Sermons by Dr. Abidan Shah

James doesn't ask whether you have conflicts. He asks where they come from. And the answer he gives applies equally to a marriage struggling in the same house, a church fracturing from the inside, and two nations heading toward war. At the root of every battle, James says, is one four-letter word: envy. In this message, Dr. Abidan Shah works through James 4:1–10 and traces the full path from selfi...

James asks a question that cuts straight through both confidence and insecurity: who among you thinks they're wise? It doesn't matter if you're book smart, street smart, or neither — what matters is whether your wisdom actually comes from above. In this message, Dr. Abidan Shah unpacks the difference between wisdom that's earthly, sensual, and demonic, and wisdom that's genuinely from God — and ma...

James doesn't pull any punches in chapter three. He starts by telling teachers — pastors, Sunday school leaders, anyone who opens their mouth to instruct others — that they will face a stricter judgment for their words. Then he widens the lens to everyone: our words control our actions, our words can cause real devastation, and our words reveal exactly what's happening inside our hearts. In this m...

Martin Luther once said he wanted to throw the book of James into the stove. He called it an "epistle of straw" — hollow, inferior, barely worth keeping in the Bible. The reason? James 2:14–26, the passage that says faith without works is dead. Luther thought James was contradicting Paul's gospel of grace through faith alone. He was wrong — and in this message, Dr. Abidan Shah walks through exactl...

James shifts gears in chapter two. Chapter one was about you — your trials, your temptations, your anger, your response to the Word. Chapter two is about how you treat everyone else. And the first thing he addresses is partiality: judging people based on what they look like, what they wear, and how much money they appear to have. The Greek word is prosopolempsia — literally, "receiving the face."...

James doesn't just tell his readers what to do — he gives them a mirror to look into. And the longer you've been in church without actually obeying the Word, the harder it is to look. In this message from James 1:21–27, Dr. Abidan Shah walks through one of the most practical and convicting passages in the New Testament: the difference between hearing the Word and doing it, and why one without the...

Most people do not like to admit they are angry. We use softer phrases, funny idioms, or other explanations to avoid saying what is really going on. But James gets right to the point. In this message, Dr. Abidan Shah explains how anger grows, why it often starts when we stop listening, and how careless words only fuel the fire. This sermon also shows why human anger cannot produce the righteousnes...

A lot of people blame the devil, their past, or even God for the sins they keep falling into. But James gives a much clearer answer. In this message, Dr. Shah explains how trials and temptations travel the same road, and how temptation begins when we stop trusting God and start turning inward. This sermon walks through the blame game, the seduction process of sin, and why the answer is not just tr...

A lot of people think that when life gets hard, what they need most is more information. But James says otherwise. In this message, Dr. Shah explains why knowledge alone is not enough when you face trials, instability, and painful decisions. Walking through James 1, this sermon shows that what we really need is wisdom from God—wisdom that helps us respond with faith rather than fear, steadiness ra...

A lot of Christians repeat the phrase, “God will not give you more than you can bear.” But that is not what the Bible teaches. In this message, Dr. Shah opens James 1 and explains why God allows trials that push us past our own strength. This sermon shows that trials are inevitable, unpredictable, and varied, but they are never wasted. God uses them to produce endurance, deepen our faith, and shap...

Some people grow up in church, spend their entire lives around truth, and still walk a way. In this message, Dr. Abidan Shah begins a new series in the book of James by looking at a surprising reality: the man who wrote this book grew up with Jesus—and didn’t believe in Him. This sermon explores how familiarity can lead to contempt, why many people walk away from faith after seeing hypocrisy, and...

Why did Mary Magdalene run? Why did Peter and John race to the tomb? And why does John include those details in the resurrection account? In this Easter message, Dr. Shah takes us deep into John 20 and shows that the race to the empty tomb is part of a much bigger story. This sermon not only answers common claims about contradictions in the resurrection accounts, but also reveals how the resurrect...

In this panel discussion, Dr. Abidan Shah is joined by Dr. Maurice Robinson, Dr. Mark Ward, Dwayne Green, and Dr. David Alan Black for a thoughtful conversation on textual criticism, Bible translations, the Byzantine text, and the reliability of Scripture. Together, they address common questions about variant readings, manuscript traditions, and why Christians can have confidence that the Bible th...

In this message, we will continue our study of the Bible as we look at the way God’s Word has been preserved through the centuries. While we no longer have the autographs of Scripture, we can say with utmost certainty that what we hold in our hands is truly the Word of God. Throughout the years, God has protected the process of preserving and transmitting Scripture. Do you see God’s hand of provid...

In this message, we will move from what Scripture is to what it does in our lives. The Bible is the only book that, as you read it, changes you. However, neglecting the study of God’s Word and surrounding yourself with people who do the same is a recipe for disaster. I believe this message will help guard us against the world's lies and help us build our lives upon the truth of the Bible. What rol...

As we begin our new series, we will take time examining the nature of the New Testament. These 27 books were written by different people across different places, but all cohesively tell the story of Jesus’ life, the birth of the early church, and the spread of Christianity. In studying the New Testament, we will learn that not only is the Bible true in everything it says, but it also gives the hel...

What does the Bible actually say about Persia? How should Christians understand Iran in light of prophecy? And how do we respond—not with fear—but with confidence in God’s sovereignty? This message moves beyond speculation and into careful biblical analysis, historical context, and practical application for believers living in uncertain times. If you want a deeper, text-driven understanding of wor...

This sermon marks our last message in Job. As we approach the end of the book, we find Job in a state of restoration. This doesn’t negate the trauma he endured. However, there is a very real sense of moving forward in not only the narrative but also in Job’s life. How can he do this after walking through unimaginable suffering and heartache? What do you do when the trauma is over, and it’s time to...

Explore the connection between dinosaurs, dragons, and the Devil through a biblical lens in this powerful message by Dr. Abidan Shah of Clearview Church. Drawing from Job 40-41 and real fossil evidence, this teaching challenges secular views of prehistoric life and shows how Scripture uses Leviathan and Behemoth to help believers overcome fear and trauma. Discover how understanding these ancient c...

In this message, we will hear God’s response to Job. God speaks to him not in anger, but in a way that corrects his misunderstandings and renews his confidence. We have referred to schemas that Job works through as shattered windows. Today, we will learn what happens when God begins to repair those windows and help us see suffering correctly. Can you sense God at work in your life? Do you believe...

In this message, we come to a much different exchange between the mysterious Elihu and Job. Elihu’s words to Job are unlike those of his other friends, speaking of suffering as a form of instruction, rather than punishment. This ideology is very similar to Buddhism and the monks who have been in our headlines recently. But is it true? What does God have to say about suffering? Is suffering merely...

As we continue walking through the book of Job, we encounter Job justifying himself to his friends. The Bible goes to great lengths to remind us that Job remained righteous before the Lord. That does not mean he completely understood and followed God’s plan blindly through his suffering. At times, he was waiting for an explanation, justification, or even an apology. Do you feel as though someone o...

In this message, we come to an interesting part of the book of Job. Chapter 28 feels, in many ways, like a departure from the overall flow of dialogue between Job and his friends. There is a sudden discourse on wisdom, where it comes from, and how God uses it. This is much more than just an aside or a later addition to the book. Do you feel as though your life has been one storm after another? Are...

We’ve been working through incorrect schemas that people hold to regarding the nature of God and suffering. In this message, we will address the subject of questioning God. Depending on your upbringing, this might be a difficult concept for you to grasp, or it may even seem completely out of the question. However, this service we will uncover what the Bible actually says about questioning God. Do...

Last time, we introduced the concept of Job working through various schemas through the dialogue with his friends. Job dealt with the concept of God’s retributive justice in the face of his suffering, understanding there was much more going on behind the scenes. This weekend, we will deal with the idea that our suffering means that God is angry with us. God does get angry, but as Job learns, that...