Remember Well, Walk Well, Finish Well | And Again I Say To You | Pastor Nick Person

He knew that his life would be required of him. But what did he do? He willingly took the next best step and walked towards it. He walked up the rough side. He was willing to go through some hard things. Why? To win you and I back from the enemy. To give us freedom and life and no longer death, so that we could be redeemed, so that we could wear the cloak of righteousness, so that we could have the signet ring of the family, so that we could walk in new sandals that were given to us, and it was necessary for him to surrender his life to do so. And Jesus, as he walked, is reminding and inviting us to go and do likewise. [00:51:15] (44 seconds)  #JesusWalksForUs

What next step do you need to take? Is it saying yes to Jesus for the first time? Saying yes to the life he lives? Saying yes to the payment he paid on the cross? Paying our debt in full? Saying yes to his resurrection and saying yes to the key to victory that he held when he got up from death? Is the direction you're walking going to lead you to the desired end? Because the steps you were taking today is leading you somewhere. Is it leading you on a pathway that you reflect Christ even better, or is it leading you down a pathway that reflects you and the fact that you sit on the throne of your life? [00:52:56] (39 seconds)  #NextStepFaith

Like, what would it look like as we are setting the tone and the temperature of Earth one degree at a time towards the temperature of heaven? What would it look like if when we went out to eat that we based how we tipped those servers not on their performance, but our posture? And I know that your Diet Coke might not be refilled as quickly as possible. I know that they might not bring the butter for the bread, and that's probably worth us losing our mind about. But maybe, just maybe, the aroma of the kingdom of God, if we gave that out well, by the way, stewarded our gifts, our talents, and our resources, will allow people to go, you know what? I might wanna go to this church they came from. [00:31:37] (45 seconds)  #KingdomAroma

Remember that what we want to hear may not be what we need to hear. Some of y'all need to hear that again. Remember that what we want to hear may not be what we need to hear. Students, kids, hear me. Sometimes what your parents say is not what you want to hear. Why? Because they're not most concerned with you liking them, but they are most concerned with you walking in a journey that will lead you to a better place. What we want to hear may not be what we need to hear, and here's the truth of all of us. [00:36:13] (37 seconds)  #HearWhatYouNeed

Remember that we walk in the already forward steps of Jesus, and he has secured a beautiful conclusion to the story. I love that we get to reminded of this truth on Palm Sunday, where Jesus gave the evidence that he was gonna go ahead and walk ahead of us and secure our future through his life, through his death, and through his resurrection. Remember on Palm Sunday, Jesus entered the city, and he knew what was coming on Friday. He knew that his life would be required of him. But what did he do? He willingly took the next best step and walked towards it. [00:50:36] (48 seconds)  #PalmSundayPromise

Why is it then that when we lean into community, when we lean into being hurt by a friend that happens to be in the church too, and we experience that hurt that we go, you know what? I'm done with it all. But we don't do that in any other area of our life. Hear me, family. We need each other. You are not going to get to where God has for you to go if you try to do it alone. [00:48:01] (27 seconds)  #WeNeedEachOther

What do you need to remember today? Do you need to remember whose you are? Do you need to remember that you have been given an identity so you don't have to search for one? Do you remember that the king calls you beloved? What do you need to remember today? What do you need to let go of today? Is it past hurts? Is it past mistakes? What do you need to let go? What next step do you need to take? Is it saying yes to Jesus for the first time? [00:52:27] (34 seconds)  #RememberWhoYouAre

Takeaway. To finish well is to have stewarded well. Not accidental, but intentional. Steward what? Your life, your gifts, your daily steps, the gospel, your resources, your relationship, your family. In order to get to where you want to go, you have to steward each step well. Sam Chan, who is a pastor as well as a communicator, he says this, this is so challenging to me. Finished. The goal is not to just finish well, but be well when you are finished. [00:42:06] (40 seconds)  #FinishWellLiveWell