I Am Not Ashamed & I Will Not Be Afraid
Who do you say I am? We talked Sunday that answering this question provides a basis for answering all the other questions in life. Thus, it is key that we answer the question of Jesus identity correctly and come to the conclusion that he is our Savior and Lord. As ambassadors, which we talked about yesterday, we are called to help others come to this important conclusion as well. What gets in the way of this though many times? That’s…
Letting Jesus’ Identity Affect Us for the Gospel (Mark 8)
Sunday we talked about being on a continual quest as disciples to understand the identity of Jesus more each day. That knowledge of his identity as we live in relationship with him should have an impact on our own person. We explore briefly what him being our Savior and Lord means for our lives. Let’s continue that discussion today and letting the identity of Jesus affect our person. “Who Do You Say I Am?” – April 10, 2022 Sermon (Palm…
Understanding Prayer – Jas 4
In place of a vlog that I would put together, I encourage you to watch these helpful thoughts on prayer from James 4. These pastors not only expound on the text but encourage us to think deeper on this subject. May you be challenged and encouraged by this today!
How Do We Deal with Selfishness within Us? (Jas 4)
Selfishness. It is the cause of so much of the conflict and quarrels that James writes about and that we see throughout not only our world but often closer to home as well. The Scriptures tells us that it is in direct contrast to love, becomes an idol in our lives, and removes God from his pinnacle place in our lives. How then do we deal with selfishness within us? We’re exploring that question and the subject generally today. Thanks…
How Do We Evaluate Our Motives? (Jas 4)
James writes in 4:3 – “You ask and do not receive because you ask wrongly, so you can spend it on your passions” (NET). Motives. That’s what James hits here. We often question other people’s motives. James calls us to question, or rather evaluate our own. How do we do that? That’s what we’re exploring today. Thanks for watching! “War Is Not Just Between Countries” (Jas 4:1-3) CCLI Streaming License # 20229783
Affections Expose Wisdom (James 3)
What does a life without the wisdom of God look like? While we get a taste of that in James 3:16, the Apostle Paul gives us a further description of what this looks like. The Apostle Paul makes it clear, and James hints at it, that our wisdom affects the way we life and ultimately reveals our affections. Or you might say that our affections expose which type of wisdom we are truly following. Thanks for watching! “Heavenly vs. Earthly…
Alleviating Skepticism with Wisdom (Jas 3)
I was reading an article today talking about skepticism toward Christianity. While there were several reasons for that skepticism, one of them dealt specifically with what we have been talking about in James 3. And wisdom is the key to resolving this matter. Thanks for watching! “Heavenly vs. Earthly Wisdom” (Jas 3:13-18) CCLI Streaming License # 20229783
THE IMPACT OF LANGUAGE (JAS 3)
The tongue is quite the instrument. It has propelled people to greatness through gentle and continual encouragement or it has ripped to people to shred and rocked them to their core so that they are unsure of themselves and living in constant fear. What a gift we have been given by God! May we use it wisely as James encourages. Today we’re looking at its wise use and the impact of our words. Thanks for watching! “The Janus-faced Tongue” (Jas…
A FARMER FARMS… (JAS 2:14-26)
A farmer farms and all that the word and profession entails. A Christian…well we have often redefined what it means to be a Christian, the ramifications of having a relationship with Jesus Christ as our Savior. I’m not speaking our of turn or critically. James calls us to make our internal reality evidenced externally. Spend some time alone with God today explore this crucial passage and all its applications for our present life. Thanks for watching! “Faith: Visible or Invisible?”…
WHERE’S THE BEEF? – FORGIVENESS (JAS 2:14-26)
Where’s the beef? It’s from the old Wendy’s commercial. James essentially asks that question as he talks about faith and works. He isn’t speaking about salvation but evidence of our faith in Christ. One of the crucial aspects of this subject regards relationships and within that forgiveness. Forgiveness is evidence of our abiding in Christ and submission to the Spirit’s work in our lives. Thanks for watching! “Faith: Visible or Invisible?” – Jas 2:14-26 CCLI Streaming License # 20229783
FAVORITISM & PREJUDICE (JAMES 2)
The issue of racism is connected to a deeper issue of prejudice which has plagued humanity for thousands of years. Prejudice has not been shown to just one group of people as we commonly think of in our U.S. context. Through the centuries various groups have been show prejudice like the Jews and the Roma people. Amidst all the solutions offered by society, none seems to truly solve the issue. What can be done? What real solutions are there? That’s…
Speak & Act (Jas 2:12)
Due to time, I was unable to finish my portion of text from James 2 on Sunday. See the link below for that sermon. Today, let’s look at James 2:12. James talks about the subject of judgment which has a bad flavor in the mouth of many people today but an irrefutable doctrine on the Bible. What is so important about it for our lives as Christians? Thanks for watching. “The Plague of Partiality” (Jas 2:1-13)
RIGHTEOUS ANGER (PART 2)
Both the Apostle Paul and James warn us about anger. Their commands and exhortations join a host of others we find in Scripture. These lumped together remind us of the dangers of anger as it is exhibited by sinful flesh. It has destroyed families and friends, even nations. Yet, Paul and James both appear to leave room for righteous anger. Because we are prone to just the opposite, we must clearly understand what it is and what it looks like.…
RIGHTEOUS ANGER (PART 1)
Both the Apostle Paul and James warn us about anger. Their commands and exhortations join a host of others we find in Scripture. These lumped together remind us of the dangers of anger as it is exhibited by sinful flesh. It has destroyed families and friends, even nations. Yet, Paul and James both appear to leave room for righteous anger. Because we are prone to just the opposite, we must clearly understand what it is and what it looks like.…
THE TRACKS, THE CARS, THE LOCOMOTIVE
James calls us to be “doers of the Word.” Using the analogy of a train track as a comparison to the Word, the train finds the greatest freedom on the track. Despite what our world thinks, freedom truly found in Christ and in obedience to the Word. But the train gets nowhere without an imporant part of the train. We’re exploring that today in relation to the Christian life. Thanks for watching! “Listen & Live It” – Jas 1:22-27 (February…
THE BENEFIT OF THE LAW AS DOERS OF THE WORD
Sunday we talked about being “doers of the Word”. And as we think about obedience to the Word, that obedience is not directed solely toward what we find in the New Testament. There are many commands and principles that the New Testament highlights and confirms from the Old Testament. So the Law has value even for us today because it reveals to us who God is. Despite the thoughts that the Word is archaic or for a different time, a…
CHANGE IN LANGUAGE MEANS DESTRUCTION OF SCRIPTURE
I have been recently inundated with a number of articles and segments speaking about a desire to change the language of Scripture in reference to God. The proposal is to move from using the masculine “he” to refer to God (as we see in Scripture) to using the word “they.” It is a language shift being suggested in our schools as well. What significance would such a shift have on Scripture, beliefs, and the Christian faith? We’re exploring that today.…
GOD DOES NOT CHANGE. AND THAT’S IMPORTANT. (JAMES 1:17)
James 1:17 is one of my favorite verses because it highlights an essential doctrine of the character of God. As I think on this, I am finding more and more examples all the time of how the secular world and even those within the Christian community are attempting to erode this crucial doctrine. What is it? And why is it important? We’re exploring that today!
DEALING WITH TEMPTATION. AVOIDING SIN.
We all struggle with various temptations and wonder if there is a way to avoid sin. Today we are looking at some practical tips and passages of Scripture that focus on just that. And in addition to all of that, we’ll explore the key issue concerning why we often succumb to temptation sin as well as what to do about it. Thanks for watching!
TRIALS AND TEMPTATIONS
Temptations and trials. There is an awful lot of stuff written in Scripture about these two subjects. In fact, we just looked at both recently as we were working through James 1. Let’s revisit these once more but this time looking at another passage – 1 Corinthians 10:13. From there we’ll find some encouragements and insights on this word in the Greek. Thanks for watching!