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Episode Title: The Blessed Life | Foundations of the Kingdom, Week 1

Scripture: Matthew 5:1-12

Description: What if everything our culture told us about success, happiness, and the good life was actually backwards?

In the first message of our brand new series Foundations of the Kingdom, we're diving into the Sermon on the Mount—the most famous teaching Jesus ever gave. And it starts with a word that changes everything: blessed.

In this episode, we explore:

• What the Greek word makarios really means (and why "happy" doesn't cut it)
• Why Jesus's vision of blessing scandalized his first-century audience—and should still scandalize us today
• How the Beatitudes aren't a self-improvement checklist but a portrait of Jesus himself
• What it means to be "poor in spirit" and why that's actually the best news you'll hear all week

The blessed life isn't about achieving more. It's about becoming like Jesus through apprenticeship to him. And the door is open to anyone willing to admit they need him.

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We're terrible at being still. We check our phones 96 times a day. We're drowning in news cycles, political division, and anxiety about the next disaster. The earth feels like it's shaking—literally and figuratively.

But what if God's invitation to "be still" isn't about bubble baths and candles? What if it's a radical call to drop our weapons and trust that He's got this?

In this episode, we walk through all of Psalm 46—not just the famous verse 10—and discover what it actually means to be still when your world is falling apart. We'll connect it to the moment Jesus calmed the storm in Mark 4, and get practical about what stillness looks like in 2026.

This isn't about doing less. It's about trusting more.

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📖 SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
• Psalm 46 (focus on verse 10)
• Mark 4:35-41

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💡 IN THIS EPISODE, YOU'LL DISCOVER:

• Why "be still" (rapha) literally means "cease striving" or "drop your weapons"—it's military language, not relaxation advice

• How the psalm acknowledges real chaos (earth giving way, mountains falling) before calling us to stillness

• Why God doesn't always calm the storm around you, but He's always present with you in the storm

• The difference between stillness and passivity—you can work for justice without carrying the weight of the whole world

• Practical ways to practice presence in a culture of constant distraction

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🎯 PRACTICAL CHALLENGES FROM THIS MESSAGE:

• Practice 10 minutes of daily silence and solitude
• Keep a sabbath—even when there's a lot happening in the news
• Put your phone in another room when you pray
• Set boundaries with the news cycle
• Choose one day a week without social media or political content

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❓ REFLECTION QUESTIONS:

1. What's your chaos right now? Where does it feel like the earth is giving way?
2. Where are you trying to control things you can't control?
3. What would it look like for you to "drop your weapons" and trust God this week?
4. What's one practical step you can take toward stillness?

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Overflow: When You're So Full, You Can't Help But Spill

Have you ever tried to pour from an empty cup? That's what so many of us are doing spiritually - trying to be patient when we're full of frustration, trying to love people when we're running on empty.

Jesus promises something different: "Rivers of living water will flow from within them." (John 7:38)

Not a trickle. Rivers.In this message, Pastor Ty unpacks what it means to overflow naturally instead of forcing it through willpower.

Main Idea: You can't force overflow - you can only stay filled.

📖 John 7:37-39 | Luke 6:45 | Acts 1:8 | 1 Corinthians 12:4-6

This is Week 4 of our FILLED series on living in the presence of God.

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FILLED Series - Week 3

You wake up tired. You go to bed tired. And somewhere in between, you're checking off tasks, meeting deadlines, serving at church, trying to pray, trying to read your Bible—trying to do all the things. And here's what's wild: you can be doing all the right things and still miss the one thing that matters most.

In this episode, we're sitting with the story of Mary and Martha—but not the way you've heard it before. This isn't just about two sisters with different personalities. It's about all of us who've confused busyness for faithfulness, who've turned worship into work, who are exhausted from performing for a God who just wants our presence.

In This Episode:

• Why Martha's good intentions weren't the problem—and what was
• How serving God can actually keep you from knowing God
• The counter-cultural power of choosing rest in a performance-driven world
• What Jesus really meant when He said "come to me and I'll give you rest"
• The uncomfortable question: Are you serving God or knowing God?

Key Scriptures We Explore: Luke 10:38-42 | Psalm 46:10 | Matthew 11:28-30 | 1 Samuel 16:7 | Hosea 6:6

This Week's Challenge: Take a Sabbath—a full day where you cease striving and simply receive God's presence. No work. No productivity. Just you and God.

If you're running on empty while working for God, if you're wondering why all your service hasn't brought you closer to Him, this episode is for you. Because God isn't impressed by your performance. But He is moved by your presence.

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We're on day 14 of our 21 Days of Prayer at Living Free Church, and this message couldn't come at a better time.

You know that feeling when you have an incredible encounter with God—maybe in worship, maybe during prayer—and you feel so full, so alive, so connected? And then a few days later, you're running on spiritual fumes wondering where He went?

That's what this message is all about.

Pastor Ty unpacks Ephesians 5:18 and the often-overlooked truth that being "filled with the Spirit" isn't a one-time event—it's a continual posture. It's not about having one powerful experience and coasting on that for the rest of your life. It's about learning to stay full.

We explore:

• Why the grammar of Ephesians 5:18 changes everything
• The four things that cause us to leak spiritually (and how to identify them in your own life)
• What actually fills us and keeps us connected to the Source
• How to build sustainable rhythms of presence that outlast the 21 days

If you've ever felt close to God on Sunday but empty by Wednesday, this episode is for you.

About This Series: "FILLED: Living in the Presence of God" is our January 2026 sermon series exploring what it means to not just experience God's presence once, but to sustain a life marked by His continual filling.

Key Scripture: Ephesians 5:18 - "Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit."

The Big Idea: Being filled with the Spirit is a lifestyle, not an event. You can't stay full on yesterday's encounter. This is about building rhythms that sustain you long after the mountaintop moments fade.

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What happens when God's presence actually shows up? Not in theory, not in a worship lyric, but really, tangibly, undeniably fills a space?

In this message, we explore the moment when Solomon dedicated the Temple and God's glory showed up so powerfully that the priests couldn't even stand to do their jobs. Drawing from 1 Kings 8 and 2 Chronicles 5, we discover three things that had to happen before the glory came: they built something beautiful, they came together in unity, and they surrendered control.

We're seven days into a 21-day journey of prayer, and this sermon is a call to keep pressing in. To prepare our hearts, not just our buildings. To create space for God to move in ways we can't predict or control. Because the truth is, we've gotten comfortable with a version of church that's manageable, predictable, and safe. But when God's presence really shows up, it disrupts everything.

This is Week 1 of our "FILLED: Living in the Presence of God" series, and it's an invitation to stop just working for God and start being with God. To remember that we are the temple now, individually and collectively, and God wants to fill us with the same glory that filled Solomon's Temple.

Whether you're faithful in the 21 days or just jumping in, this message will challenge you to ask: What am I building? Am I contributing to unity? And am I ready for God to show up, even if it wrecks my plans?

Scripture References: 1 Kings 8:1-11, 2 Chronicles 5:11-14, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, Ephesians 2:21-22

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Away in a Manger: The Baby That Broke Your Chains

We've sanitized Christmas. Turned it into hallmark cards, pretty lights, and "Away in a Manger" sung softly. But that manger wasn't just a baby's crib—it was ground zero for the greatest rescue mission in history.

In this unapologetic Christmas message, Pastor Ty walks through the real story of the manger: a Savior born with one mission—to live, die, and defeat death itself so you could walk in victory. But here's the problem: we've gotten so distracted by the wrapping that we've missed the gift. We celebrate Jesus once a year but live in bondage the other 364 days.

This sermon confronts the distractions keeping you from experiencing the freedom Christ died to give you. It's a prophetic call to stop settling for defeat when Jesus already purchased your victory. With a challenging altar call and a jaw-dropping closing illustration, this message will make you rethink everything you thought you knew about Christmas.

Key Themes: Victory in Christ | Freedom from sin | Christmas | The Cross | Spiritual warfare | Repentance | Breaking chains

Perfect for: Anyone who's tired of surface-level Christianity and ready to walk in the freedom Jesus promised.

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Series: Waiting in the Dark - When God's Timing Feels Like God's Silence

What if the Christmas we've created has almost nothing to do with the story we're supposed to be telling?

We've turned Advent into a countdown to a holiday—complete with nostalgia, family gatherings, and the perfect Instagram aesthetic. But the first Advent? It wasn't cozy. It wasn't magical. It was disruptive, uncomfortable, and even a little terrifying.

In this first message of our Advent series, we dive into the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth, a faithful couple who prayed for decades and heard nothing but silence. Their story teaches us something countercultural: Advent isn't about celebrating the light. It's about learning to wait in the dark. It's about trusting God's timing when His timing feels like His silence.

If you've ever felt forgotten by God, if you've prayed faithfully and received nothing but quiet, if you're exhausted from waiting for breakthrough that never seems to come, this message is for you. Because maybe the disruption of Advent isn't just about God breaking into history 2,000 years ago. Maybe it's about God breaking into your life right now.

This isn't a message about forcing Christmas cheer. It's an invitation to sit honestly in the tension, to name the darkness, and to discover that God is present even when He feels silent.

Scripture: Luke 1:5-25

Subscribe to stay connected with our Advent series "Waiting in the Dark" as we explore what it means to trust God when His timing doesn't match our expectations.