Podcast Summary: The Church of Eleven22

Episode: Consecrate Yourselves - Saturated with Phil Hopper
Date: September 13, 2025
Guest Speaker: Phil Hopper (Lead Pastor at Abundant Life Church)

Overview

In this powerful and deeply personal sermon, guest speaker Pastor Phil Hopper explores what it truly means to consecrate oneself to God, drawing inspiration from Joshua 3 and the Israelites’ crossing of the Jordan River. Using biblical metaphors, his own testimony, and vulnerable stories about marriage and leadership, Hopper calls listeners to move beyond simple commitment and instead embrace total surrender—“consecration”—for experiencing God’s resurrection power in their lives. The message challenges Christians stuck in a state of spiritual mediocrity to “come and die” to themselves, so they may rise to abundant life and spiritual victory.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Praise for Pastor Joby Martin and Eleven22’s Ministry

• Phil Hopper opens with gratitude for being hosted at The Church of Eleven22, highlighting its generosity to other churches.
• He praises Pastor Joby for his integrity, humility, generosity, and leadership.
  • Notable Quote: “What makes a man great is not simply what he does. It’s what he is…. I follow a man like that through fire.” (01:40)

Lighthearted Moment

• Phil jokingly disagrees with Joby:
  • “My coffee drink of choice is a caramel macchiato. And I am still a man. A full grown man. Okay, I got that off my chest. Now I can preach.” (03:10)

2. The Israelites Crossing the Jordan: A Metaphor for Transformation (Joshua 3)

• Hopper tells about a “funeral” in 1989 that changed his life, connecting it to the “funeral” Israel had in the wilderness as they died to their old selves to enter the Promised Land.
  • Their story is our story (1 Corinthians 10:6-11).
• The Promised Land:
  • Not literal property, but spiritual—John 10:10’s abundant life.
• Many Christians, like Israel, get “stuck halfway”:
  • Faith to leave captivity, but not enough to enter God’s fullness.
  • “They had enough faith to get out of Egypt. Just not enough faith to get into the Promised Land.” (10:05)

The “Unbelieving Believer” — A Spiritual Oxymoron

• Many Christians live as “unbelieving believers”—free from sin’s penalty but still captive to fears, temptations, and mediocrity. (14:35)
  • “Enough faith to get into heaven, but not enough faith to get through that trial, that temptation, that tribulation, that addiction… not enough to get to the abundant life.”

3. Only Jesus (Joshua/Jesus) Can Take You Into the Abundant Life

• Moses represents the law and works—he can’t lead into the Promised Land.
• Joshua (“Yeshua,” same as “Jesus” in Greek) represents grace, the only way into victory.
  • “Only Jesus can take you to the other side. You’re not going to work your way in. It’s by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.” (19:15)

4. The Power of Resurrection Requires the Embrace of the Cross

• The Israelites crossed on the third day, a prophetic pointer to Christ’s resurrection (23:20).
  • “Anything is possible if the tomb is empty… There is no resurrection without a crucifixion.” (25:00)
• Paul’s teaching—Galatians 2:20, 1 Corinthians 15:31—calls believers to daily die with Christ.
• Hopper laments that modern “churchianity” has forgotten about embracing the cross personally.
  • “There’s a cross that has been lost in modern churchianity… There’s the cross on which Jesus died for you… but now there is the cross on which you must die, too.” (27:15)

5. Personal Testimonies: Surrender Leads to Resurrection Power

• Hopper shares how sharing faith as a cop led to transformed lives and how his own surrender to God’s call brought new life.
  • “A changed life changes lives.” (33:45)
• He recounts becoming pastor at Abundant Life: stepping out in fear, running from God, and only seeing resurrection when he “got over himself.”
  • “Courage is not the absence of fear, it’s the absence of self. Dead men aren’t scared of anything.” (39:50)

Revival in a Small Church

• In 1999, at a low point, he called the remaining church members to die to themselves in prayer:
  • “If you will come today and get on your knees with me… and beg God to come save our church… 25 people came. We got on our knees, and on that day, 25 people died.” (44:00)
  • Divine multiplication followed the “crucifixion” of self.

6. Commitment vs. Consecration: A Fundamental Difference

• The instruction in Joshua 3:5 is not “commit yourselves,” but “consecrate yourselves.”
  • “The problem in the modern church is it’s full of committed Christians, but not consecrated Christians.” (49:45)
• Consecration: Willingness to die for what is consecrated.
• Commitment is temporary and fluctuating; consecration is about total surrender, a “living sacrifice” (Romans 12:1).
  • “You are consecrated to whatever you’re willing to die for.” (51:45)

Illustration: Battle with Addictions and Sin

• He testifies about repeated cycles of repentance and relapse as a prodigal:
  • “Binge, repent, repeat… You can’t manage your flesh. It’s got to be crucified. You cannot suppress your sin.” (57:30)
• Romans 6:6—true freedom is only found in embracing the cross and submitting totally to God.

7. Faith in Action: Obedience and Stepping Into Risk

• God told Israel to step into the flooding Jordan before it parted.
  • “Faith in action is obedience in motion… You gotta get in the water until you realize it’s so deep you can’t save yourself.” (1:04:00)
• Oftentimes, it’s when you risk everything in faith that God’s miracles happen.

8. Marriage and Dying to Self: A Transparent Testimony

• Hopper honestly shares his marriage struggles, insecurity, and the transformation in year 14 when he embraced Ephesians 5:25—to love his wife “as Christ loved the Church.”
  • “All those years I’d been taking life from my bride by trying to hang on to my life. And for the first time, I began to give life.” (1:12:27)
• Marriages only die when two people “choose to live;” they thrive when two people “choose to die” to themselves.

9. The Jordan Crossing: Prophetic Symbolism and Resurrection

• God parts the waters from the city called Adam (dead city) to the Dead Sea, through the region “Zarathan” (meaning “piercing”), echoing the cross and resurrection themes.
  • “He was pierced to ease our pain. He parts the waters from the city of Adam, the dead city, and they walk across on dry land.” (1:19:00)
• Baptism as a picture of death, burial, and resurrection.

10. The Call to “Come and Die”

• Hopper shares his near-death car accident in 1989—a turning point of surrender.
  • “I went to a funeral and it was mine. And when I stood up, a resurrection took place and my life has never been the same.” (1:24:00)
• The only way to true life (“the a life, the 10:10 life”) is to surrender fully—crucify self, so Christ can live and resurrect what has died.

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• “There is no resurrection without a crucifixion.” (25:00)
• “If you want to be fearless, you have to be selfless. Dead men aren’t scared of anything.” (40:05)
• “Consecration is what you’re willing to die for. Commitments come and go, but consecration is forever.” (51:10)
• “A changed life changes lives.” (33:45)
• “Marriages only die when two people choose to live. But when two people choose to die, you give life to your marriage.” (1:14:12)
• “God can resurrect whatever in your life has died. Jesus invites us to come and die, and only once you’ve fully died do you finally come fully alive.” (1:21:45)

Notable Timestamps for Important Segments

• [00:05–04:00] — Introduction, honoring Joby Martin, humor about coffee and Jaguars.
• [06:30–12:00] — Israel’s “wilderness funeral” & parallel to spiritual mediocrity.
• [10:05–15:00] — Oxymoron: The “unbelieving believer”; John 10:10 explained as Promised Land.
• [19:00–25:00] — Moses vs. Joshua/Jesus; explanation that grace—not works—takes us into abundance.
• [27:00–30:00] — “There is a cross that has been lost in churchianity”; Galatians 2:20, Luke 9:23 called out.
• [33:00–37:00] — Testimony: life as a cop, sharing faith, seeing multigenerational change.
• [40:00–46:00] — Becoming a pastor: stepping into fear and dying to self; story of small church resurrection.
• [49:45–54:00] — Explanation: Consecration vs. commitment; call to be a living sacrifice.
• [57:00–59:45] — Personal testimony: dealing with addiction, sin cannot be managed, must be crucified.
• [1:04:00–1:07:00] — Faith in action = stepping into the water; risk and obedience precede God’s miracles.
• [1:11:00–1:15:00] — Marriage story: learning to die to self for the sake of his wife.
• [1:19:00–1:21:30] — Crossing the Jordan: prophetic symbolism of death, burial, resurrection.
• [1:24:00–1:27:00] — Near-death experience leads to surrender; call for listeners to “come to a funeral—your own.”
• [1:28:00–end] — Closing prayer for resurrection power and surrender.

Tone and Language

Phil Hopper’s style is warm, direct, and deeply personal. He weaves humor with vulnerability, Scripture with story, inviting listeners into both practical action and deep spiritual introspection. His message is both intensely challenging (“Tonight is the night to come and die…”) and encouraging (“God can resurrect whatever in your life has died”).

Summary for New Listeners

This episode offers a stirring call to move from spiritual mediocrity to supernatural victory through total surrender to Christ. Grounded in the story of Israel crossing the Jordan, and bolstered by personal testimonies and biblical truth, Phil Hopper’s message centers on dying to self (“consecration”) in order to experience the resurrection power of God in every area of life—marriage, ministry, and personal transformation. If you’re yearning for a breakthrough, facing overwhelming obstacles, or feeling spiritually stuck, this message invites you to step in faith into the deep waters of surrender—so that God might part the sea and lead you into the fullness of the abundant life He promised.