Red Rocks Church Weekend Messages

Episode: Week 1 of Kiss the Fire (Sermon Only)
Date: October 4, 2025
Series: Kiss the Fire – 7 Ways to Get Back Up When You Want to Give Up
Speaker: Pastor Sean Johnson

Episode Overview

This episode launches a new series, “Kiss the Fire,” based on Pastor Sean Johnson’s recent book. The central theme: how to persevere and hold onto faith when facing life’s hardest challenges. The message is a deeply personal call for resilience, using biblical truths, personal struggle, and real-life testimonies to encourage listeners not to give up—especially when everything inside them wants to. The episode is filled with authenticity, honesty about mental health and suffering, and an invitation to community and hope.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Setting the Tone: Imperfect People, Perfect God

• [00:03] Pastor Sean begins with a warm welcome, highlighting the church’s inclusive, grace-filled culture:

  “We’re just a bunch of imperfect, messed up, broke, broken people in here, but we love to get together like this and pursue a perfect God.” (00:05)

• The purpose: Everyone, no matter their background or struggles, is welcome and prayed for at Red Rocks Church.

2. About the Series and Book: Not About Being an Author

• Sean introduces “Kiss the Fire” as a conversation starter for the series, emphasizing the focus isn’t on book sales or self-promotion:

  “I care about being your pastor. That’s what I care about... I just don’t want you to ever give up on trusting God.” (00:53)

• Book proceeds go to correctional ministries; free copies are available for anyone who can’t afford one.

3. Foundational Scriptures for Resilience

• Three verses chart the series’ framework:

  • Jeremiah 29:11 (“For I know the plans I have for you... hope and a future”) (04:10)
  • 1 Timothy 6:12 (“Fight the good fight of faith...”) (05:38)
  • Galatians 6:9 (“Let us not become weary in doing good... we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”) (06:30)

• Memorable congregational moment:

  “Let’s say that again. We will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” (06:57)

4. The Power of Not Quitting

• Anecdote about his assistant, Kristen:

  “I’m just really good at not quitting.” (08:20)

• Takeaway: God wants us to be “really good at not quitting, at not giving up on our God.” (08:43)

5. Origin of 'Kiss the Fire': Personal Diagnosis and Deep Pain

• Sean recounts his unexpected brain disease diagnosis:

  “He goes, hey, man, I’m really sorry to be the one to tell you this, but you don’t have a pinched nerve. You have an incurable brain disease, and your life’s going to change.” (13:11)

• Honest about the pain and despair:

  “Forget you, God. I don’t want anything to do with you. That’s how you treat your kids?... I don’t want to go to church. I don’t want to talk to church people... I don’t even know if I want to live anymore.” (21:18)

• His wife’s response anchors the message:

  “She looked at me and she goes, I’m not scared and I’m not going anywhere. And it sounds like we need a miracle. And so I’m going to start praying for one. That’s what it looks like to kiss the fire, Church.” (17:10)

6. Defining ‘Kiss the Fire’

• UFC coach Mark Montoya’s advice:

  “We’re going to kiss this fire and walk away whistling. I’m not saying it’s not going to be hot. I’m not saying it won’t burn from time to time. I’m saying, you’re not going to run from this. This isn’t going to steal your peace. This isn’t going to steal your joy. This isn’t going to change your calling.” (22:24)

• The mantra that got him through:

  “When things got real hard and in my mind I wanted to quit, I’d go, I’m not. I’m not. I’m not giving up on God today.” (25:58)

7. Practical Handles: Three Reasons Not to Give Up

• Reason 1: God Still Does Miracles

  • “You are the God who performs miracles. You display your power among your people.” (Psalm 77:14, 30:10)
  • “With man this is impossible. But with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26, 29:28)

• Reason 2: God Has a Plan

  • Even when life feels out of control:

    “You don’t need to know [the plan]. You just hold on to the fact that I know it and I’m working on it.” (35:17)

• Reason 3: There’s Purpose in Your Pain

  • God can redeem every hardship:

    “Yeah, you tried, you tried to harm me, you tried to hurt me, but this is what God does. I’ll take that and I’ll flip it and I’ll turn it around and I’ll use it for good, and it’ll end up causing many people to get saved.” (Genesis 50:20, 37:02)

8. Testimony: The Power of Honest Struggle

• Sean shares his openness about anxiety and suicidal ideation as a pastor:

  “I stood on this stage, January 2020, and I told the church everything. I told about my anxiety, my depression, my panic attacks. I told about the days when I wanted to take my own life, everything.” (42:34)

• Reads a letter from Leon, a man whose life was changed after hearing a message on anxiety at Red Rocks:

  “I was living with so much fear and darkness. There were so many times I wanted to just die and thinking the world would be better without me... God let me hear a message about anxiety. And I walked out with so much more confidence and courage and faith.” (46:18)

• Update: Leon now leads worship and small groups, showing how pain can become purpose.

Memorable Quotes & Moments with Timestamps

• On authenticity:

  “God only uses broken people, because what other kinds are there?” (44:44)

• On purpose in pain:

  “There’s going to be more purpose in this pain than you could ever imagine.” (37:24)

• To those struggling:

  “This world will not be better without you. That is a lie from the pit of hell. Nobody will be better off without you.” (47:39)

• On community:

  “You can’t isolate. When you feel like giving up, you got to run to God and run to the people who are also running to God and let them lock arms with you, fight with you. We’re not giving up. We’re not going anywhere.” (54:12)

Key Segments & Timestamps

• Welcome & Series Introduction: 00:03–02:30
• Book Explanation/Proceeds: 02:25–04:10
• Foundational Verses: 04:10–07:00
• Story: Assistant’s Endurance: 07:00–09:05
• Diagnosis Narration: 13:00–19:10
• Coach Mark Montoya's Advice (‘Kiss the Fire’): 22:20–23:51
• Reasons Not to Give Up: 29:10–38:10
• Testimony: Leon’s Letter: 44:00–51:00
• Closing Prayer & Invitation: 57:00–end

Conclusion: The Call to Persevere

Pastor Sean’s impassioned plea is clear: Don’t you dare give up. Whether faced with devastating diagnoses, loss, anxiety, or overwhelming circumstances, God is still present, still working, and has purpose in the pain. Even when life feels hopeless, with community, honesty, scripture, and the miracle-working power of God, you can find hope and fight for your faith. The signature phrase, “Kiss the fire and walk away whistling,” becomes the courageous mantra for facing life’s toughest moments with unwavering trust in God.

For Listeners

• If you’re struggling: God sees you; you are not alone. Community, honesty, and faith are keys.
• If you’re in pain: There may be more purpose in it than you imagine.
• The main takeaway: “Don’t you dare give up.”