A Posture of Prayer
Let the Potatoes Grow
The Peril of Great Price
The Deceitful Heart
The Devil's Wisdom
Two Wisdoms
Teeny Rudders
Dead Faith
Playing Favorites
Bad Religion
As we consider what it means to grow more mature in our faith, James directs the spotlight to the issue of religion itself. What kind of religion does God want, and what kind of religion does he not want?
The Mirror Doesn't Lie
So far, as we have dug into the New Testament letter of James, we’ve seen that James is a very direct writer — he doesn’t beat around the bush. This morning we consider his most direct statement yet: Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
If our faith is all about grace, what place does obedience have? And, if we don’t do what God’s word says, what can we expect?
Two Ears and One Mouth
As we continue to learn from James, he gets to his most immediate, practical teaching yet: Let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger. James means what he says—this is not a complicated section. But putting it into practice is not easy. What does it mean to be quick to listen? And might James mean that we should listen not only to one another, but to the Holy Spirit inside us?
Resources:
Proverbs about Words (pdf)
Sermon: A Way With Words (October 21, 2018)
The Father of Lights
So far in his letter James has urged us to remain steadfast in seasons of suffering, and he has shown us how God wants to work through our suffering. Today he addresses the question we’ve all asked: how can a good God allow suffering in this world? The more we come to grips with the fact that we’re not in control, the better we will suffer.
Video (entire service)
The Devil Made Me Do It?
James begins his letter by showing us how trials and hard seasons in life can develop perseverance and maturity in our spiritual lives. This morning he addresses the flip side of the same coin: trials, when approached in an unhealthy way, can become temptations to stray from God. How can we approach trials as opportunities to draw near to God, instead of as temptations to be driven away from God?
The Crown of Life
Early in his letter James encourages Christians to persevere through suffering and hard seasons, because perseverance leads to a more mature faith. This morning James gives us one more incentive to persevere: God gives those who love him and who persevere the crown of life. This morning we explore what the crown of life is, and why it helps us endure painful seasons in life.
The Disturbed and the Comfortable
James has a reputation for being blunt and to the point. This morning we get our first taste of James’ bluntness. He tells people in “humble circumstances” to boast in their high position, and he tells the rich to “take pride in their low position.” His goal is to provoke us where it hurts: in our wallets.
This morning we ask what it means that God comforts the disturbed, and he disturbs the comfortable. In the process, we learn how allowing ourselves to be provoked and challenged helps us to grow into wiser, more mature Christians.
Wisdom and Foolishness
James teaches us to , “Consider it pure joy when you experience trials of many kinds.” This is difficult in itself. But immediately after this, James teaches us, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault.” We might ask in response, “What does wisdom have to do with suffering?” And, “How do I become wise?” Both are good questions, and this morning we listen for how God might meet us in those questions.
Tested and Tried
“Consider it pure joy,” James writes at the very start of his letter, “when you experience trials of many kinds.” This seems counter-intuitive. Trials—suffering—testing—none of these sounds very joyful to us. This morning Ron Bouthillette leads us to discover how we can find joy in the hardest parts of life.
The Myth of Freedom
Jesus’ half-brother, James, wrote to early Christians who were asking, “How do I grow from spiritual infancy to maturity?” This morning we think about James’ claim to be a servant of God, and we allow him to challenge us by asking, “Are you living as a servant of God, or as a free person who sets your own direction?” The paradox is, what we think of as freedom is actually slavery, and what we think of as slavery is actually freedom.