James, Media, Sermons | by Pastor Adam Sinnett

The letter of James is filled with pastoral exhortations and urgings to “doers of the word and not hearers only” (James 1:22). Contrary to popular thought, Jesus is not merely after our niceness, our morality, our ritual, or our attendance. He wants our hearts, and our deepest joy, and that should have some practical implications in our daily lives. Today, in James 1:18-27, James explains that one of those implications is how we approach and respond to God's Word, the Bible.

James, Media, Sermons | by Pastor Adam Sinnett

Jesus is not after our niceness, our morality, our ritual or our attendance. He wants our hearts, and our deepest joy, and that should have some very practical implications in our daily lives. Today's section, James 1:16-18, will help us do that, in particular, when it comes to how we view and relate to all that is good in our lives and our world.

James, Media, Sermons | by Pastor Adam Sinnett

We are about a month into our new series through the practical, pastoral and passionate leter of James. James was an Apostle, the leader of the early church in Jerusalem and a half-brother of Jesus. His goal in writing was to urge followers of Jesus to move beyond superficial faith to whole-hearted, sincere devotion. That makes this leter deeply relevant even 2,000 years after its writing. Today we arrive at 1:12-15 and the topic of temptation. As usual, James offers us help and hope, in his no-nonsense, awkwardly straight-forward, style by describing how temptation works and, in so doing, how we can overcome it.

James, Media, Sermons | by Pastor Adam Sinnett

On the surface, James 1:9-11 looks like a passage dealing with money, and it is, but there is more going on here. In a few short verses, James dives into how the “lowly” and the “rich” should view themselves and relate to one another. Both a lack of resources, and an abundance of them, are enormous tests of our faith that reveal the true condition of our hearts. Behind this passage, we can hear the echo of James’ half-brother, Jesus, saying, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven.”

James, Media, Sermons | by Pastor Adam Sinnett

James 1:5-9 speaks of prayerfully asking God for the wisdom needed to build our lives in, on, and through Jesus. The fundamental aspect of prayer is relationship with our loving Lord. His children can ask for the ability to discern how to live well knowing that He is a glad, personal, and gracious giver. James goes on to say that the posture of our heart matters when we ask. We have the choice to trust God's promise, and not let stubborn doubt make us victims of unbelief. Prayers work because we are helpless coming to our Father in need.

James, Media, Sermons | by Pastor Adam Sinnett

In James 1:2-4 James addresses the posture of our hearts during trial. He says to,”count it all joy when you meet trials of various kinds”. We can be comforted knowing we are not saved or made right with God by how we handle trouble, rather, trials have a way of helping us move from an abstract view of God to an encounter with Him. Trials are God's way forward in our lives. As our faith is tested and given the chance to grow we have a choice in how we experience our trials. They can either soften us or harden us. We choose if our highest good is that we become comfortable and have a life that works, or to become spiritually great in Jesus.

James, Media, Sermons | by Pastor Adam Sinnett

This morning we are beginning a new series through the short, fast-paced and immensely practical New Testament letter of James. It is filled with vivid exhortations, colorful metaphors and strong admonitions to “be doers of the word, and not hearers only.” (1:22) His purpose is not merely to give us new information, nor leave us in the theological clouds, but to urge us to build a certain kind of life – a life in which Jesus’ people actually apply what they say they believe. He leaves no room for pretend Christianity or empty ritual. The question that faces us all is: What kind of life am I building?