Watch Night Service, 2025
Blind By Design
Brother Joshua Pollard
December 31, 2025
Blind By Design – 5 Steps
1) Suspend your old rationale
John 9:1-3 (NIV)
1 As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi who sinned, the man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.”
2) Recognize the setup is for your good
Isaiah 54:16-17 (NIV)
16 “See, it is I who created the blacksmith who fans the coals into flame and forges a weapon fit for its work. And it is I who have created the destroyer to work havoc; 17 no weapon forged (formed) against you will prevail (prosper), and you will refute every tongue that accuses you.”
3) Accept it getting worse before it feels better
John 9:6-7 (NIV)
6 Having said this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put on the man’s eyes. 7 “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means Sent). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.
4) Blind Obedience Required
John 9:10-12 (NIV)
10 “How then were your eyes opened?” they demanded. 11 He replied “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.” 12 “Where is this man?” they asked him. “I don’t know,” he said.
5) Ask for Divine Sight and Insight
1 Kings 3: 5-13 (NIV)
5 At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.” 6 Solomon answered, “You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David, because he was faithful to you and righteous and upright in heart. You have continued this great kindness to him and have given him a son to sit on his throne this very day. 7 “Now, Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. 8 Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. 9 So give your servant a discerningheart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?” 10 The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. 11 So God said to him, “Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, 12 I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be.13 Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for—both wealth and honor—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings.
God’s Powerful Spirit (GPS)
Become Like Jesus
John M. Wallace, Jr., PhD
December 28, 2025
Sermon in a Sentence: The Holy Spirit leads us to become like Jesus.
Romans 8:1-4, 26-28 1 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. 2 And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. 3 The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the
weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control
over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. 4 He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow
the Spirit.
26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. 28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 29 For those God
foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.
How the Spirit Leads Us to Become Like Jesus: The Will/Way Matrix Revisited
Matthew 6:10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Matthew 6:33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Whose Will (desires)?
- God’s will (desires) being done on earth [here] as it is in heaven [there]
- My will (desires)
Whose Way (methods)?
- God’s way (methods) = His way (who, what, where, when, why, how)
- My way (methods)
God’s Will/God’s Way = Obedience
Jesus, Mary, Joseph
Luke 22:42 “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.”
God’s Will/My Way = Presumption
Moses—struck the rock, Numbers 20:8-12 8 “You and Aaron must take the staff and assemble the entire community. As the people watch, speak to the rock over there, and it will pour out its water. You will provide enough water from
the rock to satisfy the whole community and their livestock.”9 So Moses did as he was told. He took the staff from the place where it was kept before the Lord. 10 Then he and Aaron summoned the people to come and gather at the rock. “Listen, you rebels!” he shouted. “Must
we bring you water from this rock?” 11 Then Moses raised his hand and struck the rock twice with the staff, and water gushed out. So the entire community and their livestock drank their fill.
12 But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust me enough to
demonstrate my holiness to the people of Israel, you will not lead them into the land I am giving them!”
My Will/ God’s Way = Self-Righteousness
Rich Young Ruler Matthew 19:16-22 16 Someone came to Jesus with this question: “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?”17 “Why ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. But to answer your question—if you want to receive eternal life, keep[g] the commandments.”18 “Which ones?” the man asked.
And Jesus replied: “‘You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal.
You must not testify falsely. 19 Honor your father and mother. Love your neighbor as yourself.’[” 20 “I’ve obeyed all these commandments,” the young man replied. “What else must
I do?” 21 Jesus told him, “If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 22 But when the young man heard this, he went away sad, for he had many possessions.
My Will/My Way = Rebellion
Jonah—Jonah 1:1-4 1 The Lord gave this message to Jonah son of Amittai: 2 “Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh. Announce my judgment against it because I have seen how wicked its
people are.” 3 But Jonah got up and went in the opposite direction to get away from the Lord. He went down to the port of Joppa, where he found a ship leaving for Tarshish. He bought a ticket and went on board, hoping to escape from the Lord by sailing to Tarshish.
Application
1. Daniel Fast—details forthcoming
2. Read through Old Testament together
3. Get in a group/Bible study
God’s Powerful Spirit (GPS)
How to Live the GPS-Led Life
John M. Wallace, Jr., PhD
December 14, 2025
Sermon in a Sentence
The Spirit-led life is the best life there is!
John 16:13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not
speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the
things that are to come.
Romans 8:14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.
Being guided by the Spirit begins with submission to His leading
Luke 4:1 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the
wilderness, 2 where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those
days, and at the end of them he was hungry.
Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in
all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
James 4:13-15 13 Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city,
spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” 14 Why, you do not even know what
will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then
vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”
Example of Mary and Joseph
Luke 1:38 And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to
your word.” And the angel departed from her.
Matthew 1:24-25 24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord
commanded him: he took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And
he called his name Jesus.
Luke 2:1-7 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be
registered. 2 This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And all went
to be registered, each to his own town. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town
of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the
house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. 6
And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her
firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was
no place for them in the inn.
Being guided by the Spirit will lead you to Jesus
Example of the Magi (Wise men) [See Daniel 5:7,11-12]
Matthew 2:1-23 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod,
Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king
of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had
called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the
Messiah was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:6 “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the
rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’”
7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had
appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As
soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”
9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it
rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they
saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his
mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and
presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a
dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.
Where the Spirit guides, He protects and provides
Back to Joseph and Mary (Matthew 2:13-23)
13 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said,
“take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going
to search for the child to kill him.”
14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, 15 where he
stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the
prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”
16 When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave
orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in
accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi.
17 Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: 18 “A voice is heard in
Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be
comforted, because they are no more.”
19 After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt 20 and said,
“Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to
take the child’s life are dead.”
21 So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he
heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go
there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, 23 and he went
and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene.
God’s Powerful Spirit (GPS)
Recalculating—What To Do When God Redirects You
John M. Wallace, Jr., PhD
December 7, 2025
Sermon in a Sentence
When God’s hand redirects your plan, go with the Spirit’s flow!
Recalculating
What To Do When God Redirects You (Insights from the Lives of Mary and Joseph)
But First the Tea!
John 8:18-19 18 I am the one who bears witness about myself, and the Father who sent me
bears witness about me.” 19 They said to him therefore, “Where is your Father?” Jesus
answered, “You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father
also.”
John 8:39-41 39 They answered him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were
Abraham's children, you would be doing the works Abraham did, 40 but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did. 41 You are doing the works your father did.” They said to him, “We were not born of sexual
immorality. We have one Father—even God.”
Sermon in a Sentence
When God’s hand redirects your plan, go with the Spirit’s flow!
Recalculating: Mary’s Story Luke 1:26-38
26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.
30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You
will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will
be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”35 The angel answered, “The
Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy
one to be born will be called[b] the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37 For no word from God will ever fail.”
38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.
Joe’s Tea
Matthew 1:1-6 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of
Abraham.2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, 3 and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram, 4 and Ram the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, 5 and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, 6 and Jesse the father of David the king. And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah,
Matthew 1:18-25 18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother
Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.
19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to
divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).
24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his
wife, 25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.
Application
1. Listen for God’s voice
2. Don’t be afraid
3. Follow the GPS (God’s Powerful Spirit), trusting He knows best
Romans 8: 26 Likewise the 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.
27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit
intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 28 And we know that for those who
love God all things work together for good,[h] for those who are called according to his purpose.
Disclaimer: Everyone is entitled to their opinion. We believe and teach that the Bible is God’s Word — His opinion — and provides His instruction for how to live life under His rule (i.e., the Kingdom of God).
