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Rules for Freedom through devotion to God

Rules for Freedom: What the First Commandment Teaches Us

Written by Havana Sonday on . Posted in Resources, Sermon Highlights. No Comments on Rules for Freedom: What the First Commandment Teaches Us

This week’s teaching begins our series on the Ten Commandments by looking at the first commandment: “You shall have no other gods before me.” Rather than seeing God’s commands as restrictive, we explored how rules for freedom can help us break free from the things that control us and learn to put God first.

This Week’s Sermon: The Ten: Devotion

Key Takeaways

  • God’s commands are not meant to take away our freedom but to help us experience freedom that leads to a healthier life.
  • True freedom is not the absence of all boundaries; sometimes the right boundaries give us the freedom to flourish.
  • The first commandment calls us to recognize the many “gods” competing for our attention, devotion, and trust.
  • God remains fully devoted to us even when we struggle to remain devoted to Him.
  • Putting God first frees us to live with greater purpose, generosity, peace, and love.

Sermon Highlights: Rules for Freedom

We often think of freedom as having no restrictions. No rules or boundaries. No one telling us what to do. But is that really what freedom looks like?

Think about a mountain road with guardrails. The guardrails may seem restrictive, but they actually make it possible to drive with greater confidence and freedom. The same can be true in our spiritual lives. The right boundaries don’t necessarily limit us. They can help us become the people we were created to be.

That idea sits at the heart of this week’s teaching as we begin The Journey’s new series on the Ten Commandments. What if God’s commands aren’t simply a list of things we’re not allowed to do? What if they are rules for freedom?

Big Idea of This Week’s Teaching

The Ten Commandments aren’t primarily about restricting our lives. They are about helping us learn how to live freely.

The first commandment says, “I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me.” God begins with a reminder of His relationship with His people. He has already rescued them. He has already shown them grace. Now He invites them to live differently.

The first commandment is ultimately an invitation to devotion: put God first and let everything else flow from there. These rules for freedom help us recognize what has taken God’s place in our lives and release our devotion to things that cannot give us the life we’re looking for.

Key Scriptures

Exodus 20:1–3

The central passage for this week’s teaching is the first commandment. God identifies Himself as the One who brought Israel out of slavery and then calls them to have no other gods before Him. The command is rooted in God’s grace and His desire for His people to experience freedom.

Genesis 12:1–3

God’s promise to Abraham was used to remind us that we are blessed to be a blessing. God’s blessings are not meant to turn us inward toward self-interest but outward toward others.

John 20:24–29

The story of Thomas encountering the risen Jesus provides the closing picture for the teaching. When Thomas recognizes Jesus, he responds, “My Lord and my God.” His response captures the heart of the invitation: recognize who Jesus is and place Him first.

1. Rules for Freedom Give Us Room to Flourish

We tend to associate rules with restriction. But the sermon offered several everyday examples that challenge that assumption. A budget can feel limiting, but financial discipline can free us from the weight of debt. Physical training requires discipline, but that discipline can lead to greater strength and health. Learning an instrument requires repetition and rules, but eventually those boundaries give a musician the freedom to create.

The same principle applies to faith. Discipline doesn’t necessarily kill freedom. In the right context, discipline creates freedom.

“Discipline does not kill creativity. It gives creativity a place to operate.”

That doesn’t mean every rule is automatically good. It means healthy boundaries can protect what matters most. The first commandment invites us to see God’s commands in this light. These rules for freedom aren’t designed to make life smaller. They’re designed to help us live with greater freedom and purpose.

2. We All Have Things Competing for Our Devotion

The first commandment also asks us to consider what functions like a “god” in our lives. The sermon pointed to things like money, possessions, comfort, success, entertainment, politics, sports, fitness, relationships, approval, and even self-interest. None of these things are necessarily bad. The problem comes when something becomes so important that it receives the attention, trust, and devotion that belong to God.

That gives us a helpful question: What do I think about the most? What do I worry about? What am I constantly trying to protect or control?

These questions aren’t meant to produce shame. They’re invitations to honesty. The rules for freedom begin by helping us recognize what has quietly become most important in our lives.

3. Putting God First Frees Us From What Controls Us

The first commandment isn’t simply, “Don’t worship other gods.” It is an invitation to a different way of living.

When we make money our god, we can become controlled by having enough. We can become controlled by what other people think when approval becomes our god. When comfort becomes our god, we can become controlled by avoiding anything difficult. When self becomes our god, we can become exhausted by constantly thinking about ourselves. But putting God first changes the direction of our lives.

The sermon described this as freedom from devotion to the things that hurt us. We can become free from devotion to money, possessions, addictions, anger, unhealthy relationships, resentment, people-pleasing, and even our own need for control.

This is where rules for freedom become deeply practical. God’s invitation isn’t simply about believing the right things. It’s about becoming free to love people better, bless others, trust God, and live with greater peace.

“We are free from being devoted to things that hurt us.”

4. Rules for Freedom Begin With God’s Devotion to Us

Perhaps the most important part of the message is that God’s command to devote ourselves to Him begins with God’s devotion to us. God reminds Israel that He is the One who brought them out of slavery. Before He asks anything from them, He reminds them of what He has already done.

The same grace is at the heart of our relationship with Jesus. We don’t earn God’s love by perfectly following His commands. God’s love comes first.

The sermon emphasized that even when we run from God, pursue other things, or find ourselves putting God far down our list of priorities, God remains devoted to us. That changes the way we respond. We aren’t trying to earn God’s acceptance. We’re learning to respond to the grace we’ve already received.

That’s what makes these rules for freedom different from a list of religious requirements. They are an invitation to live from God’s grace rather than striving for it.

Practicing This Week

  1. Take a look at your attention. Notice what you spend the most time thinking about, watching, worrying about, or pursuing.
  2. Name one thing that may be competing with God for your devotion. You don’t need to fix everything at once. Simply bring it honestly before God.
  3. Try the simple prayer from the sermon: “God, thank you. Help me.” Thank God for where you’ve seen Him at work, then ask Him for help with what you’re carrying today.
  4. Practice putting God first in one ordinary decision this week. Ask, “What would it look like to let God have the first place here?”
  5. Look for a way to bless someone else. Remember the invitation from Genesis: we are blessed to be a blessing.

Questions for Reflection

  1. What comes to mind when you hear the phrase “rules for freedom”? How does that compare with the way you typically think about rules?
  2. What receives most of your attention, energy, worry, or devotion right now?
  3. Where might you be trying to control your own life instead of trusting God?
  4. What is one way you’ve seen God help you through something difficult in the past?
  5. What would it look like this week to genuinely say, “My Lord and my God,” and put Jesus first?

The first commandment is not a demand to become perfect. It is an invitation to remember who God is and who He has always been to us. God is devoted to you. He doesn’t walk away when you struggle, and His grace isn’t something you have to earn. Jesus invites us to respond to that grace by becoming devoted to Him in return.

As we begin this journey through the Ten Commandments, may we discover that God’s commands are not obstacles to a meaningful life. They can become rules for freedom, helping us release the things that control us and make room for the life Jesus is inviting us to live.

Finding true connection through God’s peace in relationships and faith.

Why We Struggle With Connection—and Where Peace Begins

Written by Kay Stonecypher on . Posted in Resources, Sermon Highlights. No Comments on Why We Struggle With Connection—and Where Peace Begins

This week’s teaching explored why we long for connection but often struggle to experience it, and how God’s design—and His peace—leads us back to wholeness. It matters because in a world full of relational tension, God offers a better way forward through shalom, a deeper kind of peace that restores connection.

This Week’s Sermon: I Desire Connection

Key Takeaways

  • We were created for connection, but brokenness often leads us to withdraw or attack instead.
  • Real relationships require vulnerability, even though it feels risky.
  • Every person carries brokenness, so grace is essential in every relationship.
  • God’s vision for relationships is shalom—deep, interconnected peace.
  • We can actively bring peace into our relationships by becoming “shalom makers.”

Sermon Highlights: Finding True Connection Through God’s Peace

Most of us want deeper connection in our lives—but we also know how complicated that can be. Relationships can feel risky. We’ve all experienced moments where opening up led to hurt, misunderstanding, or disappointment. So we learn to protect ourselves. Sometimes we pull back. Sometimes we push back. Either way, we end up stuck in a tension: we want connection, but we’re not sure how to get there without getting hurt.

That’s where this week’s teaching meets us—with an honest look at that tension and a hopeful path forward by finding true connection through God’s peace.

Big Idea of This Week’s Teaching

We were created for deep, meaningful connection, but because of brokenness, we often struggle to experience it. The good news is that God invites us into finding true connection through God’s peace—a kind of relational wholeness the Bible calls shalom.

Key Scriptures

  • Genesis 1–3 — These chapters show God’s original design for connection, the introduction of brokenness, and the relational tension that followed.
  • Genesis 2:15–25 — Highlights that humans were created for meaningful work and deep connection, including vulnerability without shame.
  • 2 Corinthians 5:17 — Points to the hope of becoming a new creation, moving us toward restoration.
  • Philippians 4:7 — Describes God’s peace as something that guards our hearts and minds.
  • Matthew 5:9 — Calls us to be peacemakers, or “shalom makers,” in the world.

1. Finding true connection starts with God’s design

In Genesis 2, we see a powerful truth: even in a perfect world, God says, “It is not good for man to be alone.” That’s not a flaw—it’s a clue. We were made for connection. Before anything was broken, there was relationship. Not just between people, but within God Himself. The Trinity—Father, Son, and Spirit—reflects connection at the deepest level.

“Is there anybody I can love and who will love me? I just want somebody to love.”

Finding true connection through God’s peace begins by recognizing that connection isn’t optional for us. It’s foundational. When we ignore that, we feel it—loneliness, disconnection, or a sense that something isn’t quite right.

2. Finding true connection is hard because of brokenness

Genesis 3 introduces the reality we all live with now: broken relationships. Shame enters the picture. Hiding becomes normal. Vulnerability feels dangerous.

The sermon described this through the “porcupine dilemma.” Like porcupines, we have ways of hurting each other—through words, actions, or withdrawal. So we either pull away or lash out. And yet, even with all that, we still long for connection.

Finding true connection through God’s peace means acknowledging this tension honestly. We are all, in a sense, “as is”—each carrying our own wounds, patterns, and imperfections. Recognizing that doesn’t make relationships hopeless. It actually opens the door for grace.

3. Finding true connection through God’s peace requires vulnerability

One of the most striking images in Genesis 2 is this: “They were both naked and felt no shame.” It’s not just about physical vulnerability—it’s about emotional and relational openness. That kind of openness feels almost impossible now. We’ve learned to guard ourselves. We carefully choose what we reveal and what we hide.

But finding true connection through God’s peace involves moving, even slowly, toward that kind of honesty again. Not recklessly, but intentionally. It means allowing ourselves to be known—by God first, and then by others in safe, healthy ways. It’s not about perfection. It’s about trust, built over time, rooted in grace.

4. Finding true connection through God’s peace leads to shalom

The Bible’s vision for relationships isn’t just “getting along.” It’s something deeper: shalom. Shalom means peace—but not just the absence of conflict. It’s a sense of wholeness, harmony, and connection between God, people, and creation.

“Blessed are the shalom makers, the peacemakers.”

Finding true connection through God’s peace is really about stepping into that kind of life. A life where we are at peace within ourselves, which allows us to bring peace into our relationships. This is what Jesus invites us into. Not perfect relationships, but relationships marked by grace, safety, and growing connection.

Practicing This Week

  • Take a few minutes each day to ask God for peace in your inner life.
  • Notice where you tend to withdraw or attack in relationships, and pause before reacting.
  • Choose one relationship where you can take a small step toward honesty or openness.
  • Practice being a “shalom maker” by responding with patience instead of defensiveness.

Questions for Reflection

  • Where do I tend to withdraw or attack in my relationships?
  • What would it look like for me to experience more of God’s peace internally?
  • Is there a relationship where God might be inviting me toward greater openness?
  • How can I bring peace into my family, friendships, or workplace this week?

We don’t have to figure this out perfectly. The invitation isn’t to become flawless—it’s to become open to God’s work in us. As we move toward finding true connection through God’s peace, we can trust that He is already at work—restoring, healing, and reconnecting us, one step at a time. There is grace for the process. And there is hope for deeper connection than we may have thought possible.

Finding Inner Peace

Inner Peace in Real Life: Why Peace Begins Inside Us

Written by Kay Stonecypher on . Posted in Sermon Highlights. No Comments on Inner Peace in Real Life: Why Peace Begins Inside Us

This week’s teaching explored the Advent theme of inner peace through Isaiah’s prophecy and the birth of Jesus. We learned that while we long for peace in the world, true peace always begins with God’s presence transforming us from the inside out. When we experience inner peace with God, we become people who carry peace into our homes, relationships, and communities.

This Week’s Sermon: Finding Inner Peace

Key Takeaways

  • Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah would bring peace—not only to the world one day, but to us personally right now.
  • Lasting peace cannot come from human systems or governments; it comes from walking in the light of God.
  • We become peacemakers in our families and communities only after we cultivate inner peace with God.
  • Jesus’ birth is the arrival of peace on earth—peace given to those who rest in God’s love.
  • Advent invites us to choose practices that move us out of self-pity and into God-shaped peace.

Sermon Highlights: A World Hungry for Peace

We don’t need anyone to tell us that the world is chaotic. Global conflict, political tension, fractured relationships, and the everyday stress we carry can make peace feel almost impossible. Many of us try to find peace by fixing what’s happening “out there”—in the news, in society, or in situations far beyond our control.

But this week at The Journey, we were invited to zoom in. Instead of starting with the world’s turmoil, Pastor Michael encouraged us to explore where peace truly begins: in our own hearts, with God’s presence anchoring us from the inside out.

This is the second week of Advent—the week of peace—and Isaiah’s ancient words still speak straight into our modern anxiety.

The Big Idea: Inner Peace Begins With God, Not With Us

The heart of this week’s message was simple and freeing:
Jesus is the source of peace, and the peace He brings starts internally long before it shows up externally.

Isaiah told the people of Israel—exhausted, scattered, and hopeless—that a Messiah was coming who would bring lasting peace. And when Jesus arrived 700 years later, the angels declared, “On earth, peace to those on whom His favor rests.”

The message for us is the same:
We cannot be peacemakers anywhere else until we are at peace with God inside ourselves.

When we walk “in the light of the Lord,” as Isaiah puts it, we stop trying to muscle our way into peace and start receiving it as a gift that reshapes our inner life, our homes, and eventually the world around us.

Key Scriptures

  • Isaiah 2:1–5 — Isaiah describes a future where God’s presence brings stability and peace, and he calls the people to “walk in the light of the Lord.” Pastor Michael used this to show that peace begins with returning to God rather than fixing external circumstances.
  • Isaiah 40 — A reminder that God brings comfort and hope in dark times; highlighted as a chapter worth soaking in during Advent.
  • Luke 2:8–14 — The angels announce that Christ’s birth brings peace to those who rest in God’s favor.
  • Matthew 5 (Sermon on the Mount) — Jesus blesses the “peacemakers,” calling us not only to receive peace but to create peace around us.
  • Colossians 3:15 — “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts.” This was emphasized during communion as a picture of letting God’s peace govern our inner life.

1. A Hopeful Promise in a Hopeless Time

Isaiah spoke into one of Israel’s darkest seasons—a time of oppression, fear, and national turmoil. Instead of offering quick fixes, he gave them a vision of God as a towering mountain: stable, solid, and drawing people from every nation.

That image still matters today. We often feel hopeless when we focus on our own hurt, our own story, or our own unmet expectations. Like Israel, we drift into self-pity instead of self-reflection. Isaiah’s invitation to look up—to God’s mountain—redirects us toward hope and steadiness that doesn’t depend on circumstances.

2. Human Efforts Will Always Fall Short

Pastor Michael contrasted Isaiah’s vision with modern attempts at peace, like the United Nations monument depicting a man turning a sword into a shovel. Despite noble intentions, the world has seen nearly 500 armed conflicts since the UN was formed.

Why? Because, as Isaiah reminds us, fragile and broken humanity cannot fix itself. Governments, systems, and institutions—even the good ones—can’t bring the lasting peace our souls crave.

But Jesus can. And He does.

3. The Messiah Brings Peace at Every Level

The angels’ announcement in Luke 2 wasn’t just poetic—it was deeply personal: “Peace to those on whom His favor rests.” That peace starts in the heart, then moves outward.

“You cannot be a peacemaker anywhere else until you are fundamentally at peace internally with God.”

Pastor Michael described four “layers” where peace shows up:

  1. The World – big, overwhelming, mostly outside our control.
  2. Our Community – workplaces, schools, neighbors.
  3. Our Homes – families, holiday gatherings, places where old wounds live.
  4. Our Inner Life – the place where peace actually begins.

We often obsess over the top layer (the world) because it feels easier than dealing with the places where we actually hold influence. But Jesus calls us to start small, where peace is real, personal, and transformative.

4. Becoming Peacemakers Starts With Inner Peace

Once we receive peace from God, we’re invited to participate in His work as peacemakers. But this requires intentional inner work. Pastor Michael named several shifts that help us live as people of peace:

  • Moving from needing approval to resting in God’s love.
  • Choosing self-reflection instead of self-pity.
  • Exercising self-control instead of living on emotional autopilot.
  • Practicing gratitude instead of entitlement.
  • Lowering expectations of others instead of demanding perfection.
  • Calming our spirit in emotional moments—especially during the holidays.

This isn’t behavior modification. It’s the fruit of God’s Spirit shaping us as people who can carry peace into places that desperately need it.

“When you are at peace internally, you become a peacemaker externally.”

Practicing This Week: Starting Within, Spreading Outward

Try one or two of these simple, grace-filled practices:

  • Sit quietly with God for five minutes each morning, asking for inner peace before the day begins.
  • Read Isaiah 40 or Matthew 5–7 sometime this week and let the words wash over you.
  • Identify one relationship—in your home or family—where you could bring peace through a gentle conversation, lowered expectations, or a soft response.
  • Pause when anxiety rises and pray, “Jesus, let Your peace rule in my heart.”
  • Practice gratitude by naming three blessings each day, especially when you feel pulled toward frustration or self-pity.

Questions for Reflection

  1. Where in your inner life do you most need God’s peace right now?
  2. What situations or relationships pull you into turmoil or self-pity?
  3. How might walking “in the light of the Lord” look in your daily routines this Advent?
  4. Is there one person in your home or extended family to whom you could bring peace this season?
  5. What would it look like to let the peace of Christ “rule” in your heart this week?

As we move deeper into Advent, remember that Jesus doesn’t ask us to manufacture peace. He gives it. The Messiah came so that even in turmoil, we could rest in His presence and carry His peace into our families and communities. You’re not walking this path alone—we journey together, held by a God who loves you deeply.