Church Of The Harvest | Sermon Podcast | Cleveland, TN · Word Of Life Ministries - Church of the Harvest

Resting In The Truth Of Who You Are - T. Stacy Hayes

·50 min·3 clips

"You have got to come to the place in your life that you see you in the mirror as more than an inmate."

1. Church Of The Harvest | Sermon Podcast | Cleveland, TN presents T. Stacy Hayes teaching on "Resting In The Truth Of Who You Are." 2. T. Stacy Hayes speaks as the minister connected to prison and jail outreach, and Missy reads letters that explain why inmates and staff keep responding to the message. 3. The sermon asks how a person can "rest" in Christ while carrying shame, addiction, incarceration, and family damage. 4. Hayes says six men now meet in a mentor group at Bledsoe County Prison, and four of them were recruited from inside the prison. 5. He says inmates are making a "major difference" because other ministries now ask them to speak, not just him. 6. Missy reads letters from men who say they were "stuck in a rut," were running from God, or finally understood where they stand "in Christ Jesus." 7. One letter says the writer has seen "two or three" letters a week and now believes God will "do what he tells us he will." 8. Hayes says he has been invited into McMinn County full time and was later asked to become a chaplain for the McMinn County Sheriff's Department. 9. He describes a young man who says he was pushed off a "75 foot bluff," landed on rocks, and wants to give his testimony. 10. Hayes says prisoners pay more attention to inmate testimony than to his own because they can see "where they've been and what God's word will do for them." 11. He quotes 2 Thessalonians 1:7 and says, "rest with us," then connects that to people who are troubled and persecuted. 12. He quotes Matthew 11:28-30 and says Jesus gives "rest" for the soul and that his yoke is "easy" and his burden is "light." 13. Hayes states that if something is not "easy" and not "light," then it is not God. 14. He says a person must stop seeing only an inmate, a prodigal, or a failure and start seeing "the righteousness of God in him." 15. He says the past stays connected as long as people keep speaking about it, and he tells inmates he does not need to know what they did. 16. Hayes says salvation is not "good behavior" and not a repeated emotional plea, but a decision to make Jesus Lord. 17. The tone is direct, testimonial, and confrontational in a pastoral way, with frequent Scripture reading and prison examples. 18. The format moves from live testimony and letter reading into a sermon that repeatedly pauses for audience response. 19. Best for listeners interested in prison ministry, identity in Christ, and practical grace teaching. 20. Less useful for listeners wanting polished exegesis or a short devotional.

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