Read and listen to messages
preached from the pulpit of First Baptist Church

Read and listen to messages
preached from the pulpit of
First Baptist Church

Read and listen to messages
preached from the pulpit of
First Baptist Church

The Secret Story of Samson - Judges 13

When we think about strength, we often picture muscles, training, and natural ability. We admire athletes who seem superhuman, entrepreneurs who seem unstoppable, and friends who appear to have everything figured out. We wonder what their secret is. How do they succeed? What gives them an edge? In Judges 13, God pulls back the curtain on a kind of strength that does not come from the gym, genetics, talent, or personality. It is a strength that cannot be bought, copied, or explained. It is the secret strength of Samson, and it is a strength that is available to every believer today.

Samson’s life begins in a setting marked by darkness and spiritual decline. Israel was oppressed and discouraged, and people were doing what was right in their own eyes. Into that darkness, God announced that a child would be born who would “begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines” (Judges 13:5). His life would not be ordinary. He was to be a Nazarite from the womb, set apart for God’s purpose and equipped by God’s Spirit. Samson’s story teaches us that true strength is not visible on the outside. It is the unseen work of God’s Spirit on the inside. The world could not figure Samson out because his power did not come from anything the world could measure. His power came from God.

The story of Samson invites us to see a different kind of strength. It shows us that God calls ordinary people, equips them in extraordinary ways, and accomplishes supernatural things through surrendered hearts. It reminds us that the success God produces cannot be explained by human effort. Samson’s strength was not found in his appearance, his training, his diet, or his personality. His strength came from the Spirit of the Lord. And the same Spirit that empowered Samson lives in every believer today. That is the secret story still unfolding in God’s people.

1. Samson Was Called by God to Fulfill a Purpose

Samson’s life began with a divine appointment long before he was born. His mother was visited by the angel of the Lord, who declared, “For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son” (Judges 13:5). This child was chosen, set apart, and called to a specific mission. God said he would be a Nazarite, and his life would be marked by special commitments. No wine, no razor, and no touching dead things. These requirements did not apply to everyone. They applied specifically to Samson because God had a unique purpose for him.

Samson’s calling reminds us that God designs our lives on purpose. Where we are born, who we know, and what we face are not accidents. God places each of us exactly where He wants us so that we can fulfill the work He has for us. For some, that purpose is to reach people others never will. For others, it is to stand for truth in a dark world. Samson’s calling teaches us that God sets His people apart so He can work through them. When God calls us, He does it with intention, direction, and purpose.

2. Samson Was Known Among Men for That Purpose

Samson’s reputation quickly began to spread. In Judges 15:11, three thousand men from his own tribe confronted him because his actions were already making an impact. Samson’s boldness and strength were undeniable. People saw what God was doing through him, even though they did not always understand it. His own people feared him more than they celebrated him.

This teaches us that when God begins to work through someone, people will notice. Some will appreciate it. Some will question it. Some will misunderstand it. Samson’s life reminds us that obedience to God will make you stand out, and standing out will not always be comfortable. Yet when God calls a person, the evidence of His hand becomes visible to others, whether they understand it or not.

3. Samson Was Blessed by God to Fulfill That Purpose

Judges 13:24-25 says, “And the child grew, and the Lord blessed him. And the Spirit of the Lord began to move him.” From the beginning, God equipped Samson with every gift he needed. Strength, courage, boldness, and supernatural ability were not things Samson developed. They were things God gave. Samson did not achieve his strength. He received it.

Samson’s blessing reminds us that God equips us for the purposes He assigns. Whatever we face, God gives exactly what is needed. Trials, weaknesses, and even hardships can be part of His equipping process. When God gives a calling, He also supplies the power to fulfill it. Samson’s strength came from the Spirit of the Lord, and that same Spirit indwells every believer today. What Samson received temporarily, we receive permanently through salvation.

The Secret Strength of Samson

Judges 16 introduces the mystery that fascinated the Philistines. They wanted to discover the secret behind Samson’s strength. They watched him tear apart a lion, defeat a thousand men with a jawbone, and carry off the gates of a city. But nothing about Samson made sense. He did not look like a warrior. He did not train like one. His diet, size, and routine offered no explanation.

They were so desperate to uncover the secret that they offered Delilah the modern equivalent of twenty million dollars to find out where his strength came from. But the secret could not be bought. Samson’s strength came from the Spirit of the Lord, and no earthly power could duplicate or replace that. Judges 14:6 says, “And the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him.” Judges 14:19 repeats it. Judges 15 echoes it again. Samson’s strength was not physical. It was spiritual.

This is the heart of Samson’s story. His strength was not about what he had in himself. It was about Who was in him. And this is where Samson’s story becomes our story. As believers, we have access to the same spiritual power. Not strength to break ropes or rip gates off a city, but strength to overcome temptation, witness boldly, stand for truth, endure trials, and make a difference where God has placed us. Our strength comes from the Spirit of God living within us.

Samson’s story challenges us not to seek substitutes for spiritual power. The world promises strength through confidence, success, money, appearance, or achievement, but real strength comes only from God. Zechariah 4:6 reminds us, “Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.” Samson’s life teaches us to stop relying on ourselves and begin relying fully on God.

Reflection QuestionAre you seeking strength that the world can explain, or strength that can only come from the Spirit of God? What might God want to do through you that could only be explained by His power?

Read Story

Pastor JD Howell

6 min read

The Secret Story of Samson - Judges 13

The Secret Story of Samson - Judges 13

When we think about strength, we often picture muscles, training, and natural ability. We admire athletes who seem superhuman, entrepreneurs who seem unstoppable, and friends who appear to have everything figured out. We wonder what their secret is. How do they succeed? What gives them an edge? In Judges 13, God pulls back the curtain on a kind of strength that does not come from the gym, genetics, talent, or personality. It is a strength that cannot be bought, copied, or explained. It is the secret strength of Samson, and it is a strength that is available to every believer today.

Samson’s life begins in a setting marked by darkness and spiritual decline. Israel was oppressed and discouraged, and people were doing what was right in their own eyes. Into that darkness, God announced that a child would be born who would “begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines” (Judges 13:5). His life would not be ordinary. He was to be a Nazarite from the womb, set apart for God’s purpose and equipped by God’s Spirit. Samson’s story teaches us that true strength is not visible on the outside. It is the unseen work of God’s Spirit on the inside. The world could not figure Samson out because his power did not come from anything the world could measure. His power came from God.

The story of Samson invites us to see a different kind of strength. It shows us that God calls ordinary people, equips them in extraordinary ways, and accomplishes supernatural things through surrendered hearts. It reminds us that the success God produces cannot be explained by human effort. Samson’s strength was not found in his appearance, his training, his diet, or his personality. His strength came from the Spirit of the Lord. And the same Spirit that empowered Samson lives in every believer today. That is the secret story still unfolding in God’s people.

1. Samson Was Called by God to Fulfill a Purpose

Samson’s life began with a divine appointment long before he was born. His mother was visited by the angel of the Lord, who declared, “For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son” (Judges 13:5). This child was chosen, set apart, and called to a specific mission. God said he would be a Nazarite, and his life would be marked by special commitments. No wine, no razor, and no touching dead things. These requirements did not apply to everyone. They applied specifically to Samson because God had a unique purpose for him.

Samson’s calling reminds us that God designs our lives on purpose. Where we are born, who we know, and what we face are not accidents. God places each of us exactly where He wants us so that we can fulfill the work He has for us. For some, that purpose is to reach people others never will. For others, it is to stand for truth in a dark world. Samson’s calling teaches us that God sets His people apart so He can work through them. When God calls us, He does it with intention, direction, and purpose.

2. Samson Was Known Among Men for That Purpose

Samson’s reputation quickly began to spread. In Judges 15:11, three thousand men from his own tribe confronted him because his actions were already making an impact. Samson’s boldness and strength were undeniable. People saw what God was doing through him, even though they did not always understand it. His own people feared him more than they celebrated him.

This teaches us that when God begins to work through someone, people will notice. Some will appreciate it. Some will question it. Some will misunderstand it. Samson’s life reminds us that obedience to God will make you stand out, and standing out will not always be comfortable. Yet when God calls a person, the evidence of His hand becomes visible to others, whether they understand it or not.

3. Samson Was Blessed by God to Fulfill That Purpose

Judges 13:24-25 says, “And the child grew, and the Lord blessed him. And the Spirit of the Lord began to move him.” From the beginning, God equipped Samson with every gift he needed. Strength, courage, boldness, and supernatural ability were not things Samson developed. They were things God gave. Samson did not achieve his strength. He received it.

Samson’s blessing reminds us that God equips us for the purposes He assigns. Whatever we face, God gives exactly what is needed. Trials, weaknesses, and even hardships can be part of His equipping process. When God gives a calling, He also supplies the power to fulfill it. Samson’s strength came from the Spirit of the Lord, and that same Spirit indwells every believer today. What Samson received temporarily, we receive permanently through salvation.

The Secret Strength of Samson

Judges 16 introduces the mystery that fascinated the Philistines. They wanted to discover the secret behind Samson’s strength. They watched him tear apart a lion, defeat a thousand men with a jawbone, and carry off the gates of a city. But nothing about Samson made sense. He did not look like a warrior. He did not train like one. His diet, size, and routine offered no explanation.

They were so desperate to uncover the secret that they offered Delilah the modern equivalent of twenty million dollars to find out where his strength came from. But the secret could not be bought. Samson’s strength came from the Spirit of the Lord, and no earthly power could duplicate or replace that. Judges 14:6 says, “And the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him.” Judges 14:19 repeats it. Judges 15 echoes it again. Samson’s strength was not physical. It was spiritual.

This is the heart of Samson’s story. His strength was not about what he had in himself. It was about Who was in him. And this is where Samson’s story becomes our story. As believers, we have access to the same spiritual power. Not strength to break ropes or rip gates off a city, but strength to overcome temptation, witness boldly, stand for truth, endure trials, and make a difference where God has placed us. Our strength comes from the Spirit of God living within us.

Samson’s story challenges us not to seek substitutes for spiritual power. The world promises strength through confidence, success, money, appearance, or achievement, but real strength comes only from God. Zechariah 4:6 reminds us, “Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.” Samson’s life teaches us to stop relying on ourselves and begin relying fully on God.

Reflection QuestionAre you seeking strength that the world can explain, or strength that can only come from the Spirit of God? What might God want to do through you that could only be explained by His power?

Read Story

Pastor JD Howell

6 min read

Sermon Series

The Suffering Substitute - Isaiah 53

We live in a world where substitution is normal. A teacher calls in sick, and a substitute steps into the classroom so the students can keep learning. An athlete is injured, and another player runs onto the field so the game can go on. A worker has an emergency, and someone else takes the shift so the business can stay open. We understand what it means for one person to stand in the place of another.

What we often forget is that substitution is not something mankind invented. It was God’s idea long before there were schools, sports, or timecards. All through the Old Testament, the Lord built substitution into His law and into Israel’s worship. A lamb died so Adam and Eve could be clothed. A ram took Isaac’s place on Mount Moriah. A spotless lamb was slain in Egypt so the firstborn could live. In the tabernacle and the temple, animals died for guilty sinners day after day. Every sacrifice preached the same sermon: someone else must take your place.

Isaiah 53 gathers all of those shadows and shines a bright spotlight on the true substitute, Jesus Christ. The prophet describes a suffering servant who carries sorrows, bears griefs, and takes the punishment that others deserve. He does not suffer for His own sins, because He has none. He suffers for ours. Isaiah shows us that the cross is not just a tragic moment in history. It is the heart of God’s plan, the center of the gospel, and the place where our suffering substitute took our place so we could be saved.

  1. Christ Suffered Instead of Us

Isaiah begins by showing us that Jesus took what we deserved. Scripture says,

“But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities:
the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way;
and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:5–6)

Those words are not abstract. “Transgressions” speaks of deliberate rebellion, crossing a line when we know better. God says stop, and we go. God says yes, and we say no. No parent has to sit a toddler down and give a lesson on how to disobey. It rises up from inside them. Our iniquities are our twisted, bent, morally corrupt hearts. The Bible is honest about us. We are not almost good people who occasionally slip. We are rebels at heart who reach for what God says is off-limits. Our sin is spiritual treason, and justice demands a payment.

Isaiah tells us that Jesus stepped into that place. He took the “chastisement of our peace.” That means He bore the discipline, the penalty, and the judgment required for us to be made right with God. Every stripe laid on His back was like a stitch of healing for our souls. The word “healed” in verse 5 is a physician’s word. It pictures complete restoration, not a bandage over a wound but a soul made whole. He was wounded, and we were the rebels. He was bruised, and we were the sinners. He was chastised, and we were the enemies. He was striped, and we were healed.

  1. Christ Suffered Because of Us

Isaiah does not allow us to treat sin as an accident. “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way.” Sheep do not wander because they are planning. They wander because they follow impulse instead of the shepherd. They walk into danger without seeing it. They cannot even find their way home. Isaiah uses that picture, not because sheep are soft and cute, but because they are helpless and foolish.

Our problem is not that we simply “got lost.” We left the Shepherd. We turned, each one, to our own way. That is personal. That is intentional. That is willful independence from God. We went looking for our own path, our own satisfaction, our own way of doing life. We could not climb our way back. We could not clean our own record. We could not even quiet our guilty conscience. Yet the verse goes on to say, “and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.” All of our wandering, our rebellion, our wickedness was placed upon Jesus Christ. The punishment that should have fallen on the many was piled upon the One.

This is the heart of substitution. The innocent is treated as if guilty so that the guilty can be treated as if innocent. John records the words of Jesus, “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.” He did not merely shake His head at wandering sheep. He laid down His life for them. Our sins are not distant in this passage. They are the reason Christ suffered. He suffered instead of us, but He also suffered because of us.

  1.  Christ Suffered to Save Us

Isaiah then draws our eyes to the personal weight of Christ’s suffering. The pronouns are striking. “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth.” “He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter.” “He was taken from prison and from judgment.” “For the transgression of my people was he stricken.” The cross is not a vague idea. It has a face and a name. It is Jesus Christ, the suffering servant, who willingly walks to the slaughter as a lamb.

Listen to how Isaiah piles up words to describe His suffering: stricken, smitten, afflicted, wounded, bruised, chastised, stripes, oppressed, cut off, put to grief, an offering for sin. It is as if every term lands like the blow of a hammer on the nails. Verse 10 says, “Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief.” The Father’s plan included the bruising of the Son, and the Son embraced that plan. Salvation was not God’s emergency reaction when Adam sinned. Salvation was God’s intention from before the foundation of the world. Long before there was a garden, a serpent, or a forbidden tree, the Lamb of God was already in the heart of God’s plan.

Because of that, Calvary is not defeat. It is a victory. Jesus took our guilt so that we could receive His innocence. Paul writes,

“For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin;
that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)

He became what He was not, sin, so that we could become what we were not, righteous. He suffered to save us, not just to set an example, not just to show love in a general sense, but to actually bear the penalty that our sins deserved and to secure our salvation forever.

  1. The Only Right Response To Such A Substitute

Isaiah 53 does not only describe what Christ did. It presses us to consider how we will respond. If He suffered instead of us, because of us, and to save us, then casual Christianity cannot be an option. Yet we live in a day when salvation often feels comfortable, and discipleship is treated as optional. We say Christ gave His life for us, but sometimes we grumble about giving Him a single Sunday without complaint. We say we love the Savior, but often struggle to give Him five quiet minutes in His word and in prayer.

We talk about trusting God with our souls, yet we hesitate to trust Him with our decisions, our careers, our future, or our finances. We ask God to send laborers into His harvest while avoiding the opportunities in front of us to serve, witness, or go. The suffering of Jesus Christ should strip away lukewarm living. We do not need less church or less Bible. We need more of Christ, more obedience, more wholehearted devotion. A mature believer is not someone who only obeys when God’s will matches their preferences. A mature believer learns to say, “Lord, I do not like this answer, but I will still follow You.”

One story captures the weight of this. Picture a father who operates a drawbridge over a busy river. Each day, trains rush across, full of people, while he faithfully keeps the bridge in place. One day, he lifts the bridge for a passing ship, then hears an unscheduled train racing toward the gap. As he runs to lower the bridge, he realizes his young son has fallen into the gears. In that moment, the father faces an impossible choice. He can save his son and doom the train, or crush his son to save everyone on board. With tears streaming, he pulls the lever. The train thunders safely across, passengers chatting, reading, and planning their next appointment, unaware that their lives were spared at the cost of the father’s son.

That story is only a faint picture of Calvary. We were on that train, headed for judgment. To save us, the Father was pleased to bruise the Son. Jesus took our place so we could live. He suffered instead of us. He suffered because of us. He suffered to save us.

Reflection Question
If Jesus truly took your place as your suffering substitute, how should that change the way you trust Him, obey Him, and live for Him this week?

Dec 3, 2025

8 min read

Author: Pastor JD Howell

Sermon Series

The Secret Story of Samson - Judges 13

When we think about strength, we often picture muscles, training, and natural ability. We admire athletes who seem superhuman, entrepreneurs who seem unstoppable, and friends who appear to have everything figured out. We wonder what their secret is. How do they succeed? What gives them an edge? In Judges 13, God pulls back the curtain on a kind of strength that does not come from the gym, genetics, talent, or personality. It is a strength that cannot be bought, copied, or explained. It is the secret strength of Samson, and it is a strength that is available to every believer today.

Samson’s life begins in a setting marked by darkness and spiritual decline. Israel was oppressed and discouraged, and people were doing what was right in their own eyes. Into that darkness, God announced that a child would be born who would “begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines” (Judges 13:5). His life would not be ordinary. He was to be a Nazarite from the womb, set apart for God’s purpose and equipped by God’s Spirit. Samson’s story teaches us that true strength is not visible on the outside. It is the unseen work of God’s Spirit on the inside. The world could not figure Samson out because his power did not come from anything the world could measure. His power came from God.

The story of Samson invites us to see a different kind of strength. It shows us that God calls ordinary people, equips them in extraordinary ways, and accomplishes supernatural things through surrendered hearts. It reminds us that the success God produces cannot be explained by human effort. Samson’s strength was not found in his appearance, his training, his diet, or his personality. His strength came from the Spirit of the Lord. And the same Spirit that empowered Samson lives in every believer today. That is the secret story still unfolding in God’s people.

1. Samson Was Called by God to Fulfill a Purpose

Samson’s life began with a divine appointment long before he was born. His mother was visited by the angel of the Lord, who declared, “For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son” (Judges 13:5). This child was chosen, set apart, and called to a specific mission. God said he would be a Nazarite, and his life would be marked by special commitments. No wine, no razor, and no touching dead things. These requirements did not apply to everyone. They applied specifically to Samson because God had a unique purpose for him.

Samson’s calling reminds us that God designs our lives on purpose. Where we are born, who we know, and what we face are not accidents. God places each of us exactly where He wants us so that we can fulfill the work He has for us. For some, that purpose is to reach people others never will. For others, it is to stand for truth in a dark world. Samson’s calling teaches us that God sets His people apart so He can work through them. When God calls us, He does it with intention, direction, and purpose.

2. Samson Was Known Among Men for That Purpose

Samson’s reputation quickly began to spread. In Judges 15:11, three thousand men from his own tribe confronted him because his actions were already making an impact. Samson’s boldness and strength were undeniable. People saw what God was doing through him, even though they did not always understand it. His own people feared him more than they celebrated him.

This teaches us that when God begins to work through someone, people will notice. Some will appreciate it. Some will question it. Some will misunderstand it. Samson’s life reminds us that obedience to God will make you stand out, and standing out will not always be comfortable. Yet when God calls a person, the evidence of His hand becomes visible to others, whether they understand it or not.

3. Samson Was Blessed by God to Fulfill That Purpose

Judges 13:24-25 says, “And the child grew, and the Lord blessed him. And the Spirit of the Lord began to move him.” From the beginning, God equipped Samson with every gift he needed. Strength, courage, boldness, and supernatural ability were not things Samson developed. They were things God gave. Samson did not achieve his strength. He received it.

Samson’s blessing reminds us that God equips us for the purposes He assigns. Whatever we face, God gives exactly what is needed. Trials, weaknesses, and even hardships can be part of His equipping process. When God gives a calling, He also supplies the power to fulfill it. Samson’s strength came from the Spirit of the Lord, and that same Spirit indwells every believer today. What Samson received temporarily, we receive permanently through salvation.

The Secret Strength of Samson

Judges 16 introduces the mystery that fascinated the Philistines. They wanted to discover the secret behind Samson’s strength. They watched him tear apart a lion, defeat a thousand men with a jawbone, and carry off the gates of a city. But nothing about Samson made sense. He did not look like a warrior. He did not train like one. His diet, size, and routine offered no explanation.

They were so desperate to uncover the secret that they offered Delilah the modern equivalent of twenty million dollars to find out where his strength came from. But the secret could not be bought. Samson’s strength came from the Spirit of the Lord, and no earthly power could duplicate or replace that. Judges 14:6 says, “And the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him.” Judges 14:19 repeats it. Judges 15 echoes it again. Samson’s strength was not physical. It was spiritual.

This is the heart of Samson’s story. His strength was not about what he had in himself. It was about Who was in him. And this is where Samson’s story becomes our story. As believers, we have access to the same spiritual power. Not strength to break ropes or rip gates off a city, but strength to overcome temptation, witness boldly, stand for truth, endure trials, and make a difference where God has placed us. Our strength comes from the Spirit of God living within us.

Samson’s story challenges us not to seek substitutes for spiritual power. The world promises strength through confidence, success, money, appearance, or achievement, but real strength comes only from God. Zechariah 4:6 reminds us, “Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.” Samson’s life teaches us to stop relying on ourselves and begin relying fully on God.

Reflection QuestionAre you seeking strength that the world can explain, or strength that can only come from the Spirit of God? What might God want to do through you that could only be explained by His power?

Dec 3, 2025

6 min read

Author: Pastor JD Howell

Sermon Series

The Power of Christ

When we think of the word power, our minds often go to strength, ability, success, or control. We imagine someone who can handle anything, fix anything, and rise above any challenge. But in 2 Corinthians 12, God pulls back a different curtain. He shows us that His power does not flow through our strength—but through our weakness. Christ’s power does not fall upon the self-sufficient, the talented, the confident, or the capable. It rests upon the broken, the limited, the needy, the dependent, and the weak.

The apostle Paul knew spiritual highs like few people ever will. He received visions and revelations directly from God. But with great privilege came a painful problem—a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, something that relentlessly “buffeted” him. Paul begged God three times to remove it. Instead of relief, Jesus gave him a greater gift:
“My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.”
Those few words transformed Paul’s perspective. In a moment, he stopped asking for the thorn to be removed and started asking for Christ’s power to rest upon him. What he once resisted, he now embraced. What he once saw as a burden, he now recognized as the very avenue for God’s power.

This message reminds us that the power of Christ is not something we study from a distance—it’s something God longs to rest upon us. But it only comes through the doorway of weakness, surrender, and dependence. Paul goes on to show what that power looks like throughout Scripture and how believers today can experience it. Let’s look at what the Bible reveals about the power of Christ—and the three decisions we must make if we want that power resting on our lives.

1. The Power of Christ Displayed in Scripture

Christ’s power is not theoretical—it is vast, active, and undeniable.

The Power of Christ in Creation

Colossians 1:16–17 declares:
“For by him were all things created… And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.”
Jesus Christ—the Word through whom God spoke the universe into being—holds creation together at every moment. The sun rises, the earth spins, your heart beats, and galaxies swirl because of His sustaining power.

The Power of Christ in Salvation

Romans 1:16 proclaims the gospel as “the power of God unto salvation.”
The power that transforms the drunk into a believer, heals marriages, restores families, and gives new life is the same power God offers to rest upon His children daily.

The Power of Christ in the Resurrection

Philippians 3:10 shows that we know Christ through “the power of his resurrection.”
Eternal life is possible only because Jesus conquered death—and His resurrection power is available to strengthen us every day.

The Power of Christ over Demons

In Luke 4:36, Jesus speaks with authority and demons flee. No spiritual force can stand against Him, and no believer needs to fear the enemy—Christ’s power is infinitely greater.

The Power of Christ to Heal

Luke 5:17 says, “the power of the Lord was present to heal.”
Christ heals physical bodies, but even more, He heals broken hearts, wounded emotions, and shattered spirits.

The Power of Christ to Keep Believers

Jude 24 says He is able “to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless.”
We do not hold onto God—He holds onto us. His power secures us, sustains us, and keeps us saved forever.

The Power of Christ Over All Things

Matthew 28:18 declares:
“All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.”
Not some power. Not most power. All power. There is no problem, no trial, no fear, and no need beyond the authority of Jesus Christ.

This is the power Paul longed for—the power that not only surrounds us, but rests upon us.

2. Three Decisions for Christ’s Power to Rest Upon Our Lives

Paul discovered that God’s power does not rest on the strong—it rests on the weak. There are three responses every believer must make.

1. Acknowledge Your Weakness

Paul said, “Most gladly therefore will I glory in my infirmities.”
He didn’t hide his weaknesses, excuse them, or pretend they didn’t exist. He embraced them because they created space for God’s power.

We often fight weakness—we want to look strong, capable, put-together. But God says our weakness is not a liability. It is an invitation.

When we stop pretending we’re strong, Christ can finally show that He is.

2. Abandon Self-Reliance

Pastor Howell put it so clearly:
“The greatest barrier to the power of Christ is the power of me.”

We often:

  • Work harder instead of praying.

  • Google symptoms instead of seeking God.

  • Lean on our ideas instead of surrendering to His wisdom.

  • Try to fix ourselves instead of depending on Christ.

But self-power and Christ-power cannot occupy the same space.
When we insist on doing life in our own strength, God steps back and lets us try.
When we finally admit, “I can’t do this,” He steps in with resurrection power.

3. Accept God’s Purposed Limitations

Culture says, “Be all you can be.”
Scripture says, “You can’t be all you want—but God can be everything you need.”

Paul didn’t resent the thorn anymore—he rejoiced in it. His limitations were not obstacles to God’s plan… they were God’s plan.

Your limitations—your past, personality, family situation, health, fears, failures—are not accidents. They are carefully designed boundaries through which Christ’s power shines brightest.

Paul said:
“I take pleasure in infirmities… for when I am weak, then am I strong.”

Weakness is not the enemy. Strength without God is.

Conclusion

The power of Christ is not a distant theological concept. It is real, active, and available. But it rests only on those who surrender their strength, embrace their weakness, and depend entirely on the One who holds all power in heaven and earth.

Paul asked God to remove the problem. God offered something better—His power.

And that same offer is extended to us today.

Reflection Question:

Where in your life do you need to stop striving in your own strength and begin surrendering so that the power of Christ may rest upon you?

Nov 25, 2025

5 min read

Author: Pastor JD Howell

Sermon Series

The Suffering Substitute - Isaiah 53

We live in a world where substitution is normal. A teacher calls in sick, and a substitute steps into the classroom so the students can keep learning. An athlete is injured, and another player runs onto the field so the game can go on. A worker has an emergency, and someone else takes the shift so the business can stay open. We understand what it means for one person to stand in the place of another.

What we often forget is that substitution is not something mankind invented. It was God’s idea long before there were schools, sports, or timecards. All through the Old Testament, the Lord built substitution into His law and into Israel’s worship. A lamb died so Adam and Eve could be clothed. A ram took Isaac’s place on Mount Moriah. A spotless lamb was slain in Egypt so the firstborn could live. In the tabernacle and the temple, animals died for guilty sinners day after day. Every sacrifice preached the same sermon: someone else must take your place.

Isaiah 53 gathers all of those shadows and shines a bright spotlight on the true substitute, Jesus Christ. The prophet describes a suffering servant who carries sorrows, bears griefs, and takes the punishment that others deserve. He does not suffer for His own sins, because He has none. He suffers for ours. Isaiah shows us that the cross is not just a tragic moment in history. It is the heart of God’s plan, the center of the gospel, and the place where our suffering substitute took our place so we could be saved.

  1. Christ Suffered Instead of Us

Isaiah begins by showing us that Jesus took what we deserved. Scripture says,

“But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities:
the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way;
and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:5–6)

Those words are not abstract. “Transgressions” speaks of deliberate rebellion, crossing a line when we know better. God says stop, and we go. God says yes, and we say no. No parent has to sit a toddler down and give a lesson on how to disobey. It rises up from inside them. Our iniquities are our twisted, bent, morally corrupt hearts. The Bible is honest about us. We are not almost good people who occasionally slip. We are rebels at heart who reach for what God says is off-limits. Our sin is spiritual treason, and justice demands a payment.

Isaiah tells us that Jesus stepped into that place. He took the “chastisement of our peace.” That means He bore the discipline, the penalty, and the judgment required for us to be made right with God. Every stripe laid on His back was like a stitch of healing for our souls. The word “healed” in verse 5 is a physician’s word. It pictures complete restoration, not a bandage over a wound but a soul made whole. He was wounded, and we were the rebels. He was bruised, and we were the sinners. He was chastised, and we were the enemies. He was striped, and we were healed.

  1. Christ Suffered Because of Us

Isaiah does not allow us to treat sin as an accident. “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way.” Sheep do not wander because they are planning. They wander because they follow impulse instead of the shepherd. They walk into danger without seeing it. They cannot even find their way home. Isaiah uses that picture, not because sheep are soft and cute, but because they are helpless and foolish.

Our problem is not that we simply “got lost.” We left the Shepherd. We turned, each one, to our own way. That is personal. That is intentional. That is willful independence from God. We went looking for our own path, our own satisfaction, our own way of doing life. We could not climb our way back. We could not clean our own record. We could not even quiet our guilty conscience. Yet the verse goes on to say, “and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.” All of our wandering, our rebellion, our wickedness was placed upon Jesus Christ. The punishment that should have fallen on the many was piled upon the One.

This is the heart of substitution. The innocent is treated as if guilty so that the guilty can be treated as if innocent. John records the words of Jesus, “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.” He did not merely shake His head at wandering sheep. He laid down His life for them. Our sins are not distant in this passage. They are the reason Christ suffered. He suffered instead of us, but He also suffered because of us.

  1.  Christ Suffered to Save Us

Isaiah then draws our eyes to the personal weight of Christ’s suffering. The pronouns are striking. “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth.” “He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter.” “He was taken from prison and from judgment.” “For the transgression of my people was he stricken.” The cross is not a vague idea. It has a face and a name. It is Jesus Christ, the suffering servant, who willingly walks to the slaughter as a lamb.

Listen to how Isaiah piles up words to describe His suffering: stricken, smitten, afflicted, wounded, bruised, chastised, stripes, oppressed, cut off, put to grief, an offering for sin. It is as if every term lands like the blow of a hammer on the nails. Verse 10 says, “Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief.” The Father’s plan included the bruising of the Son, and the Son embraced that plan. Salvation was not God’s emergency reaction when Adam sinned. Salvation was God’s intention from before the foundation of the world. Long before there was a garden, a serpent, or a forbidden tree, the Lamb of God was already in the heart of God’s plan.

Because of that, Calvary is not defeat. It is a victory. Jesus took our guilt so that we could receive His innocence. Paul writes,

“For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin;
that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)

He became what He was not, sin, so that we could become what we were not, righteous. He suffered to save us, not just to set an example, not just to show love in a general sense, but to actually bear the penalty that our sins deserved and to secure our salvation forever.

  1. The Only Right Response To Such A Substitute

Isaiah 53 does not only describe what Christ did. It presses us to consider how we will respond. If He suffered instead of us, because of us, and to save us, then casual Christianity cannot be an option. Yet we live in a day when salvation often feels comfortable, and discipleship is treated as optional. We say Christ gave His life for us, but sometimes we grumble about giving Him a single Sunday without complaint. We say we love the Savior, but often struggle to give Him five quiet minutes in His word and in prayer.

We talk about trusting God with our souls, yet we hesitate to trust Him with our decisions, our careers, our future, or our finances. We ask God to send laborers into His harvest while avoiding the opportunities in front of us to serve, witness, or go. The suffering of Jesus Christ should strip away lukewarm living. We do not need less church or less Bible. We need more of Christ, more obedience, more wholehearted devotion. A mature believer is not someone who only obeys when God’s will matches their preferences. A mature believer learns to say, “Lord, I do not like this answer, but I will still follow You.”

One story captures the weight of this. Picture a father who operates a drawbridge over a busy river. Each day, trains rush across, full of people, while he faithfully keeps the bridge in place. One day, he lifts the bridge for a passing ship, then hears an unscheduled train racing toward the gap. As he runs to lower the bridge, he realizes his young son has fallen into the gears. In that moment, the father faces an impossible choice. He can save his son and doom the train, or crush his son to save everyone on board. With tears streaming, he pulls the lever. The train thunders safely across, passengers chatting, reading, and planning their next appointment, unaware that their lives were spared at the cost of the father’s son.

That story is only a faint picture of Calvary. We were on that train, headed for judgment. To save us, the Father was pleased to bruise the Son. Jesus took our place so we could live. He suffered instead of us. He suffered because of us. He suffered to save us.

Reflection Question
If Jesus truly took your place as your suffering substitute, how should that change the way you trust Him, obey Him, and live for Him this week?

Sermon Series

The Secret Story of Samson - Judges 13

When we think about strength, we often picture muscles, training, and natural ability. We admire athletes who seem superhuman, entrepreneurs who seem unstoppable, and friends who appear to have everything figured out. We wonder what their secret is. How do they succeed? What gives them an edge? In Judges 13, God pulls back the curtain on a kind of strength that does not come from the gym, genetics, talent, or personality. It is a strength that cannot be bought, copied, or explained. It is the secret strength of Samson, and it is a strength that is available to every believer today.

Samson’s life begins in a setting marked by darkness and spiritual decline. Israel was oppressed and discouraged, and people were doing what was right in their own eyes. Into that darkness, God announced that a child would be born who would “begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines” (Judges 13:5). His life would not be ordinary. He was to be a Nazarite from the womb, set apart for God’s purpose and equipped by God’s Spirit. Samson’s story teaches us that true strength is not visible on the outside. It is the unseen work of God’s Spirit on the inside. The world could not figure Samson out because his power did not come from anything the world could measure. His power came from God.

The story of Samson invites us to see a different kind of strength. It shows us that God calls ordinary people, equips them in extraordinary ways, and accomplishes supernatural things through surrendered hearts. It reminds us that the success God produces cannot be explained by human effort. Samson’s strength was not found in his appearance, his training, his diet, or his personality. His strength came from the Spirit of the Lord. And the same Spirit that empowered Samson lives in every believer today. That is the secret story still unfolding in God’s people.

1. Samson Was Called by God to Fulfill a Purpose

Samson’s life began with a divine appointment long before he was born. His mother was visited by the angel of the Lord, who declared, “For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son” (Judges 13:5). This child was chosen, set apart, and called to a specific mission. God said he would be a Nazarite, and his life would be marked by special commitments. No wine, no razor, and no touching dead things. These requirements did not apply to everyone. They applied specifically to Samson because God had a unique purpose for him.

Samson’s calling reminds us that God designs our lives on purpose. Where we are born, who we know, and what we face are not accidents. God places each of us exactly where He wants us so that we can fulfill the work He has for us. For some, that purpose is to reach people others never will. For others, it is to stand for truth in a dark world. Samson’s calling teaches us that God sets His people apart so He can work through them. When God calls us, He does it with intention, direction, and purpose.

2. Samson Was Known Among Men for That Purpose

Samson’s reputation quickly began to spread. In Judges 15:11, three thousand men from his own tribe confronted him because his actions were already making an impact. Samson’s boldness and strength were undeniable. People saw what God was doing through him, even though they did not always understand it. His own people feared him more than they celebrated him.

This teaches us that when God begins to work through someone, people will notice. Some will appreciate it. Some will question it. Some will misunderstand it. Samson’s life reminds us that obedience to God will make you stand out, and standing out will not always be comfortable. Yet when God calls a person, the evidence of His hand becomes visible to others, whether they understand it or not.

3. Samson Was Blessed by God to Fulfill That Purpose

Judges 13:24-25 says, “And the child grew, and the Lord blessed him. And the Spirit of the Lord began to move him.” From the beginning, God equipped Samson with every gift he needed. Strength, courage, boldness, and supernatural ability were not things Samson developed. They were things God gave. Samson did not achieve his strength. He received it.

Samson’s blessing reminds us that God equips us for the purposes He assigns. Whatever we face, God gives exactly what is needed. Trials, weaknesses, and even hardships can be part of His equipping process. When God gives a calling, He also supplies the power to fulfill it. Samson’s strength came from the Spirit of the Lord, and that same Spirit indwells every believer today. What Samson received temporarily, we receive permanently through salvation.

The Secret Strength of Samson

Judges 16 introduces the mystery that fascinated the Philistines. They wanted to discover the secret behind Samson’s strength. They watched him tear apart a lion, defeat a thousand men with a jawbone, and carry off the gates of a city. But nothing about Samson made sense. He did not look like a warrior. He did not train like one. His diet, size, and routine offered no explanation.

They were so desperate to uncover the secret that they offered Delilah the modern equivalent of twenty million dollars to find out where his strength came from. But the secret could not be bought. Samson’s strength came from the Spirit of the Lord, and no earthly power could duplicate or replace that. Judges 14:6 says, “And the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him.” Judges 14:19 repeats it. Judges 15 echoes it again. Samson’s strength was not physical. It was spiritual.

This is the heart of Samson’s story. His strength was not about what he had in himself. It was about Who was in him. And this is where Samson’s story becomes our story. As believers, we have access to the same spiritual power. Not strength to break ropes or rip gates off a city, but strength to overcome temptation, witness boldly, stand for truth, endure trials, and make a difference where God has placed us. Our strength comes from the Spirit of God living within us.

Samson’s story challenges us not to seek substitutes for spiritual power. The world promises strength through confidence, success, money, appearance, or achievement, but real strength comes only from God. Zechariah 4:6 reminds us, “Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.” Samson’s life teaches us to stop relying on ourselves and begin relying fully on God.

Reflection QuestionAre you seeking strength that the world can explain, or strength that can only come from the Spirit of God? What might God want to do through you that could only be explained by His power?

Sermon Series

The Power of Christ

When we think of the word power, our minds often go to strength, ability, success, or control. We imagine someone who can handle anything, fix anything, and rise above any challenge. But in 2 Corinthians 12, God pulls back a different curtain. He shows us that His power does not flow through our strength—but through our weakness. Christ’s power does not fall upon the self-sufficient, the talented, the confident, or the capable. It rests upon the broken, the limited, the needy, the dependent, and the weak.

The apostle Paul knew spiritual highs like few people ever will. He received visions and revelations directly from God. But with great privilege came a painful problem—a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, something that relentlessly “buffeted” him. Paul begged God three times to remove it. Instead of relief, Jesus gave him a greater gift:
“My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.”
Those few words transformed Paul’s perspective. In a moment, he stopped asking for the thorn to be removed and started asking for Christ’s power to rest upon him. What he once resisted, he now embraced. What he once saw as a burden, he now recognized as the very avenue for God’s power.

This message reminds us that the power of Christ is not something we study from a distance—it’s something God longs to rest upon us. But it only comes through the doorway of weakness, surrender, and dependence. Paul goes on to show what that power looks like throughout Scripture and how believers today can experience it. Let’s look at what the Bible reveals about the power of Christ—and the three decisions we must make if we want that power resting on our lives.

1. The Power of Christ Displayed in Scripture

Christ’s power is not theoretical—it is vast, active, and undeniable.

The Power of Christ in Creation

Colossians 1:16–17 declares:
“For by him were all things created… And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.”
Jesus Christ—the Word through whom God spoke the universe into being—holds creation together at every moment. The sun rises, the earth spins, your heart beats, and galaxies swirl because of His sustaining power.

The Power of Christ in Salvation

Romans 1:16 proclaims the gospel as “the power of God unto salvation.”
The power that transforms the drunk into a believer, heals marriages, restores families, and gives new life is the same power God offers to rest upon His children daily.

The Power of Christ in the Resurrection

Philippians 3:10 shows that we know Christ through “the power of his resurrection.”
Eternal life is possible only because Jesus conquered death—and His resurrection power is available to strengthen us every day.

The Power of Christ over Demons

In Luke 4:36, Jesus speaks with authority and demons flee. No spiritual force can stand against Him, and no believer needs to fear the enemy—Christ’s power is infinitely greater.

The Power of Christ to Heal

Luke 5:17 says, “the power of the Lord was present to heal.”
Christ heals physical bodies, but even more, He heals broken hearts, wounded emotions, and shattered spirits.

The Power of Christ to Keep Believers

Jude 24 says He is able “to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless.”
We do not hold onto God—He holds onto us. His power secures us, sustains us, and keeps us saved forever.

The Power of Christ Over All Things

Matthew 28:18 declares:
“All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.”
Not some power. Not most power. All power. There is no problem, no trial, no fear, and no need beyond the authority of Jesus Christ.

This is the power Paul longed for—the power that not only surrounds us, but rests upon us.

2. Three Decisions for Christ’s Power to Rest Upon Our Lives

Paul discovered that God’s power does not rest on the strong—it rests on the weak. There are three responses every believer must make.

1. Acknowledge Your Weakness

Paul said, “Most gladly therefore will I glory in my infirmities.”
He didn’t hide his weaknesses, excuse them, or pretend they didn’t exist. He embraced them because they created space for God’s power.

We often fight weakness—we want to look strong, capable, put-together. But God says our weakness is not a liability. It is an invitation.

When we stop pretending we’re strong, Christ can finally show that He is.

2. Abandon Self-Reliance

Pastor Howell put it so clearly:
“The greatest barrier to the power of Christ is the power of me.”

We often:

  • Work harder instead of praying.

  • Google symptoms instead of seeking God.

  • Lean on our ideas instead of surrendering to His wisdom.

  • Try to fix ourselves instead of depending on Christ.

But self-power and Christ-power cannot occupy the same space.
When we insist on doing life in our own strength, God steps back and lets us try.
When we finally admit, “I can’t do this,” He steps in with resurrection power.

3. Accept God’s Purposed Limitations

Culture says, “Be all you can be.”
Scripture says, “You can’t be all you want—but God can be everything you need.”

Paul didn’t resent the thorn anymore—he rejoiced in it. His limitations were not obstacles to God’s plan… they were God’s plan.

Your limitations—your past, personality, family situation, health, fears, failures—are not accidents. They are carefully designed boundaries through which Christ’s power shines brightest.

Paul said:
“I take pleasure in infirmities… for when I am weak, then am I strong.”

Weakness is not the enemy. Strength without God is.

Conclusion

The power of Christ is not a distant theological concept. It is real, active, and available. But it rests only on those who surrender their strength, embrace their weakness, and depend entirely on the One who holds all power in heaven and earth.

Paul asked God to remove the problem. God offered something better—His power.

And that same offer is extended to us today.

Reflection Question:

Where in your life do you need to stop striving in your own strength and begin surrendering so that the power of Christ may rest upon you?

Sermon Series

Prayer in Moments of Desperation - Acts 7:58-60/Matthew 14:29-31

When we think about moments of desperation, most of us picture the times when fear swells inside us and panic rises in our chest. These are the moments when life feels unstable, when circumstances spin wildly out of our control, and when all we can do is react. What comes out of us in those moments reveals far more than emotion. It reveals our faith. It reveals what we are built upon. It uncovers who we truly trust.

Scripture gives us two striking examples of desperate prayers, and both of them show us that our reactions in crisis reflect our relationship with God long before the crisis ever arrives. One example comes from the Sea of Galilee, when Peter stepped out of a boat and found himself sinking beneath crashing waves. The other comes from the book of Acts, where Stephen—the first Christian martyr—prayed as stones crushed his body. Their situations were different, but their prayers reveal powerful truths about faith, fear, focus, and surrender. These passages challenge us to look inward and ask what kind of heart we bring into our own desperate moments.

Acts 7 tells us the story of Stephen’s final moments. As the enraged crowd hurled stones at him, the Bible says, “And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit… Lord, lay not this sin to their charge” (Acts 7:59–60). His words echo the prayers of Jesus Himself on the cross. In desperation, Stephen didn’t panic. He didn’t demand rescue. He surrendered his spirit and extended forgiveness. His response flowed naturally from the life he lived long before that day. These prayers teach us that desperation doesn’t create our faith. It reveals it.

Below are the truths drawn from these two moments—one on the water, one under the weight of stones—that help us understand what real faith looks like when life turns desperate.

1. Peter Began in Complete Dependence

Peter’s story in Matthew 14 begins with bold faith. When he saw Jesus walking on the stormy sea, he cried out, “Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee.” And Jesus simply said, “Come.” Peter stepped out of the boat and walked on water—a moment no other disciple experienced. He began in complete dependence. He wasn’t relying on his skill or strength; he was relying entirely on Jesus. Every step he took was a miracle happening under his feet.

This is what dependence looks like. It is stepping where only Jesus can sustain. Many believers have experienced similar moments in life—times of sickness, tragedy, or uncertainty when all they could do was cling to God. In those seasons, their faith was simple, genuine, and fully dependent. Peter’s beginning reminds us that the Christian life works best when we live with that kind of complete reliance on Christ.

2. Fear Shifted His Focus

But something changed. As Peter walked toward Jesus, he began looking at the waves instead of the Savior. Matthew 14:30 says, “But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.” Fear shifted his focus. And once his focus shifted, his faith followed.

Every believer knows how easily this happens. We may begin a trial with our eyes fixed on Jesus, but somewhere in the middle, the wind gets louder and the waves get higher. Our minds spiral, our hearts tremble, and our confidence in God begins to slip. The danger around Peter wasn’t the waves—it was the distraction inside him. When fear steals our focus, faith weakens.

Yet even in that moment, Peter knew where to turn. His prayer was short and unpolished: “Lord, save me.” And Jesus responded immediately. There was no hesitation, no delay, no rejection. He stretched out His hand, caught Peter, and then gently corrected him. “O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?” Jesus didn’t rebuke Peter for praying. He rebuked him for shifting his eyes.

Peter teaches us that in moments of desperation, we must guard our focus. Keep your eyes on Jesus, not the storm. The waves around you are never more dangerous than the doubt within you.

3. Stephen Was a Man Full of Faith

Stephen’s moment of desperation contrasts sharply with Peter’s. Before Stephen ever faced death, Scripture already described him as “a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 6:5). Everyone who knew him knew this about him. His faith was not occasional. It was not part-time. His life was saturated with the presence of God.

Stephen’s walk with God shaped his reflex in crisis. He didn’t become faithful when stones began flying. He was faithful long before that day. He served the early church, performed miracles, preached truth, and stood boldly before leaders who hated the gospel. His character was not spiritually average. He was deeply committed, deeply grounded, and deeply surrendered.

This teaches us something important. You do not suddenly become strong in a crisis if you are spiritually weak in calm seasons. Your daily walk with God determines your instinct when trouble arrives.

4. Stephen’s Experience and Suffering Revealed His Faith

Because Stephen walked faithfully with God, his response under pressure was consistent with his character. When false witnesses accused him, Scripture says his face looked like the face of an angel. When the crowd grew violent, he lifted his eyes to heaven and saw Jesus standing at the right hand of God. In that moment, he prayed not for rescue but for surrender.

His first prayer was simple: “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” It wasn’t a cry to escape the stones. It was a declaration of trust. It was a heart fully at peace with God’s will.

His second prayer was even more remarkable: “Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.” The very men crushing his body were the ones he prayed for. Forgiveness flowed from him even as he died. His words mirrored those of Jesus, who prayed, “Father, forgive them,” and “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.”

Stephen teaches us that faith in desperation is not loud or dramatic. It is steady. It is surrendered. It is anchored in God more than in survival.

5. Two Prayers, Two Hearts, Two Lessons

Peter and Stephen both prayed in moments of desperation, yet their prayers came from different kinds of faith.

Peter prayed to be rescued from the storm.
Stephen prayed to be faithful through the suffering.

Both prayers were heard. Both were answered. Both show us different ways our hearts can respond to fear.

The question is not whether God hears us. The question is what our prayers reveal about our hearts. Desperate prayers expose whether we have cultivated a walk with God that can withstand the pressure.

Peter’s prayer teaches us to cry out when we are sinking.
Stephen’s prayer teaches us to surrender when obedience costs everything.

Which prayer resembles your heart today?

Reflection Question

When your life hits a moment of desperation, do your prayers sound more like Peter’s cry for rescue or Stephen’s surrender of faith? What does your response reveal about your daily walk with God?

Sermon Series

The Suffering Substitute - Isaiah 53

We live in a world where substitution is normal. A teacher calls in sick, and a substitute steps into the classroom so the students can keep learning. An athlete is injured, and another player runs onto the field so the game can go on. A worker has an emergency, and someone else takes the shift so the business can stay open. We understand what it means for one person to stand in the place of another.

What we often forget is that substitution is not something mankind invented. It was God’s idea long before there were schools, sports, or timecards. All through the Old Testament, the Lord built substitution into His law and into Israel’s worship. A lamb died so Adam and Eve could be clothed. A ram took Isaac’s place on Mount Moriah. A spotless lamb was slain in Egypt so the firstborn could live. In the tabernacle and the temple, animals died for guilty sinners day after day. Every sacrifice preached the same sermon: someone else must take your place.

Isaiah 53 gathers all of those shadows and shines a bright spotlight on the true substitute, Jesus Christ. The prophet describes a suffering servant who carries sorrows, bears griefs, and takes the punishment that others deserve. He does not suffer for His own sins, because He has none. He suffers for ours. Isaiah shows us that the cross is not just a tragic moment in history. It is the heart of God’s plan, the center of the gospel, and the place where our suffering substitute took our place so we could be saved.

  1. Christ Suffered Instead of Us

Isaiah begins by showing us that Jesus took what we deserved. Scripture says,

“But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities:
the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way;
and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:5–6)

Those words are not abstract. “Transgressions” speaks of deliberate rebellion, crossing a line when we know better. God says stop, and we go. God says yes, and we say no. No parent has to sit a toddler down and give a lesson on how to disobey. It rises up from inside them. Our iniquities are our twisted, bent, morally corrupt hearts. The Bible is honest about us. We are not almost good people who occasionally slip. We are rebels at heart who reach for what God says is off-limits. Our sin is spiritual treason, and justice demands a payment.

Isaiah tells us that Jesus stepped into that place. He took the “chastisement of our peace.” That means He bore the discipline, the penalty, and the judgment required for us to be made right with God. Every stripe laid on His back was like a stitch of healing for our souls. The word “healed” in verse 5 is a physician’s word. It pictures complete restoration, not a bandage over a wound but a soul made whole. He was wounded, and we were the rebels. He was bruised, and we were the sinners. He was chastised, and we were the enemies. He was striped, and we were healed.

  1. Christ Suffered Because of Us

Isaiah does not allow us to treat sin as an accident. “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way.” Sheep do not wander because they are planning. They wander because they follow impulse instead of the shepherd. They walk into danger without seeing it. They cannot even find their way home. Isaiah uses that picture, not because sheep are soft and cute, but because they are helpless and foolish.

Our problem is not that we simply “got lost.” We left the Shepherd. We turned, each one, to our own way. That is personal. That is intentional. That is willful independence from God. We went looking for our own path, our own satisfaction, our own way of doing life. We could not climb our way back. We could not clean our own record. We could not even quiet our guilty conscience. Yet the verse goes on to say, “and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.” All of our wandering, our rebellion, our wickedness was placed upon Jesus Christ. The punishment that should have fallen on the many was piled upon the One.

This is the heart of substitution. The innocent is treated as if guilty so that the guilty can be treated as if innocent. John records the words of Jesus, “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.” He did not merely shake His head at wandering sheep. He laid down His life for them. Our sins are not distant in this passage. They are the reason Christ suffered. He suffered instead of us, but He also suffered because of us.

  1.  Christ Suffered to Save Us

Isaiah then draws our eyes to the personal weight of Christ’s suffering. The pronouns are striking. “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth.” “He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter.” “He was taken from prison and from judgment.” “For the transgression of my people was he stricken.” The cross is not a vague idea. It has a face and a name. It is Jesus Christ, the suffering servant, who willingly walks to the slaughter as a lamb.

Listen to how Isaiah piles up words to describe His suffering: stricken, smitten, afflicted, wounded, bruised, chastised, stripes, oppressed, cut off, put to grief, an offering for sin. It is as if every term lands like the blow of a hammer on the nails. Verse 10 says, “Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief.” The Father’s plan included the bruising of the Son, and the Son embraced that plan. Salvation was not God’s emergency reaction when Adam sinned. Salvation was God’s intention from before the foundation of the world. Long before there was a garden, a serpent, or a forbidden tree, the Lamb of God was already in the heart of God’s plan.

Because of that, Calvary is not defeat. It is a victory. Jesus took our guilt so that we could receive His innocence. Paul writes,

“For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin;
that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)

He became what He was not, sin, so that we could become what we were not, righteous. He suffered to save us, not just to set an example, not just to show love in a general sense, but to actually bear the penalty that our sins deserved and to secure our salvation forever.

  1. The Only Right Response To Such A Substitute

Isaiah 53 does not only describe what Christ did. It presses us to consider how we will respond. If He suffered instead of us, because of us, and to save us, then casual Christianity cannot be an option. Yet we live in a day when salvation often feels comfortable, and discipleship is treated as optional. We say Christ gave His life for us, but sometimes we grumble about giving Him a single Sunday without complaint. We say we love the Savior, but often struggle to give Him five quiet minutes in His word and in prayer.

We talk about trusting God with our souls, yet we hesitate to trust Him with our decisions, our careers, our future, or our finances. We ask God to send laborers into His harvest while avoiding the opportunities in front of us to serve, witness, or go. The suffering of Jesus Christ should strip away lukewarm living. We do not need less church or less Bible. We need more of Christ, more obedience, more wholehearted devotion. A mature believer is not someone who only obeys when God’s will matches their preferences. A mature believer learns to say, “Lord, I do not like this answer, but I will still follow You.”

One story captures the weight of this. Picture a father who operates a drawbridge over a busy river. Each day, trains rush across, full of people, while he faithfully keeps the bridge in place. One day, he lifts the bridge for a passing ship, then hears an unscheduled train racing toward the gap. As he runs to lower the bridge, he realizes his young son has fallen into the gears. In that moment, the father faces an impossible choice. He can save his son and doom the train, or crush his son to save everyone on board. With tears streaming, he pulls the lever. The train thunders safely across, passengers chatting, reading, and planning their next appointment, unaware that their lives were spared at the cost of the father’s son.

That story is only a faint picture of Calvary. We were on that train, headed for judgment. To save us, the Father was pleased to bruise the Son. Jesus took our place so we could live. He suffered instead of us. He suffered because of us. He suffered to save us.

Reflection Question
If Jesus truly took your place as your suffering substitute, how should that change the way you trust Him, obey Him, and live for Him this week?

Sermon Series

The Secret Story of Samson - Judges 13

When we think about strength, we often picture muscles, training, and natural ability. We admire athletes who seem superhuman, entrepreneurs who seem unstoppable, and friends who appear to have everything figured out. We wonder what their secret is. How do they succeed? What gives them an edge? In Judges 13, God pulls back the curtain on a kind of strength that does not come from the gym, genetics, talent, or personality. It is a strength that cannot be bought, copied, or explained. It is the secret strength of Samson, and it is a strength that is available to every believer today.

Samson’s life begins in a setting marked by darkness and spiritual decline. Israel was oppressed and discouraged, and people were doing what was right in their own eyes. Into that darkness, God announced that a child would be born who would “begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines” (Judges 13:5). His life would not be ordinary. He was to be a Nazarite from the womb, set apart for God’s purpose and equipped by God’s Spirit. Samson’s story teaches us that true strength is not visible on the outside. It is the unseen work of God’s Spirit on the inside. The world could not figure Samson out because his power did not come from anything the world could measure. His power came from God.

The story of Samson invites us to see a different kind of strength. It shows us that God calls ordinary people, equips them in extraordinary ways, and accomplishes supernatural things through surrendered hearts. It reminds us that the success God produces cannot be explained by human effort. Samson’s strength was not found in his appearance, his training, his diet, or his personality. His strength came from the Spirit of the Lord. And the same Spirit that empowered Samson lives in every believer today. That is the secret story still unfolding in God’s people.

1. Samson Was Called by God to Fulfill a Purpose

Samson’s life began with a divine appointment long before he was born. His mother was visited by the angel of the Lord, who declared, “For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son” (Judges 13:5). This child was chosen, set apart, and called to a specific mission. God said he would be a Nazarite, and his life would be marked by special commitments. No wine, no razor, and no touching dead things. These requirements did not apply to everyone. They applied specifically to Samson because God had a unique purpose for him.

Samson’s calling reminds us that God designs our lives on purpose. Where we are born, who we know, and what we face are not accidents. God places each of us exactly where He wants us so that we can fulfill the work He has for us. For some, that purpose is to reach people others never will. For others, it is to stand for truth in a dark world. Samson’s calling teaches us that God sets His people apart so He can work through them. When God calls us, He does it with intention, direction, and purpose.

2. Samson Was Known Among Men for That Purpose

Samson’s reputation quickly began to spread. In Judges 15:11, three thousand men from his own tribe confronted him because his actions were already making an impact. Samson’s boldness and strength were undeniable. People saw what God was doing through him, even though they did not always understand it. His own people feared him more than they celebrated him.

This teaches us that when God begins to work through someone, people will notice. Some will appreciate it. Some will question it. Some will misunderstand it. Samson’s life reminds us that obedience to God will make you stand out, and standing out will not always be comfortable. Yet when God calls a person, the evidence of His hand becomes visible to others, whether they understand it or not.

3. Samson Was Blessed by God to Fulfill That Purpose

Judges 13:24-25 says, “And the child grew, and the Lord blessed him. And the Spirit of the Lord began to move him.” From the beginning, God equipped Samson with every gift he needed. Strength, courage, boldness, and supernatural ability were not things Samson developed. They were things God gave. Samson did not achieve his strength. He received it.

Samson’s blessing reminds us that God equips us for the purposes He assigns. Whatever we face, God gives exactly what is needed. Trials, weaknesses, and even hardships can be part of His equipping process. When God gives a calling, He also supplies the power to fulfill it. Samson’s strength came from the Spirit of the Lord, and that same Spirit indwells every believer today. What Samson received temporarily, we receive permanently through salvation.

The Secret Strength of Samson

Judges 16 introduces the mystery that fascinated the Philistines. They wanted to discover the secret behind Samson’s strength. They watched him tear apart a lion, defeat a thousand men with a jawbone, and carry off the gates of a city. But nothing about Samson made sense. He did not look like a warrior. He did not train like one. His diet, size, and routine offered no explanation.

They were so desperate to uncover the secret that they offered Delilah the modern equivalent of twenty million dollars to find out where his strength came from. But the secret could not be bought. Samson’s strength came from the Spirit of the Lord, and no earthly power could duplicate or replace that. Judges 14:6 says, “And the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him.” Judges 14:19 repeats it. Judges 15 echoes it again. Samson’s strength was not physical. It was spiritual.

This is the heart of Samson’s story. His strength was not about what he had in himself. It was about Who was in him. And this is where Samson’s story becomes our story. As believers, we have access to the same spiritual power. Not strength to break ropes or rip gates off a city, but strength to overcome temptation, witness boldly, stand for truth, endure trials, and make a difference where God has placed us. Our strength comes from the Spirit of God living within us.

Samson’s story challenges us not to seek substitutes for spiritual power. The world promises strength through confidence, success, money, appearance, or achievement, but real strength comes only from God. Zechariah 4:6 reminds us, “Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.” Samson’s life teaches us to stop relying on ourselves and begin relying fully on God.

Reflection QuestionAre you seeking strength that the world can explain, or strength that can only come from the Spirit of God? What might God want to do through you that could only be explained by His power?

Sermon Series

The Power of Christ

When we think of the word power, our minds often go to strength, ability, success, or control. We imagine someone who can handle anything, fix anything, and rise above any challenge. But in 2 Corinthians 12, God pulls back a different curtain. He shows us that His power does not flow through our strength—but through our weakness. Christ’s power does not fall upon the self-sufficient, the talented, the confident, or the capable. It rests upon the broken, the limited, the needy, the dependent, and the weak.

The apostle Paul knew spiritual highs like few people ever will. He received visions and revelations directly from God. But with great privilege came a painful problem—a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, something that relentlessly “buffeted” him. Paul begged God three times to remove it. Instead of relief, Jesus gave him a greater gift:
“My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.”
Those few words transformed Paul’s perspective. In a moment, he stopped asking for the thorn to be removed and started asking for Christ’s power to rest upon him. What he once resisted, he now embraced. What he once saw as a burden, he now recognized as the very avenue for God’s power.

This message reminds us that the power of Christ is not something we study from a distance—it’s something God longs to rest upon us. But it only comes through the doorway of weakness, surrender, and dependence. Paul goes on to show what that power looks like throughout Scripture and how believers today can experience it. Let’s look at what the Bible reveals about the power of Christ—and the three decisions we must make if we want that power resting on our lives.

1. The Power of Christ Displayed in Scripture

Christ’s power is not theoretical—it is vast, active, and undeniable.

The Power of Christ in Creation

Colossians 1:16–17 declares:
“For by him were all things created… And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.”
Jesus Christ—the Word through whom God spoke the universe into being—holds creation together at every moment. The sun rises, the earth spins, your heart beats, and galaxies swirl because of His sustaining power.

The Power of Christ in Salvation

Romans 1:16 proclaims the gospel as “the power of God unto salvation.”
The power that transforms the drunk into a believer, heals marriages, restores families, and gives new life is the same power God offers to rest upon His children daily.

The Power of Christ in the Resurrection

Philippians 3:10 shows that we know Christ through “the power of his resurrection.”
Eternal life is possible only because Jesus conquered death—and His resurrection power is available to strengthen us every day.

The Power of Christ over Demons

In Luke 4:36, Jesus speaks with authority and demons flee. No spiritual force can stand against Him, and no believer needs to fear the enemy—Christ’s power is infinitely greater.

The Power of Christ to Heal

Luke 5:17 says, “the power of the Lord was present to heal.”
Christ heals physical bodies, but even more, He heals broken hearts, wounded emotions, and shattered spirits.

The Power of Christ to Keep Believers

Jude 24 says He is able “to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless.”
We do not hold onto God—He holds onto us. His power secures us, sustains us, and keeps us saved forever.

The Power of Christ Over All Things

Matthew 28:18 declares:
“All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.”
Not some power. Not most power. All power. There is no problem, no trial, no fear, and no need beyond the authority of Jesus Christ.

This is the power Paul longed for—the power that not only surrounds us, but rests upon us.

2. Three Decisions for Christ’s Power to Rest Upon Our Lives

Paul discovered that God’s power does not rest on the strong—it rests on the weak. There are three responses every believer must make.

1. Acknowledge Your Weakness

Paul said, “Most gladly therefore will I glory in my infirmities.”
He didn’t hide his weaknesses, excuse them, or pretend they didn’t exist. He embraced them because they created space for God’s power.

We often fight weakness—we want to look strong, capable, put-together. But God says our weakness is not a liability. It is an invitation.

When we stop pretending we’re strong, Christ can finally show that He is.

2. Abandon Self-Reliance

Pastor Howell put it so clearly:
“The greatest barrier to the power of Christ is the power of me.”

We often:

  • Work harder instead of praying.

  • Google symptoms instead of seeking God.

  • Lean on our ideas instead of surrendering to His wisdom.

  • Try to fix ourselves instead of depending on Christ.

But self-power and Christ-power cannot occupy the same space.
When we insist on doing life in our own strength, God steps back and lets us try.
When we finally admit, “I can’t do this,” He steps in with resurrection power.

3. Accept God’s Purposed Limitations

Culture says, “Be all you can be.”
Scripture says, “You can’t be all you want—but God can be everything you need.”

Paul didn’t resent the thorn anymore—he rejoiced in it. His limitations were not obstacles to God’s plan… they were God’s plan.

Your limitations—your past, personality, family situation, health, fears, failures—are not accidents. They are carefully designed boundaries through which Christ’s power shines brightest.

Paul said:
“I take pleasure in infirmities… for when I am weak, then am I strong.”

Weakness is not the enemy. Strength without God is.

Conclusion

The power of Christ is not a distant theological concept. It is real, active, and available. But it rests only on those who surrender their strength, embrace their weakness, and depend entirely on the One who holds all power in heaven and earth.

Paul asked God to remove the problem. God offered something better—His power.

And that same offer is extended to us today.

Reflection Question:

Where in your life do you need to stop striving in your own strength and begin surrendering so that the power of Christ may rest upon you?

Sermon Series

Prayer in Moments of Desperation - Acts 7:58-60/Matthew 14:29-31

When we think about moments of desperation, most of us picture the times when fear swells inside us and panic rises in our chest. These are the moments when life feels unstable, when circumstances spin wildly out of our control, and when all we can do is react. What comes out of us in those moments reveals far more than emotion. It reveals our faith. It reveals what we are built upon. It uncovers who we truly trust.

Scripture gives us two striking examples of desperate prayers, and both of them show us that our reactions in crisis reflect our relationship with God long before the crisis ever arrives. One example comes from the Sea of Galilee, when Peter stepped out of a boat and found himself sinking beneath crashing waves. The other comes from the book of Acts, where Stephen—the first Christian martyr—prayed as stones crushed his body. Their situations were different, but their prayers reveal powerful truths about faith, fear, focus, and surrender. These passages challenge us to look inward and ask what kind of heart we bring into our own desperate moments.

Acts 7 tells us the story of Stephen’s final moments. As the enraged crowd hurled stones at him, the Bible says, “And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit… Lord, lay not this sin to their charge” (Acts 7:59–60). His words echo the prayers of Jesus Himself on the cross. In desperation, Stephen didn’t panic. He didn’t demand rescue. He surrendered his spirit and extended forgiveness. His response flowed naturally from the life he lived long before that day. These prayers teach us that desperation doesn’t create our faith. It reveals it.

Below are the truths drawn from these two moments—one on the water, one under the weight of stones—that help us understand what real faith looks like when life turns desperate.

1. Peter Began in Complete Dependence

Peter’s story in Matthew 14 begins with bold faith. When he saw Jesus walking on the stormy sea, he cried out, “Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee.” And Jesus simply said, “Come.” Peter stepped out of the boat and walked on water—a moment no other disciple experienced. He began in complete dependence. He wasn’t relying on his skill or strength; he was relying entirely on Jesus. Every step he took was a miracle happening under his feet.

This is what dependence looks like. It is stepping where only Jesus can sustain. Many believers have experienced similar moments in life—times of sickness, tragedy, or uncertainty when all they could do was cling to God. In those seasons, their faith was simple, genuine, and fully dependent. Peter’s beginning reminds us that the Christian life works best when we live with that kind of complete reliance on Christ.

2. Fear Shifted His Focus

But something changed. As Peter walked toward Jesus, he began looking at the waves instead of the Savior. Matthew 14:30 says, “But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.” Fear shifted his focus. And once his focus shifted, his faith followed.

Every believer knows how easily this happens. We may begin a trial with our eyes fixed on Jesus, but somewhere in the middle, the wind gets louder and the waves get higher. Our minds spiral, our hearts tremble, and our confidence in God begins to slip. The danger around Peter wasn’t the waves—it was the distraction inside him. When fear steals our focus, faith weakens.

Yet even in that moment, Peter knew where to turn. His prayer was short and unpolished: “Lord, save me.” And Jesus responded immediately. There was no hesitation, no delay, no rejection. He stretched out His hand, caught Peter, and then gently corrected him. “O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?” Jesus didn’t rebuke Peter for praying. He rebuked him for shifting his eyes.

Peter teaches us that in moments of desperation, we must guard our focus. Keep your eyes on Jesus, not the storm. The waves around you are never more dangerous than the doubt within you.

3. Stephen Was a Man Full of Faith

Stephen’s moment of desperation contrasts sharply with Peter’s. Before Stephen ever faced death, Scripture already described him as “a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 6:5). Everyone who knew him knew this about him. His faith was not occasional. It was not part-time. His life was saturated with the presence of God.

Stephen’s walk with God shaped his reflex in crisis. He didn’t become faithful when stones began flying. He was faithful long before that day. He served the early church, performed miracles, preached truth, and stood boldly before leaders who hated the gospel. His character was not spiritually average. He was deeply committed, deeply grounded, and deeply surrendered.

This teaches us something important. You do not suddenly become strong in a crisis if you are spiritually weak in calm seasons. Your daily walk with God determines your instinct when trouble arrives.

4. Stephen’s Experience and Suffering Revealed His Faith

Because Stephen walked faithfully with God, his response under pressure was consistent with his character. When false witnesses accused him, Scripture says his face looked like the face of an angel. When the crowd grew violent, he lifted his eyes to heaven and saw Jesus standing at the right hand of God. In that moment, he prayed not for rescue but for surrender.

His first prayer was simple: “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” It wasn’t a cry to escape the stones. It was a declaration of trust. It was a heart fully at peace with God’s will.

His second prayer was even more remarkable: “Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.” The very men crushing his body were the ones he prayed for. Forgiveness flowed from him even as he died. His words mirrored those of Jesus, who prayed, “Father, forgive them,” and “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.”

Stephen teaches us that faith in desperation is not loud or dramatic. It is steady. It is surrendered. It is anchored in God more than in survival.

5. Two Prayers, Two Hearts, Two Lessons

Peter and Stephen both prayed in moments of desperation, yet their prayers came from different kinds of faith.

Peter prayed to be rescued from the storm.
Stephen prayed to be faithful through the suffering.

Both prayers were heard. Both were answered. Both show us different ways our hearts can respond to fear.

The question is not whether God hears us. The question is what our prayers reveal about our hearts. Desperate prayers expose whether we have cultivated a walk with God that can withstand the pressure.

Peter’s prayer teaches us to cry out when we are sinking.
Stephen’s prayer teaches us to surrender when obedience costs everything.

Which prayer resembles your heart today?

Reflection Question

When your life hits a moment of desperation, do your prayers sound more like Peter’s cry for rescue or Stephen’s surrender of faith? What does your response reveal about your daily walk with God?

Sermon Series

The Hidden Beauty of Our Savior - Isaiah 53

When we think of the word beauty, most people picture sunsets, mountains, oceans, or the awe-inspiring wonders of the world. We marvel at the Grand Canyon, snap photos of sunsets, and stand amazed at the colors God splashes across the sky. Yet for all our talk about beauty, we often misidentify what is truly beautiful. We attach the word to celebrities, possessions, or outward appearances that fade and fail to satisfy.

But Isaiah 53 pulls back a different curtain. It shows us a beauty the world cannot recognize—the hidden beauty of our Savior. Isaiah presents Jesus not as attractive by earthly standards, but as One whose glory is veiled, whose majesty is wrapped in plainness, and whose deepest beauty is revealed only to those who look with eyes of faith. Isaiah writes, “He hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him” (Isaiah 53:2). At first glance, that seems jarring—how could the most perfect, sinless, glorious Person to ever walk this earth be described as having “no beauty”? But Isaiah teaches us that Christ’s beauty isn’t found in His outward appearance—it’s found in His humility, His obedience, His sacrifice, and His salvation.

Like a masterpiece hidden beneath dust and grime, the true worth of Jesus was not visible on the surface. Most who looked at Him saw only an ordinary carpenter. But beneath the scars, beneath the grief, beneath the simple frame of a servant was infinite majesty. To see the beauty of Christ, we must look past what man values and learn to see as God sees.

1. The Unimpressive Appearance of Our Savior

Isaiah emphasizes that the Messiah’s outward form would not attract crowds or impress the world. “He hath no form nor comeliness… there is no beauty that we should desire him” (Isaiah 53:2). In other words, nothing about Jesus’ physical appearance demanded attention. He didn’t possess the commanding presence of a king, the charisma of a celebrity, or the royal bearing of someone the world would follow for superficial reasons.

When artists paint Jesus, they often portray Him as striking, calm, and attractive—but that isn’t what Scripture says. Jesus came wrapped in ordinariness. The hands that shaped galaxies became the calloused hands of a carpenter. The voice that spoke stars into existence spoke in the plain dialect of a Galilean village. His beauty was hidden on purpose. If the world loved Him, it would be because of who He was, not how He looked.

This unimpressive appearance reminds us that God’s greatest works often come disguised in simplicity. Our world prizes charm, polish, and presentation, but God hides glory in the ordinary. Just as a peasant king in disguise learned what his people truly thought of him, Jesus took on humility so that people’s faith would rest in His character—not His appearance.

2. The Unseen Glory Beneath the Scars

Isaiah continues: “He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:3). Most who saw Jesus only saw the surface. They saw His body, His miracles, His daily interactions—but they missed the majesty beneath His suffering.

Many followed Him for bread, not for truth. Others saw His wounds but not His worth. His scars held a glory hidden from unbelieving eyes. The world saw a broken, rejected man—yet Heaven saw the Lamb of God carrying salvation on His shoulders.

Like the cracked water pot in the parable, Jesus’ outward weakness became the means of bringing beauty to others. Through His sorrow, we receive joy. Through His rejection, we have acceptance. Through His wounds, we find healing. What seemed unimpressive on the outside contained eternal glory on the inside.

3. Don’t Let Outward Appearance Define Inward Worth

One key truth from this passage is clear: we must not judge worth by appearance. Humans look on the outside—talent, confidence, attractiveness, ability. But God values the heart.

Samuel learned this when he stood before the tall, impressive Eliab and thought, “Surely this is the Lord’s anointed.” But God corrected him: “Man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).

God hides His power in ordinary vessels so that He receives the glory. You may feel plain, broken, or inadequate—but God delights to use exactly those people. He hid His glory in a manger before He hid it in a carpenter. He still hides His power in ordinary saints today—people who feel weak, overlooked, or unimpressive. In God’s hands, weakness becomes a platform for His glory.

4. The Beauty of Humility Outshines Outward Success

Isaiah tells us Jesus had “no beauty,” yet every believer knows He is infinitely beautiful. Why? Because the beauty of humility outshines all outward success.

We call Him beautiful because His humility brought us salvation. Because His obedience rescued our souls. Because the power of His love transformed our lives, our families, and our eternities.

Look around any church and you’ll see the beauty of Christ everywhere—redeemed lives, restored families, delivered hearts, forgiven sinners. The world may not see beauty in humility, sacrifice, or obedience, but God does. And Jesus’ humility shines brighter than any human achievement.

Reflection Question

Are you looking at Christ—and at others—the way the world looks, or the way God looks? What hidden beauty might God be inviting you to recognize today?

Sermon Series

My Help - Psalm 121

When we think of the word help, most people picture something immediate and visible—a friend stepping in during a crisis, a doctor offering treatment, or a system that promises support. We look for help in people, in programs, in plans, and in our own abilities. Yet for all our searching, human help can only reach so far. It is limited, temporary, and often unreliable.

But Psalm 121 pulls back a different curtain. It shows us a kind of help the world cannot provide—the unfailing help of the Lord. The psalmist lifts his eyes toward the hills, not because the mountains themselves can rescue him, but because they remind him of the One who formed them. He writes, “My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth” (Psalm 121:2). That single sentence redirects the heart away from earthly sources and toward the God whose power, presence, and protection never change. The psalm doesn’t just teach us where our help comes from—it teaches us who our Helper is.

Like a traveler scanning the horizon for danger, the psalmist looks outward—but finds his confidence upward. His help is not found in creation, but in the Creator. His stability is not found in strong hills, but in a strong God. His safety is not in what he sees, but in the One who sees him.

1. The Creator Who Is Our Helper

Psalm 121 begins with an upward look: “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills.” Hills and mountains in Scripture often symbolize strength, majesty, and permanence. Standing before them can make a person feel small, weak, or vulnerable. But the psalmist does not place his hope in the mountains—he places it in the Maker of the mountains.

“My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.”
The same God who spoke galaxies into existence is the One who steps into the details of our daily lives. The God who shaped oceans holds your heart steady. The Lord who directs the stars directs your steps. His help is not limited by circumstance, resources, or timing. The Creator is your Helper—and that changes everything.

Just as a child finds courage not in the size of a room but in the presence of a parent, we find help not in the size of our challenges but in the greatness of our God. Creation reminds us of His power, but only the Creator can provide the help we truly need.

2. The Keeper Who Never Sleeps

The psalmist continues by revealing something astonishing about God’s care:
“He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber” (Psalm 121:3).

Human help is always limited by human weakness. Even the most faithful friend eventually becomes tired. Even the strongest guardian must close his eyes. But the Lord—your Keeper—never sleeps, never drifts, never turns away. He guards your steps with unbroken attention. He watches when you are awake and when you are unaware. Nothing surprises Him. Nothing shakes Him.

While you rest, He remains alert. While you weaken, He remains strong.
His sleepless care means you never walk alone—not in your fear, your confusion, your grief, or your uncertainty.

Like a watchman stationed on the wall through every hour of the night, God stands guard over your life. Because He does not sleep, you can.

3. The Protector Who Covers Every Season

The psalmist paints a beautiful picture of God’s protective presence:
“The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand” (Psalm 121:5).

Shade in Scripture represents relief, protection, and nearness. To be someone’s shade means to stand close enough to shield them. God doesn’t protect from a distance—He protects up close. He stands beside you in the heat of the day and in the darkness of the night. The psalm continues:

“The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night” (v. 6).

Day and night symbolize the full range of life’s experiences—the things you see coming and the things you never expected. God is present in both. He guards your steps in the brightness of success and in the shadows of struggle. The dangers you recognize and the ones you never notice are both under His watchful care.

Like a shelter in a storm or a fortress in a battlefield, He covers you with His strength. His protection is complete, constant, and compassionate.

4. The Preserver Who Watches Every Step

The psalm closes with one of the most comforting promises in Scripture:

“The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore” (Psalm 121:8).

Your entire journey—every departure, every arrival, every joy, every burden—is under God’s preserving hand. He watches over you when you step into new seasons and when you return to familiar places. He guards you in every chapter, every transition, every uncertainty.

Human help can support you temporarily, but only God can preserve you eternally.
His protection does not end at the boundary of your ability or the edge of your understanding. From this moment—and every moment afterward—His help remains faithful.

The God who helps you today is the same God who will help you tomorrow, next year, and for all eternity.

Reflection Question

Where are you looking for help today—and what might change in your heart, your decisions, or your peace if you lifted your eyes to the Lord instead of the hills?

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About Pastor JD Howell

Pastor J.D. Howell is a faithful and passionate servant of God whose heart beats for preaching the truth of God’s Word and shepherding God’s people with love and integrity.

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About Pastor JD Howell

Pastor J.D. Howell is a faithful and passionate servant of God whose heart beats for preaching the truth of God’s Word and shepherding God’s people with love and integrity.

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About Pastor JD Howell

Pastor J.D. Howell is a faithful and passionate servant of God whose heart beats for preaching the truth of God’s Word and shepherding God’s people with love and integrity.

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Subscribe now to get timely updates and in-depth insights designed to keep you in touch with First Baptist Church.

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First Baptist Church of Bridgeport | All Rights Reserved