Capital City Biker Church

10/15/2026

Stop Trying to Please Everyone Else

“I am not trying to do what I want, but only what he who sent me wants.” John 5:30 (GNT)

What motivates you to get up in the morning? To go to work? To study hard? To serve and give and love others? To keep going when life gets stressful?

If you don’t want to fight stress all the time, you need to know your deepest motivation.

Why? Because mixed motivations will leave you feeling pulled in different directions. Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters” (Luke 16:13 NLT).

Even God can’t please everybody. When somebody’s praying for it to rain, someone else is praying for it to be sunny. As a pastor for over 40 years, I knew that I was always disappointing somebody, because people often have different expectations. I can’t please everyone, and neither can you.

The Bible says the fear of man is a trap. It will capture your heart and mind and cause you to stumble. That’s why Jesus said in John 5:30, “I am not trying to do what I want, but only what he who sent me wants” (GNT). Jesus knew who he was trying to please.

If you’re not trying to please God, then in all likelihood, you’re trying to please a bunch of other people. It’s a lot easier and less stressful to decide you’re going to please God—because whatever you do that pleases him will always be the right thing. This is why Jesus was so resilient under stress. He only tried to please one person.

Whose approval are you depending on for your happiness? Who are you still trying to please? For some, it’s a parent who never showed approval or encouragement. For others, it may be a boss who’s impossible to please, no matter how hard you try.

But you are not a victim. You are as free as you choose to be. Nobody can pressure you into meeting their expectations without your permission.

When you live for an audience of one, you won’t be controlled by the fear of rejection. Instead, you’ll be motivated by love and free to be the person God made you to be.

10/15/2026

10/14/2026

Only God’s Opinion Matters

“You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden.” Matthew 5:14 (NLT)

If you’re not sure who you really are, then you can be manipulated and molded by the pressures, problems, and people around you—and that leads to stress!

Our culture is constantly trying to fit you into its mold. When you have a confused and unclear identity, when you don’t really know who you are, it makes you more vulnerable to the culture’s influence. Until you settle in your mind that God loves you unconditionally and that you’re a child of his, you’re going to be prone to stress.

Jesus never had any doubts about his identity. In fact, 18 times in Scripture he publicly declared who he was. These are called his “I am” statements: “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12 NLT). “I am the Son of God” (John 10:36 NLT). “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6 NLT). “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35 NLT). Jesus made it clear that he knew exactly who he was.

In John 8:18, Jesus said, “I testify on my own behalf” (GNT). He didn’t need other people to tell him who he was. He didn’t look to others for validation.

When you depend on other people’s opinions for validation, you can’t be resilient to stress. Because if you don’t know who you are, then other people will decide it for you. They’ll force you into a mold, and you’ll get stressed out trying to be someone you’re not. You’ll end up pretending and wearing a mask. It will wear you out!

Jesus knew he was the light of the world. And he also told his followers: “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden” (Matthew 5:14 NLT). As you follow him, you reflect his light to others. Do you realize how special you are? Not because of what other people say but because of what God says. There’s nobody in the world exactly like you.

You must accept the truth about you—your strengths along with your limitations and weaknesses. God made you with all of those things, and he has given you everything you need to do his will.

When you accept that, you’ll be secure in your identity and a lot less stressed.

10/13/2026

The Foundation of Your Resilience

“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” 1 John 3:1 (NIV)

We are living in stressful times. More than ever, we need to learn resilience so that we can do what God has called us to do. That’s why the first step to being resilient is to remember how much God loves you. That’s the antidote to stress!

Part of fulfilling your purpose is becoming more like Jesus. And Jesus had no doubt in his mind that God the Father loved him. He talked about it over and over in verses like John 10:17, which says, “The Father loves me” (NLT).

Knowing and remembering that God has unconditional, extravagant, continuous, and never-ending love for you, just like he has for Jesus, is the foundation of a resilient life. As Paul says, “I am convinced that neither death nor life . . . nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39 NIV). We can be resilient, knowing that we can never be separated from God’s love.

You may be thinking, “Well, of course God loves Jesus. That’s his Son.” But did you know that Jesus says the same thing about his love for you? In John 15:9-10, Jesus says, “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love” (NIV).

Understanding how much God loves you is the basis of your resilience. If you are not convinced that God loves you at all times—unconditionally and completely—then you’re going to be easy prey for the disapproval of other people. You’re going to be a people pleaser.

But when you are secure in who you are as God’s child—when you understand and accept how God feels about you—then you can face difficult times with confidence and less stress.

When you need to be reminded of how much God loves you, just look to his Word.

“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” (1 John 3:1 NIV).

10/12/2026

The Antidote to Anxiety

“Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:29 (NLT)

Everyone wants to know the antidote to anxiety because we all experience it. We live in stressful times and rest for our bodies and souls seems elusive.

But it’s not a secret: Jesus wants you to worry less and trust him more. He says in Matthew 11:29, “Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (NLT).

After you come to Jesus and let him share your load, he wants you to learn from him. Why? Because Jesus is never in a hurry. He sets a pace that comes from a gentle and humble heart that is meant to bring life and not weariness. Jesus modeled for us how to live with peace and purpose, and following his example is how we refill our spiritual and emotional tanks. Watch how he lived, and do it the way he did.

Learning to live like Jesus is a process. You won't learn it overnight because you didn't develop your overloaded lifestyle overnight. But no matter how long it takes, you can learn to trust him.

You can learn from Jesus how to be gentle and humble. But how is that going to help you? Gentleness and humility don’t seem like the natural cure for being stressed out and tired. Maybe you would expect him to say, "Learn from me, and I'll teach you how to have endurance and stamina."

Jesus wants you to learn to be gentle and humble because aggression and arrogance are two of the biggest causes of stress and emptiness in life.

Aggression is when we don't want to wait for anything, and we over-commit ourselves. It's the opposite of gentleness.

Arrogance is when we try to control everything. Our ego is responsible for more stress and arrogance in our lives than we realize.

The antidote to the two biggest causes of stress in your life is gentleness and humility. You learn them by reminding yourself every day that you’re not God and you’re not anybody's savior.

Spend time with Jesus, and you’ll see how gentleness and humility lead to rest.

10/12/2026

Today's sermon by Brother Jeff Renken

Church Service

10/11/2026

Fulfilling Mrs Barbs wishes