It's easy to love and thank God when everything is going well in your life. This was precisely Satan's point concerning Job when he tells God: "Does Job fear God for no reason? Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land." So the Lord allows Satan to storm-test Job's faith. After Job loses everything, his faith gives him the strength to say: "The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD."
Faith & Suffering
January 25, 2015 • James 5:7–12
More from
James
Passing Life's Tests
October 26, 2014 • James 1:1–18
I'm wicked excited about kicking off our brand new sermon series through the book of James!! James is one of my favorite books in the Bible because James is a doer. He understands that God's grace is given to us to transform us and motivate us to live for the Glory of God. James is all about Getting Stuff Done (GSD). At Mosaic, we're all about GSD for SDG (Soli Deo Gloria - Glory to God Alone). James is just like that, GSD for SDG. James is one of the most practical books in the whole Bible. It's also super simple, straightforward, and clear. It's pretty much "The Idiot's Guide" to the Christian life. I don't know about you, but I enjoy simplicity. Tomorrow's sermon will cover James 1:1-18, where James helps us discover not just the answers, but also the questions, in life's most important tests: like what do when we life doesn't go according to plan. Start reading James, and join us tomorrow at one of our 3 services.
Faith that Loves
November 9, 2014
We live in a world that is fractured by "isms": racism, classicism, sexism, ageism, etc. We live in a world plagued by prejudice, partiality, and favoritism. We're constantly sizing people up by superficial externals: looks, education, wealth, status, race, sex, faith, etc. Then, we treat that person according to their level of "worth" in our eyes. This system of merit is diametrically opposed to grace and mercy, the essence of Christianity. In our text tomorrow, James quotes Jesus: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." We've heard this. But do we do it? Do we do it on a practical level? James teaches us this hard truth: how we relate to people reveals how much we understand God's impartial and unconditional love for us. James reminds us that living faith leads to loving others with unconditional love, the same love Jesus has for us.