Summit Life with J.D. Greear

On today’s program, we’re launching a new study in the book of Judges called “Broken Saviors.” Over the next few weeks, we’ll discover that we’re a lot like the Israelites who let their fear get in the way of their progress.

We all have days when we feel insufficient, like we’re not smart enough, strong enough, or talented enough to serve God. But the Bible says that in our weakness, God is strong. It’s not our own ability, because it’s all about God’s strength in us!

Throughout history, people have invented and named mythological gods. But the God of the Bible was not invented by mankind, and unlike Zeus or Thor, he chose his own name.

If there’s one aspect of God’s character that most people wish they could erase from the Bible, it’s God’s wrath. In fact, the doctrine of hell is one of the most common answers people give when asked why they don’t believe in God. But as we continue our powerful series called The Name, Pastor J.D. explains that God’s wrath isn’t just something we need to accept; it’s actually a fact we can, and should, rejoice in!

Thomas Jefferson once famously took a razor blade to his Bible and cut out the parts he disliked. And while most of us haven’t literally chopped up our Bibles in that way, we often cut out certain passages in our minds, skipping past uncomfortable verses that talk about God’s wrath and the punishment for sin.

Verses about God’s love, like John 3:16, tend to get repeated and memorized. They stir up warm, sentimental feelings and make us feel good about ourselves.

Have you ever wondered why so many movies, books, and songs are focused on romance? It’s because every one of us, in the deepest corners of our hearts, longs to feel loved and cherished. But if we’re honest with ourselves, we also know that we don’t deserve that kind of unconditional love.

If you want to get to know someone, the first thing you do is introduce yourself, because knowing someone’s name is an important part of your relationship with him or her. And you’re never going to feel very close with someone if they always call you by the wrong name. So in this series, Pastor J.D. is helping us know God personally by knowing his name.

What do you think God’s most appealing attribute is? If you’re like most people, you’re probably attracted to his love and kindness, and you gravitate to verses that describe him as our Father and our shepherd. And God is definitely all of those things!

What is the presence of God like? Is it just a warm, fuzzy feeling, or an emotional worship encounter? For something we all want to experience, why can it seem so elusive? On this edition of Summit Life, Pastor J.D. takes us back to Moses’ encounter with God on Mount Zion. We’ll see how the presence of God changed Moses’ goals and desires forever. And it will change us, too.

Some people imagine God as an absentee “watchmaker in the sky” who set the world in motion and then stepped away. They think he’s probably out there, but there’s no way to know what he’s like. Others think of God as an unknown, impersonal force, without thoughts or emotions. But on this edition of Summit Life, Pastor J.D. kicks off a brand new series that’s all about knowing God intimately. He titled this series, The Name.

Like the disciples, we want to know the “how” and “what” of the Christian life. Pastor J.D. helps us see in this message that the Christian life, from start to finish, is a relationship with Jesus. Whatever you need, whatever you lack, wherever you are incomplete or broken, whatever you are missing in yourself or didn’t get from someone else, Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.

These days, it's not exactly popular to claim the existence of absolute truth. It's even less popular to claim that such truth is embodied in the person of Jesus, the one who is the only way to salvation. In this week's message from John 14, Pastor J.D. shows us the importance of what is perhaps Jesus' most controversial "I am" statement: "I am the way, and the truth, and the life."

Do you want to know how to find peace when you feel confused or afraid, when you don’t know what to do with your finances or your kids or a big decision? Pastor J.D. continues to teach in this message how, when we fix our eyes on Jesus, the Good Shepherd, we can rest in his promise to give us peace and lead us in the way we should go.

Without shepherds to care for them, the threats posed to sheep run the gamut, from losing their way to being attacked by other animals. Simply put, sheep thrive under the guidance and protection of their shepherd. In this week's message from John 10, Pastor J.D. takes us through Jesus' claim to be the "good shepherd."

Does it feel like you’re in a long “second day” of waiting before resurrection? In this message, Pastor J.D. looks at the story of Lazarus to teach us why sometimes God seems to delay his help or deliverance. One day soon, this whole veil of tears we call life will end in resurrection, and we’ll see that, even when life felt like meaningless chaos, Jesus was never absent in our pain.

If we're honest, most of us have probably experienced disappointment with God at some point in our lives. We question why God didn't cure our friend's cancer, or why he didn't provide for us financially when we really needed it. Pastor J.D. walks us through Jesus' claim to be the "resurrection and the life," from John 11.

Most people think that surrender to Jesus means giving up our freedom. But when you surrender to Jesus and lean on him, it leads to freedom and abundance! Pastor J.D. continues in this message to show us how Jesus is a Good Shepherd who proved his commitment to us on the cross and now promises to use everything he lets into the pasture of our lives for good.

Doors and gates are things that we likely don't give much thought to until they are in need of repair—and while the truth is that they are usually constructed to keep people or animals out, they can also certainly be opened to let them in. In this week's message from John 10, Pastor J.D. explains perhaps the most overlooked of Jesus' "I Am" statements: "I am the door."

Jesus said in John 8:12 that those who follow him will not walk in darkness, which means that our lives will radiate with his light. In this message, Pastor J.D. continues to share how to look to the light of Jesus to be saved and then live in a way that glows with the knowledge that you belong to Jesus and Jesus belongs to you.