The Implanted Word Podcast

Sometimes the best thing you can say is nothing at all. There's a time to speak out and correct those who are wrong. When you've been misunderstood you want to defend yourself. You want to explain what you meant. But in today's passage, Pastor Bill shows us that there's also a time to remain quiet and wait. Jesus didn't need to rush to explain Himself to the crowds. He didn't need to make sure they liked Him. He knew the right thing to do was to wait. He would speak the right words when the time was right.

When it comes to serving, we have a tendency to check out when we feel we've put in our time. When life gets too busy, it's easy to quit volunteering at church. When you finally retire, you just want to focus on yourself for a while. When you're in a hard season, you want to be served, not serve. Well, today Pastor Bill shows you the importance of continuing to serve in those seasons. The disciples were exhausted, hungry, and grieving. They didn't want to be around people. But Jesus still asked them to serve.

Do you find yourself living with a scarcity mindset? The scarcity mindset says you never have enough. Never enough time, energy, intellect, or skill. Living in a state of scarcity forces you to take what you can when you get it and ask for more. But God doesn't operate that way. Even the most limited resource is abundant in His hands. Today Pastor Bill teaches about Jesus feeding thousands with only a few pieces of bread and fish. He didn't see it as scarce though. He knew it was more than enough.

Living life from a human perspective is a bit like walking into a dimly lit room with sunglasses on. You really can't see the full picture. You might see some shadowy figures here and there, but you'll probably be stumbling around in the dark. When you try to look at people from a human perspective, you'll always fall short of seeing who they really are. But thankfully, as Pastor Bill shows you today, Jesus sees people with a Godly perspective. He can see their hearts and their deepest needs. He sees with compassion.

The Bible is truly amazing. It's a living, breathing book. But it's amazing and living and breathing because it's about Jesus. It's not about the ink on the pages or the leather binding or your name embossed on the cover. It's about Jesus. Today Pastor Bill warns you that if you read the Bible and miss Jesus, you've really missed the point of the Bible. The Bible has good advice and great moral principles for our lives today. But that's not really the point. The point is Jesus and your need of Him as Savior.

Do you have a John the Baptist in your life? John was someone bigger than life, constantly pointing people toward Jesus. His life was unbelievable, and some might even dare to say crazy. He couldn't keep quiet about the Messiah. Do you know anyone like that? Today Pastor Bill shows you that those kinds of people are in your life for a reason. They're there to point to the truth about who Jesus says He is. They back up what Jesus said. They bring life and breath to the words of Jesus through the life they live.

Do you believe a politician when they give a campaign promise? Do you believe every video you watch on social media? Certainly not! In fact, there are probably very few people that you would believe simply because they said it. Pastor Bill shows us today that even Jesus didn't expect people to believe Him just because He said something. He honored the Old Testament traditions of needing more than one witness to proclaim the truth. He gave them more than just His own words to prove His trustworthiness.

A coin always has two sides. The two sides of a coin are always together, and you can't separate them from one another. Sometimes we limit Jesus to just one side. Maybe He's all grace. Or maybe He's all truth. But He's both. Grace and truth. Mercy and judgment. Compassion and correction. Today Pastor Bill shows you that He is also Savior and Judge. He draws people to himself, but He calls them to a higher life. You can't truly call Jesus your Savior and still continue in the dredges of sin.

The Bible tells us that Jesus is the perfect high priest because He has experienced every kind of temptation we deal with. He understands because He became a human. And yes, that means He had to deal with irritating, stubborn, and just downright mean people that wanted to hurt Him. As Pastor Bill explores today's passage, you will learn how you can follow Jesus' example. You may think that Jesus just did the right thing without really thinking about it. But the truth is that He had a choice, and so do you.

Jesus told us to love our enemies. But He didn't just say it. He also lived it out and gave us examples from His life on how to do it. Today, Pastor Bill looks at a passage where Jesus comes face to face with the religious leaders that want to kill Him. He knows they want to kill Him. He knows they don't love Him. And yet He takes the time to be with them. He talks with them. Would you respond the same to those who mean to do you harm? It's certainly not easy, but it's possible through Jesus' strength.