Spring City Fellowship
260809Sunday
Sunday August 9, 2026 10:15AM Service

      • Psalm 150:3NIV2011

  • A Thousand Hallelujahs
  • Always
  • Name Above All Names
  • Thank You Jesus For The Blood
  • Come Thou Fount Of Every Blessing (w/Chorus)
  • Turn Your Eyes

      • Psalm 133:1NIV2011

  • Our theme for 2026 is “Embrace Transformation”
    And our New Testament book study for this theme is in the book of James.
    James is a very practical book.
    Last year we studied Matthew and focused especially on Jesus’ sermon on the mount.
    James revisits the same themes as the Sermon on the mount- but he speaks directly to scattered church that is facing intense persecution.
    James 1:1 ESV
    1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings.
    These are people who had an amazing encounter with the risen Christ through the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.
    Suddenly they realized who Jesus really is and their lives began to be transformed.
    Except now they are scattered - many of them going back to the lives that they had before that incredible journey to Jerusalem.
    It was more than just a religious feast -it was an ingathering of a spiritual harvest - the firstfruits of a first generation of Jesus-followers.
    Faith became alive in those days of Pentecost, when they heard Peter’s sermon and a holy conviction filled their hearts.
    They suddenly recognized Jesus as the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets.
    And they repented and were filled with the Holy Spirit.
    But what does faith look like when you go back to your hometown and you are no longer just a Jew, a minority religion, but a minority of a minority - a sect of a sect.
    Its one thing to be swept up in a moment and in a great movement where many are impacted by a message.
    It is another thing to take that message to a place where no one has heard it and begin to live it until it makes sense to those around you.
    I am calling this series on the Book of James, “Faith that works.”
    Faith has to work.
    It’s not enough to believe it, you have to do it.
    It has to change you in fundamental ways so that you embrace transformation.
    It should change the way you live, the way you see yourself and he way you relate to others.
    It changes what you expect out of life, your goals and your purpose.
    The Christian life is lived at the intersection of faith and works.
    It is not a choice between faith and works.
    It’s both, not one or the other.
    Faith is not just a belief system, it is the application of that belief system to our lives, to our daily choices and to what we consider to be important.
    Faith is not just something that you profess as if you have it all together.
    Faith is what you practice, as growing in faith is also a process
    and you practice it until you become who you were meant to be.
    In the opening chapter of his book - James introduces us to faith as a progression.
    It doesn’t start out fully formed -it’s tested.
    And the more you test it - the truer it becomes.
    In fact it is through repeated testing and perseverance that we become all that we were meant to be.
    James calls it completion - some translations say perfection.
    But perfection can be misleading because we are not talking about a perfection that cannot be improved.
    We are talking about a completion that is approved by God.
    Let’s begin working our way through this process as James presents it.

    Testing

    James 1:2–4 ESV
    2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
    That’s it -that’s the process - one thing naturally leads to another.
    Testing produces steadfastness or endurance.
    Steadfast endurance leads to completion.
    Trust the process - its going to get you there.
    But I didn’t even mention the most astonishing part of what James is saying.
    He says count it all joy!
    Like we are supposed to be happy when bad things happen!?
    That’s just nuts!
    Actually, its not so crazy - James is making an important point:

    It’s not just your actions, it’s your attitude.

    First of all, there is word play happening here that gets lost in translation.
    The word for joy is essentially the same word for “greetings.”
    So the uncomfortably irony is already there when James greets them with joy.
    He knows they are going through a hard time.
    So then, instead of apologizing for his overzealous greeting, he doubles down on it.
    No, really, I mean it - I wish you joy!
    Perhaps James knew the story of the Apostle Paul and Silas, who were imprisoned for their faith. Instead of wallowing in despair, they sang hymns and praised God in their cell. Their joyful attitude not only kept their spirits high but led to an earthquake that freed them and transformed the jailer’s life. This teaches us that choosing joy, even in suffering, can bring about miraculous results.
    Perhaps James has his own joy story or perhaps you have one too.
    When we choose joy, despite our circumstances, it shifts atmospheres.
    The opposition is shaken, sent into confusion.
    The Kingdom of God manifests and often outcomes are changed.
    Does this mean that we deny our disappointment, our grief or our sorrow?
    I don’t think so - I believe God meant for us to experience the whole range of emotions.
    After all, He experiences them too.
    In Genesis 6 God experienced regret.
    Ephesians 4 tells us that the Holy Spirit can be grieved.
    In John 11 Jesus wept.
    I don’t think that James is instructing us to suppress our emotions but to experience them in a way that moves us toward meaningful conclusions.
    We know that when we are being tested we are responsible for our actions.
    If we throw a tantrum, storm out of the room or pout in silence - we know that kind of behavior is only going to drive people away.
    We know enough to control our actions, but what about our attitude?
    If we fuss and fume on the inside, we may think that no one notices, but are you sure?
    Can you tell when someone close to you is struggling with their thoughts?
    What makes you think that you can hide it?
    Or even if you can hide it from people, can you hide i from God?
    Instead of pushing those thoughts aside, why not dialogue with them?
    That is what the psalmist does:
    Psalm 42:5 CEV
    5 Why am I discouraged? Why am I restless? I trust you! And I will praise you again because you help me,
    Instead of doubting your beliefs and believing your doubts; how about believing your beliefs and doubting your doubts?
    Do you just go with whatever thoughts pass through your mind?
    Or do you filter your thoughts, compare them to what you profess to believe and challenge the ones that don’t line up?
    You are not a victim of your moods, you can chose your attitude.
    You can’t help what you feel, but you can control how you process it.
    “Count it all joy” is a challenge to be intentional about how we process our experiences.
    Nobody is saying that it’s going to be easy- you are going to need some help:
    James 1:5–8 ESV
    5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

    Learn how to ask for what you need.

    A test is not just a test of your ability, it is a test of your resourcefulness.
    You don’t need to have all the answers - you just need to know where to find he answers.
    Life is an open-book test - you just need to be familiar with the text.
    You have a lifeline - you can phone a friend!
    Do you know God’s phone number - it’s Jeremiah 33:3
    Jeremiah 33:3 NIV
    3 ‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’
    So if asking God is so easy, why don’t we do it?
    Because we won’t believe the answer when we hear it!
    Wait, what? Is that you God? Nah, can’t be.
    This is where faith gets really practical.
    You can believe that God is good and that He has good things in store for you,
    But can you receive the hope and encouragement that God gives you?
    Or do you just dismiss it?
    Nah, I don’t want to get my hopes up!
    Can you receive correction from God?
    Do you welcome the conviction of the Holy Spirit.
    Is your heart attuned to the slightest thing that is off in your own thoughts or behavior?
    If you can receive correction, you will be better able to receive affirmation.
    You can balance the two.
    Many people vacillate between one or the other.
    One minute we’re on top of the world, and he next minute we are wallowing in shame and self-pity.
    We can’t hear God’s voice - God’s voice is subtle - while our own emotions are screaming at us.
    We need to learn how to sit in silence - to just be still - and to hear God’s voice.
    Psalm 62:5 NLT
    5 Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him.
    We can learn from the older traditions of Christianity - they practiced he art of meditation.
    People are afraid of that word because mostly what we know are mystical forms of meditation that cell us to empty our minds and find our center.
    Christian meditation is at least as old as all of that, except the goal is to focus our minds on a simple truth - a verse, a word or an idea.
    We are centering our minds on Christ, not on ourselves - we are aligning ourselves with Him.
    And we receive his peace - not a state of emptiness.
    We’re going to need i for the long haul...

    Endurance

    So far I have been describing the battle that goes on in our minds and our hearts just to get to the place of peace.
    When you find that you can get to that place of peace, the next step is to do it consistently.
    You had a good day - can you have a good day tomorrow?
    Can you have more good days than bad days?
    Can you have a good day even if it started out bad?
    Endurance is the challenge of mastery - can you do the right thing repeatedly and consistently?
    How many of you learned to shoot a bow and arrow? At camp perhaps or hunting? I wouldn’t say I’ve mastered it, but I do know the secret: You have to practice being consistent. The way you pick up the bow. How you place your fingers. How far you draw back. It has to be the same every time.
    You practice until you find what works. And then you practice doing that consistently until it becomes automatic. It’s a bullseye every time.
    The Christian life is like that - it’s not just a belief system, it’s the daily habits that come from that belief system.
    And I’m not just talking about your daily devotions - that’s a start.
    I’m talking about changing the way you habitually think.
    Not just how you act, but how you you see things.

    Master the power of perception.

    James 1:9–11 ESV
    9 Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, 10 and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. 11 For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.
    Did you catch that? He just said that the lowly are exalted and the rich are humiliated.
    Where did he get that idea? - from Jesus of course.
    Matthew 5:1–5 NLT
    1 One day as he saw the crowds gathering, Jesus went up on the mountainside and sat down. His disciples gathered around him, 2 and he began to teach them. 3 “God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. 4 God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth.
    That was the sermon on the mount where Jesus turned all of the usual perceptions of the “good life” upside down.
    And James is operating from that perspective.
    Plus he adds that our worldly perspective only works from a temporary point of view.
    That’s not a new thought - that’s the prophet Isaiah.
    Isaiah 40:6–8 ESV
    6 A voice says, “Cry!” And I said, “What shall I cry?” All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field. 7 The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the Lord blows on it; surely the people are grass. 8 The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.
    Putting it all in perspective is the beginning of living the life that GOd designed us to live.
    It means putting first things first.
    Putting God in His rightful place.
    Living our lives in the light of eternity.
    All of our trials take on new meaning when you view them in light of God’s eternal purpose.
    It’s not just about me.
    It’s not just about this moment.
    It’s not just about how I feel
    All of that is important, but none of it is ultimate.
    If God can accomplish a greater purpose through what is happening in my life right now, then it will all be worth it.
    That is not a conclusion that anyone comes to quickly or that we take lightly.
    This is a conviction that forms over time when we continually chose to trust God.

    Have an accurate view of God.

    James 1:12–13 ESV
    12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. 13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one.
    There are two things that we need to know about God which shapes how we view everything else.
    First, God is powerful.
    Second, God is good.
    God is powerful means that He is ultimately in control of everything, not that He choses to control everything - He gives us meaningful choices too.
    But James speaks of God’s power in terms of a reward - namely his approval.
    That crown of life means “congratulations, you did good”
    If God were not the most important being in the universe what would it matter what he thinks?
    But because he is our creator, sustainer and the one who give us purpose and meaning - it matters a lot!
    That’s what puts our little slice of life into perspective.
    Our lives are ultimately designed to glorify God.
    And the second thing we must understand is God’s goodness.
    God’s goodness is what sets the biblical story apart from every other ancient mythology.
    There are lots of other creation stories - but only one in which God created the world good.
    He made order out of chaos.
    And it is in light of God’s goodness that we find our life’s meaning and purpose.
    We must also remember that it is God’s plan to restore the world through Christ.
    Not every part of the story is good - there are some really bad moments in our lives and in history.
    But you have to know that God is working toward a good ending - both for us and for the world.
    Everything will turn out good in the end - if it’s not good, it must not be the end.
    There is more to the story...

    Complete

    Remember I said that James describes faith as a process.
    It is the positive cycle of trails leading to perseverance which leads to even greater faith in the midst of trials.
    Well, there is a negative cycle too.
    Or you could call it a negative spiral.
    The Biblical ideal of perfection or completion is not that you suddenly arrive in a state whereby you are finished, but that you are ever improving in a positive direction.
    Completion is a state of wholeness with continued growth.
    It is not an idealized state of perfection.
    Rather, it is the idea that nothing is holding you back from moving in a positive direction.
    Author and Bible translator Eugene Peterson is famous for defining discipleship as “a long obedience in a positive direction.” His core conviction is the gospel is not only true, but that it is meant to be lived out in obedience.
    In other words, our goal as believers in Jesus Christ is not just conversion, but sustained spiritual growth.
    It’s not just to have an encounter with Christ, but a continual life of transformation.
    It’s a sustained process of moving through trials to endurance and completion.
    James explains this by contrasting this idea with the negative spiral.
    James 1:14–15 ESV
    14 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

    Temptation is not an event, it’s a process.

    When someone sins in a way that really messes up their life, you can be sure it didn’t just happen.
    Murder doesn’t just happen because someone gets angry -it’s premeditated - that is literally the definition of first-degree murder.
    Thieves don’t just decide one day to steal - the usually start small like shoplifting or petty theft and work up to bigger items.
    Adultery doesn’t just happen in a moment of passion - it’s normally the result of a series of compromises.
    When you talk to someone who has just been arrested, they say things like “I don’t know how this happened.”
    What we think they mean is, “ I don’t know how I got caught.”
    But some people I have talked to really don’t know how they got to where they were able to commit crimes.
    As we would explore their history, the answer is almost always “a little bit at a time.”
    The progression starts with desire - you want something, but you can’t have it.
    So you compromise, you give in a little bit while telling yourself, “well at least I’m not doing that!”
    You think that showing a little bit of restraint makes you a good person and justifies your indulgence.
    Your playing games with your own mind, comparing yourself to a worst case scenario instead of judging according to God’s righteous standard.
    Here is how you can use this information to reverse the negative spiral.
    Simply recognize what is happening early in the process.
    Pay attention to your desires.
    What do you want - I mean what do you really want?
    Do you want to be respected?
    Do you want people to like you?
    Do you want to feel like your important?
    What if what you really want only comes from God?
    God loves you.
    God made you (and He doesn’t make junk)
    God has a plan and a purpose for you life.
    He knows who He created you to be.
    Calibrating your mind to these thoughts can turn your negative spiral into a positive one.

    Creation and redemption are also a process.

    James 1:16–18 ESV
    16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. 18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
    Take a look at the process again - what makes the difference between a negative spiral and a positive one?
    The difference is a faith that is active and growing.
    God is at the center of your spiral and you are focused on Him.
    You life’s purpose is to become who He made you to be.
    Your ultimate goal is to please Him.
    The person in the negative spiral might have faith, but they are at the center of their own spiral.
    Sure, God exists, but they still do whatever they want.
    God is only there to blame when things go wrong.
    And the more you blame God, the more it reinforces you negative view of god, the world and yourself.
    Life is survival, getting what you can for yourself and avoiding God if at all possible.
    The difference between a faith that works and a faith that doesn’t work is how what you say you believe translates into reality.
    If God is God, then I’m not.
    If I say I believe in God, but trust only myself, put myself at the center of my life and my decisions and act based on that orientation, then I’m not being really honest.
    It’s called deception - believing a lie.
    God is good - He cannot be otherwise.
    The truth is that we only know we we even know what good is is because of God.
    He is light - everything else is darkness.
    We cant see or know the truth unless we use God as a reference - He is truth.
    What an amazing thought - I can only know who I am by knowing God!
    That kind of faith is hard to ignore.
    You can’t just put God on a shelf and take Him down when you need Him.
    Its a faith that requires daily engagement - daily practice.
    It’s a faith that works!

    Questions for reflection:

    Are you going through any tests or trials at the moment? Have you thought about them as tests? How are you doing? How’s your attitude? Are you in a positive process spiral?
    How is your endurance? As you think about the last few weeks or months, how is your growth progress trending? Which way is the momentum? What will it take to turn things around?
    Would you call yourself complete? I don’t mean you are finished, none of us are. But are you complete in the Biblical sense? Is your faith characterized by sustained spiritual growth?

      • James 1:1ESV

      • James 1:2–4ESV

      • Psalm 42:5ESV

      • James 1:5–8ESV

      • Jeremiah 33:3ESV

      • Psalm 62:5ESV

      • James 1:9–11ESV

      • Matthew 5:1–5ESV

      • Isaiah 40:6–8ESV

      • James 1:12–13ESV

      • James 1:14–15ESV

      • James 1:16–18ESV

  • Because Of Jesus
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