The Journey Church Houston Podcast

Genesis 28 | Unexpected Grace: Jacob's Dream at Bethel

What kind of God meets us in our wandering, even when we’re not looking for Him?
In Genesis 28, Jacob is running for his life when he unexpectedly encounters the grace of God in a dream at Bethel. In this message, Pastor Mace Perez explores three powerful truths about God’s grace: it initiates, it confounds, and it transforms. You’ll hear how this ancient story still speaks to our struggles today, especially when we’re broken, tired, or trying to put the pieces of life back together.
Whether you're exploring faith or following Jesus, this episode will encourage you to stop running, stop striving, and start resting in the Rock, Christ Himself.
💡 For more information or to plan a visit, head to www.thejourneyhouston.org

Genesis 27 | Blessed in the Brokenness

In Genesis 27, we witness one of the most dysfunctional family moments in the Bible. Deception, favoritism, sibling rivalry, and misplaced trust.
And yet, in the middle of all the chaos, God’s sovereign grace shines through. He doesn’t bless the worthy. He blesses because He chooses to love, even when we are at our worst.
In this sermon, Pastor Steven Hiller unpacks how God preserved His promise through the brokenness of Isaac’s family and how that same grace is extended to us today. If you’ve ever felt like a failure, like you don’t have it all together, or like you’ve missed your chance with God, this message is for you. God doesn't wait for us to be perfect. He blesses us in our brokenness.
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Genesis 26 | Isaac's Failures, the Lord's Faithfulness

What do you do when your best isn’t enough?
Life is a lot like baseball. Full of wins and strikeouts, success and failure.
In Genesis 26, we watch Isaac get it right one moment … and completely blow it the next. But what’s more surprising than Isaac’s inconsistency is how God responds: not with rejection, but with grace.
This sermon from Pastor Mace Perez explores the story of Isaac’s success, sin, and the unshakable faithfulness of God.
Whether you’re trying to follow God but keep falling short, or you're not even sure what you believe, this passage offers honest hope for people who are tired of trying to measure up.
🔑 In this message, you’ll discover: - Why failure isn’t the end of your story - The difference between proximity to God’s promises and surrender to them - What it means to “fail forward” in the Christian life - Why Jesus is our only hope, when we succeed and when we stumble
🕊️ Looking for a place to explore faith or grow in grace? Join us for worship on Sundays at 10:30 AM 📍 1703 Heights Blvd., Houston, TX 77008
We’d love to meet you and walk with you as we discover the truth, goodness, and beauty of the Christian Story.
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🌐 Learn more at www.thejourneyhouston.org

Genesis 25 | From Abraham to Jacob: Promise vs. Performance

Are you what you repeatedly do? Or is there a better way to define who you are?
In Genesis 25, we see a shift in the story of redemption: from Abraham, who finishes his race in faith, to Jacob, who’s just beginning his journey.
Jacob wants the right thing, the blessing, but he goes after it the wrong way. He trusts in his schemes instead of God’s promise.
That tension between promise and performance is still alive in us today. In a culture where your value is often measured by what you do, how much you produce, or how you compare, the gospel tells a different story: your worth doesn’t come from your performance but from God's promise in Christ.
If this message encourages you, please rate, review, subscribe, and share to help us reach more people with the truth, goodness, and beauty of the Christian Story.
Join us Sundays at 10:30 AM 📍 1703 Heights Blvd., Houston, TX 77008
For more info, visit: www.thejourneyhouston.org

Genesis 24 | The Steadfast Faithfulness of GOd

In this message from Genesis 24, Pastor Steven unpacks the remarkable story of how God’s hesed—His steadfast, covenant-keeping love—is on display in the search for a wife for Isaac. As Abraham’s life draws to a close, God’s promises of land, offspring, and blessing continue to unfold—not through flashy miracles, but through His quiet, providential guidance. From Rebekah’s perfectly timed arrival at the well to her courageous “yes” to the unknown, every detail reveals a God who is never absent, never indifferent. If you’re in a season of waiting or wondering where God is, this story reminds us: God is not lazy—He’s lovingly at work in the details.
If this message encouraged you, make sure to subscribe, leave a rating and review, and share it with someone who might need to hear it. For more resources or to connect with our church family, visit www.thejourneyhouston.org.

Hebrews 12:1-3 | Jesus the Unrivaled Hope

"Now it is your turn." These can be five of the most thrilling and terrifying words a person can hear. When the moment comes where God says, "It is your turn", what hope will help us follow in the footsteps of the great cloud of witnesses in Hebrews 12? Pastor Russell Cravens, our guest preacher from one of our sending churches, Neartown Church in Houston, TX, shares in his message today that we can trust in Jesus, our Unrivaled Hope.

Genesis 23 | The Grave and the Promise

Why does death feel so wrong—even when we know it’s inevitable? In this powerful sermon from Genesis 23, we explore the deep and ancient tension between death and hope. From Homer’s Iliad to the promises of Scripture, humanity has always asked: Is this life all there is? Join us as we look at the death of Sarah, the wife of Abraham, and uncover how this moment is far more than tragic—it's filled with profound hope in the resurrection. Abraham’s choice to bury his wife in the Promised Land is not just a cultural act; it’s a bold declaration of faith in God’s future promises and the bodily resurrection of the dead.

Genesis 22 | The Sacrifice of Isaac: The Lord Will Provide

Is God cruel to ask Abraham to sacrifice Isaac? Why would Abraham be willing to go through with it? 
In this sermon from Genesis 22, Pastor Mace Perez guides us as we wrestle with one of the most jarring and misunderstood stories in the Bible. In it, we find not a picture of cruelty, but a powerful portrait of trust, surrender, and divine provision.
Richard Dawkins once called this story “disgraceful,” a tale of child abuse and blind obedience. But a closer look reveals a God who isn’t demanding something He isn’t also willing to give and a man who has finally learned to trust Him fully.
📖 We’ll walk through:
God’s purpose in testing Abraham’s faith, not to trap him, but to reveal and grow his trust.
Abraham’s radical obedience and belief that God could even raise the dead (Hebrews 11).
How this story points us forward to Jesus, the true and better Son, the ultimate substitute.
💡 Big takeaway: Because The Lord will provide, we can live lives of radical trust and surrender, lives that don’t make sense apart from the gospel.
Whether you’re wrestling with faith, struggling to trust God in a hard season, or just curious about why this story matters, this message is for you.
👍If this message encourages you in your spiritual journey, please rate, review , subscribe, and share.
Discover more at www.thejourneyhouston.org

How to Read the Bible | Session 13: Review & New Testament Prophecy (Revelation)

How to Read the Bible |  Session 13: Review & New Testament Prophecy (Revelation)
Welcome to the final session of How to Read the Bible! In this closing class, we begin with a review of everything we've covered, from understanding the Bible as a unified literary work to learning how to interpret its various genres. And then we turn our attention to the final genre: New Testament Prophecy, specifically the Book of Revelation.
Revelation is not primarily about decoding modern headlines. It's about faithful endurance in light of God's ultimate victory.
In this session, we explore:
What Revelation is – A prophecy in the form of a letter with a vision
How to Read It – Using context, Old Testament allusions, and John's own structure (Rev. 1:19)
How to Interpret Symbols – Like the Son of Man (Rev. 1:13–16; Daniel 7)
Why Revelation Matters – It’s the resolution of the biblical story: a return to the Garden and the full realization of God's Kingdom.
Key Takeaways:
Revelation is the resolution of the Christian Story.
Don't read Revelation in isolation from the rest of the Bible.
Interpret the symbols in light of Scripture, not speculation.
Look for the big story: God’s promises fulfilled, evil defeated, and God dwelling with His people forever.
Stay tuned for future classes, like “The Story of the Bible” where we’ll dive deeper into how Revelation fits into the grand narrative of Scripture!
If you found this content helpful and encouraging, please rate, review, subscribe, and share.
For more information, check out www.thejourneyhouston.org

Genesis 21 | The Birth of Isaac: Great is Thy Faithfulness

Who can you trust?
In a world where trust is declining, where broken promises by parents, friends, or spouses leave us feeling anxious, alone, and exhausted, the story of Isaac’s birth in Genesis 21 reminds us of a powerful truth: God always keeps His promises.
In this sermon, Pastor Mace walks us through Genesis 21 to show how: ➡️ The Lord faithfully provides the promised seed (Isaac) ➡️ The Lord faithfully protects the promised seed from threats ➡️ The Lord faithfully grants Abraham legal claim in the Promised Land
Through every obstacle, old age, barrenness, human failure, God remains true to His word. He turns sorrow into laughter, doubt into joy, and waiting into fulfillment.
Like Abraham, who waited 25 years for Isaac, and like Israel, who waited 400 years for deliverance, we too can find strength in God’s unwavering faithfulness. His greatest promise fulfilled? Jesus, who lived, died, rose again, and will return to make all things new.
If you are encouraged by this content, please rate, review, subscribe, and share.
Learn more at www.thejourneyhouston.org.