The Clearing

What if something as small as gratitude could open the door to something much bigger?

Psalm 100 says, “Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise.” Thanksgiving is not just a polite response or positive mindset—it is a way of entering into the presence, goodness, and faithfulness of God.

In this message, Ethan Bricker explores Psalm 100 and Michael Miller’s quote: “Thanksgiving is the little hinge that opens a big door.”

A massive door can be nearly impossible to move on its own, but when it is properly set on a hinge, it can swing open with almost no effort. In the same way, thanksgiving may seem small, but it can open our lives to deeper awareness of God, greater joy, and spiritual freedom.

Scripture also warns us about the opposite.

Romans 1 describes people who knew God but refused to honor Him or give thanks, and their thinking became futile and their hearts darkened. Thanksgiving opens our eyes to God; ingratitude slowly blinds us to Him.

In this sermon, we look at four “big doors” that the little hinge of thanksgiving can open:

1. LIFE — Thanksgiving Opens Tombs
Before Lazarus came out of the grave, Jesus thanked the Father.

2. MULTIPLICATION — Thanksgiving Multiplies Blessing
Before Jesus multiplied the loaves, He gave thanks.

3. DELIVERANCE — Thanksgiving Delivers
Even from the depths of the sea, Jonah remembered God and turned toward Him in prayer.

4. SIGHT — Thanksgiving Opens Blind Eyes
On the road to Emmaus, Jesus took bread, gave thanks, broke it—and the disciples’ eyes were opened to recognize Him.

Thanksgiving is not pretending that pain, disappointment, or hardship do not exist.

It is choosing to recognize that even in the middle of difficulty, God is still good, still present, still faithful, and still worthy of praise.

As Christians, we should become people marked by gratitude—not only when life goes according to plan, but in every circumstance.

The question isn’t simply:

What will it take for me to become a thankful person?

The deeper question is:

What will it cost me if I don’t?

So listen to the words you speak.

Are you quicker to talk about what went wrong—or what went right?

What are the “planes landing safely” in your life that you have stopped noticing?

What blessings have become so familiar that gratitude has slowly turned into expectation?

And what might happen if you began entering your relationship with God, your family, your church, your friendships, and your work through the little hinge of thanksgiving?

📖 Key Scriptures: Psalm 100:4–5, Romans 1:19–22, Revelation 4:8–11, Matthew 26:27–29, Colossians 3:16, John 11:41, Mark 8:6, Jonah 1:17–2:10, Luke 24:13–32, 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18
🎙️ Speaker: Ethan Bricker
⛪ Church: The Clearing Church
📌 Message: The Little Hinge of Thanksgiving

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For more information regarding The Clearing Church, visit our website by clicking here
Follow us on Instagram today by clicking here
Watch the message on our YouTube channel here

What does faith look like when the odds are against you?

What do you do when the promise of God is in front of you—but fear, opposition, and uncertainty are standing in the way?

In this message, Ethan Bricker walks through the story of the twelve spies, Caleb, Joshua, and Israel standing on the edge of the Promised Land. The land was good. The promise was real. But entering it would require a fight of faith.

Ten spies saw giants, fortified cities, and reasons to retreat.

Caleb and Joshua saw the same land—but they saw it through the faithfulness of God.

The difference wasn’t what they saw.

It was how they interpreted what they saw.

At Hebron, the spies stood in the very place where Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Rebekah, and Leah had been buried. They were standing where generations of promise seemed to lie beneath the ground.

Some saw tombstones.

Caleb and Joshua saw cornerstones.

What do you see when your back is against the wall?

In this sermon:

• Why the promises of God sometimes require a fight of faith
• How fear changes the way we interpret God's goodness
• The danger of cynicism and pessimism
• Why remembering God's faithfulness is essential
• How courage exposes complacency
• Why faith is not confidence in ourselves, but confidence in God
• The difference between being on the winning side and being on the right side
• Why faith always moves somewhere
• What Caleb teaches us about long-term faithfulness
• How to fight the good fight of faith when the odds feel impossible

The ten spies came back with the fruit of the land in their hands, but fear changed what that fruit meant to them. Evidence of abundance became evidence of danger.

Unchecked fear, cynicism, and pessimism can slowly rob us of the joy and promise God has placed in front of us.

But Caleb had a different spirit.

While the crowd said, “We cannot go up,” Caleb declared:

“We must go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly conquer it!”

Why?

Because Caleb's faith was not rooted in his own strength.

It was rooted in the character and presence of God.

“Faith that is sure of itself is not faith; faith that is sure of God is the only faith there is.” — Oswald Chambers

Faith is not static.

Faith moves.

Faith has direction.

Faithful people help lead others toward the promises of God. Caleb would eventually wait forty years before returning to Hebron and facing the giants that stood in the land God had promised him.

Maybe today you feel like your back is against the wall.

Maybe the opposition looks bigger than the promise.

Maybe everyone around you is retreating.

Maybe obedience feels like losing.

But faithfulness isn't ultimately about being on the side that appears to be winning.

It's about being on the right side.

So ask yourself:

Am I trying to be on the winning side—or am I willing to remain on the right side with my back against the wall?

What might God do through a life that refuses to surrender its convictions simply because faithfulness becomes costly?

📖 Key Scriptures: Deuteronomy 1:19–36, Numbers 13:21–33, Numbers 14:1–10, Hebrews 11:6, 1 Timothy 6:11–12
🎙️ Speaker: Ethan Bricker
⛪ Church: The Clearing Church
📌 Message: Faith For When Your Back Is Against The Wall

“Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called.” — 1 Timothy 6:12

If this message encouraged or challenged you, like the video, subscribe, and share it with someone who needs courage to keep trusting God when their back is against the wall.

Connect with The Clearing Church

Learn more about The Clearing Church, watch more messages, and discover ways to get connected:

https://www.theclearing.net/

If you would like to support the ministry of The Clearing Church and help us continue sharing the Gospel, serving our community, and making Jesus known, you can also give through our website.

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#TheClearingChurch #Faith #EthanBricker #ChristianSermon #FaithOverFear #TrustGod #CalebAndJoshua #Numbers13 #PromisedLand #FightTheGoodFight #ChristianLiving #Courage #BibleTeaching #FollowingJesus #Perseverance #GodIsFaithful

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In this teaching by Pastor Ethan Bricker and David Pontzer we discuss: 

What do you believe God is actually like?

Our answer to that question shapes nearly everything about our relationship with Him.

A.W. Tozer wrote that what comes into our minds when we think about God is extraordinarily important because, over time, we tend to move toward the picture of God we carry within us.

In this episode of Walking the Way, we explore one of the Bible's foundational descriptions of God's character in Exodus 34:5–8.

After Israel has rebelled against God and worshiped the golden calf, Moses asks God to show him His glory. God responds by proclaiming His name and revealing what He is like:

He is compassionate and gracious.

He is slow to anger.

He is abounding in loving devotion and faithfulness.

He forgives wickedness, rebellion, and sin.

And He is also just, refusing to pretend that sin and injustice do not matter.

This passage helps correct some common misconceptions about God. God is not prone to temper tantrums. He isn't constantly in a bad mood. And Scripture does not present an angry Old Testament God who somehow becomes a nicer God in the New Testament.

Instead, the Bible reveals one God whose love, holiness, mercy, justice, grace, faithfulness, and righteous anger perfectly coexist.

We also explore the biblical meaning of God's holiness through Isaiah 6 and His wrath through Romans 2.

God's wrath is not uncontrolled human rage. It is His righteous opposition to sin and everything that corrupts, destroys, and harms His beloved creation.

And the clearest expression of God's character is ultimately found in Jesus:

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son…”

The goal isn't simply to know more facts about God. It's to know God Himself—and to allow His character to increasingly shape ours.

Questions for reflection:

What quality of God do you want to see become a deeper quality in your own life?

How can God's wrath be understood as an expression of His love for creation?

Are there beliefs about God you have inherited from your experiences, family, culture, or circumstances that need to be challenged by Scripture?

📖 Key Scriptures: Exodus 33:18; Exodus 34:5–9; Isaiah 6:1–5; John 3:16–18; 1 John 4:7–9; Romans 2:5–8; Hebrews 10:23
⛪ Church: The Clearing Church
📚 Series: Walking the Way
📌 Episode: What Is God Like?

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What if your life is meant to say something about God?

In John 1, Jesus is introduced as the Logos—the Word of God, the One through whom all things were made, the reason and rationale behind creation, and the One who gives life and light to humanity.

In this message, Ethan Bricker explores what it means for Jesus to be the Logos of God—and what that means for the purpose of our own lives.

If Christ is the Word through whom all things were created, then discovering the purpose of Jesus helps us discover the purpose of our own lives:

“When you find the purpose of Jesus, you will find the purpose of YOU.”

Drawing from John 1, Hebrews 1, Romans 10, Matthew 5, and the story of Thomas Clarkson and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, this message challenges us to see our lives not as random accidents, but as lives meant to reveal something about the God who created us.

Ethan develops three ways we rediscover our purpose:

1. Encounter the Logos
The thoughts of God have been translated to us in the flesh of Jesus Christ. Hebrews describes Jesus as the Creator, the radiance of God's glory, the exact representation of His being, the sustainer of the universe, the purifier of sins, and the reigning King.

2. Speak the Logos
The gospel comes near to us—in our mouths and in our hearts. When our words confess the truth of Jesus and our hearts trust Him, our own words begin to align with the Word of God.

3. Live the Logos
Our lives are meant to embody the intentions, character, and message of Christ in the world.

As the sermon puts it:

“Christ the Logos has not finished saying to the world what he wants to say through you.”

Jesus calls His followers the light of the world. Our good works, relationships, creativity, words, and everyday lives can point beyond ourselves to the Father.

Your life is speaking.

The question is: What is it saying?

Are your words speaking what Jesus is speaking?

Does the way you live make the character of Christ clearer to the people around you?

Are you becoming an expression of God's grace, truth, beauty, creativity, and love in the world?

“Your life is to be speaking what the Logos is speaking.”

📖 Key Scriptures: John 1:1–14, Psalm 33:4–8, Hebrews 1:1–3, Romans 10:6–17, Deuteronomy 30:11–16, Matthew 5:14–16, Matthew 28:19–20
🎙️ Speaker: Ethan Bricker
⛪ Church: The Clearing Church
📌 Message: Your Life Speak | The Logos of God

If this message encouraged or challenged you, like the video, subscribe, and share it with someone who is searching for greater purpose and meaning in their life with Christ.

Connect with The Clearing Church

Learn more about The Clearing Church, watch more messages, and discover ways to get connected:

https://www.theclearing.net/

If you would like to support the ministry of The Clearing Church and help us continue sharing the Gospel, serving our community, and making Jesus known, you can give through our website.

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#TheClearingChurch #YourLifeSpeak #EthanBricker #Logos #LogosOfGod #JesusChrist #John1 #ChristianSermon #ChristianLiving #Purpose #IdentityInChrist #FollowingJesus #BibleTeaching #Faith #Gospel #ChristianPurpose

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In this episode from The Clearing's Wednesday Night Formation class, Walking the Way, we have a great teaching on the Trinity and why its so important relationally and theologically to our relationship with God. 

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What does it really mean to belong completely to Jesus?

In the New Testament, Paul repeatedly describes himself as a bond-servant of Christ Jesus—a doulos, a servant who belongs to his master. In the Roman world, this was a shocking way to identify yourself. Yet for Paul, belonging to Christ was not humiliation—it was freedom, identity, purpose, and life.

In this message, Ethan Bricker explores the biblical image of the bond-servant through Romans 1, Deuteronomy 15, Psalm 40, Galatians 1, Philippians 2, and the life of Jesus.

In Deuteronomy 15, a servant who had been set free could willingly choose to remain in the household of a good master. His ear would be pierced with an awl at the doorpost as a permanent sign that he belonged to that household.

That picture becomes a powerful question for every follower of Jesus:

Have your spiritual ears been pierced by the One who was pierced for you?

Following Jesus means more than wanting His leadership when it is convenient. It means surrendering our lives to the Master who has already proven His love for us.

In this sermon:
• What Paul means when he calls himself a bond-servant of Christ
• The meaning of doulos in the New Testament
• The Old Testament background of the pierced ear
• Why true freedom is found in belonging to Jesus
• Learning to recognize and obey the voice of God
• Tuning out the voices that compete with Christ
• Breaking free from people-pleasing
• Seeking God’s approval above the approval of others
• Following Jesus without seeking our own advantage
• How Christ became a servant for us
• Why the wounds of Jesus change the way we understand surrender
• Practical rhythms for becoming a faithful servant of Christ

Ethan identifies three qualities of a bond-servant:

1. They have ears that tune in and tune out.
They learn the voice of their Master and refuse to follow the voice of strangers.

2. They seek to please God alone.
As Paul writes in Galatians 1:10, if our primary goal is pleasing people, we cannot fully live as servants of Christ.

3. They do not seek their own advantage.
Jesus Himself took the nature of a servant, humbled Himself, and became obedient even to death on a cross.

The gospel is not the story of a distant King demanding service from people He does not understand.

Jesus served first.

His hands were pierced.
His feet were pierced.
His side was pierced.

And the One who was pierced for us now invites us to belong completely to Him.

“He who was pierced wants to pierce you—to permanently have you joined to the service of His house.”

So ask yourself:

Have I given my ear to God—or am I only giving Him lip service?

Do I want Jesus to lead me only when I want to be led?

Am I willing to belong completely to Christ?

📖 Key Scriptures: Romans 1:1–6, Deuteronomy 15:12–18, Psalm 40:6–8, John 10:4–5, Galatians 1:10–16, Matthew 6:24, Philippians 2:5–11, Isaiah 53:4–5, Isaiah 61:1–3
🎙️ Speaker: Ethan Bricker
⛪ Church: The Clearing Church
📌 Message: Becoming a Bond-Servant of Christ | Pierce My Ear Oh God

If this message challenged or encouraged you, like the video, subscribe, and share it with someone who wants to grow deeper in surrender and obedience to Jesus.

Connect with The Clearing Church

Learn more about The Clearing Church, watch more messages, and discover ways to get connected:

https://www.theclearing.net/

If you would like to support the ministry of The Clearing Church and help us continue sharing the Gospel, serving our community, and making Jesus known, you can also give through our website.

Learn more, connect, and give:
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#TheClearingChurch #BondServant #EthanBricker #PierceMyEarOhGod #ChristianSermon #ServantOfChrist #Jesus #Discipleship #SurrenderToGod #Obedience #Romans1 #ChristianLiving #FollowingJesus #Faith #Gospel #BibleTeaching

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A.W. Tozer once said, "What comes into your mind when you think about God is the most important thing about you." Understanding God, his self-disclosure, and that he desires a relationship with his creation is one of the most important things a Christian can seek out. 

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Taking Back Eden | Redeeming the Work God Called Us To | Ethan Bricker

What if your work was never meant to be meaningless?

From the beginning, God created humanity not simply to exist in His world, but to cultivate it, care for it, and participate in His creative work. Eden was not a place of passive leisure—it was a garden temple where humanity was invited to work, worship, create, and rule alongside God.

But after the Fall, meaningful work became painful toil.

In this message, Ethan Bricker traces the biblical story of work from Eden, through the Fall, into the redeeming work of Jesus, and ultimately into the calling God still places on His people today. God wants to transform toil into trust, misery into ministry, and weariness into worship.

Drawing from Genesis, Exodus, the life of Bezalel, Jesus in Gethsemane, Ephesians, Colossians, and more, this sermon explores how the Holy Spirit redeems the ordinary work of our hands.

You were created for good works—not to earn salvation, but because you are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for a life of purpose.

In this sermon:
• Why work existed before the Fall
• The difference between meaningful work and toil
• Eden as a garden temple
• What Genesis teaches us about humanity’s calling
• How sin turns work into frustration and slavery
• Why Bezalel matters to a theology of work
• How the Holy Spirit transforms ordinary work
• Jesus entering the “garden” of human toil
• How your job, school, hobbies, family, and church can become places of ministry
• Learning to cultivate, protect, and enjoy the garden God has entrusted to you

God has given each of us a garden.

The question is: Are you cultivating it for the glory of God?

Your workplace can become a garden.
Your home can become a garden.
Your school can become a garden.
Your creativity can become a garden.
Your church can become a garden.

There is still room for you to create with God, find purpose in your work, and bring the flourishing of Eden into the thorns and thistles of the world around you.

📖 Key Scriptures: Genesis 1:26–28, Genesis 2:15, Genesis 3:17–19, Exodus 31:1–5, Luke 22:41–44, 1 Peter 2:9–10, Ephesians 2:8–10, Colossians 3:15–17
🎙️ Speaker: Ethan Bricker
⛪ Church: The Clearing Church
📌 Message: Taking Back Eden: Redeeming the Work God Called Us To

If this message encouraged you, like the video, subscribe, and share it with someone who needs to rediscover purpose in the work God has placed in front of them.

Connect with The Clearing Church

Learn more about The Clearing Church, watch more messages, and discover ways to get connected:

https://www.theclearing.net/

If you would like to support the ministry of The Clearing Church and help us continue sharing the Gospel, serving our community, and making Jesus known, you can also give through our website.

Learn more, connect, and give:
https://www.theclearing.net/

#TheClearingChurch #TakingBackEden #EthanBricker #ChristianSermon #FaithAndWork #ChristianLiving #Purpose #Calling #WorkAsWorship #BiblicalWork #Genesis #Eden #HolySpirit #Jesus #ChristianTeaching

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One of the most important things a Christian can understand is how to read, study, and be changed by their Bible. The Bible is the only book where, when you pick it up, the author of that book steps into your home, coffee shop, work, school, or wherever you are and begins to unfurl the truth that is hidden in its pages. 

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