Topic: Identity

What To Do If You Are Losing Hope!

Are you running low on hope for someone in your life, or for yourself? In his final sermon at Compass, Dr. Mike Ladra looks at the opening verses of Matthew’s Gospel and shows how Jesus’s family tree, filled with scandalous, outsider grandmothers, preaches a message of hope: Jesus is in the salvage business. Through the story of Levi the tax collector becoming Matthew, “gift of God,” Dr. Ladra reminds us that no one is junk, that God creates something beautiful out of nothing, that becoming more like Jesus is the answer to so many of our problems, and that Jesus is the friend of even the worst sinner who repents.

How to Stop Wishing You Were Someone Else

Have you ever wished you were someone else? Dr. Mike Ladra looks at the real message hidden in Snow White: the story isn’t about romance, it’s about envy. It’s the sin that turned a beautiful queen into a murderer and moved the religious leaders to crucify Jesus. He describes the warning signs of envy and why the comparison game is one we always lose. He also explains how to break free: take your eyes off other people, stop letting others’ opinions define you, and remember that to Jesus, you are a treasure.

Your Past Does NOT Determine Your Future!

Does your past still define who you are? Dr. Mike Ladra tells the story of Rahab, the prostitute of Jericho who hid Israel’s spies. She ended up in the Bible’s “Hall of Faith” and in the family line of Jesus. He shows that our past is a lesson, not a life sentence. When we confess, God’s forgiveness covers everything and we don’t need to keep re-confessing. He also explains why faith means trading a fearful imagination for courage, and why believing the right things isn’t enough unless we truly kneel before Jesus as Lord.