Hardwired with Jeff Wickwire

What if God asked you to give up your most precious possession? Would you be able to say “yes” to the Lord, or would you hesitate and disobey Him? That’s the dilemma that Abraham faced when God asked him to sacrifice his son, Isaac. But Pastor Jeff teaches you today that Abraham had faith in God, and he knew that God would replace what he gave up. There may come a time in your life when God will ask you to sacrifice for Him, but you can be sure that He has something better in store.

Every story has a beginning. For the nation of Israel, that story begins with the patriarchs, the three men who established the lineage for the Israelite people for millennia to come. Pastor Jeff is going to teach us in today’s message that in order for us to understand the story of the Israelites, as well as our own place in this world as followers of Jesus, we must understand how God established His Covenant with Abraham. He called Abraham out of a sinful land, just as He calls us out of this sinful world.

Have you ever tried to pay for a meal at a restaurant with Monopoly money? The staff would look at you like you were crazy, and then ask for you to pay with real money. Well, Pastor Jeff teaches you today that any religion that doesn’t teach God’s Word is a false one, and it is as useful in life as play money. False religions have been around for nearly all of human history, but it’s just as important now to learn how to recognize and combat false teachings as they try to infiltrate God’s Church.

Your life will always be a reflection of what you prioritize in your life. If you choose to live for yourself and live the way the world tells you to live, you will find yourself less sensitive to the prompting of the Holy Spirit. But Pastor Jeff teaches you today that if you want to live for God, you have to make Him the center of everything in your life! What would your day look like if the first thing you thought of when you woke up was God’s goodness? It will completely transform your life!

If you have children in your life, or have ever watched someone else’s children, you know how important it is to be patient with them! They may not heed your instructions on the first, second, or even twelfth time you tell them to do something! Pastor Jeff reminds you today that God is a patient Father, and He gives plenty of opportunity for people to follow Him. But there is a line in the sand that, if it is crossed, will result in God’s judgment coming against you. Repent now, before you cross that line!

Have you ever gotten the feeling that you’re in the exact right place where you’re supposed to be? You can feel an intense sense of purpose in your mundane times of work that leaves you feeling convinced you’re in the right place. Well, Pastor Jeff reminds you today that all of humanity has been created for work. Whether your work is in an office setting, preparing and serving food, or raising the next generation, being an effective and dutiful worker brings glory to the Kingdom of God.

Is there a greater sign of your devotion to Jesus than helping lead someone to Him? There are millions of people out in the world today searching for answers to the questions burning deep in their souls, and God is waiting for someone just like you to plant the seed in their hearts that will lead them to come to know Him. Pastor Jeff wants you to feel that ambition in your heart, to realize that winning souls for Christ should be the ultimate goal of the true believer. That is the Great Commission.

It’s easy to look at the description of the way people lived in Noah’s time, and think that it sounds a lot like today’s standard for living. So many people live their entire lives without ever thinking about God or meditating on the consequences of their sin. Pastor Jeff reminds us today that Noah’s mission wasn’t just to build an ark to escape the flood; he was also warning people about the coming judgment! That’s what you and I are called to do now, to warn people to turn away and repent of their sin!

God isn’t going to let sin reign unchecked forever! If you look at the news today, it feels like evil is winning! All around the world, innocent people are suffering, and people have fallen away from the love of God. Well, Pastor Jeff wants to remind you today that there is a reckoning coming. It won’t be a worldwide flood like there was in Noah’s time, but it will be a great judgment where all of mankind, from the beginning of time to the end, will be held accountable for the sins they committed on this Earth.

From the moment Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, God had a plan for how He was going to redeem mankind. He established early on that blood sacrifice was the only way to atone for sin. Pastor Jeff teaches you today that as the depravity of mankind increased, the need for a Savior increased as well. But all the way back in the Garden, God knew that His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, would be the worthy sacrifice to atone for the sins of not just a few people, but for all mankind.

The separation between mankind and God is often illustrated as a chasm, with all of us at one end and God at the other. Every sinful action we commit only serves to make that gap wider and deeper, and we cannot ever hope to cross it on our own. Pastor Jeff teaches us today that sin doesn’t just separate us from God physically, but it also causes spiritual separation. When we allow sin to live unchecked in our hearts, we can lose our fellowship with the Holy Spirit and lose our most important counselor.

If left unchecked, Satan would rampage across the Earth like a bull in a china shop, destroying everything of value in his wake. His desire is to see God’s beautiful creation reduced to ash and for the human race to be completely separated from Him. But Pastor Jeff reminds us today that Satan’s power is limited, and while we will still face temptation in this world, God gives us the strength to endure and overcome every single one of Satan’s schemes. God is always going to have the final word.

Every day you have on this Earth is a gift from God. No matter how careful you are. There is always the possibility of your life ending with no warning, and there is nothing that you can do about it. Pastor Jeff doesn’t say this to scare you, but he does want you to be content with what you do have. If you went to Heaven today, would you be distraught that you never got to enjoy that one extra day, or have that extra bit of money? Or would you be overjoyed to be in the presence of God?

The enemy may have power on the Earth right now, and sin may abound in every facet of human society, but that doesn’t mean that things will be this way forever. Even King Solomon recognized that God’s justice would prevail in the end. Pastor Jeff gives you the joyous reminder today that since you have been redeemed by the blood of Christ, you don’t have to worry about the judgment you will face at the end of time. Jesus’ death has paid the debt of your sin, and you will spend eternity with Him.

Have you ever stopped to think that your entire life is a miracle? Your eye is made up of millions of cells, working in conjunction to allow your brain to detect light and see things around you. In today’s message, Pastor Jeff reminds you that the complexity of life points toward an intelligent designer. Your existence isn’t the result of random changes happening over millions and millions of years! Instead, God’s Word teaches that you were wonderfully made, by a Creator who knew you before you were born.

Psalm 19 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God. The skies proclaim the work of His hands.” If you look closely, you can see God’s glory manifested throughout all of creation! Even the tiniest blade of grass is the result of intricate and intentional design, and those small details are proof of God’s handiwork. Pastor Jeff encourages you today to look around at the world around you, recognizing that God made everything you can see, and He is Lord over the entire universe, from star to shining star.

Not only is God’s timing perfect, but there are times when He gives us something we need before we even need it! The Israelites of Jesus’ time did not realize the true nature of the gift they had in Jesus, but when He was on the cross, one of the last things Jesus did was forgive those who had cast Him aside. Pastor Jeff reminds us today that Jesus has mercy on us even when we reject Him, and He is waiting with open arms to welcome those who call on His name into His family.

Not very long ago, clocks needed to be wound regularly in order to keep accurate time. A clock requires some source of stored energy in order to keep the mechanism turning, and if you forgot to wind your watch, you would lose track of what time it is! Well, in today’s message, Pastor Jeff teaches you that God’s watch never needs winding. He knows exactly what time it is, and more importantly, He knows exactly when to deliver His blessings to have maximum impact. He has His timing down to the millisecond!

The best gift that you and I can receive at Christmas is a reminder of the reason why Jesus came to this world! It didn’t take long after the Garden of Eden for sin to spread and infect this world, and Satan’s forces corrupted everything that God had called good. But Pastor Jeff reminds us that God has the final word in His creation! He sent His only son, Jesus, to stand in the gap between man and God and restore the bonds that were broken. His sacrifice made a way for us to be saved from death!

Wouldn’t we love to get the most out of church every time we attend? Well, as humans, there are always going to be things trying to distract us when we spend time in God’s presence. But Pastor Jeff encourages us to approach God with thanksgiving in our hearts, and to clear our minds of things that are distracting or that shut us out from good and righteous thoughts. The enemy doesn’t want us to spend time in worship, and he will try and throw every possible obstacle in our way to distract us.

When you go deep-sea diving, you’re usually paired up with a “buddy” that you must stay close to at all times. In the deep, dark ocean, you need someone who is watching your back, and they likewise need you watching their back, to ensure that you both complete the dive safely. Pastor Jeff encourages you today to find a church or a faith community that helps you navigate through life, but remember that it’s just as important to contribute and help others as it is to seek help for yourself.

Christmas is one of the biggest holidays of the year for those of us who follow Christ! We are celebrating the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who took on flesh and made His dwelling among us. In today’s message, Pastor Jeff teaches us that the unique circumstances surrounding Jesus, from His miraculous conception and birth to His dual nature as man and God, all contribute to Him being a one-of-a-kind person! There is no other religious figure who can hold a candle to Jesus’ glory.

A lot of things about following God are illogical. Paul and Barnabas singing songs of praise while in prison is illogical. Noah building an ark on dry ground is illogical. Abraham leading his son to certain death on Mount Moriah is illogical. But what Pastor Jeff teaches us today is that the peace that God gives us in uncertain times defies all human logic. It gives us the grace and the confidence to do what He tells us. Even in the toughest of circumstances, we can find comfort as we abide in His peace.

Satan will spend countless resources trying to convince people that God isn’t real, or if He is real, that He doesn’t have any control over this world. When catastrophes happen, one of the first things people ask is why a loving God would allow bad things to happen. But Pastor Jeff reminds you today that, no matter what the world says, Jesus is still in control! You may not understand why things are happening the way they are right now, but you can rest in the promise that He has a plan for it all.

Jesus was born into an extremely difficult time in Jewish history. Under Roman occupation, the Hebrew people had very little freedom, and that freedom could be stripped away with one word from Caesar Augustus. But Pastor Jeff reminds us in today’s message that the birth of Jesus brought joy to those who encountered Him, because He represented the hope of a new Kingdom that would one day replace every kingdom of mankind! Jesus is a bright light that cuts through the darkness of the world.

We’ve heard how Jesus’ birth was miraculous and defied all sorts of human expectations for how the Messiah would come into this world. But what Pastor Jeff wants us to understand today is that just as Christ’s birth was miraculous, His death on the cross was brutal and barbaric. But yet, we read in God’s Word that Jesus willingly surrendered Himself to this fate, because He knew that His sacrifice of pain and death would make a way for all of those who call on Him to be saved from sin.

Look at the richest and most powerful people in today’s world. What are they doing besides trying to gain more power and riches for themselves? Pastor Jeff teaches you today that there is a difference between those who live in contentment with what God has given them and those who are consumed by the drive and desire for more. God wants you to be content and to realize that He will provide for your needs. Look back on your life up until this point, and think about how He has gotten you this far.

Sometimes when you’re in a stressful situation, the thing that helps you stop spiraling is to see the situation from a different angle. Getting a fresh perspective on the situation, either from consulting with a close friend or from mentally choosing a different approach, can ease your anxiety and give you new energy. Well, Pastor Jeff reminds you today that God has the ultimate vantage point, and He can show you the kind of perspective shift to give you a hopeful view of life.

There was nothing ordinary about Jesus’ birth. From the immaculate conception to the circumstances that led Mary to give birth in a stable for animals, Jesus came into this world as the result of many miracles. Pastor Jeff wants us to realize that the miracles surrounding Jesus’ birth help highlight Him as the Son of God, the Messiah that humanity had been waiting for. Christmas isn’t just a day to open presents and sing carols; it’s a time to celebrate the night that God took on human form!

How different would things be if you didn’t get second chances? What if every crime were punishable by life imprisonment? What if you only got one strike in baseball before you were out? Sometimes, second chances are a chance to grow and learn from your mistakes, but there are some things you only get one swing at! Pastor Jeff reminds you today that you only have one soul, and there are only two places where that soul will go after death. You need to take the fate of your soul extremely seriously.

We live in a world that desperately needs a source of hope. The problem is that every time we put our hope in something manmade, we end up disappointed! This is a fallen world, and the things that we build for ourselves eventually crumble to dust. Pastor Jeff reminds us today that we have a responsibility to share a message of hope with the entire world! Jesus came to this world to bring hope to the hopeless, and we are empowered to share that hope with everyone we meet!