Resonate Life Weekly Messages

Pastor Jeff Sparkman continues our series through the Book of James in chapter 2, on the topic of faith and works. James presses the question that cannot be dodged: can a faith that produces nothing actually save? Salvation cannot be earned through works, nor can good works   replace the necessity of faith. Jesus paid that cost with His blood! However, faith was never meant to sit in somebody’s head as a "good principle" and nothing more. The gospel produces something in us and changes our hearts. Good works do not save us, but they are the PROOF of our faith. We profess our faith with our words, but our actions are what reveals how genuine our faith truly is, as well as the true posture of our hearts. “I will SHOW you my faith by my works.”

This Sunday at Resonate we had the gift of hearing from one of our honored overseers, Pastor Zane Anderson! Ephesians 6 calls believers to “be strong in the Lord” and to keep getting stronger. The enemy loves to work through weariness because he is after God’s purpose and destiny in a your life. If you have been feeling weary of the fight, remember that Christ comes to refresh weary warriors to give us abundant life! The Word of God, a community of believers, and the name of Jesus stand as a primary weapons in this battle.

Continuing our series through the Book of James with our overall theme of Stewardship for the year, Pastor Jeff Sparkman speaks on stewarding our relationships by not showing favoritism. People look at the exterior, but The Lord looks at the heart. The gospel breaks down barriers of gender, ethnicity, economics, status, and influence and creates on new family. Our common bond is that we are all broken, and we all need a Savior - Jesus Christ!

Pastors Jeff and Sarah Sparkman continue our series through the book of James on the topic of being "doers" of the word - specifically in our relationships and marriages! Marriage is a covenant, not a contract. Jesus warns against staring at the speck in another person’s eye while ignoring the plank in one’s own. Unforgiveness, pride, resentment, and judging motives can make the heart dark fast. Small compromises, flirtations, secret conversations, discontent, and counterfeit intimacy can become devastating fires. Christ still offers forgiveness and healing to those who have crossed the line, but repentance means making up your mind not to go back. God gives a spouse as a good gift, and lasting blessing comes through becoming a doer of the word.

Pastor Jeff Sparkman continues our series through the Book of James, this week on the topic of managing anger. Pure and genuine religion shows up in controlled speech, caring for the vulnerable, and a refusal to be corrupted by the world. James presses beyond religious appearance into a life where God’s Word reaches the tongue, the temper, the treatment of hurting people, and the everyday choices that form a believer’s character.

When God calls us, we need to understanding His "Go." The G stands for His goodness, and the O for obedience! God is a generous, kind, and good father. Not a God who measures out grace according to who earned the most! We can trust that He cares for us, and His plan is for our own good as well as His. Secondly, the "go" of God also requires radical obedience. Obedience can take many forms, whether it's as large as a life-changing decision, or as small as simply giving up something you know isn't good. The place that costs the most can become the place where His nearness is most deeply known! Release fear, bitterness, and unforgiveness can into the hands of our good God.

The promise of God and the promotion of God do not always show up on the same day. David was anointed as king, yet he spent roughly thirteen to sixteen years walking through rejection, scorn, danger, caves, and seasons where nothing looked like the word over his life. But this in-between season was not proof that God had forgotten David - in fact, it was the place where God formed him. God brought David's promotion in His timing, not through David’s striving. God’s resurrection power makes a promise secure, because what He raises up cannot be stolen by a demon, a system, an economy, or a human plan.

Pastor Jeff Sparkman continues our series through the book of James, this week on the goodness of God. The greatest super power God gives to walk through discouragement, suffering, anger, and disappointment is Godly perspective. In tough situations, the enemy wants to take you to a place of selfish concern focusing on what you lack, but God wants to show you His goodness in every situation. Even the hard ones!

Josh Hargrove speaks on temptation and sin as we continue our series through the book of James! As followers of Christ, it is important we understand what sin is, how it works, and how to defeat it so that we become a people so desperate for Christ-like holiness, that confession and repentance become as regular of a practice as worship and prayer.

Pastor Jeff Sparkman continues our series through the book of James, this week on the topic of trials and suffering. How we steward the trials of our life determines how we grow. We can come out with joy and maturity, or we get bitter and stay stuck with a victim mentality. God doesn't cause our trials - but He will use them to refine and mature us! How will you respond?