When I Think About Jesus | Stephen Chandler | Sermon Notes — Hello Pastor

Sermon Notes

When I Think About Jesus

Stephen Chandler

Union Church • Apr 6, 2026 • 39 min

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Take this message with you through a journey of Scripture, reflection, and prayer.

Summary

In this message, Pastor Stephen Chandler explores how our ability to accurately remember God's promises shapes the quality of our future. Looking at Thomas and the disciples after the resurrection, he highlights how trauma can cause us to forget what Christ has already declared, leading to fear and spiritual paralysis. Believers are encouraged to dismantle negative past memories, avoid idolizing former blessings, and seek a genuine, personal encounter with Jesus that leads to total surrender.

Themes

Faith and Personal Encounters with ChristOvercoming Past Trauma and Negative MemoriesSurrender and LordshipTrusting God's Promises in Difficult SeasonsMoving Beyond Inherited ReligionRemembering God's Faithfulness

Pastor's Points

1.

Some memories need to be torn down.

2.

Your best days are not behind you.

3.

Let yesterday encourage you, not paralyze you.

Key Points

1.
Some memories need to be torn down, especially negative and traumatic experiences that attempt to dictate our future.
2.
Your best days in Christ are never behind you, so beware of turning past achievements or former blessings into idols.
3.
Let yesterday encourage you, not paralyze you, by anchoring your soul in God's proven faithfulness rather than current fear.
4.
Trauma can cause us to forget God's promises and react purely out of painful, current circumstances.
5.
Inherited religious routines and outward appearances cannot replace a direct, personal encounter with the living Savior.
6.
Honest questions and doubts do not intimidate God; He welcomes believers into an authentic, firsthand relationship with Him.
7.
A genuine encounter with Jesus transforms intellectual belief into absolute surrender, moving us to declare Him as Lord and God.
8.

Sermon Moments

“Your ability to accurately remember the past will dictate the quality of your future.”

“They weren't locked in the room because their Savior died. They were locked in the room because they forgot that He said it would happen.”

“Memory monuments can make a monument of a negative moment and dictate how we live and dictate our future.”

“Your best days are not behind you... God wants to do something new in our lives.”

“I refuse to pretend to know a God that I've never met. God isn't scared of Thomas, and He's not scared of you.”

“You can't lock your heart off from Jesus because He doesn't need a doorknob and He doesn't need a key.”

“Trauma, difficulty, and heartbreak are not really a curse; they are an opportunity for God to show Himself real in your life.”

“When you meet Jesus for yourself, it literally defines everything in your future.”

This Week

Identify negative or traumatic memories that have created fear in your life, and pray for God to neutralize their hold on your future.

Refuse to remain stuck in past achievements or former blessings, asking God to reveal the new work He wants to accomplish in you today.

Replace anxiety over present challenges by actively recalling specific moments when God delivered and provided for you in the past.

Move beyond inherited religious routines by spending intentional, quiet time seeking a direct, personal encounter with Jesus this week.

Bring your honest questions and doubts directly to God in prayer, trusting that He welcomes your authenticity and desires relationship.

Evaluate areas of your life where Jesus is acknowledged as God but not fully obeyed as Lord, choosing to surrender control to Him.

Prepare for upcoming difficult decisions or challenges by declaring God's promises over them, stepping forward in confident faith rather than fear.

Remember This

A personal encounter with the resurrected Christ dismantles the power of past trauma, transforms routine belief into total surrender, and anchors our soul for the future.

A Challenge for You

Invite the Holy Spirit to make this message personal, allow God to tear down paralyzing memories of the past, and surrender your life completely to Jesus as both Lord and Savior today.

These are personal sermon notes shared to help you remember the message — not a replacement for Scripture, your church, or your pastors.