Seeing God’s True Face
Sunday Rewind is a 5-day Devotional based on the weekly sermon at Resonate Community Church
Sunday Rewind is a 5-day Devotional based on the weekly sermon at Resonate Community Church
May 10th Sermon, Day 3
Have you ever wondered what God is really like? Is He angry, distant, or disappointed with humanity? Jesus answers these questions definitively. When we look at Jesus, we see God's true character displayed in living color.
In the Old Testament, the tabernacle could never show God's smile or reveal His compassionate tears. It couldn't demonstrate His gentle touch or His patient teaching. But Jesus could and did.
When Jesus welcomed children, that's what God is like. When He wept at Lazarus's tomb, that's God's heart breaking with ours. When He forgave the woman caught in adultery, that's God's grace in action. When He healed the sick and fed the hungry, that's God's compassion made visible. Every act of kindness, every word of comfort, every moment of grace we see in Jesus is a window into the Father's heart. This isn't just theological theory - it's personal revelation. The God of the universe has a face, and it's the face of Jesus, full of love, mercy, and endless grace toward you.
Bible Verse
"No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known." - John 1:18
Reflection Question
When you think about God, do you see Him through the lens of Jesus's compassion and grace, or through other influences that might distort His true character?
Quote
If you want to know what God looks like, look at Jesus. When Jesus welcomes the broken, that's what God is like. When Jesus weeps at the tomb of his friend Lazarus, well, that's what God is like.
Prayer
Father, help me see You clearly through Jesus. Replace any false images I have of You with the truth of Your loving character revealed in Christ.
God In Flesh and Blood
Sunday Rewind is a 5-day Devotional based on the weekly sermon at Resonate Community Church
Sunday Rewind is a 5-day Devotional based on the weekly sermon at Resonate Community Church
May 10th Sermon, Day 2
Something incredible happened when Jesus came to earth - God didn't just visit humanity, He moved in permanently. When John wrote that Jesus "made his dwelling among us," he used a word that literally means "tabernacled." This wasn't coincidental language; it was a profound declaration. The same God who once met with Moses in a tent (tabernacle) was now walking dusty roads in sandals, sharing meals with tax collectors, and touching lepers with healing hands.
What makes this so remarkable? For the first time in history, people could see God's face, hear His laughter, and witness His tears. The invisible became visible, the untouchable became approachable. Jesus didn't come as a distant ruler issuing commands from a throne room. He came as Emmanuel - God with us - experiencing hunger, fatigue, joy, and sorrow alongside humanity. This changes everything about how we understand God's heart toward us.
Bible Verse
"The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." - John 1:14
Reflection Question
How does knowing that God chose to experience human life alongside you change your perspective on His understanding of your struggles?
Quote
John was saying that the same God who met with Moses in a tent now meets with humanity in a person.
Prayer
Jesus, thank You for not remaining distant but choosing to live among us. Help me remember that You truly understand every aspect of my human experience.
God’s Portable Promise
Sunday Rewind is a 5-day Devotional based on the weekly sermon at Resonate Community Church
Sunday Rewind is a 5-day Devotional based on the weekly sermon at Resonate Community Church
May 10th Sermon, Day 1
In the wilderness, when everything felt uncertain and the future seemed unclear, God gave the Israelite people something extraordinary - a portable dwelling place. The tabernacle wasn't just a tent; it was God's way of saying, "I'm not leaving you behind." When the Israelites packed up and moved to unknown territories, God moved with them. When they faced enemies or felt lost, His presence remained constant.
This wasn't a distant deity watching from afar, but a God who chose to dwell among His people in their messiest, most uncertain moments. Today, you might feel like you're wandering through your own wilderness - facing job uncertainty, relationship struggles, or health concerns. The beautiful truth is that God hasn't changed. He still desires to be present with you in every season of life, especially the difficult ones. Just as the tabernacle provided assurance to wandering Israelites, God's presence offers you the same comfort today.
Bible Verse
"So Moses took a tent and pitched it outside the camp some distance away, calling it the 'tent of meeting.' Anyone inquiring of the Lord would go to the tent of meeting outside the camp." - Exodus 33:7
Reflection Question
In what area of your life do you most need the assurance that God hasn't abandoned you?
Quote
The tabernacle was also called the Tent of the Meeting by Moses because it was the place where God met with his people. It was God's dwelling place on earth, if you will.
Prayer
Lord, thank You that You don't abandon us in our wilderness seasons. Help me trust that You are present with me, even when life feels uncertain and unclear.
Living in the Freedom of Finished Work
Sunday Rewind is a 5-day Devotional based on the weekly sermon at Resonate Community Church
Sunday Rewind is a 5-day Devotional based on the weekly sermon at Resonate Community Church
May 3rd Sermon, Day 5
Deep down, we all know we fall short. We carry guilt, regret, and the nagging sense that we're not enough. This awareness drives us to temporary fixes - working harder, trying to be perfect, seeking others' approval, or even attempting to earn God's favor through religious performance.
But why do we keep running back to these exhausting cycles when Jesus offers complete freedom? The truth is, our striving can finally be done. Jesus' once-and-done sacrifice means we don't have to carry guilt He's already dealt with or exhaust ourselves chasing what He's already given us. Yet sometimes we grow casual with this incredible grace, forgetting the holiness of the one who saved us.
The challenge isn't to work harder but to trust deeper. Will you trust in the one who is able to save you completely? Will you stop trying to manage what Jesus has already conquered? This doesn't mean we become passive; it means we live from a place of security rather than insecurity, love rather than fear, gratitude rather than guilt. When we truly grasp what Jesus has done, it transforms how we approach every relationship, every challenge, every day.
Bible Verse
'Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.' - Hebrews 7:25
Reflection Question
What would change in your daily life if you truly believed that Jesus' work for you is complete and you don't need to add anything to it?
Quote
That means that our striving, it can finally be done. And that, beloved people, is good news.
Prayer
Lord, help me live in the freedom of Your finished work. Free me from the exhausting cycle of trying to earn what You've already given me through grace.
The Perfect Priest Who Changes Everything
Sunday Rewind is a 5-day Devotional based on the weekly sermon at Resonate Community Church
Sunday Rewind is a 5-day Devotional based on the weekly sermon at Resonate Community Church
May 3rd Sermon, Day 4
Jesus doesn't just improve the old system or start over with something completely new - He fulfills it perfectly. Unlike human priests who needed constant replacement, Jesus lives forever. Unlike those who had to offer sacrifices for their own sins first, Jesus is sinless. Unlike those bound by genealogy, Jesus serves by divine appointment. He's not constrained by human limitations because He's both fully God and fully man.
This means His work on our behalf is complete and permanent. When Jesus said 'It is finished' on the cross, He meant it. There's no need for repeated sacrifices, no requirement for us to add our own good works to His perfect work. He doesn't just try to help us - He actually saves us completely. This is radically different from every other solution we've tried. Our striving can finally be done because His work is finished. The weight of proving ourselves, earning approval, or managing our guilt has been lifted. We can rest in His completed work rather than exhausting ourselves trying to add to it. This isn't permission for laziness; it's an invitation to live from victory rather than for victory.
Bible Verse
'Such a high priest truly meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens.' - Hebrews 7:26
Reflection Question
Where are you still trying to add your own efforts to Jesus' finished work instead of simply resting in what He's already accomplished?
Quote
Through his once and done sacrifice, He doesn't just try to help. He actually saves and heals completely anyone who comes to God through him.
Prayer
Jesus, thank You for Your perfect, complete work on my behalf. Help me live from the victory You've already won rather than striving to earn what You've freely given.