The Cross and the Crown

In this session, we will break down the doxology of Jude in verses 24 and 25. What does it mean that God is able to keep us from stumbling? What does Jude mean in telling us that Christ is able to present us blameless before the glory of God with great joy? How can this be true? Who's joy is Jude referring to? How does Jude desire that these churches think rightly about God? 

In this session, we will examine the reason for Jude's urgency in calling his audience to contend for the faith. False teachers emerged who were intentionally and dangerously misleading the church and undermining the message of the gospel. Jude delivers a scathing rebuke to these false teachers by reminding the church of the various historical examples, both from Scripture and non-canonical sources, of false teachers and leaders who did likewise and were judged accordingly. How do we see similar patterns still present within the church today?  

What does it mean to contend for the faith? How does Jude help us understand the beautiful link between God's sovereignty and our responsibility to live in a manner worthy of Christ?

Jude refers to his audience as called, loved, and kept. What should these truths produce in the life of a believer? What does it mean to contend for the faith? 

Who was Jude? What can the intro to this short epistle tell us about who God is and who we are in Christ? How does the introduction guide us toward the powerful conclusion?

In the last 8 chapters of Paul's letter to the Romans, we discover the continued emphasis that Paul places upon the resurrection of Jesus. How should this truth drive believers forward in hope, in spite of the thousand scenarios that may discourage us along the way? 

In this session, we examine Paul's emphasis upon the resurrection in chapters 6-8 of Romans. Why does this subject matter? How does the physical resurrection of Jesus in history influence how we live in the present, with hopeful hearts upon the future?

In this 2nd part of exploring the resurrection of Christ, we begin to explore the priority Paul places upon the resurrection in his letter to the Romans. 

Why is the resurrection of Jesus essential to Christianity? If the resurrection were not true, would there be any good news at all? 

When the signs, wonders, and mighty works of Christ are recorded in Scripture, the resurrection stands as the crescendo of all his miracles. How does each gospel narrative grant us unique insight into knowing our Savior deeper?

How do the transfiguration accounts of Jesus help us not only see the glory of Christ, but plunge us deeper in our walk with Christ? How is the cross central to discerning the meaning of the transfiguration?

One of the most familiar miracles of Jesus is his healing of the paralytic. What does this miracle tell us about Jesus, the faith of the men willing to do whatever it took to help their friend come face-to-face with the Son of Man, and the surprising and glorious effects not only on the paralytic, but perhaps even Matthew's following Christ?

In this fast-paced narrative of Jesus' healing of the demoniac(s), what do we learn about the nature of Christ, the nature of demons, and the power of Christ to redeem? What can we learn from the man's reaction to Jesus after his healing? What can we learn to avoid from the reaction of the crowds? 

"Peace, be still!" These words of Jesus have resounded in the hearts and minds of believers for the entirety of church history. In examining each of the gospel narratives, what surprising details emerge that help us understand more about Jesus? Who is this, that he commands even winds and waters, and they obey him?

"Once I was blind, but now I see!" The healing of the blind man in John 9 provides a foundation for exceptional truths revealed about Jesus. The narrative also provides an amazing account of the progression of the former blind man's understanding of who Jesus is, ending with an eruption of worship. All the while, the hearts of the Pharisees are exposed as blind. 

In this session, we examine the feeding of the 5,000 (or, way more than 5,000) by stacking the details given in the accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. What does this miracle say of Jesus? How then shall we live in response?

John records various signs that Christ performed to reveal his glory. How does Jesus' changing water to wine show his glory and press us toward a deeper faith in Christ? 

How does the miracle of the Incarnation deepen our understanding of the glory of God? How does the Council of Chalcedon help us define the person of Christ? How should we think through the truth of Christ being fully God and fully man? How does rightly thinking about this magnificent truth glorify God? 

We often jump to the wedding feast at Cana when we think of the miracles of Christ. John, however, begins his gospel at creation. How does Scripture describe Christ's role in creation? How does this press us to think deeper of our Savior for the glory of God? 

What classifies as a miracle? Are signs, wonders, and mighty works used synomously in the Scriptures? How do the miracles of Jesus glorify God?

Paul's prayer in 2 Thessalonians 1 is fueled by the truth that every believer will marvel in Christ on the day of His return. How did Paul intend for this prayer to spur the Thessalonians toward living with a God-glorifying hope? How does this promise shape the purpose for which we live our lives now? 

In this fourth session through the historic themes of Advent, we examine love. How is love central to who God is? How has God demonstrated His love for humanity? Why is it essential for believers to bear the fruit of love within the Church and to the world?

What is joy? How and why is joy a central tenet of the Christian faith? How can we cultivate a deeper joy in our daily lives, even in the face of seemingly impossible obstacles?

What is peace? A brief survey of Scripture shows that the God of peace made peace with sinners through the Prince of Peace- Christ Jesus our Lord. The price of that peace was paid with the precious blood of the Prince himself. The peace he thus gives is the very peace He shared with the Father from eternity past. What implications should this have on believers? 

In this first of four sessions, we will explore the meaning, weight, and glory of the blessed hope we share as believers. Using Titus 2 as the anchor text, we will look at how Paul calls believers to marvel at the past and future to cultivate hope in the present. 

In this second part exploring 2 Timothy 4:6-8, we examine closer Paul's closing words to Timothy. We find this text to be both a challenge and a summons to live all of live with the good and glorious purpose of glorifying God and enjoying Him forever. What does Paul intend to tell Timothy with his final words? 

2 Timothy 4:6-8 is both a challenge and a summons to live all of live with the good and glorious purpose of glorifying God and enjoying Him forever. How does the wider context of 2 Timothy help us take to heart Paul's enduring words?

Psalm 117 invites us to worship, explore, and meditate on the steadfast love and faithfulness of God. What impact should these truths have in the life of the believer? How should this psalm drive us to carry out the Great Commission?

In Paul's second letter to Timothy, we see the heart of a spiritual father pouring out his parting wisdom to his son in the faith. To Christ's church today, this precious letter plants our hearts in the glorious truth of the gospel. It encourages, inspires, corrects, and directs our hearts to Christ our hope at every turn. As I enter a season of extended leave due to health reasons, I pray this letter will become a treasured guide and encouragement to the church during our time apart.    

James concludes his epistle with a challenging call, reminiscent of Jesus' parable in Luke 15:1-7. As clearly as one can walk in the truth, one can wander from truth. What responsibilities do believers share in seeking after those who wander from truth? What are the repercussions if we fail in this task? What beauty awaits if we succeed? How does Christ's seeking us strengthen and equip us for this high and humble calling? 

In this extraordinary and heatedly debated passage, James challenges believers to pray boldly as individuals, leadership teams, and the church as a united covenant community in the name of Christ, in the power of Christ, and for the glory of Christ. 

James encourages the hearts of his audience toward patience by offering 3 practical examples of how we can learn to wait upon the Lord, trusting in His sovereign, compassionate, and mericiful purposes amidst our deepest suffering. 

In this section of the text, James levels sweeping judgements upon the rich guilty of persecuting poor believers. James echoes not only the prophets of old, but the teachings of Jesus with clarity and precision, challenging those to whom he is writing to forsake the trap of living for earthly treasure, while heeding the call of a Savior who beckons us to live in light of eternal treasure. 

Understanding the various ways that Scripture speaks of God's will is vital for discerning His purposes in your life and the life of the church. Having a space for these categories will build faith, clarify understanding, and help us grow deeper in God's wisdom from above. 

We need the wisdom of God before and after graduation. Nonetheless, we often feel the weight of life's changes during our most significant milestones. In this service, we commission our recent graduates, their families, and the church.

How did Paul model the truth found in James 4:13-17? How is his life an illustration of what it means to align our hearts to God's will and aims? 

How does James confront many of the prevailing attitudes of his day regarding submission to the will of the Lord? How does our planning expose the thing in which (or Whom) we truly trust? 

What do Paul, James, and Peter have in common? What happened to transform these men who once persecuted the Lord, rejected the Lord, and denied the Lord? 

What does this passage teach us about who God is and how does God call us to respond to this reality? How do we submit to God and draw near to Him who first drew near to us? 

Are our passions truly at war within us as believers? How shall the human heart be freed from the the allure of worldly pleasures? In the words of Thomas Chalmers, "The allure of sin is severed by the power of a superior pleasure and a more compelling joy." What wisdom and grace does the book of James offer us here?

Christlike thinking fuels Christlike loving and overflows into Christlike living. Godly conduct flows from a godly heart that is informed by a godly mind. How are the messages of James and Peter similar? How do both stir us to renew our minds in a way that fuels our heart that bears the fruit of service in our lives?

What are three spiritual battlegrounds that every believer in all times and all places will face? What role do the bookends of 1. seeking wisdom from above and 2. trusting the Lord's will in this section play in helping us grow in Christlikeness? 

James, from the outset of his letter, calls the believer to ask God for wisdom. In chapter 3, he describes the wisdom from above, one of the gifts from the Father of lights, as being pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. What does this tell us about the character of God? How do we as believers grow in aligning our hearts and minds to the heart and mind of God? What fruit should this produce in the life of the believer?

The words we speak reveal the truth about the state of our heart. How does James 3 challenge us to examine the root and fruit of our speech? How does James' declaration of the impact of the words we speak challenge us to seek deeply the wisdom of God? What are the consequences of being careless with our words?

What is the connection that James makes between faith and works? Do James and Paul disagree about the issue of justification? How do the examples that James gives of Rahab and Abraham help us understand clearly what James is- and isn't- saying?

How does holding faith in Christ, the Lord of glory, being quick to gospel mercy, and embracing the royal law in Scripture ground our efforts to erode the sins of paritiality, favortism, and discrimination in the life of a believer and church? Why is this particular sin so egregious to the Lord of glory? 

In an age where many are slow to listen, quick to speak, and quick to become angry, Christians are called to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry. What action steps can believers take to grow in this area? 

How do we recieve with meekness the implanted word? Why is the righteousness of God the measuring line to which believers aim to align their heart? What is the law of liberty to which James refers? What distinctions does James make between true and false religion? 

How can Christians count it joy when we endure trials of various kinds? Why is it so important for believers to ask God for wisdom in their trials? How do we cultivate a life of humility? Where does sin originate? How sovereign is the God? What is the word of truth?

In this introduction to the epistle of James, we will examine the author, date, content, and aims of of this beloved letter of the New Testament.