Who's First?

For Saturday, May 23, 2026:

Colossians 1:18 NLT: “Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body. He is the beginning, firstborn over all who rise from the dead. So he is first in everything.”

The Bible says that the church is the bride of Christ, making Jesus the head of the church. Without Jesus, there would be no reason for any church to exist. Mankind could have just stayed with Synagogues. It’s important that we understand the difference between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant.

Under the Old Covenant, mankind was expected to conform to God’s commandments, sometimes called the Law of Moses since God sent most of the commandments through his servant Moses. The grading scale was tough: Live life 100% right, pass; miss one, fail. Any sin disqualified a person from accessibility to heaven.

God’s desire, though, is that none would perish, so he gave us a chance to repent and return. We call this the New Covenant. God’s Son Jesus died to atone for the sins of the world. In other words, He gave us a second chance, a do-over! Forgiven believers, those who would put their faith in Jesus, are given an opportunity to see heaven from the inside!

Abbott and Costello asked, “Who’s on first?” The answer should always be, “Jesus!” He’s responsible for creation, the forgiver of mankind’s sins and head of the church! Jesus is first in everything!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Believe!

April 6, 2026, Monday Message:

John 20:27 NLT: “Then Jesus said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!’”

On the cross, Jesus himself said, “It is finished.” The mission trip to planet Earth was complete. Sins had been paid for and forgiven, and the barrier between God and mankind had been torn, top to bottom. The only thing left to do would be to make sure everyone understands what just happened. The crucified Jesus had been brought back to life, proving that death is not the end! Both sin and death had been conquered!

No one had ever seen anything like this before, so explaining the miracle proved more difficult than it might first appear. Among the doubters was Thomas, who had not been present when Jesus first appeared to the disciples. “Come over here. Look at my hands! Put your hand into my side, where the spear was. Let your own two eyes guide your faith! Believe!”

Jesus also needed to let as many people as possible learn the truth of what had taken place. So he continued to teach, to speak publicly and heal those who needed healing. The man who everyone saw die on the cross was up, out of the tomb, walking around and carrying on conversations. He was a miracle that everyone could see with their own two eyes!

Over 2,000 years later, we’re still talking about it. Check it out for yourself. Read the testimony of the eyewitnesses. Then Jesus told Thomas, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.” So friends, believe in your heart. Your eternal destiny depends on it!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Palm Sunday!

For Sunday, March 29, 2026:

John 12:12b-13 NLT: “A large crowd of Passover visitors took palm branches and went down the road to meet Jesus. They shouted, ‘Praise God! [Hosanna!] Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hail to the King of Israel!’”

Today is Palm Sunday, when Christians everywhere celebrate Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem. Jesus had recently healed Lazarus and brought him back to life. A large crowd had been present for that event, and there was much anticipation when word got out that Jesus was coming back into town. They lined the streets as if a parade were about to take place.

Meanwhile, Jesus sent two disciples to borrow a donkey, who were told to say, “The Lord has need of it.” The donkey had never been ridden, and I look at this like asking to borrow a new Buick off the showroom floor. It fulfills the prophecy, “Look, your king is coming to you,... riding on a donkey—riding on a donkey’s colt.”

As Jesus entered the city, the crowd waved palm branches in the air and lined the streets with brightly colored cloth, shouting, “Hosanna,” which means, “Save us; save us now!” I suspect that the crowd knew mankind had a sin problem, and the only solution was an alliance with the man who could raise someone from the dead. They wouldn’t have asked Jesus to save them, to rescue them, unless they believed it to be possible.

Shouts rang out, “Hail to the King of Israel!” Recall John (the baptist) saying, “The Kingdom of God is at hand,” as he introduced Jesus to the world. Only a King has a Kingdom, and Jesus is the one King! This upset the Roman Government, which thought Herod was their king. It also upset the Pharisees. “There’s nothing we can do. Look, everyone has gone after him!”

So this is all about money and power. Pharisees didn’t like worshipers leaving to follow Jesus, and they didn’t like tithes going to the Jesus team rather than the Temple. Furthermore, the Roman government already had a king and didn’t want another, and certainly not a Jew! Jesus’ demise seemed certain, and he predicted his own death.

People are fickle. In just a few days, they went from “Save us now!” to “Crucify him!” No one understood that Jesus would take the sins of the world to the place of the dead, and that mankind could be forgiven and have a shot at eternity! Those railing against Jesus were actually fulfilling God’s vast eternal plan!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Image of God!

For Wednesday, March 18, 2026:

Genesis 1:27 NLT: “God created human beings [adam] in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.’”

In this context, adam refers to mankind or human beings, not Adam the man. We have temporary bodies because we live on earth. God, a spirit being, doesn’t need a body, so don’t start telling people that you look a lot like God!

When we leave this earth, believer’s bodies will remain. We won’t need them. Our soul and our spirit, our eternal essence, will meet Jesus in the hereafter, in heaven. Temporarily. God will remodel our planet to be the New Earth, removing sin and putting things back to his original intent. Then, forgiven and thereby sinless, mankind can move back in. God and his Son will walk alongside us!

Right now, we should think of our planet as a “fixer-upper!” Needs a lot of work! So trust in the Lord. He has a plan; He knows what he’s doing!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

One God!

For Saturday, March 7, 2026:

John 14:7 NLT, Jesus speaking: “If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

Father God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are three forms of the same God. Think of it like this. We turn on our tap and get water, good for cooking, drinking and washing. In the freezer, it’s known as ice, good for cooling beverages. We might say that a summer day feels humid, and that’s a surplus of water vapor in the air. It’s all still water, H₂O.

As I compose these daily messages, I often mix up our God labels. Jesus may have said it, but I might call it a command of God. Or the other way, Jesus tells us to do something and research shows us that the words originally came from the Father. I usually catch myself and straighten it out, but the truth is I don’t believe it really matters. Father, Son and Holy Spirit are all of one mind, with the same goals, pulling in the same direction. They will never contradict one another. So there really is only one God.

Prophesy told the Jews to expect a Messiah to rescue them, they believed from Roman oppression. God indeed sent Jesus, the Messiah, but to rescue them from their sin burden, not the Romans. Jesus was sent to love and forgive. In this case, the desire of the God “team” is to return more souls to God’s eternal heavenly Kingdom. Jesus is the one who puts the plan in motion. On the cross, the sins of the world are heaped upon him, and as he dies a human death, he takes those sins to the place of the dead and leaves them there. Now repentant humans can be forgiven, be made suitable for residence in the eternal Kingdom.

If we repent of our sins and claim Jesus as our hope and salvation, we will be forgiven. We will get to see heaven from the inside. Friends, that’s assurance of salvation!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Kingdom!

For Wednesday, March 4, 2026:

John 14:3 NLT, Jesus speaking about our next life in the Kingdom: “When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.“

Jesus said he would prepare a place for loyal believers, and when that’s ready, he’ll meet us with open arms as we transition to the next reality. At that time, it might have seemed like a lot was going wrong around Jesus. But he’s not worried, and he doesn’t want the believers to worry either. It’s all going to work out for the best!

Think about it. If Jesus hadn’t been betrayed, he wouldn’t have been arrested. Without the arrest, there would have been no mock trial in the kangaroo court where he was found guilty and eventually crucified. We usually think of death as a bad thing, but this time Jesus took the sins of the world to the place of the dead, and mankind was given a fresh start! With our sins forgiven, we could once again seek residence in God’s eternal heavenly Kingdom! You see, everything that happened was part of God’s vast eternal plan!

It all played out exactly as Jesus knew it would, a series of illogical steps in exactly the right order that allowed God’s plan to come to fruition. God knows exactly what he’s doing, wouldn’t you say?

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

God's Timing!

Daily message of hope...
For Thursday, February 26, 2026:

John 13:36 NLT: “Simon Peter asked, ‘Lord, where are you going?’ And Jesus replied, ‘You can’t go with me now, but you will follow me later.’”

Omniscient Jesus knows what’s coming, and he tells the Apostles that he’ll be leaving soon. He knows a cross is in his future, and his human body will die. He also knows that he’ll be taking the sins of the world to the place of the dead. Believers will be forgiven, and will be able to join him in God’s heavenly kingdom, but later. He’ll rise from the grave in three days, wrap up his ministry on earth and then return to the Father.

Simon Peter doesn’t know any of this, and if you told him, he wouldn’t get it. I call him Mr. Impulsive, but he has a big heart. He wants to go with Jesus right now without an understanding of the consequences. It seems like a good thing to do, but he didn’t think it through to the conclusion. In ministry, everything happens within God’s timetable. Simon and all the other Apostles will join Jesus in the Kingdom when their work on earth is complete, when it’s time for God to call them home.

It’s no different nowadays. Ministry will proceed at God’s pace. When our earthly work is complete, God will call all believers home, in God’s timing. Count on it – Jesus said!

Pastor Norton Lawellin
The Father’s House
Jesus In the City Fellowship
Truth & Freedom Church

Great Exchange!

For Friday, January 9, 2026:

Romans 6:6 NLT: “We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin.”

Believers are forever with Jesus. Let me explain. As Jesus died on the cross, the sins of the world were heaped upon him. That includes your sin and my sin. And those sins went away with Jesus to the place of the dead. He rose three days later, coming back without those sins. So this resurrected Jesus is without sin, just as He always was. And He is our friend, just as He always was.

Our sinful nature died with Christ. He carried our sins away, thereby leaving us clean and forgiven. This is called the Great Exchange, Jesus taking our sins away and leaving us pure, suitable for residence in God’s forever kingdom of Heaven. Because of Jesus’ mission, sin has lost its power over believers. Believers are no longer slaves to Satan or his Demons. Mission accomplished!

Sin died so that believers might have eternal life!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

For the Lord!

For Tuesday, December 23, 2025:

Luke 2:23 NLT: “The law of the Lord says, ‘If a woman’s first child is a boy, he must be dedicated to the Lord.’”

Here’s what the Lord said back in Exodus 13:2: “Dedicate to me every firstborn among the Israelites. The first offspring to be born, of both humans and animals, belongs to me.” Notice that when something is really important and God wants you to “get it,” he says it twice. So the example in Luke is actually the third time God emphasized this principle.

Mary and Joseph were obedient. They had seen and heard angels and had first-hand experience with a mysterious pregnancy. There was no doubt that this baby is special, and that God is “in” these events. Of course, they would dedicate the youth to the Lord. That’s what God said to do! Little did they know that their baby was the great I Am! So … dedicating God to God? Seems kind of silly, kind of redundant. It makes sense, though, to dedicate the God on earth to the purposes of the God in Heaven. They worshiped the Lord, and the baby was named Jesus (by the angel) – God is salvation. They had not yet been told of a Holy Spirit.

Notice that God doesn’t get any one of the kids somewhere down the line. He gets the first. God gets the first-fruits of the harvest. Your tithe should be the first 10%, not the last. And who gets trained to execute the Lord’s work here on earth? The firstborn son. God should always be #1 on our distribution lists.

Also realize that loyal, obedient believers are #1 on God’s list. Believers have their sins forgiven and have been handed a ticket to the hereafter. You see, loyalty and obedience are rewarded, but not always in the way we might expect. The Hebrew people are chanting, “Rescue us from Roman domination.”

Jesus is promising, “Your sins are forgiven.” Romans are a short blip on the screen of Hebrew history. Jesus’ offer puts us in a better place for eternity.

Pick one!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

Your Sins are Forgiven!

For Thursday, December 18, 2025:

Luke 2:16 NLT: “The shepherds hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger.”

Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus were in town, staying at the stable where Jesus had been born. The shepherds were out in the countryside tending their sheep. Angel(s) told them about the birth of the Messiah, in that nearby town, in a stable. Expect to find the baby in a manger amongst the hay.

God gave mankind insatiable curiosity, so the shepherds just had to check this out! The Messiah, an anointed rescuer, had been prophesied for centuries. Also, think of the angel’s words as prophecy. The shepherds would find the newborn Savior not in a castle or a palace. Rather, he’d be among the common folk, seeking shelter in the stable alongside animals.

At that time, the Promised Land had been occupied by the Roman Army. So the Jewish prayers were, “Liberate us from the Romans!”

Jesus would grow up to say, “Your sins are forgiven!” He had the best answer. The Hebrews just hadn’t asked the right question!

Jesus completed his entire ministry while Rome occupied the land intended for the Chosen People. It turns out that who’s running the country isn’t nearly as important as having your sins forgiven. Make sure you’re asking the right question!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

Gift Results!

For Tuesday, December 16, 2025:

Romans 5:16 NLT: “The result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins.”

Adam and Eve’s sin led to condemnation. There was no intercessor. But with Jesus, our intercessor stepped in. Mankind has still sinned, but those sins are forgiven, and our slate has been wiped clean. God’s gift gives us a fresh start at living a proper life. Faith in the Son is the connection that plugs us in with the Father. Faith in the Son buys our ticket to eternity, a heavenly encounter with the Lord. Faith in the Son results in Assurance of Salvation!

When you believers get to the pearly gates, explain that you’re with that one guy right over there, the one seated just to the right of God. Jesus is there to welcome believers with open arms. He has prepared a place for each of us. In our hearts, we know that Jesus has been anticipating our arrival!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

God's Gift!

For Wednesday, November 26, 2025:

Romans 5:2 NLT: “Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.

 "Because of our faith…” This is why Heaven’s gifts keep raining into our lives. I wish we could see God. That way, we could watch him smile as we do things that please him. Surely God smiles when we worship him, and when we honor his Son. God wants to include us in his forever kingdom, where his glory shines!

 In the past, we might not have been worthy to live alongside the Father and his Son. But the Son, Jesus, took away our sinful nature as part of God’s vast eternal plan. So here we are, looking forward to our eternal lives because of what God had his Son put in motion. This is undeserved favor at its max! Mankind is the beneficiary of God’s grace!

 God, Jesus and believers all living in harmony, loving one another, forever! It doesn’t get any better than that!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

Forgiven forever!

For Tuesday, November 25, 2025:

Romans 5:1 AMP: “Since we have been justified [that is, acquitted of sin, declared blameless before God] by faith, [let us grasp the fact that] we have peace with God [and the joy of reconciliation with Him] through our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed).”

Christians are saved by grace, God’s gift to us, through faith, believing in the Father and his Son, Jesus. On the cross, Jesus took away the sins of the world. Through this monumental miracle, we were given a clean slate, a fresh start, a do-over on living our lives. Prospective believers are asked to commit to a decision of believing and accepting God’s gift of reconciliation. Through Jesus, our sins are separated from us as far as the east is from the west. Our sins are at the bottom of the deepest ocean. In the book of life, the column titled “sin” will be blank. No scratch-outs; no eraser marks; just blank white space.

Believers will find that they have been redeemed, bought back from Satan. Jesus paid the price to rescue us. So now in our minds, we need to discard the image of being a perpetual sinner. We need to look, act and live out the role of someone whose sins no longer exist! Believers are holy. Believers have joined the Jesus Team!

We may not be perfect, but day by day we’ll grow closer to God. Progress, not perfection. Pray to love the Lord more today than yesterday. Accept with gratitude God’s gift of salvation and eternal life. Shout out, “Jesus, I’m with you!”

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

Satan: God's Pawn!

For Thursday, November 6, 2025:

John 14:30b-31a NLT, Jesus speaking: “The ruler of this world approaches. He has no power over me, but I will do what the Father requires of me, so that the world will know that I love the Father.”

Jesus knows his time on earth is drawing to a close. It’s nearly time for him to return to the Father. He calls Satan the “ruler of this world,” which seems odd. We all know that ultimately, God is in charge of everything. Therefore, God will allow Satan to rule the world only as long as it meets his purpose. Satan will poison the heart of Judas Iscariot as he betrays Jesus, thereby setting God’s plan in motion.

Here’s what God had Judas instigate. Jesus was betrayed, arrested, tried and crucified. On the cross, the sins of the world were heaped upon sinless Jesus. He was to take those sins to the place of the dead and leave them there. That way, mankind, forgiven and now appearing sinless, could join believers in the life after this life. God’s eternal Kingdom, Heaven, could be the forever home for all who call Jesus “Lord.”

God knew that mankind would succumb to Satan’s temptations. But God’s desire is that none would perish, that all would repent and return. So in advance, he planned for mankind’s rescue. He did for us what we are not able to do for ourselves.

God is good to us, far better than we deserve!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Gift for the Faithful!

For Sunday, October 19, 2025:

Hebrews 10:39 NLT: “We are not like those who turn away from God to their own destruction. We are the faithful ones, whose souls will be saved.”

Living our lives for the Lord requires effort. It takes a lot of work. It might be easier to give up on the project, to turn our backs on God. Of course, that would be wrong. Today’s scripture tells us that our souls can either be saved or left behind. As Christians, our desire would be to spend eternity in Heaven, in the presence of the Lord!

Jesus and his Father have given believers a free gift. We can’t buy it or barter for it. The gift is called forgiveness, and with it comes our ticket to heaven. You see, God and sin cannot exist in the same place. That’s why Jesus blots out our sins. There is no record of a sin. It’s as if we had lived a perfect life.

Christians have Assurance of Salvation. The work of Jesus on the cross brings us to the next reality. When you enter, look for Jesus. Tell him, “Thank you!” He’ll be just to the right of God’s throne!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Walls Torn Down!

For Wednesday, October 1, 2025:

Hebrews 10:21-22 NLT: “Since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.”

God desires to live among the people he created. The Bible says that God loves us! The problem arises that there can be no sin in the presence of the Lord. By definition, sin and God don’t go together. What to do?

The presence of the Lord was in a special inner room, the Holy of Holies or the Most Holy Place. The entrance was covered by a large, very heavy curtain. Mankind could visit the Temple where God was exalted, but we had separate spaces.

Enter Jesus. After Jesus, everything is different. After Jesus, everything is better! As he died on the cross, Jesus took the sins of the world to the place of the dead and left them there. Mankind had been forgiven, redeemed, purchased back from Satan’s pawn shop, Jesus himself being the ultimate sacrifice for the world’s sins. And since mankind was no longer carrying a sin-burden, there was no longer a need for separation from God. The giant curtain was torn from top to bottom, a sign that God was doing the tearing! There was now nothing separating the creation, mankind, from our Creator God. He says our sins are forgiven and forgotten, and God is never wrong!

If we’re expecting company, my wife wants our place to look nice, so I go outside to mow the lawn and straighten up the yard. I work hard. Then I hear, “You’ll need a shower before they get here!” We want to look our best when meeting someone for the first time! Fortunately, we have Jesus to clean us up before we meet the Father!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship