Sharon Church | Sermons

Many people are already somewhat familiar with the story of Jonah - which is not always a good thing. For a lot of us, our understanding of this epic story comes from childhood. But, the version of the book of Jonah that we were given as kids is not the whole story. As the story takes off, we find out a lot about Jonah and the spiritual darkness he is walking in. But the Lord is relentless in His pursuit of Jonah - but not just Jonah. God is calling the hearts of every person Jonah's life impacts.

Many people are already somewhat familiar with the story of Jonah - which is not always a good thing. For a lot of us, our understanding of this epic story comes from childhood. But, the version of the book of Jonah that we were given as kids is not the whole story. In the first three sentences of the book we come face to face with the depth and complexity of this powerful book. It requires a different sort of focus and understanding to see that God is using the story of Jonah to reveal our own "Jonah-like" tendencies in our own lives.

In the conclusion of his letter, James lands somewhere most modern Bible readers may not expect him to land. He has seen the suffering in the church begin to cause division and isolation and he finishes his letter reminding them of the power the church has to save and to heal and to restore.

The Book of James is a letter to struggling Christians encouraging them to stay faithful in the face of great suffering. It is  full of practical wisdom and truth to help us know and follow God's plan for our flourishing.In James 5:1-12, James brings everything to a head and sounds a lot like an Old Testament prophet in his call to the Christians to live like they are following Jesus.

The Book of James is a letter to struggling Christians encouraging them to stay faithful in the face of great suffering. It is  full of practical wisdom and truth to help us know and follow God's plan for our flourishing.In James 4:11-17, James gives his readers great wisdom on how to steward the gift of each day.

The Book of James is a letter to struggling Christians encouraging them to stay faithful in the face of great suffering. It is  full of practical wisdom and truth to help us know and follow God's plan for our flourishing.

In James 4:4-11, James ramps up the intensity and the language to make sure his readers get the point he is trying to make. They have wandered away from the Lord and James wants them to see it & feel it AND to know there is a path back to Him.

The Book of James is a letter to struggling Christians encouraging them to stay faithful in the face of great suffering. It is  full of practical wisdom and truth to help us know and follow God's plan for our flourishing.In James 4:1-3, James begins his descent to his landing and boldly gets to the root of the issue for his readers - themselves. There is something going on in their souls causing all the issues within the churches.

The Book of James is a letter to struggling Christians encouraging them to stay faithful in the face of great suffering. It is  full of practical wisdom and truth to help us know and follow God's plan for our flourishing.

In James 3:13-18, James is still talking to those who want to be teachers but he is calling them (and all of us) to evaluate where our desire to be heard is coming from.

The Book of James is a letter to struggling Christians encouraging them to stay faithful in the face of great suffering. It is  full of practical wisdom and truth to help us know and follow God's plan for our flourishing. As we get into James 3, the practical application of this wisdom is focused on how we use our words. Much damage can be done through our words so we must be careful how we speak.

The Book of James is a letter to struggling Christians encouraging them to stay faithful in the face of great suffering. It is  full of practical wisdom and truth to help us know and follow God's plan for our flourishing. 

In this passage, James asks very heavy questions that are meant to cause the reader to question if the faith they have is dead or alive.