James: Practicing Faith

Sermon Notes

In his letter James has called us to a radical faith in a great God. We are to live by the wisdom that comes from above. Living and active faith will be seen in how we live – and in how we respond to all kinds of situations in our lives. Join us as we look at the last message in our series, “Radical Faith,”  from James 5:13-20.

Sermon Notes

In 5:7-12, James gives us two main ways that we can develop patience especially when we face trials and suffering.  He also shares two rather ugly responses that we demonstrate when we are impatient. To learn these truths from the wisdom of James’ words, we will need to wait patiently for this Sunday’s message.

Sermon Notes

James doesn’t pull any punches in his letter, and especially not when he is addressing the rich and the wealthy in the midst of the church. He is not condemning the act of having wealth, but rather he is condemning the acts and attitudes that flow from having wealth and riches that lead to pride and self-dependance. He is urging and pleading his readers to humble themselves before God and realize that true faith means having true dependance on God.

Sermon Notes

Sermon Notes

Hey everybody! Got an opinion you’re just dying for others to hear? Do you know the solution to all the world’s problems? If people just listened to you, would their lives be immeasurably better? If so, step forward! Let’s see how wise your wisdom really is — does it come from above? Is it characterized by gentleness and meekness? If your life shows humility, then you’re just the person we’re looking for!

Maybe that’s a bit over-stated, but not by much. James invites us to consider how our so-called “wisdom” really plays out in our lives. If we’re living according to heavenly wisdom, our lives will show humility and gentleness. If our lives don’t show humility, well, then…where does our “wisdom” really come from?

Join us for “Wisdom Worth Sharing” from James 3:13-18!

Sermon Notes

James has told us our actions should reflect what we claim to believe; now he says something similar about our words. Words aren’t just random sounds or empty air, they are powerful and potentially dangerous –because they show what we really love. Join us as we look at “The Weight of Our Words” from James 3:1-12.

Sermon Notes

“By grace have you been saved through faith,” Paul assures us. By his grace, God offers to us the gift of his rescue, forgiveness, and new life; and that offer is founded on what Jesus did for us. By faith, we accept or receive that gift. But how does the Bible describe this faith? What is faith? What is involved, what does it look like? Join us as we look at “Real Faith” from James 2:14-26.

Sermon Notes

After telling his readers to be doers of the message of the gospel, not just hearers of it, James begins to give some concrete examples of how. And he strikes right at the heart of worship: the Sunday morning service, in which the well-dressed and socially significant are given prominence and honor, while the poorly-dressed and socially insignificant are relegated to wherever they can find room.

But does this really fulfill the royal law of Scripture, to “love your neighbor as yourself”? Join us for “Doing the Word in Church,” as we dig in to James 2:1-13 to confront our own quick judgments with Jesus’s mercy.

Sermon Notes

After telling us to “trust the process,” James shifts his attention to our reception of the Word of God, implanted in us. We can’t just listen to the Word, we need to be doers of the Word, practicing faith like a doctor practices medicine or a lawyer practices law. How? Join us for “Doers of the Word” from James 1:19-27.

Sermon Notes

We start a new series in the book of James, “Practicing Faith.” Faith in Jesus isn’t just something we know, it’s something we do – we put our faith into practice. We start in James 1:1-18 where James shows us how faith helps us see our trials differently, and how God helps us respond differently. Join us for “Trust the Process” from James 1:1-18.