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Good morning, everyone.

I’m really glad you’re here. I know it’s early, and I know there’s a lot going on in all of our lives—school, pressure, distractions, stress.

But this morning, I just want us to take a step back from all of that and focus in on something way more important than anything else we’ve got going on: our hearts, our faith, and our relationship with Jesus.

What I’m going to share with you isn’t just another devotional thought or nice encouragement—it’s something that really matters. It’s about what it actually means to follow Jesus. Not just know about Him, not just go to church or show up to Bible club, but to truly live for Him. Because the Bible doesn’t say we’re saved just by saying a few words—it talks about a life that’s changed, a heart that bears fruit, a faith that shows up in how we live.

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So with all that being said, you might ask well how do I know if I’m saved?

Jesus had a answer for this question,

Hes is talking about recognizing false prophets but we can look at it the other way around too

Jesus says

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 7

19 Every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 So you’ll recognize them by their fruit.

But what does it mean by a tree and what does it mean by fruit?

Think of it in this way, the tree being YOU (your heart, character, your faith) and the fruits being your actions( words, choices, lifestyle, and visible behavior),

Now remember the tree is metaphoric and its referring to your heart,

So lets look back at the scripture

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 7

Every tree (person, your heart) that doesn’t produce good fruit (actions, the way you live) is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 So you’ll recognize them by their fruit.

Jesus is pretty plainly stating here, If you truly have faith or Believe in your heart it will be evident you are saved, but if your heart is corrupt with wordly desires you will produce bad fruit in the way you (act, talk, choices you make, how you dress, and plenty more, the people you talk too)

Now listen—I’m not saying you have to be perfect in your walk with Jesus. We all fall short. We all mess up. But hear me on this: messing up is not a free pass to keep living in sin. God’s grace doesn’t excuse sin, but by that grace we have been given means to change, be transformed, and to become the person God created us to be.

But before we wrap up here, I wanna go back to verse 19 “Every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

This verses not only serves as a way to test our faith but as a warning that a life with no fruit (no evidence of genuine faith) will face eternal separation from God, which we know as hell.

That’s a scary thing. And if you continue to live in sin without true repentance, it will lead to eternal separation from God.

We could always come up here and give you really feel-good messages—tell you everything’s okay, that you can just live however you want and still be ‘good with God.’

But that wouldn’t be the truth. And if we really love you, we won’t lie to you.

The truth is, the gospel isn’t about making you feel better—it’s about making you new.

Jesus didn’t die so we could stay the same. He died to save us, to change us, and to give us eternal life. But that life only comes through surrender—through real repentance and real faith.

So no, this message might not feel good—but it’s eternally good.

Because it’s the truth that can save your soul.”

Look, I don’t know your heart, but I do know you’ve heard the truth this morning.

And now that you’ve heard it—you’re responsible for it. You can’t unhear it. You can’t pretend you didn’t know. Jesus is calling you—not to play church, not to fake it, not to just feel emotional for a moment—but to fully surrender your life to Him.

Now unless you feel led too I'm not going to ask anyone to come up front or raise their hand … but I am going to challenge you to be real with God. Don’t brush this off. If you know you need to surrender, repent, or just talk to God—do it. Today. Don’t wait.

And Please don’t leave here carrying questions, conviction, or decisions by yourself. If you want to talk, if you need prayer, or if today was a turning point for you, you are welcome to come and talk to any one of us but we also have cards you can fill out in the back. Hand it to us or place it in the box. We’re here for you. Really.

Prayer- “God, thank You for speaking to us this morning. Thank You for Your truth—even when it’s hard to hear. We know You don’t speak to condemn us, but to call us closer to You. Lord, if there’s anyone here who’s been pretending, who’s been running, or who just knows deep down that they need You—I pray You would give them the courage to respond. Let no one leave this room without knowing where they stand with You. We’re not here to play games—we’re here to know You. So work in our hearts right now, Jesus. In Your name we pray, amen.”