Springs Church Podcast

Some pastors and theologians call Romans 8 the greatest passage in all of Scripture. We could debate that, but we can at least agree that you won’t find better news than the pronouncement that “There is therefore now no condemnation for those that are in Christ Jesus” (8:1). Jesus carried our condemnation on himself so that God could work out the righteous requirements of the law in us. I wish I could find words to explain the value of this. I guess the best we can do is translate that excitement into worship for the rest of eternity!
So, the Father loves us and sends his Son. The Son loves us and lays down his life for us. The Son rises from death and sends the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit loves us and empowers our faith.
The rest of Romans 8 gives us 5 Promises from the Holy Spirit for us:

If we set our minds on these promises of the Holy Spirit, we will be able to walk in the power of the Holy Spirit. This is what David did in Psalm 103:1-5… “forget not all His benefits…” We can effectively walk in the Spirit as we set our minds on the work of the Spirit. Be encouraged!

Join us as we check out this week's sermon!
For more information please check out our app, or visit us online at Springs.church.

Moses Series Pt II:  Moses, the Meekest Man on Earth
“Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth” (Num. 12:3).
Years ago, I was helping someone get ready for a leadership interview. As we were talking, he made a comment along the lines of, “I’m just so humble that people don’t always know what to do with me.” I tried to lovingly help him understand that announcing your humility pretty much cancels any perception of you being humble. (This is especially true when you have a reputation of being toxic and divisive in the workplace).
So, how does Moses get away with writing this about himself in the book of Numbers? Granted, the Holy Spirit was really the author, but it was Moses’ hand that jotted this down. What do we do with that?
We learned that Moses had a profound spiritual encounter that gave him a right view of God and therefore, a balanced view of self. So, his meekness was a perfect blend of boldness and confidence with humility and gentleness.
How did this come about?

God is perfectly loving and merciful AND at the same time, perfectly holy being described as a “fury of fire” against the wicked (Heb. 10:27). We see God’s mercy in that the names of his people are carved into the palms of his hands (Isaiah 49:16). Yet, it is also terrifying to fall into those same hands if you are in rebellion against him (Heb. 10:31).
The detours and the encounter allow us to see God as Moses did, creating MEEKNESS in each of us. This is the linchpin for unity in God’s house, and godly unity is the linchpin for real kingdom impact.

Moses, the man who couldn’t talk good… Pt. 1 (Exodus 2:1-8)

It was sweet on Sunday to think about the role of moms and how their faith helps to shape the lives of some of God’s greatest leaders. See Jochebed, Naomi, Ruth, Mary… and many others. In Exo. 2:2, Moses’ mom saw that “he was a fine child.” There was something special in him so she hid him away. We learned Sunday that prophetic vision over our children comes from cherishing and nurturing God’s divine promise. (Our) Faith nurtured by (God’s) Promise = Prophetic Vision.
It can be discouraging to see Satan’s edict over the culture, and wonder how we will ever overcome. He is throwing babies into the Nile (i.e., throwing them into his stream of filth) before they ever get a chance to find themselves. But Moses’ mom teaches us that we are not to cower under Satan’s ”counterfeit covenant” over us. We cling to God’s Covenant which speaks a better promise that:

So, King Jesus is sitting on his throne with a rainbow over his head, indicating that he will never forget the promises he made to us. We only lose prophetic vision for our families when we let the battles dry up our communion with God (i.e., we stop praying and believing). Also, we have to be willing to consecrate ourselves unto God.
Be encouraged!

Join us as we check out this week's sermon!
For more information please check out our app, or visit us online at Springs.church.

The Weight of Worship, James 1:27-2:7

We learned yesterday that the word “religion” ultimately means “worship.” Remember that James’ letter is written to the people of God “in the Dispersion” (James 1:1). In other words, he’s writing to believers scattered across the regions. I can imagine them saying, “What is our religion now if we can’t get to the Temple?” Or, “I have the rabbi’s teachings memorized – I’m good.” His direction to them is that you are deceived if you think simply hearing the word is sufficient. You must be doers of the word (1:22), and this is not dependent on having a building. He says, “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world” (1:27). So, the Temple was simply an instrument to stir up our awe of God; it was to help us encounter God’s glory.
Key things to Remember: 

We heard yesterday that God’s glory is both desirable and dangerous. Desirable because we are people in pursuit of glory. (We just need to pursue his and not ours). Dangerous because we cannot contain his wonder and his weightiness. Lastly, the lies of the enemy have blinded us to the glory of God, but if we can see it again, it becomes the breakthrough we have been looking for. Take heart – the Lord is silencing the accuser!

Tribulation, Kingdom, and Patience

Rev. 12:13-17

I have noticed that a lot of sermons and discussions on Revelation are mostly about people desperately trying to figure out for sure if God is going to yank Christians out of here before the intense suffering starts. It’s not an excitement about our Lord coming back. It’s more of, “yeah, I don’t want to suffer so get me up out of here.” But that’s not what we heard this Sunday. We focused on themes like this:  “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
Tribulation: So, we understand tribulation, not just as the pronounced persecution of the end times, but as being under stress, strain, grief, etc. for an extended time in our Christian life. The suffering is not for nothing. We understand that it all produces what we have been praying for as a church. 
Kingdom:  We are seeing God’s unrestricted rule (i.e., his kingdom) come to light. It is his beauty, his power, his radiance on display. Remember, “strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22).  
Patience:  Here we discussed endurance; staying under something. We will often feel pressure on all sides, but we “stay under” and wait on the Lord. Sometimes, God protects and prepares us by bringing us into a wilderness. He is not against us. He is working it out for our good (consider the lady in Rev. 12).  
There is more to this walk than just avoiding trouble or dodging persecution. May the Lord himself be our great and exceeding reward!

Join us for an incredible word form Pastor John Bailey, "The Perfect Strength and the Perfect Love of God."

Join us as we hear an incredible word from Pastor John Bailey, "Fire in our Bones".

Sermon Recap
I encourage you to reflect and pray on what we heard. “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’” (Rom. 8:15).
Remember:  the Holy Spirit’s mission towards us is first to make us spiritually alive and to keep us from being slaves to fear. The Holy Spirit will never motivate us through a bondage of fear (i.e., “you better obey or else”). He also sets us free from the sin that robs our joy, and destroys our relationship with God and each other. He does not paralyze us with a spirit of fear, but motivates us through a revelation of his incredible love. Even being a moral person (without the gospel) is a fear-driven exercise. Be clear, God definitely warns us, corrects us, and disciplines us to lead us to repentance, but the aim is always a revelation of the gospel.
To summarize, through the Spirit we have: