Living as Ambassadors of Christ's Reconciliation

### Bible Study Discussion Guide

#### Bible Reading
1. **2 Corinthians 5:19** - "God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation."
2. **Exodus 12:26-27** - "And when your children ask you, ‘What does this ceremony mean to you?’ then tell them, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when he struck down the Egyptians.’"
3. **John 1:29** - "The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, 'Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!'"

#### Observation Questions
1. What does 2 Corinthians 5:19 say about the role of believers in the ministry of reconciliation? How does this align with the sermon’s emphasis on our calling? [01:04:06]
2. In Exodus 12:26-27, what is the significance of the Passover sacrifice, and how does it relate to the sermon’s discussion on the symbolism of the Passover lamb? [40:03]
3. According to John 1:29, what title does John the Baptist give to Jesus, and what does this title signify about Jesus' mission? [45:28]
4. How did the sermon describe the importance of sharing our testimonies, including both blessings and struggles? [01:02:11]

#### Interpretation Questions
1. How does understanding our role in the ministry of reconciliation change the way we interact with others, especially those who are spiritually blind? [01:04:06]
2. What parallels can be drawn between the Passover lamb in Exodus and Jesus as the Lamb of God in John 1:29? How does this deepen our understanding of Jesus' sacrifice? [45:28]
3. The sermon mentioned the danger of having a form of godliness but lacking its power. What does this mean, and how can we ensure our faith is authentic and impactful? [01:09:01]
4. How does the concept of being a blessing to others, as discussed in the sermon, reflect the Abrahamic promise? What practical steps can we take to live this out? [56:00]

#### Application Questions
1. Reflect on your personal testimony. How can sharing both your blessings and struggles help others in their faith journey? Can you think of a specific person you could share your story with this week? [01:02:11]
2. The sermon emphasized the importance of living out our faith authentically. What specific actions can you take this week to apply the principles of God’s Word in your daily life? [01:09:01]
3. Consider the upcoming celebration of the resurrection. How can you deepen your reflection on Christ’s sacrifice and elevate your relationship with God during this season? [34:01]
4. The sermon highlighted the importance of giving, praying, and going as expressions of faith. What is one practical way you can contribute to your church’s mission efforts, whether locally or globally? [35:00]
5. Think about someone in your life who is spiritually blind. How can you pray for them and invite them to experience the love of Christ? What specific steps will you take this week to reach out to them? [01:14:25]
6. The sermon warned against having a superficial faith. What are some signs that your faith might be superficial, and how can you work towards a deeper, more genuine relationship with God? [01:09:01]
7. Reflect on the principle of being a blessing to others. Identify one person or family in need and plan a specific way to bless them this week, whether through your time, resources, or encouragement. [56:00]

Day 1: Living Testimonies of Grace
We are each a vessel of God's transformative power, a living testimony to the grace that has altered our lives. This is not a role that comes with a title or a position within a church hierarchy; it is the essence of being a disciple of Christ. By sharing our personal stories of redemption, we extend an invitation to others to encounter the same life-changing grace. It is through our testimonies that we can demonstrate the reality of God's love and the possibility of reconciliation with Him. Our lives, marked by the transformative work of God, become a beacon of hope to those still walking in darkness, showing that change is not only possible but promised through faith in Christ [01:04:06].

2 Corinthians 5:18-19 (ESV)
"All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation."

Reflection: How has your life changed since you encountered Christ, and how can you share this change with someone this week?

Day 2: The Ultimate Sacrifice Revealed
The Passover lamb, a significant symbol in the Old Testament, was a precursor to the ultimate sacrifice made by Jesus Christ. As believers, it is crucial to delve into the depth of this symbolism and comprehend the magnitude of God's love, which is not confined to an individual or a family but is extended to the entire world. The story of the Passover lamb is not just a historical account; it is a narrative that finds its fulfillment in the person of Jesus, who became our Passover lamb. By understanding and sharing this profound truth, we can help others grasp the fullness of God's redemptive plan for humanity [55:24].

1 Corinthians 5:7b (ESV)
"For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed."

Reflection: In what ways can you deepen your understanding of Jesus as our Passover lamb and share this insight with others?

Day 3: Faith in Action
Authentic faith is not merely about absorbing information; it is about applying the principles of Scripture to our lives. It is a call to action, to live out the teachings of the Bible in our everyday experiences. This active faith leads to the manifestation of God's promises in every aspect of our lives, including our relationships, health, and finances. It is not enough to listen to messages and nod in agreement; we must be doers of the Word, allowing the truth to transform us and to be evident in our actions. This is the kind of faith that has a tangible impact on our lives and the lives of those around us [01:08:55].

James 1:22-24 (ESV)
"But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like."

Reflection: What is one specific way you can apply Scripture to a current situation in your life today?

Day 4: Blessed to Be a Blessing
The principle of sharing our faith is both a spiritual mandate and a practical one. As we receive blessings from God, we are called to be conduits of those blessings to others. This reflects the fullness of the Abrahamic promise, where we transition from being mere recipients of God's favor to becoming channels through which His blessings flow to the world. Our generosity, prayers, and willingness to go on missions are expressions of this faith in action. By embracing this calling, we participate in the divine cycle of giving and receiving, which not only enriches our lives but also furthers the kingdom of God [56:28].

Genesis 12:2-3 (ESV)
"And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."

Reflection: Who can you be a blessing to today, and what practical step can you take to make that happen?

Day 5: Embracing Our God-Given Purpose
True freedom in Christ is found when we understand our identity in Him and apply the truths of His Word to break free from anything that hinders us. As we embrace our God-given purpose, we experience a life of fulfillment and are empowered to help others find their way back to God. This journey of self-discovery and purposeful living is not just for our own benefit; it is a pathway that leads us to assist others in their spiritual walk, guiding them towards the love and salvation that is found in Christ [01:22:19].

Ephesians 2:10 (ESV)
"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."

Reflection: What is one area in your life where you feel called to serve or help others, and how can you take a step towards that calling this week?

Thank you. Good morning to you. Great seeing your faces on today. God is good, and I'm excited about what He's doing in this moment, in this season of many of your lives.

But even specifically as we're in this celebrative week, if you would, as we get ready to celebrate the resurrection of our Savior next Sunday, I'm glad to be here today on what we call Palm Sunday.

Palm Sunday is that Sunday, if we were 2,000 years ago, it would be that Sunday before Resurrection Sunday in which Jesus came riding through Jerusalem on a donkey. And for those who know the history of that, those people who were worshiping Jesus literally jumped up in trees and ripped off palm branches and began to just cry out, "Hosanna, Hosanna," crying out and just welcoming and worshiping our Lord and Savior.

I'm so glad to be here today. I want to just encourage you; there will be one email going out today and a text that is going to be a devotion for literally this entire week that will give you an opportunity to focus your attention on the resurrection, on the cross.

So I want to just encourage you to take that devotion for the next six days and just focus on what this week meant 2,000 years ago. What happened that Sunday? What happened that Monday, that Tuesday, that Wednesday, that Thursday, that Friday, that Saturday? Christmas and Easter are two of the most important weeks in the year.

So I want to just encourage you, if you would, of our faith, and I want to just challenge you. I believe that God would do something supernatural and special over the next seven days if we would just lean our hearts into all of who God is—not just today, but what He did for us 2,000 years ago through Jesus Christ.

I just think there's something about remembering and reminding ourselves that our salvation was a gift, but we cannot go through a process to make that gift, that ultimate sacrifice. So this week, make it a reflective week. Make it a week in which you really take the apex of your faith, of your relationship with God, to a totally different level and watch what God will do over the next seven days.

I believe your marriage, your children, your coworkers, your business will be the benefactors of you leaning in during this season with your spirit into the spirit of God. Watch what He will do. Amen? Amen.

So I'm going to jump right into the word today. Pastor David did mention our mission trip that will be taking place in June. It's about 20 of us that will be going on that mission trip, so we will be collecting a few offerings over the next few weeks for that mission trip.

We always say you can give, pray, or go. So 20 of us will be going. Many of you will be praying and giving, and as we give those opportunities for you to sow into this mission trip, do know that even if you're not going physically, it's because of your prayers and your generosity that you will make that trip available for so many of us that will be giving hope and spreading hope to those in that part of Africa.

I've been there last year, and just some of the poverty level that's in that region, I could not imagine standing that all of my life. So I just want to encourage you to just pray. See if you can, maybe there's one of the 20 who's going on the mission trip, and you want to really focus on that one person who's going on the mission trip.

We will be presenting our missionary team next week, and I want you to be praying for us, praying for them because we will be truly doing the work of the Lord during those days. Amen?

I want to jump right into the word today. Last week, we kicked off a new series talking about the promises of God, and I shared with you how the four promises mentioned in the book of Scripture literally where Hope City received or got our vision from—our vision of having people know God, find freedom, discover their purpose, and make a difference—literally came from Exodus chapter 6 and was oftentimes fulfilled through many scriptures in the New Testament.

So I'm not going to focus on one particular cup today. I want to focus on the power of what we'll see happen on Friday for many Jewish people who celebrate the Passover.

So we look at the cross, the resurrection, the death of Jesus Christ, but still today, thousands of Jewish people celebrate the Passover this coming Friday. I want to give you an understanding of what the Passover is for us as Christians, as believers today, but also give you a glimpse into how it was through the Passover that made the four promises available for us.

We call the four promises here at Hope City through our vision: knowing God, finding freedom, discovering your purpose, so that you can make a difference.

Look what it says here in Exodus chapter 6. It says, "Therefore say to the Israelites: I am the Lord. I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment."

And here's the four promises: "I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God." And He said, "Through this and by this, you will know that I am the Lord your God who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians."

I went into detail on this last week. I won't do it today, but a quick recap for those who weren't here. We see four "I will" statements made here of what God said He will do: "I will bring you out. I will get you out. I will redeem you, and I will make you my people."

These same scriptures will be read by thousands of people this coming Friday as they celebrate the Passover, as they have their Seder meal in many Jewish homes and many Jewish synagogues. These four "I will" statements will be represented by four cups at the table.

When you look at Luke, we think it's only one cup at the table, but there were many cups at that table. This coming Friday, they'll go around the table reminding themselves of the promises that God made to the people of Israel.

Those are our vision points here at Hope City, but we're not going to walk around wearing shirts that say "the cup of sanctification" or "the cup of deliverance" or "the cup of redemption" or "the cup of praise." We have scriptures, writings on our walls that say "know God, find freedom, discover purpose, and make a difference."

Language that we can understand—all the things that we need to know about God. The cup of sanctification, the cup of deliverance, the cup of redemption, the cup of praise, and we're going to move on today.

So what is the Passover? Look at what it says here in Exodus chapter 12, verse 26. It says, "And when your children ask you, 'What does this ceremony mean to you?' then tell them, 'It is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when he struck down the Egyptians.'"

So if you look at it, it says that God sent ten plagues over the people of Egypt. Pharaoh would not let God's people go, and it took ten plagues, one final plague of killing Egyptian people for Pharaoh to finally let God's people go.

God had told His people, He said, "Hey, there's going to come a death angel, if you would. It's going to go through the land and kill many people. I want you to go in your house, put blood on it, and when I see the blood, I will pass over that house."

It was a picture of what Jesus Christ was going to do in the New Testament when He became the ultimate sacrifice. In the Old Testament, it was a foreshadow of what was going to ultimately be fulfilled through Jesus Christ.

And we see here today the children of Israel, this moment here is what they're going to be celebrating on Friday. They're going to remind themselves of what Jesus did for them years and years ago.

And He said, "Where I see the blood, I will pass over that house." In other words, Passover. I will pass over that house, if you will.

Look what it says here in Luke chapter 22, verse 15. It says, "And He said to them," Jesus that is, "I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffered."

Get the picture. Jesus now is about to participate in the Passover meal where He is ultimately about to become the Passover sacrifice. And He's saying to them, "I have eagerly waited for this moment to come for this cause why I came into the earth to become the sacrificial lamb."

So I can only imagine what's going through His mind and even what's going through their minds as He began to drop some. You ever been in a conversation with a man who is about to become the sacrificial lamb? You ever been in a conversation with somebody saying something but they didn't say anything?

They're saying something, but they really haven't said it. What are you talking about, Willis? It's like there's something there. I kind of get it, but I don't get it. And I know they knew the law; they knew the history.

So some of them read the scroll, and now you hear Jesus saying, "I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover bread and not eat it again until it finds its fulfillment in the kingdom of God."

That cup of praise, the four promises, the fourth thing that God said He'll do: "I'll make you my people; I'll put you in a family." That's that fulfillment, if you would.

It says here, "And He took the bread, gave thanks, broke it, and gave it to them saying, 'This is my body for you; do this in remembrance of me.'"

So get the picture here. The Jewish people for years have been celebrating a Passover, and they would get a sacrificial lamb and have that meal at the table.

You see, Jesus shows up on the scene right now; He takes bread, and He's telling them, "As often as you do this, you're going to remember what I did for you." Not what happened hundreds of years ago when God first saved the nation of Israel from Pharaoh.

This was now about to be a bigger salvation than that from what Adam did in the Garden of Eden. God was now about to fully restore what happened in the Garden of Eden.

What one man lost in the Garden of Eden is about to be restored now in the Garden of Gethsemane. In the Garden of Eden, Adam lost it all; in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus is about to restore it all.

Come on, we lost it all because of one man's failure, but we're about to recover it all because of one man's success. Are you getting the picture here?

So always remember that the Old Testament is the New Testament concealed, but the New Testament is the Old Testament revealed. I'll say it again: the Old Testament is the New Testament concealed, locked up.

Jesus was already in the Old Testament—not just fulfilled or revealed, but He was already walking through, even through the shadow of the blood that was put over the doorpost that was symbolic of what Jesus was going to ultimately do in the New Testament.

So the Old Testament is the New Testament concealed, and the New Testament is the Old Testament revealed. If you want to reveal what was happening or see what was happening in the Old Testament, God is revealing it through Jesus Christ coming on the scene in the New Testament.

He said, "This is my body given for you. Do this in remembrance of me." In the same way, after the supper, He took the cup saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you."

Look what it says in 1 Corinthians chapter 5, verse 7. It says here, "I love this here: Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed for us."

So Jesus Christ, He becomes the Passover lamb in the New Testament. Jesus Christ, He becomes the sacrificial lamb. He's going to be the one who's going to die on the cross, shed His blood, and become the fulfillment of any Old Testament shadow that really could never fulfill what God needed to be done.

It was a temporary. Every shadow in the Old Testament, every blood sacrifice in the Old Testament after Adam fell, it was a shadow of what was going to ultimately come through Jesus Christ as God began to put His plan into action of restoring man back to Himself.

Christ, our Passover lamb. Look what John says in John chapter 1, verse 29. It says, "The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, 'Look, the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.'"

John's pointing out was a prophetic declaration. It was a prophetic pointing out. God needed man to point Jesus out to people to let them know that this is God's chosen person.

Let this be a message to some of you who think that you don't need anybody to point you out. God called me. God told me He's going to use me. I don't need man to affirm me.

God uses man to affirm and to confirm what is truth. And so when you put on the posture, "I don't need a man. I don't need a woman. I don't need anybody to affirm me. God has already affirmed me," there's something powerful about how God, He searched God's character, church, God's history.

He always uses people to fulfill His promises. "Behold the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." Behold the lamb of God who's about to do what no Old Testament sacrifice could do.

Here's a few things I want you to know about the lamb. Number one, the lamb was perfect. The lamb was perfect. And I'm talking about the lamb in the Old Testament and the one in the New Testament from a slightly different way.

Look what it says here in Exodus 12:5. "The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats."

God is the one who designated which animals could be used, and He's the one who says what's clean and what's unclean. See, not me. God chose what was considered clean or unclean, and He said, "I want you to choose the most perfect animal you can."

Why? Because it was all a picture of the perfection that was going to ultimately come through Jesus Christ. He said, "I want you to choose a perfect lamb."

Look what 1 Peter 1:18 says. "You are redeemed with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect." Come on, somebody.

I'm showing you old and I'm showing you new. I'm showing you scriptures that were written hundreds of years before Jesus came on the scene and how it was a foreshadowing of what was going to be ultimately fulfilled through Jesus Christ.

It was a reason why He told them in the Jewish days to find the cleanest lamb you can and use him because they didn't understand that in real time, they were doing this as a picture of Jesus Christ coming.

They didn't know that. We have the whole role now. We can read it from the beginning to the end and make sense of it all in one sit down. They were walking this thing out.

Isn't your life that way? Sometimes you're in one season of your life that doesn't make sense, but if you keep on walking it out and you get to the next chapter, what didn't make sense in one chapter will make sense in the next.

Some of that stuff didn't make sense to them in real time, but the Bible says obedience is better than sacrifice. They had to obey what God was telling them to do.

Not only was the lamb perfect, but the lamb then had to be sacrificed. The perfect lamb had to be sacrificed. Exodus 12:6 says, "Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, and when all the people of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight."

So get the picture. God makes a promise, and going back to when He sent the plagues through the nation or through the land and Pharaoh, He said, "Pharaoh, let my people go."

Pharaoh would not let the people go. He said plague after plague after plague, and now He's going to kill your children because you will not let my people go.

He warned His people, "I want you to go in the house. I want you to get an animal sacrifice, put the blood over your doorpost. When I see the blood, I will pass over."

What? Because it represents that you are with me; you are a part of my family, and I will protect you from the storm and the calamities that are coming your way.

Can I pause here for one moment real fast? Even in 2023, I'm not concerned about what comes or goes as long as I have God on my side. The blood of Jesus covers me.

Come on, somebody. I'm not too much concerned. I'm concerned from the angle of the Bible says pray for people you know, pray for peace, pray that people live in a great way.

I'm concerned to that extent, but I'm not walking around afraid or fearful about whether my needs are going to be taken care of, whether my life will be taken care of, whether my kids will know.

As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord, and as we serve the Lord, He promises to cover us. Come on, somebody.

He will protect us. The lamb was sacrificed. I like what Isaiah says: "But He was pierced for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities. The punishment—this is Old Testament, y'all—hundreds of years before Jesus shows up on the scene. Isaiah is prophesying of a sacrifice of a human man who's going to come, who's going to be pierced for our transgressions.

He was going to be crushed for our iniquities. He says the punishment that was brought upon Him, and by His wounds, we are going to be healed."

Talking about Jesus, who's going to be on the ultimate altar called the cross. They would bring sacrifices to an altar in the Old Testament; in the New Testament, the altar becomes the cross.

This is the reason why it's very important. If you notice in the New Testament, after Christ, it doesn't talk much about an altar. There was an altar in the Old Testament because they had to constantly bring sacrifices to plead their cause or to cover their sins.

But when Jesus showed up on the scene, He moved from talking about altars to talking about thrones. In the Old Testament, they had to go to the altar for their sins, but now in the New Testament, where we are in Christ, according to Hebrews, we can come boldly before the throne of grace.

Come on, you don't bring it to the altar. The ultimate altar, the ultimate place of sacrifice, was the cross, and Jesus paid it all. Can we give God a praise for that today?

What if today we had to go out and get animals and sacrifice today like the Jewish people for every mistake, every sin that we did? No, Jesus paid the price.

Yes, we have altars in our church as a symbolism, as a place to go to that we really say to meet with God, but if we really get a clear understanding of what Jesus Christ came to do, how He became the priest of all priests, how He became the high priest after the order of Melchizedek, there's no need for us to go anywhere but into the throne room, right into the presence of Jesus Christ.

We are not servants; we are sons and daughters, and we get to come right into His presence and say, "God, I need you. God, I messed up," and don't have to worry about Him kicking us out of the family.

Come on, somebody. It was a reason why in the Old Testament when the priest would go behind what they call the most holy of holies, behind the veil, even when the high priest would go into the temple or behind it, he had to put a rope around his leg.

With the rope around his leg, there were bells on the rope because as he walked into the presence, if you would, behind the holiest of holies, if the bells stopped ringing, that meant that he had died.

And guess what? You can't go into the presence. He said, "No flesh or glory in my presence." So even when you take a New Testament scripture and go to the Old Testament and see how that applies, you can look at the life of the priest who had the responsibility to go before God on behalf of the people.

If he ever came into the presence of God, the most holy of holies, he would literally drop in there, and none of them could go in there and get him out because they would die. So they had to pull him out of the tent, or else their own life would have been at stake.

Somebody said, "Thank God for Jesus Christ, who's become the ultimate sacrifice, that I can walk into the presence of God and not worry about if I'm going to die because I did something wrong yesterday."

Here's the third thing about the Passover lamb: the lamb was shared. It was perfect, it had to be sacrificed, and it had to be shared. This is important; don't miss it.

Exodus 12:4 says this here: "If any household is too small for a whole lamb, they must share one with their nearest neighbor."

So let's say you have two people living in your house, and the lamb is just too big for one house. He says, "Share it with other people," which naturally makes sense because you don't want to waste anything.

But the spiritual connotation to this is coming into the New Testament that God is too big for just one person. He's too big for one family. He's too big for one city. He's too big for one community.

He's too big for one nation. God so loved the world that He sacrificed His only begotten Son that whosoever shall believe in Him does not have to perish but have everlasting life.

I'm thinking about the scripture in the book of Acts when the Holy Spirit showed up, and they said, "This is that which was prophesied by the prophet Joel."

And then he said, "This is just not for those that are here, but this is for those who are far and away." In other words, for every generation to come, this Holy Spirit is big enough for everyone.

We must share. I go so far as to say that as God is blessing you, if we really want to go deep and share for you from the Abrahamic blessing where God said, "Abraham, I'm going to bless you and make you a blessing."

If we really want to take our faith deeper with God, as many of you have, you don't want to just be blessed; you want to position yourself to be a blessing.

See, that's what I meant in my life. I don't want to just be able to pay my mortgage, pay my bills. I want to be in a position that if someone else has a need, I can provide.

The fullness of the Abrahamic promise that was made to Abraham, that Abraham, I'm going to bless you and make you a blessing. Remember the story where He brought Abraham out.

He said, "Abraham, look out at the stars and tell me if you can number them." Abraham was like, "One, two, three, four, five, seven." You can't number them, Abraham.

He said, "That's exactly how your seed is going to be." Get the point. Abraham did not have a lot of kids, but he didn't have that many kids because he was telling Abraham.

Abraham was starting the prophecy or the fulfillment of what Jesus Christ was going to do. Jesus Christ was going to be the first fruit.

I wish I had time, but none of this is in my text right now. I'm on a tangent right now. My old school stuff is kicking in right now, so I got to stay the course here.

Do you really grab hold of the scriptures and stop looking at them as law and start looking at them as principles? That's the reason why some of you are not living your best life because you see the Bible as a book of legalistic laws where God said you got to do this.

No, no, no. He's given us principles that if we apply them right and understand them, we will walk in the fullness of what the King has for us.

When you go to the scriptures, don't go reading looking for God to beat you down and to judge you. Go looking for the principle of the word, and if the principle says don't do that, be okay with not doing that because the principle is trying to get a promise to you.

Somebody else say, "Oh, that was good." Say, "Oh, that was good." The principle is trying to get a promise to you, but when you don't obey the principle, or when you don't obey the principle, you miss the promises.

Are y'all with me? I mean simple stuff like you got a car, and they tell you, "Okay, now it's a brand new car. You got to put gas in it."

"I ain't putting no gas in this car. I'm going to drive all the way I want to." Okay, keep on driving. At some point, that car is going to stop.

It's not a law. You're always telling me to put gas in my car. You know how stupid that sounds, right? That sounds stupid. "I ain't putting no gas in my car. I'm just not. Y'all don't tell me what to do."

Let's see how that's going to work in a couple of hours. You keep on driving, going 95, heading down to Miami, and you only got five gallons of gas in your car right now.

Then we end up blaming God for stuff that God did not do because we did not follow the principle. Just stopping and putting some gas in the car.

I'm going to tangent; let me get off and let me get back here. The promises of God—the Bible is a book of promises, y'all. It is a book of promises.

And I told you all last week, one of the things we need to do is pursue His promises. We need to understand His promises.

And too many of us, we don't understand His promises. And then for those of us that know them and understand them, we don't put in the work to pursue them so we can make them a manifestation in our marriages, in our children, in our health, and in our finances.

Now we got to manage our bodies, and the doctor tells you, "Hey, you can be good; your body can be restored. I just need you to stop eating all that salt."

You tell the doctor, "Well, everybody needs a little salt." Heart attack. Come on, somebody.

The doctor just gave you some insight, a principle on how to fix your body. But we walk out not applying the principle; we end up destroying ourselves.

Not because God doesn't love us or doesn't care. We don't put principles into place. His promises have a purpose to bring things into our life that we are believing God for.

The lamb must be shared. I go so far as to say you need to share your faith. You need to share what God has done for you. You need to share what God has brought you out of, what He's bringing you out of.

And every now and then, you need to share some of the hell you are going through. Oh, y'all didn't like that one there.

The enemy by the blood of the lamb. Some people need to know that you didn't always have it. That your marriage was not always on cloud nine. That your health was not always perfect.

People need to know where you came from. And that gives them the confidence and the wherewithal to push through stuff they are ready to quit on.

But when you walk around like everything was always perfect for you, it sometimes becomes in their minds impossible to ever get there. "I'll never have that. I'll never have that kind of house. I'll never have that kind of marriage because their marriage was made that way. They had everything to have a house like that. I didn't have none of those."

You'll be surprised. We need a testimony service. Because people see your right now; they don't see your back then. They see your mountaintop; they don't see your valley. They don't see what you almost threw in the towel.

We need to share. I'm going to close by sharing this right here. Pastor Corey, let me give him one more scripture.

2 Corinthians 5:19: "The lamb was shared. God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ." This whole Christ thing came up because God was using this sacrifice, if you will, to bring man back to Him.

This was all about God through Jesus. God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ. Watch this here, not counting man's sins against them, and He has committed to us the message of reconciliation.

I like how one translation says He has committed to us the ministry of reconciliation. Some of you are asking the question, "I don't know what my ministry is. I don't know what my ministry is. Hey, preacher, can you tell me what the Lord says?"

Your ministry is the ministry of reconciliation. That's your ministry. Your ministry is to reconcile people back to God, to share with people what God has done for you.

Your ministry is doing what the woman at the well did when she met Jesus, and she dropped her water pot and went into the city and said, "Hey, come see a man that told me all about myself." That's your ministry.

"Oh, I want to be a prophet to the nations." You're not even a disciple. How are you going to be a prophet? We're teaching people how to be prophets and apostles, and they don't even know how to be disciples.

Got these big titles but don't know the basic ABCs of being a faithful student to God and God's word. And that's just why the church is looking like the world.

That's why we don't know how to be kind. Jesus said, "Through loving kindness did I draw the world." Now we act like the world.

We go to McDonald's and catch an attitude in the drive-thru as well. Maybe you're supposed to smile and help them out.

"I'm going to put down my religion right today. She wants to clap back. I'm going to clap back with her." No, no, no, no. That's not what we do.

Jesus laid down His life. Every time they said something, He didn't clap back. Remember that ultimate moment when Christ was on the cross?

And they kept just jeering at Him. "Come down from there. You saved others. You did these miracles. You did that. Now you can't save yourself." He never said a mumbling word.

But you all on Facebook, "Oh, no, she didn't." Where's our fruit? Where's our life at the church? Aren't we supposed to be the difference makers? Aren't we supposed to be growing our faith?

You may have been cussing when you first got saved like a sailor. You've been saved for a year now. You should have. Now you got a few curse words; you're cool.

He's still working out your salvation. But if you cuss in the same way you did when you got saved, you need to ask the question, "Am I really in the family?"

Because I may go to church, but do I go to Him? My name may be written on Hope City's log, but is it written in the Lamb's Book of Life?

I know Pastor Cory, but do I really know Jesus? I shook Pastor Cory's hand, but have I had a relationship with God?

Come on, somebody. I got good religion, but I ain't got no relationship with God. I know how to do church. I know how to raise my hand. I know how to say I'm blessed and highly favored.

"Oh, God is good." We know all the church antics, but is there a real connection with the Father?

He's trying to reconcile the world to Himself, but He can't reconcile the world to Himself if we, His people, are not referencing Him in a way that will make the world want to know Him.

Many people don't want to know God because we're not a good reflection of Him. Imagine walking in and being the ambassador for God.

And when you're coming in and being the ambassador for God, they're like, "Oh, you God's best? You can represent God? He should have sent somebody else."

Because you act like us. You sound like us. You talk better. We don't see a difference in you. Matter of fact, come over here. Let me show you David real fast because you act and sound just like David.

He talks about people like you do. He treats his family the same way you do. "Hey, and you say you know Jesus? Well, we all going. We all in the family."

I'm not mad. I'm not angry. I just want us—I don't want us to miss the promises. The promises have a principle to them that we got to apply the principles.

This is some of the reasons why some of the stuff is not working for us. Because we think we come to church, hear a good message. One scripture says we are great hearers of the word.

But how we do it is not right. You're coming in and out, hearing the word, hearing and hearing and hearing and hearing. But how much are you doing?

I submit to you that there's not a lack of information today; it's a lack of application. Some of you are bounding with you. You don't need another sermon. You don't need another message.

You got enough in you right now. What you're missing is you're not applying. You're not putting in the work. You're not doing what you have already been informed about.

And this makes me angry with the enemy because now he has you content with having a form of godliness but no power. No real relationship. No real stamina.

You know how to look like church. And see, we're even in a space right now where faking it till we make it is the goal.

Or looking like we have made it is the goal. It used to be that making it was the real goal and doing the work, even if you have to fake it to make it wise.

But now many people aren't even trying to make it anymore. If I can just look like I got it going on, that's the great goal point. I've stopped right there because why?

It takes too much work to really get it. But it's worth it if you work it. It's worth it. Jesus thought it was worth it if He worked it for a life.

Imagine bringing that down to your individual personal visions, dreams, and goals for your marriage, for your kids, for your business, whatever the specificity of your individual visions and goals are.

If you're willing to sacrifice God's way, imagine how much further you can be right now. I just want to share a quick story here.

I'm going to not say much because I may ask my wife if I can share it or not. But we purchased a home about four years ago in the midst of COVID.

I was looking at some pictures last night of the house when we first, right before moving in the house. And this was the model home.

In this model home, it was furniture that was left in the home—all because of COVID. Thank you, Jesus. The bedrooms were fully furnished with nice, expensive furniture.

The entire upstairs living area had a whole couch set up there. Had a nursery with a full brand new nursery set up. I mean, we didn't need that.

So we blessed Ashley and Travis with the nursery set. Come on, somebody. Ain't no baby coming up in there. Get this stuff out of my house. Get it out of here. Quick, get out of here.

We gave that to them. Other furniture downstairs. Every wall treatment you could think about, window treatments you could think about.

I'm talking about looking like a very expensive house that would have probably cost over $100,000, if not more, with the stuff that was left in the house for us.

I was looking at the house. I told them I wanted, because it was a model house, it did not have a traditional driveway. They had doors on the garage because the garage was turned into the sales office.

And then on the side of the house, it was a real big lot, and on the side of the house, there was a parking area for about five cars to park on.

I told them I wanted the front yard, dig up all that stuff. I want all the cement and put me out a driveway. I want all the cement on the left side to be dug up and put me some more grass out there.

And I was looking at the pictures, you guys, and I look at what the value of our house is now four years later. All the relatives know what I'm talking about over here.

He has made me glad. He has made me glad. We gone rejoice for. So we're processing some stuff right now.

Here's my point. We are processing some stuff right now. We have some control. We have some power.

I wrote a book a few years ago on your life now. Too many of you, you don't own your life. You're renting your life. You don't have control over your life.

The culture, society, the person who's driving down the road who cuts you off, and you throw your hand. You don't have control. You rent your life.

Whatever they say do, you do. Because you don't control your life. God has placed a promise on the table. I'm done.

God has placed a promise on the table. And if we take advantage of the promises He has made available to us, we could live a life of fulfillment that He desires for each and every one of us.

Here's an opportunity I want to give you today. Your opportunity is to pray. Pray for the eyes. I pray for you as believers that Paul prayed for the church of Ephesus.

He said, "I'm praying for you." This is for believers. "I'm praying that your eyes may be opened." He prayed for the church.

He said, "I've been watching y'all. Your love walk is right. Your fruit is good here at this church." He said, "But I'm praying for you that your eyes may be opened."

He said that you may know and see that the same power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead dwells on the inside of you.

So I'm praying for you, Hope City, that you realize there's more to life than you're living, that you may be saved. He got you out of Egypt. You're saved.

The first cup, you got the salvation, but now we got to get Egypt out of many of you. You're saved, but now you need deliverance. The second cup. Are you with me?

We'll talk about that later. Let's pray. 1 Corinthians 4 says the God of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

Let's pray for those who are blinded. You once were blind. I once was blind. I once was back in the club drinking my gin and juice until the light came on, and let's pray that the light comes on for many people this week.

Here's the second thing. Invite people, not to church. Yes, do that. Matter of fact, texts are going out today; take that digital invite. Give it to as many of your friends as possible in the Savannah area.

Don't send it to your family in New York. They ain't coming Easter Sunday. But invite as many people as you can to church next Sunday.

But I'm not talking about that kind of invite. Romans 10:13 says anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

But who can ask them to save them unless they believe in Him? And how can they believe in Him if they have never heard about Him?

And how can they hear about Him unless someone tells them? As Christians, we are so busy talking about everything else, but we ain't talking about Him enough.

Talking about our business—that's important—our product, our politics, our dreams, and our goals. We're busy talking about that; that has its place.

But imagine if I seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. He'll take care of my business. He'll take care of my politics. He'll take care of my vision. He'll take care of my dreams.

It's about order and priorities. I believe when order is restored in your life, the blessings will be released. It's about priorities. It's about order.

And then the third one, and then I'm done. Pray. Invite. Let's participate this week in worshiping the lamb. Some of you are so focused on your problems that you can't even worship God.

I submit to you, if you get your praise on, you focus on God. Get your focus right. Put things in perspective and participate in worshiping God for even what He's not doing now but what He's already done for you.

The clock is 11 o'clock right now. And you need to be off from work at 11:30. And you ever just keep looking at that clock?

And it's like, "Lord, have mercy. That clock is going real slow." It's because you won't take your eyes off of it. Some of you are feeling the weight and the pain of your problems because you won't take your focus off of it.

He said, "Take my yoke upon you and learn of me. My yoke is easy. My burden is light." It's not going to be light as long as I'm staring at my problems and talking about my problems and what they did and what they didn't do.

God already has a solution for the problem. You need to focus on Him enough so that you can meet what that solution is going to be.

When I looked at that scripture, Zechariah chapter 9, I'm done. And Zechariah chapter 9, verses 9 talks about how a king was going to come into Jerusalem riding on a donkey.

And if you go back and you read Luke—and this won't be on the screen—but if you go back and read Luke, and I think it's Luke chapter 19, I'm sorry.

And Luke 19, verses about 26 begins talking about Jesus telling His disciples that He's about to come now on His triumphal entry into Jerusalem. This is that Palm Sunday story that we're talking about here.

And Jesus says to His disciples to go into a town, into a city. He said, "I want you to go into the town." And He said, "When you go in there, there's going to be a donkey tied to a tree."

Jesus is about to walk out prophecy, y'all. They don't even realize that He's talking about prophecy. And He said, "Hey, go into Bethpage. You're going to go there, and you're going to see a donkey tied to a tree."

He said, "It's going to be tied to a tree." Come on, Pastor Chris. And many of us are tied to a tree.

He said, "When you go there, I'm not going to tell you the title, okay? Just hold that." He said, "When you go into the town, you're going to find a donkey tied to a tree."

He said, "When you get there, I want you to loose them and bring them to me." He said, "Let's be clear. This donkey you're going to see has never been ridden before."

He said, "So if you see multiple donkeys tied, get the one that's never been ridden." Then He says, "If anybody asks you why you are loosing the donkey, you are to tell them that the Lord has need of him."

I'm telling some of you right now, there's a prophecy hanging over your life, and God's about to release you from every tree, from every problem, from every addiction, from every circumstance.

Come on, somebody that's holding you back. And if anybody asks you why you ain't going to the club no more, why you ain't cussing no more, why you ain't stealing no more, why you ain't drinking no more, because the Lord has need of me.

Come on, somebody. God can't use you tied to a tree, and He's about to fulfill prophecy over your life. He's about to send somebody your way to loose you from everything that's been holding you back.

Can we give God a praise on today? We thank you, God.

Father, we thank you for your word. For your word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our paths. Thank you for freedom today. Thank you for the power of the Passover.

Thank you for Jesus Christ becoming our ultimate sacrifice so that we can live a fulfilled and abundant life. Father, we know this life comes at the price, the ultimate price you paid through sending Jesus Christ.

And Father, we know that we can just simply accept the gift of salvation. Many who hear me now, they have already accepted the gift of salvation.

Many of them are being delivered from things that are holding them back from enjoying all you have for them. Then there's also some that are being redeemed; they're delivered from.

They don't have many struggles that are holding them back. But God, they're looking to be redeemed, to be restored back to their original purpose after they've allowed life to eat away at them.

They put on Saul's armor. They put on an identity that's not who they were meant to be. They're confused about who they are.

And I declare today that, God, you're clearing minds. You're clearing hearts. And people are going to be clear on who they are, clear on how you have designed them for.

Like you said, "Jeremiah, before I formed you in your mother's womb, I knew you and ordained you a prophet unto the nations."

Father, I declare today for many people who, before they got free from what was holding them back, they messed some things up in their life.

God, I declare today that they're about to recover, that, God, they're moving to a place, into a space where they would not allow their past life to mess up their present life, that they would allow their yesterday to mess up their today.

And, God, I believe many of them are willing to pay their personal price, the personal price of letting go, of letting things go and letting people and places go that are hindering them from being the fullness of what you desire them to be today.

Give them that heart, that desire to please you more than to please man. And last but not least, maybe someone is saying today, "Pastor Cory, I needed this word today. I know church; I don't know Him."

Shaking your hand, but yet to have any connection with God. I got good religion, but no relationship. I want to know what it means to be saved.

I want to know what it means to drink from the cup of salvation. I want to know what it means to make Jesus Christ my Lord and my Savior.

Ten years from now, and take my last breath whenever that would be, I don't have the confidence that I would enter back into the presence of my Creator.

I know we are all God's creation. We choose to become a son. We choose to become a daughter. After what the first Adam did, we lost our relationship.

We were just now God's creation, but because of the second Adam, because of Jesus Christ, we now have access back into the presence of God.

And today, I want to take advantage of restoring my relationship with God. Then maybe you're saying, "I've already given my heart to Christ. I'm confident in my salvation. I'm assured that God is my Savior."

But I need a church home that teaches the word of God in such a way that I can take it and apply it to my life. I believe my faith, my family can grow here at Hope City Church.

You're here. You're here. I want to pray for you right there at your seat. Not going to call you up. Not going to call you out. Just like the day of Pentecost, right at your seat.

I want to pray for you. The Holy Spirit will deal with you, and we'll give you next steps after that. So this message, if this prayer request resonates with you, no pressure, no prime.

I want to drink from the cup of salvation. I want to give Jesus your heart today. I want to make Hope City Church your home.

Let me just quickly, quickly see your hand. Will there be one? No pressure, no prime. Will there be one? Lift your hand. Will there be another? Will there be another?

Don't miss it. Don't miss it. Don't miss it. I see that hand as well. Bless you. I see that hand as well. No pressure, no prime.

Come and lift your hands all over the building and repeat this simple prayer with me, if you will. Say, "Lord God, I believe you sent Jesus Christ to die on the cross for my sins."

Say, "God, I ask you now to forgive me of any and everything that has separated me from your love. Forgive me now of every sin that has displeased you."

Say, "God, I don't fully understand what all this means, but I do believe with your presence living on the inside of me, I can become the person you desire me to be."

So I ask you now to fill me with the power and the presence of your Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit, you are welcome to live in my heart for the rest of my life.

Father God, your word declares, "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creation. Old things are passed away, and behold, all things are become new."

I declare for those who prayed this prayer for the very first time, that were far away from you, God, that God, anything and everything they lost in that stage of separation, both spiritually and for those that say making Hope City Church your home physically,

I declare anything they lost in that season of spiritual and/or physical separation, Lord God, and they're moving into a season of restoration and recovery.

And I declare any and everything that has attached itself to their life, that's taken away the quality of their life, every yoke, every chain, every stronghold, it is falling off now, and who the Son sets free, they are free. They are free indeed.

In Jesus' name, I pray. Can we celebrate for every decision made in this place on today? Amen.

1) "Your ministry is the ministry of reconciliation. That's your ministry. Your ministry is to reconcile people back to God, is to share people, share with people what God has done to you. Your ministry is doing what the woman at the well did when she met Jesus and she dropped her water part and went into this and said, hey, come see a man that told me all about, that's your ministry." [01:04:06](Make clip | Crop for social media | Crop + Caption)



2) "The lamb was shared. It was perfect. It had to be sacrificed and it had to be shared and this is important don't miss it. Exodus 12 4 says this here I want to get the symbolism even for the New Testament. It says if any household is too small for a whole lamb they must share one with their nearest neighbor." [55:24](Make clip | Crop for social media | Crop + Caption)



3) "I go so far as to say is as God is blessing you if we really want to go deep and share for you from the Abrahamic blessing where God said Abraham I'm going to bless you and make you a blessing if we really want to take our faith deeper with God as many of you have you don't went from you being blessed to now you position yourself to be a blessing." [56:28](Make clip | Crop for social media | Crop + Caption)



4) "I submit to you that there's not a lack of information today. It's a lack of application. Some of you are debounding with you. You don't need another sermon. You don't need another message. You got enough in you right now. What you're missing is you're not applying. You're not putting in the work. You're not doing what you have already been formed about." [01:08:55](Make clip | Crop for social media | Crop + Caption)



5) "I'm telling some of you right now, there's a prophecy hanging over your life, and God's about to release you from every tree, from every problem, from every addiction, from every circumstance. Come on, somebody that's holding you back. And if anybody asks you why you ain't going to the club no more, why you ain't cussing no more, why you ain't stealing no more, why you ain't drinking no more, because the Lord has need of me." [01:20:13](Make clip | Crop for social media | Crop + Caption)



6) "I believe when order is restored in your life, the blessings will be released. It's about priorities. It's about order. And then the third one, and then I'm done. Pray. Invite. Let's participate this week in worshiping the lamb. Some of you so focused on your problems that you can't even worship God." [01:16:07](Make clip | Crop for social media | Crop + Caption)



7) "They see your mountaintop. They don't see your valley. They don't see what you almost threw in the towel. We need to share. I'm going to close by sharing this right here. Pastor Corey. Let me give him one more scripture. Second Corinthians 519. The lamb was shared. God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ." [01:02:32](Make clip | Crop for social media | Crop + Caption)



8) "He's trying to reconcile the world to himself, but he can't reconcile the world to himself if we, his people, are not referencing him in a way that will make the world want to know him. Many people don't want to know God because we're not a good reflection of him." [01:07:14](Make clip | Crop for social media | Crop + Caption)



9) "Like you said, Jeremiah, before I form you in your mother's womb, I knew you and ordained your prophet unto the nations. Father, I declare today for many people who, before they got free from what was holding them back, they messed some things up in their life." [01:22:19](Make clip | Crop for social media | Crop + Caption)



10) "I want to give Jesus your heart today. I want to make Hope City Church your home. Let me just quickly, quickly see your hand. Will there be one? No pressure, no prime. Will there be one? Lift your hand. Will there be another? Will there be another? Will there be another? Don't miss it." [01:25:16](Make clip | Crop for social media | Crop + Caption)