Text: Revelation 17:14 Our Involvement Our warfare (2 Corinthians 10:3-5) — spiritual, not carnal “Put on the full armor of God” (Ephesians 6:11) — not written to apostles, preachers, or elders, but to all Christians We must fight the good fight (1 Timothy 6:12) The Enemy The adversary is the devil (1 Peter 5:8) — [...]

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: 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 Keep from Exalting Self Pride is a persistent problem (2 Timothy 3:2) — no matter who we are, we each have things we could boast about; but we must not Paul could have boasted in the revelations (v. 7) and other things (Philippians 3:4-6) — the thorn in the flesh prevented [...]

Text: Isaiah 53 He Did Not Have the Appearance of a King (v. 2) Man often superficially judges according to appearance (1 Samuel 16:1,6-7) God expects us to judge righteously (John 7:24) Man of Sorrows (v. 3) Jesus lived as a man (John 1:14) — necessary to fulfill God’s plan (Hebrews 2:14-15) In His life [...]

Text: John 11:35 Jesus Displayed Emotion We have emotions because we were made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27) We must control our emotions (1 Peter 5:8) Emotions are a response to conditions — they are not a goal (emotionalism) God Allows Human Suffering Jesus had the power to heal Lazarus & end his [...]

Text: James 5:14 Pray to God The suffering are to pray (James 5:13) and can have others pray on their behalf (James 5:14) It’s possible that one may not regain health, despite fervent, ongoing prayer (1 John 5:14-15) Pray also has other benefits — reminds us of our reliance upon God (Matthew 6:7-8), peace of [...]

Text: Acts 9:18-26 He Took Food and was Strengthened (v. 19) Had been fasting & praying (v. 9,11) — sign of godly sorrow After baptism, his fast ended (v. 19) — Why? … his sins were forgiven in baptism (Acts 22:16) Important — this came after baptism, not after prayer He Began to Proclaim Jesus [...]

An Overview of the Book of James Faith is Demonstrated by: Our Words and Deeds Our works demonstrate our faith (2:16-17,24) It is manifest in our speech (1:26; 3:,9-10) This is a reflection of our heart (3:11-12) Our Approach to God’s Word God uses His word to call us and to save us (1:18) Receive [...]

Text: John 21:15-19 Forget Past Mistakes – Peter made his share of mistakes, but he could not let them hinder his service to Christ in the future Feed the Flock – teach & lead others in the way of Christ Endure Persecution – Peter would eventually suffer death for his faith, he needed to be [...]

Text: John 11 Nature of Miracles True miracles cannot be faked, attributed to coincidence, or be just an unlikely event True miracles are undeniable – Even Jesus’ enemies acknowledged the legitimacy of His miracle (v. 47-48) Miracles were performed to produce faith (v. 45; John 20:30-31) God Allows Human Suffering Jesus knew Lazarus was sick [...]