In My Father's House (Audio)

Today, Pastor Mike helps us understand the Ark of the Covenant and the Mercy Seat. The Ark contained the 10 Commandments, but covering that was the Mercy Seat. When the high priest would annually sprinkle the blood of a sacrifice on the Mercy Seat, the sins of the people would be atoned for. Rather than just giving a Law to abide by, God offered mercy for the many ways the people fell short. In the same way, Jesus came as the perfect sacrifice, so that we can have atonement for our sins.

The nation of Israel had national feasts to commemorate all that God had done for them. During these celebrations, the Israelites would also renew their covenant with God. While these feasts are no longer decreed for us who live under the New Covenant, Pastor Mike encourages us today to take time and remember the commitment we made to Christ. It can be easy to get caught up in the busyness of life, but from time to time we ought to honor what Christ has done for us and remember our decision to follow Him.

The Old Testament lays out detailed records of how the Temple of God was built. As Christians, it can be difficult to understand how these passages from Scripture relate to us in our modern age. Pastor Mike clears some of that up for us today, as he walks us through the layout of the temple, and explains how its symbolism transfers to the New Covenant. The temple priests had an extremely important and honorable responsibility; in the New Testament, we're told that we are the new royal priesthood.

Pastor Mike takes us through the layout of the Old Testament temple today. The temple that Solomon built was full of symbolism, and much of that symbolism still apply to us as Christians. Under the New Covenant, the temple is no longer a building made out of stone – instead, we as believers are the temple. And in the same way that God chose the people of Israel in the Old Testament to reveal Himself to the nations, we Christians are to be salt and light as we pronounce Jesus to the world.

King David wanted to build a temple for God, but God would not allow him to because of all the blood that David had shed. But David and his son Solomon both had a proper understanding of the temple: it was for God. Today, Pastor Mike reminds us that under Christ, we who follow Jesus are the new temple of God. The Holy Spirit dwells within us and is continuing to work in and through us. Pastor Mike encourages us to have the same mentality as David and Solomon did: we, the new temple, live for God.

You've probably heard the saying “Don't judge a book by its cover.” Basically, this means that you can't always tell the value of something just by looking at it. And you can see how this reality is clearly illustrated in the birth of Jesus. Today, Pastor Mike invites you to explore how the paradoxes found in the Christmas story should make a difference in your life. You'll be reminded that from the outside, Jesus was just a poor baby, born in a barn. But this child would change the world forever!

Today, Pastor Mike reminds us that God is in control. We might not always understand why things are happening the way they are, but we can rest in the assurance that God is working things for good. We see a glimpse of this as King Solomon sets out to build the temple in Jerusalem. While his father David was constantly fighting Israel's enemies, God granted peace to Israel under Solomon's reign. Furthermore, God provided Solomon with access to the materials needed for the construction of the temple.

Do you ever find yourself daydreaming about what your life would be like under different circumstances? Maybe if you had studied a different subject, or if you hadn't gone to school at all, you'd find yourself living a different life. It's easy to dream about “what if” and never do anything about it in real life. You can read about the wonderful kingdom of Solomon and wonder “what if” you had lived then? But by praying for your leaders and people of influence over you, you can experience a different life right now.

Imagine trying to make a sandwich with only your own two hands. After you grow some wheat, press some olives into oil, and make your own yeast you might have a loaf of bread. You cannot do life alone. From the food you eat to the car you drive, you depend on others constantly. A good leader understands this principle: the work cannot be completed alone. Today, Pastor Mike looks at the life of Solomon and his leadership. He understood sharing the load. He understood leaning on others.

When Solomon was a young ruler, he was given an incredible gift. God gave him the opportunity to receive absolutely anything he wanted. Riches, fame, or kingdoms, it didn't matter! Whatever he asked of God he would receive. As Pastor Mike shows us today, this blank check that Solomon was given is a true test of character. Would he desire the things of God or the things of the world? What would be most precious in Solomon's eyes? What would you deem most precious if given the same opportunity?

How many choices do you think you make in a day? It starts from the moment you wake up: will you hit snooze or get up now? What will you wear? What route will you take to work? What project to work on first? And so on and so on until you fall asleep at night. Today, Pastor Mike reminds us that among the myriad of choices you make every day, the most important choice is to choose to walk in the Spirit. When you choose to follow the Spirit, all of your other choices become much easier!

David's rise to the throne was a bumpy ride. It took many twists and turns. He was anointed King as a boy, but it wasn't until a few years later that he took the crown and sat on the throne. Solomon on the other hand made sure to make it clear to his people that he wouldn't be as easily shaken in the transition of power. As Pastor Mike will explain in today's message, Solomon started his reign with a heavy hand on Justice. All the people knew where Solomon stood on Justice in his kingdom.

David's reign ended with his passing, and Solomon takes over as the established king and ruler of Israel. David had come a long way from being the youngest and smallest son of Jesse, and a humble Shepard. He slayed Goliath, became a war hero, and took over as king. But he also sinned, killed an innocent man, went against God, and did many other things to fall short. In today's message Pastor Mike will share that despite all these ups and downs in David's life, He was a man after God's Heart.

At the end of David's life, he has a lot of reflection on his life and his rule as king. We can look back and see all the ups and downs and David can see where he fell short. He realizes that he had begun to become complacent with carrying out Justice in his kingdom! In today's message, Pastor Mike will be looking at what this transition from one king to another looked like. It will also be clear that Solomon will be much stricter than David when it comes to carrying out justice during his reign!

The Lord gives a promise in this book, and throughout the rest of his word, to prosper us! This promise however is conditional as Pastor Mike will explain in today's message! The law was meant to push us to a dependence on God. When we meditate on the teachings of Jesus, we know how to obey him! When we live life in God's way, we can navigate the difficulties of life better. But God will also bless us for our obedience! One of the ways that we can show our love to God, is by keeping his Commandments!

The Book of 1 Kings tells the stories of the people who would serve as King of Israel throughout the years. God calls these Kings with certain and specific responsibilities as the leader of the people. Some kings did a good job, others not so much. In today's message, Pastor Mike will remind us that God gives us certain responsibilities as well! While we might not be kings over nations, we are still adopted into a royal family. God gives us instructions on how to live according to this new calling!

As we come to the end of David's life, we can look back at it and see that it was full of ups and downs. The situation following the succession of his throne was just as stressful. Throughout all of David's life though, we can clearly see the Lord guiding him and working in him despite the times when he fell short! In today's message, Pastor Mike will encourage us that God has been just as faithful in our lives! As we go throughout life, we must trust that God is working through the ups and downs that this world gives!

Throughout the Bible, we have seen people intentionally cause great harm or evil. Whether it was a pharisee or a bad king in the Old Testament, they would go against God's way of life! However, God often uses people to stand against injustice and to proclaim his truth! In today's message, Pastor Mike will encourage us to stand for the truth of God. We must not be afraid of the darkness in the world but rather stand against it as a light! When we stand against these things we are not alone, God is with us!

As we start 1 Kings, the book begins with David at the end of his life and the question of who is going to take over the throne. We can learn a lot from David's life. We can learn lessons about how he reacted to situations around him, but we can also learn about the character of God! In today's message, Pastor Mike will be reminding us that the God that we read about in the Old Testament is the same God we read about in the New Testament. We can learn a lot from how he acts in these Old Testament books!

When we really think about what happened at the fall of man in Genesis three, we see how serious sin is. Sin led us to death and out of a relationship with the God who created the universe. In today's message, Pastor Mike will encourage us to not entertain sin because it leads to death! Because of Jesus, there is now nothing that can separate us from God, but when we sin, we willingly reject God and choose sin. Thankfully God shows us Grace and welcomes us back when we realize what we've done!

When Satan approached Eve in the Garden, he asked her a simple question and then doubt began to creep into her mind. As followers of Jesus, we must be able to discern what is truth and what is a lie. Satan comes to deceive us and make us think that God is a liar! In today's message, Pastor Mike will be sharing a story from Genesis and encouraging us with the importance of knowing the truth! We must take God at his word and tune out the lies of Satan and the culture around us.

Did you know there are numerous scriptures that reassure the livelihood of a Christian? God's sovereignty is all over the Bible, from Genesis to Revelations. God doesn't make accidents in the life of a believer in Jesus. What might seem totally haphazard is God working behind the scenes. He is working all things for the good of those that love him. Now the question becomes - how much do you love Him? Today, Pastor Mike encourages us to continue to trust in the Lord and see where the adventure takes us!

We've all been in a bad situation before. Does rock bottom sound familiar? Perhaps you've even cried out for God to fix the problem. God is bigger than your worst mistake. Pastor Mike gives us one of his favorite texts of scripture when Joseph, high in stature, remarks to his brothers about the ultimate sovereignty of God. Today, perhaps you are going through the same struggle in life. Take a moment to let your faith grow stronger in knowing what the devil means for evil - God ultimately will turn to good!

Sure, there are many religions in this world. It could be mildly said that most people in this world believe in a higher power. They even believe in an afterlife. As Pastor Mike details the death of Jacob in Genesis he brings a connection to the New Testament through Jesus. Jesus is the only one that can boldly claim he is “The way, the truth, and the life.” There is no other way to God except through Him. It's the cornerstone of Christianity. Today, use that truth as a driving force for your testimony!

Some days it seems like Heaven couldn't come any sooner. Have you ever heard the Christian term' kingdom-minded? Some may think that a kingdom-minded way of thinking is just a tunnel vision in the expectation of Heaven. However, Pastor Mike tells us that being focused on the things of God also means that we are laser-focused on the people that God has created – that none should perish. As you listen to today's message let your heart focus on the things that God wants for you and desires out of you!

Have you ever worked with a sheep before? Maybe at a petting zoo, or on a farm? Were they very affectionate? Were they even very smart? We as Christians are often compared to sheep in the scriptures, but that doesn't necessarily mean we're just soft. In today's message, Pastor Mike explains that we're called sheep because we need a shepherd! We can't take care of ourselves without one. And even when we have a shepherd, do we respect it properly? Are we willing to return the love we're always given?

Is there someone in your life that you want to be blessed? How are you going to be someone who can bless them? In today's message, Pastor Mike speaks about how Joseph was able to bless his family because he was “steady” in The Lord. Meaning he never let his faith shake. While I know that's easier said than done, that's the way to do it! But you don't have to keep your faith steady on your own. You can always ask God to help you remain resilient and strong in your own faith, and He will!

Have you ever had a time in your life, whether you're a Christian or not; where you felt completely abandoned? Where; even if there is a creator, he's not with you? In today's message, Pastor Mike expresses his sadness for the people who feel that way and offers a solution. Jesus. Now you might be thinking, “I just said that I felt like God abandoned me, how is He the solution?” The Bible says that God leaves nobody. Are you really sure it's He who abandoned you? Or was it you who neglected to look for Him?

Have you ever used God's name for your own benefit? Meaning that you try to speak as God, or for Him? In today's message, Pastor Mike reminds us that using God's name for our own benefit is not something anyone should do, and Christians aren't exempt from that either! We don't get some magic pass that lets us try and use our relationship with God to try and convince others to let us get our way! We're all fallen, we're all sinners. It's only by God's grace that we're allowed to be with him.

Would you say that you're confident in your faith? That you're confident in God? In today's message, Pastor Mike answers the question of “how can we be confident?” by referencing Jacob. Jacob was confident in his faith because he knew what it was like to live without it. Jacob had once allowed himself to use God's name for his own benefit. Once Jacob had accepted God, he didn't let himself use God's name in vain anymore. He did that because God was now the one working in Jacob's life instead of just himself!

Christians are NOT immune to difficulty. Far from it; in fact. We're actually promised that life will become more difficult when we try to live for Christ. In today's message, Pastor Mike explains that God demonstrates and tests the faith of his followers this way. It's not easy to believe in a just God if one of his followers has trouble, while the other doesn't, right? Well, which of the two does God love more? Neither, right? God never gives anyone a struggle they can't handle, so don't lose your trust in him!

Have you ever felt like God wasn't there during a difficult time in your life? In today's message, Pastor Mike speaks about how even in times of difficulty, God's word spread amongst the people in Egypt. Over the course of only a few hundred years, they had increased in number from only a hundred to at least 2 million. Even when difficulties arose within Egypt, God's people never dwindled! They kept faith in God, even if he wasn't always apparent. We need to do the same, because that's what faith is!

In today's message, Pastor Mike reads God's word; saying that we need to seek the things that are above, not the things that are on earth. I'm pretty sure God doesn't mean we should go try and catch clouds or stars. What he means is to seek things that are glorifying to the Kingdom of God, not things that are only glorifying to you, or your friends, or the people of the world. We need to seek things that bring glory to the name of God. As Christians, we represent God to other people, let's make him look good!

The world around us is pretty impressive, isn't it? But you should never let it distract you from what's really important; the world that comes afterwards! There isn't a single thing on our Earth that will out-do God's Kingdom. So, why should we let earthly things distract us when we have so much more coming our way? In today's message, Pastor Mike says that we need to let nothing distract us from sharing that wonderful Kingdom with everyone. No matter how “important” we think they are!

Have you ever heard a message from God? Sometimes they don't always make the most sense, right? But that doesn't mean we should ignore them by any means! In today's message, Pastor Mike references when the Pharaoh was blessed by Joseph. Even if it was hard to understand at first, it all worked out in the end to the benefit of the Egyptian people! We need to do the same. Sometimes it might feel like God's plan for us involves getting moved around a lot, but that still is His design.

Often, people will “try out” Christianity; and give it up quickly because they don't hear God's voice. But what if you thought about it like a conversation? Would you keep talking to someone who didn't talk back? It would be better described as talking at someone rather than talking with them. Pastor Mike asks the same question about your relationship with God in today's message. Do you let God speak with you? Or are you expecting Him to talk at you while you don't talk back?

Do you ever feel like you've been left behind? Do the people around you move on to other things without caring about you? Do you ever feel like God does that? In today's message, Pastor Mike speaks about why people don't often hear God's voice, and that's because they're not listening to it! Not just in attention but in location or even in action! Hearing God's voice means you need to seek it! So, that means putting aside distractions and excuses. God's already found you, so find Him!

Do you like to exercise? Why would you? It's strenuous, exhausting, and very sweaty! The reason we do it, though, is to become stronger! Nobody gets into shape from just sitting around! And the same can be said for our faith! In today's message, Pastor Mike explains that most of our growth as Christians comes from discomfort! Think of it like a sort of workout for your spirit! After all, what good are we to the Kingdom of God if we fall apart at the first signs of difficulty?

Nobody likes being alone. Now I don't mean having time to yourself or being able to get your own space; I mean having absolutely nobody to turn to when they need it. In today's message, Pastor Mike speaks about how we, as Christians, always have someone to turn to when the going gets tough, right? Jesus. No matter how big those struggles become or how far away from everyone else may feel, especially after a pandemic; Jesus is always there when you need Him; just ask!

Have you ever forgotten God? I don't necessarily mean that you outright forget He exists, but have you ever been so caught up in the small details of things that you forget God's plan with the big picture? Pastor Mike uses Jacob's story in today's message to demonstrate someone “forgetting” about God. It was because Jacob let himself get so distracted by his own self-doubt and pity that he stopped remembering who exactly it was he was continuously putting his life on the line for in the first place!

Nobody likes it when things don't go their way, right? Sometimes it's even easy to try and blame God for the things that happen! In today's message, Pastor Mike reminds us that God uses the pain and struggles in our lives for our betterment! That doesn't mean he's sitting on a cloud, throwing little rocks of misfortune at you because you don't pray enough. But it means that throughout the pain in our lives, He is still with us. God wants to help us through it to bring us closer to Him!

Have you ever had to rehearse a speech or maybe a presentation? Why did you have to do that? Was it to develop a better appreciation of the topic? Or, was it instead to ensure that the correct points were coming across to your audience? Pastor Mike speaks about Joseph speaking carefully to his brothers in today's message. He did this to bring them to a point where they recognized and confessed their sin! Joseph wasn't angry because he knew God used them to position him where God wanted.

In today's message, Pastor Mike continues discussing how God uses struggles in our lives to bring us closer to him! See, all works come from sin. Even if it's not your sin, the problem arises when someone sins. God can use those struggles to identify to that person that their sin has consequences! It's easy to think that this means God is responsible for our lives works. But is God the one who is creating the battle? Or maybe, He is only using it?

Has it ever felt like God was punishing you? Maybe something unexpected happened, or something went wrong in your life? Is that a punishment? In today's message, Pastor Mike asks if you've ever had a moment like that. And begs the question, “why?” God is a lot of things, but unjust isn't one of them. It's important to remember that by default, we are fallen and deserve consequence! Through Jesus, we can be redeemed, so if we act in a way that compromises that redemption, why shouldn't he stop it?

Have you ever had a pet dog? If you have, you probably know what it's like to be loved unconditionally! Sure, you might not always just be happy with dogs, but you never doubt their love for you, right? Weirdly, that's pretty similar to God's love. In today's message, Pastor Mike reminds us that no matter how much we fail and fall short, God will always love us! While sometimes we might feel disappointment, fear, or even anger with God, that never means he stops loving us!

Have you ever had a nickname? Where did it come from? What did it mean? Joseph was given a special name too! By the Pharaoh himself! In today's message, Pastor Mike goes into detail about the name Joseph was given by the Pharaoh, and how the name meant that God's will was done in and through Joseph's life. Isn't that incredible? The Pharaoh was a God in his own eyes. We all need to strive to live lives that say “God's will is being done in and through my life” just like Joseph did.

It's easy to get scared of spreading the Gospel. “What if they hate me?” “What if they think I'm insulting them? “What if I do more damage than good?” In today's message, Pastor Mike reminds us that the reason we want to share the Good News with these people is that we care about them, not how they feel about us. When you remember the eternal consequences of their lives, doesn't it motivate you to share guaranteed salvation with them? The best way to do that is to keep your eyes on Jesus.

Have you ever found yourself feeling like your job or even your life isn't going anywhere, or that it's getting repetitive? In today's message, Pastor Mike speaks about bringing the sharing of the Gospel into our work. And how, if your goal is to do God's will instead of yours; you'll find your job and even your life to be more fulfilling! But that might not always mean directly spreading the gospel at work. Sometimes it just means showing God's unconditional love and patience with your coworkers!

You've heard the saying, “Patience is a virtue”, and you might even believe that to be true…as long as it's someone else having to exercise patience. There aren't a lot of people who get excited about having to be patient, especially when they're in a tough spot. You probably haven't been in a position like Joseph, but as you'll hear in Pastor Mike's teaching today, Joseph was patient. You'll hear about Joseph's reliability in the responsibilities he had in jail as well as his constant dependency on God.

Joseph was living kind of a hard life. Hated by all of his brothers, sold into slavery, and falsely accused of rape. Just that would be bad enough. He meets a guy in prison who had access to the king, who he helps out. The guy promises to remember him…and doesn't. But it'll become clear from Pastor Mike's teaching that Joseph doesn't become angry or bitter because he's looking to God for his hope. If you feel like you're in a spot like Joseph was, he's showing you the way to not just survive, but thrive in your situation.

It's not fun to be criticized for your beliefs. It's even worse when taking a stand for what you believe gets you in trouble with your employer or the government. If they aren't liking what you're saying or doing, they can make your life uncomfortable or even take your life. This is why it matters when you stand up for God. This is why Joseph's stand, keeping his integrity when he was treated wrongly, matters. Pastor Mike's teaching will show how God honors you when you stand firm for God.