Christ Fellowship Sermon

The day of the lord has ended, and the new age has dawned. Christ is seated before us in all his transcendent glory and it’s your turn to step up to the bema seat of judgment. You’re hoping and praying you hear, well done good and faithful servant. But will you? I know that’s what i want to hear. Will you be found faithful on that day? What does the faithful life look like? How would we know if we...

In "Wake Up," Jake unveils the startling truth that Christ's coming will be delayed longer than many anticipate. It's time to open our eyes, ears, and hearts to the signs and wonders surrounding us, realizing that time is of the essence. Jake passionately ignites a spark within us, compelling us to heed the urgency of the hour.

So often, we zero in on what we’re building with our lives (families, careers, an education, friendships, all of those being wonderful things), but Jesus reminds us that what we’re building doesn’t really matter if we’ve never considered where we’re building.

Have you ever had the experience of having something which was of great value to you come up missing? Likely, because it was of great value to you, you searched for it until you found it. 

All at once prayer seems to be the easiest and most difficult spiritual practice. It’s simply talking to God. And yet, we have questions. Does prayer work? Does it make a difference whether you pray or not? Do you have to pray in Jesus’ name? Does the level of your faith matter? In other words, if you believe stronger is your prayer more likely to be answered the way you hope? Does your level of r...

In this earthly life full of pain and difficulty, how do you wait well? We all must wait. We all must endure. How can you patiently wait? James tells us how to wait well.

You may have heard of Noah, Abraham or Moses, but you may have missed Elkanah. He was not well-known then or now, not a king, priest or prophet but an ordinary man.            While he faithfully went to worship God on Jewish festival days, he had also married two women. He was polygamous and it created problems. One of his wives, Peninnah, had children, but his other wife, Hannah had none. She st...

How many pairs of shoes do you own? How many cars? How new are they? How much stuff do you buy that you don’t need or use? Most Americans vastly underestimate how rich they are. Compared to the rest of the world, we are wealthy. You are wealthy. I realize a few of you are living in poverty with very limited incomes, but most of you are living on more than $100,000 per year, and some on far more th...

Why can’t we get along in our churches? Christians attack each other over minor differences of opinion. Why can’t we get along in our country? People on opposite sides of an issue vilify each other. Protests get physically violent. Why can’t we get along in our world? There has not been one year in the last 100 years without war.

This week James talks about wisdom. This might seem like a significant shift, but it isn’t. Think about how many Proverbs talk about the words that come from our mouths. If you think about wise people, you will know they are wise by how they live and speak. There is a vast difference between the way a wise person uses words and a foolish person. 

In the book of James, God reveals one of the most difficult beasts to tame. Our tongue. Our tongues are dangerous and powerful. James counters the common false saying, “sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” Words often hurt worse than sticks and stones, and the wounds last longer.

The days leading up to Easter carry growing anticipation. Through the days of Holy Week, we anticipate Sunday morning when we celebrate Christ’s resurrection. But do you really see what his resurrection means for you personally? Have you opened your eyes?

“Saving faith is faith that not only knows and comprehends the facts about the gospel of Jesus Christ but also trusts in the person and work of Jesus Christ alone for salvation.” Cf. The Gospel Coalition. 

James addresses the church and reminds them of the importance of not showing partiality or favoritism, which involves making judgments based on externals and can lead to discrimination and evil thoughts. James emphasizes that believers should focus on the glory of God, not people's glory, to eliminate favoritism. He also emphasizes the grace of God and how those who are poor in the world's eyes ca...

Today, we take a fresh look at Jesus Christ, the Supreme One. We tend to see Christ as a wonderful supplement to our lives, but miss that he is supreme over our own lives. Since he is supreme in the universe, he should be supreme in our lives so that we are all about Jesus.

Two thousand years ago, long before Nike trademarked, “Just do it,” the biblical author James wrote, Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. James 1:22. He was talking about something far more important than physical fitness.

Life in a fallen world brings all kinds of trials. How do we face them well? Trials bring the temptation to get angry at God, to blame him. When your company terminates you, when you are served a divorce decree, when someone hits your car in the parking and does not leave a note, it’s normal to get angry. You might be angry at your boss, your spouse or the person who damaged your car, and then tha...

I want you to imagine that you are among James’ original audience. A letter comes from James, the leader of the Jerusalem church, and you are all gathered together to hear it read. Right out of the gate, James starts with “Consider it pure joy my brothers and sisters whenever you face trials of many kinds… what kind of trials were these early Christians facing? Well, Bruce just told you that they...

There is an epidemic of loneliness happing in our country. Cigna found that in 2019, before the pandemic, 61% of Americans reported feeling lonely consistently. That number has only been exacerbated post-pandemic. The 2021 Cigna report states that young adults aged 18-24 are twice as likely to be lonely than seniors aged 66 and older. The data also showed that 65% of parents and guardians are clas...

With lives hanging in the balance, the young Hebrew exile Daniel entered the throne room of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. Following a terrifying dream, the king had threatened to execute all his counselors if they couldn’t do the impossible; tell him his dream and also its interpretation.

Unity is difficult. Our differences divide us. We live in a fractured world. Few of us get along well with our spouses and children, much less with our neighbors and our “friends” on social media. I’m pretty sure you and your spouse do not see the world the same way. And your adult children do not see the world the way you do, which of course, is the right way. Our country reels with harsh divisio...

I have often felt weak in evangelism. I felt like I was not doing well enough in sharing my faith with those who do not know Jesus. It’s easier for me to study the Bible. As a pastor-theologian. I love teaching serious believers who want to go deep, and I love mentoring leaders. Talking about Jesus with those who are not Christians has been more challenging for me. How about you?

I struggle with sin. I wish I did not sin at all, which I know is not possible this side of eternity, but I wish I sinned less. Do you struggle with sin, with temptation? Do you occasionally do something you wish you had not done? Don’t you wish we could just quit sinning? Sin hurts us and hurts other people. In this sermon, Pastor Bruce will teach how the Holy Spirit gives us the power for a Godl...