This past weekend brought an end to our series in James as Matt Williams walked us through the closing verses of the letter, 5:13-20. While the end of the book may seem to be a random burst of disjointed ideas, it is James’ intention to present...
1 Tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach. 2 This made the Pharisees and teachers of religious law complain that he was associating with such sinful people—even eating with them! 3 So Jesus told them this story: 4 “If a...
1 About that time Hezekiah became deathly ill, and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to visit him. He gave the king this message: “This is what the Lord says: Set your affairs in order, for you are going to die. You will not...
Suffering is a universal reality for all people. No one has the means to rise above suffering in their lifetime; for some, it is the defining aspect of their lives. Job said that “man is born to trouble.” So what is man to do with...
8 The Lord detests the sacrifice of the wicked, but he delights in the prayers of the upright. Proverbs 15:29 29 The Lord is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayers of the righteous. Psalm 54 1 Come with great power, O God, and rescue me! Defend me with your...
13 Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises. 14 Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in...
20 Then Jesus turned to his disciples and said, “God blesses you who are poor, for the Kingdom of God is yours. 21 God blesses you who are hungry now, for you will be satisfied. God blesses you who weep now, for in due time you will laugh. 22 What blessings await...
1 This is my second letter to you, dear friends, and in both of them I have tried to stimulate your wholesome thinking and refresh your memory. 2 I want you to remember what the holy prophets said long ago and what our Lord and...
In the history of the world, there has never been a group of people who have experienced the luxuries and wealth that we are surrounded with today. Compared to the present world, and even within our own nation, we are a very financially privileged group....
1 Don’t worry about the wicked or envy those who do wrong. 2 For like grass, they soon fade away. Like spring flowers, they soon wither. 3 Trust in the Lord and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper. 4 Take delight in the Lord, and he...
7 Dear brothers and sisters, be patient as you wait for the Lord’s return. Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen. 8 You, too, must be patient....
13 Then someone called from the crowd, “Teacher, please tell my brother to divide our father’s estate with me.” 14 Jesus replied, “Friend, who made me a judge over you to decide such things as that?” 15 Then he said, “Beware! Guard against every kind of...
17 This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: “Consider all this, and call for the mourners. Send for the women who mourn at funerals. 18 Quick! Begin your weeping! Let the tears flow from your eyes. 19 Hear the people of Jerusalem crying in despair, ‘We are ruined! We...
Presumptuousness is rarely thought of as a sinful aspect of a person’s character, let alone one that is especially severe. However, James turns our attention to this sin and exposes it for its wickedness as a fundamental misunderstanding of one’s relationship to the Creator. James has...
28 Trust in your money and down you go! But the godly flourish like leaves in spring. Proverbs 15:16 16 Better to have little, with fear for the Lord, than to have great treasure and inner turmoil....
1 Look here, you rich people: Weep and groan with anguish because of all the terrible troubles ahead of you. 2 Your wealth is rotting away, and your fine clothes are moth-eaten rags. 3 Your gold and silver are corroded. The very wealth you were...
25 One day an expert in religious law stood up to test Jesus by asking him this question: “Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 Jesus replied, “What does the law of Moses say? How do you read it?” 27 The man answered, “‘You...
1 Lord, through all the generations you have been our home! 2 Before the mountains were born, before you gave birth to the earth and the world, from beginning to end, you are God. 3 You turn people back to dust, saying, “Return to dust, you mortals!” 4 For you, a thousand...
This weekend Matt taught out of James chapter 4, verses 11 and 12. In these two verses, James addresses the issue of judgment within believers of the church. The word judgment is used to convey several ideas in the Bible, including God’s condemnation or His...
27 Do not withhold good from those who deserve it when it’s in your power to help them. 28 If you can help your neighbor now, don’t say, “Come back tomorrow, and then I’ll help you.” Proverbs 27:1 1 Don’t brag about tomorrow, since you don’t know what the day will...
13 Look here, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.” 14 How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life...
1 “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. 2 For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged. 3 “And why worry about a speck in your friend’s...
1 Accept other believers who are weak in faith, and don’t argue with them about what they think is right or wrong. 2 For instance, one person believes it’s all right to eat anything. But another believer with a sensitive conscience will eat only vegetables....
This weekend Matt Williams continued in leading us through the book of James. The Bible is a fascinating book because it constantly leverages the dichotomy of judgment and grace. It is both the knife that cuts into us as well as the medicine that heals...
1 You may think you can condemn such people, but you are just as bad, and you have no excuse! When you say they are wicked and should be punished, you are condemning yourself, for you who judge others do these very same things. 2...