The PursueGOD Sermon Podcast

If you’ve ever watched a major soccer tournament like the World Cup, you’ve likely witnessed a familiar scene: a player goes down hard, clutching an ankle and writhing in apparent agony. You think their career might be over, but a minute later, they get right back up and sprint down the field. There is a massive difference between someone faking an injury and someone who is truly helpless. When it...

We are officially in week two of our series through the book of James. Last week, we started with a bang. We discovered that James, the brother of Jesus, wrote this letter to scattered Jewish Christians facing immense persecution in the early church. He wasted no time addressing a massive question: What can we expect from the Christian life? His answer wasn't a prosperity gospel; it was a reality...

What Can We Expect from the Christian Life? When you choose to follow Jesus, what should you expect? Many people enter faith with unaligned expectations, often fueled by a “prosperity gospel” that promises health, wealth, and a bubble of protection from suffering. However, the Book of James—the “Proverbs of the New Testament”—presents a counterintuitive truth: the Christian life is a journey where...

The Bible teaches that “until death do us part” isn’t just a traditional ending to a ceremony, but a boundary line drawn by God. In a Christian marriage, the vow of permanence creates a “death-bound” commitment that only ends when one spouse enters eternity. This finality is actually what gives marriage its beauty; it provides a secure, lifelong container where two people can grow, change, and fai...

The Bible defines the vow “to love and to cherish” not as a fleeting emotional spark, but as a deliberate, daily action rooted in the heart of God. While “love” often refers to the selfless commitment to another’s well-being, “to cherish” takes it a step further, meaning to protect, nurture, and value something as a precious treasure. In a Christian marriage, maintaining romance isn’t about chasin...

When a couple stands at the altar and vows to stay together “for richer or poorer,” they’re making a profound commitment to total unity that transcends their bank account balance. This vow means that your marriage covenant is more important than your financial currency. Whether you’re navigating a season of abundance or struggling to pay the bills, the biblical goal is to remain “one flesh,” findi...

For Better or Worse: What Does It Mean? The line “for better or worse” is more than a tradition—it’s a biblical commitment. Learn how to manage your expectations and stay faithful through every season of marriage by following the example of Jesus.

The Comparison Trap: Firing the Boss of Envy Whether you are a "twin" or a "singleton," everyone understands the power of comparison. It triggers an age-old reaction within the human heart known as coveting . From the Garden of Eden to the Tenth Commandment, the struggle to be content with what we have—rather than pining for what our neighbor possesses—is a fundamental human battle. Defining the P...

Hurry: You’re Not the Boss of Me We’ve been working through a series called "You’re not the boss of me," identifying the "bad bosses"—like fear, guilt, and bitterness—that Satan uses to steal, kill, and destroy. This week, we’re tackling a boss that feels entirely modern but has been wreaking havoc for decades: Hurry Sickness. Do You Have Hurry Sickness? Answer the following questions "yes" or "no...

The Hidden Boss: Why You Must Uproot Bitterness There is a plant known as Japanese Knotweed . Above ground, it looks like a harmless bamboo stalk. But beneath the surface? It’s a monster. Its roots can grow 10 feet deep and stretch 23 feet horizontally. It acts like a slow-motion wedge, prying concrete and brickwork apart from the inside until the structure snaps. It is so destructive that in some...

Fear: You’re Not the Boss of Me Anxiety and panic attacks can make you feel like you've lost control of your own life. When fear takes the driver's seat, it becomes a "boss" that dictates your mood, your decisions, and your future. But as David shows us in Psalm 27, the solution to fear isn't simply trying harder to be your own boss; it’s changing who you report to. Acknowledge the Fear David does...

Guilt: You’re Not the Boss of Me Most of us like to think we are the CEOs of our own lives. But if we’re honest, we are often bossed around by "silent partners" we never invited into the boardroom—emotions like fear, comparison, and especially guilt . These emotions sit in the driver’s seat, making decisions for us, creating dysfunction, and stealing our peace. The solution isn't to become our own...

Therefore Run with Endurance Hebrews 12 begins with one of the most important words in the whole book: therefore . That word connects everything in chapter 12 back to everything that came before it. Hebrews 1–11 lays a massive theological foundation. Jesus is greater than angels, greater than Moses, greater than the priesthood, and greater than the old covenant system. Then Hebrews 11 gives us the...

THE FAITH HALL OF FAME: SEEING BEYOND WHAT YOU CAN SEE We live in a world shaped by what we can see, measure, and predict. But history reminds us how limited that perspective can be. Experts once dismissed the telephone, the lightbulb, and even computers as insignificant. What they couldn’t see, they couldn’t believe. The same struggle shows up in our spiritual lives. When circumstances feel uncer...

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Crash Course on the Priesthood (Hebrews 4–5, 7–9) The book of Hebrews contains some of the richest theology in the New Testament. One of its biggest themes is the priesthood of Jesus. But if you’ve never studied the priesthood before, the discussion in Hebrews can feel complicated and full of Old Testament references. Why does Hebrews talk so much about priests? And why does it matter for us today...

FAILURE TO LAUNCH Big Idea: Spiritual maturity isn’t about age; it’s about the “launch.” It’s the moment you stop being a consumer of the church and start being a contributor to the mission. In 2018, a bizarre story made national headlines. A 30-year-old man named Michael Rotondo was sued by his own parents because he refused to move out of their house. He didn’t pay rent. He didn’t help with chor...

Welcome back to the podcast! Soul Surgery: When God’s Word Cuts to Heal Text: Hebrews 4:12–13 (NLT) Big Idea: God’s Word isn’t just a book to be read; it’s a scalpel used by the Great Physician to heal us from the inside out. About fifteen years ago, I went under the knife for an appendectomy. Surgery is never something you look forward to. You surrender control. You trust someone else to cut you...

Greater Than the G.O.A.T. Hebrews 3:1–6 Who’s the Greatest of All Time? In football, fans argue over quarterbacks. In basketball, it’s Jordan or LeBron. In soccer, Messi or Ronaldo. Every generation debates its heroes. Today we’re asking that same question—but for the Bible. If you had asked a first-century Jewish believer, the answer would have been simple: Moses. He wasn’t just a leader. He was...

WHY DID JESUS HAVE TO BECOME HUMAN? (CHRISTOLOGY 2) Last week, we began our journey through Hebrews by focusing on Christ’s divine nature. In just four verses, we saw that Jesus is the agent, purpose, sustainer, and ruler of creation. He is fully God—uncreated, eternal, and the exact expression of God’s nature. That was a lot of theology packed into a small space. Today we slow down and move to Ch...

The Seven Attributes of Jesus (Christology 1) Big Idea: Jesus Christ is not just a chapter in the story of God; He is the Author, the Hero, and the Ending. When we see Jesus for who He truly is, every other priority in our lives finds its proper place. Today we begin a nine-week journey through the Book of Hebrews , a letter written to magnify the greatness of Jesus Christ. Hebrews isn’t primarily...

A Brutally Honest Take on the Uncontrollables We live in a culture obsessed with control. Hustle harder. Plan smarter. Pray longer. If you do all the right things, life should cooperate. That’s the promise of hustle culture—and it’s incredibly seductive. But Ecclesiastes offers a brutally honest response. As we close our Ecclesiastes series, Qoheleth—the Teacher—pulls back the curtain on the illus...

A Brutally Honest Take on Work and Wealth We spend an enormous amount of our lives thinking about work and worrying about money. How much should we save? How hard should we hustle? Will we ever have enough? The book of Ecclesiastes meets those questions head-on—with refreshing honesty. Written by “the Teacher” (Qoheleth), Ecclesiastes doesn’t offer clichés or easy answers. Instead, it introduces u...