Text: James 1:2-4 “When You Encounter Various Trials” These trials are different than the temptations mentioned later (James 1:13-15) James says, “when,” not “if” — this is a certainty “Consider it All Joy” Not a natural reaction — this is why James had to tell them to do this Suffering has benefits — endurance (James [...]

Text: Luke 7:2-10 What prompted Jesus to say, “Not even in Israel have I found such great faith” (Luke 7:9)? Let us consider what Jesus describes as “great faith.” Great Faith Recognizes One’s Own Unworthiness (v. 6-7) We must understand our insignificance in Creation (Psalm 8:3-4) We must understand our state as sinners (Romans 3:23) [...]

Text: Romans 16:25-27 God is able to establish us through His word. Here, Paul describes the word of God in several different ways, showing how it is able to establish us The Gospel “Good news” — the message is beneficial to us Man is enslaved to sin (John 8:24; Hebrews 2:15) — the gospel announces [...]

Word of God (Psalm 19:10; 119:72) Valuable because it comes from God (2 Timothy 3:16) — He Himself is more valuable than gold (Job 22:24-25) Addresses the biggest problem in the history of man — sin (Romans 3:23; 6:23) — and provides the only solution (Acts 4:12) It will never become outdated (Jude 3; Galatians [...]

Text: Mark 10:13-16 Disciples First Turned the Children Away, Then Jesus Welcomed Them — Why? They were important — even from a young age, children are to be trained in the right way (Proverbs 22:6) They provided an important reminder — “the kingdom of God belongs to such as these” (v. 14) Characteristics of Children [...]

Text: John 10:22-27 This Was Not a Sincere Request of Those Genuinely Seeking Truth The Jews asked Jesus to tell them plainly if He was the Christ (v. 24) — yet this request had already been granted (v. 25) Same thing happens today — on various subjects, man wants a plain answer; God has already [...]

Text: Genesis 1:1 Different Theories to Explain Genesis 1 The Bible describes the Creation as occurring over six consecutive, literal, 24-hour days — but this does not fit with “science” (cf. 1 Timothy 6:20-21), so man has come up with alternate explanations The gap theory — large gap of time between verses 2 & 3 [...]

Text: 1 Kings 17:1 Miracles Confirm the Spoken Word (1 Kings 17:17-24) Miracles were a sign that God was with the speaker & was confirming the message (John 3:1-2; Mark 16:15-20) Today, we have inspired testimony to lead us to faith (John 20:30-31; Romans 10:17) Who Are The Troublemakers? (1 Kings 18:17-18) Elijah was accused [...]

Text: Joshua 6 Follow God’s Instructions (v. 3-5) Begins with faith (v. 2) – God had already given the people the city God’s instructions are simple – easy to understand (Ephesians 3:4) and carry out (1 John 5:3) God’s instructions are unconventional – different than man’s solutions, but God’s way is always best (Isaiah 55:8-9) [...]

Text: Luke 16:19-31 Focused Only on This Life (v. 19) Nothing wrong with riches (1 Timothy 6:17) or enjoying life (Ecclesiastes 11:9) But wealth & enjoyment are not our ultimate goal (1 Timothy 6:9; Ecclesiastes 7:2-3) If we’re not careful, these can turn us away from God (Luke 8:14) This world is only temporary (1 [...]