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The holiday season is now behind us, and as such we resume our series in James. This week we are picking up in James 5:1-6 where we read strong words that James has in store for the rich. He warns them not to trust in their earthly riches on the Last Day. Gold, silver, diamonds, and rubies will all rust and corrode when brought into the burning presence of Holy God. However, the riches and the robes of Christ’s perfect righteousness will not. The one who is rich in Christ is rich toward God, and this wealth is eternal. (Music used with Permission through our Church CCLI Copyright License® Number 2539700 and Streaming License Number 21992710.)

Elder Rob Whims will preach a message from Hebrews 1 titled Christ as King. (Music used with Permission through our Church CCLI Copyright License® Number 2539700 and Streaming License Number 21992710.)

When I was growing up, my favorite part of summer were the fresh pies my Grandmother would bake. I remember asking my Grandma for constant updates as she dutifully went through each step of preparing an excellent pie. As I would ask “Is it ready yet?” she would smile and reply “patience is a virtue.” I remember thinking, “I don’t want patience, I want pie!” This Lord’s Day, James is calling us to patience. Not patience as we wait for something temporal, like a pie. But patience as we await the greatest event of human history: The triumphant return of the Lord Jesus Christ. It’s hard to exercise patience as we await the return of the Lord. Sin exists in the world and in our hearts, and sin’s consequences are painful. James encourages our patience not only by reminding us that the return of Christ is closer than we might think (5:8), he also calls us to patience by remembering the character of our God (5:11). As we wait His return, we rest in His compassionate and merciful character. (Music used with Permission through our Church CCLI Copyright License® Number 2539700 and Streaming License Number 21992710.)

The Book of James ends this Lord’s Day. James has been a highly practical letter. We haven’t learned doctrine in the way we do in Paul’s letters, but we have learned how to live out our doctrine. Chiefly, James has been concerned with our developing wisdom. Wisdom is right perspective: seeing the things of earth from the perspective of heaven. The final thing we need to see from a heavenly perspective is prayer. Often times it is difficult for us to pray. But, if we saw prayer from a heavenly perspective, it would be difficult to get us to stop praying! This week, with God’s help, we will see James display for us the purpose and the power of prayer. And we will see how prayer is a privilege granted in the gospel. (Music used with Permission through our Church CCLI Copyright License® Number 2539700 and Streaming License Number 21992710.)

This Lord’s Day, we begin a new series on the Book of Romans. In his preface to the Book of Romans, Martin Luther wrote, “The Letter of Romans is the truth of the chief part of the New Testament, and the purest gospel. It would be quite proper for a Christian, not only to know it by heart word for word, but also to study it daily, for it is the soul’s daily bread. It can never be read or meditated upon too much or too well. The more thoroughly it is treated, the more precious it becomes, and the better it tastes.” Let us be in prayer that our meditation upon Romans will yield the precious fruit of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. (Music used with Permission through our Church CCLI Copyright License® Number 2539700 and Streaming License Number 21992710.)

What do you think of when you consider the phrase “The power of God”? The Egyptian plagues? The splitting of the Red Sea? Maybe the great flood, the times fire fell from heaven, or the many miracles of the Bible? If you were to ask Paul what was the single greatest display of the power of God in history? He would have a quick answer for you: the gospel. This Lord’s Day we will seek to understand how God’s power is manifest in this gospel. (Music used with Permission through our Church CCLI Copyright License® Number 2539700 and Streaming License Number 21992710.)

This Lord’s Day, we give our attention to Romans 1:18-32. In this passage, Paul describes the wrath of God as it is revealed from heaven. He also reveals why God’s wrath is being revealed: after being given sufficient evidence of God’s existence in the natural world (verse 19-20), the human race has still chosen to worship the creation, rather than the Creator. And as we will see, the consequence for such idolatry is more idolatry. In this vicious cycle, only God Himself could be our Savior. And thanks be to God, He has saved us in Christ! (Music used with Permission through our Church CCLI Copyright License® Number 2539700 and Streaming License Number 21992710.)

This Lord’s Day, we give our attention to Romans 2. This passage challenges us. Last week, Paul put before our eyes all of the ways in which our denial of general revelation leads us into idolatry. We saw how the punishment for sin is more sin as God hands people over to darkened ways of thinking. Paul knew that as we read Romans 1, we might be tempted to condemn others while we congratulate ourselves. To prevent this, Paul provides us with Romans 2. This passage reminds us that sin is to be found within our own hearts, in our own actions. We will also see this week how holiness is impossible without humility. (Music used with Permission through our Church CCLI Copyright License® Number 2539700 and Streaming License Number 21992710.)

This Lord’s Day as we continue in the Book of Romans, we arrive at chapter 3:1-20. In this passage, Paul continues to confront us as we live within the church. In Rome, a two-tiered system had developed within the church. There were those who considered themselves superior to other Christians because they had received the ordinance of circumcision. This week we will see that when we place our trust in anything outside of Christ, we are ultimately disappointed. Our hearts are satisfied by only Jesus. (Music used with Permission through our Church CCLI Copyright License® Number 2539700 and Streaming License Number 21992710.)

Last Lord’s Day, Paul told us where righteousness was not to be found: within our obedience to the law (Rom. 3:20). Now, he tells us where righteousness is to be found: faith in the obedience of the Lord Jesus Christ on our behalf (Rom 3:22). As we were reminded that we can find our hope in only Jesus - now we are reminded that we only receive Jesus through faith alone. (Music used with Permission through our Church CCLI Copyright License® Number 2539700 and Streaming License Number 21992710.)

This Lord’s Day, we pause in our series on Romans to consider the scene of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem - the day remembered by the church as Palm Sunday. As we look at this passage together, we will see the importance of receiving Christ with rejoicing in our hearts. (Music used with Permission through our Church CCLI Copyright License® Number 2539700 and Streaming License Number 21992710.)

He is risen! He is risen indeed! This Resurrection Sunday we will consider the resurrection scene from the Gospel of Luke. We will hear a call to repent and believe the Gospel - to believe that in Jesus our sins truly are forgiven, and that in Him death has been defeated. (Music used with Permission through our Church CCLI Copyright License® Number 2539700 and Streaming License Number 21992710.)

This Lord’s Day we resume our series in the Book of Romans. We will be giving our attention to the entirety of Chapter 4. We remember that one of the chief issues that motivated Paul to write was division within the Church of Rome. A two-tiered system had come into existence. This week, we learn that the so-called “top tier” Christians were advocating for the necessity of circumcision to be saved. A form of this has existed within the church ever since: those who want to add works to the gracious gospel of faith. This week we will be challenged to examine what we might add to the gospel. We will then rejoice as we remember that “it depends on faith” (Romans 4:16). (Music used with Permission through our Church CCLI Copyright License® Number 2539700 and Streaming License Number 21992710.)

This Lord’s Day we consider the opening verses of Romans 5. Here, Paul tells us the result of our justification by grace through faith: peace with God. And we will see that peace with God produces character and produces assurance. (Music used with Permission through our Church CCLI Copyright License® Number 2539700 and Streaming License Number 21992710.)

Reverend Shane Floyd will be preaching a message from Psalm 34 titled The Fear of God. (Music used with Permission through our Church CCLI Copyright License® Number 2539700 and Streaming License Number 21992710.)

This Lord’s Day, we resume our series in Romans and consider 5:12-21. This passage famously contrasts Adam in the Garden with the Lord Jesus Christ. This passage teaches us the doctrine of the federal headship of both Adam and Christ and teaches us the nature of the imputation of Adam’s sin, and Christ’s righteousness. This passage is essential for the Christian to know who they are in Christ, and what we have received in Him. (Music used with Permission through our Church CCLI Copyright License® Number 2539700 and Streaming License Number 21992710.)

This Lord’s Day, we arrive at Romans 6. This week we will look at the first 14 verses. In this chapter, Paul is dealing with an incorrect response to the gospel. We have already seen one incorrect response: Legalism (Romans 2-4). Now, Paul is dealing with the opposite issue: antinomianism. Antinomianism simply means “anti law”. It is a response of the gospel which says “If God forgives sins, then why not sin as much as possible, so God can forgive as much as possible?” or “If Jesus really did forgive me, it doesn’t matter what I do now”. We will see this week and next week how these two responses fail to understand the true nature of the gospel and its transformative new life. (Music used with Permission through our Church CCLI Copyright License® Number 2539700 and Streaming License Number 21992710.)

Last Lord’s Day, Paul began to address the antinomian response to the gospel. The antinomian response sees the gospel as a “get out of jail free card” which allows us to sin without consequence. However, this is not what the gospel is. Paul reminded us last week that the gospel provides a fundamental change to who we are: we are united to Christ in His resurrection life. Now, in the latter half of Chapter 6, Paul continues to tackle antinomianism. Now, he approaches our relationship with the Law. In Christ, we relate to the law differently. Specifically, we will see this Lord’s Day how in Christ we serve a new master. We are no longer enslaved to sin, but now bound to righteousness. (Music used with Permission through our Church CCLI Copyright License® Number 2539700 and Streaming License Number 21992710.)