Church 1/18/2026
Offertory scripture:
Offertory scripture:
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”Matthew 6:33 NKJV
Sermon message:
From Martin Luther King Jr:
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.”
And the only way is God’s light and His love can drive out darkness and hatred. The Word of God reveals these things.
“And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.”John 1:5 NKJV
“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.”I John 4:18 NKJV
Thesis: How to receive strength to believe again.
Thesis restated: How to receive the grace of God through Jesus Christ to believe again.
We cannot be righteous on our own; only through Jesus’s righteousness and strength can we know that we are forgiven of our mistakes.
Example of Peter walking on water and Jesus pulling him back up after he began sinking.
“And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?””Matthew 14:28-31 NKJV
The thing is, Jesus didn’t condemn Peter for faltering in his faith; He simply helped him up. And He doesn’t condemn you, if you are indeed in Him. He helps you back up when you fall.
Jesus is the only faultless One. We need to turn to Him, receive Him, and abide in Him. When we keep our eyes on Him, we receive strength and His grace.
Jesus will not condemn you. There is no condemnation in Him.
“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.”Romans 8:1 NKJV
Focus passage: Jesus forgives the adulterous woman who the Pharisees had brought to him.
“But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them. Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?” This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear.”John 8:1-6 NKJV
Remember when Moses brought the tablet down that was written by the finger of God? Jesus who is God may also have writing down the ten commandments (it’s a possibility but we don’t know for sure). If so, He would’ve been writing down the sins of all the Pharisees in addition to the woman.
“So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.””John 8:7, 10-11 NKJV
It wasn’t that Jesus was excusing sin. But he was excusing her. One of the reasons is that the Pharisees only brought out the woman and not them both.
Additionally, it seems very much that the woman knew she was done for, especially since she had been caught in the very act of her sin. There was a reckoning that she knew deep in her heart that was here. She was at the point of knowing that if on the off chance that she would be spared, complete repentance was the only option.
Consider what Jesus said: there was sin but there will be no condemnation. When she knew she was forgiven she had strength to go on and live with a changed heart and a changed life. Every time she was tempted, she knew he could look into Jesus’s face and draw strength from it.
Let’s talk about another woman in the Old Testament.
Rahab was a prostitute and had been caught multiple times. But she was faithful in protecting the Israelite spies from her own people and her own king. She knew they were from the Most High God and that they had victory on their side, because He was on their side. She offered to protect them and asked them to protect her and her family. She may have been a prostitute but she feared God and trusted in His mercy that if she were to be faithful to Him and change her life, He would protect her. So when Jericho burned to the ground, she and her family was spared. Then she married an Israelite and eventually was grafted into God’s holy line of kingship from Abraham to David.
Ultimately Rahab was grafted into the line that Jesus Christ in the flesh arose from.
Consider what Jesus said: there was sin but there will be no condemnation. When she knew she was forgiven she had strength to go on and live with a changed heart and a changed life. Every time she was tempted, she knew he could look into Jesus’s face and draw strength from it.
Let’s talk about another woman in the Old Testament.
Rahab was a prostitute and had been caught multiple times. But she was faithful in protecting the Israelite spies from her own people and her own king. She knew they were from the Most High God and that they had victory on their side, because He was on their side. She offered to protect them and asked them to protect her and her family. She may have been a prostitute but she feared God and trusted in His mercy that if she were to be faithful to Him and change her life, He would protect her. So when Jericho burned to the ground, she and her family was spared. Then she married an Israelite and eventually was grafted into God’s holy line of kingship from Abraham to David.
Ultimately Rahab was grafted into the line that Jesus Christ in the flesh arose from.
“By faith the harlot Rahab did not perish with those who did not believe, when she had received the spies with peace.”Hebrews 11:31 NKJV
Not on our own strength but on His strength. The love and light of Jesus Himself gives strength.
How can we receive strength to believe again? Do the following:
Point 1: Come to Jesus. Don’t run from Him; come to Him.
Point 2: Listen to Jesus. He told her he didn’t condemn her. Don’t listen to people who condemn you. Listen to Jesus.
Point 3: Receive from Jesus. Receive power to believe again, to dream again.
Note after sharing the sermon: I felt that this sermon was very timely, especially given the other messages that God has given me in this time. There’s a huge focus on forgiveness in my life right now, both regarding sins that I’ve committed against others, as well as sins that others have committed against me. I’m doing my best to let Jesus steer the boat, because some of the things that He has been leading me to release to Him have included things that I hadn’t considered too deeply. I have my list of individuals that I know that I need to (and want to) forgive. But there have also been other things that have come up that I hadn’t planned on. It’s been beautiful releasing these things to the cross of Jesus. It’s the only way.
I recently had an experience where I was in the process of releasing a specific pointed memory. As I did so, it felt as if a spiritual sword had come out of my abdomen. It was wonderful. But the challenge that I had to learn on the fly regarding this one memory, contrasted with others, is that I was not allowed to go back and revisit it. That was hard, because as a storyteller and story-lover, I like to go back over stories and go through the plot again. What began happening that forced me to change my mind on this one was that, as I began to review and revisit the power of the words I used to describe not only the moment but my judgments of it, it felt as if I was about to push that same sword back into my abdomen. I knew right then and there that reviewing this particular story and analysis was not to be. Times like this, it’s not because God is being cruel (it’s contrary to His nature anyway!); it’s for my protection and health. Forgiveness is detox. Sometimes that means never ever revisiting the moment ever again.
Ironically, the individual with whom I experienced the painful memory with (and at the hands of), the memory which I must never revisit, is going through a major stressful time of their own. The sermon sermon shared above in this post was for them. They’re going through a very tough and stressful time, and they need encouragement. We actually were sitting next to each other for the sermon. Our pastor has a habit during his sermons of having his congregation repeat things to one another out loud, always encouraging statements. So, during this particular message, this individual from whom I suffered a spiritual sword to the abdomen (and only recently had it pulled out, praise God!) and I were repeating to one another encouraging prompts that our pastor had instructed us to take. I had no problem with it. I actually feel some sadness for this person regarding the thing they’re going through. I just have been able to find my boundaries and stick to them with this person. This is a key mechanism that God has given me to actually forgive from the heart, while also keeping me safe from further harm. Praise God!
“Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?’ And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him. “So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.””Matthew 18:32-35 NKJV
I myself may potentially be entering into a season of uncertainty, myself. At this point, whatever I need to do to be sure that I stay in Jesus during this time especially (but for all time as well), it is and needs to be worth it.
“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”John 15:4-5 NKJV
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