"All-in" Faith!

November 10, 2025, Monday Message:

Hebrews 11:22 NLT: “It was by faith that Joseph, when he was about to die, said confidently that the people of Israel would leave Egypt. He even commanded them to take his bones with them when they left.”

This is one more demonstration of faith, and a good example for us. Joseph’s story is unique. He was Rachel’s firstborn but Jacob’s 11^th son, and as it turned out, Jacob’s favorite. Joseph was gifted the famous “coat of many colors,” but a better translation might be “a coat with sleeves.” Men who worked outside in cold weather wore thick vests with no sleeves, leaving their arms unencumbered to perform the required tasks. But Joseph’s coat with sleeves meant he wasn’t required to perform physical work. The elder brothers didn’t like that. Jealousy set in, and eventually the siblings kidnapped their younger brother, leaving him in a pit in the wilderness. He was rescued by Egyptians and subsequently became a servant of Pharaoh.

It all fell apart when Pharaoh’s wife took a liking to Joseph. That landed Joseph in prison until he interpreted Pharaoh’s dream. Joseph’s interpretations were given to him by God, so the grateful Pharaoh restored Joseph’s position, making him kind of like “Secretary of State” for Egypt.

When drought resulted in a food shortage in Canaan, the Israelites traveled to Egypt seeking assistance. In a way only God could plan, the person to grant aid was in the line of Israel’s patriarchs. Of course, Joseph would help his people!

To summarize, Joseph had an unshakable belief in God and God’s ability to make things right. It’s called faith! God had protected him while growing up, and protected him as he was kidnapped. God protected him as he was taken to Egypt and given a good job in Pharaoh’s court. Pharaoh’s wife lied, landing Joseph in prison, where he was protected. God’s truth pleased Pharaoh, and Joseph was restored to a key government position, exactly where God wanted him to be when his Israelite brethren needed assistance!

Joseph’s faith never ended. His faith never got wishy-washy. He was “all in,” forever a fan of the Almighty. More about “all in” faith tomorrow!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Abraham, Isaac and Jacob!

For Saturday, November 1, 2025:

Hebrews 11:11 NLT: “It was by faith that Abraham was able to father a child, even though Sarah was barren and he was too old. They believed that God would keep his promise.”

The thinking was that the opportunity to start a family had passed them by. Abraham was far too old, and Sarah had been barren all her life. That’s when God told Abraham that the number of his descendants would be like the stars in the sky! Didn’t seem possible! But God’s word is always true. Their faith is being tested.

Impatience and second-guessing the Lord can result in missteps on a faith walk. Abraham and Sarah questioned God’s timetable. In their haste, it was decided that Abraham should father a child with Hagar, Sarah’s handmaiden. Problems arose when Hagar started acting like the primary wife, and so Sarah sent her away. But an angel told Hagar to return, and Ishmael, a wild man, was born. Abraham was 89 years old.

God restated his commitment to Abraham and Sarah’s family: “I will make a covenant with you, by which I will guarantee to give you countless descendants.” About a year later, Sarah gave birth to a son, Isaac. By now, Abraham was 100 years old. Imagine being a new dad at 100!

Sidebar: God also told Abraham, “I will give the entire land of Canaan, where you now live as a foreigner, to you and your descendants. It will be their possession forever, and I will be their God.” That’s why, to this day, Abraham’s descendants choose to live in Israel, explaining, “It’s our land – God gave it to us!”

Abraham, Isaac and eventually Jacob are the three patriarchs of world religion. Abraham and Sarah’s faith got them back on track, and God’s promises are always good! Remember, it’s our trust in God, our faith, that opens Heaven’s door to all believers!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

God of the Living!

For Saturday, October 11, 2025:

Luke 20:37 NLT: “As to whether the dead will be raised—even Moses proved this when he wrote about the burning bush. Long after Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had died, he referred to the Lord as ‘the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’”

There is only one version of the truth. There is only one Bible, one version of the Holy Scrolls. So everyone had the same information available, yet somehow the Sadducees didn’t understand life after this life. Jesus digs deeper, pointing out the scripture they missed. Think of it logically. There would be no point in being God if your followers were all dead. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob had long ago ended their earthly days, yet they are still referred to in ‘first person,’ as if they are still alive. And they ARE alive, living in the next reality with the God who resurrected them. Jesus said, “He is the God of the living, not the dead, for they are all alive to him.”

So to sum up Jesus’ response to the Sadducees: Yes, there is life after this life. Yes, those who are loyal and obedient will be with the Lord. When believers appear to have died, they will actually be living in God’s presence. People who died long before us will be with God as well. If we’re lucky, we’ll get to meet some of them.

Jesus said He would return to the Father first, so that He could prepare a place for us! People get ready, there’s a train a-comin’… It’s headed for Heaven!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Resurrection!

For Saturday, July 5, 2025:

Mark 12:27a NLT, Jesus speaking: “So our God is the God of the living, not the dead.”

Jesus is answering the Sadducees’ questions about resurrection. They were not believers in resurrection.

Jesus reassured them, saying that there is a resurrection, a life after this life. God said so. “I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” But those saints had all died some time ago. The point being that our God is the God of the living. Being God over the dead would serve no purpose. So Abraham, Isaac and Jacob must have been resurrected and live in the next reality alongside the Almighty.

In the resurrected life, we will recognize our families and our fellows. But no one marries in heaven. Children are not born in the hereafter. Just like the angels, believers will live in the life after this life, but no one will procreate. We’ll be too busy worshiping the God who is better to us than we deserve!

Jesus will prepare your place in the hereafter. If that were not so, surely he would have told us! I can’t wait to see the New Heaven and the New Earth, where everything will be perfect, just the way God first intended!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Obedience!

For Saturday, March 22, 2025:

Leviticus 26:1a, 2 NLT: The Lord said to Moses, “Do not make idols or set up carved images, or sacred pillars, or sculptured stones in your land so you may worship them. You must keep my Sabbath days of rest and show reverence for my sanctuary. I am the Lord.”

If you had wood from a tree trunk or stone from the ground, it’s pretty obvious that those things aren’t any kind of God. Yet ancient people would carve the wood or sculpt the stone and proceed to worship the resulting man-made image. God admits that he hosts a bit of jealousy, saying, “You shall have no other gods before me,” – especially man-made pretend gods!

It’s not that hard to get along with God Almighty. First, make the real God #1 in your life. And #2, just be nice. Get along with people. Cut out the gossip. Love your neighbor as yourself. That’s what Jesus said to do.

Because we’re humans with free choice, some will choose to follow the Lord and some will not. For the disobedient ones, there are consequences. God’s punishment will fall on the unbelievers. Diseases, failed crops and losses in battle may befall those no longer protected by God’s hand. In other words, Satan will have a field day when God steps back from protecting his people.

The punishments described in Leviticus ch. 26 get progressively worse. The more you disobey God, the worse the punishment becomes. That’s fair; the punishment should fit the crime. Continued disobedience results in increased punishment. The solution of course is to repent and return.

In spite of the Israelites’ disobedience, God says He will still remember the Covenant made with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. These are his people and He is their God, and that will never change!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship