The Vertical Life

The Vertical Life

1 Peter 2:20-21 * We are called to look like Jesus. * To look like Jesus is to suffer like Jesus. Luke 22:42; Luke 23:46 * Jesus suffered vertically, unto the Father. Hebrews 12:2 * Jesus reached horizontally, for the joy of salvation ahead. Historical Context * On the cross, behind Jesus was the life that He lived. * Jesus died to what was behind Him, that it may live eternally in the power of His resurrection. Philippians 3:13-14 * Everything unto God, dead to what's behind, reaching for what's ahead. Amen.

The Cross

THE CROSS Good Friday, 2025 Opening reading: * An excerpt from Birthright by Timothy Alberino. * Isaiah 52:13–15 and Isaiah 53. Isaiah 53 is Jesus. And it breaks the Father’s heart that His chosen people would reject Him. But in their rejection, prophecy is fulfilled: the Father’s heart is broken through the Son — Jesus. The Need for Redemption The Father wanted to reveal Himself, and there was no other way but through humanity. * God’s redemptive nature couldn’t be displayed through angels, so He created us. * 1 Peter 1:12 — angels long to look into the gospel. * Only redeemed humans can know Him as Savior. * We were made to be in love with God and be with Him where He is (John 17:24). We were called to be in love, destined to be with God, and it was for the glory of God that our sin became the chasm between the two — that He might bridge it with His own heart. * Only His heart could bridge us from calling to destiny. * Romans 11:32 — He consigned all to disobedience so He could show mercy to all. * In Exodus 12, the lamb was roasted over fire — Jesus on a tree, suspended over hell, bridging us to Heaven. The Heart of the Father God created us as a people that would break His heart, because His broken heart is the only way His redemptive nature could be displayed. * Jesus is the Heart of the Father, sent to earth to be broken and reveal the Father. (John 1:18) * He is our Redeemer, the sacrificial Lamb. Jesus, Heart of the Father, desired nothing more than for us to be with Him where He is. * Read Luke 4:16–30 * Jesus announces Himself as Messiah. * His own people try to kill Him by throwing Him off a cliff. * But something stops them — Scripture doesn’t say what. * Instead of walking away, Jesus walks through them — a final act of love. * These were people He grew up with. This is the Father saying goodbye… for eternity. Jesus, Crushed by Calling Jesus was crushed by the weight of His calling long before Gethsemane. * Isaiah 53:3 — a Man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. * Isaiah 53:5 — crushed for our iniquities. * Imagine 8-year-old Jesus reading Isaiah 53, knowing it was about Him. Even as a child, Jesus never ran from the crushing — He never ran from His destiny. * Read Luke 2:39–47 * At 12 years old, in Jerusalem for Passover — the feast that would one day mark His death. * He was questioning the Pharisees — not yet teaching, but drawing things out of them. * He was missing for three days and found in the Temple. * A prophetic picture of Matthew 7:7: * They asked where He was (v43) * They sought Him through the city (v44) * They found Him in the Father’s house (v45) Even Jesus was hidden. * For 20 years, we have no record of His life — the Messiah lived in obscurity. * He wasn’t just standing on the promise — He was the promise. * And when He finally revealed Himself, He was rejected. The Proposal at the Cross In Jewish culture, a proposal (betrothal) was a legal covenant — and that’s what the cross was. * Hosea 2:16 — “You will call Me Husband, not Master.” * Hosea 2:19–20 — “I will betroth you to Me forever… in faithfulness.” The cross is the Father’s heart on a stake, asking, “Will you marry Me?” * He placed His Son — His heart — before the world and said: “This is My Son. Will you be His Bride?” * The cross wasn’t just sacrifice — it was proposal. * The Lamb wasn’t just atonement — He was a vow. * Romans 7:4 — “You have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another… to Him who was raised from the dead.” Closing As we move into worship, we respond to Jesus — our Bridegroom — who gave everything for love. We’re invited tonight into deeper intimacy with Him.

The Blood & the Table

THE BLOOD THAT MARKS US (Exodus 12:1–13) A. God Initiates a New Beginning (v1–6) • God marks a new beginning for Israel: “This month shall be the beginning.” • Every household takes a lamb—deliverance is communal, not just individual. • The lamb must be spotless, foreshadowing Jesus, the perfect Lamb. • Slaughter at twilight (“between the evenings”)—the same hour Jesus died. B. The Blood Saves and the Table Nourishes (v7–11) • Blood on the doorposts = judgment passes over. • Cross foreshadowed in the lintel and side posts—forming a cross. • Hyssop used to apply blood—same as at Jesus’ crucifixion. • They were called to eat the lamb—symbolic of full participation in Jesus (John 6:54). • Unleavened bread = holiness and urgency. • Belt fastened, sandals on = readiness to move when God moves. C. Judgment Passes Over the Marked (v12–20) • Judgment came on Egypt, but the blood shielded Israel. • It wasn’t their merit—it was the blood that saved them. • Leaven as a symbol of sin: even a little can ruin the whole. • God’s command to eat in haste = urgency in our own obedience. ⸻ 2. THE TABLE THAT INVITES US (Luke 22:7–23) A. A Prepared Place (v7–13) • Jesus sends the disciples to follow a man carrying water—an act of humility. • The host had a room ready—he was standing on a word from Jesus. B. A Desired Meal (v14–20) • Jesus says: “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you.” • The Last Supper fulfills the Exodus 12 foreshadow: • Bread = His body. • Cup = His blood. • Jesus is the eternal Passover Lamb. C. An Undeserved Invitation (v21–24) • Judas is identified—but Jesus still offers him the bread and wine. • Disciples argue over greatness—yet Jesus doesn’t revoke their place at the table. • The blood covers chaos and keeps them at the table. • We don’t qualify ourselves to be at the table—He does. ⸻ 3. THE KINGDOM THAT COMMISSIONS US (Luke 22:25–30) A. Called to Humility (v25–27) • Greatness in the kingdom = servanthood. • Jesus redefines leadership—He’s the one serving at the table. B. Promised a Kingdom (v28–30) • Despite their mess, Jesus affirms their calling and inheritance. • They are still assigned a kingdom—they will sit on thrones. ⸻ CLOSING: You Are Invited: • Apply the blood—step into forgiveness and covering. • Come to the table—feast on the fullness of Jesus. • Live ready—sanctified, humble, and set apart for His return. “The Blood is how you get to the table. The Blood is how you stay at the table.”

Abundance & Surrender

Intimacy, Purity, and Obedience: The Path to Abundant Life “A life with Me is the only one worth living.” (John 10:7–10, John 17:3) * Abundance = knowing Jesus, not material or circumstantial ease. * Abundance flows through you, not to you. * Many live in counterfeit abundance rooted in unhealed wounds. Capacity for Abundance * We are vessels; what we carry determines what God can pour in. * Luke 16:10, Matt. 13:12 – Be faithful with little to be entrusted with more. * Purification expands capacity. “Come to Me in purity.” (Hebrews 12:14, Isaiah 6:1–5) * Isaiah was already anointed, yet undone in God’s presence. * God reveals Himself in ways that expose what must die for us to grow. * Purity = willingness to be undone, not perfection. “Enter by the narrow gate.” (Matthew 7:13–14) * You don’t choose the gate, the path, or the cost—God does. * Obedience is greater than sacrifice (1 Samuel 15:22–23). * Obedience is God’s love language—our highest calling is to love Him. “Declutter your mind and you’ll hear Me clearly.” (Col. 3:1–7, James 3:17, 1 Kings 19) * God’s voice is pure and gentle—heard in stillness and surrender. * Psalm 46:10 – Stillness precedes encounter. * 2 Cor. 10:5 – Take every thought captive; violently destroy opposition in the mind. * Matthew 6:6 – Protect sacred space for intimacy. “The areas where you don’t hear Me are the areas where you don’t trust Me.” (1 Cor. 6:19, 2 Tim. 2:20–21, Malachi 3:1–4) * You are God’s house, but He only inhabits what you yield. * Yielding brings fire—purifying fire. * Revelation helps us stay in the fire and trust His process. Vision: “Some of you think you’re talking to Me, but I don’t hear you.” • Vision of someone speaking joyfully to an empty room. • God said: “I’m an accessory to their plan.” • But when we surrender the blueprint, He fills the room with life. • The narrow gate leads to His design, His abundance.