The Simple Truth

If you have ever moved, you know the tremendous amount of work it takes to prepare your home in order to make the transition go smoothly. Well, Jesus knew He was moving back to heaven and He wanted to prepare his disciples for what life was going to be like after he left. In today’s message, Pastor Dion shares how Jesus revealed his new plan of salvation in the upper room and then called the disciples to reflect on their inner lives. Pastor Dion encourages you also to give up your hidden struggles so that you can live in freedom with the Lord.

You’ve heard the phrase “hindsight is 20/20.” It’s usually related to the idea that you can see more clearly looking back than you can looking forward. Well, in today’s message, Pastor Dion contends that Jesus can see just as clearly looking forward and will warn you when you are headed down a destructive path. Pastor Dion says that Jesus hopes that these warnings will cause you to reflect on your choices and change your direction, sparing you from suffering and a break in your relationship with Him.

When you were a child, making friends was easy. But as you grow older, you may find that you have to be more intentional about developing your friendships. There are so many obstacles to creating deep, lasting relationships. As Pastor Dion teaches today, Jesus knows this and consistently paves the way to intimacy with Him. He desires to have a deep relationship with you and works to create a place of revelation, reflection, and reformation so that you can grow in your walk with Him.

Remember when you were a kid you could just say “do-over” when you made a mistake and you could try it again? It’s not that easy as an adult. Grownups don’t often get a lot of do-overs and our consequences are usually a bit bigger. Today on The Simple Truth, Pastor Dion tells us that God is going to give the Jews, His chosen people, a do-over, a second chance to choose Him and to be His representatives to the world. They will have the opportunity to fulfill God’s original plan for their lives in relationship with Him.

Have you ever felt unprepared to accomplish the task you’ve been asked to do? Like you just don’t know enough or have the right skills to do what you need to? As Pastor Dion explains in today’s teaching, God had a big plan for the Jews, His chosen people. He wanted them to be His representatives to the World. And God gave them everything they needed to accomplish this. However, Pastor Dion explains, the Jews resented and rejected God’s gift because they wanted to go their own way, follow their own plan.

Being evaluated for your job can be nerve-racking. Well, in today’s edition of The Simple Truth, Pastor Dion walks us through the evaluations by the religious leaders that Jesus underwent. The leaders were trying to catch Jesus saying controversial things that would get him in trouble or even killed. Pastor Dion teaches that not only did Jesus sidestep the leader’s evil intentions by answering with wisdom and authority, but he used the opportunity to declare his divinity as the Messiah.

All throughout the Bible, you can read passages about taking care of those who are weak or marginalized, like orphans or widows. As you will hear in today’s teaching, Pastor Dion describes Jesus’ outrage over the abuse perpetrated by the religious leaders in the temple. The very people who should have been lovingly caring for those coming to the temple were literally robbing them for their own gain. Pastor Dion teaches that God judges those who abuse or take advantage of others.

Being a moral person who cares for those around you and being a good steward of what you’ve been given are very important. But those things will not make you right with God. Today, on The Simple Truth, Pastor Dion reminds you that a relationship with Jesus is the only way to be right with God. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Light. It’s good to be kind and do good things, but Jesus, Pastor Dion says, is the foundation of your salvation. And you decide whether you will accept His gift of grace or not.

You may have heard stories of people who claim to follow God taking advantage of others in different ways. What does God think about this? Does it matter to Him? Well, in today’s teaching, Pastor Dion says that God deeply cares about the injustice in the world and judges those who perpetrate it. He talks about Jesus’ reaction to the blatant injustice occurring in the temple. Jesus was so angry that he forced the merchants from the area, allowing those seeking God the ability to come freely to Him.

Distractions are everywhere. You are surrounded by a million different things that demand your time, attention, and emotion every day. How do these distractions affect your relationship with God? Today, on The Simple Truth, Pastor Dion teaches that Jesus, upon his arrival to Jerusalem, went to the temple again and cleared it out. He exhorts you to be intentional in the ongoing work of keeping your mind and heart clutter-free. If you don’t, you will be distracted and find yourself moving away from God.