The Resting Place Podcast

The Book of Jude warns Christians about the dangerous threat of apostasy - the deliberate turning away from faith after once professing it. Written during intense persecution, Jude addresses false teachers infiltrating the church from within. He uses three Old Testament examples to show God's judgment on rebellion: the Israelites in the wilderness, fallen angels, and Sodom and Gomorrah. Moder...

The book of Jude challenges modern Christians to move beyond comfortable, passive faith toward active spiritual engagement. Written by Jesus' half-brother who identified himself as a bond slave rather than family member, Jude calls believers to contend earnestly for their faith. This contending requires intense effort, like an athlete training for competition. The greatest threat to today&apo...

Intercession is not a special spiritual gift reserved for certain believers, but a responsibility for all Christians as royal priests. From humanity's original design in Eden to our calling in the New Testament, we are meant to stand before God on behalf of others. True intercession involves consistently carrying people's burdens with love and endurance, not just during crises. Like the...

In a world filled with uncertainty and stress, Jesus commands us not to worry about our lives. This isn't naive idealism but faith grounded in God's sovereignty over all creation. When Jesus points to birds and flowers as examples of God's care, He's teaching us that our Heavenly Father knows what we need. Worry comes when we act like orphans instead of remembering we have a Fa...

Spiritual maturity requires learning to handle offense biblically rather than allowing it to trap us in negative emotions and behaviors. Jesus warned that offenses are inevitable, but we have a choice in how we respond. The key is understanding that offense isn't just something done to us - it's a work that begins in us when we allow hurt to change who we are. Six biblical strategies hel...

As we enter a new year, it's time to examine what we're carrying forward and what needs to be left behind. One of the heaviest burdens many Christians carry is unforgiveness. Jesus placed forgiveness at the heart of discipleship, teaching us that if we don't forgive others, our Father will not forgive us. This isn't easy to accept, but it's central to living as a new creat...

Advent reveals God's heart for the marginalized through Jesus' birth story. God announced the Messiah's arrival to shepherds - society's outcasts - and chose a stable as the birthplace, showing His intentional movement toward the overlooked. Jesus continued this pattern throughout His ministry, choosing fishermen and tax collectors while barely speaking to the powerful. His mir...

The Christmas story doesn't end with Christ's arrival—receiving Him correctly is equally important. The Jewish people missed their Messiah because they expected a military warrior, not a humble servant. Today, many create their own version of Jesus, focusing only on love and comfort while ignoring His complete nature. True discipleship requires studying Scripture to know Jesus as He real...

Advent is a four-week season of preparation that began in the 6th century when the church realized one day wasn't enough to celebrate Christ's birth. The word comes from Latin meaning 'the coming' and represents a time to anticipate Jesus rather than just go through holiday motions. Mary exemplifies true anticipation - when the angel announced God's plan, she responded wit...

Communion is far more than a symbolic ritual—it's a sacred sacrament that connects us to Christ's sacrifice and to one another through divine mystery. Rooted in the Old Testament Passover, where the lamb's blood provided covering from death, communion points to Jesus as our Passover Lamb whose blood saves us from eternal death. When Jesus established this practice at the Last Supper...

Pastors Devin and Jessalyn's four-year journey began with Isaiah 66:1 asking where God's resting place would be. Through multiple confirmations at conferences, scripture studies, and conversations, they discovered God's intent for the church to be His resting place. After seeking counsel and waiting for proper timing, they launched The Resting Place with a mission to make disciples...

This sermon focuses on the ordination of elders at The Resting Place church and establishes the church's mission, vision, and values. Pastor Devin emphasizes that this is a new season for the church, with a mission to make disciples who live in God's rest and carry His presence. The church's five core values are outlined: unhurried discipleship, presence over performance, where He r...

This sermon explores the concept of God's rest throughout Scripture, focusing on five key places where God rests with humanity: Eden, the Tabernacle of Moses, Solomon's Temple, the Church, and the New Jerusalem. The pastor emphasizes that God's rest is not inactivity but the completion of His purpose and the assumption of His reign. In the current era, God rests with His people thro...

Biblical rest is not about exhaustion but the completion of God's purpose, seen in five key moments throughout Scripture. Solomon's Temple represents a pivotal point in this pattern, where God's rest and reign came together in a permanent dwelling place. This divine pattern—chaos subdued, work completed, God enthroned—foreshadows Jesus Christ, the ultimate temple where God's pr...

God's rest is not about inactivity but the completion of His purpose and the establishment of His reign. The Tabernacle in the wilderness served as God's dwelling place among the Israelites, guiding their journey with His presence visible as a cloud by day and fire by night. Moses refused to move without God's presence, understanding that true rest comes from alignment with God&apos...

God's rest isn't about inactivity but about living under His reign. Biblical rest encompasses five stages: Eden, the Tabernacle, Solomon's Temple, the Church, and ultimately the New Creation. When we misunderstand rest as merely 'turning off,' we miss that God's rest and reign are inseparable. We step out of this rest when we follow fleshly desires, engage in religiou...

Navigating new seasons in our spiritual journey requires strength and courage, just as Joshua needed when leading Israel into the Promised Land. Growth often brings discomfort, but it's necessary for spiritual maturity. To successfully navigate these transitions, we must keep God's Word in our mouths, speaking life rather than complaints, and follow His presence even into unfamiliar terr...

This sermon explores how obedience to God goes beyond mere rule-following to reveal the true posture of our hearts. Beginning with Adam and Eve's disobedience in Eden, it traces how pride leads us to believe we know better than God. Through examples like King Saul, we learn that outward religious performance without heart obedience is meaningless. Jesus changed everything through His perfect...

In this sermon, Pastor Devin discusses the biblical principle of stewardship, emphasizing that we are managers, not owners, of what God has given us. He traces the concept of tithing from Abraham (400 years before the Law) through the Old Testament, showing it was a covenant relationship with God rather than just a legal obligation. The pastor clarifies that tithing isn't about God needing ou...

In this sermon, Pastor Devin discusses the essential practice of prayer in the Christian life. He explores Luke 11:1-13, where Jesus teaches His disciples how to pray. The pastor emphasizes that prayer is not merely a routine or habit but a vital means of communion with God that requires the right heart posture. He outlines three key aspects of prayer: the pattern of prayer (adoration, submission/...

In this sermon, Pastor Devin explores the Christian principle of humility through Philippians 2:5-11. He emphasizes that humility is not natural to the human condition, which tends toward pride and self-focus. The pastor explains that Jesus exemplified perfect humility by emptying himself, taking the form of a servant, and submitting to death on a cross despite being fully God. This humility led t...

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In this sermon, Pastor Devin explores 1 Peter 4, focusing on how Christ is worth the cost of suffering for our faith. He explains that suffering is an inevitable part of the Christian experience, but through it, we loosen our grip on sin and draw closer to God. The pastor emphasizes that when we suffer for Christ by denying our flesh and rejecting sin, sin begins to lose its appeal in our lives, l...

This sermon from First Peter Chapter 2 explores what it means to be part of God's royal priesthood as Christians living in a post-Christian society. Pastor emphasizes that believers are called to live set apart in the world to reveal the One who set them apart. Just as the early Christians faced persecution under Emperor Nero, today's believers must maintain their distinct identity while...

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