If the previous three sermons were a mini series on wisdom, today is the spin off.  Today we read the text, travel in to the esoteric, and then back into the tactile.  Using our limited words, we dive into the idea of what it means to live on into the world to come. 

If any book in the New Testament can be categorized as wisdom literature, it is the book of James. For the past three weeks, we have been discussing the idea of wisdom as God's creative power creating order out of chaos. In today's message we get into the nuts and bolts of the wisdom of the world vs. the wisdom of God.

We dive into how wisdom was understood in the ancient world, a world that understood wisdom to be much more than good decision making skills, but rather the literal power of God to create a good order.  Furthermore, this wisdom was not simply God's to use, but an energy that God assigned to his people in order to follow in his footsteps as his image bearers to create the order of God out of the order of chaos.

Wisdom is often reduced to a thought process, but for the ancient Jews, true wisdom impacted the world you lived in with creative power. Join us in this first part as we recap the first half of the book and set the foundation for a discussion on Wisdom.

Typically in life, we judge people based on their differences. James will challenge us to use a different matrix through which to judge people. James will challenge us to replace oursevles as our standard for judgement and replace it with an idea that should lead, not to more confrontation, but peace.

Today we take a look in the weight attributed to works of justice, peace, and mercy. We are going to attempt to decouple the reformation idea that works follows faith, in favor of the Biblical idea that faith and works are partners working together as we are being saved.

Prayer, scripture, community, and a life of service are among the basics of following Jesus. When Jesus was asked about how we should pray, Jesus gave an answer.

While Paul and James may use the same words, and in the words of Scot McKnight, they use different dictionaries. While that maybe true, in this section of Scripture, James is talking about works of peace, mercy and love while Paul is talking about works of the law. James is clear; faith is not merely a confession, it is action.

The economy of this world, also called the economy of chaos, values people based on their access to wealth, power, and fame; it will always devalue those with less access to those things. James invites us into a new economy where the script is flipped. In the economy of God’s kingdom, the poor are, in fact, the rich. The economy of God’s kingdom is based on the currency of faith and mercy, and begins with the investment of loving our neighbors.

In chapter 2, James calls us to a better way of living in this world. Because we often read this book through the lens of Paul, James often misunderstood; however, Paul is not the best lens through which to read James. As a devout Jew, James is best read through the Law and Prophets.

Clarifying questions around these two topics from James 1.

In chapter 2, James calls us to a better way of living in this world. Before we study this chapter more fully, our pastor transparently reflects on the personal convictions, conflicts and struggles he’s had while studying this chapter.

Faith, religion, and Christianity are often reduced to a set of doctrines, traditions, and church attendance. According to James, religion is about the posture of our hearts and the lives we live. In this week’s sermon, we will explore the importance of intention.

A few insights about Bible translations and how to choose which one suits you best.

In this message we launch out of James and into Palm Sunday. In our journey from Palm Sunday to Good Friday, we land on one very important question: Which Jesus do you want?

Righteousness often gets a bad rap. Over the centuries, we have reduced it to a one dimensional idea used to talk about objective standards; however, righteousness is a beautiful reality with a lot of depth, and in this section of the text, James begins to talk about its establishment.

A deep dive on this week’s sermon, From Trials to Temptations, we discuss congregational questions that came from that discussion.

Our view of God determines our view of reality and the way we engage it. When our view of God is correct, then the way we deal with reality mirrors a good God to a big world. In this sermon we discuss sin, a short doctrine of God and the reason for being born again.

A deep dive on this week’s sermon, From Trials to Temptations, we discuss congregational questions that came from that discussion.

As we continue through the book of James, we begin where he begins, speaking about trials and the way we engage them. James is inviting us to trust the process of going through the trial with the faith that will produce in us something better than escaping the trial.

Scriptures referenced during this week’s sermon:

Leviticus 19:9-10, Deuteronomy 6, Deuteronomy 15:7, Proverbs 3:11-17, 11:28, 14:31, 22:16, 28:27, 30:8, Ecclesiastes 5:10-17, Ezekiel 7:19, and Amos 4:1-5.