Wayside Bible Chapel

James describes temptation like a fishing lure. It is all shiny and bright and so attractive, promising a satisfaction that will thrill us. What we cannot see are the hooks and line that will drag us to destruction. He tells us it is our desires that conceive sin and sin gives birth to death. Instead, we need to see that good and perfect gifts come from God.

God will generously give wisdom to those who ask. Wisdom is how to live rightly, which God longs for us to do. That wisdom helps us to see what is truly valuable and eternal. That means that we see the trials we face in a different light. Instead of temporary frustration and disappointment, we can see by faith what God is producing in our lives that is eternal.

James addressed a church undergoing persecution and told them to welcome trials with joy. He explains that we can be joyful in suffering because we know that God is refining our faith resulting in a steadfast spirit. The result is our perfection and lacking in nothing. It is what we long to attain. Therefore, we should have joy in the process knowing the end results.

An to the book of James, when it was written, to whom it was written, and the reason behind it and need for it. Also addressed is the claim that it is in contrast to the writings of Apostle Paul.

Jonah thought the nice shade plant that shaded him was a gift from God. The next morning a worm killed the plant and the east wind drove the heat into his bones. He asked God to die, but God had a lesson for Jonah and for us! You will also see the reason Jesus declared He is greater than Jonah.

We often get an idea of what we would like God to do. Then when He orchestrates events in a different way, we become angry with God. We do not understand why He allows certain things. Jonah was so angry that he just wanted to die. He did not see that he was about to learn some attitude altering lessons. He was right where God would have him to transform his perspectives.

The psalmist prays for God’s steadfast love and salvation, according to His promise. He trusts in God’s truth and hopes in his word, which sets him in a wide place of freedom. He asks God to not let him be put to shame but to help him delight in his commandments and love his law.

The king joined the repentance and fasting and issued an edict that everyone participate. There was genuine repentance verified by them changing their ways. It is the very thing we long to see in our own nation. Lincoln's proclamation for a day of prayer and fasting is exactly what we need in our day. If it can happen in Nineveh, it can happen here.

Jonah is given a second chance to do God's will. Traumatized by the experience in the great fish, he has not surrendered to God's will. He makes the journey of hundreds of miles not yet knowing the exact message. Finally there, he proclaims the message God gave him. "Forty days and Nineveh will be destroyed!" What would God have a prophet today declare to our nation?

This passage of Psalm 119 is filled with humble petitions of prayer, repentance, and fear rooted in the righteousness that could only be granted by God alone.

Jonah's prayer in chapter two is filled with quotations from Messianic psalms. There is even a declaration which in Hebrew reads, "Yeshua makes peace with God." That too is a quotation from the psalms. In this beautiful prayer we see Jonah's confession and declaration of faith. There are many expressions that are not understood without some knowledge of the culture and Hebrew expressions.

Jonah was willing to die so his shipmates might live. When that storm ceased after throwing Jonah into the waves, the Gentile mariners prayed to Jonah's God. They may be his first converts. Is it possible for someone to survive in a great fish for three days and nights?

The storm raged and threatened to tear the ship apart. They cast lots to see who was responsible. The lot fell on Jonah. We cannot hide from God. We cannot flee from God. His love will persistently pursue us and correct us. It may seem like a final judgment, but it is the beginning of restoration.

Jonah is a real character mentioned in 1 Kings. The circumstances surrounding his attempt to flee from God's calling have a lot to teach us about our human nature. It is full of warnings for the modern Christian. This book is full of contrasts and similarities with the life of Christ.

Paul ends his second letter to the Corinthians with a stern warning that they would not like to see God exercise discipline through him, and he would not like it either. His hope is that they be restored, all of them, even those false teachers. He ends the letter with five imperative commands and a unique benediction.

In the passage for this week, we read of Paul giving a stern warning about not wanting to have to discipline the Corinthian believers. He is warning them to repent so they do not have to see the Paul as a disciplinarian and face God's judgment. Paul had exercised this authority and knew how painful it was for all involved. The passage ends with him challenging them to examine their hearts to see i...

Paul tells the Corinthians that the founding of the church included signs and wonders. We do not have a report of what those miracles consisted of. The sermon examines the reasons for signs and wonders, when they are first mentioned in Scripture, and the reason we rarely have them in western culture today.

Our passage for this week sums up Paul's message throughout the letter and redefines for us what real strength is. "When I am weak, then I am strong!" That is because God's power is made perfect in our weakness. Recognizing we are weak causes us to depend on the strength of the Almighty!

While on vacation, I had a very vivid dream. A man looked into my eyes and said in a manner that was matter of fact, "You need to be strong, courageous, and endure." This sermon is a look into Scripture to see that same message and instruction as to how that can be possible in our lives.

Paul continues his defense by sharing how much he has suffered for the cause of Christ. He lists many things he had endured including being beaten with rods, scourged five times and even stoned. Many things on his list are not mentioned anywhere else in Scripture. The heart of a true pastor is to do the will of God to advance the gospel no matter the cost. May God give us that kind of heart.

Paul mocks the false teachers by calling them super-apostles. They deem themselves to be so special that they treat the Corinthian believers harshly and make demands on them. Paul contrasts his sacrificial behavior and generosity with their greed and egos. This message warns us how to spot these false-teachers in sheep's clothing and what to do about them. It also promises us we will be rewarded f...

The providence of God is revealed in the Book of Exodus. We serve a God who hears. We serve a God who remembers. We serve a God who sees. We serve a God who knows.

A Good Friday service to memorialize what Christ has done for us. Living a life free from sin yet paying the ultimate price for our sin debt.

The Apostle Paul sees a very clear picture of our spiritual journey through life and the deliverance we have in Christ in the Hebrews exodus from Egypt and journey to the promised land. The many parallels have so much to teach us. The God who planned history was revealing the pattern that unfolded in the first century to this day.

In this passage Paul tells the Corinthians he wanted to present them as a pure virgin to their husband, Christ. He was afraid that as Eve was deceived, so the Corinthians would be led astray from their pure and sincere devotion to Christ. He was concerned that they were being receptive to a different Jesus, a different spirit, and a different gospel. It is the same issues our culture struggles wit...