November 19, 2015
Those who love talking beware! The tongue has great power. Power to bless and to curse. Yet, sin is on the tip of the tongue. Complaining, gossip, lying, filthy language, sarcastic joking and cursing are among the sins of the tongue. From where does this talk come? The heart. The tongue is a heart monitor. It reports the attitude of the heart. Only God can give us new hearts and tame our tongues.
November 17, 2015
James describes the spiritual mindset that the Christian should have when facing trials. What is this mindset? “All joy.” Not happiness, which is based on external happenings, but joy, which comes from within and is the fruit of the Spirit for the believer that abides in Christ. And not partial joy, but “all” joy. Pure and whole joy that comes from the knowledge that God is sovereign and that all things work together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Rom.8:28). This mindset is a choice of the will, one that can be “counted.” The Greek verb here is in the imperative middle voice, meaning that one is to command oneself to choose joy. Like an accounting term, one can choose to move their emotional response to trials from the sad column to the glad column. Rather than seeing trials as a reason to be discouraged, count them as a reason to trust God all the more.
August 2, 2015 | James 1:19-21 |
Pastor Gary Combs continues the sermon series “Faith and Family” with this message from James 1:19-21 on communication. In the epistle of James, he told believers how to communicate with one another in a way that pleased God. With Christ’s help, we can hear and follow God’s instruction on how to communicate with one another in a way that pleases Him and results in the righteousness and oneness in our relationships that God desires.
November 20, 2014
We may blame conflict on the external circumstances caused by another, but James said that the war actually originated within us. One of the early learnings that ministers discover is that “hurt people, hurt people.” Those who have hurts on the inside, act out of those hurts to hurt others. Then, there are those whose own self-love causes them to see offense at every turn, of which they keep record, and plan retaliation. Jealousy, greed, covetousness, these sinful desires and others like them, also cause wars within that lead to fights without. Christ is the only answer for peace on earth. Because true peace begins in the heart. What resides in your heart today? Peace or war?
November 19, 2014
At first glance, this statement about faith seems to contradict Romans 3:28 which clearly upholds that faith alone pleases God. Yet, James and Paul are not in conflict. Paul is concerned that some would make works and law-keeping the means for justification. He rightly proclaims that faith in Christ’s finished work is the only means for our justification. Faith alone, in Christ alone, by grace alone is Paul’s teaching. But if Paul corrects those who think their own works will be sufficient for salvation, James corrects those who would offer mere lip service to their faith without any fruit verifying its authenticity. Paul is concerned with what true faith believes, while James is concerned with what true faith does after it believes. Faith alone grafts us onto the Vine that we might live, but fruit-bearing shows that we do live.
November 18, 2014
Not just hearers only, but doers of the Word. Many enjoy a good sermon and think how good it is that the person next to them is getting it. Yet a few will hear the Word and repent in tears, not worrying about those around them. Don’t let the Word go in one ear and out the other. Do what it says.
November 2, 2014 | James 1:27 |
When God adopts us into his family through the grace of Christ, we begin to work that out by having a heart for the fatherless here on this earth. As we remembered Orphan Sunday as a church, Pastor Gary helped us understand how we “visit” the orphans as James 1:27 encourages us to do.
June 22, 2014 | James 4:13-17 |
In the third installment of our FAIL: Life Strategies that Fail Us sermon series, Jonathan Combs helps us understand the failed life strategy called, “I’ll Get To That Later”. What major life decision have you been putting off? Have you heard the calling of God, but you’ve resisted following his will? Stop waiting for the “right conditions” and learn to follow God’s will right away!
November 20, 2013
The corollary to this might be stated “Exalt yourself and God will humble you.” Or as James said, “God opposes the proud, but give grace to the humble.” So, how do you “humble yourselves?” Here are 12 ways: 1) Confess your sin to God, 2) Acknowledge your sin to others, 3) Take wrong patiently, 4) Submit to authority, 5) Receive correction from others graciously, 6) Accept a lowly place, 7) Associate with people of lower state than you, 8 ) Choose to serve others, 9) Be quick to forgive, 10) Speak well of others, 11) Cultivate a grateful heart, and 12) Embrace the cross (These 12 ways to humble yourself are from http://billygraham.org/story/twelve-ways-to-humble-yourself/).
November 17, 2013
Do you need wisdom or understanding? Ask God. Open your eyes to the Lord and His Word. He is a God who freely gives. He wants to reveal Himself to you. He will give wisdom and more… He will give Himself. In most situations that’s the wisdom we most need– that God is with us.