The Cross and the Crown

What does this passage teach us about who God is and how does God call us to respond to this reality? How do we submit to God and draw near to Him who first drew near to us? 

Are our passions truly at war within us as believers? How shall the human heart be freed from the the allure of worldly pleasures? In the words of Thomas Chalmers, "The allure of sin is severed by the power of a superior pleasure and a more compelling joy." What wisdom and grace does the book of James offer us here?

Christlike thinking fuels Christlike loving and overflows into Christlike living. Godly conduct flows from a godly heart that is informed by a godly mind. How are the messages of James and Peter similar? How do both stir us to renew our minds in a way that fuels our heart that bears the fruit of service in our lives?

What are three spiritual battlegrounds that every believer in all times and all places will face? What role do the bookends of 1. seeking wisdom from above and 2. trusting the Lord's will in this section play in helping us grow in Christlikeness? 

James, from the outset of his letter, calls the believer to ask God for wisdom. In chapter 3, he describes the wisdom from above, one of the gifts from the Father of lights, as being pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. What does this tell us about the character of God? How do we as believers grow in aligning our hearts and minds to the heart and mind of God? What fruit should this produce in the life of the believer?

The words we speak reveal the truth about the state of our heart. How does James 3 challenge us to examine the root and fruit of our speech? How does James' declaration of the impact of the words we speak challenge us to seek deeply the wisdom of God? What are the consequences of being careless with our words?

What is the connection that James makes between faith and works? Do James and Paul disagree about the issue of justification? How do the examples that James gives of Rahab and Abraham help us understand clearly what James is- and isn't- saying?

How does holding faith in Christ, the Lord of glory, being quick to gospel mercy, and embracing the royal law in Scripture ground our efforts to erode the sins of paritiality, favortism, and discrimination in the life of a believer and church? Why is this particular sin so egregious to the Lord of glory? 

In an age where many are slow to listen, quick to speak, and quick to become angry, Christians are called to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry. What action steps can believers take to grow in this area? 

How do we recieve with meekness the implanted word? Why is the righteousness of God the measuring line to which believers aim to align their heart? What is the law of liberty to which James refers? What distinctions does James make between true and false religion? 

How can Christians count it joy when we endure trials of various kinds? Why is it so important for believers to ask God for wisdom in their trials? How do we cultivate a life of humility? Where does sin originate? How sovereign is the God? What is the word of truth?

In this introduction to the epistle of James, we will examine the author, date, content, and aims of of this beloved letter of the New Testament.

Psalm 101 is a call to godly leadership. What can we glean from peering into the heart of a leader after God's own heart. What should be the response to failures in leadership? How does this psalm point beyond David to Christ, the perfect King? 

Psalm 100 is a declaration of thanksgiving rooted in the goodness, steadfast love, and faithfulness of the Lord. In this session, we will examine the foundation for praising God and founding our identity in Him.

Psalm 91 contains some of the most empowering verses in all the psalter. Saints throughout church history have drawn confidence and courage from its inspiring words during their most difficult days... and also, Satan quoted it to Jesus during his wilderness temptations. How do we avoid mishandling its words and cut to the heart if its beauty?

In this session, we examine Psalm 90 verse-by-verse. How does the steadfast love of the Lord help us begin to process the difficulties of life and foster a deeper and meaningful relationship with God?

In this prayer of Moses, we explore the potential settings and themes of the Psalm.

In this session, we examine Psalm 85, exploring this song of forgiveness, salvation, faithfulness and righteousness written by the Sons of Korah. 

In the closing passage of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus- the Light of the World- places before us two types of storm-tossed people: those who are wise builders and those who are foolish builders. In this session, we will learn how Jesus' words are a summons to abide in him, the futility of not abiding in him, and introduce how the book of James helps us learn how to put into practice the teachings of the Sermon on the Mount.  

In this session, we will wrap up Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, with his hearers openly acknowledging his authority. In this next warning passage, Jesus continues the theme of religious hypocricy by giving a dire and sobering warning of the fates of many who not only openly profess his name, but who do many mighty works in his name. We are then given an image of two house immersed in a storm. One stands. One falls. Where shall we cast our hope? How then shall we live? 

In this session, we will continue to dig deeper into the conclusions of Jesus within the Sermon on the Mount. In this warning passage, Jesus calls his hearers to beware of false prophets. How can previous passages in the Sermon on the Mount help us identify true from false prophets? What does "good and bad fruit" look like? 

In this session, we will dig deeper into the conclusions of Jesus within the Sermon on the Mount. What does he mean when he warns of entering through the broad gate, which is easy, and that leads to destruction? How have previous passages in the Sermon on the Mount helped define what the narrow and wide gates look like? 

In this session, we will enter the conclusions of Jesus within the Sermon on the Mount. What does he mean when he says: "Enter through the narrow gate?" What does he mean by saying the narrow way is hard? What does Jesus mean when he says that that the narrow way leads to life? 

How does our understanding of the context of the Golden Rule help us understand the meaning of Christ's declaration and command? How does it fit into the larger narrative of the Sermon on the Mount? How does it help us better understand our role in the world? 

In this session, we will examine the myriad of reasons we have to be thankful. How does Psalm 75 specifically ground in thanksgiving for the grace of God in Christ Jesus?

How does Psalm 72 point us to the True and Greater Solomon? How has this psalm been used historically as a missionary hymn? 

How does Psalm 68 look backward into history to cultivate peace in the present? How did Psalm 68 press forward into the hope of the person and work of Christ? 

In world full of noise, how does David help us appreciate the wisdom of silence? When is the proper time to speak? What is our message when we do?

How did the events of 1 Samuel inspire much of Psalms 52-60? What truths can we glean from a historical survey of the trials that David experienced that led to composing these psalms? 

Jesus calls his followers to ask, seek, and knock while delivering precious promises to our asking. Considering its place within the context of the Sermon on the Mount, what does Jesus mean and not mean? How does this challenge the meek toward boldness and the peddling of a prosperity gospel at the same time? 

In one of the most famous Bible passages known today, what does Jesus mean when he calls his followers to "judge not?" What happens when we keep reading? 

In this next passage on the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus examines the connection between what we treasure and what/Who we serve. How does Jesus' call to cast off anxiety and seek first His kingdom and righteousness relate to what we value most in the world? 

In this next passage of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus explains true and proper fasting. Immediately after calling us to pray for daily bread, we are called to fast. How does prayer and fasting help align our hearts to our heavenly Father's aims and hunger and thirst for His righteousness? 

What does Jesus mean when he calls us to pray "lead us not into temptation?" How does this prayer teach us to rely upon God to deliver us from evil and the evil one? How does the example of Jesus and other passages of Scripture equip us to practically wage war against our sin? 

As we explore this next phrase in the Lord's Prayer, how does the forgiveness we recieve relate to the forgiveness we offer others who sin against us? How does the grace of God glorify God? Why is it imperative for forgiven people to forgive people and how can we practically do it? How does our forgiving others lay the groundwork for sharing the gospel? 

How does our reliance upon God's provision glorify the Father's name? How is this theme of reliance upon God for our daily bread threaded throughout the whole of the Scriptures? How can we learn to trust God to provide for our needs?

Psalm 51 offers the believer a crash course on true repentence. Is there grace for our deepest moral failures? Will God forgive the most grievous of sin? How can a holy God remain just in doing so? In this episode, we will explore some of the major theological themes that emerge from this beautiful gem in the psalter.

Psalm 42 and 43 teach us how to fight through difficult seasons of life, and how (and what) to preach to ourselves amidst trials and depression. 

Life is short. Our opinions are not. How does a right understanding of God temper our tongues, draw us into honest prayer, and help us learn to count our days and smile again as sojourners in search of a forever home? 

Psalm 31 paints a picture of urgency, honesty, and trust in distress. The Lord quotes this Psalm upon the cross. As David proclaimed the love of the Lord while extending a call to be strong and take courage as we wait upon the Lord. 

How is the will of God done in Heaven? How does Jesus exemplify the Father's will done on earth as it is in Heaven? How does the Lord's prayer align our will to the will of the Father? 

How does Jesus' teaching about the Kingdom of God shape how we pray "your kingdom come and will be done on earth as it is in Heaven?"

When the Lord challenges us to pray "Your Kingdom come... on earth as it is in heaven," how would his immediate audience have understood this concept? 

The Lord's Prayer aligns us with God's own heart. Its first declaration is for the hallowing of God's name. How does this drive us deeper into the heart of God's desire and our chief purpose in life?

Before leading his disciples how to pray, Jesus spends significant time explaining how not to pray. This helps us understand the Lord's Prayer with greater depth. 

Psalm 25 paints for us picture of a believer after God's own heart. We see the beauty of the God we stand in awe of... the God of our salvation who calls us friend. 

What are the implications of the ascension and exaltation of Jesus? How does this lead us to place of humility and confidence in our daily walk? How does this spur us into an unflinchable pursuit of the Great Commission?

Why does the acsension and exaltation of Christ after the resurrection matter? What prominence did the early church place on it in their preaching and teaching? 

How does the book of Hebrews as a whole, and chapter eleven specifically, call us to rest and run by faith in the supremacy of the person and work of Christ amidst our sufferings? What is faith? What is it not? 

In this section of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches us about giving, prayer, and fasting. How can we guard against hypocrisy in our giving? Why is it so crucial to align our hearts to the Giver of life as we seek to glorify God through our giving? How can we practically grow into givers that glorify the Giver?

In Matthew 6:1, Jesus introduces the next section of His Sermon on the Mount by calling us to guard against hypocrisy. He paints a clear picture of not only the roots of hypocrisy, but how we can actively and practically guard against it as believers.