Pastor Wes reveals how Paul preached Jesus to Jews but God the Creator to pagans—why the difference mattered.
The episode is a Sunday evening sermon at Platte Valley Baptist Church, delivered by Pastor Wes. He begins by reading Acts 17:1-4, noting that Paul preached differently to Jews and pagans—to Jews, he emphasized Jesus as the crucified and risen Messiah, while to pagans, he focused on God as Creator. Pastor Wes then announces he will discuss four things about Jesus: creator, sustainer, savior, and victor. For Jesus as creator, he cites John 1:1-3 and other verses, arguing that Jesus made everything, including each person, and critiques social media for causing dissatisfaction with one's God-given identity. On Jesus as sustainer, he references Colossians 1:17 and John 15:5, explaining that Jesus holds all things together and enables believers to bear fruit through connection to him. He shares a personal story about walking on a dangerous icy patch near Idaho Springs, using it to illustrate God's sustaining hand. For Jesus as savior, he turns to John 3:16-18, stating that Jesus saves from condemnation and is the only way to salvation, rejecting other religious figures. On Jesus as victor, he reads 1 Corinthians 15:51-57 and Psalm 2, describing Jesus' victory over death, worldly powers, and the devil, with a vivid analogy of a helium balloon representing Satan's defeat. The sermon concludes with a reading of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's 1863 poem 'I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day,' written amid personal loss, to affirm that God is not dead and offers peace. Pastor Wes prays and mentions setting up for a post-service activity.
