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The author of "Just Jesus" shares insight into scriptural principles that draw us closer to Christ. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/619/29
Fear is everywhere—war, disaster, division, disease, loss. But the greatest fear is living without God, because without Him, every other fear is final. Psalm 46 proclaims, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” Martin Luther knew fear well. He once trembled before God's judgment, trying to earn His favor. But when he discovered the Gospel in Romans 3—“all have sinned and are justified by His grace as a gift”—his fear turned to faith. The God who could condemn instead gives Himself to save. That's the heart of the Reformation: God doesn't just give blessings; He gives Himself—Christ crucified and risen for you. Through Word and Sacrament, this same Christ gives Himself still. In Baptism He claims you. In Absolution He forgives you. In the Supper He feeds you with His own Body and Blood. In the Divine Service, God serves His people, driving out fear and filling hearts with peace. The angel's cry in Revelation 14—“Fear God and give Him glory”—is not a threat but comfort. It announces the fall of Satan and the victory of the Lamb. True worship is not what we do for God, but what we receive from Him in faith. Luther's hymn A Mighty Fortress Is Our God confesses the same truth: the devil rages, the world trembles, but Christ's Word stands firm. Because Jesus has conquered death, we are free—free to live without fear. So when the world shakes, when judgment seems near, you can say with confidence: “The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.” No fear. Just faith. Just Jesus. ----- Worship Times Sunday – 8:00 & 10:45 a.m. Monday – 6:30 p.m. https://trinitysheboygan.org https://facebook.com/trinitysheboygan We are a congregation of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Join us as we proclaim Christ crucified and risen for the forgiveness of sins. --- Trinity Lutheran Church, School and Child Care have been "Making Known the Love of Christ" in Sheboygan, Wisconsin and throughout the world since 1853 as a congregation gathering around God's Word and Sacraments to receive forgiveness and life everlasting. Trinity is located in downtown Sheboygan, only one block from the Mead Public Library and the Weill Center for the Performing Arts. We invite you to visit us in person! Trinity Lutheran Sheboygan is a proud member of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Visit their website: https://www.lcms.org/ Music for this production was obtained through a licensing agreement with One License, LLC. The copyright permission to reprint, podcast, and record hymns and songs is acquired through ID Number: 730195-A #LCMS #Lutheran #DivineService
Fear is everywhere—war, disaster, division, disease, loss. But the greatest fear is living without God, because without Him, every other fear is final. Psalm 46 proclaims, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” Martin Luther knew fear well. He once trembled before God's judgment, trying to earn His favor. But when he discovered the Gospel in Romans 3—“all have sinned and are justified by His grace as a gift”—his fear turned to faith. The God who could condemn instead gives Himself to save. That's the heart of the Reformation: God doesn't just give blessings; He gives Himself—Christ crucified and risen for you. Through Word and Sacrament, this same Christ gives Himself still. In Baptism He claims you. In Absolution He forgives you. In the Supper He feeds you with His own Body and Blood. In the Divine Service, God serves His people, driving out fear and filling hearts with peace. The angel's cry in Revelation 14—“Fear God and give Him glory”—is not a threat but comfort. It announces the fall of Satan and the victory of the Lamb. True worship is not what we do for God, but what we receive from Him in faith. Luther's hymn A Mighty Fortress Is Our God confesses the same truth: the devil rages, the world trembles, but Christ's Word stands firm. Because Jesus has conquered death, we are free—free to live without fear. So when the world shakes, when judgment seems near, you can say with confidence: “The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.” No fear. Just faith. Just Jesus. ----- Worship Times Sunday – 8:00 & 10:45 a.m. Monday – 6:30 p.m. https://trinitysheboygan.org https://facebook.com/trinitysheboygan We are a congregation of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Join us as we proclaim Christ crucified and risen for the forgiveness of sins. --- Trinity Lutheran Church, School and Child Care have been "Making Known the Love of Christ" in Sheboygan, Wisconsin and throughout the world since 1853 as a congregation gathering around God's Word and Sacraments to receive forgiveness and life everlasting. Trinity is located in downtown Sheboygan, only one block from the Mead Public Library and the Weill Center for the Performing Arts. We invite you to visit us in person! Trinity Lutheran Sheboygan is a proud member of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Visit their website: https://www.lcms.org/ Music for this production was obtained through a licensing agreement with One License, LLC. The copyright permission to reprint, podcast, and record hymns and songs is acquired through ID Number: 730195-A #LCMS #Lutheran #DivineService
Fear is everywhere—war, disaster, division, disease, loss. But the greatest fear is living without God, because without Him, every other fear is final. Psalm 46 proclaims, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” Martin Luther knew fear well. He once trembled before God's judgment, trying to earn His favor. But when he discovered the Gospel in Romans 3—“all have sinned and are justified by His grace as a gift”—his fear turned to faith. The God who could condemn instead gives Himself to save. That's the heart of the Reformation: God doesn't just give blessings; He gives Himself—Christ crucified and risen for you. Through Word and Sacrament, this same Christ gives Himself still. In Baptism He claims you. In Absolution He forgives you. In the Supper He feeds you with His own Body and Blood. In the Divine Service, God serves His people, driving out fear and filling hearts with peace. The angel's cry in Revelation 14—“Fear God and give Him glory”—is not a threat but comfort. It announces the fall of Satan and the victory of the Lamb. True worship is not what we do for God, but what we receive from Him in faith. Luther's hymn A Mighty Fortress Is Our God confesses the same truth: the devil rages, the world trembles, but Christ's Word stands firm. Because Jesus has conquered death, we are free—free to live without fear. So when the world shakes, when judgment seems near, you can say with confidence: “The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.” No fear. Just faith. Just Jesus. ----- Worship Times Sunday – 8:00 & 10:45 a.m. Monday – 6:30 p.m. https://trinitysheboygan.org https://facebook.com/trinitysheboygan We are a congregation of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Join us as we proclaim Christ crucified and risen for the forgiveness of sins. --- Trinity Lutheran Church, School and Child Care have been "Making Known the Love of Christ" in Sheboygan, Wisconsin and throughout the world since 1853 as a congregation gathering around God's Word and Sacraments to receive forgiveness and life everlasting. Trinity is located in downtown Sheboygan, only one block from the Mead Public Library and the Weill Center for the Performing Arts. We invite you to visit us in person! Trinity Lutheran Sheboygan is a proud member of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Visit their website: https://www.lcms.org/ Music for this production was obtained through a licensing agreement with One License, LLC. The copyright permission to reprint, podcast, and record hymns and songs is acquired through ID Number: 730195-A #LCMS #Lutheran #DivineService
In week 11 of our Just Jesus series, we talk about Jesus' encounter with the Samaritan woman and how He confronts truth with grace, redirects religion to worship, and reveals his identity.
A Sermon for the Twelfth Sunday after Trinity 2 Corinthians 3:4-9 by William Klock Imagine you're an Israelite at the time of the Exodus. Moses shows up and announces that the God of your ancestors—a God no one's heard from in four hundred years—is going to deliver you from Pharoah's slavery. Sounds pretty sketchy. But then God begins to act. He sends ten plagues on the Egyptians. He turns the Nile to blood. Wow! But then Pharoah's magicians do the same thing. Okay…maybe not as impressive as it seemed at first. But as the plagues go on, they get more and more impressive and Pharaoh's magicians can't keep up. By the tenth plague you know without a doubt that this God of your fathers is something. He's even more powerful than Pharoah and his gods. And then the Red Sea. Pharaoh chased you down. Your people are stuck between the sea and Pharaoh's army. All is lost. And then the God of your fathers parts the sea itself in an amazing display of power and authority. Imagine what it was like to walk through the sea on dry ground. And then to watch as, just as miraculously, the God of your fathers causes the waters to come crashing back into place just at the right time to drown Pharaoh's army. And you join with your people as, for the first time, you sing praise to this God of your fathers—a God whom you're now starting to think of as your God. But God isn't finished. He appears as a magnificent pillar of cloud in the day and a pillar of fire at night and he leads your people into the wilderness. When there's nothing to drink, he causes water to pour forth from a rock. When there's nothing to eat, he miraculously provides an abundance of manna and quail. At Mount Sinai he meets your people in cloud and lightning on the mountaintop. He establishes a covenant with you. He will be your God and you will be his people. He sends Moses down the mountain with the torah and with instructions for the tabernacle. And having been in God's presence, Moses' face shines so brightly with God's glory that he has to wear a veil. And when your people have finished assembling the tabernacle, you see God's glory—like a cloud—descend to fill it. It's stounding. It's the sort of thing the Egyptians could only dream about their gods doing and the God of Israel does it for real. And, eventually, just as he promised, God leads your people into Canaan—the promised land—and he conquers the people for you and gives you their cities. And you know it's him, not you. There's no doubting it. He had you march on Jericho, not with swords, but carrying his ark and blowing trumpets as you marched in circles around the city. Not to attack it. Not to put siege to it. But simply to announce that the Lord, the God of Israel had come. And when that announcement was clear and when everyone could see that you and your people had done nothing but announce the Lord's presence, he caused the walls to come crashing down. He defeated the city. And neither you nor anyone else could possibly think of taking credit for it. Neither you nor anyone else took the Lord for granted. Neither you nor anyone else could dream of giving your faith, your loyalty, your allegiance to any other god. Because you had seen with your own eyes the glory of the Lord. Even as the generations passed, the people remembered the Lord. They lived in those cities, they drew from those well, they harvested crops from those fields that the Lord had taken from the Canaanites and given to their fathers and grandfathers. They bore in their flesh the sign of God's covenant—that statement, “I will be your God and you will be my people”—they bore that sign in their circumcision. And every year they celebrated the Passover and not only recalled the events of the Exodus in which the Lord had saved their fathers; they participated, themselves, in those events—they owned them as if they'd happened to them. And the covenant was renewed. And if you read the Old Testament no further you might think it would be like that forever. How could a people who had so experienced the glory of God ever take him for granted, let alone turn their backs on him? How could a people who had so experienced the glory of God ever look for confidence and hope in anyone or anything else? But it happened. They took their status as his people for granted. They began to take those cities and wells and vineyards and fields he'd given them for granted. They stopped celebrating the Passover and remembering what he'd done for them. They started worshiping other gods. They lost faith in the Lord and started putting their trust in kings and in armies and in politics. And when the prophets came to rebuke the people and to call them back to faithfulness, they refused to listen and abused those prophets. Eventually, because they took it all for granted, because they were unfaithful, the Lord took away the land and the cities and fields and vineyards—and finally even his presence—and sent the people into exile in a foreign land. But not before he promised them renewal. One day he would restore them and make them new and fill them with his own Spirit, he would turn their hearts of stone into hearts of flesh, so that they would be forever faithful. And, in Jesus, the Lord fulfilled that promise to his people. In Jesus he was born as one of them, but rejected and crucified as a false Messiah. God raised Jesus from death and overturned the verdict against him, declaring that he really was the Messiah and creation's true Lord. In rising from the grave Jesus conquered death. And then, to those who were baptised and received the sign of God's new covenant, he gave God's Spirit. The old Israel had a temple. This new Israel is the temple. And as we read in last week's Epistle, Paul stressed that the risen Jesus appeared to the twelve, and to the other disciples, and even at one point to five hundred, and lastly to him. And Jesus changed everything for them. In his death and resurrection he led his people in a new exodus, not this time from physical bondage under Pharaoh, but from bondage to sin and death themselves. And in baptism, Jesus leads his people like Moses through the waters of redemption to meet the Lord on the far side. And the Spirit leads us, not as a pillar of cloud or fire, but as God's very presence within us, as we embark on a world- and humanity-saving trek through the wilderness of the old evil age into the age to come, towards the New Jerusalem, to that day when gospel and Spirit have done their work and Jesus does away with sin and death and evil once and for all and forever, and creation is set to rights and we enjoy the presence of our God eternally. Those first eyewitnesses took this astounding gospel story to Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria and to the world and amazing things happened. It was more than just a story of the glory of God. The story of the old exodus was that, but this was more. The story of the Messiah and this new exodus has power unlike any story that has been told before or since. This is a story backed by the life-giving and life-changing power of Jesus and the Spirit and the people who heard it and believed it and came to trust in the death and, most importantly, the resurrection of Jesus, they were changed. Forgiven by the redeeming death of Jesus and then given a foretaste of the life of God's new world by the Spirit whom he poured into them. It was a change that no one could ignore. Some were captivated by it and came to hear and to believe the gospel story for themselves and they shared in this new life too. And others got angry as the gospel story and God's new world challenged the gods and the kings and the systems in which they were already invested. But to those who believed, the gospel, the good news about Jesus was life itself. And they gathered together as often as they could and when they did, they not only shared the community the gospel had given them, they shared in the meal Jesus had given them. In the Lord's Supper they ate bread and drank wine—and just as in the Passover—they didn't just remember what Jesus had done to deliver them from sin and death, they appropriated that death and resurrection, they participated in that saving event themselves. They owned this new exodus just as the Israelites owned the events of the first exodus. And each time it was as if the Lord was renewing his covenant with them: through Jesus and the Spirit, I will be your God and you will be my people. And you might think that their faithfulness to the Lord would be unending. You would think that their trust and loyalty—their confidence—would always and only be in Jesus the Messiah. But it wasn't. If we're honest about our struggles, we know that it's easy to become distracted by other things. There's a reason we gather every Sunday to hear the good news again and to come to the Lord's Table to be reminded and to renew the covenant. There's a reason why wendaily immerse ourselves in the scriptures and in the story there of God and his people. Because when we don't, even as glorious as that story is, even as it once captivated us so thoroughly, somehow—and to our shame—we forget. And Jesus is still there, but we start focusing on other things and we start looking for other things and we start putting our confidence and our hope in other things. It even happened in the early church with that first generation of believers. Paul had arrived in Corinth in about a.d. 50 or 51. He proclaimed the good news about Jesus and both Jews and gentiles there were captivated by the story. They believed. They were baptised. And Paul stayed with them for about a year and half, helping them to set up a church. And everyone knew that it wasn't Paul who had done. He was just an unassuming little man. Funny looking, maybe with a speech impediment. (Remember in last week's Epistle he owned that insult about being a monster, prematurely born.) What happened in Corinth wasn't about Paul. Brothers and Sisters, it was about the power of the gospel and the Spirit. And yet just a few years later, it all started to fall apart. The amazing story about the death and resurrection of Jesus that had once so spoken to them about the glory of God started to fade, and with it their motivation to holiness. Sin—gross, truly wicked sin—started to creep into the church and they found ways to justify it. Their worship became chaotic as people began using the gifts the Spirit had given to bring attention to themselves instead of to build up the body. They abused the Lord's Supper and twisted and undermined its covenant meaning. And when Paul, their brother, the one who had not only brought the gospel to them, but who could speak with authority about it because he, himself, had met the risen Jesus, when he wrote to them they brushed him off. They told him they didn't want to hear from him anymore. He'd been displaced by other preachers who were flashier, who were more handsome, who were better spoken then he was. And so, at the end of 2 Corinthians 2 he appeals to them. He talks about himself as “we” instead of “I” and I think he does that to emphasise that he stand with the other apostles whose authority came from being eyewitness of the risen Messiah. The same could not be said of others who have come to them and led them astray. He writes to them, saying, “We aren't mere peddlers of God's word, as so many preachers are. We speak with sincerity. We speak from God. We speak in God's presence. We speak in the Messiah.” The Messiah: that's who this is really about. Paul has no authority of his own. He simply speaks what he heard from Jesus himself. And his point here is that they had once been captivated by that gospel of the Messiah that Paul had proclaimed to them, but now they've been captivated by the words of mere men. “Do you want a letter of recommendation before you'll listen to me?” Paul asks. “Do I need to give you a sheaf of reference letters so you'll know I'm legit?” “No,” says Paul, going on in 3:2: “You are our official reference! It's written on our hearts. Everyone can know and read it. It's plain that you are a letter from the Messiah, with us the messengers. A letter not written with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God. Not on tablets of stone, but on the tablets of fleshly hearts.” In other words, despite all their problems, despite their backsliding into worldly ways, they are not the people they once were. Paul had proclaimed the good new—the story about Jesus and his death and resurrection and ascension—and through that preaching the Spirit had captivated them and filled their hearts with faith. They believed. They gave their trust, their loyalty, their allegiance, their obedience to Jesus and they were transformed. And Paul could see it even through all their problems. No, Paul doesn't need to give them references. “You are my reference,” he says to them. I know you've kicked me to the curb, but it was the message I received from Jesus that I preached to you that transformed you—not the merely human words of the other preachers who came along. It was the word of God that did it. And they really, really need to hear this. Because in the years since Paul left, as they've listened to teachers who led them astray, as the glory of the pure gospel has faded from their vision, they've begun to put their confidence in other things. They no longer associate Paul with the gospel. They're thinking of him as that funny-looking little man with the speech impediment. And following someone like that in Greek culture, well, that wasn't going to get you anywhere. And so they associated with the handsome preachers with eloquent rhetoric who could impress the Greeks. They've forgotten that the gifts the Spirit gave them were gifts of grace to build up the body, and now they're abusing them and putting their confidence in them. They've forgotten that the gospel puts them all on an equal footing before the throne of grace, and they're letting their old class and cultural divisions divide them up. They were growing their church—as we'd say it today—but they weren't growing it on the gospel. We do the same thing today. We may do it even more than the Corinthians, because commercialism is the cultural water we swim in and we don't even realise how much it impacts how we think about church and we don't realise how it so easily displaces the gospel and gospel growth and gospel ministry. We build our churches around personalities. We build our churches around programmes. We build our churches around demographics. We build our churches by advertising that we're better than or that we're not like our neighbouring churches. We treat the church as if it's a business or a social club instead of a family—the covenant people of God, transformed and shaped by the gospel and the Spirit. The Spirit has transformed our hearts of stone into hearts of flesh through the power of the gospel, but we forget the centrality of the gospel and allow our hearts to calcify back into stone. It might not seem like that's what's happening at first. Our churches may even have the appearance of success, but it's because we're appealing to stony hearts of worldly people with what they value, not with the power of the transforming gospel they need. It's that simple gospel that needs to be at the centre of everything. The risen Jesus always before us. The risen Jesus at the centre of every decision we make. The risen Jesus at the heart of everything we do. Just Jesus, crucified and risen. The simple gospel. So Paul goes on in verse 4: “That is the kind of confidence we have toward God, through the Messiah.” Stop putting your confidence in other things. Just put it in Jesus. He and only he can bring us before God. So Paul says, “It isn't as though we are qualified in ourselves to reckon that we have anything to offer on our own account. Our qualification comes from God: God has qualified us to be stewards of a new covenant, not of the letter, but of the Spirit. The letter kills, you see, but the Spirit gives life.” The gospel was his only qualification and the only one that mattered. The same goes for us. Now, think again of the glory that God put on display in the Exodus and in the story of Israel that followed. That's what Paul gets at in verse 7 when he writes: “But just think about it: when death was being ministered, carved in letter of stone,”—he's talking about Mt. Sinai and the giving of the law”—“it was a glorious thing, so glorious in fact that the children of Israel couldn't look at Moses' face because of the glory of his face, a glory that was to be abolished.” The glory God displayed in those days was astounding. It moved the people to faith and trust and worship. But now Paul's talking about the new covenant and what God has done in Jesus and the Spirit. “Will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious?” he asks them. “If ministering condemnation is glorious, you see, how much more glorious is the ministry of vindication—of righteousness, of justice? In fact, what used to be glorious has come, by comparison, to have no glory at all, because of the new glory which goes so far beyond it! O, Brothers and Sisters, would that we would also be so captivated by the glory of the simple gospel of Jesus the Messiah. There is no other glory that can compare and if we will keep it always before us—this good new of Jesus, crucified, risen, and Lord—if we would keep our eyes always focused on it, if we let it shape our lives, if we let it shape our decision, if we let it be the basis for everything we do as the church. If the glory of the gospel were our sole source of confidence and hope, it would transform our churches and make us the people God intends for us to be. God's promise is that one day the knowledge of his glory will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea, but, Brothers and Sisters, remember that he has made us the stewards of that glory. He has entrusted his gospel of life to us and he's filled us with his Spirit. It is our calling to make his glory known by taking the good news of Jesus to Courtenay and Comox, to Vancouver Island, to Canada, and even to the ends of the earth. You may have placed a veil over God's glory. This morning let the scriptures lift that veil. Let the bread and the wine here at his Table lift that veil. Look on the glory of the Lord revealed in Jesus the Messiah and be refreshed and renewed for the gospel ministry to which you have been called. Let's pray: Almighty and everlasting God, you are always more ready to hear than we to pray, and to give more than we either desire or deserve: Pour upon us the abundance of your mercy, forgiving us those things of which our conscience is afraid, and giving us those good things for which we are not worthy to ask, except through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ our Saviour; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
In week 2 of our Just Jesus series, we continue through John chapter 1 and discuss how John pointed to the light by introducing a king who would reign forever.
Casey Brooks preaches "Just Jesus" from Jeremiah 9:25, in this Sunday evening gathering of Grace Harbor Church.
Ever feel like you're trying to earn your way to being a “good enough” Christian?Pastor Anthony gets it.Growing up in a legalistic church, he learned how man-made rules can actually pull us away from Jesus instead of closer to Him.In this message from Colossians 2:6–7, we discover Paul's simple truth:The same way you started with Christ is the same way you keep growing.No performance.No extra rules.No spiritual scorecards.Just faith. Just Jesus.Whether you're navigating career stress, relationships, or figuring out authentic faith in your twenties and thirties…This is a reminder:Spiritual growth isn't about trying harder.It's about trusting deeper.Discover what it means to be rooted in Christ through His grace, not your effort.
Ever feel like you're trying to earn your way to being a “good enough” Christian?Pastor Anthony gets it.Growing up in a legalistic church, he learned how man-made rules can actually pull us away from Jesus instead of closer to Him.In this message from Colossians 2:6–7, we discover Paul's simple truth:The same way you started with Christ is the same way you keep growing.No performance.No extra rules.No spiritual scorecards.Just faith. Just Jesus.Whether you're navigating career stress, relationships, or figuring out authentic faith in your twenties and thirties…This is a reminder:Spiritual growth isn't about trying harder.It's about trusting deeper.Discover what it means to be rooted in Christ through His grace, not your effort.
In today's episode, I reflected on Peter and Paul—two unlikely men Jesus called to preach one powerful truth: it's just Jesus. Not Jesus plus effort, law, or status. Just Jesus—who saves sinners like them, and like us. I talked about how humbling that truth is. We all want to believe we're special or that we've earned something. But before God, we're all the same: sinners in need of grace. And the amazing news? Jesus gives it—all of it—freely. Peter and Paul stood firm against anyone who tried to add to that message. And I'm learning to do the same in my own life. When it feels like I'm not enough, or when life gets hard, I come back to that same truth: Just Jesus. That's everything.
We've all heard the end-of-the-world talk—apocalyptic headlines, megaphone preachers, conspiracy-theory YouTubers. But what did Jesus actually say about the end of the world… and why hasn't He come back yet?In this kickoff to our Lock-In series, we take an honest look at what Jesus actually taught about His return. No conspiracy theories. No paranoia. No fear. Just Jesus' words and what they reveal about His heart for you.
You can't live a resurrection life without first dying to the old one. Pastor Louis moves into the heart of Christian transformation in Colossians 3. Here, Paul gets practical in his letter, calling believers not just to believe in Christ but to become like Him. This means putting to death the old self: sinful desires, fractured relationships, disunity, and distorted sexual morality. In a world that encourages self-expression at all costs, Colossians invites us to something deeper: a life of death and resurrection in Jesus. Explore:
In this message wrapping up the Just Jesus series, Pastor Alec unpacks the contrast between Mount Sinai and Mount Zion, revealing the freedom and confidence we now have through Jesus. He reminds us that spiritual maturity isn't about perfection, but about letting the gospel transform our hearts and shape our lives from the inside out. Whether you're just starting your faith journey or learning to lead others, this episode will encourage you to stop settling for less and step boldly into all that Jesus offers.
“Are You Producing What You're Advertising?” Part 6 of Just Jesus series “The next day, after leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. From far away, he noticed a fig tree in leaf, so he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing except leaves, since it wasn't the season for figs. So he said to it, “No one will ever again eat your fruit!” Mark 11:12-14 CEB Faking it till you make it will cost you making it.
David Leonard recently traded his studio for a secluded cabin to record his latest album. Leonard and a few of his close musical friends packed up what they needed and headed out to an old cabin in a secluded area in Franklin, Tennessee. Today on Connections, David talks about that experience and his new album, Just Jesus.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
On today's show, we chat with David Leonard!Arkansas native and Tennessee resident David Leonard has been playing, singing, writing, and recording music since college when he and friends formed the band Jackson Waters. He later performed with NEEDTOBREATHE before a season of recording as one-half of the critically-acclaimed, GRAMMY Award-nominated duo All Sons & Daughters. David is a Dove Award-winning producer and creative partner in The Creak Music (Brandon Lake, Cody Carnes, NEEDTOBREATHE, Ben & Noelle Kilgore, and more), and he's also racked up stellar songwriting credits such as “Great Are You Lord,” “Christ Be All Around,” and “All The Poor and Powerless.” It was in 2019 when he released his first solo project, The Wait, a special collection of personal and reflective songs. David followed up the critically acclaimed album with The Wait: Silence The Noise, encompassing recreated and intimate versions of each of the original tracks. Along with being a husband and father, David Leonard can easily say his other love and passion is his work. His new album, Just Jesus, is available everywhere!davidleonardmusic.com@davidleonardmusicchristianmusicguys.com@christianmusicguys
Feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, and constantly busy? In this week of Just Jesus, Pastor Eric Nelson unpacks the cycle of anxiety, busyness, and fatigue that plagues so many of us today—and how true rest is closer than we think. Through Hebrews 4, we'll explore how trusting in Jesus frees us from the relentless need to prove ourselves, giving us the deep, lasting rest our souls crave.
The Pharisee and his guests didn't want to see the woman who came in. Just Jesus see her. He hears her. He reminds her that she is not alone. He provides hope. And he sends her out renewed and restored. And he does that for us as well, especially when the world wants to erase people. Jesus invites us to see and hear people, to know they are not alone. To offer hope, and to send us out. Pastor Matthew's Sermon is based on Luke 7:36-50.
SPECIAL LESSON In lesson 33 we will turn from our focus on the Torah and the book of Genesis to consider the answer to the question, “Why Do This?” Why should we study the Bible in this manner? Why should be put the Bible in its historical context and strive to hear the Bible on its own terms; that is, to hear the Bible as to what it says and what it does not say? Since I returned from my first study tour to the Middle East in Israel years ago and continuing in my learning since those days, I have found that most lessons I hear from Christians are devoid of the historical context of the Bible. I have found that most teach with no concept of how important it is to understand the word of God as the “first hearers” did. A classic example is the picture of Jesus with the sharp two edged sword in Pergamum in Revelation 2. No one ever has ever taught how the sharp two edged sword and Pergamum are related. No one ever in teachings I heard makes the connection. Why? Since Pergamum was a center of the worship of the emperor of Rome, we learn that Caesar had the right of the sword; in Latin “ius gladii.” This means that he and his designates had the power of life and death; by his word a person could be immediately executed. This is why Jesus was brought before Pilate. In Greek this is called the right of the “rhomphaia” – this is the exact word found in Rev. 2:12! Bible historians suggest that Jesus who has the sharp two-edged-sword or “rhomphaia” is in direct confrontation with the emperor. It is not Caesar who has the power over life and death, it is not a man who has absolute power over all. It is Jesus. Only Jesus has the power of the sword, the power of the “rhomphaia.” Amazingly, Jesus is writing this to the only city of the seven that is the center of imperial worship of the emperor. If you are an early believer in Pergamum, you get it, loud and clear!! (Note: the sharp two-edged sword Jesus had was not the word of God as in Eph. 6:17. The Greek word used there is “machaira” or a dagger or short sword. That is our sword – God's word. No way do we get the sword of the King of Kings!) However, there is more. For at least the first 100 years of the “church” the only Bible they had was the Hebrew Scriptures commonly known as the Old Testament. Moreover, a majority of the early church were Messianic Jewish people who knew the Torah, the 1st five books of the Bible, as God's direct instruction (not law) for His chosen people. In the Torah we read … “See now that I, I am He, and there is no god besides Me; it is I who put to death and give life. I have wounded and it is I who heal, and there is no one who can deliver from My hand. Indeed, I lift up My hand to heaven, And say, as I live forever, If I sharpen My flashing sword, and My hand takes hold on justice, I will render vengeance on My adversaries, And I will repay those who hate Me. I will make My arrows drunk with blood, And My sword will devour flesh, With the blood of the slain and the captives, From the long-haired leaders of the enemy.” (Deu 32:39-42) A Messianic Jew in Pergamum would easily associate this verse with Rev. 2:12. Jesus had the sharp two-edged sword. Only He has the power of life and death. That is why murder is forbidden in the Ten Commandments. Thus, Deut. 32:39-42 and Rev. 2:12 proclaim Jesus as God, the God of the Bible, the one true God, God alone. When does Jesus ever say that He is God?? All the time!! But, He does it in the cultural context of the times. The Bible was written to them, those who first hear it, and not to us. As my first teacher said that we must understand the who and the what and the where of the Bible event to understand the why. This was Ray Vander Laan and I highly recommend you to connect with his ministry, “That the World May Know,” and to start purchasing his DVD's of Bible lessons in their historical context filmed on site in the Middle East. Here's a link to his website. Link - https://www.thattheworldmayknow.com/ I urge you to check out his free articles and audio lessons. Click on LEARN at the homepage of "That the World May Know." In this podcast I brought up a story of a 12 year old boy who asked me if Jesus dwells in us. Certainly the Spirit dwells in us; that is exactly what the Bible says (1 Cor 3:16 and 1 Cor 6:19). But in one section of the Bible Jesus teaches us something totally amazing. Check it out ... "Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves. Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father. Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it. If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. After a little while the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live also. In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. (Joh 14:10-20) In these verses we see that the Father is in Jesus and Jesus is in the Father and we are in Jesus and Jesus is in us and thus the Father is in us since the Father is in Jesus. On top of that the Holy Spirit will be given to us by the Father and the Holy Spirit will dwell in us as well!! WOW!! All three in us at the same time. So who dwells in you? Just the Spirit? Just Jesus? Only the Father? No. Who dwells in you? God! It's bigger than we thought. So come and join me. Let us consider the importance of hearing the Bible on its own terms. Let us consider bringing our brain to the Bible and use our minds and intelligence that God gave us to come to know Him in a deeper and more passionate way so that the fire in us will begin to burn out of control and we will not be able to keep our mouths shut anymore. Rev. Ferret - who is this guy? What's his background? Why should I listen to him? Check his background at this link - https://www.dropbox.com/s/ortnret3oxcicu4/BackgrndTeacher%20mar%2025%202020.pdf?dl=0
We see Paul begin the heart of this teaching in Galatians. If we are saved by works, then Christ died for nothing. The equation is not Jesus plus correct doctrine equals salvation. It is not Jesus, plus the right church equals salvation. It is not Jesus, plus the right gifts of the spirit equals salvation. It is Jesus equals salvation. Just Jesus. He alone saves. That's the Gospel. Shameless plug: here's a link to Method(ist) to the Madness, our new, hopefully entertaining podcast about church history. - https://methodisttothemadness.buzzsprout.com/Join us for our daily reflections with Andy. In 10 short minutes, he'll dig a little deeper into Scripture and help you better understand God's Word.If you'd like to receive this daily reflection on your phone, text @39110 to 81010 to sign up. You can read today's passage here - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Galatians%202%3A%2015-21&version=NRSVUEYou can watch this in video form here - https://revandy.org/blog/
Join us for the first episode of our Just Jesus series as we dive into the book of Hebrews and explore why Jesus is better, perfect, and sufficient in every way. In this sermon, we unpack how Jesus surpasses prophets, angels, and traditions, and how we can guard against drifting away from Him. Through rich biblical insights and practical encouragement, this message challenges us to center our lives on Just Jesus—nothing more, nothing less.
How can we continue to show our gratitude daily when we face challenges? Join us as Pastor Max Lucado continues his Just Jesus series by reminding us that with Jesus, we experience life with a grateful heart, but without Him we are ruled by a sinful nature.
How can we continue to show our gratitude daily when we face challenges? Join us as Pastor Max Lucado continues his Just Jesus series by reminding us that with Jesus, we experience life with a grateful heart, but without Him we are ruled by a sinful nature.
How can we continue to show our gratitude daily when we face challenges? Join us as Pastor Max Lucado continues his Just Jesus series by reminding us that with Jesus, we experience life with a grateful heart, but without Him we are ruled by a sinful nature.
How can we continue to show our gratitude daily when we face challenges? Join us as Pastor Max Lucado continues his Just Jesus series by reminding us that with Jesus, we experience life with a grateful heart, but without Him we are ruled by a sinful nature.
How do we continue to believe Jesus heard our prayers without seeing? Join us as Pastor Max Lucado continues his Just Jesus series by reminding us to trust in Jesus by walking in faith to lead us home, not by sight alone.
How do we continue to believe Jesus heard our prayers without seeing? Join us as Pastor Max Lucado continues his Just Jesus series by reminding us to trust in Jesus by walking in faith to lead us home, not by sight alone.
How do we continue to believe Jesus heard our prayers without seeing? Join us as Pastor Max Lucado continues his Just Jesus series by reminding us to trust in Jesus by walking in faith to lead us home, not by sight alone.
How do we continue to believe Jesus heard our prayers without seeing? Join us as Pastor Max Lucado continues his Just Jesus series by reminding us to trust in Jesus by walking in faith to lead us home, not by sight alone.
How do we rejoice when it feels like we're facing our problems alone? Join us this weekend as Pastor Max Lucado continues his Just Jesus series by reminding us that we have access to a peace that surpasses all understanding.
How do we rejoice when it feels like we're facing our problems alone? Join us this weekend as Pastor Max Lucado continues his Just Jesus series by reminding us that we have access to a peace that surpasses all understanding.
How do we rejoice when it feels like we're facing our problems alone? Join us this weekend as Pastor Max Lucado continues his Just Jesus series by reminding us that we have access to a peace that surpasses all understanding.
How do we rejoice when it feels like we're facing our problems alone? Join us this weekend as Pastor Max Lucado continues his Just Jesus series by reminding us that we have access to a peace that surpasses all understanding.
How can we receive God's love as sinners? Join us this weekend as Pastor Max Lucado continues his Just Jesus series by reminding us that Jesus loves us so much, He paid our debts by giving His life on the cross—where divine love meets divine justice.
How can we receive God's love as sinners? Join us this weekend as Pastor Max Lucado continues his Just Jesus series by reminding us that Jesus loves us so much, He paid our debts by giving His life on the cross—where divine love meets divine justice.
How can we receive God's love as sinners? Join us this weekend as Pastor Max Lucado continues his Just Jesus series by reminding us that Jesus loves us so much, He paid our debts by giving His life on the cross—where divine love meets divine justice.
How can we receive God's love as sinners? Join us this weekend as Pastor Max Lucado continues his Just Jesus series by reminding us that Jesus loves us so much, He paid our debts by giving His life on the cross—where divine love meets divine justice.
This episode was released on September 23, 2024.In this exclusive interview, Max Lucado shares an update on his role at Gateway Church during a time of crisis. Max discusses the ongoing healing process, the church's response, and how his "Just Jesus" sermon series is helping the congregation rebuild trust in Christ. Max also offers insights on how to support those hurt by leadership failures and provides a message of hope and encouragement for all believers.
How can we make a difference in the world? Join us this weekend as Pastor Max Lucado continues his Just Jesus series with a reminder that when God partners with us, He is faithful to use our actions—big or small—to make a difference!
How can we make a difference in the world? Join us this weekend as Pastor Max Lucado continues his Just Jesus series with a reminder that when God partners with us, He is faithful to use our actions—big or small—to make a difference!
How can we make a difference in the world? Join us this weekend as Pastor Max Lucado continues his Just Jesus series with a reminder that when God partners with us, He is faithful to use our actions—big or small—to make a difference!
How can we make a difference in the world? Join us this weekend as Pastor Max Lucado continues his Just Jesus series with a reminder that when God partners with us, He is faithful to use our actions—big or small—to make a difference!
Join Richie Kessler, deacon at Campbellsville Christian Church, as he takes us on a journey through the Book of Galatians in his sermon, “Just Jesus.” He challenges us to resist the temptation of adding human traditions to the message of Christ. Listen as Richie unpacks Paul's teachings on the law, grace, and the freedom found in Jesus alone. It's a reminder that in our walk with God, it's always “Just Jesus”—no substitutions.
In week 11 of our series Just Jesus, Pastor Jamie Wright shares with us that Jesus is Greater in Everyway! Greater than angels and the prophets. Greater than Moses and Jonah. He offered a better blood and a better covenant with better promises. And he encourages us to realize Greater is He who is in us than he that is in the world.
In week 7 of our summer series, Just Jesus, Pastor Jamie brings a life-giving message about the Life Giver. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the LIFE". He also declared, "I am the Resurrection and LIFE." His words give LIFE, and as we fix our gaze on Him and listen to His voice it is evident, He gives LIFE!
This is a powerful 6 series on the Power of knowing Jesus
In Week two of our Summer series, JUST JESUS, Pastor Jamie draws our attention to Jesus as the Healer. During our time together this summer we are focusing our gaze on Jesus and Him alone. Throughout the series Pastor Jamie will guide us to different aspects of who JESUS was and still is! Jesus is still our HEALER! What does that mean exactly. We trust you will join us as we learn together.
Eureka The Pentecostal Church - Sunday Morning Service - 06/09/2024"Just Jesus"Pastor Jonathan McDonald Connect with us! Instagram: instagram.com/eurekachurch Facebook: Eureka The Pentecostal Church Youtube: youtube.com/c/EurekaThePentecostalChurch Website: eureka.churchListen/Download this sermon on Spotify or Apple Podcast - Eureka the Pentecostal Church
Celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ with this powerful Easter message from Pastor Talaat McNeely of Purpose City Church. In this transformative sermon exploring John 6:37-40 and other key scriptures, Pastor Talaat unpacks the profound significance behind the simple phrase "Just Jesus."No religion, philosophy, or human effort can bridge the gap between us and our Holy Creator. Only the sinless life, sacrificial death, and victorious resurrection of Jesus Christ provide complete forgiveness, restore our broken relationship with God, and offer the gift of eternal life to all who believe.This Easter sermon is an inspiring call to embrace the sufficiency of Christ's finished work on our behalf. Whether a longstanding believer or exploring faith, this message will fill you with hope and point you to "Just Jesus" as the source of true righteousness and redemption our souls desperately need.Dive deeper into the Biblical truth that "Just Jesus" is all we need! Share this powerful exposition with others to spread the life-changing good news of the resurrection.-----ABOUT USWe exist to help you Know God, Find Freedom, Discover Your Purpose, and Make a DifferenceSTAY CONNECTEDPurpose City Church Website: https://www.purposecitychurch.com/Purpose City Church Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wearepurposecityPurpose City Church Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wearepurposecity/GIVETo support this ministry and help us continue to reach people all around the world, click here: https://www.purposecitychurch.com/give