My God Is Alive: A Call to Faith

Today, we gathered to celebrate not just the arrival of new chairs in our sanctuary, but the faithfulness of God and the generosity of His people. These chairs are more than just furniture; they represent the legacy of faith, sacrifice, and transformation that has marked our church for generations. Every seat is a testimony to lives changed, marriages restored, and souls saved. As we look ahead, we trust that God will continue to fill this house, not for our comfort, but for His glory and the salvation of many more.

We reflected on the sobering words of Romans 1, which paint a picture of a world that lives as if God is dead—ignoring His truth, embracing wickedness, and exchanging the glory of the Creator for created things. It’s easy to point fingers at the world, but the real challenge is to examine our own hearts. Do we, who claim to know Christ, sometimes live as if He is absent or powerless? Is our faith reduced to rituals, church attendance, and outward conformity, while our hearts grow cold and distant from the living God?

The call is to move beyond religion and into a vibrant, daily relationship with the God who is alive. God is not interested in empty traditions or superficial acts of worship. He desires to walk with us, to speak to us, and to fill us with His Spirit. The evidence of a living faith is not in how many times we show up at church, but in the fruit of our lives—our prayer, our hunger for His Word, our integrity, our forgiveness, and our hope in the face of trials.

No matter what the world says or how dark things may seem, our God is not dead. He is alive, powerful, and present. He is able to heal, restore, provide, and deliver. The same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead lives in us, empowering us to live with hope, courage, and love. Let us not settle for a dead religion, but pursue a living relationship with Jesus, so that when the world looks at us, they see evidence that our God is truly alive.

Key Takeaways

• 1. Generosity and legacy in God’s house are not about comfort, but about creating space for transformation. Every act of giving, no matter how small, becomes part of a story that outlives us, impacting generations to come. When we invest in God’s kingdom, we participate in the ongoing work of salvation and restoration. Our sacrifices today become someone else’s testimony tomorrow. [29:24]
• 2. The greatest danger for believers is not open rebellion, but living as if God is absent while still professing faith. When prayer, Scripture, and obedience become optional, we risk reducing God to a powerless tradition. True faith is measured not by outward rituals, but by the living reality of Christ in us—seen in our priorities, our choices, and our daily dependence on Him. [44:20]
• 3. The Word of God must move from our devices and shelves into our hearts. In moments of crisis, it is not the Bible app or the open book that sustains us, but the Word we have internalized and made our own. Spiritual resilience is built in the secret place, where God’s truth becomes our anchor and our weapon against the storms of life. [46:12]
• 4. Forgiveness is not a transaction based on others’ repentance, but a reflection of the living Christ within us. Holding onto bitterness only imprisons us, while releasing forgiveness sets us free to experience God’s peace. Just as Christ forgave us while we were still sinners, we are called to extend grace, refusing to let past wounds define our future. [56:54]
• 5. Our hope is anchored in the living God, not in circumstances, people, or religious routines. When we face trials—whether sickness, lack, broken relationships, or addiction—we can declare with confidence that our God is alive and able. The resurrection power of Jesus is not a distant memory, but a present reality that transforms our lives and gives us courage to face any challenge. [53:11]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [23:42] - Worship: “You Got the Whole World in Your Hands”
• [26:49] - Opening Prayer and Thanksgiving
• [28:12] - Warm Greetings and Church Family Connection
• [28:47] - The Story Behind the New Chairs
• [29:24] - The Legacy of Generosity
• [31:13] - Integrity in Giving and Church Finances
• [32:25] - Vision for Growth and Future Generations
• [34:10] - Dedication of the Chairs
• [34:39] - Scripture Reading: Romans 1
• [37:13] - Creation, Sin, and the Loss of God’s Presence
• [39:45] - What If God Were Dead?
• [41:44] - Living as If God Is Absent
• [44:20] - The Danger of Empty Religion
• [46:12] - The Power of God’s Word in Our Hearts
• [49:26] - My God Is Not Dead—He Is Alive
• [51:23] - Living Relationship vs. Dead Religion
• [53:11] - Hope in the Living God
• [56:54] - Forgiveness and Freedom
• [58:46] - God’s Power to Restore and Deliver
• [59:21] - The Uniqueness of Christ’s Sacrifice
• [60:42] - Closing Prayer and Blessing

Bible Reading

Romans 1:18-32 (NIV) — The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.
Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.
Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.
Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy.
Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

Observation Questions

1. According to Romans 1, what are some of the ways people act when they ignore or reject God’s truth?
2. In the sermon, what did the new chairs in the sanctuary symbolize for the church community? [[29:24]]
3. What does the passage say is exchanged when people turn away from God?
4. What are some examples the pastor gave of how believers might live “as if God is dead” even while attending church? [[44:20]]

Interpretation Questions

1. Why does Paul say that people are “without excuse” when it comes to knowing God? How does this challenge the way we view the world around us?
2. The pastor said the greatest danger for believers is not open rebellion, but living as if God is absent while still professing faith. What does this look like in practical terms? [[44:20]]
3. How does the idea of “legacy” and generosity in the church connect to the ongoing work of God in people’s lives? [[29:24]]
4. The sermon emphasized that true faith is measured by the fruit of our lives, not just by church attendance or rituals. What kind of “fruit” should be visible in a believer’s life? [[51:23]]

Application Questions

1. The pastor challenged the church to move beyond empty religion and into a living relationship with God. Are there areas in your life where you have settled for routine or tradition instead of real connection with God? What is one step you can take this week to pursue a deeper relationship? [[44:20]]
2. When was the last time you saw your generosity or sacrifice become part of someone else’s testimony? Is there a way you can invest in God’s kingdom this month that might impact future generations? [[29:24]]
3. The sermon warned about the danger of having God’s Word only on our devices or shelves, but not in our hearts. What is one verse or passage you want to memorize or meditate on this week so it becomes an anchor for you in tough times? [[46:12]]
4. The pastor spoke about forgiveness, not as a transaction, but as a reflection of Christ living in us. Is there someone you need to forgive, even if they haven’t apologized? What is holding you back, and how can you take a step toward freedom? [[56:54]]
5. When facing trials—like sickness, financial need, or broken relationships—do you find it easy or hard to declare that “my God is alive and able”? Share a current challenge and how you can remind yourself of God’s power this week. [[53:11]]
6. The sermon mentioned that our hope should not be in circumstances, people, or routines, but in the living God. What is one area where you have misplaced your hope, and how can you shift your focus back to Jesus? [[53:11]]
7. The pastor described the importance of visible faith at home, such as children seeing their parents pray. What is one practical way you can make your faith more visible to your family or those around you this week? [[50:46]]