Pastor Dairry Walker’s sermon centers on the call to become a “living sacrifice” by learning how to decrease so that God can increase. He begins with a personal story about feeling hurt after being passed over for a management opportunity at work. In that moment of disappointment, he says God gave him a message about “learning how to lose,” helping him realize that the sermon applied to his own heart as much as it applied to anyone else.

Read the summarized highlights of the sermon below, listen to the full sermon here, or watch it here.

Sermon Highlights

Learning How to Lose

The pastor uses Matthew 16:25 to explain that life with God often requires surrender rather than self-protection. He reminds the congregation that people do not always win, but how they handle loss matters. Loss can expose pride, disappointment, and the desire to control outcomes, but it can also teach humility and prepare people for spiritual growth.

He illustrates this point with the story of Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls losing repeatedly to the Detroit Pistons before eventually overcoming them. Pastor Walker emphasizes that losing with integrity can strengthen people for what comes next.

Decreasing So God Can Increase

A major theme of the sermon comes from John the Baptist’s words: “He must increase, and I must decrease.” Pastor Walker explains that believers often focus on increase, such as blessing, growth, and answered prayer, while resisting the harder work of decrease.

He teaches that God handles the increase, but people must make room for God by humbling themselves, surrendering pride, and giving God time. Prayer, reading Scripture, worship, and quiet time with God become ways to set one’s affection on “things above” rather than being consumed by earthly distractions.

Giving God Time

Pastor Walker describes time as one of the clearest expressions of affection. Just as children, spouses, and loved ones value time and attention, God also desires relationships rather than religious performance. He encourages the congregation to start simply, even with a small amount of time.

One meaningful line captures this idea clearly: “God is not offended with 20 minutes that He didn’t have.”

The pastor’s point is that spiritual closeness grows when people intentionally give God space in their everyday lives.

Becoming Living Donors

Using Romans 12:1, Pastor Walker expands the idea of a living sacrifice by comparing it to being a living donor. He shares a personal story about preparing to donate a kidney to his sister and repeatedly being asked whether he was “the living donor.” That phrase becomes a central image in the sermon.

He says, “God is looking for living donors. He’s not looking for martyrs. He’s looking for living donors.”

For Pastor Walker, this means God wants people to offer their time, service, gifts, and hearts while they are alive and able to participate in His work. He connects this to serving in church ministries, helping build the church community, and giving sacrificially toward future needs.

Humility, Prayer, and Holy Spirit-Led Change

Pastor Walker uses James 4:10 and 2 Chronicles 7:14 to explain that humility comes before transformation. He challenges the idea that people must fix themselves before coming to God. Instead, he says God wants people to humble themselves, pray, and allow Him to work in them.

He makes the point that conviction differs from condemnation. God does not simply correct people to shame them; He convicts them because He knows what will help them grow, heal, and live more freely.

Pastor Walker says, “What is He asking you to let go of?” He applies that question to anger, habits, pride, distractions, and anything else God may be asking a person to surrender.

Fasting as Decrease

The pastor also discusses fasting as a practice of decrease. He explains that fasting is not only about abstaining from food, but about learning to depend on God. When people fast from something meaningful, they quiet the flesh and make more room for prayer, Scripture, and spiritual strength.

He says, “If it doesn’t matter to you, it won’t matter to God,” emphasizing that true sacrifice involves giving up something that carries personal weight.

The Call to Surrender

Pastor Walker closes by pointing to Paul’s words about dying daily and pressing toward the prize. He frames each day as a new starting point: another opportunity to give God time, deny self, and seek more of Christ.

The sermon ends with an invitation for people to surrender their lives to Jesus and for believers to acknowledge where they need to decrease. Pastor Walker’s final message is that people cannot overcome everything in their own strength, but they can find strength, freedom, and transformation by making more room for God.

Tune Into the Word With Word of Life Church

Word of Life Church is dedicated to making the world a better place by spreading the Word and love of God. Our mission is to create an authentic and welcoming worship community that empowers Christians to live a life of faith and service in the name of Jesus.

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