Summit Life with J.D. Greear

Whether you make New Year’s resolutions or not, you probably have areas of your life that you would like to change. But the path to change, as we all know, isn’t always an easy one. It can be difficult to break old habits, make new ones, and incorporate fresh rhythms into our lives. In this week’s message from John 15, Pastor J.D. helps us to see that our growth as disciples isn’t a matter of steeling ourselves and willing new routines and habits into existence. Rather, this growth is a natural byproduct of abiding in Jesus as he abides in us. And it is this true connection to Jesus that will produce fruit that lasts into eternity.

You’re listening to a revamped version of the Summit Life podcast now featuring twice a week full length sermons. Prefer to watch? Join us on YouTube! If you consider yourself a follower of Jesus, you probably refer to yourself as a “Christian.” But how often do you call yourself a “disciple”? In this week’s message from John 15, Pastor J.D. shows us that the difference between these two words might just be more significant than we think. What’s more, we may be surrounded by people who claim to be Christians but are far from being true disciples of Jesus. The good news? For those willing to fully submit to and follow Jesus, there is immense joy to be found in joining him in his mission—one that really does change the world.

You’re listening to a revamped version of the Summit Life podcast now featuring twice a week full length sermons! Prefer to watch? Join us on YouTube! “Getting back to the basics” is an often repeated phrase—and for good reason. Whether you’ve been following Jesus for 10 months or 10 years, it is always beneficial to be reminded of the essential truths of the gospel, upon which our faith is built. In this week’s message, the first in our series on “The Whole Disciple,” Pastor J.D. helps us unpack some of these foundational truths from Romans 3:23–26. As true disciples of Jesus, these are the things that we cherish and continually learn from, rather than master and move on from.

In this message from Daniel 10–12, Pastor J.D. walks through Daniel’s visions of receiving warnings and capturing hope. We see that hardship, persecution, and suffering have all been decreed, but they’re not the only decree: Jesus will reign forever and judge the living and the dead according to his righteousness. He will renew and restore all things, and his people will dwell with him forever. And as we live in the in-between, Daniel encourages us that though things are dark—and they are likely only to get darker—we don’t despair. It’s all part of the plan.

Have you ever wondered how prayer works? Of course, we won’t ever have all the details, but as we continue through the book of Daniel, this passage gives us a behind-the-scenes look at how prayer works and demonstrates why prayer is so important.

As we continue our walk through the book of Daniel, Pastor J.D. highlights the most undervalued resource of the church—prayer. Discarded by many, prayer is the vehicle through which the blessings of God are released and the promises of God are enacted. In Daniel 9, we not only see five principles that make for effective prayer; we also get a one-of-a-kind glimpse into what happens in heaven as we pray.

How would you describe your attitude toward the future? Is it an attitude filled with peace, or one full of overwhelming stress at what might happen? As Pastor J.D. moves into the prophetic portion of the book of Daniel, he shows us how it’s Daniel’s prophecy about the future that makes the difference between those two attitudes.

As we continue our walk through the book of Daniel, Pastor J.D. tackles two of the most obscure prophecies in the entire book. Although the imagery can be confusing—lions and beasts and fiery thrones—the message is as timely as ever. What God says to Daniel he says to believers in every generation: If you are going to faithfully shine in the present, you need to have a crystal clear vision of the future. There’s two ways to look at the future–a stress-producing way and a peace-producing one.

What was it that gave Daniel so much courage in the lion’s den? Is there a way to have that same courage in our own lives? Pastor J.D. tells us what the source of Daniel’s confidence was—or rather, in whom Daniel’s confidence was placed in.

The most famous story in the book–Daniel in the lions’ den. Daniel provides an incredible example of courage in the midst of adversity. But as much as we make of Daniel’s night with the lions, his courage was actually forged long before that fateful night. Courage is not summoned in a moment; courage is developed through a lifetime.

Have you heard the phrase “The writing is on the wall?” It usually means that something bad is about to happen; that your fate has been sealed. That phrase actually comes from Daniel, Chapter 5. Belshazzar is hosting a party when suddenly a mysterious floating hand appears and begins to carve a message into the plaster on the wall. Talk about terrifying! It begins etching 3 mysterious words into the wall, and then just disappears? The 3 words were “numbered,” “weighed,” and “divided.” And they brought in Daniel to help interpret what these words could mean.

Today on Summit Life, we come to another story of God taking down a prideful, rebellious, selfish king. You’re like, wait, didn’t we JUST hear this story on the program? Hang on, today we come to Belshazzar, the grandson of King Nebuchadnezzar. We’re going to see that this problem is much bigger than just one king.

Last week on the program we talked about the roots of pride. The first root is the failure to recognize everything—everything, every breath you take—is a gift of God; and the second root is, the foolish assumption that it will last forever. In this message, we’ll take a look at what God has to say about pride’s fruits and pride’s cure. It’s something we all need from time to time, so let’s dig in.

It’s a tricky thing, pride. Just when we think we’ve overcome it, we’re super proud of ourselves for accomplishing it! In fact, scripture is pretty clear about it when it says, “Pride comes before a fall…” Just when we think we’ve nailed it, it creeps in and can destroy us. Just ask the character in our teaching. He learned some pretty serious lessons about the sin of pride and its consequences. Where are the roots of pride in your life?

GOD IS BIGGER. It’s one of the most basic principles of our faith that we’re going to dive much deeper into. We’re going to talk about bold faith—faith both for when God delivers us, and faith for when he chooses not to. Will we be bold enough to ask ourselves the question, “Is God enough?” Will you follow him even when the answer is “no”? That type of courage takes a deep level of trust in God. Grab your Bible, and let’s walk through the “Courage in Babylon.” It’s a message we all need to be reminded of today.

Through the famous story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, we will see an example of courage that could only come from faith in God. These three young men knew that God was bigger than anything life can throw at us. And more importantly, that God was better than anything death could take away. So what does courage look like in your life right now?

We learn that what was true for Daniel is still true now: “There is a God in heaven.” Where human strategies fail, God begins to work. Don’t you want to be part of what God is up to in your community, in your family, in your world?

As we continue our teaching series through the book of Daniel, we’re walking through Nebuchadnezzar’s confusing dream in Daniel, Chapter 2. Through this wild and startling story, we learn to view our culture the way Daniel viewed his—not through assimilation, not through separation, but through transformation. We’re called to participate in what God is doing in culture, not shrink back or isolate.

The world we live in, like Daniel’s, is often very dark and hostile to the message of God. But thankfully, he doesn’t call us to escape this world. He calls us to transform it. We’ll learn that the power to make a difference is only found in the commitment to be different. And one thing that definitely describes Daniel is he was different. So let’s put ourselves in his shoes as we travel back to the ancient near east and are dropped in the middle of Babylon.

We begin working our way through the Old Testament book of Daniel–and it’s about a lot more than just lions. This book is about how to shine, how to thrive, in a very dark and hostile world. Unlike most of the other books in the Hebrew Bible, this one is not set in Israel, but in the heart of an enemy, pagan empire where God’s people have been taken captive.

Today, we conclude our series called, Instead of Me. Every message in this series, Pastor J.D. has shown us how Matthew places people in the story of Jesus that give us possible ways we might respond. Which ones describe you?

We have arrived at the joy of the resurrection in our series titled, Instead of Me. This has been a heavy series, but today we find Jesus alive! And he’s not just alive, he’s alive for me!

If you had been present during Jesus’ crucifixion, how would you have responded? There are four different characters and responses Pastor J.D. is going to walk us through to give us pictures of how we might have responded then and how we can still respond to Jesus today.

Pastor J.D. will help us see how the responses of the people surrounding the events of Jesus’ crucifixion give us pictures of how we respond to Jesus—just as we’ve done in the previous days of this series, called, “Instead of Me.”

The events surrounding the trial of Jesus are recorded to show us that we are the ones who are actually on trial. In these stories we should see ourselves—and they should make us consider how we are responding to Jesus. We are Judas. We are Peter. And today, we’ll see we are also those involved in the trial of Jesus.

We are marching toward the cross in our series titled, Instead of Me. Our prayer during this series is that you will see these days that led up to Jesus’ death with fresh eyes. Feel the weight of the resurrection so that you can make Jesus the center of everything in your life. Today, Pastor J.D. takes us through the trial of Jesus in a message he titled, Accused for Me.

Have you ever thought that the cross must have been a scary place? Even for Jesus? But he went, when he could have fled for us. He took it all—all of the suffering for us—because there is only one way for us to have salvation, and that’s through the blood of Jesus. God’s wrath against our sin is like a toxic poison, and Jesus drank it for us. Pastor J.D. is teaching from Matthew 26.

Jesus was well accustomed to getting a clear response from God when he prayed. But there was once where God was completely silent. Pastor J.D. continues our new series, called Instead of Me, and shows us how necessary it was for Jesus to be abandoned for me and for you and to take on the full wrath of God in our place.

What’s your most prized possession? A car? A signed baseball? Maybe a piece of jewelry? Would you sell it? Could you put a price on it? Judas betrayed Jesus for only 30 pieces of silver, but Jesus told the disciples that they would all fall away, sending a message that all of us, even at our very best, still fall short and need a Savior. Join Pastor J.D. as he teaches on the free gift of grace.

By looking at the way Jesus’ friends and enemies responded to him during his final hours, we will see how we, also, respond to Jesus’ shocking, upside-down, precious sacrifice. Pastor J.D. begins a new series titled, Instead of Me.

Today’s culture tends to paint sexual expression, in any context, as a matter of personal choice and simply physical. In movies, magazines, and music, we’re encouraged to follow any path that leads to pleasure. But Paul shows us in Ephesians Chapter 5 that marriage is a divine mystery that points us to something higher—and that is Christ and the Church. Today Pastor J.D. concludes our series, First Love.

Today, we’ll look to Scripture for clarity and direction on intimacy and healthy relationships. Many people get uneasy when the preacher starts talking about these personal issues. But the fact is, sex is one of the few topics that’s addressed in almost every book of the Bible. God has a lot to say about it!

If we’re honest, a lot of us would admit that the biblical view of marriage seems pretty outdated and patriarchal. But God has a reason for the way he set things up, and his design isn’t just to set a cultural norm. It’s to reveal and reflect Christ. Pastor J.D. is talking about what it actually means for a husband to lead and clearly defines what submission does not include.

We’re in a study of Ephesians Chapter 5 called “First Love.” Today we’re jumping into the delicate and controversial subject of the biblical roles of husbands and wives. Whether you’re single, married, divorced, or widowed, you’ll wanna listen!

“Sticks and stones may break our bones but words will never hurt us.” We all know that’s not right! Pastor J.D. will give us practical wisdom for how our words can be grace-saturated during conflict. It’s part of our study in Ephesians, Chapter 5 called First Love.

Has your smoke detector in your home ever woken you up chirping in the middle of the night? The smoke detector always seems to need batteries at the worst times in my house! But I’m so glad we have them! Pastor J.D. encourages us to mind the smoke detectors of anger and bitterness before they turn into fires in our relationships.

Young couples plan their weddings with so much excitement, anticipating living “happily ever after”—just like fairy tales promise. But to live happily ever after doesn’t mean you never fight with your spouse. Good couples have learned to fight fairly, to fight Christianly. We’re learning how to resolve conflict—not just in marriage but in all of our relationships—an issue that touches the life of everyone in one way or another.

For many people, our views on love and relationships were shaped by the songs we listened to growing up or the movies we watched as a teen. But there’s only one relationship model we should care about, and it doesn’t come from Hollywood! We’re diving deep into the friendship of marriage as Pastor J.D. continues our study in the book of Ephesians, Chapter 5.

If you were to ask most couples why they got married, they would probably say something about being in love, making each other happy, or physical attraction. And there’s nothing wrong with any of those things! But Pastor J.D. reveals one of the most forgotten and important elements of marriage.

What if every time you saw your spouse, or your friends, or your parents, or boss or your employees, you had a thought, that if obeyed, would radically change everything? Pastor J.D. reveals one simple, transforming question, that if asked and obeyed, will change every relationship.

As we go through our days, we might notice the needs and interests of other people around us, and sometimes we’re empathetic to those things. But at the end of the day, those interests of others are almost always secondary to our own. Pastor J.D. shows us just how important the interests are of those we love! We’re studying Chapter 5 of the book of Ephesians.

Pastor J.D. helps us answer the question, “What are you looking for when you yearn for love and romance?” We’re going to deal with our expectations in marriage and what God’s plan is for singleness as we continue our study of Ephesians 5 called First Love.

Our culture often acts like romantic love is the pinnacle of human existence. From our earliest days, we read about storybook characters finding their “happily ever after” with their soulmate. But, is that really how it works? Pastor J.D. gives us a balanced, biblical view of marriage and singleness as he continues our new series on relationships called First Love in Ephesians 5.

In our series called First Love, we’re dealing with some common pitfalls and struggles in relationships, whether those are romantic relationships, friendships, or anything else! And we’re kicking it off by getting a biblical perspective on the purpose of marriage. It’s a drastic shift from what our culture usually portrays!

If you could have dinner with anyone, who would it be? Meal time was just as important to the life of Jesus as it is in our lives today. Pastor J.D. dives into Luke 14 in our new series called Come to the Table where Jesus tells several parables comparing the kingdom of God. Lost people are found, broken people are put back together, addicts are set free, lonely people find community, and sins are forgiven at Jesus’ table.

If you could have dinner with anyone, who would it be? Meal time was just as important to the life of Jesus as it is in our lives today. Pastor J.D. dives into Luke 14 in our new series called Come to the Table where Jesus tells several parables comparing the kingdom of God. Lost people are found, broken people are put back together, addicts are set free, lonely people find community, and sins are forgiven at Jesus’ table.

If you could have dinner with anyone, who would it be? Meal time was just as important to the life of Jesus as it is in our lives today. Pastor J.D. dives into Luke 14 in our new series called Come to the Table where Jesus tells several parables comparing the kingdom of God. Lost people are found, broken people are put back together, addicts are set free, lonely people find community, and sins are forgiven at Jesus’ table.

If you could have dinner with anyone, who would it be? Meal time was just as important to the life of Jesus as it is in our lives today. Pastor J.D. dives into Luke 14 in our new series called Come to the Table where Jesus tells several parables comparing the kingdom of God. Lost people are found, broken people are put back together, addicts are set free, lonely people find community, and sins are forgiven at Jesus’ table.

Today we conclude our series on the parables called, Listen. What we’ve learned in this series is that Jesus spoke in parables so that those who weren’t really listening, from their heart, would miss the meaning of his words. All throughout his ministry, Jesus explained that if your heart is in the right posture, and you have ears to hear, then the truth about him will be evident.

Sometimes it’s easy to look at history and assume we won’t repeat the same mistakes. We feel like we’ve learned from the past and look down on the actions of previous generations. But what’s different about our hearts? Pastor J.D. Greear encourages us to look at our own hearts today as he continues our series called, Listen.