Who Is This Guy?

April 27, 2026, Monday Message:

Mark 11:27-28 NLT: “Jesus and the disciples were walking through the Temple area, when the leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the elders came up to him. They demanded, “By what authority are you doing all these things? Who gave you the right to do them?”

Those posing the question didn’t really like Jesus. They were prejudiced against him. He was a threat to their authority and income. So they asked him kind of a trick question. If Jesus said he was on his own, he wouldn’t possess the authority to demand compliance. If he said he was sent by God, they would demand proof.

Jesus answers their question with one of his own, like the storybook troll asking you to solve a riddle before crossing a bridge. “I’ll answer your question if you can answer mine. What about John the Baptist? Who gave him authority?”

The priests and teachers didn’t know how to answer. They hadn’t obeyed John, so they couldn’t admit that his words were heaven-sent. On the other hand, they didn’t want to say John was merely human, because most people thought John was a prophet. So this collection of the greatest religious minds in all of Israel finally answered, “We don’t know.” Duh!

Consequently, Jesus refused to give them an answer. To him, the answer should have been obvious. Who would know all of God’s laws, the best way for us to live? Who could heal any malady, making people as good as new? Who could raise Lazarus from the dead? Everyone may not have known that Jesus is God’s Son, but they should have been able to discern that his actions were heaven-sent.

Jesus wants us all to answer that question, “Who do you believe he is?” Read and re-read the eyewitness accounts until you get it. Jesus is the heaven-sent Son of the Most High, who was sent here to rescue mankind. His mission was successful!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Eternal Life!

For Saturday, April 25, 2026:

Romans 8:11 NLT: “The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.”

Two important things happened between Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday. First, the sins of the world were heaped upon Jesus, who was otherwise sinless. His primary mission in coming to earth was the rescue of mankind from our sin problem. I believe this occurred when Jesus declared, “It is finished.” His mission had been accomplished. He would take those sins to the place of the dead, leaving mankind spotless, eligible to take up residence in God’s heavenly Kingdom.

And on resurrection Sunday, Jesus was raised from the dead and walked out of the tomb. He proved to everyone that there is life after this life, and that death is not the end. Believers, those who call Jesus “Lord,” will receive that same reward. We call it Assurance of Salvation.

If you’re looking for a guarantee of someday seeing heaven from the inside, here it is. No other religion can promise Assurance of Salvation. This scripture quotes the words of Jesus, which we know to be true! They’re in the Bible, which is also truth!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

Holy Saturday!

For Holy Saturday, April 4, 2026:

Matthew 27:64 NLT, asking Pilate: “We (the leading priests and Pharisees,) request that you seal the tomb until the third day. This will prevent his disciples from coming and stealing his body and then telling everyone he was raised from the dead! If that happens, we’ll be worse off than we were at first.”

The leading priests seemed unconcerned with spiritual authenticity, unconcerned with truth. To them, Jesus was a threat to their power and money. People had left the Synagogue to follow Jesus, and their tithes had gone to Jesus rather than the Temple. Because Jesus was a perceived threat, the leading priests and Pharisees plotted to kill him, which goes against everything they stood for. Now they were worried that Jesus’ prophecy would come true, that he would rise in three days. Men were sent to guard the tomb so that no one could steal the body and falsely claim that Jesus was alive.

The Great Exchange: Remember that while on the cross, the sins of the world were heaped upon Jesus, and His innocence was imparted to believers. That’s a massive amount of forgiveness, but that was the Father’s plan to bring believers home. That was Jesus’ mission, to rescue mankind from Satan’s territory. You could say that Jesus was on a mission trip to planet Earth!

One more thing: Many of us learned the Apostles’ Creed growing up. There’s a mistranslation that has always bothered me. The creed states, “Jesus was crucified, died and was buried; he descended into hell.” Friends, Jesus did not go to hell. He went to Sheol, a place for the dead. It is not heaven, and it is not hell. It may involve judgment, since Moses wrote, “The anger of Yahweh is a flame which burns in the ‘depths’ of Sheol.” But believers are already forgiven by the work Jesus did on the cross.

I suspect that not much happened on Holy Saturday, since that day is the Sabbath for Jews. It’s the Lord’s day, not a day for customary work. Jesus will be back to work tomorrow, walking away from his grave. Christians worship on Sunday, the day we realized that Jesus had conquered sin and death at the same time! In the meantime, "Shabbat Shalom!"

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Raised from the Dead!

For Sunday, January 4, 2026:

Romans 6:4b NLT: “Just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.”

Believers are inextricably linked with Jesus the Christ, although His way is a path from which we should not want to escape. In fact, we should think of a link with Jesus as a gift. If we aren’t connected with Jesus, we’d have no chance at the glorious life after this life that awaits believers. If we are sincere believers, total forgiveness and salvation reserve our place in the hereafter.

And friends, isn’t that all we really want, to live in God’s eternal kingdom? Only good people will be there, those who are radically transformed by the redeeming nature of Christ Almighty. The forgiven will be our neighbors. We may be surprised at how nice everyone is! In Heaven, it will be like everyone is on their best behavior. If God – Father, Son or Holy Spirit – asks us to help out with something, we won’t hesitate. We would be honored to be invited to participate on the winning team!

Jesus rose from the dead in three days, fully restored and still eager to serve God the Father. Even though the sin of the world was heaped upon him as he died on the cross, he took that burden to the place of the dead and left it there. He was given a second chance to change the minds of those who watched him die three days ago, and now see him dancing a jig on the grave of sin. Someone brought back to life should turn heads!

Like Jesus, mankind was burdened with sin, but believers have born again, given a second chance to get things right. When you get to the pearly gates, confidently tell the gatekeeper that you’re with the guy seated just to the right of God. That’s His Son, Jesus! He’ll welcome you with open arms!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

Prophecy!

November 3, 2025, Monday Message:

John 14:29 NLT, Jesus speaking: “I have told you these things before they happen so that when they do happen, you will believe.”

Sometimes things are so unusual, so out of the ordinary, that a lot of people won’t believe what just happened, even if they witnessed it with their own two eyes.

Here’s an example. Lazarus, brother of Mary and Martha, had died. His body was kept in a closed tomb as it began to decay. Mourners had gathered to console the family. Lazarus was wrapped up like a mummy, a burial tradition.

Jesus was summoned. He dragged his feet getting there, waiting for two extra days, so that what he was about to do would increase in significance. After all, this event was for God’s glory! By the time Jesus arrived, Lazarus had been dead for four days!

Jesus told Martha that her brother would rise again. She thought he meant in the next reality, in the life after this life. But NO! Jesus meant right now! He had workers roll away the stone, Jesus shouted, “Lazarus, come out!,” and out he came, grave clothes and all!

Locally, this incident became the focus of much discussion. Many thought it was a trick, a prank involving a magician. No one had ever seen anything like it, someone brought back to life after being dead four days. So at this point, it made more sense to disbelieve than to believe what they had witnessed.

Our lesson here is about the value of prophecy. Prophecies tell in advance what God is about to do, and when it happens, we can say, “That was God!,” rather than questioning what occurred. Prophecy is advance confirmation of a God-driven event! Jesus had been sharing signs of the end times, so that when it happens, we can easily recognize it and believe.

When you witness signs pointing to the end times, start saying, “That was God!” He has already told you what to expect!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

God's Plan!

For Tuesday, September 16, 2025:

Mark 14:28 NLT: Jesus told the disciples, “After I am raised from the dead, I will go ahead of you to Galilee and meet you there.”

At that point, the disciples weren’t convinced that Jesus was going to die. After all, he could heal the sick and cure any disease. He could walk on water and calm a storm. He would cast out demons and declare them to be the root of mankind’s problems. Surely he would save himself!

They hadn’t reckoned with Jesus’ obedience and commitment to God’s plan to redeem mankind. And, being one of the Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, it’s actually his own plan! As Jesus died on the cross, he took the sins of the world to the place of the dead. Loyal followers of Jesus, the believers, would then appear spotless on the day of judgment. Remember, God’s desire is that none would perish!

Jesus knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he would be raised from the dead. He’s so certain of this that he’s setting appointments. “I’ll catch up with you guys in Galilee!”

Our lesson here is that obedience to is God always best. Even when things look grim, stick with God. Jesus would be beaten and nailed to a cross until he died. He was still doing God’s tasks as he delivered the world’s sins to the place of the dead. God faithfully brought him back to life, and 40 days later Jesus ascended right up into God’s Kingdom, heaven! Most people never saw that coming, but Jesus had been faithful!

If we trust in God, everything works out for the best!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Resurrected!

June 30, 2025, Monday Message:

John 11:4 NLT: “When Jesus heard about it he said, ‘Lazarus’s sickness will not end in death. No, it happened for the glory of God so that the Son of God will receive glory from this.’”

In fact Lazarus DID die, but was raised back to life by Jesus. I’ve always been intrigued by that next reality. The line between life and death isn’t as rigid as we think. In the grocery store check-out line, you can read headline after headline about people who started that journey, but were somehow called back. Those stories fuel tabloids.

Their stories are always similar. The person travels down the transition tunnel, bright light at the end, and is finally overcome by a peaceful feeling that everything will be OK. Quite a contrast to all the crying and sadness at funerals!

Jesus sent advance teams of disciples to every town he planned to visit, telling them to heal the sick, cast out demons and raise the dead! So raising the dead might not have been commonplace, but it was certainly possible, through the power of Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

Using Lazarus, Jesus was about to show everyone that death is not the end. Death is the same soul that we know and love, still alive but in a different reality.

If God calls you back to life, it’s because you’re not yet finished. He has more for you to do. As someone who was brought back to life, Lazarus could give firsthand testimony about God’s love and Jesus’ power! No one had ever witnessed the miracle of being raised from the dead through any other religion. But now Lazarus, Mary, Martha and everyone present that day could give eyewitness testimony to the truth!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship