I Know Who I Am | Pastor Joe Little | 05.17.2026

May 17, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: "We Have No King But Caesar"

The crowd shouted as Pilate presented Jesus: “Take him away! Crucify him!” Religious leaders traded their covenant identity for political safety, declaring loyalty to Rome over Yahweh. Their crisis revealed hearts clinging to earthly power. When pressure mounts, what throne do you defend? [12:06]

Jesus faced their rejection silently. He knew earthly kingdoms rise and fall, but His Father’s reign endures. Every “Caesar” we choose—careers, relationships, comforts—demands crucifixion of our true King. Yet Christ still steps into our betrayals, offering grace.

Where does your allegiance waver when life feels unstable? Write down one area where you’ve whispered “Caesar over Christ” this week. What practical step could reorient your heart today?

“Here is your king,” Pilate said to the Jews. But they shouted, “Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!”
(John 19:14-15, NIV)

Prayer: Confess one area where you’ve prioritized earthly security over Christ’s lordship.
Challenge: Write “NO KING BUT JESUS” on your mirror; say it aloud three times today.

Day 2: Walking Walls and Shattered Stone

Jericho’s army expected swords. God demanded marching. For six days, Israelites circled towering walls, trumpets blaring. No visible cracks. No logical reason to keep walking. Yet on the seventh day, shouts of worship shook foundations to dust. [31:44]

Worship isn’t a reward for victory—it’s the weapon that secures it. The Israelites’ obedience turned routine into revolution. Their feet declared trust in unseen power. When we worship amid unyielding walls, we partner with heaven’s strategy.

What “wall” have you stopped circling because progress feels invisible? Set a phone reminder today to pause and declare Psalm 97:1 aloud at 3 PM.

“Then the LORD said to Joshua, ‘See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands. March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days.’”
(Joshua 6:2-5, NIV)

Prayer: Ask God to renew your faith to persist in worship when breakthroughs delay.
Challenge: Walk around your home/workplace once while singing a worship song.

Day 3: Chosen, Not Allotted

The Colossian church—Gentiles, slaves, outsiders—heard Paul’s thunderclap: “You’re God’s chosen people.” No second-tier status. No cosmic draft picks. Christ’s cross erased every line, making orphans into heirs. Your selection wasn’t random—it was written in scars. [47:37]

Striving to be chosen breeds exhaustion; knowing you’re chosen breeds courage. Like a child resting in a parent’s embrace, your worth isn’t earned through performance. The Refiner doesn’t select gold based on its shine, but His purpose to purify it.

When did you last feel “picked last”? Write “CHOSEN” on your wrist. Each time you glance at it, whisper Romans 8:33.

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.”
(Colossians 3:12, NIV)

Prayer: Thank Jesus for specific moments He pursued you when you felt overlooked.
Challenge: Text “You’re chosen by God” to someone who needs this truth today.

Day 4: The Receipt of Forgiveness

John’s letter cuts through self-help forgiveness: “If we confess, He forgives.” Not “if we compensate” or “if we grovel.” The Greek tense implies once-for-all cleansing. Your record isn’t expunged—it’s incinerated. [58:06]

Satan replays your sins like a blooper reel. Christ displays His scars as payment confirmation. Feeling unforgiven? Check the transaction log: “PAID IN FULL” (John 19:30). Your shame was buried; don’t resurrect what God declared dead.

What accusation haunts you? Write it on paper, then cross it out with red ink. Burn it as you pray Psalm 103:12.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
(1 John 1:9, NIV)

Prayer: Name one forgiven sin aloud, then declare “Christ’s blood covers this.”
Challenge: Delete one old message/photo that tempts you to dwell on past failure.

Day 5: Winter’s End, Spring’s First Song

Paul didn’t say “renovated creation” but “new creation.” Like Michigan’s ice yielding to crocuses, Christ doesn’t adjust your old nature—He implants His resurrection life. The Refiner’s fire isn’t punishment; it’s the process where dross sinks and gold shines. [01:04:40]

New creations still cough up old habits, like healed lungs expelling tar. Progress isn’t perfection—it’s daily consent to Christ’s sculpting. What addiction, mindset, or fear feels immovable? Plant Galatians 2:20 there like a seed.

When did you last celebrate a “spring” breakthrough? Replace one old routine (e.g., morning scroll) with 5 minutes in Psalm 51:10.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”
(2 Corinthians 5:17, NIV)

Prayer: Ask God to highlight one area where He’s making you new this month.
Challenge: Donate/give away one item symbolizing your “old self” today.

Sermon Summary

We gather to declare that Jesus alone is our King and to live out an identity shaped by the cross. We worship not as a ritual but as a public surrender that names Christ over every fear, loss, and success. Worship can become spiritual work that breaks strongholds, as the story of marching and praise at the walls shows, and it sustains us across long seasons when results lag. We refuse the world picking us for value, because God already chose us by grace; that election anchors our confidence without producing pride. The cross settles our standing before God. It meets divine justice so that grace can be applied, which means forgiveness stands as a legal and relational reality, even when shame resurfaces. Feeling forgiven often lags behind being forgiven, so we must learn to receive God assurance against the enemy voice of accusation. Being in Christ ushers us into a new season. The old life and its patterns begin to melt like winter snow under the refiner work of God. The refining process exposes impurities so they may be removed, not to shame us but to shape us into Christ likeness. We cannot manufacture that transformation by effort alone; we participate by repentance, worship, community, and clinging to the finished work of Jesus. The gospel then forms a threefold curve: God chooses us, God forgives us, and God transforms us. This sequence frees us to live boldly in everyday spaces because our worth and calling do not depend on the world approval or our accomplishments. Finally, the call to respond remains clear. Confession with the mouth and faith in the heart translates into practical surrender and initiation into a lifelong refining, where worship, prayer, and obedience allow God to continue making us new.

Key Takeaways

1. We are chosen by God We rest in election that does not reward performance but grants belonging. That chosen status removes the need to seek worth from cultural applause and frees us to serve without craving validation. Our calling then becomes faithful presence, not anxious proving, because grace, not merit, secures our place in God family. [43:50]
2. Forgiveness comes through Christ's cross The cross satisfies divine justice so forgiveness stands as a real, paid debt rather than an emotional bandage. Because God dealt with sin decisively, accusation can only remind us of past, not define our present. We must distinguish legal forgiveness from lingering feelings and allow scripture and community to recalibrate our conscience. [52:14]
3. We become a new creation Union with Christ ushers a change of seasons where old patterns pass away and new life begins. The refiner exposes hidden impurities so God can remove them, which feels like fire but serves purification not destruction. Growth then looks less like self improvement and more like being reshaped to reflect Christ. [60:49]
4. Worship disarms and topples walls Sustained, surrendered worship acts as spiritual engagement that reorders reality more than it entertains emotion. Like the march and shout that brought walls down, worship perseveres when results delay and cultivates expectancy. Worship becomes the avenue where God aligns our hearts with his purposes and advances his kingdom. [31:07]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[11:46] - Declaring our King
[12:50] - Surrender through worship
[31:07] - Worship brings walls down
[33:09] - Prayer for faith to persevere
[35:50] - "I know who I am" introduction
[43:50] - Chosen by God
[52:14] - Forgiven through the cross
[60:49] - New creation and refiner's fire
[70:22] - Invitation and sinner's prayer

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Joshua 6:1-20 (ESV)
Now Jericho was shut up inside and outside because of the people of Israel. None went out, and none came in. And the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and mighty men of valor. You shall march around the city, all the men of war going around the city once. Thus shall you do for six days... On the seventh day... the people shouted, and the wall fell down flat.”

Observation Questions

In Joshua 6, how did God instruct Israel to confront Jericho’s walls, and what role did worship play in this victory?
Colossians 3:12 says believers are “chosen, holy, and dearly loved.” What specific attitudes/actions does Paul urge them to “clothe” themselves with?
The sermon compared refining fire to God’s work in us ([01:06:25]). What happens to impurities in gold during this process, and how does the refiner know when it’s complete?

Interpretation Questions

Why does Paul emphasize being “chosen” in Colossians 3:12, and how does this identity contrast with worldly definitions of worth?
The sermon states, “Feeling forgiven often lags behind being forgiven” ([58:06]). Why might there be a gap between the legal reality of forgiveness and our emotional experience of it?
In Joshua 6, Israel’s victory came through obedience and worship, not military strategy. What does this reveal about God’s priorities for overcoming obstacles?

Application Questions

When shame resurfaces about past mistakes, how could you actively “recalibrate” your conscience using Scripture or community, as mentioned in the sermon ([52:14])?
Identify one area where you’ve sought validation from others (work, relationships, social media). What practical step could you take this week to rest in being “chosen” by God instead?
The refining process “exposes impurities” ([01:06:25]). What habit, thought pattern, or relationship might God be highlighting in your life right now as an area for growth?
The sermon described worship as “spiritual engagement, not emotional entertainment” ([31:07]). How could you shift your personal or corporate worship to focus more on surrender than feelings?
If “timid Christianity” stems from forgetting our identity ([41:15]), what bold action or conversation could you initiate this week to reflect confidence in who God says you are?

Sermon Clips

25s

#FeelingForgiven

“But here's the hard part. The hard part in Christianity, what I've realized, isn't being forgiven. The hard part is feeling forgiven. The hard part in Christianity isn't being forgiven. The Bible tells us that by the cross and through His stripes, are healed. We are forgiven by God. So the hard part isn't being forgiven. It says we have to accept this forgiveness. The hard part is actually feeling forgiven. You have to understand this today. The enemy cannot stop you from being forgiven, so he will try to stop you from feeling forgiven.”

35s

#NewSeasonInChrist

“The language in the original language, this is what he's describing here, is he's describing a change of seasons. So it's as though you were in winter and everything was rough and you were in your sin and you were, as the bible would say, all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. You were in this this place of depravity and then all of a sudden you are now in Christ and the new is here. Spring is now here. Joy is now here. Hope is now here. Love is now here. I want to encourage you today. It is not just a changed season. It's a completely new season.”

36s

#ConfidenceInChrist

“Any realm you step in, we should be the most confident people in the universe. We should walk into business meetings confident. We should walk into dinner tables confident. We should walk students, you should walk into your schools confident. Single people, you should walk into dates confident. Not because of who you are, not because of your finances, not because of your position, but simply because I know who I am in Christ. Simply because I know who I am, and I know who God has called me to be. There should be a confidence about you, a faith about you, a fervor about you. You shouldn't walk into any area timid.”

30s

#RefinerFireExperience

“And the reason why I am sharing this is because I feel like that's how life trying to live like Jesus feels sometimes. That I've now entered into this fire, and I'm trying to change the way that I talk, change the way that I think, change the way that I operate, change some of my habits, and it feels like I'm in this fire. But what does the fire do? The impurities begin to rise to the top. Man, I didn't realize I still thought that way. I didn't realize I still had that desire. I didn't realize I still had that mindset. But then by the grace of God, all of those impurities begin to be wiped away.”

25s

#ChooseConviction

“Condemnation points to me. Well, I'm so bad that God could never use me. God could never love me. God could never forgive me. Conviction points to God. God is so good. God is so kind. God is so loving that I want to live like Him, date like Him, love like Him, serve like Him, give like him. Come on. Does anyone wanna be like God today? We can clap for that. You do not need more condemnation in your life. You need more conviction in your life.”

36s

#ForgivenByTheCross

“does not mean your sin is being ignored or excused. It means that it's being paid for by the cross. You see, you and I could not pay the cost of forgiveness. We cannot earn this forgiveness. If we could earn the grace of God, Jesus wouldn't have had to go to the cross in the first place. But what happens is you and I have a debt that we could not pay, a bill that we could not pay. And what God says is that I am a just God, so this bill has to be paid. This bill has to be covered. But it's not gonna be covered by you. It's going to be covered by me. It's not gonna be covered by you. It's going to be covered by the cross.”

25s

#ConvictionAffirmsForgiveness

“Because when I have conviction, I can look at the goodness of God and realize and remember, no, no, no, I'm forgiven. When Satan tries to bring up old sin, and I can look to his word and say, no, I'm forgiven. When he tries to say, hey, you're a mess up. Hey, you're your past. Hey, you've what you've done. I can look to his word because of the conviction in my life and say, no, I have been forgiven by God. I know who I am. I am chosen, and I'm forgiven. And the last one is this today. The band can come up. We're gonna close.”

31s

#ConfidentChristiansPrayer

“That confusion about our identity does not come from you. Confusion about who we are, insecurity about who we are does not come from you. You are clear about who we are. So God, I pray that over our moments today, we would have confident Christians. God, I pray over the timid Christian today. Would they have confidence in your name? I pray for the fearful Christian today. No, no, no. Should we not walk into work tomorrow timid or fearful? May we be confident because of who we are in Christ.”

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I Know Who I Am | Pastor Joe Little | 05.17.2026

Devotional

Day 1: "We Have No King But Caesar"

Day 2: Walking Walls and Shattered Stone

Day 3: Chosen, Not Allotted

Day 4: The Receipt of Forgiveness

Day 5: Winter’s End, Spring’s First Song

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

I Know Who I Am | Pastor Joe Little | 05.17.2026

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