Chapel in the Hills

Our words reveal the state of our hearts, either justifying us or condemning us.

Do not reject the illuminating work of the Holy Spirit in your life by hardening your heart against Christ and His Gospel, and so regard God's grace as demonically evil.

We must listen to our conscience that bears witness to God's moral and written law that we are fallen and in need of a Redeemer.

We must know and meditate on the Word of God to be conformed to the image of Christ through the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

Hear the soundless words that God speaks continually through His creation, and be amazed by His glory by meditating on the word of His hands.

To stand amidst trials, Christians need to be reminded of the benefits of the new birth, all of which are centered on Christ Himself.

True believers have a new nature incompatible with a life characterized by unbroken habitual sin. Our lives are now being conformed to God's Law, Christ's work, and the Spirit's ministry, characterized by the practice of righteousness.

True believers will remain in fellowship with Christ, and when we abide in Him, children of God experience the blessings, assurance, and hope that come through communion with Him.

It is essential that Christians believe and defend the doctrine of the resurrection, because if a Christian abandoned this essential doctrine, there are seven severe consequences.

Jesus, our promised Messiah came as Isaiah's servant to save his people among the Jews, and the Gentiles, those wo are wear and heavy laden.

Jesus is both the Lord of the Sabbath and our Sabbath rest. His sacrifice is greater than all the sacrifices performed at the temple and provides mercy to His people.

The only way that we can have access to the Father through His Son, Who requires that we come to Him in humility and repentance.

We must not criticize God's plan and be calloused toward the promised coming of His Son, our Messiah.

We must follow John's example in both his character and in his conviction, to point others to Christ and to continually proclaim the coming of His kingdom.

James anchors the main theme of the whole epistle: that godly virtue will always supplement genuine faith. One cannot exist without the other. Such as a body is lifeless without the spirit, faith is lifeless without works. Therefore, works, specifically works that align with God's will through the life of the believer (or lack thereof), offer a true test of genuine faith.

We must examine our unbiblical expectations, which often lead us to doubt in God's plan and even towards being offended by God and by His people.

Those who are worthy of Christ are those who prioritize Him, and those who belong to Him, above everything and everyone else.

The world will mistreat Jesus' disciples, but we, as Jesus' disciples, should never fear man; rather, we should only fear our loving Father.

As Jesus' disciples, we must live on mission, knowing we will be persecuted, but we must persevere to the end, trusting in the God who sustains us.

Those who possess true, saving faith, will manifest a measure of the "produce of grace" in their lives: good works. Faith in God's existence and reality is something that even the demons possess, and if faith does not possess works, it is dead.

There have always been those, and more will come, who actively oppose Christ and the Gospel; Christians must resist such error and persevere in the truth of God as revealed by the Spirit in the Scriptures.

Jesus causes His disciples to live in dependence upon the Lord's provision as we serve Him in our calling.

The Twelve Apostles received authority from Christ to build the Church, of which we are beneficiaries.

Look to the Promised Seed, Who was born of a virgin, and is the only one Who provides victory over the serpent, who is Satan

We must not doubt the goodness of God's Word, like Adam and Eve, but must humbly trust and obey His Word in every area of life.

We must endeavor to be devoted to God's Word through learning and meditation, which will have a dramatic impact on our desires and affections.

In order to live the life of blessing, you must commit your life to the obedience of God's Word, always seeking to find your safety and protection in God's divine revelation.

Our response to the lost world should be like Jesus, who had compassion for the lost and commanded his followers to pray for the salvation of the lost.

You must identify Jesus correctly as the promised Messiah, the Son of David, in order to receive true healing - eternal life.

If we know the Father and truly love and follow His Son, we will not set our hearts on the fleeting and transitory things of this world that stand in defiant opposition to Him. But rather on the Father and His will, which gives us everything we need.

Come to Jesus, Who accepts all who come to Him in faith, including those who were once His enemies and those who are considered unclean by the world's standards.

We cannot combine Old Covenant traditions and practices with New Covenant requirements, as Jesus inaugurated an entirely new Kingdom reality.

Jesus only calls those who recognize their own spiritual bankruptcy to follow Him and to partake in table fellowship with Him.

A Christian is a chosen pilgrim whose identity is in Christ; he must be prepared to stand firmly with Christ when tested.

In James 2:1-13, we see three ways partiality dishonors God, that should motivate us to glorify our Savior by loving our neighbor impartially.

Like the paralytic, we must place our faith in the Son of Man, who not only has the authority to heal our bodies but also has the authority to forgive our sins.

Jesus came to deliver us from death and darkness, and he brings us into his kingdom of light.

We must believe in Jesus' sovereign control over all things in our lives, even in the midst of the most difficult storms.

In James 1:22-27, we see three truths that reveal the believer's true relationship to God through His Word. Don't Jeus listen to the Word; it is a mirror to the soul. Obedience to which yields blessing and freedom and is the mark of true religion.

To become a disciple of Jesus, you must commit to His path of sacrificial obedience, which will cost you worldly goods and a worldly reputation.

In James 1:18-21, we see three realities the believer must have in place in order to rightly receive God's Word: a new nature (:18) that now must maintain a necessary disposition (:19-21a) in order to receive a necessary nutrient (:21b) for the necessary progression of salvation.

Jesus is the fulfillment of the Suffering Servant that Isaiah the prophet predicted in His four songs. Jesus came to bear the illnesses and diseases of the outcast and oppressed. He died for our sins so that we might share in His life!

Jesus' encounter with the Centurian demonstrates His love for the outcast and further illustrates the fact that He came for the nations as well as the Jews. The Centurian's faith in Jesus' divine authority highlights the importance of faith and how it is essential to salvation.

Jesus not only preached with authority as the divine Son of God, but He also authenticated His divine authority through miraculous deeds. It is only by placing our faith in His divine words and deeds that we can be saved.

Jesus concludes His sermon with a fourth call to action, this time focusing on the foundation upon which one builds. Those who hear His words and do not apply them are those who remain on the broad way, while those who hear His word and do them are followers of The Way.

Jesus makes one of His most shocking claims in the Sermon on the Mount regarding tares who believe they are saved but are not. Jesus calls His true followers to live lives of holiness and to repent of their sin. Tares, however, love their sin and are deemed workers of lawlessness.

The narrow way is an unpopular way that many false teachers will try to get you off, and Jesus reminds us to critically think through a teachers life, doctrine, and congregation. Wolves are all around us, but Jesus' way is clear and is found in His Word

Jesus sums up His teaching on the Sermon on the Mount with the Golden Rule. As Disciples we are called to enter through the narrow gate (Jesus) and then walk in the way of Jesus (The Golden Rule).

John seeks to give the Church assurance of salvation through three important points: obedience, love, and the process of spiritual growth.