A Life Laid Down
Sermon by Promise Bradley | The Roads Church
Main Scripture: John 12:24
“Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.”
A Life Laid Down – A Legacy of Sacrifice
Welcome to The Roads Church! In this powerful message, A Laid Down Life, Promise Bradley leads us through a deep and personal journey about what it means to live a life laid down for Jesus. Opening with celebration of The Roads Church Carlinville campus and its launch into a permanent building, Promise honors the legacy of those who have said “yes” to God throughout generations—from her husband’s great-grandparents to her own mother’s first “I wish I could go.”
Their obedience has shaped lives. And as Promise reminds us, we are all the fruit of someone else’s yes.
Fruit to Seed
In a Laid Down Life, Promise dives into John 12:24, where Jesus declares the necessity of a grain of wheat falling to the ground and dying to produce much fruit. “Jesus was the seed,” she says. “He laid down His life so we could be free.”
But she doesn’t stop there. She challenges us: It’s not enough to just be fruit—we must also be seed.
“A lot of people are willing to be fruit, but not a lot of people are willing to be seed.” —Promise Bradley
A seedless fruit line ends. But when we die to self, the kingdom multiplies through us. Promise asks, “Will it end with you?”
A Real Gospel
In a Laid Down Life, Promise confronts false gospels head-on. She warns against watered-down messages that prioritize comfort over obedience. She unpacks Jesus’ hard truths—the call to repentance, holiness, and radical obedience to God’s commands.
“Obedience is humility. Humility looks like one thing—obedience.”
The true gospel doesn’t just call us to love our neighbor; it calls us to first love God—with obedience as the evidence.
Living Sacrifices
In A Laid Down Life, Promise shares her personal journey—beginning with addiction and loneliness, and ultimately leading to healing and freedom through Jesus. As she opens up, she testifies transparently about her deliverance from pornography, depression, and the constant need for approval. Yet more importantly, she declares that her life is now lived fully as a living sacrifice.
Throughout the message, she weaves in stories of conviction and obedience—even in seemingly small moments, such as when the Lord asked her to delete a game from her phone. In that moment, she obeyed—not because it made sense, but because she had already said “yes” to God. And ultimately, if He can trust us with the little things, He can prepare us to carry more.
“When we surrender our lives to Jesus, there will be a harvest in the lives of those around us.”
Legacy People and the Moravian Mandate
In a Laid Down Life, the sermon closes with a call to legacy—highlighting the story of Count Zinzendorf, the Moravian missionary movement, and the awakening it sparked.
“This I have done for you. Now what will you do for Me?” —Inscription on a painting of Jesus seen by Zinzendorf
Promise asks each of us to answer that same question.
Final Call to Action
A laid-down life is not passive. It’s bold. It speaks truth. It multiplies.
The harvest is plentiful—will you be a laborer? Will you be seed?
Scripture References:
- John 12:24–26
- Exodus 20:6
- 1 Corinthians 6:19–20
- Galatians 2:20
- Matthew 5–7
- Acts 5