Springhouse Church Sermons

How can we truly hear and follow Jesus in a world of competing voices and spiritual blindness? The Good Shepherd’s call demands more than acknowledgement. It requires radical obedience and humility in recognizing our ongoing need for grace. Rooted in John 9–10, Pastor Jonathan explores the deep divide between those who claim to see and those humble enough to admit their blindness. With vivid imagery and personal stories, this message confronts our resistance to spiritual “shearing” and the struggle to trust God’s voice over self-reliance or cultural noise. The difference between the empty rules of the Pharisee and the tender tending of the Shepherd is not just doctrinal but profoundly practical and eternal. Scriptures Referenced Ezekiel 34:1-11; Matthew 7:1-5, 23:1-4; John 1:35-37, 9:11, 9:17, 9:30-33, 9:35-10:16, 19:14-15; 20:30-31; Acts 26:17-18 Key Insights Responding to the Shepherd’s Voice: Only those who know their need and recognize the Shepherd truly follow, while others remain weighed down by sin and pride. Blindness and Spiritual Sight: The journey from spiritual blindness to believing worshiper mirrors our lifelong process of surrender and transformation. Biblical Discipleship vs. Legalism: True correction flows from compassion and shared need, not self-righteous burdening; we are all beggars in need of the Shepherd’s bread. Key Sections 00:00:00 | Welcome and Announcements Pastor Barbie shares what's coming up over the next few weeks. 00:01:37 | Beholding That Moves Us Pastor Jonathan introduces the biblical meaning of “behold,” noticing Christ in ways that demand a personal, embodied response. 00:04:53 | Beholding and Consequences See how encountering Jesus provokes either transformation or rejection. 00:07:22 | Obstacles to True Sight The healed blind man and the Pharisees reveal the barriers: pride and comfort with spiritual blindness. 00:10:05 | Blindness and Ongoing Need Sheep (and people) persistently require tending and are easily led astray or burdened by sin. 00:17:53 | The Cost and Joy of Following Obedience is challenged by the allure of other voices and desires; real satisfaction is only found in trusting Jesus. 00:26:21 | Discipleship, Sin, and Community The dangers of isolation, legalism, and misunderstanding true holiness are addressed, with a call for authentic fellowship. 00:32:17 | The Voice of Compassionate Correction Contrasting self-righteousness with humble, compassionate discipleship that always points to the Bread of Life, not just hunger. 00:35:21 | Held by the Good Shepherd Jesus, as the Good Shepherd, lays down His life and unites His flock; our belonging does not rest on self-effort but His grace and sacrifice. https://springhouse.captivate.fm/episode/good-shepherd Subscribe & Follow the Podcast Download our app Our Website Online Tithes & Offerings Join our Livestream Gathering Times Sundays, 9:00 AM Sundays, 11:00 AM Wednesdays, 6:00 PM Contact Info Springhouse Church 14119 Old Nashville Highway Smyrna TN 37167 615-459-3421 CCLI License 2070006

Fixing our gaze is not just a challenge in a scrolling, fractured culture. It's a spiritual battleground with life-altering stakes. As believers, we are called to anchor our hearts on Christ in a world of seemingly endless rubble, lost dreams, distraction, and shifting priorities. Pastor Barbie shares how our focus shapes our devotion, identity, and capacity for peace. She urges us to move from surviving the ashes to beholding the significance of the cross, the person of Jesus, and the hope that outlives the fleeting trials of today. The secret is not in trying harder but in learning to see again. Scriptures Referenced Hebrews 12:1-3; Isaiah 26:3, Nehemiah 4:10, Matthew 6:21; John 1:29; 2 Corinthians 4:18 Key Insights The Battle for Focus: A distracted heart is easily derailed, but fixing your gaze on Jesus realigns your life and restores your peace. From Ashes to Beauty: Even in seasons of loss or failure, God specializes in bringing beauty out of what looks ruined—if we dare to trust Him. The Power of Beholding: We become like what we continually behold. True awe, worship, and perseverance come when we stop, see, and savor what God is truly doing. Key Sections 00:00:00 | The Everyday Battle for Attention Oh, how quickly our thoughts spiral, and why focus matters. 00:04:09 | What Captures Your Mind Captures Your Heart How fixation births devotion and shapes the course of our lives. 00:05:09 | The Gift of Perseverance A deep dive into the call to fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of faith. 00:08:02 | The Oldest Temptation Adam and Eve’s story reveals the perennial fight for focus and why the enemy wants to hijack our gaze. 00:10:23 | Linked Arms The importance of unity, intergenerational strength, and keeping our eyes on the trustworthy guide. 00:14:48 | Peace, Trust, and the Rubble of Life Explores how true peace is anchored in trust, not circumstances, especially in seasons of ashes and rebuilding. 00:19:05 | The Work of Rebuilding Parallels between ancient Israel’s broken walls and our modern life struggles show our need for community and right focus. 00:25:03 | Recovering Awe and the Sacred Pause Examine the biblical command to behold, warning against the loss of awe and the dangers of spiritual numbing. 00:32:56 | Replacing Lies with Truth Practical steps to renew the mind, receive peace, and move from spectator to worshipper as a unified body. https://springhouse.captivate.fm/episode/fix-consider-behold Subscribe & Follow the Podcast Download our app Our Website Online Tithes & Offerings Join our Livestream Gathering Times Sundays, 9:00 AM Sundays, 11:00 AM Wednesdays, 6:00 PM Contact Info Springhouse Church 14119 Old Nashville Highway Smyrna TN 37167 615-459-3421 CCLI License 2070006

We all long for belonging, but too often faith communities fracture over personal convictions, preferences, or cultural issues. Ephesians 4:1-6 presents a deeper challenge: What does it actually mean to live a life worthy of God’s call, especially when differences divide us? Pastor Ronnie reveals that unity is not mere agreement, but a Spirit-built reality marked by humility, gentleness, patience, and radical love. Drawing from the true meaning of “koinonia,” he exposes the limits of outward religion and invites us to cultivate authentic fellowship anchored in Christ. The invitation: check our judgment at the door, bear with one another in love, and experience a kingdom life that brings heaven’s blessings to earth. Scriptures Referenced Ephesians 4:1-6 (NIV), Colossians 2:2-3 (NIV), John 17:3, 21-23 (NIV), Psalm 133 (NIV), Romans 14 (NIV), 1 Corinthians 13 (NIV), Colossians 3:1-2 (NIV), Proverbs 6:19 (NIV) Key Insights Unity Over Uniformity: Biblical unity does not demand total agreement, but Spirit-empowered connection even amidst sharp differences. Essential vs. Important: Distinguishing non-negotiable core truths from personal convictions prevents us from burdening others or fracturing fellowship. Practical Kingdom Living: Real Christian maturity means choosing humility, setting our minds on things above, and refusing to pass judgment so Christ’s love shines to the world. Key Sections 00:00:00 | When God Speaks in Silence Pastor Barbie describes sacred spaces in worship and invites listeners to seek God’s voice in quiet moments. 00:03:11 | Announcements Plans shift from Halloween activities to a new focus on true fellowship with Family Fest. 00:05:02 | What is Worldliness? Pastor Ronnie discusses common misconceptions about Christian living that emphasize external appearances rather than genuine kingdom character. 00:13:29 | From Outward Rules to Inward Reality Moving beyond “do nots” to the positive, Spirit-formed life shaped by doing what God calls us to. 00:17:13 | Koinonia: A Deeper Kind of Fellowship Exploring authentic, Christ-centered community beyond superficial connections or shared interests. 00:22:45 | The Heart of a Life Worthy Ephesians 4 lays out practical instructions: humility, gentleness, patience, and unity, rather than judgment or division. 00:26:55 | The High Cost of Disunity Unity is “foolishly underrated” and often sacrificed for lesser concerns, but actually the channel of God’s richest blessings. 00:32:23 | Essential, Important, or Personal? How to hold personal convictions and essentials rightly without imposing or dividing. 00:43:29 | Set Your Mind on Things Above The hope and healing of heaven become reality on earth as we practice humility, patience, and unity—bearing with one another in love. https://springhouse.captivate.fm/episode/a-life-worthy Subscribe & Follow the Podcast Download our app Our Website Online Tithes & Offerings Join our Livestream Gathering Times Sundays, 9:00 AM Sundays, 11:00 AM Wednesdays, 6:00 PM Contact Info Springhouse Church 14119 Old Nashville Highway Smyrna TN 37167 615-459-3421 CCLI License 2070006

When life grows noisy or uncertain, how does a believer discern the voice of God? Many seek soft guidance, but sometimes God intervenes with a roar -a holy disruption, demanding attention and orienting our hearts. Drawing from Scripture and practical experience, Pastor Barbie shares how God communicates in both gentle whispers and unignorable roars. Just as a lion’s roar signals presence and authority, God’s voice resonates through creation, convicts without condemning, and assures His people of victory and belonging. Get ready to tune your spiritual ears not only to the subtle, but also to the powerful moments when God asserts His dominion and calls His family home. Scriptures Referenced Psalm 2:4, 8:3, 19:1-4; Proverbs 30:30; Isaiah 30:21, 43:1; Amos 3:8; Hosea 11:10; Micah 6:2; Luke 19:40; John 19:30; Romans 1:20, 8:22; Hebrews 5:13; Revelation 5:1-6, 19:6-9a Key Insights 3 Kinds of Roars: Not every roar is the same. Sometimes a roar comforts and sometimes it confronts. Distinguishing the Roar: Simple ways to tell apart God’s guidance and the enemy’s guilt; seeing the lion’s roar as a sign, a guide, and care. Responding to Authority and Victory: Why God’s authoritative “roar” always leaves space for repentance, comfort, and alignment—and how believers can live from a place of Christ’s finished victory. Key Sections 00:00:00 | The Faithfulness and Worthiness of God Declaring God’s unchanging goodness and our sole foundation. 00:02:32 | Learning to Discern His Voice Hearing God in various ways—even through creation and especially through the Bible. 00:04:05 | God in the Everyday and Creation God’s fingerprints show up in ordinary moments and the natural world. 00:07:26 | When God Roars Like a Lion Introducing the scriptural motif of the lion’s roar and its spiritual meaning. 00:10:43 | The Roar as Family Communication God calls His people into alignment, assurance, and instruction through His voice—just as a lion gathers its pride. 00:17:27 | Dominion, Warning, and Protection Exploring how God’s roar establishes territory, warns His people, and marks boundaries against spiritual threat. 00:23:33 | The Roar of Final Victory Victory is not just future but present—Christ’s finished work resonates as a triumphant roar to all who listen. 00:28:19 | Worship and Response Invitation to worship as the right response to hearing and recognizing God’s powerful, loving voice. https://springhouse.captivate.fm/episode/discerning-his-voice-when-he-roars Subscribe & Follow the Podcast Download our app Our Website Online Tithes & Offerings Join our Livestream Gathering Times Sundays, 9:00 AM Sundays, 11:00 AM Wednesdays, 6:00 PM Contact Info Springhouse Church 14119 Old Nashville Highway Smyrna TN 37167 615-459-3421 CCLI License 2070006

Does knowing about God replace truly knowing Him? Many believers choose security or ritual over a vibrant relationship, mistaking religion for the voice of the Good Shepherd. The ache to recognize God's leading collides with the noise of our instincts, reason, and emotion. Pastor Ronnie uses John 10 to question common beliefs about being saved. He explains that Jesus' death is more than just escaping hell; it allows us to be close to God. Distilled through vivid personal Through clear personal stories and honest thinking, a key truth comes out: we can't go where we haven't learned to listen, and hearing the Shepherd's voice brings lasting rewards and true peace.way from formulas and toward humble, obedient relationship. Scriptures Referenced 1 Samuel 3:1-21; Psalm 119:10-11; Proverbs 14:12; Isaiah 55:8; Jeremiah 17:9; Matthew 25:40 & 45; John 3:16, 10:4-5, 13:34; 17:3; 2 Corinthians 11:14-15 Key Insights Why avoiding hell is not the highest reason for salvation: Eternal life is defined by knowing God, not just by living forever or religious activity. How to actually discern God’s voice: Listening is a posture cultivated by doing what we already know, not by trusting feelings, instincts, or clever reasoning. The weight and joy of obedience: Responding to what God says carries responsibility and reward—hearing leads to following, and following leads to transformation. Key Sections 00:00:00 | Welcome and Announcements Barbie Loflin expresses deep gratitude for the spiritual leaders present and introduces the focus on discerning the voice of the Lord. 00:06:21 | What Does It Mean to Be Saved? Ronnie Meek shares how salvation is not just being spared from hell but entering into a relationship where we truly know God. 00:12:23 | The Value of Hearing God’s Voice Ronnie Meek explains that knowing and hearing God’s voice is more precious than gold and gives believers confidence and direction for life. 00:23:40 | How NOT to Discern God’s Voice Ronnie Meek warns against relying on instinct, emotions, or human reasoning to discern God’s voice, reminding listeners these can lead astray. 00:27:31 | How TO Discern God’s Voice Ronnie Meek encourages cultivating openness, attention, and personal relationship, drawing from biblical examples like Moses, Elijah, and Paul. 00:36:10 | Learning to Hear God’s Voice Ronnie Meek emphasizes starting with simple obedience to God’s clear commands, especially loving others, in order to grow in recognizing and following His voice. https://springhouse.captivate.fm/episode/follow-my-voice Subscribe & Follow the Podcast Download our app Our Website Online Tithes & Offerings Join our Livestream Gathering Times Sundays, 9:00 AM Sundays, 11:00 AM Wednesdays, 6:00 PM Contact Info Springhouse Church 14119 Old Nashville Highway Smyrna TN 37167 615-459-3421 CCLI License 2070006