the chaos, He is present within it. And because of His love, your life right now matters in His eternal purpose.
“The Only True Source Of Humanity Is Jesus!”
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Audio Part A:
Audio Part B:
Full Audio Message:
Summary:
In this powerful Lenten sermon, Pastor Timothy Brassell brought us to the heart of the gospel through the book of Hebrews with a clear declaration: Jesus Christ is the only true source of humanity.
Too often, we define our identity, purpose, and what it means to be human through culture, experience, or personal perception. But Scripture reveals something radically different: true humanity is not self-defined; it is revealed in Jesus Christ. He is not merely showing us how to live; He is what it means to be fully human.
Jesus, fully God and fully man, did not come to fix sin from a distance. He entered into our humanity, took it seriously, and lived it perfectly before the Father on our behalf. The “debt” humanity owed God was not only sin, it was our failure to be truly human as He created us to be. Jesus fulfilled that humanity for us and now shares it with us through the Holy Spirit.
As T. F. Torrance writes: “He has made our human nature his own in such a way that in him it is sanctified and perfected.”
Hebrews shows us that this was not accomplished through external sacrifices, but through the very humanity of Jesus. His life, obedience, and relationship with the Father. In Him, a new and living way has been opened.
This gospel includes us. God does not work apart from humanity. He works through humanity. Because Jesus is the true human and we are united to Him, we are called into participation, not passivity. The Christian life is relational, lived out in trust, obedience, endurance, and community.
This means:
- We don’t wait passively for God to act
- We don’t reduce faith to ideas
- We actively participate in the life of Christ by the Spirit
As Torrance also reminds us: “All that Jesus Christ has done for us, he shares with us.”— T. F. Torrance
This is the heart of the gospel: Jesus not only lived for us, He shares His life with us. The call is clear: Take Jesus more seriously than yourself. Then take your humanity as seriously as He does. God reveals Himself through people, through Scripture, the Church, and one another. To ignore His voice through others is to miss His work among us.
Grace is not passivity, grace empowers participation. Through Christ, we are no longer trapped in sin. Though we still wrestle with weakness, we are now able—by the Spirit—to resist, endure, and grow. Even struggle and discipline become part of God’s loving formation in us.
Hebrews calls us to:
- Run with endurance
- Fix our eyes on Jesus
- Encourage one another
- Live out our faith relationally
This path is not easy. It may involve struggle, sacrifice, and perseverance, but it is the very life Jesus lived and now shares with us. In the end, everything that can be shaken will be shaken, but what remains is the unshakable kingdom found in Christ. Our identity, our humanity, and our life are secure in Him.
So the invitation stands: Not to define ourselves…Not to withdraw…But to step into the life Jesus has already lived and now shares with us.
Jesus Christ is the true human and in Him, we are becoming truly human.
Key Themes and Reflection Questions
- Jesus Defines True Humanity 👤✨
- Theme: Jesus is the source and definition of true humanity.
- Discipleship Question: Where am I looking for my identity apart from Jesus?
- #TrueHumanityInChrist
- Participation, Not Passivity 🤝🔥
- Theme: God works through humanity and calls us to active participation.
- Discipleship Question: Where is God inviting me to engage rather than remain passive?
- #FaithInAction
- Grace That Transforms 🌿💧
- Theme: Grace empowers us to become who we are in Christ.
- Discipleship Question: Where is God’s grace calling me to grow right now?
- #GraceTransforms
- Endurance in the Journey 💪😭
- Theme: The life of faith includes struggle, but always with Jesus.
- Discipleship Question: Where do I need to endure with Jesus today?
- : #EndureWithJesus
- Take Your Humanity Seriously ⚖️❤️
- Theme: Because Jesus took our humanity seriously, so should we.
- Discipleship Question: What would change if I lived with this awareness daily?
- #CalledToBeHuman
Reflective Moment:
What if becoming truly human isn’t about striving…but receiving what Jesus has already lived for you? He has taken your humanity seriously. He has lived it fully before the Father. And now He shares that life with you. Don’t look within, look to Jesus. Step into the life He is already living in you.
“Sent to Share – Living the Resurrection Now!”
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Leave a comment Devotional By Pastor Timothy Brassell
Scripture: “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, I also send you.”
— John 20:21 (CSB)
Today’s Reflection:
In the quiet after the resurrection, Jesus didn’t come with fire from heaven, but with something even more powerful: peace and purpose.
“Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”
These are not just words for the disciples; they are words for us. The resurrection isn’t only a celebration of the past or a promise of the future. It’s a living reality that changes how we walk through each moment of each ordinary day. We’re not just receivers of grace; we’re sharers of it. As we live sent lives, we don’t go alone; we go for and with each other
“The Christian needs another Christian who speaks God’s Word to him… again and again when he becomes uncertain and discouraged.”
— Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Sharing grace isn’t always dramatic, it’s often quiet, relational, and consistent. God sends us to speak encouragement, truth, and hope into one another’s lives, especially when faith feels uncertain.
Mary Magdalene was told not to cling to the risen Jesus, but to go and tell. That same divine pattern lives in you. Even your “boring days” are holy ground when you live under Christ’s reign.
“Your day has purpose. Jesus is walking with you on your boring days.”
And the great comfort is this: “The urgency is on, but the pressure is off.”
God-Father-Son-Holy Spirit, sends you, but it’s not on your shoulders. It’s His Spirit working through you that does the heavy lifting.
God and Evil Are Not Equals:
One of the most profound truths is this: Evil is not eternal, and evil is not God’s equal.
“Evil doesn’t sit beside God as an equal force; it’s a distortion; a twist in creation that God is straightening out in Jesus.”
There is no cosmic tug-of-war. There is only one Sovereign God, and in Christ, evil has been decisively defeated. It’s not a matter of if, but when it will be gone forever. Evil may have twisted creation, but in Jesus, God-Father-Son Holy Spirit, is redeeming what He made, not replacing it. Our bodies, our relationships, our time, all of it is being redeemed and we’re called to participate in that straightening work, not by power, but by presence, prayer, and proclamation.
“The resurrection is not the reversal of a process but its completion. It is not the denial of the cross, but its vindication.”
— Lesslie Newbigin, Truth to Tell, p. 45
Living on God’s Calendar:
When you live under God’s calendar, nothing is wasted. That means when you’re doing dishes, struggling through studies, or enduring pain Jesus is there. The time you once saw as pointless is now sacred. You’re not waiting for heaven to begin resurrection life. You’re already living in it.
You are a dual citizen, walking in this world while belonging to the next. That’s why your habits, priorities, and even relationships begin to shift. You’re not just reacting to life anymore; you’re living sent with purpose.
“You can live slower and stronger now under the calendar of Jesus Christ.”
Just as the Father sent Jesus into a broken world to redeem it, He now sends you into your family, your neighborhood, your job, your daily routines to participate in that same redemptive work. We live between resurrection and return. In this in-between time, we are not passive. We are active participants in God’s Kingdom mission.
“Our sole future is that He will come, just as our sole present is that He has come.”
— Karl Barth, Dogmatics in Outline
This quote reminds us that we don’t just look forward; we live fully in the now. The resurrection isn’t an interruption to history; it’s the anchor of it. Christ has come. Christ is coming. And in the middle, we live sent.
Reflective Moment:
Take a breath. Sit with these questions:
- What has Jesus taught me lately?
- Am I clinging to safety… or stepping out in faith?
- Who around me needs to know that evil doesn’t win?
Let the Spirit place someone or something on your heart. Then move toward them with love, light, and truth. Today, take what you’ve learned, big or small and share it. Write it. Speak it. Text it. Live it. You don’t need to be perfect; just present. You’re not sent because you’re strong; you’re sent because Jesus is risen, and He lives in you.
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, You are the resurrection and the life. You’ve not only called me to Yourself ; You’ve sent me into the world You are redeeming. I confess the times I’ve retreated into fear or comfort when You were calling me to share. Help me live in the truth that evil is already defeated, and that time is not my enemy; it’s Your tool. Let my moments be filled with eternity. Fill me with peace. Move me in power. Let me live and love as someone sent. In Your victorious name I pray, Amen.
Commissioning:
Now go; loved, empowered, and sent by the risen Christ. Live sent.