Week 11 Preview: Mine-1-1 - Wealth Warnings

We are used to seeing warning labels on just about everything we buy. Some of them are necessary; some are just downright silly. Well, in James 5:1-6, God gives us some wealth warnings we’d better pay close attention to. Ed Young relays a biblical wake-up call regarding the greed and self-indulgence so prevalent in our culture today.

James 5:1-6
1Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you. 2Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. 3Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. 4Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. 5You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter. 6You have condemned and murdered innocent men, who were not opposing you.

See Everyone Thursday!

Week 10 Preview - Vapor Lock: Our Plans vs. God's Will

The Bible compares our lives to a mist, or a vapor, that lasts for only a little while. Unfortunately, many of us spend our short lives in a vapor lock. All too often we make plans for today and tomorrow with little or no regard for God’s will for our lives. We have spiritual blindness or blurry vision toward the things of God. From James 4:13-17, Ed Young shows that many of us need spiritual Lasik surgery in order to recognize and live out the plans and purposes of God.

James 4:13-17

13Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." 14Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." 16As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. 17Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.

See everyone Thursday night!

Week 9 Preview - Warning: The Dangers of Pride

I hope everyone had a great Easter. As David emphasized in his sermon Sunday, Easter is about the Resurrection. The bunny and the eggs are fine in my opinion but the day is a celebration of His Resurrection. It was a sign to us that He was the Son of God, He now sits at the right hand of God the Father and all of our sins have been paid for in full.

This week James presents another great look into our lives. It comes as no great surprise that worldly pride promotes strife and all kinds of conflict in this world. We see evidences of strife, wars, and fighting everyday that stem from puffed up egos and self-righteous attitudes. From relational battles in the family to personality clashes among co-workers to global and civil wars, worldly pride is the precursor to all human conflict. The greatest conflict, however, growing out of human pride is the conflict between man and God. Our love of the world and self brings us into enmity with God. In this message, learn how to be at peace not only with others but, more importantly, how to become a friend of God.

James 4:1-12

1What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? 2You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. 3When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

4You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. 5Or do you think Scripture says without reason that the spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely? 6But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:
"God opposes the proud
but gives grace to the humble."

7Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

11Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. 12There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?

I'll see everyone this Thursday!

Brian Borden

Week 8 Recap - Get Smart: Knowledge and Wisdom

This past week we looked at the Wisdom. How does it differ from knowledge and where does it come from? From this we can determine who is wise.

We discovered that there are two forms of wisdom. The first is true wisdom or heavenly wisdom. It is from God. The second is earthly wisdom and obviously it is defined as what the world believes is wise. Sometimes these two agree but a lot of times they are a opposites.

Heavenly wisdom is shown in a persons good life and the deeds done in humility. It is pure, peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy, impartial and sincere. It is available for us through Christ. No man is wise, even a Christian. It is God who is wise and we need to allow Christ, in His wisdom, to work through us.

Earthly "wisdom" includes selfish ambition and bitter envy. It is of the devil.

How do we allow Christ's wisdom to work through us...we apply a little PB&J (Prayer, Bible and Jesus!)

Prayer - James 1:5 say that if we want wisdom just ask for it. Sometimes we pray for something that is contrary to what God has already said in His Word. One example given was dating an unsaved person. The Bible is clear about this subject and praying to God won't change His Word. Instead, we should be praying for wisdom in this area.
Bible - The Bible is our mirror. It contains the blueprint for living a truly wise life.
Jesus - Through Jesus comes strength and wisdom. Let him work through us. We need to step out of His way.

It was another great class of discussion.

Week 8 Preview - Get Smart: Knowledge and Wisdom

Wisdom is one of those elusive qualities of which, the more you try to gain, the less you seem to have. Why is this? The problem with our efforts to achieve wisdom is just that: it is our own effort. We can gain all kinds of knowledge of how the world works, of psychology, science, and literature. We can even study the Scriptures and learn about great characters of the Bible and of the character of God himself. But head knowledge does not lead to wisdom. In this message by Ed Young, from James 3:13-18, find out how to get smart God's way, by gaining the wisdom that can only come from a supernatural work of God.

James 3:13-18
13Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. 14But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 15Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. 16For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.

17But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. 18Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.

See everyone in class!

Brian