Join us for a powerful message that delves into the essence of crucifying temporary suffering to attain imperishable glory. Emphasizing the importance of self-discipline for the greater purpose of guiding others. Gain insights into facing life’s challenges, embracing suffering, and finding strength in seeking God’s kingdom first. Learn to crucify your temporary struggles, trusting in the promise of a new, glorified body and eternal life.

“Two Words for the New Year: Muddy Water”

In the heart of the story of Naaman, a commander afflicted with leprosy, lies a profound metaphor for our spiritual journey. This narrative is more than a biblical tale; it’s a reflection of our own struggles and the path to receiving what we seek from God. Naaman, a man of stature and pride, initially balked at the prophet Elisha’s simple solution to wash in the Jordan River. His reluctance echoes our own hesitance to obey God.

Naaman’s story is a reminder that true healing and transformation often come through simple acts of faith and obedience, much like the act of immersing in the muddy waters of the Jordan. In our lives, we encounter our versions of ‘muddy water’ – those unassuming opportunities for growth and renewal that we often overlook or undervalue.

Just as Naaman had to shed his pride and follow Elisha’s instructions, we too are called to let go of our preconceived notions and ego. It’s in these acts of surrender that we often find the most profound growth. The muddy waters symbolize not just a physical action, but a spiritual stance of humility and trust in God’s plan.

The story of Naaman also teaches us about obedience. In today’s world, where autonomy and self-direction are highly valued, the idea of obedience can seem outdated or restrictive. Obedience in faith is liberating.

As we navigate the challenges and opportunities of this new year, Pastor Ben’s message is clear: seek and embrace your ‘muddy water.’ It may come in the form of a challenging task, a call to serve, a moment of introspection, or a step towards reconciliation. These moments, however humble or daunting, are where true growth and transformation lie.

Today we are finishing up our series called “Unwrapped.” What a perfect name for a series at Christmas right? We learned about a few of the gifts that God has provided for us as His children and followers. So the first gift was the gift of justification, which was really the gift of peace with God. We talked about the gift of redemption, which brings us joy, the joy of salvation. And then last week we talked about the gift of sanctification, which is really the gift of love as we are molded in the image of the one who loves us.

Now, let’s discuss some gifts that WE can give to God. Let’s look at Luke 2:10-14 which says, “And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” Something very important to mention here is that the angel of the Lord did not go to the wise men or to the King or to the prominent or even the religious people here. God sent His messenger to shepherds who took care of sheep. They were stinky, poor and maybe even uneducated. Why? This was no more an accident than Jesus being born in a barn. God wanted it to be abundantly clear to all that He works with and through anyone and anything.

These shepherds first went and spread the news and then they worshipped Jesus. They had no fancy clothes or gifts, probably not even a bath. What could they give? They gave their service by spreading the news and their worship was their gift. We should never compare ourselves to anyone when it comes to what we can do for God.

God had given these shepherds the gifts of humility, obedience, the ability to worship and the gift of being present. These men were considered some of the lowest in the community, there was nothing sophisticated or fancy about them. If God had wanted fan fare for baby Jesus, He could have had Him born a real prince in a real palace. He would have been trained to be king. This is not God’s way. God is ALL about the heart and the ones with humble hearts were the guys hanging out with sheep for a living. They were able to recognize the miracle and to worship. They were obedient in that they spread the word. They were present enough to see with their hearts what was going on. Their spirits were tender enough to understand that this was no ordinary baby. What an awesome lesson for us as well. Do we really see what God is doing in our lives? Are we present enough to hear Him speak?

So, we have been talking about the birth of Jesus and so let’s discuss the three gifts that the wise men brought as well. The Bible says that the brought gold, frankincense and myrrh. Gold is of course a precious metal that can represent wealth. God looks at us and values us far beyond any precious metal. Gold is also tested by fire and what come out is beautiful. Our faith is also tested by the fire of trials and testing. When the testing is over what should be left should be beautiful before the Lord. Frankincense was used as an aroma that was burned for a pleasing fragrance. In the Old Testament it would be burned with the sacrifices which brought people closer to the presence of God. We don’t use frankincense anymore, but our worship is a sweet aroma to the Lord.

Myrrh was used as a healing oil when someone had a wound. It was also used as an anointing oil in burial. In fact John used Myrrh when burying Jesus. We can share Jesus with the lost and introduce Him as a healing oil to the wounded and dying world.

The thing about gifts when it comes to our Heavenly Father is that He accepts them all. Jesus came to the tax collectors, the prostitutes and those rejected by society. Why is that? They were hungry for Him! They gave what they had and Jesus accepted it all.

Let us not forget that God is not impressed with your wealth, titles or accomplishments. He is most impressed by your hungry hearts and your gifts of humility, obedience and worship! This is great news for us all!! We don’t need to waste time trying to impress God, we need only give the best from our hearts!

Today, we wrap up our series called “Unwrapped” with one more word that you may have heard before. We have looked at justification and redemption and today we will look at sanctification. To summarize what we have learned, justification is the act of being made righteous through the atoning blood of Jesus. We are in fact sinners, but because Jesus died on the cross, God no longer sees our sin, but He sees us as righteous. Redemption comes from Jesus dying on the cross to save us from our sin. This was God’s amazing plan to save us from an eternity in hell.

What is sanctification? It means to be set aside for a sacred purpose. A great example of being set aside is when your grandma or mom tells the family that the “good china or silver” is never to be touched except for special occasions. Why? It was because the owner wanted these items to be special and protected. You don’t throw a hot dog down on your special china! No, you use a paper plate or your every day dishes for that. The china is for holidays and very special occasions.

I know these words can be confusing at first, but they are different and here is how. Justification happens immediately from the moment a person accepts Jesus Christ as their lord and Savior. Sanctification, however is a process that lasts a lifetime. It is a daily decision to live differently than everyone, sometimes a moment to moment process. If you think about it, it makes since that if we live in this messed up world we as Christ followers will have to make conscious decisions to be set apart. To put it bluntly, if at work or school no one knows we are disciples of Christ, we are probably not walking in sanctification.

Now, we all know that when you plant a fruit tree, it takes a process for that tree to bear fruit. As far as I know, no one has ever planted an apple tree and picked apples the next morning. It takes time and it’s the same with sanctification. Certainly if you have lived any amount of time as an unbeliever in this world it’s going to be a process of growth to live set apart and for God’s purposes.

1 Thessalonians 4:3 says, “It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality.” So how does this process work? 1 Peter 2:1-3 says, “So put aside every trace of malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander and hateful speech; like newborn babies [you should] long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may be nurtured and grow in respect to salvation [its ultimate fulfillment], if in fact you have [already] tasted the goodness and gracious kindness of the Lord.” The number one way to transition from milk to meat spiritually is to dive into the Word of God. When you are newly saved it is common and expected that you are going to depend on your pastor, books, podcasts etc. to learn about your new found faith. However, at some point you will need to read and meditate on God’s word for yourself…while continuing these other ways as well.

We know that we as Christians are called the Bride of Christ. Have you ever met someone who is getting married and they discover their future spouse is in love with someone else? If so, were they happy about it? That would be a massive NO!! It’s the same with God. He does not want to share us with the world, instead He wants us to be set apart for Him and Him alone.

Here is a great thing to look at this week. If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, what things do you have in your life to remind you that you are set apart? Do you take a stand for righteousness? I don’t mean throwing coffee table sized Bibles at people either. I mean do you carry yourself in such a way that folks can tell you are different. Do you walk away from the dirty jokes at work? Do you say no thank you to the dirty movie that everyone wants you to go and see? Don’t misunderstand me, we ALL have struggled with something and we have all missed opportunities to demonstrate the fact that we are sanctified. However, it is never too late, not until you draw your last breath. This is a great day to take stock of the places that we need to submit to God and allow Him to sanctify us and set us apart from this world.

Grasp the profound truth that, in spite of our imperfections, we’ve received an extraordinary gift – Redemption! He, in His boundless mercy, has rescued us! Through the transformative power of His sacrifice, we’ve been liberated from the shackles of sin!

Revelation Frisco is a Spirit-filled, diverse, non-denominational church family located in Frisco, TX. Led by Pastor Ben Sanders, we envision a church that is vibrantly alive with true worship of Jesus Christ. Visit us online at http://rev.church.

Today we are going to look at our new series titled “Unwrapped.” We are just a few weeks away from Christmas, and I know everyone loves a great present to unwrap. However, these presents are temporary no matter how well they are made. Let’s dive into something that is extremely valuable and eternal!

Wherever you are on your personal journey, whether you are a non-believer, new believer or veteran in the faith, there is a gift that once unwrapped only needs receiving. This gift is called justification. Sounds important doesn’t it? Well, it is and you will see why. I think we can all agree that just because we accept Jesus, it does not mean that we instantly understand all that there is to know about Him.

Look at the thief on the cross who was one of two criminals who were crucified along with Jesus. He was very aware of his crimes and knew he deserved to die. However, he saw Jesus suffering on the cross and knew that He was innocent and that this man and His teachings should be loved and followed. He didn’t have time to get saved, attend church for years or even be baptized. That being said, he cried out for Jesus to allow him to follow Him wherever He was going. Through scripture we know that Jesus told him that he would join Jesus in Paradise.

The other thief on the other side of Jesus mocked Him and criticized Him for not calling on angles to deliver them. What was the main difference between these two criminals? A repentant heart! That is all it took for Jesus to show mercy. After all, the entire reason Jesus was on that cross was for sinners.

There is certainly not enough time or space here to totally unpack justification, but we will look at some of Paul’s writings on the matter. Ephesians 2:8 says, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.” Praise God forevermore for the grace that has been made available to us.

Romans 4:2 says, “If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God.” God made it so that we are justified by Him, not anything we can do. It’s human nature to try and boast about something, but not grace, that can’t be earned or accomplished on our own. Grace is an amazing free gift from God our Father. However, God does require us to make a move towards Him by repenting. In this way we don’t earn it, but we accept it.

Romans 8:33 says, “Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies.” I don’t know about you, but that verse makes me want to shout a bit! This tiny verse says so much! We see the reality in the fact that as we have mentioned before, God chooses each of us! He wants us all and He provided a way for that to be possible when we turn from our wicked ways and accept the grace and forgiveness provided by the cross! It also speaks to the fact that no matter who your accusers are on this earth, God has the final say because only he justifies us.

It can be confusing sometimes when we read scripture that says that it’s not by our works that we are saved, yet read other verses that talk about faith without works is dead. A simple illustration to help with this is with the sun. You feel the heat and see the light coming from the sun. It’s the same with faith. We receive the free gift of salvation from God and then it’s out of that relationship that we perform works FOR God.

One more scripture for today found in II Corinthians 5:19 says, “that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.” Once more we see a loving Father that made a way for His creations to come back to Him. When He looks at us, He literally sees righteous children instead of sinners. This is the case for all that receives Him.

We should all take a moment and give praise for what God has done for us, in us and through us. He knows that we will still undoubtedly sin, but He has made a way for our forgiveness and we are justified before Him. Let’s also remember this when dealing with difficult people in our lives as well. Not only are we justified, but your brothers and sisters in Christ are as well.

Discover the ultimate answer to life’s deepest questions in the finale of our ‘Clear View of Heaven’ series, where we reveal that Jesus is the key to every fear, need, and situation. From Old Testament prophecies to New Testament teachings, and looking forward to eternity, we explore how Jesus’ presence weaves through every aspect of our spiritual journey. As we uncover how Jesus embodies the way, the truth, and the life, we invite viewers to see life through the lens of His love and teachings. This isn’t just another sermon; it’s a transformative experience, drawing us closer to the essence of our faith and the promise of eternal life with Christ. Let us align our hearts and minds with the ultimate source of all answers – Jesus Himself.

Revelation Frisco is a Spirit-filled, diverse, non-denominational church family located in Frisco, TX. Led by Pastor Ben Sanders, we envision a church that is vibrantly alive with true worship of Jesus Christ. Visit us online at http://rev.church.

Step into a deeper understanding of Communion – also called The Eucharist – in this message from the ‘Clear View of Heaven’ series. From the manna and water in the wilderness to Jesus’ declaration as the bread of life, we will explore how these Old Testament miracles symbolize Jesus’ work, leading us to understanding the role of the Lord’s Supper in uniting and sustaining us spiritually. Whether you’re seeking to deepen your faith or understand the essence of this sacred practice, join us in discovering how Communion connects us to Jesus’ sacrifice and anticipates His return, strengthening us for our spiritual journey.

One very common conversation concerning salvation and your walk with God involves faith versus works. Are we simply saved by grace or are we saved by faith? We’re going to look at the fact that it is both according to Ephesians 2:8-9. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast.” It’s a partnership if you will because you have the faith to accept Him through the grace of God.

Another very important point we need to grasp is that faith and obedience are two sides of the same coin. Obedience is a byproduct of faith in Christ. We learned a few weeks back about repentance and that means not only asking forgiveness, but also allowing God to change you. All of us sin, but God made a way for us to repent and move away from sin.

Did you ever stop and think about the fact that none of us would be saved unless God looked down at you and said, “I want you to be saved!” He has done that for us all according to II Peter 3:9 which says, “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” What exciting news that is! God doesn’t close His eyes and blindly point to who He wants! He wants us all!!

If you remember Abraham in the Old Testament, he was asked by God to move away from his homeland. He was told to take his entire family and all of his possessions and to go. Imagine how terrifying it would be? He, however, obeyed and that’s because God gave him the grace to have the faith that God would fulfill His promises to him. James 2:23 states, “and the scripture was fulfilled which saith, And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned unto him for righteousness; and he was called the friend of God.” Picture another coin that has grace on one side and the spirit on the other. In the Bible, God actually calls the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Grace.

Now, we will switch gears and talk about a story in the Old Testament in Genesis chapter 11. The story of the Tower of Babel is all about the people coming together to create a massive and tall tower. God didn’t like this because He wanted the Israelites to disperse all around the world and create nations for Him. When He saw what these people could do anything by working together, He knew that nothing could stop them. He caused all the languages to change so that everyone had to join groups of people that spoke their own language. So here we see that language was used to separate.

Over in Exodus 19 we have the story of Moses on Mount Sinai and the people who gathered to hear what God had spoken to Moses. This is when God gave Moses the Law and the plans for building the tabernacle. The scriptures say that as the people gathered around the base of the mountain there was smoke from fire and thunder. Thunder here means voices. Imagine standing at the foot of this mountain encompassed in smoke, thunderous voices and the sound of a trumpet. I don’t know about you, but it would have my full attention!

We’re about to bring all of this together, but first lets jump ahead to Acts 2:2-4, “Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” Sounds familiar right? This sounds like the Tower of Babel.

So first God used language to separate people, but here He takes language and brings all the world together. God sends down fire in the form of the Holy Spirit and God has a big rushing wind. God goes from writing His laws on stone tablets to writing His laws in the hearts of men.

Just as in the day of Pentecost, with the disciples, when we receive the Holy Spirit it causes us to do the work of the Lord. We began to do things that He is given us the strength and wisdom to do. The Holy Spirit can fill our hearts with joy and hope for an eternity with God.

If this is some thing that you have never done, all you have to do is pray, repent of your sins and for living your own way. Invite Jesus into your heart and ask for the Holy Spirit to guide you. You can begin to experience a touch of Heaven on earth and a vision of what’s to come.

We continue our series called “A Clear View of Heaven” in order to help us see what lies ahead for believers in Christ. We want to again see that there are things in our life now that the Bible spoke about and that there are things we live today that point to what is coming. It’s important to know what lies ahead in order to live our lives in such a way that we receive God’s promises for His children.

We will look again at the story in Exodus that describes just that…the Exodus of the Israelites from the land of Egypt. After the very last plague which was the death of the firstborn children, Pharaoh was furious! Remember, God provided protection for the Israelites as long as they put the blood of a lamb on their doorposts. The death Angel passed over them and their children were safe, but all the firstborn Egyptians were killed. Pharaoh told Moses to take his people and go.

The Israelites had been instructed to be ready to go and they were. However, Pharaoh quickly realized he had just freed ALL of his slaves and that they no longer had workers. Pharaoh gathered a small army and chased after them. Moses and his people were surrounded by mountains on each side, the angel of God in the form of a cloud in the front and the Egyptian soldiers from behind. God performed a miracle and split the sea so they walked on dry land, but released the sea in time to kill the soldiers.

In this story, the cloud that was in front was the manifest spirit of God. How powerful would that have been?! In the story the cloud moved from in front of them, to over them to behind them. Essentially, the Israelites went through the cloud before going through the sea. The sea represented their freedom because everything they once were had been washed away. The slave owners were dead and they were no longer runaway slaves. Their identity went from that of slaves to an entire nation.

Now we move to the Old Testament and the story of Nicodemus. He was a Pharisee which meant he was a very religious man who was quite proud of his understanding of the Mosaic laws. He witnessed regular people getting baptized and miracles and could not understand. He spoke with Jesus about it and asked Him to explain these things. In John 3:5 “Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.” Here we see that not only is trusting and accepting Jesus crucial, water baptism is as well.

When we repent and turn our back on our old ways, it leads us to the waters of baptism. Baptism does absolutely nothing if you have not repented and given your life to Jesus. There is nothing magical about the water, but there is certainly something supernatural about it! It represents the remission of sin or the forgiveness of sin.

In another section of scripture in Acts 2:37-38 we see Peter on the day of Pentecost preaching to the Jews. He explained that this Jesus that they crucified was in fact the Messiah and that He indeed died, but was resurrected and ascended into Heaven. “When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”

Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” This was a powerful moment because this was the start of the church! It says that 3000 people accepted his message and were baptized that day.

The other amazing thing about baptism is that you have a change in family identity because you take on the identity of Jesus. What a powerful combination…accepting Jesus and being forgiven of our sins and then baptism into the family of God.

When we accept Jesus and decide to live for Him, the natural progression should be to show the world that we belong to Him through baptism in water. Please take some time to study these examples from the Word of God. If you haven’t been water baptized talk to your pastor or find a church that can help you take the next step in your spiritual journey of obedience to the Lord.