Posts with the tag “jam-patterson-sermon”

DevotionalPaul does not soften his argument. If Jesus did not rise, he says, then everything—the preaching, the faith, the hope—is empty. Christianity does not survive the removal of the resurrection....  Read More

DevotionalPeter once warmed himself by a fire and denied three times that he even knew Jesus. That same Peter, weeks later, stood before the very authorities who had handed Jesus over to be crucified ...  Read More

DevotionalPaul does something remarkable in this passage. He does not simply assert that Jesus rose from the dead; he names witnesses and essentially invites investigation. More than five hundred peop...  Read More

DevotionalThe empty tomb is not a minor detail—it is a historical problem that every person must answer. Matthew records that even the enemies of Jesus acknowledged the tomb was empty. Their response ...  Read More

DevotionalBefore there can be a resurrection, there must be a real death. John records with careful detail the final moments of Jesus on the cross—the confirmation of death by soldiers who were traine...  Read More

Devotional “Grace and Truth, Fully Revealed”Jesus told His disciples that anyone who had seen Him had seen the Father. This is one of the most remarkable statements ever made. If you want to know what...  Read More

Devotional"The Promises Fulfilled"Hundreds of years before Jesus was born, the prophets were writing about Him. The suffering servant described in Isaiah 53 was rejected, despised, wounded, and crushe...  Read More

Devotional “The Word Made Flesh”One of the most staggering truths in all of Scripture is that God did not remain distant. He entered into human experience. Jesus became tired. He became hungry. He wep...  Read More

Devotional “The Evidence Demands a Response”John tells us that the signs Jesus performed were recorded with a specific purpose: so that we might believe. Faith is not a leap into the dark. It is a ste...  Read More

Devotional “The Question That Changes Everything”Jesus did not ask His disciples what they had heard about Him from others. He asked what they personally believed. That distinction matters. Faith is n...  Read More

DevotionalFaith is not the absence of thinking — it is the direction of trust. Everyone places their faith somewhere. The person who believes the universe created itself from nothing is exercising fai...  Read More

DevotionalIf the universe came from nothing and life is a biological accident, then human beings are simply complex arrangements of chemicals — and concepts like purpose, value, and meaning are illusi...  Read More

DevotionalScience can describe the mechanics of life, but it cannot answer the most fundamental question: where did the first life come from? Genesis 2:7 gives us a striking image — God forming man fr...  Read More

DevotionalPsalm 19:1-4 declares that the heavens are constantly communicating — not in spoken words, but in the unmistakable language of order and beauty. Romans 1:20 builds on this by stating that Go...  Read More

DevotionalBefore time existed, before a single atom formed, before darkness gave way to light — God was. The opening words of Scripture do not argue for God's existence; they declare it with quiet con...  Read More

DevotionalThe strongest argument for Scripture's truth isn't archaeological evidence or manuscript reliability—though both are compelling. It's a personal transformation. "I know who I used to be, and...  Read More

DevotionalThe Bible doesn't merely inform—it transforms. It's living and active, sharper than any double-edged sword, penetrating the division of soul and spirit. This Word has turned murderers into m...  Read More

DevotionalThe mathematical probability of Jesus fulfilling just eight Messianic prophecies by chance is one in one hundred quadrillion. Yet He fulfilled over three hundred. Born in Bethlehem, of a vir...  Read More

DevotionalFrom Genesis to Revelation, one story unfolds: God's relentless pursuit to redeem humanity through Jesus Christ. The entire Bible points to Him. He is the promised Seed crushing the serpent,...  Read More

DevotionalGod did not leave us to wander in darkness, guessing about His character or purposes. He spoke. Through prophets, kings, shepherds, and fishermen across fifteen centuries, God breathed out H...  Read More

The Son of Man Is Coming DevotionalDaniel's vision doesn't end with beasts—it ends with victory. After all the empires rise and fall, the Son of Man arrives with the clouds of heaven to receive His et...  Read More

The Seated KingDevotionalWhile beasts rage and kingdoms rise, God remains seated on His throne. Kings sit when they're in control. God isn’t described as standing, because He never loses control. This...  Read More

Deception's Slow Creep DevotionalNobody wakes up one morning suddenly following the Antichrist. Deception works slowly, subtly, preparing hearts long before the deceiver arrives. The greatest danger f...  Read More

The Winds Are in His Hands DevotionalBefore the beasts ever rose from the sea, the four winds were already stirring. This detail is easy to miss, but it's profoundly comforting: chaos doesn't precede ...  Read More

God Sees History Differently DevotionalWhen Daniel looked at the kingdoms of his world, God showed him beasts—not monuments of human achievement, but creatures driven by appetite and violence. The wor...  Read More

Prepared Before the BattleKey Verse: Ephesians 6:14-17 NIVStand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted w...  Read More

When Your Faith Becomes Your FaultKey Verse: Matthew 5:11-12 NIVBlessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, ...  Read More

The Power of Unchanging HabitsKey Verse: Luke 16:10-11 NIVWhoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with m...  Read More

Excellence That Cannot Be HiddenKey Verse: Daniel 6:4b NIVThey could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent.DevotionalDaniel didn't promote himself—his...  Read More

Key Verse: Daniel 1:15 NIVAt the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food.DevotionalDaniel's greatness didn't begin in the lions'...  Read More

You Knew BetterKey Verse: James 4:17 NIVIf anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them. DevotionalDaniel's words to Belshazzar pierce through the ages: "You kne...  Read More

Equipped, Not Just EntertainedKey Verses: Ephesians 4:11-14 NIVSo Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, s...  Read More

Recognizing the BattlefieldKey Verses:1 Peter 5:8-9 NIVBe alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in th...  Read More

Inheriting More Than PossessionsKey Verses: Deuteronomy 6:20-21 NIVIn the future, when your son asks you, “What is the meaning of the stipulations, decrees and laws the Lord our God has commanded you?...  Read More

The Danger of Refusing to LearnKey Verses:Daniel 5:22-23a NIVBut you, Belshazzar, his son, have not humbled yourself, though you knew all this. Instead, you have set yourself up against the Lord of he...  Read More

Questions to think about:What is my heart set on?What do I expect to find when I find God? Does this expectation motivate me, or hold me back from looking for him?Sample prayer:Dear Father, I want to ...  Read More

Questions to think about:Is my loyalty divided between God and the world?How can I come closer to God today?Sample prayer:Dear Father, I don’t want anything between you and me. You have given me a gre...  Read More

Questions to think about:What things in my life am I tempted to take full credit for?What is the purpose that most often drives my decisions?Sample prayer:Dear Father, I’ve been impressed and proud of...  Read More

Questions to think about:What could cause a Christian to think they are wealthy and honorable when they are not?Why was Jesus so eager to come to these Christians?Sample prayer:Dear Father, help me to...  Read More

Questions to think about:Do my blessings tend to draw me closer to God, or to forget him? Do they motivate me to obey or to disobey?How can I cultivate a healthy, careful attitude about what God has g...  Read More