Read: John 3:16–21; Acts 16:11-15 Text: Lord's Day 7 God will only save those who by true faith share in Christ. 1. Why true faith is necessary 2. What true faith is 3. Where true faith comes from Questions for reflection: 1. What will happen to those who do not embrace Christ in faith? Do you feel a burden to share the hope of the gospel with those who are lost? 2. What is true faith? 3. What do you think is a greater danger: complacency or trying to earn your salvation? Why? 4. Are you excited about the promises God has made to you? In what ways are you building your life on the promises of God? In what areas of your life do you have a hard time appropriating God's promises by faith? 5. Where does the Bible teach that God works faith in the hearts of his people? 6. How does the Holy Spirit work faith in the hearts of his people? Can you share a story how he has done this?

As we continue to build this picture of wisdom in the life of the believer. James now focuses on another difficult attribute that wisdom carries with it. This is really two attributes melded into one vital trait that is to be found in the life of those who are wise. We come into contact with this subject of wisdom here in the later part of verse 17 and notice that James lists it with all other evidences of someone who is wise. It is becoming clearer and clearer in my own life and study that there is no place for pettiness as one of His children. I can find myself being petty over just about everything. Wisdom's merciful process means that there are times when I treat others with mercy rather than pettiness and vengeance. That instead of being full of revenge, what fills me is a merciful heart.

With declining morality and increasing apostasy, signs of the times continue to set the stage for the biblical end-times scenario. Pastor Josh Davis turns to Luke 21 to give biblical insight on these signs, and offer the same message of encouragement that Jesus gave His followers.

Compromise is never the way forward. Compromise leads to more compromise. Joshua was the leader at this time, but he did not have control of the expansion of the territory being taken by the tribes.

The sermon centers on the biblical principle of sowing and reaping, urging believers to sow to the Spirit rather than the flesh. Drawing primarily from Galatians 6, the message emphasizes that consistent acts of kindness and evangelism yield eternal rewards, even when efforts seem difficult or unrewarded in the short term. The preacher illustrates this through personal anecdotes about ministry persistence and the example of the Apostle Paul's suffering for the Gospel. A significant portion is dedicated to reflecting on Isaiah 53 and the sacrificial death of Jesus at Calvary as the ultimate demonstration of God's love and the foundation of salvation. The call to action invites the congregation to surrender fully to God, do good to all people, and actively share the Gospel while there is still time.

The Israelites proceed forward through the rugged desert wilderness and experience life-threatening thirst once again. God has been faithfully providing for them along the way, but the Israelites have suffered; they have felt their weakening bodies and their grumbling souls. Every time they show themselves faithless, God shows Himself faithful. In this scene, it plays out the same way as God miraculously causes water to gush from a rock to satisfy the thirst of every single person and animal in the caravan. As explicitly mentioned by Paul in 1 Corinthians 10, this story features another type of Christ who is the rock from which we drink and experience life for our souls.

The church age is living in the time of "the things that are" as written in the book of Revelation. This was the smallest of the seven churches and was a church that had no condemnation from the Lord, they were a faithful church.