Sins of Slander & Sufficiency

October 29, 2023 • Caleb Martinez • James 4:11–17

After warning about the dangers of the world, flesh, and devil, James confronts us with two subtle sins that can easily pull followers of Jesus away from God and others: the sin of slander and the sin of sufficiency. Slander makes us judge and criticize others as we puff ourselves up, and sufficiency makes us prioritize our will over God’s. When we live by the way of the world, tempted to give in to our every desire by our flesh and the devil, we can’t help but give in to these subtle sins. And both of these sins reveal a lack of holistic and complete trust in God.

But the good news of the gospel permeates these areas of our lives.

By surrendering our deepest sins of the flesh to God, we slowly free ourselves from the need to put others down to make ourselves feel better. And by surrendering our future to God, we slowly free ourselves from the need to have more and do more in order to experience joy.

Praying for Healing

November 19, 2023 • Trey Van Camp • James 5:13–20

In this message, we study James 5 and discover the meaning behind a "prayer of faith."

The Only Path to Greatness

November 12, 2023 • Trey Van Camp • James 5:7–12

As James nears the end of his letter, one of the last encouragements he wants to give is a call to perseverance. In a world accustomed to anger, favoritism, slander, and ambition, it’s easy to feel the pressure to give up on the practices of Jesus, the truths of Jesus, or even on the way of Jesus altogether. But James reminds us that perseverance in our relationships with others and with God will reap rewards. Everything we deeply desire, from formative friendships to a tangible hope in God, requires us to pass through suffering with endurance, not sidestep suffering with escape. When we commit to loving each other well and maintaining hope in God, we become people able to reject the lies of the world and live out the truth of the gospel.

Invisible Greed & Inevitable Pain

November 5, 2023 • Trey Van Camp • James 5:1–6

As humans, we’re all accustomed to greed. By default, we strive to hoard and live extravagantly in order to build up wealth for ourselves and our families. But according to James, this lifestyle comes at a cost. Not only do we feed our greed at the expense of the poor and oppressed, but we also bring rot to our own souls. The more we indulge, the less like Jesus we become. But the gospel frees us from this trap of greed. In Christ we have no reason to hoard, live extravagantly, or perpetuate injustice because we have true and lasting contentment that comes from living a life focused on the Kingdom in communion with God.