The Journey Church Houston Podcast

In Genesis 33, Jacob finally comes face-to-face with his brother Esau. After years of scheming, striving, and fear, Jacob still thinks blessing is about “stuff.” He tries to secure his future by offering gifts and seeking Esau’s favor. But God shows him something deeper: true blessing is not possessions, power, or human approval. Blessing is life with God in His eternal kingdom. This episode press...

What happens when God brings you to the end of yourself? In Genesis 32, Jacob wrestles with God and learns a life-changing truth: blessing comes through surrender, not strength. Whether you’re struggling with parenting, career stress, financial pressure, loss, or spiritual doubt, this episode explores why God sometimes strips away our self-sufficiency so we can discover His all-sufficiency. We’ll...

What does it really mean to be blessed? In this episode, Pastor Steven Hiller unpacks a complicated and often-overlooked section of Jacob’s story in Genesis, one full of striving, scheming, and spiritual confusion. Laban treats God like a vending machine. Jacob thinks clever strategies will secure his future. And yet, through it all, God is faithfully at work. This message challenges us to re-eval...

The Sons of Jacob: Born of Envy, Strife, and Longing Genesis 29:31–30:24 | The Journey Church Houston What do envy, rivalry, and the longing to be loved have to do with the gospel? In this episode, Pastor Mace Perez helps us explore one of the messiest family stories in the Bible: Leah and Rachel competing for love, bearing children through schemes, and hoping each time, “Maybe now he will love me...

Jacob: The Deceiver Deceived, Yet Redeemed Genesis 29:1–30 What do you do when the consequences of your own actions come full circle? In this episode, we look at how Jacob—the deceiver—is himself deceived, and yet how God's providence turns even painful justice into redemptive grace. You'll hear: Why “you reap what you sow” is both true and not the end of the story How God’s discipline differs fro...

What kind of God meets us in our wandering, even when we’re not looking for Him? In Genesis 28, Jacob is running for his life when he unexpectedly encounters the grace of God in a dream at Bethel. In this message, Pastor Mace Perez explores three powerful truths about God’s grace: it initiates, it confounds, and it transforms. You’ll hear how this ancient story still speaks to our struggles today,...

In Genesis 27, we witness one of the most dysfunctional family moments in the Bible. Deception, favoritism, sibling rivalry, and misplaced trust. And yet, in the middle of all the chaos, God’s sovereign grace shines through. He doesn’t bless the worthy. He blesses because He chooses to love, even when we are at our worst. In this sermon, Pastor Steven Hiller unpacks how God preserved His promise t...

What do you do when your best isn’t enough? Life is a lot like baseball. Full of wins and strikeouts, success and failure. In Genesis 26, we watch Isaac get it right one moment … and completely blow it the next. But what’s more surprising than Isaac’s inconsistency is how God responds: not with rejection, but with grace. This sermon from Pastor Mace Perez explores the story of Isaac’s success, sin...

Are you what you repeatedly do? Or is there a better way to define who you are? In Genesis 25, we see a shift in the story of redemption: from Abraham, who finishes his race in faith, to Jacob, who’s just beginning his journey. Jacob wants the right thing, the blessing, but he goes after it the wrong way. He trusts in his schemes instead of God’s promise. That tension between promise and performan...

In this message from Genesis 24, Pastor Steven unpacks the remarkable story of how God’s hesed—His steadfast, covenant-keeping love—is on display in the search for a wife for Isaac. As Abraham’s life draws to a close, God’s promises of land, offspring, and blessing continue to unfold—not through flashy miracles, but through His quiet, providential guidance. From Rebekah’s perfectly timed arrival a...

"Now it is your turn." These can be five of the most thrilling and terrifying words a person can hear. When the moment comes where God says, "It is your turn", what hope will help us follow in the footsteps of the great cloud of witnesses in Hebrews 12? Pastor Russell Cravens, our guest preacher from one of our sending churches, Neartown Church in Houston, TX, shares in his message today that we c...

Why does death feel so wrong—even when we know it’s inevitable? In this powerful sermon from Genesis 23, we explore the deep and ancient tension between death and hope. From Homer’s Iliad to the promises of Scripture, humanity has always asked: Is this life all there is? Join us as we look at the death of Sarah, the wife of Abraham, and uncover how this moment is far more than tragic—it's filled w...

Is God cruel to ask Abraham to sacrifice Isaac? Why would Abraham be willing to go through with it?  In this sermon from Genesis 22, Pastor Mace Perez guides us as we wrestle with one of the most jarring and misunderstood stories in the Bible. In it, we find not a picture of cruelty, but a powerful portrait of trust, surrender, and divine provision. Richard Dawkins once called this story “disgrace...

How to Read the Bible |  Session 13: Review & New Testament Prophecy (Revelation) Welcome to the final session of How to Read the Bible! In this closing class, we begin with a review of everything we've covered, from understanding the Bible as a unified literary work to learning how to interpret its various genres. And then we turn our attention to the final genre: New Testament Prophecy, spec...

Who can you trust? In a world where trust is declining, where broken promises by parents, friends, or spouses leave us feeling anxious, alone, and exhausted, the story of Isaac’s birth in Genesis 21 reminds us of a powerful truth: God always keeps His promises. In this sermon, Pastor Mace walks us through Genesis 21 to show how: ➡️ The Lord faithfully provides the promised seed (Isaac) ➡️ The Lord...

📖 How to Read the Bible | Session 12: New Testament Letters Welcome to Session 12 of our How to Read the Bible series! In this episode, we’re diving into the New Testament Letters (or Epistles), a rich section of Scripture that includes 21 of the 27 books in the New Testament. These letters, 13 from Paul and 8 general or "Jewish" epistles, were written to real people and churches in real situatio...

In this message from Genesis 20, Pastor Steven Hiller walks us through a powerful moment in Abraham’s journey of faith, a moment filled with fear, failure, and the faithfulness of God. Pastor Steven opens with a personal story from his college days in Cru, recalling a summer mission trip to Asia where evangelism wasn’t just controversial, it was dangerous. The risks were real, but so was the quest...

How to Read the Bible |  Session 11: New Testament Narrative What’s the point of the Gospels? Are they just collections of inspirational teachings and miracles? In this session, Pastor Mace Perez explores the New Testament narrative books—the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John plus Acts—aren’t random stories, but essential contributors to the one great Story the Bible tells: from Creation, t...

Will God allow our disobedience and idolatry to go unpunished? To address this question, we turn to one of the most sobering and surprising stories in Scripture. In this sermon, we explore the destruction of Sodom and the rescue of Lot in Genesis 18–19, where God's perfect justice and His unexpected mercy collide. Abraham intercedes for a wicked city. Lot, flawed and fearful, is spared—not because...

How to Read the Bible | Session 9: Old Testament Poetry 📖 Understanding the Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon The Wisdom Literature of the Bible is some of the most encouraging yet oft misunderstood books of the Bible. Wisdom books are philosophical writings about the human situation. They answer -Question of suffering -Question of right vs wrong -Question of life and death -Questions...

Genesis 17:15-18:15 | Is Anything Too Hard For the Lord?   Do you believe in miracles? Do you believe that the Lord can and will do anything to fulfill His promises? In this sermon Pastor Mace explores two responses to this question in Genesis 17:15-18:15. Abraham and Sarah both laugh, but what comes next reveals the true condition of their heart. 🔔 🔔 If this message encourages you on your spiri...

He Has Risen! | Matthew 28 | Easter 2025 💥 “It’s not supposed to be this way...” You’ve said it. We’ve all felt it. When the diagnosis comes... When the job is gone... When your marriage falls apart... When someone you love dies... The first followers of Jesus must have felt the same after watching their hope crucified and buried in a tomb. But then—everything changed. In this Easter message from...

How to Read the Bible | Session 9: Old Testament Poetry 📖 Understanding the Psalms and the Power of Hebrew Poetry Over one-third of the Bible is written in poetry—and today, we begin to explore this rich and beautiful genre, focusing especially on the Psalms. In this session, Pastor Mace Perez guides us through the emotional and spiritual depth of Old Testament poetry, helping us see how these wr...

Palm Sunday 2025 | Matthew 21:1–11 | The Kingdom We Long For, The King We Need We all long for a better world—a just kingdom, a good ruler, and lasting peace. On Palm Sunday, Jesus enters Jerusalem to the sound of cheers and waving palm branches. The people cry, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” believing their long-awaited King has finally come. But this King is not what they expected. And the Kingd...

How to Read the Bible | Session 8: Old Testament Prophecy The Old Testament Prophets: poetic, powerful… and often perplexing. In this session of our How to Read the Bible Discipleship Class, we explore one of the most misunderstood and overlooked parts of Scripture—Old Testament Prophecy. Though often heavy and full of judgment, these books are deeply relevant and full of grace, hope, and God's he...