Week 3 | In this sermon, Darrell discusses how the disciples in the upper room were assured that after his death and resurrection Jesus would send another “of the same kind as him.” The Holy Spirit, called the Paraclete in Greek, is that person. He has come to universalize the presence of Jesus, dwelling in and alongside us to purify, cleanse and free us from all that displeases the Father. The Paraclete is described as Holy and true, and He guides us into an intimate friendship with Himself.

Darrell Johnson and Jason Ballard sit down and have a conversation on finding joy during this Christmas season, and navigating burnout and the emotional lows of ministry.

Darrell leans into Genesis 2:16-17 where God prohibits man from eating from the tree of knowledge of good & evil. Darrell shares a number of clarifications on this passage that I found so helpful. He sets out to say in this sermon that there really is only one command in Scripture and that all other commands are a variation on the theme. The theme being this: "God will be God, you and I are the creature. Live in dependence on Him – and we will have life."

In this sermon, Darrell explores the greatest question we have to ask as humans: Will we trust God? Darrell highlights how this temptation was first faced by Eve in Genesis 3 when the serpent came to her and questioned what God had said. His goal was to make her question the goodness of God, and it worked. Instead of trusting God, Eve and Adam chose to trust in themselves. Darrell warns us that we can too easily fall prey to the same temptations, to think we can live independently from God, but that this ultimately leads to hurt, brokenness, sin, and death. God, however, sent Jesus as the ultimate display of His goodness and through His life, death, and resurrection, our trust in God brings us back into right relationship with Him.