Dead Man Walkin

In today’s sermon, Pastor Alan teaches on surrendering the right to control one’s life and learning to belong fully to God. He describes how many people try to serve God while still trying to protect their own choices, success, and identity. He contrasts religious activity with a deeper relationship in which a person no longer offers God things to gain approval, but gives God the whole life. He says the “pride of life” is the hardest thing to overcome because it insists on self-direction. Pastor Alan uses the COVID season as an example of a time when people could not rely on being busy for God. He says that in that season, many learned that God still remains present apart from performance, usefulness, or ministry activity. He emphasizes that God wants the person, not just the person’s offerings. He then turns to John 13 and John 21 to show the difference between Peter and John. He says John is the disciple whom Jesus loved because John loved Jesus more closely, and he uses the foot-washing, the betrayal, and Peter’s denial to show that love and surrender matter more than self-confidence. He also says Peter is restored by Jesus after the resurrection and is called again to feed the sheep. A major theme of the sermon is that the Holy Spirit leads people into facing what they fear, but only when they are ready. Pastor Alan says believers should pray in tongues because it helps them yield to God’s will and confront the pride that keeps them stuck. He closes by urging listeners to ask God to lead their lives, give up their pride, and seek a real moment of personal encounter with Him.