Podcasts about god john

Friendship with God Part 2 “The Love and Friendship of God” John 15:9-17   Download the Friendship with God Daily Bible Reading Journal | https://bit.ly/3IkMFBA   Watch Daily Bible Reading Journal Explainer Video: https://youtu.be/lNMkYueEBh0 -- REACH Resources Visit the REACH webpage | https://www.fcchudson.com/reach    -- GET CONNECTED! https://www.fcchudson.com and click Next Steps!   --- Stay connected! Website: https://www.fcchudson.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fcchudson Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fcchudson YouTube: https://bit.ly/3twyuMN Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/faith-community-church-hudson/id1815577020 Spotify Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/6uQLVXLr6cig3TEgPYSpDL?si=e0175be24e1141b2   #fcchudson #churchonline Take your next step with us! https://bit.ly/3IJv7f1

Saturday, September 27, 2025

Erin Pacheco, Director of Worship

Pastor Derrick Drake

The Portage church of Christ is a group of pre-denominational Christians that are striving to serve the Lord together. Our goal is to please God, and we believe that the best way to do that is to follow the pattern that was established by the churches in the first century and revealed in the New Testament. We have no creed or doctrine except the Bible and we follow the Bible only. We strive for unity in the teaching of New Testament doctrine. Our congregation is not part of, or subject to, any larger man-made religious organization. We are a completely autonomous congregation. We are locally governed, just as the church in the first century was. How does one becomes a member of this church congregation? The exact same way as seen in the Biblical accounts. On the day of Pentecost following Jesus' resurrection, people who repented and were baptized were saved (Acts 2:38) and the saved were added to the church (Acts 2:47). These saved people were members of the body, or church (Colossians 1:18). To become a Christian, the Bible teaches: Hear the gospel (Rom. 10:17) Believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God (John 8:24, 58, Heb. 11:6) Repent of past sins (Luke 13:3, 5) Confess Jesus as Lord (Matt. 10:32-33, Rom. 10:9-10) Be baptized for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38, Mark 16:16) Remain Faithful to Christ (Rev. 2:10, 2 Tim 4:7-8)

“Jesus told him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.’” (John 14:6 NLT) You’ve probably heard more than a few objections to the inevitable answer to this question. “How can Christians say that Jesus is the only way to God?” “Are you saying that if someone doesn’t believe in Jesus, then they’re going to Hell?” “Do you understand how narrow-minded that thinking is?” “Why are you so intolerant of other people’s beliefs?” “Why can’t you be more inclusive?” Let’s get one thing straight. The only reason I say that Jesus Christ is the only way to the Father is because Jesus Himself said it. Look again at those words in John 14:6: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me” (NLT). In Acts 4:12, the apostle Peter put it this way: “There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved” (NLT). Why? Because only Jesus Christ was qualified to bridge the gap between a holy God and sinful humanity. Jesus Christ—not just a good man, but the God-Man—died in our place and took the full wrath of the Father upon Himself because there was no other way that we could settle the debt that we owed God. Only Jesus Christ could conquer sin and death and make it possible for us to live forever with Him. Such exclusivity is hard for a lot of people to embrace. Some say, “I choose to believe that whatever religion you want to follow is fine. As long as you sincerely believe, God will let you into Heaven.” The problem with that reasoning is that Adolf Hitler probably believed in his heart that what he was doing was right. Does anyone want to suggest that his sincere belief should earn him a place in Heaven? Others say, “I don’t believe that Jesus was God. I believe that He was an influential philosopher and a great moral teacher, but nothing more than that.” C. S. Lewis responded to that kind of thinking with these words: “A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic—on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg—or else he would be the Devil of Hell.” Lewis concluded, “You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronising nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.” Jesus is the only way to God. The Christian faith is built on that truth. Reflection question: What would you say to someone who believes that all paths lead to God? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship! — The audio production of the podcast "Daily Devotions from Greg Laurie" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie. Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast Become a Harvest PartnerSupport the show: https://harvest.org/supportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What is Jesus looking for when He examines your life? In Mark 11:11-26, we see Jesus confront a fig tree that had leaves but no fruit, a powerful illustration of how God views our spiritual fruitfulness. Just like physical fruit satisfies and nourishes people, spiritual fruit glorifies and satisfies God (John 15:8).In this sermon, “What Is Jesus Looking for in You?” missionary Steve Kern explores what the Bible says about bearing spiritual fruit. Using the parable of the fig tree, he challenges us to live a life of genuine faith, bearing lasting spiritual fruit that glorifies God. Connect with us on Social Media ↴Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/abundantlifels/Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/abundantlifels Connect with Pastor Phil ↴Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PhilHopperKCInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/philhopper_kc/Web: https://livingproof.co/resources/books/ Learn more about the A-Life Discipleship Journey: https://alife.livingproof.co/ More information on our sermons: https://livingproof.co/sermons/Do you want to see your life changed by Jesus? Visit our website: https://livingproof.co/

Justin Paul Lawrence, Executive Director

Fear of people or praise from God? John 9 tests our hearts; Ephesians 4 shows the worthy walk.Today Pastor Roderick Webster continues Practical Christian Living in Ephesians 4:1–3 (KJV). Paul's “I therefore” turns doctrine (ch. 1–3) into daily life (ch. 4–6): humility, meekness, longsuffering, forbearance, and unity in the bond of peace. We also visit John 9 and John 12:42–43—some believed yet kept silent, loving human praise more than God's. Finally, Titus 2:10 reminds us to adorn the doctrine—live in a way that makes truth beautiful.Takeaway: Right living needs right doctrine; unity isn't built by ditching truth but by wearing it with grace.Scriptures (KJV): Ephesians 4:1–3; Ephesians 1–3 (context); John 9; John 12:42–43; Titus 2:10; 2 Corinthians 4:6.If this helped, like & share to bless someone today. Subscribe and follow the playlist.#PracticalChristianLiving #Ephesians4 #AdornTheDoctrine #KJVBible #DailyDevotion0:00 Rejoice & welcome; thanks for sharing0:28 Hymn: “Heavenly Sunlight” (stanza 2; 2 Cor 4:6)1:39 “Jesus is mine”—assurance in Christ2:02 Read Ephesians 4:1–3 (KJV)2:37 Recap: cost of confessing Christ (John 9)3:42 Sabbath controversy & division over Jesus4:56 Parents' fear of synagogue expulsion6:21 Third interrogation; bold testimony7:25 Loved praise of men more than God (John 12:42–43)7:48 Benefits and obligations of believers8:16 “I therefore” — doctrine → practice8:44 Humility: Paul's “prisoner of the Lord”9:11 Right doctrine → right living9:39 Titus 2:10: purloining, fidelity, adorn10:30 Why unity can't ignore doctrine10:53 Tease next: “prisoner of the Lord” focus; closing prayer

Born of God (John 1:9-13) by Trinity Community Church

We're celebrating 10 years of God's faithfulness and revisiting why we exist: to help people know God John 17:3. Not just to know about Him, but to truly know Him. Our hearts are resetting around our mission—Practicing the Way of Jesus—and the four Pursuits that shape us as a church: Presence of God, Transformational Discipleship, Kingdom Community, and Sacrificial Mission.Today's message calls us to move from information to true relationship with the Father who loved the Son before creation John 17:24. We'll explore practical pathways to host His presence, be formed into Christlikeness, belong as family, and live a daily life of surrender and mission—because this next decade is all about keeping Jesus at the center.So grab your Bible, your BTJ, or something to write on—and let's step in together.

In this episode, we share a talk by William Taylor on John 1:1-18. It's a talk that concerns why we need to know Jesus in order to truly know God. The Bible Matters Podcast is funded entirely by the generous donations of its listeners. If you would like to become a financial partner with us on this journey, you can give to the project here.   The music for today's episode was written and produced by Leo Elbourne and Josh Stidwill. Listen to more of Josh's work here.      To contact us, email office@biblematters.org   #gospelofjohn #WilliamTaylor #HowToKnowGod #christianpodcast #christiantheology #UnderstandingTheBible

Being Taught by God (John 6: 35-51)

Abiding in God (John 15:1-9) | Devoted

The Portage church of Christ is a group of pre-denominational Christians that are striving to serve the Lord together. Our goal is to please God, and we believe that the best way to do that is to follow the pattern that was established by the churches in the first century and revealed in the New Testament. We have no creed or doctrine except the Bible and we follow the Bible only. We strive for unity in the teaching of New Testament doctrine. Our congregation is not part of, or subject to, any larger man-made religious organization. We are a completely autonomous congregation. We are locally governed, just as the church in the first century was. How does one becomes a member of this church congregation? The exact same way as seen in the Biblical accounts. On the day of Pentecost following Jesus' resurrection, people who repented and were baptized were saved (Acts 2:38) and the saved were added to the church (Acts 2:47). These saved people were members of the body, or church (Colossians 1:18). To become a Christian, the Bible teaches: Hear the gospel (Rom. 10:17) Believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God (John 8:24, 58, Heb. 11:6) Repent of past sins (Luke 13:3, 5) Confess Jesus as Lord (Matt. 10:32-33, Rom. 10:9-10) Be baptized for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38, Mark 16:16) Remain Faithful to Christ (Rev. 2:10, 2 Tim 4:7-8)

Erin Pacheco, Director of Worship

Talk about it: pursueGOD.org/ac

Talk about it: pursueGOD.org/ac

CONNECT WITH USWeb: https://churchwithoutwallsinternational.orgPodcast: https://cwowi.buzzsprout.comVimeo: https://vimeo.com/cwowiInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/cwowiFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/CWOWInternationalBooks: https://churchwithoutwallsinternational.org/product-category/books-and-audio-books/Translations: http://www.cwowi.eu

I'm starting a new series called Darin's Diary. Every Monday, I'll be sharing something real that I'm learning about God as I dig into His Word for myself. This isn't secondhand from pastors, mentors, or books — it's me opening up my Bible, wrestling with what it says, and sharing how it's changing my walk with Him. In this first episode, I'm talking about a verse that completely reshaped the way I see God: John 1:14 — “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” Growing up, I thought I understood God's love, but when I read this verse in its original context, it hit me in a whole new way. For the first audience — both Jews and Gentiles — this was shocking. Unlike the distant gods of the Greco-Roman world, Jesus stepped down, put on flesh, and lived among us. That changes everything. This episode is all about rediscovering God's love in a fresh way — the kind that makes you fall in love with Him all over again. My hope is that as you watch, you'll see that God isn't distant, He's close, and He cares about every detail of your life. Let me know in the comments what stood out to you most, and don't forget to subscribe so you don't miss future episodes of Darin's Diary. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Portage church of Christ is a group of pre-denominational Christians that are striving to serve the Lord together. Our goal is to please God, and we believe that the best way to do that is to follow the pattern that was established by the churches in the first century and revealed in the New Testament. We have no creed or doctrine except the Bible and we follow the Bible only. We strive for unity in the teaching of New Testament doctrine. Our congregation is not part of, or subject to, any larger man-made religious organization. We are a completely autonomous congregation. We are locally governed, just as the church in the first century was. How does one becomes a member of this church congregation? The exact same way as seen in the Biblical accounts. On the day of Pentecost following Jesus' resurrection, people who repented and were baptized were saved (Acts 2:38) and the saved were added to the church (Acts 2:47). These saved people were members of the body, or church (Colossians 1:18). To become a Christian, the Bible teaches: Hear the gospel (Rom. 10:17) Believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God (John 8:24, 58, Heb. 11:6) Repent of past sins (Luke 13:3, 5) Confess Jesus as Lord (Matt. 10:32-33, Rom. 10:9-10) Be baptized for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38, Mark 16:16) Remain Faithful to Christ (Rev. 2:10, 2 Tim 4:7-8)

Something we've seen over the last few weeks is that this original audience badly misunderstands Jesus.Going back to Chapter 7, we saw it first with the brothers of Jesus and then we saw it with the crowd in Jerusalem — The Jewish people, led by the Pharisees, are incredibly lost when it comes to who Jesus is; they're walking in darkness — the metaphor that will come up soon in Chapter 9 is blindness.But that's what's happening in Chapter 8! — the people are spiritually blind.And … at the same time … Jesus is different.It is the people's own problem that they can't see Jesus, but Jesus is also unlike any person they've ever met before. And that's what I want us to focus on today.We've talked enough about the Pharisees — this morning I want to show you in this passage three ways that Jesus is different. It has to do with his judgment, his origin, and his mission. And this matters for us because these three differences will guide us in our worship of Jesus and our devotion to him. Let's pray:Father in heaven, thank you for your Word, and for this moment. As best as we can, by your Spirit's help, we surrender our hearts to his work. Speak to us, in Jesus's name, amen.Three ways Jesus is different …1. His judgment is not like ours.To start, remember last week in verse 12 Jesus said that he's the light of the world, but then the Pharisees ignore what he says and try to make the whole thing a legal dispute.They said that Jesus was out of bounds to bear witness about himself, but Jesus says that's not really the case because he never does anything by himself — that's not how he works. And just like that, this dialogue presents an opportunity for Jesus to explain how different he is.So in verse 15 he says,“You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one.”Now wait a minute: How can Jesus say that? We know he judges. He's gonna say in verse 26 (just a few verses away) that he has “much to judge.” He said back in Chapter 5 that the Father has given him authority to execute judgment (5:27); And he describes his judgment as just and right and true (5:30; 7:24; 8:16). So what does he mean when he says “I judge no one”? According to the FleshWell, he means it in contrast to how people judge “according to the flesh” — Jesus is saying “I judge no one like that.” Remember, we've already seen that wrong judgment is a problem for the people.This goes back to Chapter 5 when the Jews didn't like it that Jesus healed that man on the Sabbath. And in Chapter 7, Jesus refers back to that incident and he tells the people You're seeing it all wrong. Chapter 7, verse 24 …“Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”Judging by appearances (ch. 7), and judging according to the flesh (ch. 8), are basically the same thing. And that's the problem. This kind of judgment is judgment based on the limited perspective of fallible humans.So catch this. This human judgment has two things going against it: one is that the lens is limited; the other is that the eyes looking through the lens are fallible.I imagine this to be kind of like those mounted binoculars you find on a fishing pier. (Y'all have seen these before, either on piers at the ocean or somewhere else that has a scenic view.) You pop a quarter in and you can look through these binoculars, but they're limited. You're constricted in how far you can turn the thing. And you can see a part of the ocean, but not the whole ocean, and then the time runs out.Well, judgment according to the flesh is like that, except also the person looking through the binoculars is legally blind (we're all like Mr. Magoo…).This is judgment according to the flesh — it's limited and fallible — and the twist here is that Jesus is not addressing this problem of judgment because of how people treat other people, but this has to do with how they see him.It's About JesusI want to make sure you catch this …There are moral implications when it comes to human judgment and how we treat one another, but that is not Jesus's first concern here.The bigger problem with broken human judgment is that it's what's keeping people from recognizing who Jesus is!We see this problem all throughout the Gospel of John:“Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” (1:46)“Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know?” (6:42)“How is it that this man has learning, when he has never studied?” (7:15)“Is the Christ to come from Galilee?” (7:41)See, the people were spiritually blind to Jesus. Blindness TodayAnd it's not just a problem with this original audience, but this has been a problem throughout history. This is part of the Christian story — because, according to the flesh, the Christian message is not very impressive.We believe that the Savior of the world is a Jewish peasant who had a three-year teaching ministry in First Century Palestine until the Roman governor had him brutally murdered. No wonder why that at the time that John wrote this Gospel people called this silly! According to the flesh it is silly… by human appearances it's foolishness. But this just means that the only way we can recognize Jesus is if we start seeing beyond what's natural to us.John tells us from the start: We must be born again — not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God (John 1:13).To see Jesus we have to start seeing the way he sees. His judgment is not like ours.2. His origin is not from here. We're going to pick this up in verse 23. But in verse 21, Jesus has acted as a prophet and pronounced a coming judgment, and the Jews are baffled by this. They mock Jesus in verse 22. Then, verse 23: He [Jesus] said to them, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.”See how plainly he puts this? Jesus is saying I'm different.He's saying to this crowd: We are from and of different realms of reality — just wait and see what he says next week!Setting the SceneBut then Jesus says something here in verse 24 that gets their attention. He sobers ‘em up real quick, and it comes through in their question in verse 25.Everybody find verse 25. Y'all are gonna want to see this one. Verse 25. Chapter 8, verse 25:So they said to him, “Who are you?”Now, I want to back up for a minute and set this scene for you. I'm gonna describe how this might have looked (I need a little poetic license) …Verse 21 opens: Jesus is talking to a small crowd, and you gotta imagine they're basically heckling him. It's one of those group-think moments when people bond over their shared criticism. Y'all ever see that before?You can picture it — they're twisting his words and making their jokes. That's verse 22 — they say: Hey, what's this guy gonna do, kill himself? And the crowd busts out laughing, and as the laughter's dying down, Jesus says something that makes them instantly shut up and get serious. It's like the music just goes errrr — silence. And they say: “Who are you?”That's the scene.So I wanna know: What did Jesus say in verse 24 to cause that question? Let's look at verse 24:“I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins.”What part of these words stopped the crowd in their tracks? Face-to-Face with I AMNow, it could have been that Jesus told them they're gonna die in their sins. That's pretty serious, but it's not new. Jesus said that in verse 21, and he says it twice here. I think the bombshell in verse 24 is when Jesus says “unless you believe that I am he … you will die in your sins…”That's because the words here, “I am he,” in the Greek, is the ἐγώ εἰμι — which literally translates as I AM.And this crowd has heard those words before. They know about the I AM. They know the Book of Exodus, and the story of the burning bush. They've heard the Book of Isaiah, when God speaks and says:Isaiah 41:4,“Who has performed and done this, calling the generations from the beginning? I, the Lord, the first, and with the last; I am.” Isaiah 43:13,“… from ancient days I am; No one can deliver out of my hand. When I act, who can reverse it?” (NIV)Isaiah 43:25,“I am, I am the one who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins.” Isaiah 48:12,“Listen to me, O Jacob, and Israel, whom I called! I am! I am the first, and I am the last.”These people knew Who said these words in the Book of Isaiah. And here Jesus is saying unless you believe I am the I AM, you'll die in your sins. And they're floored. They take a big gulp, and they say:For real, who are you?And Jesus says: I've been trying to telling you. It's what I've been saying from the beginning.The Big BeginningAnd this first audience hears Jesus say “beginning” and they think he's talking about when their conversation started, but we as the readers, we see that word “beginning” and we think back to John 1:1, to how this Gospel started:“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”He was in the beginning with God.This is what Jesus meant in verse 23 when he said I am from above and I am not from this world. Jesus's origin is not like ours because he had no origin, not as the eternally begotten Son of God. He has always been … Ultimate Reality, the Great First Cause, the Unmoved Mover. He is from everlasting to everlasting … Of old he laid the foundations of the world, and the heavens are the work of his hands! They will perish, but he will remain! They will all wear out like a garment, he will change them like a robe and they will pass away! But he is the same and his years have no end! (see Psalm 102:25–27; Hebrews 1:10–12).Church, Jesus is different — if you can see him. Jesus is different. His origin is not from here.3. His mission is not by himself. This is verse 28: So Jesus said to them, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me. There will come a moment when Jesus's identity as the I AM will be most manifest, and ironically, it'll be a moment that these unbelievers bring about. It'll be when they lift him up. To Be Lifted UpIn the Gospel of John, when Jesus talks this way, he's talking about the cross. To “be lifted up” has a double meaning — it's another example of the layers in John — Jesus will be “lifted up” literally on the cross, to die — And he'll also be lifted up as in he's exalted and glorified in the cross event which culminates in resurrection.Both are in view.And when Jesus is lifted up, literally, on the cross, that's a moment that by appearances — according to the flesh — it looks like the worst kind of defeat. He was crucified! But that was actually the moment when the I AM blots out the transgressions of his people! So, what is most atrocious to human eyes is the greatest divine miracle ever displayed. That is the mission of Jesus. That's why he came. And he came, Jesus tells us, in collaboration with his Father. Collaborating with the FatherThat's what he says in verse 28. His mission is not a solo endeavor, but the Father is involved. Jesus has talked this way before: John 4:34,“My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.”John 5:19,“Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing.”John 6:38,“For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.”So Jesus didn't come on a self-directed mission — he was not sent by himself — And he also didn't come by himself. Look at verse 29: “And he who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him.”Now, in what way is the Father with Jesus? How has the Father not left Jesus alone?Theologically, the right answer is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is how the Father was with Jesus in his earthly ministry. The Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son, and he is the bond of love between them. But in verse 29, Jesus doesn't give us those theological details. He just tells us why the Father is with him. He says it's because“I always do the things that are pleasing to him.”Now in one sense, we could say that Jesus is just stressing again the unity he has with his Father, and that's true. But in another sense, if we're taking Jesus at his word, in verse 29 he grounds the “with-me-ness of God” in what he does. He's saying: I enjoy the blessing of the Father's nearness because of what I do.The Father is with me because I do what's pleasing to him!‘Don't Try This at Home'And this is one of those things that should come with a warning: “Don't try this at home.”Because we can't talk that way. I don't recommend it. That's because one of the facts of our fallen humanity is that we often to confuse the proper placement of our doing. And the simple name for this is called “works-righteousness.”But Chip Dodd calls this confusion the DO-HAVE-BECOME mindset.Many people live their life this way. They think: “If I only could DO (x) then I could HAVE (y), and finally BECOME (z).” Get it? DO … HAVE … BECOME. Look, I'll go ahead and tell you: that's a mess in the making. It will burn you out. Because all you can do in that mindset is keep chasing, always looking for that next milestone, that next thing just above the horizon. This is the path of so many people, and it just leaves you weary and empty.The right order, though, is not “Do-Have-Become” — but “Be-Have-Do!”“Because I AM (z) then I HAVE (y), and therefore I DO (x).”That's the Christian life:Because I AM (a child of God) then I HAVE (every spiritual blessing in Christ) and therefore I DO (a life of love and witness for his glory).We must constantly be reordering our lives this way. We often get it wrong. But we should realize that Jesus is different. Because Jesus was/is the perfect man … This means Jesus lived here with absolutely perfect harmony in his being, having, and doing. Theologians have talked about this as the harmony of his person and work. His Glorious CongruenceSee, Jesus never needed to reorder anything here because he never had a hiccup between who he is and what he does. Part of his holiness was his wholeness.He is the truth and he speaks the truth. He is light and he shines light. He is life and he gives life.This is glorious congruence! Everything that Jesus ever DID was impeccably aligned with his BEING as the Beloved Son of God with whom the Father is well-pleased.He was so aligned, so congruent — his activity was so perfectly an expression of his identity — that doesn't talk of one without including the other.That's why he can say I always DO the things that are pleasing to my Father and that's why he's with me. His mission was not by himself, and here, church, is glory!Behold Him!This is a closeness of relationship with the Father and a congruence of person that we can barely fathom, but certainly adore.Back in 1738, the pastor-theologian Jonathan Edwards meditated on the person of Jesus and focused on the union of his “diverse excellencies” — Jesus is the Lion and the Lamb; he is majestic and meek, just and merciful … Edwards said,“In him meet together infinite highness and infinite condescension; infinite justice and infinite grace; infinite glory and lowest humility.”And for this, he is worthy of our adoration. … And I want to add … Just like we adore Jesus for the “admirable conjunctions of his diverse excellencies,” we adore him for the simple harmony of his person and work. Who he is is how he lived.In the most profound way, What you see is what you get — if you can truly see. So that's where we end. Can you see him yet? Do you recognize who Jesus is?If you see him, you trust him. You put your faith in him, and maybe that's something you want to do today for the first time. You can do it right now — tell him: Jesus, I see you, I trust you. And for so many of us who have seen him, don't you want to see him more? Jesus is different … in his judgment, his origin, and his mission — and we just want to see more of him! More of his glory! We wanna behold him!That's the invitation now as we come to this Table. The TableFor all of us who trust in Jesus, if you see him, let's see him anew this morning as we receive the bread and cup. We are remembering Jesus's person and work, and together, church, we behold him.

In today's episode, Bryan and Layne explore how the Jesus of the Book of Mormon compares with the Jesus of modern Mormonism and the unchanging Jesus of the Bible.--The Unveiling Mormonism podcast pulls back the curtain on Mormon history, culture and doctrine. Join us for new episodes every Monday. Find resources to talk about these episodes at pursueGOD.org/mormonism.Help others go "full circle" as a follower of Jesus through our 12-week Pursuit series.Click here to learn more about how to use these resources at home, with a small group, or in a one-on-one discipleship relationship.Got questions or want to leave a note? Email us at podcast@pursueGOD.org.Donate Now --Finding Jesus: Book of Mormon Jesus vs. Modern LDS Jesus vs. the BibleWhen it comes to Jesus, definitions matter. In this episode, we explore three portraits: the Jesus often taught in modern-day Mormonism (LDS), the Jesus presented in the Book of Mormon (published in 1830), and the Jesus revealed in the Bible. Understanding the differences isn't just academic—it's the difference between a gospel of human progress and the good news of divine rescue.The Modern LDS View (as many were taught)Many lifelong Latter-day Saints were taught a framework where Jesus (Jehovah) is a created spirit-son of Elohim and a Heavenly Mother, the elder brother of all humans—and even of Lucifer. In that system, God the Father Himself once progressed to Godhood, and Jesus is likewise on a path of progression. This view filters into temple endowment language about “organizing” existing matter, reinforcing the idea that God is more architect than Creator. The result? A Jesus who feels closer to us by nature, but further from us in power—a Savior on the way up, rather than the eternal Lord who stoops down to save.The Book of Mormon's Higher ChristologyInterestingly, the earliest Book of Mormon language often sounds more like historic Christian claims about Christ's full deity. For example, passages highlight worship directed to Jesus and language that closely parallels biblical titles for God. Whatever one concludes about its origins, the Book of Mormon's Christological tone (especially early editions) frequently reads closer to biblical Trinitarian language than to later LDS teachings. That's a crucial observation for anyone comparing sources within the broader Latter-day Saint tradition.The Bible's Timeless Witness about JesusScripture presents an unchanging Christ—from eternity past to eternity future. “In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God” John 1:1-3 NLT. Jesus isn't created; he is the eternal Son through whom all things were made. “So the Word became human and made his home among us” John 1:14 NLT. The New Testament repeatedly ascribes to Jesus names, works, and worship belonging to God alone. He is “the exact likeness of God,” the preeminent One through whom and for whom all things were created Colossians 1:15-17 NLT. He bears the personal divine name “I AM” John 8:58 NLT and claims the titles “Alpha and Omega…the Almighty” Revelation 1:8 NLT.This has massive implications. If Jesus is uncreated, then salvation rests not on our ascent to Godhood, but on God's descent to rescue sinners. The torn temple veil at Jesus' death dramatizes this shift from ritual ladders to a Person—direct access to the Father through the finished work of the Son (Matthew 27:51) NLT.Why This Matters for YouIf your background...

In today's episode, Bryan and Layne explore how the Jesus of the Book of Mormon compares with the Jesus of modern Mormonism and the unchanging Jesus of the Bible.--The Unveiling Mormonism podcast pulls back the curtain on Mormon history, culture and doctrine. Join us for new episodes every Monday. Find resources to talk about these episodes at pursueGOD.org/mormonism.Help others go "full circle" as a follower of Jesus through our 12-week Pursuit series.Click here to learn more about how to use these resources at home, with a small group, or in a one-on-one discipleship relationship.Got questions or want to leave a note? Email us at podcast@pursueGOD.org.Donate Now --Finding Jesus: Book of Mormon Jesus vs. Modern LDS Jesus vs. the BibleWhen it comes to Jesus, definitions matter. In this episode, we explore three portraits: the Jesus often taught in modern-day Mormonism (LDS), the Jesus presented in the Book of Mormon (published in 1830), and the Jesus revealed in the Bible. Understanding the differences isn't just academic—it's the difference between a gospel of human progress and the good news of divine rescue.The Modern LDS View (as many were taught)Many lifelong Latter-day Saints were taught a framework where Jesus (Jehovah) is a created spirit-son of Elohim and a Heavenly Mother, the elder brother of all humans—and even of Lucifer. In that system, God the Father Himself once progressed to Godhood, and Jesus is likewise on a path of progression. This view filters into temple endowment language about “organizing” existing matter, reinforcing the idea that God is more architect than Creator. The result? A Jesus who feels closer to us by nature, but further from us in power—a Savior on the way up, rather than the eternal Lord who stoops down to save.The Book of Mormon's Higher ChristologyInterestingly, the earliest Book of Mormon language often sounds more like historic Christian claims about Christ's full deity. For example, passages highlight worship directed to Jesus and language that closely parallels biblical titles for God. Whatever one concludes about its origins, the Book of Mormon's Christological tone (especially early editions) frequently reads closer to biblical Trinitarian language than to later LDS teachings. That's a crucial observation for anyone comparing sources within the broader Latter-day Saint tradition.The Bible's Timeless Witness about JesusScripture presents an unchanging Christ—from eternity past to eternity future. “In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God” John 1:1-3 NLT. Jesus isn't created; he is the eternal Son through whom all things were made. “So the Word became human and made his home among us” John 1:14 NLT. The New Testament repeatedly ascribes to Jesus names, works, and worship belonging to God alone. He is “the exact likeness of God,” the preeminent One through whom and for whom all things were created Colossians 1:15-17 NLT. He bears the personal divine name “I AM” John 8:58 NLT and claims the titles “Alpha and Omega…the Almighty” Revelation 1:8 NLT.This has massive implications. If Jesus is uncreated, then salvation rests not on our ascent to Godhood, but on God's descent to rescue sinners. The torn temple veil at Jesus' death dramatizes this shift from ritual ladders to a Person—direct access to the Father through the finished work of the Son (Matthew 27:51) NLT.Why This Matters for YouIf your background...

Tyler Saldaña teaches from John 10:14–16 on August 31, 2025Support the show

The Scriptures encourage us to be witnesses to the person & work of Jesus. A witness is someone who testifies to what they have seen & heard. In today's passage, John the Baptist serves as a model example of what it means to be a witness. Today, let's unpack two vital ingredients to living as witnesses of Jesus in our everyday lives!

It is time this very minute to pray and seek God. Time to set our timers and pray for the minute. This podcast encourages us to stop for a minute and, now, in the presence of our Heavenly Father—with praise and prayer—worship Him in Jesus' name and in the power of the Holy Spirit. ———— *We do not own the rights to music played on this podcast.

Speaker: Austin Foxworthy"Nothing Can Separate Us from the Love of God"John 8:1-11www.risenhayward.com

Will there really be a Third Temple in Jerusalem? Or has the Temple already been fulfilled in Christ?In this episode, Stephen Boyce and Pat May examine one of the most debated questions in Bible prophecy. We'll explore why a physical third temple is unnecessary and how Jesus Himself is the final Temple, as revealed in John's Gospel (John 2:19-21) and Revelation (21-22).We'll also expose how Dispensationalist interpretations of Ezekiel's Temple and Revelation often miss the point of the New Covenant. Ezekiel's visionary temple and John's apocalyptic imagery are not blueprints for future construction—they're prophetic symbols fulfilled in Christ and His Church.What we'll cover:Why Christ is the ultimate Temple of God (John 1:14, John 2:19-21)Problems with rebuilding a Temple under the Law of Moses todayHow Ezekiel's Temple points to a spiritual reality, not a future buildingMisinterpretations of Revelation by DispensationalistsThe Church as God's Temple (1 Corinthians 3, Ephesians 2)Why focusing on Christ as the Temple transforms worship and prophecyJoin us as we bring clarity to one of the most misunderstood eschatological topics.#BibleProphecy #ThirdTemple #Eschatology #Dispensationalism #BookOfRevelation #EzekielTemple #ChristTheTemple #NewCovenant #EndTimesDebate #FACTSPodcast #StephenBoyce

Ephesians1:3-6 is one long sentence. Today we are looking at the blessings that we havefrom God the Father. “Blessed be God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,who has blessed us…” (v.3). Verses 3-6 are speaking of our blessings thatwe have from God the Father. When Jesus Christ wrote His last will andtestament for His church, He made it possible for us to share in His spiritualriches. Instead of spending it all for Him, (as some do when they receive aninheritance), Jesus Christ paid for it all. His death on the cross and Hisresurrection made it possible for our salvation.  Myfriend, Jesus wrote us into His will and then He died so that the will would beenforced. That's what the book of Hebrews is about. Then He rose again that Hemight become the heavenly advocate, our lawyer, to make sure that the terms ofthe will were correctly followed.  Inthis long sentence Paul begins to name just a few of the blessings that we havethat make up our spiritual wealth. First, we find in verse four here that Godhas “chosen us in Him”. This is the speaking of the marvelous doctrineof election, a doctrine that has confused some and confounded others. Aseminary professor once remarked, "You try to explain election and you'lllose your mind. But try to explain it away and you may lose your soul."  TheScriptures teach that salvation begins with God and not with man. AllChristians must agree upon this. "You have not chosen me," Jesussaid, "but I have chosen you." (John 15:16). The lost sinnerleft to his own ways does not seek God. He hides from God. Remember Adam andEve after they sinned (Genesis 3:8). God in His love seeks the sinner (Luke19:10).  Notethat God chose us even before He created the universe, so that our salvation iswholly of His grace and not on the basis of anything we ourselves have done. Hechose us in Christ, not in ourselves. And He chose us for a purpose: “to beholy and without blame”. In the Bible, election is always unto something.It is a privilege that carries a great responsibility. We are not elected intothe family of God, we are born into the family of God (John 3:1-7). We are electedto a position of sanctification and service as we participate in the body lifein the family of God!  Doesthe sinner respond to God's grace against his own will? No, he responds becauseGod's grace makes him willing to respond (Ephesians 2:8-9). God only gives usthis grace when we humble ourselves under the condemnation of the Law and we acknowledgeand confess that we can only be saved by the death and resurrection of JesusChrist (Romans 10:10-13)! At the same time there is the mystery of divinesovereignty and human responsibility will never be solved in this life. Bothare taught in the Bible (John 6:37). Both are true, and both are essential.Spurgeon said they are friends, and they walk hand in hand. I personally believestrongly in both! Ilove how someone shared how that all three Persons in the Godhead are involvedin our salvation (see also 1 Peter 1:3-5). As far as God the Father isconcerned, you were saved when He chose you in Christ in eternity past. Butthat alone did not save you. As far as God the Son is concerned, you were savedwhen He died for you on the cross. As far as God the Spirit is concerned, youwere saved when you yielded to His conviction and received Christ as your Savior.What began in eternity past was fulfilled in time present, and will continuefor all eternity!  Oh,my friend, how wonderful it is to know that we have been chosen in Christbefore the foundation of the world, not to be saved, but “to be holyand without blame before Him in love”.  We are a special people. We have a greatblessing. We are “chosen in Him”.  Godbless!

Sermon by Michael Bailey on August 17, 2025.Key scripture: John 1:1-5, 14 & 20:30-31The book of John is a firsthand account from one of Jesus' closest friends—someone who walked with Him, heard His voice, saw His miracles, stood at the cross, and ran to the empty tomb — so that “you may believe Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God” (John 20:30).At its heart, the Gospel of John invites us not only to know the facts about Jesus but to encounter His love in a way that changes how we see ourselves, our purpose, and the world around us.

Friendship With God “Friendship with God” John 14:12-31   Download the Sermon and Conversation Guide | https://bit.ly/4lc5JiY    -- REACH Resources Visit the REACH webpage | https://www.fcchudson.com/reach    -- GET CONNECTED! https://www.fcchudson.com and click Next Steps!   --- Stay connected! Website: https://www.fcchudson.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fcchudson Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fcchudson YouTube: https://bit.ly/3twyuMN Podcast: https://apple.co/4gmb4C0    #fcchudson #churchonline Take your next step with us! https://bit.ly/3IJv7f1

A Sermon for the Ninth Sunday after Trinity St. Luke 15:11-32 by William Klock All the tax collectors and sinners were drawing near to listen to Jesus, writes St. Luke at the beginning of Chapter 15.  But the Pharisees and the scribes—the legal experts—were grumbling.  “This fellow welcomes sinners!” they said.  “He even eats with them!”  (Luke 15:1-2) You can just picture these angry Pharisees, their faces red, veins popping in their foreheads, grumbling with each other.  They'd heard troubling things about Jesus, but then he'd come to town and they listened while he preached in the synagogue and they were pleasantly surprised.  They nodded along with him.  And they watched as he healed sick people and cast out demons.  People were saying Jesus was the Messiah.  Maybe he really was.  Maybe the bad things people were saying about him weren't true after all.  But then the party last night.  Matthew, the guy who collected taxes for the Romans, the traitor to his people, they'd heard rumours that he'd taken up with Jesus and last night he threw a big party and invited all his scummy, sinner friends.  A bunch of JINOs—you know, Jews-in-name-only.  Not a single one of them kept the law: tax collectors, prostitutes, greedy businessmen who supplied the Roman army.  Rumour had it they were eating bacon-wrapped prawns!  And Jesus was there.  They raged.  How could a guy seem so holy, preach such great things, know the scriptures so well, and even work miracles that only God could do, and then go and party with sinners?  I mean, yeah, there were also rumours that Jesus was telling his kingdom stories at the party and someone even said that some of those sinners had decided to repent and sin no more.  But that just made these Pharisees angrier.  If Jesus were really the Messiah, if he'd really come to usher in God's kingdom, he should be calling down fire and brimstone on those tax collectors and their sinner friends.  No, they grumbled to each other, this won't do.  This won't do at all. So Jesus answered their angry grumbles with three stories.  The first story is about a shepherd who loses one of his hundred sheep.  He secures the ninety-nine in the fold and sets off into the night to find the lost one.  When he finds that lost sheep, he carries it home on his shoulders, and rejoices with the other shepherds.  What was precious had been lost, but was now found.  In the second story Jesus tells of a poor old woman who loses one of ten silver coins.  They were probably her dowry.  She can't find the coin anywhere.  She turns her whole house upside-down in her frantic search for the precious coin.  Eventually she sweeps the house and finds it.  In her great joy she runs to tell her friends so that they can rejoice with her. And Jesus likens the joy of the shepherd who found the lost sheep and the joy of the woman who found the lost coin to the joy in heaven when a lost sinner repents.  Jesus' knew exactly how to poke the Pharisees.  It's that last bit about the rejoicing in heaven that really drove the point home.  The Pharisees—like everyone else in Israel—knew that the world is not as it should be.  They knew the story of how the Lord had created the world and then created Adam and Eve to live in his presence and to steward his temple.  Heaven and earth were supposed to overlap.  God and humans were supposed to live together.  But sin had ruined everything.  Sin drove a wedge between heaven and earth and God and man and now everything is broken.  But then God had called and created this special people—Israel—to be his people and to live in his presence.  When they were lost in Egypt, like the shepherd in the story, he sought them out and rescued them.  And in the middle of their community stood the temple.  And in the most holy place in the temple was the ark.  It represented God's covenant with them.  And it was his footstool.  And on it rested his presence in a cloud of glory.  Or that's how it was before the exile.  But the temple was the one place on earth where heaven and earth still overlapped, the one place where sinful people—purified from their sins—could enter God's presence.  That's why the Pharisees lived like they did.  They weren't priests, but they lived as if they were—aways ritually pure, always ready to be in God's presence.  They were the original on-earth-as-in-heaven people.  They loved what God loved.  They rejoiced when heaven rejoiced.  Or so they thought.  Because that's what Jesus is getting at here when he talks about heaven rejoicing over a single sinner who repents.  In Jesus, the God of Israel was searching out and finding his lost sheep, his lost coins and all of heaven was rejoicing.  So this is a very pointed rebuke.  They're angry because they think Jesus is doing it wrong and Jesus flips it all around: No, actually, they're the ones who have got it all wrong.  They think they have the heart of God, but they don't. And now Jesus has their attention.  Their faces are angry and red.  They're about to blow their tops.  So Jesus seizes the moment to really drive his point home with a third story. Once there was a man who had two sons.  The younger son said to the father, “Father, give me my share of the property.”  So he divided up his livelihood between them.  Not many days later the younger son turned his share into cash, and set off for a far-off country, where he spent his share in having a riotous good time.   Jesus describes this younger son as a truly despicable character.  A father could give his sons their inheritance early, but only a truly despicable son would demand it.  And when a father did give his sons their inheritance early, it was expected that they would continue to give their father the proceeds of the land.  Dutiful fathers take care of their sons and then dutiful sons take care of their fathers.  But there's nothing dutiful about this kid.  He not only demands his inheritance early, but then he sells the land, takes the cash, and goes to a far-off country.  He cares nothing for his family, for his brother, or for his father.  And then, on top of that, he abandons his people.  He's leaving Israel—the place where God's people live in his presence—to go to a pagan gentile land where they've never heard of the torah or the sabbath.  He'll never set foot in the temple again.  And here's Jesus' point.  This kid is the epitome of a “sinner”.  Everyone trips up from time to time, everyone sins, but when the Pharisees talked about “sinners” they were talking about people who chose sin over faithfulness—people who made a choice abandon God's law, God's covenant, and God's people.  They lived lives that were incompatible with being a faithful Jew.  But it gets worse.  Jesus goes on: When he had spent it all—everyone saw that coming!—a severe famine came on that country and he found himself destitute.  So he went and attached himself to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into the fields to feed his pigs.  He longed to satisfy his hunger with the pods the pigs were eating, and no one would give him anything.   The boy abandoned God and now, to all appearances, God has abandoned him.  He squandered his inheritance on prostitutes and loose living and now he finds himself feeding pigs.  For a Jew to have anything to do with pigs—the epitome of uncleanness—that was bad enough, but to actually be hungry enough to eat their food—well—Jesus has conjured up an image of complete moral and physical degradation.  This is rock bottom.  Some of the Pharisees were thinking, “Serves him right!  That's justice.”  I wonder, though, if others weren't starting to clue into where Jesus was going with this.  Remember that these were people who had concluded they were still living in exile.  Their ancestors had worshipped idols and forsaken God's law.  Israel was God's son, but they were a son who had taken advantage of his father's patience and mercy and goodness.  And so they had found themselves in exile, in Babylon, in a pagan land, with nothing and far from God.  I suspect that at least some of the scribes and Pharisees were beginning to hear their own story being told by Jesus. So finally, Jesus says, the son smartened up: He came to his senses.  “Just think,” he said to himself, “There are all my father's hands with plenty to eat and here I am, starving to death.  I'll get up and go to my father and I'll say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you.  I don't deserve to be called your son and longer.  Make me like one of your hired hands.'”  And he got up and went to his father. I trust that, again, at least some of the scribes and Pharisees saw themselves in this, because this is what their ancestors had done.  Sitting by the waters of Babylon, first they wept for all they'd lost, and then they wept in repentance for all their unfaithfulness.  And this is what the Pharisees were still doing: trying to be faithful to the law, urging everyone else to be faithful to the law, in the hopes that the Father would take them back.  This is why they were so angry at the tax collectors and sinners.  They were calling everyone to national repentance in the hopes that the Lord would return to them and set the world to rights, but the tax collectors and sinners refused to get with the programme—they were holding everything back. But, too, Jesus' last two stories about the lost sheep and the lost coin were still echoing in their ears.  The tax collectors and sinners were the lost sheep of Israel and Jesus had been sent by the Lord to find them.  I see one of the Pharisees putting his hands to his heas in frustration and thinking, “It's like Jesus is saying we're all lost sheep, we're all lost coins, we're all lost sons of the Father!”  They weren't ready to accept that. And then the father in the story.  Jesus says: While still a long way off, his father saw him and his heart was stirred with love and pity.  He ran to him, hugged him tight, and kissed him. Everything in the image goes against the image of the ancient near eastern patriarch.  The father should be dignified, stern, disciplined, ready to carry out justice, but instead Jesus gives us a picture of this father—so incredibly undignified—running to meet his son, his robes blowing behind him, his sandals slap-slap-slapping as he ran.  And instead of running to his son to give him a kick in the pants and beating for being such a lout, he loves him.  The son tries to begin the spiel he's been rehearsing the whole of his long journey: “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you.  I don't deserve to be called your son any longer.”  But his father cuts him off and calls for his servants: “Hurry!  Bring the best clothes and put them on him!  Put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet!  And bring the calf that we've fattened and kill it.  Let's eat and have a party!  This son of mine was dead and is alive again!  He was lost and now he's found!”  And they began to celebrate.   Jesus has this brilliant way of telling stories.  First, it's so obviously about the tax collectors and sinners but then somehow he manages to carry on with the story so that it becomes about both the tax collectors and sinners and the whole people of Israel longing for the return of their heavenly Father.  And then he reminds everyone that their Father is full of love and mercy and grace, ready to pour out his blessings and to throw a party for anyone who repents.  It's hard to imagine that at least some of the scribes and Pharisees didn't get it.  “Oh man.  He's talking about all of us,” they were thinking.  But still, some were obstinate.  They didn't get it.  “What a stupid father,” they were thinking.  “He should beat his lout of a son, disown him, and tell him he never wants to see him again.” And that's why there's a place for everyone in Jesus' story.  He says, The older son was out in the fields.  When he came home and got near to the house, he heard music and dancing.  He called one of the servants and asked what was going on.  “Your brother's come home!” he said.  “And your father has thrown a great party.  He's killed the fattened calf.  Because he's got him back safe and well!”  Well, the older son flew into a range and refused to go in.   Sound familiar?  I expect that as he said this, Jesus was looking straight at those Pharisees who were still boiling with rage. Then his father came out and pleaded with him.  “Look here,” he said to his father, “I've been slaving for you all these years.  I've never disobeyed a single commandment of yours.  And you never even gave me a young goat so I could have a party with my friends.  But when this son of yours comes home, once he's finished gobbling up your livelihood with whores, you kill the fattened calf for him.”   Jesus has a way with words and here he puts the words of the Pharisees into the mouth of this angry older brother who won't let go of his grudge.  They've been slaving away for the Lord all these years.  They've never disobeyed a single one of his commandments.  And when the Messiah comes—assuming Jesus really is the Messiah—he goes and throws a party with the tax collectors and sinners instead of with them!  And so Jesus says to them in the words of the father to the older son: “My son, you're always with me.  Everything I have belongs to you.  But we had to celebrate and be happy.  This brother of yours was dead and is alive again.  He was lost and now he's found.” Jesus gets at their hypocrisy.  Notice how the older brother refuses to own his brother.  He yells at his father about “this son of yours”, but the father reminds him here at the end, “this brother of yours was dead and is alive again…this brother of yours.  This is the funny thing with the Pharisees—and they weren't the only ones in Israel who thought this way: on the one hand they were angry with the tax collectors and sinners.  They knew that these people belonged to God.  They knew they were lost.  Their sins were, they thought holding back the rest of Israel from experiencing the Lord's return and an end to their long exile.  But on the other hand, they disowned the tax collectors and sinners.  They longed and prayed for God's judgement to fall on them, right along with the gentiles.  They refused to acknowledge them as lost brothers.  And now they're mad because Jesus has come to bring them back to the sheepfold.  They should be rejoicing.  Your brother who was dead is alive again!  You're brother! I'm sure that resonated with the Pharisees.  Think of Ezekiel and his vision of the valley of dry bones.  Those dry bones represented Israel.  She had forsaken the covenant and the Lord had disciplined her by sending her into exile.  But the Lord promised that one day his word would come and restore his wayward and faithless people to life.  What was dead would be made alive again.  And not just in some figurative sense.  One of the central doctrines of the Pharisees was the dearly held belief that one day the Lord would literally raise the dead of Israel to life in his presence.  One day he would set everything to rights, beginning with his people.  One day he would take what was dead and make it live again. And by way of the parable, Jesus is now saying to the Pharisees that he's the one who's come to do it.  But he hasn't just come to reward them with the life of the age to come, he's come to offer that life even to the prodigals of Israel.  Prostitute and Pharisees, both are part of the people of God, both are the Lord's children, both belong equally to him.  The Lord had rescued the ancestors of the prostitute from Egypt just as he'd rescued the ancestors of the Pharisees.  He desires life for the prostitute just as much as he does for the Pharisee.  That's what they need to wrap their heads around, because no amount of law keeping will get them into the kingdom if they don't share God's heart. You see, judgement was coming for Israel, but not quite like the Pharisees thought.  They thought that in the end, the Lord would recognise his people by their faithfulness to the law—to circumcision and sabbath and diet.  That meant the tax collectors and sinners were out.  But the fact was—and this is the point of Jesus' parables—that when judgement came on Jerusalem and on Judah, what would mark out the people of God was not faithfulness to the law, but faithfulness to Jesus the Messiah.  Jesus had taken on Israel's identity, he had picked up her failed mission, he died the death that she deserved, and when he rose from the grave and sent God's Spirit, he formed a new family, a new covenant people not centred this time on law, but on himself.  As St. John wrote, “To all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:12-13).  And, Brothers and Sisters, at the heart of Jesus' ministry was mercy—and God the Father rejoiced in heaven to see that mercy at work amongst his people, as his lost sons and daughters were found, as what had been dead became alive again. Brothers and Sisters, do want to share God's heart?  Then hear Jesus' story. It's about the loving and merciful faithfulness of God revealed in Jesus as he fulfils his promises to his people.  It was that faithfulness, revealed in Jesus and proclaimed by those first Jewish believers, that brought the first gentiles into the Church.  And that, itself, was a fulfilment of the Lord's promises.  This new people of God, this new Israel centred on faith in Jesus, brought the nations to the Lord, to the God of Israel, in awe, in reverence, and in faith.  Because membership in this new family was based not on law but on faith in Jesus made it possible for the nations—for you and I—to become children of God and fellow heirs with the natural brothers and sisters of Jesus.  And this opens that category of “the lost” to encompass an entire world.  In the parable Jesus was talking about the lost of Israel, but through Jesus the sort of restoration that the Lord sought with the lost of Israel has been opened to all of humanity.  You and I ought to see the lost of our own world, people created to bear the image of God, but lost to him because of their sin, you and I ought to see those people and desire for them the same mercy and restoration that God has shown to us through Jesus.  We ought not only to rejoice when we see that mercy at work, the joy of our own experience of God's mercy ought to be sending us out to the lost.  But all too often we become blasé about what God has done for us.  We lose the joy we once found in our salvation.  Or, for those of us who have never known life apart from God's covenantal mercy—like so many in Israel—we take his mercy for granted.  Brothers and Sisters, take time to think on what the Lord has done for us in Jesus and rejoice.  Make a point of it.  As you read scripture.  When you come to the Lord's Table.  Make a point of it.  Rejoice and stand in awe at the mercy of God. And, I think, if we do that, we will avoid the stance of the Pharisees who had forgotten the nature of God's mercy, who chafed at Jesus offering the mercy of God to sinners while they worked so hard to be faithful.  We're prone to the same sort of thing.  We forget the mercy of God.  We forget his forgiveness.  We forget that as much as God is pleased with us when we are faithful and pleased with our good works, we too are only part of this family because of his mercy and his forgiveness.  And then we start looking at the lost, not as people to be found, but as people who deserve their comeuppance, who need God's judgement rather than his mercy.  And, in that, we forget what the kingdom of God is all about. Brothers and Sisters, think on the mercy of God and rejoice.  Come to his Table this morning and be reminded that he sent his Son at great cost to seek out the lost and to restore us to the fold.  Here we see the faithfulness of God, a witness that has now brought you and I who were not even of that flock.  A witness that has brought us in awe and wonder and in faith to Jesus the Messiah—a faith by which the Father has welcomed us, too, into the sheepfold.  Rejoice in the mercies of God and carry that rejoicing to the lost that they, like us, might see and know themselves the mercies of God at work in Jesus. Let us pray: Grant us, Lord, we pray, to know your mercy and never to take your salvation for granted.  Make us faithful stewards of your mercies that we might rejoice as you do at the restoration of the lost; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.  Amen.

Sermon by Ant Frederick on August 17, 2025.Key scripture: John 1:1-5, 14 & 20:30-31The book of John is a firsthand account from one of Jesus' closest friends—someone who walked with Him, heard His voice, saw His miracles, stood at the cross, and ran to the empty tomb — so that “you may believe Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God” (John 20:30).At its heart, the Gospel of John invites us not only to know the facts about Jesus but to encounter His love in a way that changes how we see ourselves, our purpose, and the world around us.

Friendship With God “The Way to Friendship with God” John 14:1-11   Download the Sermon and Conversation Guide | https://bit.ly/4opRlX3    -- REACH Resources Visit the REACH webpage | https://www.fcchudson.com/reach    -- GET CONNECTED! https://www.fcchudson.com and click Next Steps!   --- Stay connected! Website: https://www.fcchudson.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fcchudson Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fcchudson YouTube: https://bit.ly/3twyuMN Podcast: https://apple.co/4gmb4C0    #fcchudson #churchonline Take your next step with us! https://bit.ly/3IJv7f1

Scripture: 1 Samuel 27:1-7, 1 Samuel 30 1-6, Psalm 23. This teaching dives into Psalm 23, a Psalm written by David, and the evidence we see in his life of the heart of God. We will see insights into David's faith that will provide incredible encouragement to our faith lives as well. Have you ever been in a situation where everything seemed hopeless? Or have you ever come to a point where you feel that you're all alone? No one to turn to, no one to help you? There is much to learn from David's life that reveals where genuine strength comes from. David again is in need of escaping Saul and returns to the Philistine territory. The king of Gath, Achish, gives David the town of Ziklag, along the southern portion of the Philistine Empire along the coast of the Mediterranean. About a year and four months into living in Ziklag, David returns from a meeting with Achish, to find his town of Ziklag destroyed by fire and his and his men's wives, sons and daughters taken captive. They were devastated and their grief was so great they wept until they had no strength left to weep. David faces a Life-Threatening Situation:     ⁃    His men blame him for their loss and talk of stoning him; but David finds strength in the Lord his God.     ⁃    David is abandoned, his men have turned on him, everything appears to be collapsing around him. He found strength in the Lord.     ⁃    How did David find strength when there was no one else to turn to? David found strength because he knew the One we can always turn to. We move into studying Psalm 23, written by David. Pastor shares a personal testimony of finding strength in this psalm during a difficult time in his life. PSALM 23 - David knew the Messiah was coming, the One in whom we find strength! Verse 1 - God is the ultimate shepherd, the Good Shepherd, the One who can always be relied upon and  in this psalm, David realizes he is not alone. And the Shepherd provides us with anything and everything we need (John 10:11). Verse 2 - David understood that sheep need a shepherd to guide and lead them (John 7:37). Verse 3 - Our Shepherd gives us hope, a future, assurance and righteousness (received by God's grace). We receive strength to face difficulty, to leave the past behind, walk in a way that gives glory to God (John 14:27). Verse 4 - Even in the darkest day, we do not need to be afraid. We are to rely on our Shepherd who guides and protects us (John 14:6). Verse 5 - David knew that even in the face of the most persistent and evil enemies, God provides and God strengthens and restores us and gives us all that is needed (John 6:35). Verse 6 - David understood that life is short, and he knew that eternity is forever. He knew that what God promises His own, is that we will be raised on the last day and will live forever with Him. Our troubles are momentary and God IS faithful, He will deliver His own, and He will restore His people and that day is coming when evil will be defeated and righteousness will reign forever (John 11:25). We can rely on our Good shepherd with absolute confidence. David understood that, David found his strength in the Lord, his God, in the One who will fulfill everything He has promised in our lives. Now What? Learn about God at https://www.awakeusnow.com EVERYTHING we offer is FREE. Check out this video series from our website: https://www.awakeusnow.com/david-and-gods-heart Join us Sundays  https://www.awakeusnow.com/sunday-service Watch via our app. Text HELLO to 888-364-4483 to download our app.

Sometime in eternity past, God the Father planned to send God the Son into the world to fulfill a divine mission. God's Word tells us, “The Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world” (1 John 4:14). This was the great mission: to bring salvation to everyone. This act of God was done in love, as it is written, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16), and “He loved us and sent His Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins” (1 John 4:10). The Son agreed with the Father, saying, “I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me” (John 6:38), and “The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). When God the Son came into the world and took upon Himself humanity, He executed His mission flawlessly.   The divine mission began in time and space nearly two thousand years ago when God the Son took upon Himself humanity. The writer to the Hebrews cites the words of God the Son as He was about to enter the world, saying, “Therefore, when He comes into the world, He says [to God the Father], ‘Sacrifice and offering You have not desired, but a body You have prepared for Me'” (Heb 10:5). The third Person of the Trinity, God the Holy Spirit, facilitated the mission by bringing about the hypostatic union within the womb of the virgin Mary (Isa 7:14; Luke 1:30-35; Gal 4:4). The angel Gabriel told Mary, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:35). At the moment of conception in the womb of the virgin Mary, undiminished deity was combined forever with perfect humanity. Eventually, Jesus was born, and God “became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). The apostle Paul tells us, “For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form” (Col 2:9).   God's Word informs us that Jesus was a Jew, born a son of Abraham, in the line of David (Matt 1:1), the promised Messiah (Matt 1:17). Jesus grew in wisdom (Luke 2:40, 52) and lived a perfectly righteous life before God and man. The record of Scripture is that Jesus “knew no sin” (2 Cor 5:21), was “without sin” (Heb 4:15), “committed no sin” (1 Pet 2:22), and “in Him there is no sin” (1 John 3:5). In His humanity, Jesus walked in perfect conformity to God the Father's holy character and divine revelation. This is important, for Jesus' sinless life qualified Him to go to the cross and pay the ransom price for our sins (Mark 10:45).   When the divinely appointed time came for Jesus to go to the cross (John 12:23; 13:1), He went willingly (Isa 53:10; John 10:18). Just hours before the crucifixion, Jesus said to His Father, “I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do” (John 17:4). Then He went to the cross and “offered Himself without blemish to God” (Heb 9:14), giving “His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). Jesus paid our sin debt by means of His “precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ” (1 Pet 1:19). While on the cross, “Christ died for our sins” (1 Cor 15:3), and He died in our place, “the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God” (1 Pet 3:18; cf. Rom 5:8).   Jesus' death on the cross was a one-time event, as He “offered one sacrifice for sins for all time” (Heb 10:12). After Jesus paid for all our sins, “He said, ‘It is finished!' And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit” (John 19:30). Jesus' death on the cross satisfied every righteous demand of God the Father concerning the payment for our sins (Rom 3:25), for “He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:2). Jesus paid the price for all our sins. There's nothing more to pay. After Jesus died, He was placed in a grave and was resurrected to life on the third day (Acts 2:23-24; 4:10; 10:40; 1 Cor 15:3-4), never to die again (Rom 6:9). Because Christ died for everyone (John 3:16; Heb 2:9; 1 John 2:2), everyone is savable. The Bible tells us that God has brought “salvation to all men” (Tit 2:11), that He “desires all men to be saved” (1 Tim 2:4), and is “not wishing for any to perish” (2 Pet 3:9).   Once we understand who Jesus is, as God in the flesh (John 1:1, 14), and what He has accomplished for us on the cross—having died for our sins, was buried, and raised again on the third day (1 Cor 15:3-4)—we can then exercise our faith by trusting in Him as our Savior (John 3:16; 20:31). To receive salvation, the unbeliever is told to “believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31a). Jesus is the object of our faith. To believe in Christ as our Savior means we trust Him to accomplish for us what we cannot accomplish ourselves: eternal salvation from the lake of fire.   Faith in Christ is the only condition for salvation. Faith does not save; Christ saves. Faith is merely the instrument by which we receive the free gift of God, which is eternal life. Though the gift was very expensive for the Lord, it is offered totally free to us, for “the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 6:23). And it is “by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Eph 2:8-9). Only the empty hand of faith accepts the gift. It offers nothing but is open to receive that which is offered by another. God's gift is available to everyone, for “whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16), and “he who believes has eternal life” (John 6:47). No payment is required from us to receive it (Rom 4:4-5), and no precondition of good works is necessary before, during, or after salvation. The only sin that keeps a person out of heaven is the sin of unbelief, the individual choice NOT to trust in Jesus as one's Savior. The one who rejects Jesus as Savior is judged by God on the sole ground that “he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:18). These are the ones who “are always resisting the Holy Spirit” (Acts 7:51; cf. John 16:8), who “do not believe” in Jesus as their Savior (John 16:9), and “are unwilling to come” to Him so that they “may have life” (John 5:40). Those who willingly reject Christ as Savior will, after death, experience eternal separation and punishment away from God for all eternity, for “if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire” (Rev 20:15). This need not happen. Hell is avoidable for the one who trusts in Christ as Savior, for “whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Salvation is a free gift from God (Rom 3:24; 6:23), offered by grace alone (Eph 2:8-9), through faith alone (Rom 3:28; Gal 2:16; 3:26; 2 Tim 3:15), in Christ alone (John 14:6; Acts 4:12), totally apart from human works (Rom 4:5; Eph 2:8-9; Tit 3:5). For lost sinners, the matter is simple: “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31).   Our forgiveness of sins, eternal life, and many wonderful blessings from God are all made possible because God the Son came down to us and accomplished what we cannot: our salvation. For this, we praise God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit for their work of salvation, for “having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom 5:1). Amen.   Steven R. Cook, D.Min., M.Div.

Guiding Question: What does it truly mean to receive the gift of Jesus at Christmas—and how do we know if we've really received it? Summary Description: Robert Lewis offers a rich and heartfelt Christmas message centered on the gift of Jesus Christ. Drawing from the imagery and wonder of the season, he calls listeners beyond the festive emotions to the deeper spiritual reality of Christmas: the incarnation as God's indescribable gift. He contrasts true belief—deep, active, and transformational—with passive or flawed belief that merely observes but never receives. Using John 3:16 and stories of personal restoration, freedom, and surprise, he explores how receiving this gift leads to real-life change. The message invites both seekers and believers to reflect honestly on the nature of their belief and respond to God's ultimate question: "Do you want me?" Outline: The Spirit of Christmas Holiday nostalgia and spiritual sensitivity. Christmas is more than feelings—it's about the gift of Jesus. Jesus: The Indescribable Gift Biblical titles and descriptions of Jesus as a “gift.” 2 Corinthians 9:15; Romans 6:23; John 4:10. The Woman at the Well Jesus' compassion and invitation to a broken Samaritan woman. “If you knew the gift of God…” God's Question to Us Christmas answers: Is God there? Does He care? But the real question is: Do you want the gift? What Does It Take to Receive the Gift? John 3:16 and the call to “believe.” The distinction between real belief and flawed, passive belief. Real Belief vs. Flawed Belief Real belief leads to action, life change, and deep connection with Christ. Flawed belief is passive, distant, and untransforming. What the Gift Delivers Forgiveness (Colossians 2:13) Freedom (John 8:32) Restoration (Psalm 23; Joel 2:25; Jeremiah 30:17; Malachi 4:6) Surprise (1 Corinthians 2:9) Reunion and eternal life (1 Thessalonians 4:17) Stories of Transformation Real-life testimonies of people who embraced the gift and experienced freedom, restoration, and hope—even from prison. Final Invitation A call to receive the gift through genuine, life-altering belief. Key Takeaways Jesus is not just the reason for the season; He is the gift that changes everything. True belief is not passive acknowledgment but an active, surrendered trust that transforms life. Many claim belief but have not received the life promised in John 3:16—because their belief lacks real buy-in. The gift of Jesus delivers real change: forgiveness, freedom, healing, purpose, and eternal hope. Christmas invites us to answer God's question: “Do you want me?” When we truly believe, Jesus surprises us—again and again—with grace, power, and presence. Scriptural References 2 Corinthians 9:15 – “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift.” Romans 6:23 – “The free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” John 4:10 – “If you knew the gift of God…” John 3:16 – Belief as the key to eternal life. Colossians 2:13 – Forgiveness of all transgressions. John 8:32 – The truth will set you free. Psalm 23 – “He restores my soul.” Joel 2:25 – “I will restore the years the locusts have eaten.” Jeremiah 30:17 – “I will restore you to health.” Malachi 4:6 – Restoring hearts of fathers to children. 1 Corinthians 2:9 – “What God has prepared for those who love Him.” 1 Thessalonians 4:17 – “So shall we always be with the Lord.” Recorded 12/19/04

Be sure to visit the show website at www.BibleCrossfire.com to see show notes and outlines for each episode. You will also be able to submit your Bible questions or comments.

Psalm 147 “The Greek and Latin textual traditions associate Psalm 147 with Haggai and Zechariah” McCann, 1267. “The five psalms that close Book Five move from the praise of an individual in Psalm 146, through the praise of a community of faith in Psalm 147, to the praise of all creation in concert with the community of faith in Psalms 148-150” NICOT, 999. “At times this psalm takes up the rhetorical questions of Isaiah 40, and at times the challenges of the Lord to Job, turning them into praise, and linking the wonder of creation with the glories of providence and grace” Kidner, 485. “The Septuagint treats this as two psalms, of which the second begins at verse 12. So its numbering of the Psalter, which has diverged from that of the Hebrew Bible (familiar to Protestants) from Psalm 10 onwards, comes into step again for the last three psalms, 148-150” Kidner, 485. Allen, 307-308, does a good job showing the unity of Psalm 147. Israel is used in vs. 2, 19. The verbal stems for praise in vs. 1 are picked up in vs. 7, 12. “All the strophes end with antithetical statement, in vs. 6, 10-11, 19-20. Repetition of vocabulary in adjacent line marks each strophe, being climactically intensified in the third (vv. 4-5, 10-11, 18-19, 19-20). A group of three participles prefixed with the article appears in both the second and third strophes (vv. 8, 14-16), and so does the particular participle ‘giving' (vv. 9, 16)” Allen, 308.147:1-6 The LORD is builder of Jerusalem147:7-11 He is Creator of all the universe147:12-20 He is God of Zion Psalm 147 and Jesus This psalm “articulates the incarnation of God's word (see John 1:1, 14). The cosmic God is personally, intimately, inextricably involved in the lives and futures of human beings…The only proper response to the good news of God's incarnational involvement with the world is to stand in awe (v. 11a) and to sing the words that convey the grateful offering of our lives, ‘Praise the LORD!'” McCann, 1269. 147:3 Jesus heals the broken hearted in Luke 4:18. The same word in the LXX is used in this verse. 147:6 The word used in the LXX for gentle is used in Matt. 11:29.147:8, 15-18 Jesus controls the weather in Matt. 8:23-27; Mark 4:35-41; Luke 8:22-25147:11 Jesus is the object of hope in Matt. 12:21; Rom. 15:12; I Cor. 15:19; Phil. 2:19147:14 Jesus is the Prince of peace in Eph. 2:14147:14 Jesus came offering Jerusalem peace, but they closed their eyes to it- Luke 19:42.147:14 Jesus satisfies with the finest of wheat- John 6:12147:15, 18, 19 Jesus is the Word of God- John 1:1-3, 14.147:19-20 The gospel is available to all nations- Matt. 28:18-20.

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We're honored to welcome Dr. Manny Arango to Citizen Church for a powerful and prophetic message titled “Out of Order”, based on John 4 and Chapter 5 of his book Crushing Chaos: Rolling in the Deep. This message takes us to a familiar scene — a well. But what unfolds there is anything but ordinary. In John 4, Jesus meets the Samaritan woman and offers her living water, not just to quench her physical thirst, but to awaken her soul. Key Scriptures: John 4:7–16 | Leviticus 14:5 | Genesis 24 | Genesis 29:1–14 | Exodus 2:15–21 | Hosea 2:16–17 | Philippians 4:10–13 In this message, you'll explore: – The meaning and power behind Living Water – How wells in Scripture often represent divine encounters and destiny – Why contentment is a secret weapon (Philippians 4:13) – What it means to move from “Master” to “Husband” (Hosea 2) — from law to love – And how divine order can turn our chaos into purpose “If you knew the gift of God…” (John 4:10) “You will no longer call me ‘Master,' but ‘Husband.'” (Hosea 2:16) Throughout the Bible, the well is where lives shift — where Isaac, Jacob, and Moses each met their bride. And in this message, Dr. Manny reminds us that Jesus still meets people at the well today — especially when things feel out of order. Whether you're thirsty for clarity, direction, healing, or purpose — Jesus offers living water. You don't have to stay dry. You don't have to stay stuck.

What does it mean to wrestle with God? In this message from Lead Pastor John Lindell, we follow Jacob to the Jabbok River—a place of full surrender—where he wrestles with God and receives a new name. Our prayer is that you would encounter God in a fresh way and experience the lasting transformation that comes when you refuse to let go until He blesses you.

What does it mean to wrestle with God? In this message from Lead Pastor John Lindell, we follow Jacob to the Jabbok River—a place of full surrender—where he wrestles with God and receives a new name. Our prayer is that you would encounter God in a fresh way and experience the lasting transformation that comes when you refuse to let go until He blesses you.

Today, John talks with Pastor Steve Cuss who shares his practice of “tripping over God's presence” 10 to 12 times a day through intentional micro-habits. These small moments that look like savoring a meal, noticing a sunset, holding a loved one's hand, or hearing from a friend are more than pleasant. They are reminders that life is good and full of God's presence if we could notice, tune in, and appreciate what has always been there under all the noise.Get more from Steve Cuss here: https://capablelife.activehosted.com/f/29Become New is here to help you grow spiritually one day at a time.