The Bridge Church Sermons

A lot of things can look like the real deal until they're put to the test—diamonds that don't pass the scratch test, money that changes color under a counterfeit pen... Even our wisdom can be counterfeit if it comes from the wrong source. And the scary part is that a lot of times, we're totally fine with the counterfeit as long as it looks real on the outside. James 3 continues the conversation on an important topic: biblical wisdom. It's far too easy for us to forget that God has already promised wisdom to us if we simply ask. Let's say it this way: God paid for you to have the real deal in wisdom. So will we settle? Support the show

If you've ever wondered what kind of weight your words hold, think about the last time you talked yourself into something. Or when you talked yourself out of something. If your words can have such a directive impact on you, imagine the impact it can have on others—maybe helpful, maybe harmful, but always powerful. James 3 reminds of us of three things to never forget about our words: 1. They can direct where we go. 2. They can destroy what we have. 3. They can display who we are. What story will your words tell about your life and your faith? Support the show

"Talk is cheap. Let's go play." - Johnny UnitasThat’s a modern quote to summarize the back half of James 2 that has troubled Christians for centuries. And it’s because it poses this question: Can you have faith without works? If we are saved by faith alone, where do works fall in the equation? What does true saving faith look like?The gospel produces both faith and works. One without the other is what James calls “dead faith”. Christians are called to not “faith AND works”, not “faith OR works”… but a faith THAT works. A saving faith means we don’t just talk cheaply—we play too.Support the show

You can have a big head at the same time you have a shrinking heart. A lot of times, you can see the effects of that kind of condition in the way you treat others. Enter: the sin of snobbery. When we are drawn to make distinctions—ranking others by a face value like wealth, status, race, age, you name it—James is challenging us to reevaluate. And the challenge might not be what you think. It's not to stop showing favoritism; it's to show favor to all. We have a model who showed us how to do that, and we have a source of power to help us do it—to "love others as you love yourself." Support the show

There is an enemy who waits, waving its bait and hoping that our weakness will come through—that we'll be convinced there is something out there that brings happiness apart from God. The sad news: it happens so often that we are convinced. The list of bait is endless—money, status, vanity, property, people... And the enemy knows there is an entire arsenal ready to use. But maturity in Christ is learning to recognize and resist the temptation that is there to distract us from chasing what our heart really needs. What baits you? What hope is there to overcome it? Support the show

Much of our lives are spent chasing the things we think will make us happy—getting that one job, reaching that one milestone, making that particular amount of money, hitting that status, winning that award… The list goes on. And when it’s all said and done, it goes on a shelf, redeemable for nothing in the grand scheme of eternity. Many dreams don’t deliver. And if we spend our lives chasing them, we’ll never have both eyes on what we should be chasing—Jesus. What dream isn’t delivering for you? What do you have to set aside to put your all into the pursuit of the only One who does deliver? Support the show

"Church is not an organization you join, it’s a family where you belong, a home where you are loved, and a hospital where you find healing.” – Nicky GumbelChurch is a family, not an event. It’s doing life together, in both the mountaintop and valley seasons of life. The early church understood this, and the world was never the same again. We’ll never fully experience what God meant for us to experience without authentic, vulnerable, Gospel community. Jesus doesn’t just want our Sundays, as important as those are: He wants our whole life, as we remember that God is the one who changes lives.Support the show

Here is a staggering statistic: more than half of Americans report feeling lonely. Loneliness is one of our greatest fears and hardships, but the antidote is something we’re almost equally as fearful of—vulnerability with others. There is so much good found in relationship with others, but sometimes it’s messy and hard, so we turn the other way. But from the very beginning, being alone is one of the things God deemed “not good.” It’s in our very design to be among others—designed for community by a God who embodies community. How do we fight the loneliness? How do we live in community the way God has always intended for us? Support the show

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We’re imperfect in many ways, but one things that fails us regularly is our memories. And this isn’t new to humanity in a distracted, busy age. In fact, all the way in the book of Joshua, there’s a story of the Jordan River, which God parts so the Israelites could pass, and He calls them to do something so they’ll never forget the miracle.They stack stones. It’s the first thing God has them do after making it through—worship and build a monument. And every time they see the stacked stones, they’ll remember. When their kids see the stacked stones, they’ll ask for the stories. And the story of God’s faithfulness will go on, and on, and on. For generations.The legacy of faith we’re called to leave is too vital, and God’s faithfulness is too incredible. So today, how do we stack our own stones?Support the show