Summit Life with J.D. Greear

As believers, we know we’re saved by God’s grace alone, not by any works that we do. But why does the Bible give us so many rules and regulations? Pastor J.D. answers that question as he describes the purpose of these Old Testament instructions. We’ll be learning more about the Ten Commandments as we continue our series called, The Whole Story.

Many people think of the Bible as just a book of rules and regulations. And, the Old Testament tends to be especially intimidating, because it appears to be full of impossible standards we can never live up to. As we continue our series called, The Whole Story, Pastor J.D. explains the true purpose behind all of God’s standards. It’s an important reminder about our desperate need of God’s grace.

Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement, is the holiest of all the biblical feasts. And traditionally, the activities of this solemn day centered around two goats. One was sacrificed, while the other was sent into the wilderness as a scapegoat, symbolically carrying away the sins of the people. As Pastor J.D. continues our series called, The Whole Story, he explains how this ancient practice points to Jesus!

As we continue our series called, The Whole Story, Pastor J.D. dives into a part of the Bible you don’t usually hear a lot about: the book of Leviticus. We’re learning how the traditional celebration of Yom Kippur serves as a sign—pointing us to Jesus!

The story of Joseph and his many-colored coat is one of the more popular accounts in the Old Testament. But it’s more than just an interesting story. From being sold into slavery by his brothers, thrown into prison, and then rising to power and being reunited with his family, Joseph’s life is a beautiful picture of God’s sovereign plan. And that’s our subject as Pastor J.D. continues our series titled, The Whole Story.

It’s easy to say you trust God. But when things go wrong, and your child gets a scary diagnosis or your business goes under, it’s hard to see how that fits into God’s plan. Pastor J.D. is tackling those doubts as he continues our overview of the Bible called, The Whole Story. We’re getting an important reminder of God’s sovereign control in every situation.

Our culture tells us that the key to happiness is finding your soul mate. But then, when marriage gets hard, we start looking for something else to fill us up, like a career, children, or a hobby. But it never really satisfies! Pastor J.D. is pointing us to the only source of lasting joy as he continues our series called, The Whole Story.

The movies often make it seem like romance is the answer to all of our problems. Guy kisses girl, and they live happily ever after. But we all know that real life doesn’t work that way! No matter how happy your relationship might be, it’s not a guarantee of a happy life. As Pastor J.D. continues our series called, The Whole Story, he’s explaining the key to true, lasting joy, regardless of your relationship status.

When you picture “the good life,” what comes to mind? Financial security? A happy marriage? A successful career? None of those things are wrong on their own. But Pastor J.D. explains that they will never truly bring you satisfaction. We’re discovering the only source of security and significance as we continue our series called, The Whole Story.

What do you do when the thing you’ve been dreaming about doesn’t fulfill you like you thought it would? Pastor J.D. addresses that question as he continues our series called, The Whole Story.

Noah’s Ark is one of the most popular stories in the Bible. It’s an especially big hit with kids. In fact, you’ve probably seen picture books and nursery décor with the animals going up two-by-two into the boat. But when you look at the actual story as it’s told in the Bible, it’s definitely not G-rated! As we continue our series called, The Whole Story, Pastor J.D. explains what Noah’s story reveals about our sin, God’s wrath, and the plan of redemption.

If you asked a few people to name their favorite aspect of God’s character, you’d probably hear things like, “his love” or “his grace.” His wrath usually won’t be at the top of the list! But Pastor J.D. explains that God’s wrath isn’t something to be covered up, ignored, or minimized. It’s actually an important, beautiful part of who God is! And we’ll see why that is as we unpack the story of Noah’s Ark. It’s part of our series called, The Whole Story.

It doesn’t take more than about ten minutes of listening to the news to know that our world is pretty messed up. Between wars, hate crimes, and mass shootings, it can all seem pretty overwhelming! But how did things get this way, and is there any way to fix it? Pastor J.D. tackles those questions as he continues our series called, The Whole Story.

Most people like to think of themselves as a “pretty good person.” But Pastor J.D. is challenging that notion as he continues our study in Genesis. He’s showing that, if we’re honest with ourselves, we know we’re not as good as we should be. So why is that, and what can we do about it? It’s part of our series called, The Whole Story.

If you grew up in the Western world, you’re probably familiar with the Genesis account of creation. But why did this story get included in the Bible? Is it just for the sake of our curiosity, so we know where we came from? Pastor J.D. explains that this story actually has much bigger implications. As we continue our series called, The Whole Story, we’re discovering what the creation account reveals about God’s design for us.

Almost every culture and every religion has their own creation story—their idea of how everything started. And that story says a lot about how the people in that culture view themselves. Well, Pastor J.D. is unpacking the true story of creation. He’s explaining how we were created—and what that says about our ultimate purpose. It’s part of our series called, The Whole Story.

When you pick up a Bible, you’re actually holding sixty-six books, written by more than thirty authors over a span of thousands of years. And yet, it all tells one story! And that’s the subject of our series titled, The Whole Story. We’re going to go from Genesis to Revelation, hitting most of the major events in-between. But before we get to Genesis, Pastor J.D. kicks off the study with a quick stop in the book of Psalms.

What kind of memories do you have of your dad? Maybe he was a good father or, maybe your relationship has been strained. Pastor J.D. explains that no matter what our relationships with our earthly dads look like, we all have some sort of childhood wounds. In a series titled, Foretold, we’re learning how our heavenly father heals all wounds.

As Pastor J.D. continues our series called, Foretold, we’re looking at some Old Testament prophesies in the book of Isaiah. As we study the reign of Ahaz, King of Jerusalem, we’ll learn more about Ahaz’s reign, and an event that pointed to the coming Savior—700 years before the birth of Jesus.

Around Christmas time, we hear and see the words—For to us a child is born everywhere. And we know the verse is talking about Jesus. But for most of us, that’s all we know about it. Join us as Pastor J.D. dives into the context behind this familiar Christmas passage. It’s a message from our series, Foretold.