Way of Life

What does the Bible really say about tithing?

When does music become idolatry for Christians?

Are there idols still in use today even in Western cultures?

What were God's expectations for Israel, and what does that mean for God's expectations for all nations on earth? This sermon was preached on Saturday, September 27, 2025.

What are idols, and for what are they used?

What are false gods really, according to the Christian Scriptures?

What is idolatry, and might we be participating in it inadvertently?

Who are the Watchers mentioned in Daniel 4, and what do they have to do with the Flood and the End Times?

Who are the Nephilim in Genesis, and are they still with us today?

Why did God choose Abraham and his descendants in such a unique way?

Are some people predestined by God and others not?

What does it mean to live lives of gratefulness to God, and what does not doing so reveal about us? This sermon was preached on Saturday, September 20, 2025.   The discussion of tithing mentioned in this sermon can be found at the following link: https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-swwwr-186541a  

Are humans born with libertarian free will or not?

Who are the 144,000 sealed by God in the book of Revelation?

What is the mark of the Beast described in Revelation, and how do we know if we've received it?

Who is the prostitute described in the book of Revelation who sits on seven hills, drunk with the blood of the saints?

What is the Beast prophesied by Daniel and described in Revelation, and how will we know when it has arisen?

When is the Great Tribulation prophesied by Daniel and described by Revelation?

Does the Bible teach that Christians will be taken up into heaven bodily before the Millennial Reign of Christ?

How does the Lord feel about those who take advantage of others in financial or commercial settings, and what will God do in response? This sermon was preached on Saturday, September 13, 2025.

What does the Bible say about the Abomination That Causes Desolation prophesied both by Daniel and by Jesus? How will we know when it has been set up in the Holy Place?

How might the third temple be built in Jerusalem today?

Who is the Antichrist prophesied by St. Paul and St. John? How will we know him when he comes?

Way of Life in the Shadow of the Cross Ministry Links: Website: https://shadowofthecross.org/ Podcast: https://wayoflife.podbean.com/ Patron Page: https://patron.podbean.com/wayoflifepodcast YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/jthomasjohnson Bible Reading Plans: https://shadowofthecross.org/bible-reading-plans/   Books by J. Thomas Johnson: And the Word of the Lord Came... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FLQJDZ16 When God Doesn't Look Like God https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C9SK17BB The gods of the West https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B7BQZTZD Babel Revisited https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09GXKMP8R A Faithful Person, Who Can Find? https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09KNGCF9R  

What does marrying widows and punishing dirty tactics during fights have to do with God's care for future generations? This sermon was preached on Saturday, September 6, 2025.

When God asks us to love our neighbors as ourselves, He has not left us to decide what that means for ourselves. God has told us specifically how to love our neighbors as ourselves. How are we doing? This sermon was preached on Saturday, August 30, 2025.

Is divorce allowable for followers of the One, True God? Are there any consequences for those who divorce and/or remarry? This sermon was preached on Saturday, August 23, 2025. Here is a link to J. Thomas's sermon on 1 Corinthians 7:10-16: https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-7nvzg-c622c9  

How have we accumulated our wealth and possessions? Have we benefited from practices prohibited by God, or have we acquired what we have by ways approved by God and intended by Him? This sermon was preached on Saturday, August 15, 2025.

What do God's requirements with respect to human excrement and sexual excretions tell us about God and about what He expects from us? This sermon was preached on Saturday, August 9, 2025.

The words in this message were received from the Lord between 2020 and 2023.

What does God's judgment of Ammon and Moab have to do with the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats? How do God's rules about participation in the assembly of Israel apply to Christians today? This sermon was preached on Saturday, August 2, 2025.

The LORD spoke this word on Tuesday, June 17, 2025 (21 Sivan, 5785 on the Hebrew Calendar), and He has bid me to declare it today, July 31, 2025 (6 Av, 5785).

The LORD spoke this Word on Wednesday, May 21, 2025 (23 Iyar 5785 on the Hebrew Calendar), but He asked Me to proclaim it today on Wednesday, July 30, 2025 (5 Av 5785).

Does male-female sexual intimacy create a permanent bond which cannot be dissolved? If that is true, then how should we live? This sermon was preached on Saturday, July 26, 2025.

How are Christians to live today in light of the Covenant of Sinai's requirements for hunting, building codes, farming, garment-making, and horticulture? This sermon was preached on Saturday, July 19, 2025.

Why did God differentiate humanity into male and female, and is this differentiation essential to who we are? This sermon was preached on Saturday, July 12, 2025.

How might the requirements of Sinai help Christians today to understand what Jesus meant by loving our enemies? This sermon was preached on Saturday, July 5, 2025.

Way of Life in the Shadow of the Cross Links: Website: https://shadowofthecross.org/ Bible Reading Plans: https://shadowofthecross.org/bible-reading-plans/ YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/jthomasjohnson Patron Program: https://patron.podbean.com/wayoflifepodcast   J. Thomas's Books: When God Doesn't Look Like God: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C9SK17BB And the Word of the Lord Came: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D95MZ3XC The gods of the West: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B7BQZTZD Babel Revisited: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09GXKMP8R A Faithful Person Who Can Find?: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09KNGCF9R  

How might the Covenant of Sinai's strange requirements for slavery, polygamy, and becoming a parental informant help us to better understand God's intentions for humanity? This sermon was preached on Saturday, June 28, 2025.

How might God's commands to Israel with respect to corpses help us better to understand Him and better to live? This sermon was preached on Saturday, June 21, 2025.

How might the Covenant of Sinai's rules of war direct Christians today? This sermon was preached on Saturday, June 14, 2025.

Why was Israel not to move boundary markers, and what might that mean for Christians today? This sermon was preached on Saturday, June 7, 2025.

Why did God prohibit the Israelites from peering too deeply into the future, and what does that mean for those of us who follow Jesus today? This sermon was preached on Saturday, May 31, 2025.

Beyond the qualifications for leaders, does the Bible allow for individuals to serve in greater leadership roles like that of Pope or the Patriarch of Constantinople? This sermon was preached on Saturday, May 24, 2025.

How do we know what is just, and will God bless us for whatever justice we pursue? This sermon was preached on Saturday, May 17, 2025.

What does it really mean to worship God in spirit and in truth, and how might the yearly schedule of Israel help us to know what it means to be disciples of Jesus? This sermon was preached on Saturday, May 10, 2025.

How was the Festival of Shavuot (or Sevens) fulfilled in the year Jesus died, rose bodily, and ascended into the heavens, and what might that fulfillment mean for us? This sermon was preached on Saturday, May 3, 2025.

How might the pilgrimage festivals of Ancient Israel help us to understand what is happening in the natural world today? This sermon was preached on Saturday, April 26, 2025.