Glorifying God by making mature, multiplying, world-changing disciples of Jesus who carry Gospel hope!

"Do not become proud at that time and forget the Lord your God, who rescued you from slavery in the land of Egypt." Deuteronomy 8:14 Every Fourth of July 300 MILLION Americans across our entire country, 5 major territories like Puerto Rico, and more than 150 American embassies stop what they’re doing, cancel workdays, workOUTS, and business as usual… and get together for hamburgers, pool parties, and of course… fireworks. The bigger the BETTER! Some say that the Fourth of July is a redneck’s early CHRISTMAS! It’s a big DEAL! But think about it. Why does an entire nation stop what it’s doing in the middle of the summer every year in the name of so-called “Independence Day”? It is because civilizations understand something that we as individuals tend to forget. If you don’t intentionally remember the important things that produced your freedom, you will eventually unintentionally forget... to your own demise. The Fourth of July isn’t actually about pool parties and fireworks. It’s about a nation saying, “We must refuse to forget the price of our freedom.” And that’s exactly what Moses was doing in Deuteronomy. The nation of Israel has been Kunta Kinte’ level SLAVES to Pharaoh and the Egyptians for four hundred years and are about to enter- not only freedom… but abundance. And the greatest threat is not enemies. It's not drought. It's not giants. It’s amnesia. “For when you have become full and prosperous and have built fine homes to live in, and when your flocks and herds have become very large and your silver and gold have multiplied along with everything else, be careful! (vs 12-13). He goes on to say, “But I assure you of this: If you ever forget the LORD your God and follow other gods… you will certainly be destroyed.(vs 19)” Prosperity can be a greater threat to spiritual life than adversity itself. C.S. Lewis said, "A pleasure is full grown only when it is remembered." Have you ever noticed how it is upon remembering and reminiscing that an experience reaches it peak in your heart? Not only does pleasure grow when it is remembered… faith grows when God is remembered. And it is when we remember God rescuing us from slavery to sin at the Cross that we truly begin to rise.

"He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less." -John 3:30

“You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.” -Genesis 50:20 I can only imagine the mental, emotional, and spiritual strength it took for a 38 year-old dad to cling to his two daughters, the hope of surviving, and his small engine airplane that had crashed down into a freezing lake close to the Kenai (kin-NYE) Peninsula in Alaska in March of 2025. Can you imagine the surprise when locals in the area had gotten word from a post on Facebook that the plane had gone off radar in a cloudy, windy area? A Good Samaritan pilot named Terry Godes responded, saw the small airplane down in the freezing water off in the distance, and was both shocked and relieved when he saw the three frostbitten survivors standing on the wings of the plane waving their arms. Not knowing if anybody even knew they were missing, much less coming to the rescue, it was the will to survive and save his two princesses that kept this father from giving in to his natural limits and dying before time. It was Bob Marley who said, “You never know how strong you are until being strong is your only choice.” We have to be willing to go to great lengths to do great things. Going great lengths requires a different mindset and a resilience that emerges from walking with God and clinging to Him in such a way that we don’t break before our breakthrough. This is precisely what we find in Genesis chapter 50. Young Joseph had been betrayed, beat up, beat down, and put through the blender for more than twenty years before it all turned into Heaven. God Himself was divinely interacting with all that had happened in Joseph’s brutalling difficult life in order to put him in position to fulfill His massive, life-giving purposes. But Joseph’s resilience was not random. It had emerged from a reality. Joseph had learned to walk with God, to cling to Him, and to draw strength, hope, and wisdom that was not his own. We must learn to do the same in our Rabbi’s School of Greatness. The Gospel reveals to us that God Himself has gone to great lengths to save humanity and to reconcile the wayward Universe back to Himself, by working with and through each of us, as a part of His story. And at the epicenter of His story, we find a Man… our Rabbi and Redeemer… on a Cross who didn’t break until He said, “It is finished”.

“But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions- it is by grace you have been saved.” -Ephesians 2:4-5 NIV Starbucks unleashed some really hilarious commercials a few years ago, showcasing a live rock band following seemingly average corporate America employees at work, playing a specialized rendition of “Eye of the Tiger” featuring their own name and success-narrative in the song! The message?… “Drinking a Starbucks coffee turns the ordinary into awesome… and drinking Starbucks is just like having a rock band thunder your own theme music to start the day!” Theme music. There is something so powerful about it. Whether it is the Undertaker coming out to chokeslam his next victim at Wrestlemania, the Samoan national rugby team getting ready to take the field, or the beginning of your favorite t.v. show during the glory days of T.G.I.F. Come on! Who knows about vegging out on pizza and the latest episodes of Full House, Family Matters, and Step by Step?!!! I’m an 80’s baby and those were the GOOD ole’ days!!!!! Theme music sets an atmosphere, says that something significant is about to happen, or someone significant is coming- so pay ATTENTION!!!!! When we read Ephesians chapter 2 verses 1 through 10, we see that the family of God has our own theme music and it is called… GRACE. It is the music that we play to begin our day. It is also the background instrumental that shapes the atmosphere of our minds and hearts. It tells us that whose, who, and what we are doing is important, and turns the ordinary into awesome. Grace is the unearned commitment and kindness of God Himself to people who deserve one thing but get another because of love. It empowers us to walk in the not-so-easy yet absolutely needed good works that God has orchestrated for us to do as we treat people the way we ourselves are treated by God in Christ. The next time God calls you to be or do something that is needed but not easy- by the Spirit of God inside of you, hear Him say… “Somebody cue My theme music”.

"And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes." -Galatians 3:27 There is a lot of psychology in how we dress. Miucia Prada, granddaughter of the founder of the Prada brand, said, "What you wear is how you PRESENT yourself to the world.” "Primetime" Deion Sanders famously said, "When you look good, you feel good. When you feel good, you play good. And when you play good, they PAY good!" In this sermon, Pastor Jazz agrees and also suggests that what you wear says something about the way you PERCEIVE your own self. He contends that it is also a powerful means by which we position ourselves inwardly for success and to seize the day. But this conversation gets most interesting and impactful in its relationship to the Gospel. The Apostle Paul says that all believers in Christ have been given the freshest fit known in existence... the perfect righteousness of Christ Jesus. This gives us total access to the Banquet Hall of God Himself and powerfully shapes how we live out our day to day lives for His glory.

"Do all that you can to be at peace with all men." -Romans 12:18 On September the 4th, 1957, a fifteen year old African American young woman named Dorothy Counts walked into Harry Hardin High School in Charlotte, North Carolina along with the three other black teenagers for the first time in the newly de-segregated Southern school. She was met by a crowd of white students as well as adults spewing racial slurs, throwing stones, and literally spitting at her. Forty-nine years later, in 2006... a Sunday School teacher at Assurance United Methodist Church in Charlotte, North Carolina asked his senior citizen class members if anyone had a story to tell about dealing with a sin of omission. Woody Cooper raised his hand and said two words: "Dorothy Counts". He had been in the crowd on that fateful day that Dorothy Counts walked into Harry Hardin High School, was actually filmed making a monkey face at her, and had been consumed with conviction and deep regret for 49 years. What followed became a story of repentance, reaching out, and reconciliation that mirrors the powerful story of Jacob and Esau reuniting and finding peace all the way back in Genesis chapter thirty-three. In this sermon, Pastor Jazz speaks on how fulfilling Jesus' call to be peacemakers requires mastering peace within oneself... by virtue of encountering the Prince of Peace Himself.

Some view Alex Pretti as a hero. Others view him as a vigilante who got what he deserved. Still others would prefer to know nothing about him whatsoever so as to keep their own sanity in a society that feels close to collapse. The most important question is... what does GOD feel about what happened to Alex Pretti? And what is He doing about it? Furthermore, what is He calling His children to do and be in a world so desperate for peace? Did you know God has spoken DIRECTLY about the things that surround the tragic loss of our brother of humanity? In this sermon, Pastor Jazz Cathcart shares timeless truth and critical compassion directly from God's Word. You will be blessed as we begin a brand new series called Peace Makers. Join us as we walk and work with Jesus Christ to step into the tension and labor for human flourishing unto the glory of God. .................... If this message adds value to your life, hit that like button, subscribe, and share with someone you care about. May God BLESS you! Hope City Sermons is a ministry of Hope City Fellowship, an authentically Christian, intentionally-diverse church based in Asheville, North Carolina that officially launched in November 2021. Our mission- "Glorifying God by making mature, multiplying, world-changing disciples of Jesus who carry Gospel-hope!" To learn more or to support our ministry, visit our website at hopecityfellowship.org. ............. #HopeHelpAndReconciliation #HopeCityFellowship #PastorJazzionCathcart #JazzCathcart

The Apostle Paul said at justttttt the right time in history God sent His special Son Jesus Christ into the world... born of a woman (that's the first Christmas)... not only to come and SAVE us... but to GROW us. ............... If this message adds value to your life, hit that like button, subscribe, and share with someone you care about. May God BLESS you! Hope City Sermons is a ministry of Hope City Fellowship, an authentically Christian, intentionally-diverse church based in Asheville, North Carolina that officially launched in November 2021. Our mission- "Glorifying God by making mature, multiplying, world-changing disciples of Jesus who carry Gospel-hope!" To learn more or to support our ministry, visit our website at hopecityfellowship.org. ............. #HopeHelpAndReconciliation #HopeCityFellowship #PastorJazzionCathcart #JazzCathcart

We are in week one of a fresh new series called "Sign Language: The Gospel according to John". There was nobody this side of Glory closer to Jesus than John. And in his biography of Jesus' life, ministry, death, and resurrection, he shares seven of Jesus' miracles that he says were "signs"... miracles with a message... supernatural exploits that point to something beyond the miracle itself and reveal something significant about Jesus and His salvation. The first miracle was Jesus attending a wedding and reception where the wine supply ran completely out. What happened next reveals that reaching for Jesus is far superior than reaching for that drink. God sent His Son into the world because the Messiah brings true recreation... fun, gladness of heart, pleasure, peace, and the means to deal with our pain- without the grief and regret. ................ If this message adds value to your life, hit that like button, subscribe, and share with someone you care about. May God BLESS you! Hope City Sermons is a ministry of Hope City Fellowship, an authentically Christian, intentionally-diverse church based in Asheville, North Carolina that officially launched in November 2021. Our mission- "Glorifying God by making mature, multiplying, world-changing disciples of Jesus who carry Gospel-hope!" To learn more or to support our ministry, visit our website at hopecityfellowship.org. ............. #HopeHelpAndReconciliation #HopeCityFellowship #PastorJazzionCathcart #JazzCathcart