Judgment and Paradise!

For Friday, July 31, 2026:

John 16:11 NLT, Jesus speaking to believers: “Judgment will come because the ruler of this world has already been judged.”

Everyone will come to judgment. The one who thought he had authority in this world, Satan, will find out he was wrong. He will be judged and exiled to the lake of fire. All his little demons will be there too.

Believers will be judged as well. We’ll be asked about everything we did while on earth. But being covered by the sacrifice of Jesus, we’ll be judged “forgiven.” Surprisingly, we’ll find ourselves eligible for residence in God’s eternal heavenly Kingdom.

Believers are children of God, coming home to live with our Father!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

God's Love!

For Thursday, July 30, 2026:

Romans 8:39 NLT, Paul testifying to the church in Rome: “No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Our Bibles tell us that God loves us. But mankind asks, “Really? How do we know for sure?”

The first humans disobeyed God by sinning, by deliberately doing what he said to NOT do! They succumbed to Satan’s temptation. I believe God was disappointed with the return rate of his Creations. If earthlings were to return to the Father, God himself would have to intervene.

Therefore, God sent his Son Jesus to our planet. I’ve said before that Jesus healed many, taught God’s ways, and interpreted Torah. But I believe his primary mission was to take away mankind’s sins, to offer forgiveness. Once earth’s residents were made sinless by Jesus’ sacrifice, the Father could welcome them back into his forever heavenly Kingdom.

Q: So how do we know for sure that God loves us? A: He sacrificed his only Son for our freedom. We are no longer slaves to Satan. We belong to the God whose Son paid the price for our redemption.

Rejoice! Believers belong to their Creator! Believers have been rescued!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Matthew!

 For Sunday, June 28, 2026: 

Luke 5:28 NLT: “Levi got up, left everything, and followed Jesus.”

 Being a tax collector is not easy. It involves making a decision to accept a position with the opposition, with those who have been persecuting your people. In simple words, you’re knowingly working for the bad guys! All your Hebrew friends dislike you because you’re working for the Romans.

 The Bible often describes “sinners and tax collectors” when listing evil people. Tax collectors were thought to be a step worse than regular sinners. Most tax collectors lived an opulent lifestyle. It was well known that they’d add a little extra to the tax, and then skim those shekels for themselves. But in spite of their wealth, most tax collectors were not happy. They had been raised as Jews and would be more content living out their divine purpose.

 So when Jesus said, “Follow me and be my disciple,” Levi was primed and ready to go! He threw a huge banquet at his home to honor Jesus. He invited other tax collectors and government officials. He had previously made a decision to become this tax collector, but today he was making a decision to follow Jesus. He was proud of his new decision and wanted all his friends to know, hence the gathering.

 We all have a “before Jesus” story and an “after Jesus” story. No matter how you lived your life before Jesus, those days are in the past. There is no sin too great that it cannot be covered by the sacrifice made by Jesus. Followers of Jesus are 100% forgiven. God is more concerned with your turning point, when you made your decision to follow the Son. That decision changed everything. Believers are then adopted into the Holy Family. As such, we share all the rights and privileges of those who call heaven home.

 That day, Levi wasn’t just deciding in favor of Jesus. He was locking in his eternal destiny. We know Levi as the Apostle Matthew!

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

Forgiven!

June 22, 2026, Monday Message:

Luke 5:20 NLT: “Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the man on the stretcher, ‘Young man, your sins are forgiven.’”

We’ve been following the story of a paralyzed man who was carried by his friends to meet Jesus, the Great Healer! The Bible doesn’t tell us how far they traveled, but I get the impression that the trek took considerable effort. Those carrying the injured man would have been tired and out of breath. They weren’t about to take ‘no’ for an answer!

Jesus had already attracted a full house that day, so there was not room for four more men plus one on a stretcher. But their creative ingenuity was heaven-inspired! Climbing onto the roof, they removed a few tiles and lowered the stretcher into the room, placing the paralyzed man right in front of Jesus! If a healing were to take place that day, everyone present would be an eyewitness! Pharisees were present along with other teachers of religious law. So even those who opposed Jesus would see the miracle with their own two eyes!

Here’s today’s lesson: God rewards faith! Seeing the faith of those who brought their injured friend, Jesus proceeded with the healing. When God sees our faith in his Son, he will adopt us into the Holy Family. Those who truly believe Jesus is the Son of the Most High and believe that he can do everything he says he can do will be rewarded in the life after this life. Jesus will prepare a place for us in God’s forever Kingdom. Yes, friends, our faith will be rewarded!

That day, Jesus surprised everyone. They were expecting him to say, “You are healed,” or, “Pick up your mat and walk!” But Jesus first told the injured man, “Your sins are forgiven!”

This irked the Pharisees, who shouted, “Who does he think he is? That’s blasphemy! Only God can forgive sins!” Duh! Jesus just told them exactly who he is – part of God’s Holy Trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit! He CAN forgive sins! Rather than dissing Jesus, the Pharisees should have joined with his supporters!

This theological mistake would eventually lead to the crucifixion, but that too is part of God’s vast eternal plan. Jesus giving up his earthly life would be the sacrifice for the sins of the world – your sins and mine! The Pharisees were helping the Kingdom even when they had no idea what they were doing!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Peace with God!

For Wednesday, May 27, 2026:

Colossians 1:20b NLT: “God made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.”

Sin and God’s goodness cannot coexist. But God’s desire is that everyone would repent and return. He wants us all to join him in the hereafter. Therefore, sin needs to be removed, blotted out from Heaven’s Book of Life registry. What could possibly pay the penalty for the sin of the world?

God, who has all resources at his command, knew that the earthly sacrifice of his Son was the only thing that could satisfy the debt. So Jesus went to the work of substitutionary atonement, paying for the trespasses of mankind through the ages. Past sins, present sins, and even future sins were paid for. Believers in Jesus have been granted special grace. When heaven looks up our name in the Book of Life, the column marked “sin” will be blank. No scratch-outs; no erasure marks; simply blank white space, as if we had never sinned. That’s how thorough Jesus’ forgiveness is!

As believers, we’ll be a part of the heavenly group only present because of the Son. “I’m with that guy sitting just to the right of the Father. He said he’d prepare a place for me in his Father’s Kingdom.”

And heaven will reply, “We’ve been expecting you!”

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Decision/Assurance!

For Saturday, April 18, 2026:

Romans 8:3 NLT: “The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins.”

God’s preferred outcome is that every sinner would repent, return to Him and join Him in the hereafter. Mankind has been given free choice to accept God’s offer or not. The correct choice is obvious, so only a few will intentionally decide incorrectly. The biggest hangup in the US is procrastination by fence-sitters. If someone hasn’t decided to accept forgiveness through God’s Son, it’s counted as a ‘no’ vote. When I did work for Billy Graham, we had a daily radio show called “Decision Today,” the premise being that “today” is always the best day, the preferred day, to make your decision for Christ. Tomorrow may be too late!

Other parts of the world are littered with false gods. Friends, there is only one God, the Creator of everything. The false gods may appear good on the surface. They encourage everyone to do good things and to be kind. Think of a balance scale, where a person is trying to pile up enough good on one side to outweigh the bad on the other. When do we have enough good? I don’t know, and neither do they! In the false religions, no one is ever guaranteed heaven (or paradise.)

Christianity is different. Jesus personally paid the penalty for our sins, past, present and future. Therefore believers, having a clean slate, are eligible to spend eternity in the Lord’s presence. Jesus promised to go ahead to prepare a place for believers, and we are blessed with Assurance of Salvation, something no other religion has!

Now sing a chorus of Blessed Assurance, thank Jesus for covering your sins, put a smile on your face and have a great day!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

Cleaning Out the Temple!

March 30, 2026, Monday Message:

Mark 11:15a NLT: “Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out the people buying and selling animals for sacrifices.”

Yesterday, we celebrated Palm Sunday, when Jesus made his Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem. People waved palm branches and shouted, “Hosanna, save us, save us now!” Both the Pharisees and the Roman army ordered Jesus to silence his people, but Jesus told them that even rocks would cry out, celebrating the return of God’s Son to Jerusalem, celebrating sins being forgiven!

So today became the day to clean house at the Temple. It seems to me like Jesus had a list titled “Things to do before the crucifixion,” and this topped the list.

The Temple had three general areas. The innermost was the “Holy of Holies,” reserved for God. The Temple Sanctuary was for worship, sacrifices and Jewish traditions and rituals. The outer court was where all hell broke loose, and I mean that literally. Lies were uttered, scams took place and merchants took advantage of visitors.

Let me explain. Devout Jews would travel hundreds of miles, bringing their best animal to sacrifice to the Lord at the Temple. Upon arrival, they were told that their animal wasn’t suitable, and they would have to purchase a different animal, which was conveniently available right up the street at an inflated price. Of course, the visitors only had their native currency, so money-changers saw an opportunity to make another unfair shekel. This was the scam taking place in God’s house, and Jesus would have none of it. He drove the animals out of the Temple, and overturned the money-changer’s tables! Jesus stopped everyone from using the Temple as a marketplace. He concluded: “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be called a house of prayer for all nations,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves.”

Jesus’ opinion on this hasn’t changed. There will be times when we need to collect money at a church, but honesty should be the key: no scams and no over-inflated prices. You don’t want Jesus to have to overturn your money tables!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

God Intervenes!

For Saturday, March 21, 2026:

1 Samuel 16:1 NLT: Now the Lord said to Samuel, “You have mourned long enough for Saul. I have rejected him as king of Israel, so fill your flask with olive oil and go to Bethlehem. Find a man named Jesse who lives there, for I have selected one of his sons to be my king.”

God no longer favored Saul as Israel’s king (a problem of Saul’s own making.) It was time for a change of regime. God wanted to anoint a new king, and he had someone specific in mind. He sent Samuel, a Holy man and Prophet, to do the anointing.

Samuel hesitates. “If Saul finds out, he’ll kill me!”

As you might expect, God has a plan to keep everyone safe. “Bring a heifer, and tell everyone you’ve come to sacrifice to the Lord. Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and go home with him. One of his sons is to be the next king! I’ll show you which son to anoint.” God’s not against deception and a little white lie if it keeps everyone safe and furthers his cause!

Our God, omniscient and omnipresent, always knows what’s going on. He knew all of Saul’s deceptions and schemes. He knew when it was time to set things right.

God still has those same perceptive powers nowadays. He knows what Russia is doing to Ukraine. He knows what China is doing to Taiwan. He knows what Iran is doing to its neighbors, a false god retaliating against our Creator God. I pray that God would step up and settle these matters, but only He knows the best time.

We’d be better off having God anoint leaders for our world!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Died for Sinners!

December 8, 2025, Monday Message:

Romans 5:7-8 NLT: “Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.”

A parent should give up his/her life if their child is threatened. And we should willingly sacrifice ourselves if so directed by God. But there aren’t too many times our lives should be sacrificed for another.

As for Jesus giving up his life for the sins of the world, I can only say that we are not worthy. That’s what makes this gift so remarkable. God loves mankind since He created us, but our morals had (and have) fallen by the wayside. And in spite of that, God commanded his son to personally be the sacrifice redeeming us from our sin penalty.

In my opinion, the most incredible thing is the order in which this all occurred. Mankind didn’t confess, repent and suddenly get our lives in order so God could gift us! No! God’s Son Jesus paid the price “while we were still sinners.” God put the opportunity, the gift, in place, awaiting our acceptance. God’s gift of forgiveness and everlasting life were given to first-century believers, and those same gifts are available to 21^st century believers – to us, to our children, and to our grandchildren. Since the gift is already offered, our obligation is to accept what was offered. We need to believe that Jesus is the Son of God, that his words are true, and that he can and will do for us what he said. Today is the accepted day to claim God’s salvation gift!

"There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:13 NLT)

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

Faith Test!

For Friday, November 7, 2025:

Hebrews 11:17-18 NLT: “It was by faith that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him. Abraham, who had received God’s promises, was ready to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, even though God had told him, “Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted.”

Abram, later Abraham, was the patriarch of monotheistic religion. Born about 4K years ago when children were considered a huge blessing from above, Isaac was highly valued by Abraham and Sarah, who were otherwise childless. So directing Abraham to sacrifice Isaac was a huge ask on God’s part.

This is a test of Abraham’s faith. He needed to believe that God’s way is always the right way, that God always wants what’s best for us, and that God has a propensity for making things work out. But Abraham would be forgiven if he hesitated ever so slightly. God’s promise that Abraham’s descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky was to be fulfilled through Isaac. How would that work out if Isaac were sacrificed on an altar?

As the story concludes, another sacrificial animal is discovered nearby, Isaac gets a reprieve, and Abraham passed the faith test. He trusted God. See? Everything worked out for the best! God knows what he’s doing!

Just like Abraham, we all need to learn to trust in the Lord and lean not on our own understanding, which may be flawed. Having tried it both ways, I can tell you that life goes better with God!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

More Faith!

For Tuesday, October 28, 2025:

Hebrews 11:6b NLT: “Anyone who wants to come to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.”

Today’s scripture honors “faith.” Christians repeatedly proclaim that we are saved by grace (undeserved favor from God) through faith (believing that God can and will do what he says.)

Abel and Cain both brought thanksgiving sacrifices to the Lord. Abel’s sacrifice was closer to what God had asked them to do, so his faith appeared to be greater. Enoch’s faith was so great that he was taken up to heaven – without dying! “He disappeared, because God took him.” Long before this incident, he was known as a man who pleased God.

We will see varying degrees of faith within our Christian communities, all the way from Cain to Enoch. If you’re Cain, you need to step it up a good bit. If you’re Enoch, continue your obedient love for the Father, but still seek an increase. You can never have too much faith!

Remember that God rewards those who sincerely seek him. Love the Lord and graciously accept your prize as he ends your journey!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Arrested!

For Thursday, October 2, 2025:

Mark 14:46 NLT: “Then a crowd of men armed with swords and clubs grabbed Jesus and arrested him.”

The leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the elders had been planning Jesus’ demise for quite some time. They didn’t want to arrest Jesus in the Temple. It would seem wrong. It would look bad if a temple teacher were arrested. “Keep police action out of our worship space!”

One of Jesus’ defenders produced a sword and sliced off an ear of the High Priest’s slave. Jesus restored the ear, to which I would say, “Look at what just happened. The man you’re arresting can heal whatever’s wrong and cure any disease! Perhaps we should rethink this!”

But without knowing it, the Pharisees were fulfilling God’s plan. The blood of Jesus was to be the sacrifice for the sins of the world. Mankind would thereby be redeemed. It would be a rough couple of days for Jesus, but after that, his mission would be complete. (“It is finished!”)

Jesus would have to walk through the fire by himself. (50) “All his disciples deserted him and ran away.” God was keeping them safe. If they stayed close to Jesus, they too would have been killed as accomplices. But God was counting on the disciples to function as leaders of “The Way,” the new Christian church! They needed to be preserved!

The church that the disciples established still exists nowadays, with many franchised locations. We worship at one each week. Thankfully, God had the disciples temporarily step back. When Jesus rose from the grave, they regrouped and came back stronger than ever. 2K years later, people are still signing up for the Jesus team!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Traitor!

For Sunday, September 28, 2025:

Mark 14:43 NLT: “Judas, one of the twelve disciples, arrived with a crowd of men armed with swords and clubs. They had been sent by the leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the elders.”

So much is wrong in this scene that it’s hard to know where to start! Judas, the betrayer, was one of the trusted 12 who traveled with Jesus and ate their meals alongside him. They had all witnessed the lame walk again and the blind seeing following Jesus’ intervention. They had watched Jesus feed thousands with seemingly few resources. Most of all, he taught love and forgiveness, which was not the norm at that time!

Pharisees and religious teachers should have had no part in a murder plot (see commandment #6.) They were doing what they would counsel others to NOT do! They were going against their own value system. I’ve said many times that Jesus should have represented ‘Judaism, the next chapter,’ not a separate religion. After all, Jesus was teaching in the Temple! He was sent to earth by the Hebrew’s God. But this betrayal was not about God; it was about money and power. If worshipers were supporting Jesus, their tithes were not going to the Pharisees. (To get to the bottom of a conspiracy, just follow the money!)

Swords and clubs would not be needed to take Jesus into custody. If he were here today, he’d be labeled a Peace Activist. But the vast eternal plan was to have God’s Son be the sacrifice for the sins of the world. This conspiracy, resulting in Jesus’ demise, gave legs to God’s plan. Eventually Jesus died and mankind’s sins were forgiven for all time. One and done! No further sacrifice needed!

The bad guys played an important role in believers getting to experience life after this life. When it’s your turn, Jesus will welcome loyal believers with open arms!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

One Perfect Sacrifice!

For Friday, September 19, 2025:

Hebrews 10:14 NLT: “By that one offering (on the cross) Jesus forever made perfect those who are being made holy.”

Believers are being radically transformed! Many were living only for the world. God had no place in their lives. But once introduced to Jesus and God’s ways, they like what they see and desire to become a part of it.

The first church, The Way, lived out Jesus’ command to love God and to love one another. This “caring for your neighbor” was a new concept for a lot of people. Most were only looking out for #1! But they liked what they saw and wanted to give it a try. “They’ll know we are Christians by our love!” The church grew by leaps and bounds!

I always say that Christianity isn’t a DO religion; it’s a DONE religion. Jesus made the ultimate one-time sacrifice to redeem believers. Jesus did it all! Nothing else is required. Once Jesus has captured your spirit, nothing can snatch you out of his hand. This scripture says that Jesus’ one sacrifice is good forever, for eternity. Believers will be reengineered into what God wants us to be. We are being made Holy! It’s all good!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Paid In Full!

September 15, 2025, Monday Message:

Hebrews 10:12 NLT: “Our High Priest (Jesus) offered himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time. Then he sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand.”

Jesus fully understood his primary mission. He was the final sacrifice atoning for the sins of the world. That includes your sin and my sin, and past, present and future sins. Yes, even future sins not yet committed are covered by Jesus’ sacrifice. If we repent and return to the Lord and acknowledge Jesus as our Savior, He will confirm our heavenly reservation. We will be seated at the wedding banquet in the Kingdom, thereby confirming our relationship with the Son.

Jesus did it right the first time. We don’t need another sacrifice. Nothing could be greater than the offering of God’s Son’s life to atone for the sins of the world. One and done!

By that one offering, Jesus made perfect all those lined up behind him. None of us are perfect. All who walk on the earth have fallen short of God’s glory. And yet when we fall in behind Jesus, he renders us sinless, forgiven and in a way, “perfect,” eligible for residence in the Kingdom!

So my advice is to repent and return, and to then follow Jesus into the hereafter! Eternity can be awesome! Our transition to eternity fulfills God’s vast eternal plan for believers! Believers are “IN!”

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship