Even if Not

Sin, Death, and Christ's Misison

Jesus did not come merely to give us a “not-guilty badge” or a ticket out of hell. He came to conquer death and fill us with resurrection life. In Matthew 9:18–26, Jesus raises a dead girl and restores a woman who had suffered for twelve years. These intertwined miracles give us a snapshot of the Kingdom of Heaven: death gives way to life, suffering gives way to healing, and isolation gives way to restored community. Because Jesus has defeated sin and death, we have life to hold onto—and life to share. We are invited both to receive healing through the body of Christ and to carry the life of Jesus into places still marked by death, suffering, division, and despair.

His Life Applied

What if the good news of Jesus is even better than forgiveness? In this message from Matthew 9:1–8, Pastor Nick explores the deeper, cosmic problem Jesus came to overcome: humanity’s bondage to sin, death, and the powers of darkness. Through his death and resurrection, Jesus does more than change our legal status. He cleanses creation from death, reconciles us to God, and fills his people with the Spirit of resurrection life. We are not merely forgiven people waiting for heaven. We are the living presence of Christ in the world, called to walk in his victory and become agents of life, healing, and reconciliation.

Jesus Says Your Forgiveness Goes

In Matthew 9:1–17, Jesus heals a paralytic, calls Matthew from the tax booth, eats with tax collectors and sinners, describes himself as the Physician for the sick, and teaches that new wine needs new wineskins. This message from our Bear With Me — Round 2 series focuses on one simple truth: What Jesus says goes. Jesus is Lord over the storm. Jesus is Lord over the powers. And Jesus is Lord over sin. So when Jesus says, “Take heart, your sins are forgiven,” that word is true. You are not defined by shame, fear, failure, or performance. You are forgiven, free, adopted, and loved in Christ. And... a forgiven life needs new wineskins. We cannot keep pouring the new wine of Jesus’ mercy into old patterns of shame, duty, fear, hiding, and judgment. Jesus invites us to live a new kind of life shaped by conviction, joy, hope, mercy, honesty, and healing. https://www.graceventura.org/ [https://www.graceventura.org/]

The Powers of Death and the Life of Christ

In Matthew 8:28–34, Jesus crosses the sea and steps into a place marked by death: two demonized men living among the tombs, cut off from community, violent, isolated, and enslaved by the powers of darkness. But when Life Himself enters the scene, death does not get the final word. In this message from our Bear With Me — Round 2 series, Pastor Nick explores how this strange story of demons, pigs, tombs, and waters reveals the larger biblical struggle between life and death. The powers of darkness promise life, freedom, control, and relief — but they always lead toward death. Jesus, on the other hand, calls us to surrender, but only because his way leads to resurrection life. The question is not merely whether Jesus has authority over the forces of death. The question is: do we want his life-giving authority in us? Where is Jesus inviting you to choose people over pigs? Where is Jesus inviting you to receive life through surrender? Because Jesus is not trying to take life from us. Jesus is Life.

Even if Not

What do we do when Jesus seems asleep in the storm? In this message from Matthew 8:23–27, we look at the story of Jesus calming the storm and the kind of faith that can say, “God can deliver me… and even if not, I will trust Him.” The disciples cried out, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” And in that moment, they had not yet fully realized who was in the boat with them. Jesus was not only able to stop the storm. He was the Creator in the boat — the Lord of creation, the Lord of life, and the Lord over death itself. This message invites us to practice “even if not” faith: trusting that Jesus can calm the storm, while also knowing that even if the worst-case scenario comes, nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Because of the death and resurrection of Jesus, even a sunk ship is not the end of our story. This sermon also begins Bear With Me: Round 2, where we are learning that Jesus bears with us as Lord while we learn to live in the restored reality of His Kingdom. For more background on where we are in Matthew and how this section fits into the larger series, you can view the study guide here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rf6WFLHyHoDOfT4KyF0qUUb1gHRtuC9_/view?usp=drive_link [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rf6WFLHyHoDOfT4KyF0qUUb1gHRtuC9_/view?usp=drive_link]