The Clearing

How we approach Jesus reveals what we believe we need from Jesus.

In Luke 7:36–50, two people find themselves in the presence of Jesus—but they approach Him very differently. Simon the Pharisee welcomes Jesus into his home with curiosity, while a woman known for her sin comes to Jesus with tears, costly perfume, worship, and complete dependence.

In this message, Pastor Lydia Bricker challenges us to examine the way we approach Christ. Is Jesus simply someone we are adding to an already self-sufficient life—or do we recognize that we have nothing apart from Him?

“You can be in proximity to Jesus without being dependent on Him.”

Through Scripture and personal testimony, Lydia explores what it means to surrender our self-reliance, bring our burdens to the feet of Jesus, receive His forgiveness, and allow repentance to transform the way we live.

In this sermon:
• The difference between proximity to Jesus and dependence on Jesus
• Simon the Pharisee and the sinful woman in Luke 7
• Why self-reliance keeps us from fully surrendering to Christ
• Finding Jesus in suffering, weakness, and circumstances we cannot control
• How repentance leads to worship
• Why Christians are called to represent Christ with their lives
• Moving from simply following Jesus’ teachings to depending on Jesus as Savior

Questions to consider:

Where have I reduced Jesus to a teacher whose principles I follow rather than a Savior upon whom I depend?

Where am I trying to offer Jesus my strength when what He is asking me to offer Him is my dependence?

Transformation begins with repentance, continues through abiding in Christ, and changes how we represent Him to the world.

📖 Scripture: Luke 7:36–50
🎙️ Speaker: Pastor Lydia Bricker
⛪ Church: The Clearing Church
📌 Message: I Need Jesus

If this message encouraged you, consider liking the video, subscribing, and sharing it with someone who needs the reminder that we were never meant to carry the weight of life apart from Jesus.

Connect with The Clearing Church

Want to learn more about The Clearing Church, watch more messages, or find ways to get connected? Visit:

https://www.theclearing.net/

If you’d 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 #LydiaBricker #INeedJesus #Jesus #ChristianSermon #Luke7 #Faith #Repentance #ChristianLiving #DependOnJesus #Gospel #Worship #BibleTeaching #FollowingJesus

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What does it take to overcome temptation?

In Matthew 4, Jesus enters the wilderness and faces the devil’s temptations immediately after His baptism. In the wilderness, Jesus shows us how to resist temptation, stand firm in our identity, rightly understand Scripture, and refuse the shortcuts sin offers.

The wilderness may be one of the worst places to be—but it can also become one of the best places for spiritual formation. It is where God exposes what is in us, teaches us dependence, and prepares us to become people who can crush the serpent rather than be ruled by it.

In this message, Ethan Bricker explores three common ways temptation works:

• Scratch the Itch — when legitimate desires become opportunities for sin.
• Is God’s Will Flexible to Mine? — when we manipulate Scripture or demand that God accommodate our desires.
• Sexy Splendor vs. Matchless Beauty — when the enemy offers shortcuts to things that can only truly be received through God.

The way forward is simple, but not easy: flee to the Scriptures and flee to the presence of God.

Jesus has given us what we need to overcome. We may not overcome perfectly every time, but in Christ, God has still called us overcomers.

Go crush serpents this week—and teach others to do the same.

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#OvercomingTemptation #Temptation #Jesus #Matthew4 #BibleStudy #ChristianLiving #SpiritualFormation #Discipleship #Faith #HolySpirit #Scripture #ChristianSermon #EthanBricker

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How do you forgive someone when the hurt is real—and you can’t forget what happened?

In this powerful message, Marcel Trice walks through Jesus’ teaching on forgiveness in Matthew 18:15–35, reminding us that forgiveness isn’t pretending the offense never happened. It’s choosing to release the offender from the consequences we believe they deserve and trusting God with what happens next.

We’ll also explore the important difference between forgiveness, reconciliation, and restoration. Forgiveness is something God calls every Christian to practice, but reconciliation and restoration require mutual participation. You can forgive someone without immediately returning the relationship to what it once was.

If you’ve experienced betrayal, church hurt, broken relationships, resentment, anger, or an offense you simply can’t forget, this message offers a biblical path toward freedom. You may not be able to erase what happened, but through Christ, you can choose what happens next.

📖 Scripture: Matthew 18:15–35; Ephesians 4:31–32; Romans 12:19; Leviticus 19:18; Proverbs 20:22; Matthew 6:14–15; 1 John 1:9

🌿 Learn more about the ministry and find ways to support what God is doing through The Clearing:
https://www.theclearing.net/

#Forgiveness #ForgivingWhatYouCantForget #Christianity #ChristianSermon #MarcelTrice #BibleTeaching #Matthew18 #ForgivenessInTheBible #ChurchHurt #Healing #LettingGo #Jesus #ChristianLiving #Faith #TheClearing

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What if the things costing you nothing are actually costing you everything?

In Matthew 16:24–25, Jesus presents one of the most profound paradoxes of discipleship: “Whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.” The life we spend trying to preserve through comfort, self-protection, distraction, control, and pleasure may actually be keeping us from the life Jesus wants to give us.

In this message, “Expensive Nothingness,” we explore why self-preservation can become self-destruction, why the easy road can lead away from life, and why following Jesus requires us to choose our hard.

Jesus isn’t calling us to an exchange of nothing for nothing. He invites us to trade our lesser desires for something of infinitely greater worth: the Kingdom of God and the surpassing worth of Christ.

Through the parables of the hidden treasure and the pearl of great price in Matthew 13, we see that when we truly recognize the value of God’s Kingdom, surrender stops looking like loss and starts looking like the greatest exchange imaginable.

In this sermon, we explore:

• Why self-preservation can become self-destruction
• The paradox of losing your life to find it
• Why discipleship is hard—but refusing discipleship is harder
• The hidden treasure and pearl of great price
• Why grace is free but never cheap
• The things we cling to that can keep us from God
• What it means to surrender our desires to Jesus
• The connection between comfort, distraction, and spiritual formation
• How Jesus gives us significance in exchange for our brokenness

“Something that costs you nothing will cost you everything.”

The question isn’t whether you will surrender something. The question is what you will surrender to.

If Jesus is worth everything, then nothing is too costly to give up for Him.

Visit https://www.theclearing.net/ to learn more about our ministry and find ways to support what God is doing through The Clearing.

#ExpensiveNothingness #EthanBricker #ChristianSermon #Jesus #Discipleship #Matthew16 #Matthew13 #KingdomOfGod #PearlOfGreatPrice #HiddenTreasure #Christianity #Faith #FollowingJesus #Surrender #BiblicalTeaching #Sermon

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We all want God’s promises—but what happens when the promise becomes more important to us than the God who made it?

In Genesis 12–13, God gives Abram incredible promises of land, descendants, blessing, protection, and ultimately blessing for all the families of the earth. But when Abram and Lot face conflict over their possessions, we see two very different responses to God’s blessing.

Abraham lives open-handed because he trusts the God who made the promise. Lot chooses based on what he can see.

In this message, we explore what happens east of Eden—and how the wilderness reveals what is really happening in our hearts.

We’ll ask:

• Have you been jealously guarding what God has given you?
• Do your possessions possess you?
• Who is the highest power in your life?

The wilderness is where God stress-tests our hearts. It teaches us that the destination isn't ultimately the goal—the goal is walking with the God who designed the destination.

Because when God Himself is our promise, we can finally hold His blessings with an open hand.

📖 Key Scriptures: Genesis 12–13, Ruth 1, 2 Corinthians 5:7, Jeremiah 17:9–10, Matthew 6:19–21

Support the Ministry

If these messages are helping you grow in your faith and follow Jesus, we’d love for you to become part of what God is doing through our ministry. Visit our website to learn more, get connected, and support the ministry: The Clearing

#EthanBricker #WhatHappensEastOfEden #Genesis13 #Genesis12 #Abraham #Lot #GodsPromises #ChristianSermon #Christianity #Faith #Generosity #WalkByFaith #TrustGod #BiblicalTeaching #ChristianDiscipleship #BibleStudy #Genesis #Stewardship #Jesus

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

What do you do when your faith feels like it's burning less brightly than it used to?

In 2 Timothy 1, Paul writes some of his final words from imprisonment to his young friend and ministry partner, Timothy. Paul knows his own death is approaching, yet instead of telling Timothy to start over, he gives him a powerful command: “Kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you.”

The Greek word Paul uses is ἀναζωπυρέω (anazōpyreō)—to rekindle, revive, stir up, or fan into flame.

Paul isn't telling Timothy to find a new revelation, chase a new experience, or discover a new spiritual gift. He's reminding him to tend the fire God has already placed within him.

Your faith doesn't always need something new. Sometimes you need to remember what God has already done.

In this sermon, Ethan Bricker explores what it means to stir up your faith, rekindle your spiritual fire, and continually tend to the presence of God within you.

🔥 You don't need a new fire. You need to tend the fire you already have.

We look at:

• What Paul meant by “fan into flame” and “stir up the gift”
• The meaning of the Greek word anazōpyreō
• Why spiritual fire must be continually tended
• The connection between faith, the Holy Spirit, and spiritual renewal
• Why remembering God's faithfulness can reignite your faith
• How Scripture and prayer become the “wood” that feeds the fire
• How Christian community can help rekindle your passion for God
• Why spending time with new believers can awaken fresh spiritual hunger
• How to guard your heart when your faith feels tired or diminished
• Why you will never graduate from fueling the flame

Paul's message to Timothy is still a message to us today:

Don't abandon the fire. Stir it up. Feed it. Guard it. Fan it into flame.

📖 Scripture: 2 Timothy 1:1–14; Leviticus 6:12–13; Proverbs 4:23

🎙️ Sermon: How To Stir Up Your Faith
🎤 Speaker: Ethan Bricker

If you've ever felt spiritually tired, distracted, burned out, or distant from God, this message is for you.

What has God already done in your life that you've forgotten—or stopped tending to?

Subscribe for more sermons, biblical teaching, and practical encouragement to help you grow deeper in your faith and follow Jesus with greater clarity.

#StirUpYourFaith #ChristianFaith #Faith #HolySpirit #2Timothy #EthanBricker

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

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

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

Creation itself is groaning — not in despair, but in expectation. Paul tells us in Romans 8 that the whole earth is waiting, longing, for the sons and daughters of God to be revealed. Not for more religious performance, but for people who actually know two things: whose they are, and who they are.

In this message, Shannon Schreyer walks through Romans 8 to unpack what it means to live as an adopted child of God — set free from fear, led by the Spirit, and secure in an identity that nothing can separate from His love. If you’ve ever felt like you’re still trying to figure out who you are, this word is for you. The earth is waiting for you to walk in it.

📖 Romans 8

🙏 Identity | Adoption | Sonship | The Spirit-Led Life

If this word encourages you, like, subscribe, and share it with someone who needs to hear it today.

#Romans8 #SonsAndDaughtersOfGod #ChristianIdentity #SundaySermon #ShannonSchreyer

For more information regarding The Clearing Church, visit our website by clicking here
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What do you do when God delivers you—but doesn’t immediately take you to the Promised Land?

In this powerful sermon, “Walking Through the Wilderness,” Jestin Tigue takes us through Israel’s journey from Egypt toward the Promised Land and reminds us that deliverance is not the end of the journey. Sometimes, after God brings us out, He leads us through a wilderness season where our faith is tested, our dependence on Him grows, and we learn more deeply who He is.

The wilderness can be a place of uncertainty, testing, pain, and waiting—but it can also become a place where we discover that God delivers, God protects, God heals, God provides, and God remains faithful from generation to generation.

Through passages in Exodus, Psalms, Jeremiah, and Matthew, this message explores what it means to follow God when the journey is difficult and the destination still feels far away.

In the wilderness, we learn:

• Our God Delivers. He rescues us and brings us into something new—but deliverance is the beginning of the journey, not the end.

• Our God Protects. Just as God fought for Israel and revealed Himself as Jehovah Nissi—“The Lord Is My Banner”—He remains faithful to protect His people.

• Our God Heals. Even in bitter places like Marah, God reveals Himself as the Lord who heals.

• Our God Provides. God provided manna in the wilderness, and He continues to provide for us day by day.

• God Tests and Strengthens Our Faith. The Hebrew word נָסָה (nāsâ) means “to test.” The wilderness exposes what is in our hearts and teaches us to trust God.

• God Is With Us Every Day. We do not have to wait until we reach the Promised Land to experience the presence and faithfulness of God.

• God Works From Generation to Generation. His faithfulness does not end with one season or one generation.

The wilderness is not your final destination. You are passing through.

Even when you feel lost, God is still leading. Even when the water is bitter, He is still your healer. Even when you are hungry, He is still your provider. Even when the battle is difficult, He is still your banner. And even when you cannot see the way forward, Jesus promises to be with you always.

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” — Matthew 11:28

If you are walking through a difficult season, waiting on God, wrestling with questions, or trying to understand what God is doing in your wilderness, this message is for you.

📖 Scriptures referenced: Exodus 6, Exodus 14–20, Genesis 17, Psalm 84, Psalm 88, Psalm 94, Jeremiah 12, Jeremiah 31, and Matthew 11 and 28.

🙏 If this message encourages you, be sure to like this video, subscribe, and share it with someone who may be walking through a wilderness season.

#WalkingThroughTheWilderness #WildernessSeason #TrustingGod #GodProvides #GodHeals #GodProtects #ChristianSermon #BibleTeaching #Exodus #FaithInGod #Jesus #SpiritualGrowth #GodIsFaithful

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