Scripture Fulfilled!

Daily message of hope...
For Sunday, August 31, 2025:

John 13:18b, Jesus speaking: “This fulfills the Scripture that says, ‘The one who eats my food has turned against me.’”

Jesus is referring to Psalm 34:9. It’s one thing to claim to be the Messiah, but another to fulfill ancient prophesies! Jesus was again proving that he was heaven-sent!

Omniscient Jesus already knew who would betray him. It was one of the twelve, Judas Iscariot. We know their famous meal as the “Last Supper.”

For his last night on earth, Jesus (being God) could have done anything he wanted. But what he chose to do was to take a meal with his best friends, his church friends. Jesus instituted the bread and the cup that night, what we call Holy Communion. And Judas, who thought he was betraying Jesus, was actually fulfilling God’s vast eternal plan. Jesus needed to die to take the sins of the world to the place of the dead, his primary mission in coming to earth. In fact, everything that happened that Good Friday, including the crucifixion, brought God’s plan to fruition.

God’s way is always the right way. God’s way is always the best way! And because, in the grace of God’s plan, we are redeemed!

Pastor Norton Lawellin
Jesus In the City Fellowship

Presence of Jesus!

For Saturday, August 30, 2025:

Mark 14:7 NLT, Jesus speaking: “You will always have the poor among you, and you can help them whenever you want to. But you will not always have me.”

Jesus knew his time on our planet was limited. And his point is that if you have the opportunity to speak with the Son of God, or perhaps sit down and take a meal with him, to always exploit that event. You may never get another chance.

Remember when Martha remained in the kitchen while her sister Mary sat at the feet of Jesus. If the Master is teaching, you’d better take a chair and listen!

In fact we all need to be intentional about learning. Knowledge about God, Jesus, heaven and the Kingdom is gained bit by bit. So we all need to read our Bibles, listen to sermons, and fact-check the sermon against what the Bible says. Truth is God’s opinion on everything!

We are to love the Lord and love our neighbors, but loving our neighbors never takes precedence over loving the Lord!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Heavenly Kingdom!

For Friday, August 29, 2025:

Hebrews 9:24b NIV: “Jesus entered into heaven itself to appear now before God on our behalf.”

A crowd had gathered as Jesus spoke his final earthly words. He said we are to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and he promised to never leave us or forsake us. The crowd looked on in amazement as he was taken up into heaven, into the eternal Kingdom, to sit at the right hand of God the Father.

In an instant, Jesus was gone, but believers are never abandoned. Our sins are forever forgiven because of Jesus’ work on the cross, and the Holy Spirit was dispatched to be our helper. We have Jesus to advocate for us in heaven, and the Holy Spirit to keep us on the right path here on earth. Because of their efforts (not because of anything we’ve done,) we have assurance of salvation.

Most religions teach about a life after this life, but Jesus is the only spiritual mentor to actually access the real eternity. He went ahead to prepare a place for us. Every believer is included. We are blessed with assurance of salvation, and you can only get that from Jesus! Tell everyone the Good News!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

 

Hereafter!

For Thursday, August 28, 2025:

Luke 18:29-30 NLT, Jesus speaking: “I assure you that everyone who has given up house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the Kingdom of God, will be repaid many times over in this life, and will have eternal life in the world to come.”

People wanted reassurance about the life after this life. Was such a thing even possible? Does heaven really exist? How do you get there? Who’s included?

Critics of the Bible sometimes say that the afterlife isn’t clearly explained. But make no mistake. In this speech, Jesus clearly explained that there is a Heaven, God’s eternal Kingdom; that we should expect a life after this life; that those loyal to Jesus, God and the Kingdom would inherit a forever home.

Reread Jesus’ words. They should excite you, inspire you to pursue God’s reward. Consider this Jesus’ invitation to the hereafter!

If you love Jesus, you’re included! See you there!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Came to Serve!

For Wednesday, August 27, 2025:

John 13:14, Jesus speaking: “Since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet.”

Two thousand years ago, the prevalent attitude was to look out for #1. Loving your neighbor was an afterthought at best. Jesus spent a lot of time trying to change that. We are to love the Lord and love our neighbors, which is imitating Jesus, doing what Jesus did.

If you walk around the Middle East in sandals, it’s a cinch that your feet will need washing. To have someone else take on this task for you is a blessing, and that’s exactly what Jesus did for the disciples.

When the washing was complete, Jesus made an announcement: “Not all of you are clean.” He knew who would betray him. Friends, not every favor is appreciated or rewarded, but we still do the right things for the right reasons. Believers should be obedient!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Value System!

For Tuesday, August 26, 2025:

Mark 14:1b NLT: “The leading priests and the teachers of religious law were still looking for an opportunity to capture Jesus secretly and kill him.”

It was two days before Pasach, the Passover, the Festival of Unleavened Bread. The men behind the conspiracy against Jesus were priests and Jewish teachers of religious law. They should have known better.

On one hand, their religious beliefs taught that murder is wrong. Their parents and schools taught that murder is wrong. They teach others their deep-rooted moral belief that murder is wrong. And here they all are, plotting a murder, in direct conflict with their own value system, their own beliefs. Listen to this: Anyone who is doing what they would counsel others to NOT do is caught up in a big mental mess. In this case, perpetuating their religion had taken precedence over the religion’s fundamental principles, and that’s backwards. The priests believed Jesus was threatening their religion, and suddenly, plotting a murder became acceptable to them. They were wrong.

The priests and religious teachers didn’t want this event to happen on a holy day. The people might rebel! This tells us that, deep down, they knew the whole affair was wrong. If this secret were exposed, people could lose confidence in their religion.

With Jesus, God gave us the New Covenant. Believers have God’s Laws written on their hearts. In other words, God gave us a conscience. We should instinctively know right from wrong. So when a question arises, we should ask ourselves, “Is this good, is this right, is it fair, is it honest – should we be doing this thing?” With our God-inspired internal value system, we already know the right answer!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Atonement Substitution!

August 25, 2025, Monday Message:

Hebrews 9:22b AMP: “Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness [neither release from sin and its guilt, nor cancellation of the merited punishment].”

If we violate a law in our land, there is always a penalty. Sometimes it’s a fine we must pay. More severe crimes require incarceration, e.g. time spent in prison. A judge may require both if he is so inclined. A capital crime like first-degree murder may require capital punishment, the life of the one who committed that crime.

Capital punishment stirs up a perpetual debate. Some people believe that killing another human is wrong, regardless of their crime. Others believe that punishment fits the nature of the most severe crimes. If the crime was extremely vicious, the thought is that the criminal is unredeemable.

In Moses’ day, people practiced substitutionary atonement. Livestock were valuable, and the offender could offer up a sheep or a goat to square things up for their sin. In a way, it doesn’t make sense for an animal to lose it’s life to cover the owner’s sin, but that’s how it was done. If the sinner was not prosperous enough to own livestock, they could sacrifice a couple of birds.

Jesus changed everything! On the cross, he took the sins of the world to the place of the dead, and consequently mankind was freed from its sin problem. There were no longer animal sacrifices. Jesus dying for our sins is the highest example of substitutionary atonement. Anything else would be redundant and unnecessary, as if we didn’t trust Jesus to be the ultimate sacrifice.

It’s as if Jesus was saying, “Count my blood as the sacrifice for the sins of the world. Forgive these sinners! Let’s make a forever place for them in the Kingdom.” Because without the shedding of blood, there can be no forgiveness!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Benevolence!

For Sunday, August 24, 2025:

Luke 18:24 NLT, Jesus speaking: “How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God!”

Jesus didn’t say that rich people entering the Kingdom was impossible. But it can be difficult.

Jesus had challenged the man to use his wealth for good. The poor could use a hand up from time to time. The rich man’s choices were #1 helping the poor, or #2 hoarding the sum. Unfortunately, he chose #2. Affluence had overtaken benevolence, caring for his neighbor. Opulence, not God, had become the focus of his worship. Jesus is using the rich man as a bad example!

Jesus wants Christians to know prosperity so that they have the resources to do good. We need to support our local churches and help our brothers and sisters. If we simply hoard the funds, the money won’t help the church, it won’t help people, and it won’t help the miser enter the Kingdom!

God rewards generosity!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Obedience and Faith!

For Saturday, August 23, 2025:

John 13:2: “Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God.”

The Jesus we worship is both fully God and fully human. He was heaven-sent to redeem mankind, and this mission remained front-of-mind throughout his ministry. At the same time, he knew that mission would incur brutal treatment, suffering and eventually death (in the human sense.) Being fully God, he had control over everything. He could have pulled the plug on this mission at any time to save his skin. But that would have sabotaged the greater mission. He was willing to endure personal misery to bring heaven’s mission to fruition. We call this obedience.

God wants to see obedience in each one of us. Jesus’ mother Mary replied to the angel, “I am the Lord’s servant. Let it be with me just as you have said.” Total obedience! The concept is to 100% agree with the Lord. “Whatever God wants, I’m in!”

How did this scenario end? Jesus was raised from the tomb three days later, eventually returning to heaven and reuniting with the Father. Mankind’s sins had been forgiven according to God’s plan. You see, God’s plan always works out for the best! Pray that you and I could better learn obedience. And give us faith to persevere until it’s our turn to live in the Kingdom.

Obedience and faith – a good combination! Trust God – everything will be all right in the end!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Children Included!

For Thursday, August 21, 2025:

Luke 18:15 NLT: “One day some parents brought their little children to Jesus so he could touch and bless them. But when the disciples saw this, they scolded the parents for bothering him.”

Little children don’t know much yet, because they’re so young. Their existence is centered on trust and faith. They believe that mom, dad and other big people will protect them, keep them safe and only want what’s best for them.

Jesus wants all of us to have an attitude of trust like these children. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.” God Almighty and his Son only want what’s best for us. God will protect us and keep us safe if we trust in him. Faith is a valuable commodity when dealing with the Lord!

On a more basic level, Jesus is teaching that we should bring children to church, and that our activities should include them. If children are taught the ways of the Lord, they will grow up with those beliefs and their souls will be redeemed. Jesus said, “The Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children.”

Translating the ancient Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek into today’s English is always challenging. If viewed as a command, it could read, “Cause the children to come to me. Make it so! See that it happens!”

Church is for families. It would be awesome if we could see your family at church this Sunday. It would be more awesome if your family invited another family!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Throne Room of Heaven!

 For Wednesday, August 20, 2025:

Hebrews 9:12 AMP: “Jesus went once for all into the Holy Place [the Holy of Holies of heaven, into the presence of God], and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, having obtained and secured eternal redemption [that is, the salvation of all who personally believe in Him as Savior]”

 The Amplified scripture not only gives us the text, but also explains it. Jesus returning to his Father in Heaven following his sojourn to earth only happens once. In other words, Jesus came to walk alongside mankind and then returned to the Father from whence he came. It will not happen again. God will not keep sending Jesus back and forth, hoping that mankind can ‘get it’ this time. Once should be enough!

 Jesus, Son of the Most High, did not return to the general population of heaven. The Tabernacle had a “Holy of Holies,” but the one in heaven is the “most Holy of all Holy places. It’s where the spirit of God Almighty lives. Jesus returned to that most holy place to sit at the right hand of his Father.

 This occurred not because of any animal sacrifice as mankind practiced. Jesus had shed his own blood, paying the penalty for the sins of all mankind, once and for all. All who call Jesus Messiah, Savior or Redeemer have a reservation in heaven. We call that “Assurance of Salvation.” It’s a gift from Jesus and his Father. It’s not debatable or negotiable. God said, and it is so! Salvation is for all who personally believe in Jesus. God said!

 I believe the principal goal of Jesus coming to earth was to redeem mankind. So, do you have Jesus in your heart? Does there remain any question in your mind about your eternal destination? Today is the best day to cement your relationship with Jesus, to make an irrevocable decision to call him Lord of lords!

Pastor Norton Lawellin
Jesus In the City Fellowship

Eternity Decision!

For Tuesday, August 19, 2025:

John 12:50, Jesus speaking: “I know his commands lead to eternal life; so I say whatever the Father tells me to say.”

What is your goal in this life? The Bible prepares us to enter the next reality, the life after this life, and it offers only two choices. #1 is spending eternity in the glorious Kingdom with God and his Son. #2 is being miserable under Satan’s hand and eventually gaining first-hand experience in the lake of fire. It’s really no contest! Our goal in this life should be to successfully enter God’s eternity in the next life. Jesus is teaching us things that please the Lord, and we should be intentional about doing those things!

The Good News is that God doesn’t want to lose anyone. His desire is that all would repent and return to the flock. Not everyone will return, because God created us with the ability to choose and make decisions. Unfortunately, some will make the wrong decision.

Therefore, it’s up to each of us to make the best decision possible. If we claim Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we have assurance of salvation. Friends, solidify your eternal goal. Keep your eyes on Jesus, his Father and the Kingdom!

If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll never get there!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

New Beginning!

August 18, 2025, Monday Message:

Mark 13:29 CJB: “When you see all these things happening, you are to know that the time is near, right at the door.”

Jesus was taking questions that day. Some asked for clarification of God’s Laws, God’s Commandments. But others wanted more details about the future. Aren’t we all curious about what lies ahead? Since Jesus has all knowledge, let’s ask him!

Jesus said that when it’s time for the End Times, we’ll see signs. Many deceivers, false Christs, will become prominent. We are to look the other way, staying steadfast, paying no attention to any false teaching. There will be wars and rumors of even more wars. Compared to what we now consider normal, the world will seem in disarray, messed up and confused in violent ways.

While we should be ready for Jesus’ return 24/7, God gives us signs to jog our memory into doing the right things prior to Jesus’ arrival. Jesus admits he doesn’t know the exact day or hour when God will press the “restart” button. Only the Father knows.

And “restart” is the keyword in this scenario. We refer to it as the End Times, but it’s actually the beginning of the New Heaven and the New Earth, and believers are included! God is creating a forever world for the faithful!

We’re included because of our faith in God’s Son, the Messiah, Jesus the Christ. Thank God for his grace, the free gift of eternal salvation!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Humble!

For Sunday, August 17, 2025:

Luke 18:9 NLT: “Jesus told this story to some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else.”

Two men entered the Temple to pray. They could not have been more different, one a Pharisee, the other a tax collector. The Pharisee thought highly of himself, saying, “I thank you, God, that I am not like other people—cheaters, sinners, adulterers. I’m certainly not like that tax collector!”

Tax collectors are thought to be the worst of all sinners. This traitor had switched sides and was working for the Roman oppressors. This man clearly knew he was in the wrong. “O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.”

The repentant sinner was justified that day, not the Pharisee.

Jesus concludes his lesson: “Those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” The Bible says, “Don’t think more highly of yourself than you ought!”

Oftentimes, taking a step down results in being lifted up!

Pastor Norton Lawellin
Jesus In the City Fellowship

Faith!

For Saturday, August 16, 2025:

Luke 18:8b NLT: Jesus asked, “When the Son of Man returns, how many will he find on the earth who have faith?”

Jesus had just shared the parable of the persistent widow. She repeatedly sought justice from a lazy judge. He kept putting her off, ignoring her request. She didn’t quit! She kept asking and asking, frankly pestering the judge until it was easier for him to grant her request than to put up with her incessant nagging.

Her solution was in that judge. Our solution is in the Lord. Jesus points out that God is far more just than this slothful judge. If our faith is constant, God will hear our prayers. God wants us to have a good life. So double down in unwavering faith!

So never give up on your faith, your beliefs. Jesus said if we have enough faith, we can cast a fig tree into the ocean. See, you have more power than you realize! Put it to work!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Tabernacle!

For Friday, August 15, 2025

Hebrews 9:2a NLT: “There were two rooms in God’s Tabernacle.”

God gave very specific instructions about the Tabernacle, a place to worship and honor the Lord. The outer room, called the Holy Place, contained a lampstand, a table and sacred loaves of bread. Next was a heavy curtain separating the inner and outer portions. The inner space was called the Most Holy Place or the Holy of Holies. This was thought to contain the presence of the Lord. In that room were the gold incense altar and a sizable wooden chest covered in gold known as the Ark of the Covenant. Above the Ark were the cherubim of divine glory, whose wings stretched out over the Ark’s cover, the place of atonement. That ark itself housed a gold jar containing manna, Aaron’s staff that sprouted leaves and the stone tablets of the covenant.

Priests regularly performed their religious duties in the outer chamber. But only once a year could the High Priest enter the inner sanctuary. He would always offer blood sacrifices for his sins and the sins of the people, both intentional sin and sins of ignorance. Of importance to Christians is that the Holy of Holies was not freely accessible while the Old Covenant was in place.

But Jesus brought with him a New Covenant. As he spoke, “It is finished” from the cross, the curtain was torn from top to bottom. Mankind was no longer separated from our Creator. We no longer needed a priest to intervene on our behalf. We can now pray directly to God, because our sins have been forgiven. Jesus himself was the blood offering for the sins of the world.

Try it out! Pray directly to God today. It’s OK because you are forgiven! God is always listening and wants to hear from you!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Omnipresent!

For Thursday, August 14, 2025:

John 12:44-45: Jesus shouted to the crowds, “If you trust me, you are trusting not only me, but also God who sent me. For when you see me, you are seeing the one who sent me.”

Omnipresence is a challenging concept for some individuals to grasp. That God could be on the throne of heaven, Jesus could walk on earth alongside mankind with the mobile Holy Spirit on the bench, waiting to be called into action seems unbelievable. But it’s true. Our God, the Creator of the universe, isn’t limited by human constraints. Time and location cannot put chains on our God! He can be in more than one place at the same time. Omnipresent. But they’re all the same God!

Every word Jesus spoke was true, and this is no exception. He said, “I and the Father are One.” Hearing this, our opinion of the Son should go up considerably! This spirit-being, living within believers, is actually God himself. We are indwelt by a version of our Creator! Believers belong to Jesus; believers belong to God!

By definition, God and the Holy Spirit cannot be seen by human eyes. Jesus was sent to give us a glimpse into heavenly standards. His truth, honesty and love for God and his neighbors were unequaled. Our biggest challenge is to imitate the Savior.

When in doubt, do what Jesus did!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship