Part one of a new series from Pastor Erwin McManus on the importance of self-mastery. To begin the journey of self-mastery, you must first learn how to take ownership over your life and choices. When we abdicate our responsibility for our choices, we then give away our power to change our future.

Out of the context of Genesis 3, Pastor Erwin relates the story of Adam and Eve and how neither took ownership for their actions in the Garden. Pastor Erwin insightfully unpacks the scriptures and the consequences of the fall of humanity away from God’s original intention. Blame was at the root of man’s separation from God, and the beginning of a history of no ownership between humanity and our creator.

If you desire to change your life and create a better future for yourself and your family, but don’t know where to begin – this talk is for you!

—

“Self-Mastery: Ownership” message by Erwin Raphael McManus recorded at Mosaic Studios in Hollywood, CA.

For more information, visit mosaic.org. © MOSAIC / Erwin McManus. #20210411

Palm Sunday is the day Jesus’s followers celebrated his victory before he entered the battle that would define human history. Out of John chapter 12, Mosaic Lead Pastor Erwin McManus illuminates this remarkable moment in Jesus’s life and legacy like never.

No one celebrating in the streets of Jerusalem on Palm Sunday could have known the magnitude of the victory that was yet to be won. At the intersection of the scriptures and present day, Pastor Erwin reveals that God wants us to anticipate the victory Jesus has for us before we can see it for ourselves.

–

“Celebration of Life” message by Erwin McManus recorded at Mosaic Studios.

For more information, visit mosaic.org. © MOSAIC / Erwin McManus. #20210329

In his message ‘Escape Room,’ Pastor Erwin McManus delivers a powerful message that illuminates how Jesus is the ‘escape’ from the rooms built by negative forces in our lives. Whether it be mistakes from our past, feelings of shame or inadequacy, or fear of the future, all of us have an escape room from which only Jesus can set us free.

Pastor Erwin draws from a story in John 8:2-11, where Jesus is found in a crowd of people accusing a woman who has been caught in adultery. The religious elite are intent on trapping the woman in her worst moment, but Jesus offers her freedom and a path to a better future.

“If you want to find your way out of the escape room, you need to let Jesus be your defense.”
-Erwin McManus

—

“Escape Room” message by Erwin McManus recorded at Mosaic Studios.

For more information, visit mosaic.org. © MOSAIC / Erwin McManus. #20210214

What alienates us from the presence of God? How do we not succumb to fear of failure, but have faith in a better future? Pastor Erwin McManus brings a compelling message that reminds us where the real battle of our lives is won or lost: the battle of our inner world.

In 1 Kings 19:1-19 Elijah was afraid of a threat of death from Jezebel and ran for his life. After a great moment of courage where God provided for him, his faith was corrupted by fear. Fear is the negative expression of our faith, founded in a belief that the worst will happen to us. Pastor Erwin teaches us that whatever informs us, forms us; we must listen and pay close attention to the inner voices that shape our choices.

Our future is not destined to be a replica of our past. God empowers each of us to face our fears and run into our freedom. Though we can be tempted like Elijah to run away from our fears, God reminds us over and over in the scriptures that He will meet us in our fear and use it to make us stronger. God wants to shape our inner world in the midst of our biggest battle. It is through the mastery of our inner worlds that we will find peace.

“The warriors aren’t ready for battle until they come to know peace.”

–Erwin McManus

—

“Inner Peace” message by Erwin McManus, previously recorded at Hillsong Colour Conference 2019.

For more information, visit mosaic.org. © MOSAIC / Erwin McManus. #20210207

Many of us grew up in environments where we were encouraged to lay our ambitions aside in the name of following Jesus. We were told that it was vain to pursue success in many arenas. In this message, Pastor Erwin McManus challenges this cultural belief by diving into Matthew 20:20​-28. In this passage, Jesus redefines the definition of greatness for his followers.

Pastor Erwin shares that Scripture never condemns the human desire to accomplish great things. In Matthew 20, Jesus simply encouraged his followers to see greatness as the result of sacrificial servanthood. We were not meant to live average, mediocre lives. We were meant to live with an ambition that works hard to see dreams accomplished and success realized. Because we are exposed to so much information about those who have accomplished greatness, it can be easy to believe that high levels of success are easy to come by. Pastor Erwin suggests that our greatness is waiting to be uncovered by hard work and discipline. Since we are representing God, we are wired with a desire to bring our very best to the world around us. “If you go to the edge of servanthood you will find yourself standing on the brink of greatness.”

-Erwin McManus

—

“The Drive For Greatness” message by Erwin McManus, previously recorded at Mosaic Hollywood.

For more information, visit mosaic.org. © MOSAIC / Erwin McManus. #20210131

At times, it can feel as though we are too broken for God to do anything great in our lives. The incredible news is that there is nothing God can’t use in our lives to make us better. God takes our damage and uses it to make us who we were actually created to be. No matter what we’re going through or what we have experienced, God has an incredible way of pulling us together because with God nothing is wasted.

Moses’ life was so unexpected on many levels. His story is a true reminder that how we start doesn’t have to be how we finish. Sometimes we make decisions and let them cripple us and steal from our future. In Acts 7:30-32 Moses met God and God directed him toward his future. It says “An angel appeared to Moses in the flames of a burning bush in the desert near Mount Sinai. When he saw this, he was amazed at the sight. As he went over to get a closer look, he heard the Lord say: ‘I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Moses trembled with fear and did not dare to look.”

The only way to leave our past in the past is to let God create a new future. There are things we will do that we must own. There will always be people who want to define us by the worst moments in life. Even when Moses was running God, was preparing him. When we think we are wasting time, God uses time as fertilizer. We must remember God looks at us at our worst, and only sees all the good we can do.

“With God there is nothing wasted.” – Erwin McManus

—

“Nothing Wasted” message by Erwin McManus, previously recorded at Mosaic Hollywood.

For more information, visit mosaic.org. © MOSAIC / Erwin McManus. #20210124

Pastor Erwin McManus inspires us with this great message from April 22, 2018 as part of our “Best Of” Series. — Many of us long to step into the life Jesus imagined for us. But how do we really do it? First, we must realize that faith is not a moment or merely a one-time decision. Inviting God into our lives is just the starting point. There’s much necessary work needed to move into a spiritual depth. Sometimes we misunderstand what it looks like to step into faith with God but the struggle of faith is not a new struggle!

Asaph shares his struggles in Psalms 73:1-2 “God is truly good to Israel, to those who have pure hearts but I had almost stopped believing this truth. I had almost lost my faith because I was jealous of proud people. I saw wicked people doing well.” We lose our clarity when we focus on what others are doing. As long as we’re looking at others’ journeys and comparing, we’re walking blind.

There will be moments in life that just don’t make sense. Because of this, our faith must be connected to who God is instead of understanding all that God does. There may be days we question if it’s worth it. Like Asaph, we’re human and we have struggles, but when we stay close to Jesus we don’t have to run when crisis comes. We meet God right in the middle of our journey.

“Faith is not connected to what God does. Your faith has to be connected to who God is.”
– Erwin McManus

—

“Clear Eyes, Full Hearts, Can’t Lose” message by Erwin McManus, previously recorded on April 22, 2018, at Mosaic Hollywood.

For more information, visit mosaic.org. © MOSAIC / Erwin McManus. #20210110

This future that’s becoming a reality belongs to those who are bold enough to create it. Right now, someone is creating a future for us to live in. The future is not created passively.

The words from Solomon in the book of Ecclesiastes help us build the kind of future we long for. Solomon teaches us that we must have a generous spirit to create the greatest impact. We must ask ourselves: are we committed to doing the most good we can? Solomon says in Ecclesiastes chapter 11, “Invest in seven ventures, yes, in eight; you do not know what disaster may come upon the land. If clouds are full of water, they pour rain on the earth. Whether a tree falls to the south or to the north, in the place where it falls, there it will lie.”

Our human portfolio must be diversified because we never know what disaster might come. We must not hesitate to take all of the ground we can. Those who create the future understand what we consume is what will come out of our lives. If we want to exhale courage, we have to inhale it consistently. Love makes us strong, hope makes us resilient and hope transforms our lives. What are we full of right now? We must remember the people who change the world are the ones who decide where and how they will leave their mark.

“The future awaits those with the courage to create it.”

-Erwin McManus

—

“The Future Belongs To The Bold” message given by Erwin McManus at Mosaic Hollywood.

For more information, visit mosaic.org. © MOSAIC / Erwin McManus. #20210103