Sermon Notes

James 1:1 Authentic faith is faith that works. James, the brother of Jesus, is the author. "James used to enter alone into the temple and be found kneeling and praying for forgiveness for the people, so that his knees grew hard like a camel’s because of his constant...

Philippians 4:10-23 Gospel partnership involves giving sacrificially. Give to those in need. Giving pleases God. "In other words, Paul is primarily pleased that the Philippians have been so generous in the work of the gospel, not because he has been the recipient of...

Philippians 4:8-9 Think about excellent things. Think about excellent and praiseworthy things. Practice the excellent things you think about. "I am pleading that in all your thinking you seek to see and savor the Treasure. If thinking has the reputation of being only...

Philippians 4:10-13 "Paul’s ‘everything’ is constrained by the context. His point is that whatever the circumstances in which he finds himself, whether with the rich and the powerful or with the poor and the powerless, whether preaching with unction to substantial...

Philippians 4:6-7 The way to be anxious about nothing is to pray about everything. Don’t worry. Pray about everything. "Only by praying with thanksgiving in every situation is it possible to stop being anxious about anything. The continuous positive focus of praying...

Philippians 4:5 Let your reasonableness be known to all! What does it mean to be reasonable? "It refers to the exact opposite of a spirit of contention and self-seeking, which is why the NIV opts for "gentleness." But this gentleness must not be confused with being a...

Philippians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always. 1. Rejoice in the Lord! Surely all redeemed men and women will want to rejoice in the Lord. Our sins have been forgiven! We have been declared righteous because another has borne our guilt. We have received the gift of the...

1 John 1:5 – 2:2 I. THE STARTING POINT FOR FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD: “GOD IS LIGHT” (1 John 1:5). "Neither the writer nor the reader of these words is qualified to appreciate the holiness of God. Quite literally a new channel must be cut through the desert of our minds to...

1 John 1:1-4 A glorious sweep of God's saving work: 1.  ETERNITY PAST (v.1a) 2.  THE INCARNATION & EARTHLY MINISTRY OF JESUS (vv.1b-2) (Allusions to John  1:1-18) 3. THE APOSTOLIC PROCLAMATION OF THE GOSPEL (v.3a) “The Christian message is neither a philosophical...

Philippians 3:12-21 We must press on to make salvation our own because Jesus Christ has made us his own. We press on by striving for the prize (v. 12-16). We press on by imitating Paul to avoid quitting the race (v. 16-19). We press on by awaiting our Savior’s return...