Go a little deeper
At the start of the service, Keith Kirkpatrick identifies himself as Journey Church's founding pastor and asks the congregation to sit as he acknowledges a tragedy that took place in the city the previous Thursday. He addresses grieving families and the wider community with the words "we see you," thanks the church's staff, interns, elders, and many volunteers for how they responded that day, and frames the church as one not only in the city but for it.
Keith ties the church's everyday identity to Jesus' words in Matthew 5 about being the light of the world. He insists the church's response cannot be a one-time event, calls the congregation to pray, love neighbors, and serve the city, and prays before the service continues into a time of worship.
After worship, Pastor Keith explains that the tragedy led him to set aside his prepared sermon. Reading 2 Corinthians 1:3-11 a verse at a time, he emphasizes God’s mercy and comfort during suffering. He presents grief and questions as compatible with faith, points to Jesus sharing the grief around Lazarus’s death, and urges patient care and prayer. The service closes with an invitation to trust Jesus, prayer ministry and a reading from Revelation 21.
Take this with you
Comfort Meets People in Affliction
Working from 2 Corinthians 1:3–4, Keith says the human instinct to expect an easy life is backwards, since comfort is received when it is needed rather than in a comfortable life. He reads the passage's language of affliction as evidence that God's comfort meets people in suffering rather than preventing it, and applies that promise to those grieving in the city.
Grief and Questions Are Not a Lack of Faith
Keith tells the congregation it is okay to grieve, weep, and ask questions, noting that John the Baptist asked from prison whether Jesus was the one. He argues that sorrow over lost life reflects God's own heart, and points to Jesus weeping at Lazarus's tomb as permission for the church to grieve rather than perform composure.
Comfort Received Is Meant to Be Passed On
From 2 Corinthians 1:4–5 Keith draws a purpose for comfort: God consoles people so they can console others, because a person cannot give what they have not received. He names Scripture, prayer, and the simple presence of another person as ways God comforts, and calls the church to sit with hurting families and to keep walking with people patiently.
Relying on God beyond our own strength
Pastor Keith reads Paul’s account in 2 Corinthians 1:8-9 as permission to acknowledge profound distress rather than pretend to cope. He emphasizes reliance on God’s resurrection power, connects this with the Spirit’s presence in Romans 8:11, and points to Joseph’s account as an example of God bringing good through prolonged hardship.
Prayer Is the Church's Work in the Meantime
The final verse Keith studies, 2 Corinthians 1:11, turns to prayer, and he insists prayer does not require eloquence. He cites Romans 8 on the Spirit interceding when believers do not know how to pray, and Jeremiah's words to the exiles, while warning against treating God as a vending machine and noting that the exiles waited many years before seeing a future.
The conversation,
in their words.
Transcript from the recording’s captions. Select any timestamp to hear the original audio.
Hey, welcome and good morning Journey Church You know normally we'd go right into worship, but today's not a normal day If we've not met my name is Keith I'm the founding pastor here at Journey Church And so I want to just share some words before we go into worshiping God through song So it can I just ask a favor do you mind sitting down for just a moment? I? Don't want to just rush into today. I want to just acknowledge the heartbreaking tragedy that took place in our city this past Thursday. There are some moments in life where words are just absolutely inadequate.
When the weight of grief is just too heavy. And Thursday was one of those days. Our city experienced something that no city should experience. Families lost loved ones. Parents lost a child. And our community has been shaken by the unimaginable tragedy of evil. And I want to say to every person who is grieving, every child, every teacher, and every first responder, every person whose heart has been affected by this tragedy, we see you.
We love you. We are praying for you. And you are not alone. On Thursday, Journey Church became a place where families were reunited with their children. But tragically, it also became a place where some families received the most devastating news of their lives. I really want you to know something. I will probably say this a million times more. I am so proud of our church family. I've never been more proud than I was on Thursday.
Our staff, interns, elders, superheroes, and so many people stepped up in a moment that no one was prepared for. They didn't wait to be asked. They didn't hesitate. They simply showed up. They embraced the hurting. They prayed for the heartbroken. They served families, supported first responders, and loved people in their darkest hour. This church represented the hands and feet of Jesus. I wanna honor every single one of you because this is who we are as a church. I've always said, declared, and believed that we are a church, not just in our city, but we are a church for our city.
We don't just gather to worship Jesus on Sundays. We are the church of Jesus every day. And when our city hurts, we hurt. When our city weeps, we weep. And when darkness comes to our city, we are the light. Jesus promised in Matthew 5 verse 14, you are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. When we developed this Journey Kids space not too long ago. We had to raise money.
It was difficult, but I believed that it would be used for God's kingdom purpose. Long before it was completed, hundreds of you went into that space and prayed. We took sharpies and we wrote Bible verses on the walls, on the beams, on the floors. We put prayers, we put prophetic promises of what we believe for that Journey Kids church space and those kids and teachers on Thursday unknowingly were surrounded by God's word by God's promises and the prayers of the Saints today I'm reminded the Lord is near to the brokenhearted as the details have unfolded about that
day we've heard of the courage and the heroism of a father that stepped in a a teacher that did not run away, but ran towards. It's easy to talk about bravery, courage, and heroism. But when you're the one that steps forward, you're the one that carries the trauma, the memories, and the weight of what's happened. We've got to recognize that this is not just a one-time event that we talk about. So what do we do? We pray. We ask God to intervene, to restore, to heal, and to be the hope, not only in this time of need, but always.
Listen to me. We cannot change what happened on Thursday. We cannot undo the heartbreak. We cannot answer every question, but we can determine how we respond. We will not retreat in fear. We will rise in faith. We will not allow the enemy to steal our peace, nor our joy. We will pray for our school. We will pray for our teachers. We will love our neighbors. We will come alongside the grieving families. And we will serve the city like Jesus would. We believe God's best over the city of Bend and Central Oregon shall be saved.
Death does not get the final say. Jesus has the final word. He's the Alpha, He's the Omega, and because He lives, we can walk through the valley. I'm not gonna claim that everything's okay because it's not okay, but God is still God. He's still good, and hope is still alive. That's not just this weekend. When the cameras leave our city, and in the months ahead, when crowds have gone and when people are still grieving, we will be the church. We were reached out to by dozens for interviews, every news media outlet, private bloggers,
but this was not our priority because people are. By the grace of God, we will continue to love like Jesus, and we will invite his kingdom to come and his will to be done in our city. Today, I want to just tell you what we're going to do. We're gonna pray, we're gonna worship, and we're gonna seek God's word for such a time as this. So I would just ask you to join me in prayer. Lord, our Heavenly Father, we come before you in such a time that we need help. And I thank you that you told us
that we can approach your throne and receive mercy and help in a time of need. For you are the Father of mercies, you are the God of comfort, you are our helper. So we come before you today and not knowing what you're going to do or what that looks like we just surrender our all, we cast our anxieties on you because you care for us. We turn to you, we trust in you and if there's anyone here today, not understanding who you are would you make your presence evident. We pray for our city, for every person hurting, for every first responder, for every family grieving, for the confused, for those full of fear. We say, God, would you meet them right where they are?
I speak against every demonic lie over our city, and we say, Lord, you are the way, the truth, and the life. Jesus, be glorified in this hour, not just now, but forevermore. We say, Jesus, use your church, build your church. We speak your name, Jesus. We love you, Lord. We give you this worship because you're worthy. You're worthy, you're worthy. We love you, Jesus. If you're in agreement, shout amen. Because I just wanna speak the name of Jesus. Free heart and every mind. Because I know there is peace within your presence.
I speak Jesus. I just wanna speak. I just want to speak the name of Jesus Till every dark addiction starts to break There is hope and there is freedom It's not a God that disappears during difficult days
Oh Lord, we love you, first loved us So we give you honor, glory and praise today Your strength, you never fail We turn to you and we trust you today and whatever you have planned we just surrender ours to yours and say let your kingdom come and your will be done we declare that not just over our lives but we declare that over our city we declare that over our schools we declare over every government entity pray prophetically
for a shift that we would no longer be critics of organizations but we would be a praying people praying for people that we would be praying for people that people matter to you lord you love us so much that you did what needed to be done and so lord give us your heart let our hearts break for what breaks yours jesus you were so clear that you love children you told us that we must be like children to have the kingdom so lord this this just hits home because this hits your heart god we can only see
just a glimpse but you see it all. So in the places where we have more questions and we have answers, we just sit at your feet and we just want to learn. We want to receive from you rest for our weary souls upon you, Spirit, a living God that you would follow freshness. Would you equip us today with your word that we I would know clearly who you are, for you are almighty God, Elohim and Adonai.
You are our great I Am, who I am, the beginning and the end, Jehovah. You meet us in every place, Jehovah, Jireh, our provider, Jehovah Nissen, our banner over us. Jehovah, Rah for the Lord our heal, call upon you the God that can do anything. I just wanna touch the hem of your garment today. For where else can we go?
Lord, would you speak to every person here today? You know what they're going through. I can do nothing apart from you, Jesus. So today, would you speak to every heart here today? Would you speak, Holy Spirit, I welcome you to speak. Omnipresent God that can be anywhere, at any time, speak to every heart here. Bring light to any dark places today. hope to the helpless today. Bring healing today to the hurting. I surrender this now in the name of Yeshua HaMashiach. That is Jesus the Christ. And I just declare you are the Yes and Amen. You can have a seat. You can have a seat. Journey Church, from the depth of my heart,
I just have to extend over and over because it's like with your kids, it's like when you're in a relationship with someone covenantal. I just want to say I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you. This week was a reminder that it's not one person that can lead, it's not one person that can run a church. We're in this together. I prepared a whole sermon for today before last Thursday. It was completed I was prepared to come before you today and continue in the place
what we've been studying and I studied God's Word and I was telling my wife how excited I was to get in the pulpit and I felt like there was fire in my bones for for where we are as a church and what God has to say and and then Thursday hit and then Friday and it just didn't seem suited to give a three-point sermon this Sunday and yet the scripture I studied sits so well because it's the words of Jesus and his words don't fail they're a promise they're true and if there's one place that you can turn to it's God's word it's like it's just
getting into God's word even since Thursday it just it speaks life it speaks truth it speaks a promise that doesn't fail and this is the very place that we have to turn to when you're hurting this is the place you turn to when you have questions this is the place you turn to when when you don't know what else to do to let this be a light for your path in a dark world to let this be the truth when there's lies all around you so say I got into God's word I I've sought the Lord and full full transparency I don't know what to expected it you know it's there's just moments in life that are just weird and
surreal and this isn't the first time I've experienced that it's just what happens with tragedies and life is full of them we can't pretend that the Lord said we would have a comfortable life he's warned us of these things the place where we find ourselves in the series we've been in a blessed life is Matthew chapter 5 Jesus is speaking and we would have found ourselves in chapter 5 verse 7 today and I want to read this to you and whether or not I come back to this next week or not I'm not sure maybe I'll share the sermon I prepared next Sunday that was prepared for this Sunday but here's the text
Jesus is speaking he says blessed are the merciful for they shall receive mercy. Blessed are the merciful for they shall receive mercy. If there was ever a time for mercy, it's now. My desire today is to not simply teach something but to point you to the person of who God is, for he is a merciful God. I know with confidence that God's Word is real and if there was a place that we would turn to in a time of needs is God's word. I beg you, I beseech you, I challenge you to not
run to the things of this world, but to run to God. Because God is our solution. We cannot legislate a solution for what took place. It breaks my heart that in moments like these people start arguing what would be the solution. If we had tighter gun laws, this wouldn't have happened. If we have looser gun laws, this wouldn't have happened. Well, let me just tell you, legislation is not the answer Jesus is. And if you believe in Jesus, you're not to argue in the ways of this world because we belong to the kingdom of heaven, not the
kingdom of this earth. And be not mistaken, in a season of midterm elections, in a season where I love our country. You should vote. Praise God for America. God bless America. In God we trust. You should vote. And there is a place for debate. There is a place where you get involved. But when we have tragedies, we turn to Jesus. For He is our hope. So today I just want to make sure our calling as a church is clear. We are to pray. We are are to love. We are to point a hurting world to Jesus. We are to care about what
Jesus cares about, to protect the vulnerable, to love children. And if anything, we ought to be more childlike. Don't run to the wrong places. Instead, get on your knees. Get into God's Word. And we as a church need to love like Jesus the world needs Jesus not your opinion I know in days like this there are so many questions some are asking where was God why did God allow this
where was God when it happened why weren't those children protected if God is good why do terrible things happen I'm not gonna give a cheap answer to questions that sometimes just deserve our tears. Sometimes you just gotta sit in it. You don't need a quick fix. You don't need a quick solution. You need a God that's gonna get you through it. And I know that God's sovereignty does not mean that God approves evil. God is not the author of evil. God has not abandoned our city.
We live in a broken world because of sin. Evil is real and human choices have devastating consequences. Jesus himself said moments before he went to the cross in the book of John, he said in the world you will have tribulation. Jesus didn't stop there. He said but take heart, I have overcome the world. Notice what Jesus is promising. He is not promising a world where we will not have troubles or tribulations or tragedies. He's promising His presence in the middle of it.
Jesus promised. He promised us that He will never leave us. He will never forsake us. He'll be with us always, even to the end of the age. And today I want to tell you about that Savior named Jesus. He knows what it means to suffer, for He was acquainted with sorrows. He knows what it means to suffer, for by His wounds we are healed. He knows what it means to suffer, for He Himself experienced injustice. He entered our broken world. He carried our sins to the cross, and He's the one that shows us the solution because
He conquered death through the resurrection. The cross tells us that God knows what we're going through because He entered into our world, the world He created. He entered into our suffering. And the resurrection tells us that suffering is not the end. Suffering is not the final word. We have hope because of Jesus. So the place I wanna turn to today is the word of God. I wanna just sit in it. There are no points to this sermon. I'm just gonna read one verse at a time and I wanna reflect on this. And my aim today is to point you to the person of who God is.
So the text is found in 2 Corinthians chapter one. 2 Corinthians chapter one, we'll be looking at verses three through 11. If you don't have a Bible today, that's okay. We'll have the words on the screen. I'll read it to you and we'll take it one verse at a time. I just wanna sit with these words is we better understand that God speaks when we need him the most. I wanna allow God's word to sink deep into our hearts like a seed that might look small in this moment, but in the days ahead, it will bear fruit. For even suffering is not wasted with God. Second Corinthians chapter one, I wanna start today with verse three.
Before we do, I just wanna say a quick prayer and ask that it's the Lord that speaks. Spirit of the living God, I ask that the words in my mouth and the meditations in my heart would be pleasing to you in this moment and in this hour, that you, the Father of mercies, the God of all comfort would be the one that reveals yourself in revelation. That God, those of us that are hurting today would find hope in a time of need, your mercy Lord. So God, may your word be clear today more than anything else of all the voices distractions in this world we say Lord would you speak Holy Spirit would you speak in Jesus name amen second Corinthians chapter 1 verse chapter 1 verse 3 blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ the father of
mercies and God of all comfort the father of mercies and the God of all comfort. This is why I challenge you to get into God's word because the Bible actually tells us who God is. So when you get into this book it actually shows you and demonstrates to you who God is. He is a heavenly Father and He is unlike any earthly Father. He is the Father of mercies. At one point there is a scripture that says He is rich in mercy. He will never run out of mercy. The Bible tells us that His mercies are new every morning. When you wonder where God's going to be the next day, He's still there with mercy because
He's the Father of mercies. He's the God of all comfort. Watch this closely because God reveals who He is so that you're not confused by what others say about God, but what does God say about Himself? He's the Father of mercies. This is my God. He's the God of all comfort. Somebody shout all. All comfort. Not some comforts, not for some people, not if you were born into the right family or attend the right church or know enough information. He's the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort. When does He comfort? When we need it, verse 4 tells us.
the Father of mercies, the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all, somebody shall all, all our afflictions, all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. The God of all comfort meets us when we're hurting. The God of all comfort meets us in our suffering. The God of all comfort meets us in our affliction.
God doesn't say we won't have affliction. He doesn't say we won't suffer. He says He will comfort us in all our affliction. See I think the human tendency is to somehow think that God has promised a comfortable life. But you don't get comforted in a comfortable life. You get comforted when you need comforting. And if there was ever a time for comfort, it's now. Before I go any further, I want you to hear something from your pastor. It's okay to grieve.
It's okay to weep. It's okay to have questions. God is bigger than your questions. It's okay to come into this room and say, God, I believe in you, but I have no understanding of why this happened or what happened. Some of you have cried and you didn't know anyone involved. Some of you are still in shock. Some of you are angry. Some of you are afraid. of you don't even know what to feel because you're still thinking, did this really happen? And I want you to know something that grief and questions are not a lack of faith. So if you have questions and you have sorrow and you have afflictions and you have suffering
and you have heartache and you're wondering what's happening, that is not a lack of faith. Even John the Baptist, when he was in jail, he asked the question to be sent to Jesus, are you the one? Like I really need to know because I'm not in a very comfortable place right now. Are you really the Messiah? Are you the one that I've been telling everyone, I've been preparing the way, I've been pointing people to who you are? Are you the one because I'm stuck in a jail cell and things didn't get better for John the Baptist? He was beheaded. So your grief is not an absence of faith, in fact, I would argue today, if you are grieving because of what happened last week, that is a sign of love.
Because God loves human life. He is the creator of life. The Scriptures tell us that you are made and knit in your mother's womb, meaning you are God's idea. You weren't your mama's idea, nor were you your daddy's idea, you are God's idea. And if your heart hurts when human life is taken, that's a sign that you have the heart of God inside of you. You love life. When Jesus stood outside the tomb of his friend Lazarus, who had died, he was right in the midst of grief. He knew that he was going to raise Lazarus from the dead.
But the Bible gives us two very important words that we understand the heart of our God that came in human flesh. In John 11.35, Jesus wept. Think about that. Jesus wept. The one who has proclaimed with his own lips that he is the resurrection and the life that whoever believes in him will not die but have everlasting life, Jesus wept. He didn't rebuke the people around him for being emotional. He didn't say, suck it up and get over it. Jesus entered their pain. He was present and he just wept. If Jesus wept at the tomb of a friend,
I wanna tell you today, you have permission to weep over what's happened in our city. You don't have to choose between grief and faith. Here's what I want you to know. The God of all comfort is not intimidated by your tears. He meets you in them. The promise of God's Word in Psalm 34 18 is the Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. God draws near when you're broken he's not distant so if you turn to the Lord he will be there if you draw near to him he's already drawn near to you the writer of second Corinthians
chapter one is the author Paul Paul wrote a number of books that we have in the New Testament and he says in the book of Philippians as he himself was suffering he says that I may know him Jesus he's talking to Jesus that I may know Him, Jesus, and the power of His resurrection, and may share His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death." To know Jesus is to know the one that suffered. To understand that suffering is not wasted, instead you're becoming more like Christ Jesus. If we come back to where we left off in 2 Corinthians 1 verse 4, the Father of Mercy is the God of all comfort who comforts us in our affliction
so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. Verse five now, for as we share abundantly, as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ, we share abundantly in comfort too. If you share with Jesus, you share with a God that knows what you're going through. It's not just comfort to be comforted, but God actually will abundantly comfort you to be prepared to comfort others. You can't give what you don't have. So if you have not experienced the Father of Mercies, the God of all comfort, you may
not be able to give the comfort that God has given. I saw something on Thursday that I will never forget. It has marked me, the church being the church. I saw people who had no idea what the day would bring. They stepped into the darkest moment imaginable. I saw people serving when they were exhausted, yet you couldn't tell. I saw people praying when there were no words. I saw people holding others up when they could barely stand themselves. And I want you to see what Paul is saying here in the text. God comforts us, not just so that you would be comfortable, but so that you would comfort others.
So how does God comfort? Sometimes he comforts through scripture. God will reveal a promise. I've had so many people send me scriptures. Why are they sending me scriptures? They're not trying to be cold. They're not trying to fix anything. They're letting me know that God's word is true. So if there's any place that you should get into, not just now, but always, it's God's word. Because sometimes God's word just comforts, it will speak to you at just the right moment with just the right word. Open up God's word and He will comfort you. Sometimes God comforts through prayer. I have had hundreds of people let me know that they're praying for me, for our church,
all over the world. From England to Georgia, Texas, California. have written saying I'm praying I'm praying how do we have the strength to get through this how do we have the strength to do it needs be done how did God work all of the pieces together people were praying interceding when you can't see it and you wonder how am I able to get by someone is praying for you you may not even know it but somebody is praying for you sometimes comfort comes through somebody sitting beside you like Jesus who wept with with Mary and Martha, the brother of Lazarus, just refusing to let you suffer alone.
This is what it means to be the church, to comfort others as you've been comforted. We're called to be a people that reflect the heart of God. What kind of a God do we have? He's the father of mercy. And if we're not just gonna be a church in our city, but for our city, we have to show the world who God is, and I'm not talking about Sunday. We don't do lights and music and all of these things because that's what church is. We do that to worship God, and when we leave here, we continue to worship for our lives are our worship.
And when families are hurting, we come alongside, when people don't have the answer, we don't try to give the answer. Instead, we make a meal, we pray, we embrace, we sit with those who are hurting. This is the moment we take Jesus at his word and we love like him. And it's not to make ourselves known, but to make Jesus known. Paul continues in verse six and says, if we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation. And if we are comforted, it's actually for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer.
So I read this yesterday, it hit me. Suffering is universal. If you're not suffering right now, you will. So I'll be comforted in suffering so that when you go through suffering, I can sit with you. Suffering is universal. It doesn't matter if you're rich or poor, you will suffer. Doesn't matter if you're young or old. suffering has no prejudice doesn't matter what color your skin is what your nationality is so what do you do in your suffering when we're afflicted we allow God to comfort us so people know that we have a God that's greater than our suffering salvation is not based on a comfortable easy world salvation is
based on what Jesus did on the cross and the hope of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. And what the world needs right now is not a quick fix. We need that patient endurance because we have a long road ahead. We need compassion that doesn't disappear when the headlines do. We need to walk with people as long as it takes. You give what you've received. When Jesus says in Matthew 5-7, blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. He's not saying the condition of you getting mercy is giving mercy, He's simply stating the reality
that you give what you've received. So when you've received mercy, you release mercy. When you receive the Father of Mercies, the God of all comfort, you've got to release that in your life. And today, if you've never met this God of mercies, today is your day. For the Bible says today is the day of salvation. Not Not another day, not a better day, you don't have to go get your life right first, today. If you're suffering, I want to introduce you to the God of all comfort. In Exodus, he revealed himself to Moses as the Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.
This is God, 2 Corinthians 1.7 says, our hope for you is unshaken. Our hope for you is unshaken for we know that as you share in our sufferings you will also share in our comfort. Listen if there was ever a time for hope it's now. That's why we declare at Journey Church there's hope for everyone. This was never meant to be cliche. This was never meant just to be some church term. This is not a hobby lobby sign that we hang up. This is the reality that when you need God, He's right there. He is our hope and it's unshakable.
We trust in God. This is not for some people. This is hope for everyone, for their hurting parents. There's hope for their hurting teachers. There's hope for the hurting administrators. There's hope for the hurting first responders. There's hope for the mayor of the city of Bend. There's hope for the governor of the state of Oregon. There's hope. And so I say to you today, there's hope for everyone. The tool of the devil is to make you think that you don't need a dependence on God because if you can do it yourself, you have no need of hope. But when you don't know what's going to happen, you have to hope somewhere.
So you release your pride and you trust in the Father of Mercy is the God of all comfort because you can't do it. You're not God. You've never been God. You make a terrible God. So you might as well hope in God because there are some things that are beyond you. nine, excuse me, verse eight, tells us, for we do not want you to be unaware brothers of the affliction we experienced in Asia. Paul is talking about all the trials he's been through. He's been hurt, he's been put in prison, he's been had rocks thrown at him, he's been whipped, he's just been through trial after trial. He says, I'm not gonna pretend like everything's just been hunky
and good. He says, for we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. This is why you got to get into God's word. It's real. God's never said, hey, if you're gonna be a Christian, you better fake it to make it. Put on your mask, put on your Sunday best, and just look like you got it together. This is God's word saying, I was so burdened beyond strength that I disparate of life itself. This is the Apostle Paul who changed the world by starting churches, wrote more books in the New Testament than any other author and he's saying I wasn't even sure if I was gonna make it. Even great leaders face despair. That doesn't mean I give up though because great leaders go to
to God. Indeed he says in verse 9 we felt that we had received the sentence of death but that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. There are moments when you think you can't go on, there are moments that feel like a death sentence that you would rather die, there are moments it's the heart of a parent who's lost his child is beyond your strength. You don't have to muster up the talent, the knowledge, the will power, but you have to go to the God that raises the dead. We have one God in three persons. He is the Father, the Son, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. One God perfectly united. And the Bible says
that same spirit, Romans 8, 11, who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you. He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his spirit who dwells in you. Don't go past this too quickly. God has given you himself so that it's not about you. So that in your trials you actually see that it's always been about Jesus and the same spirit that rose Jesus from the grave is the same spirit you have in your life when you have believed in him. I can testify to this today. I am not here because I'm good. I am not here because I'm smart enough. I am not here because
I'm strong enough. I didn't do anything here to deserve to be here. It is but by the grace of God. He did it. And so it was two thousand years ago in 2nd Corinthians chapter 1 verse 10, he, speaking of Jesus, delivered us from such deadly peril and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again. This isn't the first time there's been a tragedy. He's delivered before and he'll do it again. He's delivered me before and he'll do it again. I won't pretend to know how, I won't pretend to know when, but I will know that God is never late, he's never early, he's
the God that's always on time. And so I say to you today, there's hope for everyone. Our hope is that He will deliver us. He is the Father of mercies. On Him we set our hope. This was true 2,000 years ago and it's still true today. So what do you do? This is the last verse we'll look at. Verse 11. pray pray pray you also must help us by what prayer so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many oh the power of prayer prayer works because god works nothing is too hard for god
Jesus said, whatever you ask in prayer, believe it, it's yours. We've been believing for revival over this region. Don't stop asking. John tells us in 1 John 5, this is the confidence we have toward him that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have already the requests that we've asked for. So what do we do during times like this? We pray, we pray, we pray, because evil doesn't get the final word, darkness doesn't get the final word, God does. His word does. His promises do. Pray God's word. When the Israelites found themselves in darkness, their homes were destroyed.
Their families were murdered. They were taken into captivity. God would speak through a prophet, Jeremiah, and it was during their darkest hour and God would speak and say, for I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans for welfare, not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. God is crying out through his word in times of trouble, turn to me, trust in me, seek me, Ask of me, but remember this, those who were in exile did not get a quick fix. He's not a vending machine God.
You put in your token prayer and God spits it out exactly the way you thought He would. They suffered for many years, even decades, but God did not give up on them. God did give them a future and He did give them a hope, so you ought to seek Him and pray. But you say, oh, pastor, I don't even know how to pray. I don't have words to pray. May I just tell you, that's okay. God never said, I need you to pray the right words or eloquent words. I need you to use beads to pray. I need you to pray this certain way. No, God just said, pray. In Romans chapter eight, we see that when you don't know what to pray, it says, likewise, the Spirit, that's God himself, the Holy Spirit, helps us in our weakness.
For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. So when you don't know what to pray, pray. Open your mouth and just groan. Let God minister and intercede to your soul as you turn to him and as you trust in him, do it in your car, do it in your home, and you might say, well, what if people see me weeping and wailing? I'd just say, it's not about you, it's all about Jesus. Don't worry about what anybody else thinks of you, for they didn't die for your sins, Jesus did. He's your living hope. Hebrews 12 too says, look to Jesus, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross,
despising the shame and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself so that you may not grow weary or faint hearted. If you understand Jesus loves you so much, he endured the cross. He loves you so much that he had joy knowing what was on the other side of the cross. It didn't mean the suffering was easy. But he loves you so much that he who was without sin took your sin on the cross. He who did not deserve to die, a perfect God came in the flesh. And what did the world do with him? crucified him.
Do not grow weary, instead worship the one who died and rose from the grave. We're reminded in Romans eight, and I speak this over you today, for I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor even the things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will ever, ever, ever be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Nothing! This is not the end of the story because if God is for us, who could be against us?
We could have the whole world against us. God is greater. Joseph in the Bible suffered much from the abuse of his brothers thrown into a pit, sold as a slave, ended up in prison. But he concluded at the end of his life as He said to his brothers ask for you you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good We may not see it right now, but Joseph had to suffer many years To see that God redeems even the worst of situations I've said it so many times already, but I'll say it again evil does not prevail The father of all mercies is the God of all comfort and I know he's gonna work this for good
There is no magic formula in this I know sometimes we just want something really quickly or want to see how God's gonna do it but I point you to the words of Jesus blessed are the merciful for they shall receive mercy. Today if you walked in here without hope may I introduce you to the father of mercies the God of all comfort. He is the one that Peter said according to his great mercy he caused caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. This Jesus is our living hope because he died on the cross for our sins. He gives us the hope not of a temporary life but eternal life. Jesus has all authority over death
and life and in tragedies when we don't know where else to turn we turn to Jesus. Today you might be doing that for the first time. I want to just quickly tell you what that looks like. God did not make it complicated. The Bible says anyone who calls upon the name of the Lord Jesus will be saved. That's simple. When you believe in Jesus, God seals you with the Holy Spirit and He's giving you the free gift of eternal life. You now have God's grace to sustain you through anything you go through. And if you came here today uncertain of your eternity, God made a way for you to spend forever with Him through the person Jesus Christ and in the seriousness of this moment I invite you into that
relationship do not wait to say I'm gonna get my life figured out I need to know more about this verse this is your day to say yes I surrender my all to release what anybody else thinks of you but to know what God thinks of you he loves you he sees you he wants to come for you right now that's you today I I want to invite you into that relationship with all eyes closed. I want to just between you and God This is between you and the Lord. I Want to just ask if that's you today and you're ready to be born again into a living hope with Jesus born again means from This day forward you have new life You're a new person a new creation if that's you would you just raise your hand nice and high and say yes
That's me. I want to be born again. Praise be to God. I see you anyone else today just raise your hand right where you are and say yes I want to be saved amen raise your hand nice and high you're not alone God loves you he sees you praise me God's been waiting for this moment for you to surrender so raise your hand and say yes Lord I'm surrendering I'm trusting you I'm believing you I need hope I need comfort God's gonna give you more than you can imagine. Praise God, yes. Amen. Praise be to God. Anyone else today? You're never too young, you're never too old. I commit to you the promise of God's Word. There's no
sin so great that Jesus won't forgive you. You want to be forgiven today? Raise your hand and say, I want to be forgiven. I want to be set free. He sees you and he loves you. From this day forward your life is never the same. Anyone else? Yes, I want to offer one more time before I pray with you if you haven't raised your hand yet Just put it up in the air. So I see you Prayer my friends is as I mentioned is not having the the right words. It's just going to God
Praise be to God for that hand. Amen. Amen praise God Prayer is talking to God. It's listening to God and Today, I'm gonna pray a short prayer with you and it's not the prayer that saves you. It's Jesus So I want you just to repeat after me and from this day forward keep praying, keep talking to God, out loud, anywhere in your heart, at all the times. Prayer is so powerful, you can believe that God hears your prayers. Pray this with me, Lord Jesus, I believe in you, I need you, I receive your grace, I am and forgiven. I am loved. I have hope. In Jesus' name, amen and amen, amen, amen. Before you
leave today, I want to just share some closing thoughts, so don't rush out of here. I want every brokenhearted person in this room to know this. There's not a single tear that you've shed that God has not seen. There are tears that you cry that no one else will But God sees it Let me share with you this Bible verse Psalm 56 8 you have kept You have kept count of my tossings When you can't sleep and you're tossing in the middle of the night God sees you Put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book? God's Word says you're not forgotten. You're not unseen that when you feel overwhelmed you are never abandoned with God
He is the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort. So if you're still struggling today, I don't expect that a sermon is going to be the salve that fixes your soul. If you still have certain images in your mind, certain sounds, if your child is afraid to go to school, if you're the parent and you're afraid to send your child back to school, if you find yourself just crying unexpectedly, if you were there on Thursday, I need you to hear me with this. You do not need to pretend like you're okay. You do not need to walk this alone. Today we're going to pray with you. I'm going to invite the prayer team and pastors to the front of the altar right now. I want you to know that we want to walk with you.
Receiving help is never a failure of faith. It's actually one of the ways God cares for us. God says that we ought to pray for one another. We should carry each other's burdens. We should love one another. And the God of all comfort will often use people. Even if you don't know what to ask for in prayer, just say, could you pray for me? That's it. Or maybe you walked in here today with a completely different burden than anything we've talked about today. If you need a miracle, if you need a provision, don't leave here today without receiving prayer. Because Thursday was not the end of the story. God's given us the final chapter. I wanna read one last verse with you today.
It's actually two verses out of the book of Revelation. It's a reminder that God's gonna restore all things. It might be broken right now, but God's gonna make it new. If you would stand to your feet, I want you to read this out loud with me. And when we get to the last word of this text today, you're gonna be dismissed. And I'm just gonna ask that the dismiss will be a little different today. If you need prayer, you're going to come forward. If you need to sit back down in your seat and stay for just a minute while other people leave, you don't need to rush out of here. But as we get to the last word of this scripture, I want this to sink in with the truth of God's promises that he's the father of all mercies and the God of all comfort. So can we just read this out loud together? Revelation chapter 21, the last book of the Bible,
the revelation of Jesus Christ. It tells us there's a day coming when God's people will dwell with him. So let's read this out loud together. Here we go. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes and death shall be no more. Neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. Let's go to the next verse, one more. And he who was seated on the throne said, behold, I am making all things new. Also he said, write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true. God bless you all.
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A Church For Its City
Keith distinguishes being a church in the city from being a church for it and insists this commitment must outlast the news cycle. He grounds the church's identity in Jesus' words about his followers being the light of the world, and later ties the church's witness to making Jesus known rather than itself.
Matthew 5:14
- What has it looked like for our group to be for our city rather than simply in it?
- How has serving others connected to your faith in Jesus?
- How can we serve in a way that makes Jesus known rather than ourselves?
God’s mercy and comfort
Pastor Keith reads 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 as revealing God’s mercy and readiness to comfort people during suffering. He contrasts that promise with expecting a life free of hardship, and connects Psalm 34:18 with God’s nearness to people in grief.
2 Corinthians 1:3 · 2 Corinthians 1:4 · Psalm 34:18
- When have you experienced God's nearness in genuine affliction rather than in comfort?
- How does Scripture shape your picture of who God is?
- How might our group make room for lament without rushing to answers?
Grief Is Not a Lack of Faith
Keith gives explicit permission to weep, question, and not have answers. He points to John the Baptist's question from prison and to Jesus weeping at Lazarus's tomb as evidence that sorrow and faith can coexist, and he connects a grieving heart over lost life to the heart of God. He also calls for compassion that lasts beyond the headlines.
John 11:35
- What does it mean to you that Jesus shared the mourners’ sorrow while knowing what he would do for Lazarus?
- Where have you felt pressure to appear okay when you are not?
- How can we give each other room to keep grieving after services move on?
Comfort Received, Comfort Given
Pastor Keith interprets 2 Corinthians 1:4-6 as comfort received from God equipping people to care for others. He names Scripture, prayer and another person’s presence as ways of receiving comfort, then urges patient support for grieving people.
2 Corinthians 1:4 · 2 Corinthians 1:5 · 2 Corinthians 1:6
- Who offered you comfort that you can pass on to someone else?
- Which is easier for you to receive: Scripture, prayer, or quiet presence?
- What makes comfort patient enough to last past the headlines?
Hope for the Weary
Pastor Keith reads Paul’s profound distress in 2 Corinthians 1:8-9 as an invitation to rely on God’s resurrection power. He urges prayer even without knowing what to say, and uses Jeremiah’s message to the exiles to stress that hope does not promise a quick resolution.
2 Corinthians 1:8-9 · Romans 8:26 · Jeremiah 29:11-13
- Where do you most want a quick fix, and how could you instead ask God for endurance?
- What does it look like to pray when you do not know what to pray?
- How can we keep walking patiently with people who are still grieving?
Answers from this recording
Start a conversation.
Does grief or doubt mean I lack faith?+
Keith answers this directly from the platform: it is okay to grieve, to weep, and to have questions, and he says grief and questions are not a lack of faith. He points to John the Baptist asking Jesus from prison whether he was the one, and to Jesus weeping at Lazarus's tomb just before raising him, noting that Jesus did not rebuke the mourners for being emotional. In Keith's reading, sorrow over lost life is a sign of love and of the heart of God, not evidence of weak belief.
How does Keith's teaching that grief and faith can coexist challenge the way you respond to your own sorrow?
How does God actually comfort people?+
In Keith's message, drawing on 2 Corinthians 1, God comforts people in several specific ways. Sometimes through Scripture, which he says will speak at just the right moment. Sometimes through prayer, and he notes that people around the world were praying for the church. Sometimes through another person who sits beside you, as when Jesus wept with Mary and Martha rather than leaving them alone.
Which of these have you found most steady, and who has been that presence for you?
Why would God allow something like this to happen?+
Pastor Keith acknowledges that some questions call for shared tears rather than a quick answer. He distinguishes God’s sovereignty from approval of evil, describes the harm caused by sin and human choices, and recalls Jesus’ warning about hardship in John. He grounds hope in Jesus entering human suffering and overcoming death through resurrection.
How can a person hold grief and trust in God at the same time?
What should the church do now that the news cameras have left?+
Keith grounds the church's ongoing response in 2 Corinthians 1:4–6, where God comforts his people so that they can comfort others in any affliction. He applies this by calling the church to pray for schools, teachers, families, and first responders, to serve the city the way Jesus would, and to come alongside grieving families with meals, prayer, and presence rather than quick answers. He stresses a compassion that does not disappear when the headlines do, walking with people as long as it takes, and the service ends with an invitation to receive prayer from pastors and the prayer team.
What would it look like for our group to stay present after attention fades?
Does this passage promise that things will get easier?+
Pastor Keith says the passage does not promise a life free of hardship. He points to Paul’s profound distress and emphasis on dependence on God’s resurrection power in 2 Corinthians 1:8-9. He also uses Jeremiah’s message to the exiles to explain that hope can involve a long wait, urging prayer without treating God as a means to an immediate, predictable solution.
What does patient endurance look like in the months ahead?
