What if the Jesus you need most is not a new Jesus, but the real Jesus reintroduced?

Pastor Damian Chandler returns in Episode 9 of The Uplift we call “Jesus: The Remix” - a message that does not change Jesus, soften Jesus, or reinvent Jesus, but invites us to see Him clearly again. Beyond cultural filters, religious assumptions, and incomplete versions of Christ, this episode brings the focus back to Jesus as Son of God, Savior, King, and the patient Redeemer still waiting for people to say yes.

Chandler opens with a sports story: the last second shot. As a Toronto Raptors fan, he walks listeners back to Kawhi Leonard's unforgettable Eastern Conference playoff shot against the Philadelphia 76ers - bounce, bounce, bounce, and in. The crowd remembers the game-winner, but not all the missed shots and missed opportunities that made the final shot necessary.

Then he turns to Luke 23 and the thief on the cross.

The thief, Chandler says, is a man who had missed opportunities. He had likely heard about Jesus' ministry. He may have known the stories of the sermons, the healings, the feeding of the 5,000, the blind receiving sight, and the lame walking again. He saw Jesus treated unjustly. He saw the crowd choose Barabbas. He heard the mocking. He knew Jesus was innocent. And still, his life had brought him to a cross.

But Chandler refuses to let the thief remain a distant Bible character. "This thief is me," he says. He names the ache so many people carry: the feeling that you missed your shot, squandered your chances, and no longer deserve another opportunity. Then he preaches the heart of the gospel: God is not only the God of the first chance. He is the God of the second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth chance.

From there, the message unfolds around three movements: the providence of God, the proximity of God, and the patience of God. Providence means Jesus was crucified on the same day as the thief because God was still reaching for him. Proximity means Jesus was placed in the middle, close enough for both thieves to hear His final sermon: "Father, forgive them." Patience means Jesus stayed on the cross long enough to hear one broken request: "Remember me."

And then comes the turn: Jesus' final words before death were spoken to a criminal who had missed his opportunities. Chandler says Jesus saved His final breath, final energy, and final words for a man who thought it was too late.

This episode is for anyone who thinks they have gone too far, waited too long, failed too many times, or missed too many chances. The Savior is waiting. Not because He has changed, but because He is exactly who Scripture says He is: close, patient, merciful, and ready to answer the prayer, "Remember me."

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The Uplift is a podcast from Breath of Life Fellowship in Stamford, CT.

Join us in person: 884 Newfield Avenue, Stamford, CT

Bible Study — Saturdays at 11:30am | Worship — Saturdays at 12:30pm

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