Walking In Truth

For the ancient Israelites, the Tabernacle and all its components revealed how God wanted to live among His people and rescue them. He was everything they needed. And, now, thousands of years later, you can see how Jesus is everything that you need. Today, Pastor Johnny invites you to explore how Jesus fulfills all the different pieces of the Tabernacle described in the Old Testament. Because of His incredible sacrifice, not only does He surround you with His presence but He will dwell in you too.

Think about a time when you were really thirsty. You could drink coffee or soda or something else, but what you really want is a cold glass of water. The other drinks just don’t quench your thirst in the same way. Well, today, Pastor Johnny shares that the same is true in your spiritual life. You can try lots of different things to satisfy your spiritual thirst, but only God and the truth of His Word can do it. If you’re thirsty, if your life is dry and brittle, Jesus is inviting you to turn to Him and drink deeply of His Living Water.

What’s on your list of daily essentials? What aspects of your life act as pivot points that make your world work as it should? Well, in today’s message, Pastor Johnny shares that the Israelites centered themselves around the Tabernacle, the place where they met with God. Not only was their connection with the Lord a spiritual necessity, but it provided the underlying rhythm for everything else in their life as well. As you journey through this passage, you’ll see how Jesus is that essential meeting place for you.

Well, what about you? How you do relate to God? Do you think God will only be happy with you when you’re doing the quote “right” things? As long as you’re checking all the boxes, you’re ok. But as soon as you get off track, guilt, shame, and fear threaten to overwhelm you. Well, today, Pastor Johnny explained that this is a symptom of living tied to the old covenant, the law. As you’ll see, Jesus is inviting you into a different way of relating to Him, one that’s rooted in His grace and adequacy.

Looks can be deceiving. Haven’t we all learned that the hard way at some point? Well, today, Pastor Johnny encouraged you to look past all of the brokenness and mess you see around you in the world and cling to the truth that Jesus is still on the throne. From the outside, it may seem like Satan is in control of things. But that’s not the full picture. When you zoom out, you can see that Satan’s authority is temporary. Jesus is in charge. And when the time is right, He’ll come back and kick Satan out.

God doesn’t want a bunch of mindless sycophants who follow Him out of obligation. He would never have given us free will if that’s what He was after. No, God created us with the ability to decide for ourselves if we want to walk with Him. As you travel through Hebrews today, you’ll see that God is after your heart. Pastor Johnny shares that part of the purpose of the law is to show you that you can’t do what’s required of you on your own. You need Jesus to cover your failures with His righteousness and grace.

You've probably heard someone make the argument that you can't legislate morality. A law against murder doesn't turn someone's heart away from wickedness. Ultimately, they will find another way to carry out their anger. Just as our laws today cannot make someone moral, the Old Testament law could not make someone righteous. Today Pastor Johnny shares with us that the Old Testament is not a waste of space in our Bible. It's a vital and necessary beginning, to point us toward our Savior, Jesus.

Jesus is better. Everything that took place in the Old Testament: all the law, the kings, and the prophets serve to show that Jesus is better. Where the Old Testament shows imperfection, Jesus is perfect. Even those who served as a type of Christ fell short, but Jesus is better. Today, Pastor Johnny shows us that because Jesus is perfect, we can trust him. He's the perfect priest, the perfect king, and the perfect prophet, even to this day. Jesus is all we need today, and he is all we will ever need in the future.

The Bible says that Jesus is the Prince of Peace. While that might bring to mind an image of a passive, placating God, that's not an accurate view at all. The peace Jesus brings you has the power to calm you in the midst of trouble and bring life in the face of death. Jesus' peace in you gives you the power to forgive when you are met with hate, and it allows you to take courage when you are afraid. Today Pastor Johnny encourages us that Jesus' peace is not just a nice concept, it's a real and active part of our lives.

An engagement ring is a promise. It doesn't signify that maybe one day you will get married. It's not a sign of wishful thinking on the part of the giver. It's a promise that you will be married. As Pastor Johnny shows us today, God has given every believer a spiritual engagement ring. When you come to faith, you are sealed with a promise of your coming inheritance. It's not wishful thinking. It's not “I hope so.” Your hope is a confident expectation in what is to come because the one who promised is faithful.

There are difficult passages in the Bible. Some may be difficult to understand and others may be difficult to accept and live out. What do you do when faced with such a text? Ignore it? Look up what your favorite author has to say about it. Today, Pastor Johnny teaches you how to read and interpret difficult passages for yourself. Today's message is a sobering one for those who never really knew Christ. But it is a message that you can interpret, learn from, and put into practice in your own faith journey.

Nobody wants to be misunderstood. You wouldn't desire to read an article in the newspaper that completely misrepresents what you said. We want people to interpret our words in context, in the way they were intended. God wants the same when we read the Bible. Today, Pastor Johnny shows us the importance of interpreting the word of God accurately. Without proper groundwork for reading and interpreting the Bible, you can find yourself very far from what God intended to say in his word.

Babies are completely dependent on others to show them the way. They have to be taught everything: how to talk, walk, eat, and even sleep. But eventually, they need less and less from their parents as they become self-sufficient. Every parent wants to raise healthy, functioning adults. God wants his kids to grow up too. Today Pastor Johnny shows us that it's possible to remain a spiritual baby long after becoming a Christian, but that's never the goal. Spiritual maturity is a choice. Will you grow in it today?

Have you ever been plagued by analysis paralysis? You have the decision to make, so you spend countless hours researching, comparing, and weighing all your options...but you never actually get around to making the decision. Sometimes, the same thing can happen spiritually. You can know that you need to make a change and you can hear your pastor preach about it week after week. But as Pastor Johnny teaches today, you have to actually do the work of spiritual maturity. Spiritual maturity is not passive.

Everybody has to grow up. No one goes to school still drinking from a bottle. It would be ludicrous to think you could go to college still needing a diaper. You would never think to have your mom spoon-feed you when you live on your own. In the physical realm, all of these scenarios are completely unheard of. And yet, many still act like this spiritually. Pastor Johnny reminds you today that you must grow up, not just grow older. Spiritual maturity should be increasing in the life of every believer.

The Bible teaches that each believer has a place in the body of Christ. Some are ears, some are legs, and others are hands. The ear can never do the work of a hand and the legs can't take the place of the ear. Everyone has a place and a purpose, given by God. Others' gifts may seem more glamorous or important, and you may even find yourself envious of others. Today, Pastor Johnny encourages you to do the work God has put in front of you. Don't worry about what others do, just follow the path God has laid.

Our hands are limited in how much they can physically carry. Have you ever tried to get all of your groceries into the house in one trip, only to end up with food scattered everywhere? Or maybe you were doing really well until you had to open the door with your arms full. When we reach our physical capacity, there are consequences. Today Pastor Johnny reminds us that we have a spiritual capacity as well. We can't be busy fulfilling God's work and also have our days filled with the things of this world.

We often judge others by their worst actions while we judge ourselves by our best intentions. We will gladly and readily accept compassion from others because we know our heart is in the right place. But we are quick to withhold it from others because we aren't too sure of their intentions. Today, Pastor Johnny shows us that Jesus is a perfectly compassionate high priest. He is gentle with the lowly and loving to the ignorant. He knows exactly what each one needs and provides it abundantly.

The list can go on and on and on. Those things that drag us down and discourage us...Jesus knows about all of them. And He relates to us because He's experienced those same feelings. Our weaknesses don't go unnoticed by God. He gives us the power to work through them. As Pastor Johnny shares with us today, Jesus is our High Priest who goes to God for us. When we don't know what to say or how to pray, He intercedes. Are you thankful for the blood of the lamb that has made it possible to be with God?

It has always been a comforting thought to me to know I'm not alone in my sorrows and joys, in my falterings and successes. The blood of Jesus has covered me and rooted out the sin that so easily seeks to destroy my life. Jesus, who made a way for me to communicate with God, understands me. Understands YOU. He's the best sympathizer, even better than your closest friend because He's walked through it all. Do you know this to be true in your faith journey? This is Pastor Johnny's message today.