Feast and Follow with Knollwood

Knollwood Presbyterian Church
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Listen and grow with us as we learn from God's Word together at Knollwood Presbyterian Church.

  1. 4d ago

    Sin Everyone Says

    We've all heard the phrase "the final word on the subject." It is meant to get across the idea that once something is said it is authoritative. We exercise this right as parents, don't we? "I've said it, so that's final." We see this in the scientific world once something has been tested and retested a sufficient number of times, that can be considered "settled" science. In the political world, we hear that from the Supreme Court. Once a case has been decided there, that is the final word on the matter. Or is it? We find as parents that that final word on no ice cream might start to give once a headache starts. We have found that even a Supreme Court decision isn't finalized for all of time, but when new judges ascend the court, such a final word is replaced seemingly by another "final" judgement. Even science isn't static. There is no human being who is able to utter the true last, authoritative word on a subject because we are not divine. And when I put it like that, we of course all agree in principle, but that is not how we think or, in terms of this passage, talk in practice, is it? James, in returning to the topic of the tongue warns of judging our neighbor and speaking presumptuous plans. These actions are related because they assume the same thing: that I myself am the determiner of other's character and my own future. James is here to tell us that this isn't true. This will come as both a conviction and a comfort as we look at our two points today: You aren't the authority, so don't judge. and You aren't the authority, so don't presume your plans.

    30 min

  2. Jun 29

    I Am the Good Shepherd

    This week, we welcome guest preacher Jackson Hice to show us the Good Shepherd out of John 10!

    34 min

  3. Jun 29

    Draw Near to God

    We are catching up on uploads this week, so here is last week's sermon on James 4:1-10!

    37 min

  4. Jun 15

    True Wisdom

    How do you know that you are wise? Is when you can answer most questions asked of you? Is it when you have an understanding of how life works and how to navigate it? What does it mean to be wise? And do we really want to be? James, as we have seen over and over again is intensely practical, really to the point of discomfort. James is all about showing your work. A Christianity that is just another thing to occupy your mind isn't worth much. Sure the nerds have fun, but Christianity isn't a life of the mind thing. It needs to actually do something to be worthwhile. It needs to change me. That is what James is interested in. He wants something that motivates the care of widows and orphans. He wants something that looks out for the poor, changes how I speak, and rules how I live. He wants something that makes a real difference in the believer's life and those around them. And because it makes a real difference in our lives, that means a lot of things have to change, including what we think about wisdom. Usually we try to define wisdom as knowledge used well. It's knowing that a tomato is a fruit but doesn't belong in a fruit salad. It's knowing how money works but also what it is truly for. In our passage today, we see that wisdom isn't just what goes on in your head, but it is the outpouring of a shaped soul that looks a lot like holiness. James' wisdom doesn't come out just in sage words, but sanctified actions. He isn't the only one to think this, either. Jesus says the same thing in Matthew 11:19 "The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds.”" and more poetically in Luke 7:35 "Yet wisdom is justified by all her children.” They were falsely accusing him, yet if they would look at his actions, they would see his wisdom. Over the next chapter and a half,James will present the difference between wise and unwise living, shows in greater detail where unwise living takes us, and ultimately provides that solution on how to be wise. We will look at just the first one today.

    34 min

  5. Jun 8

    Taming the Tongue

    Talk isn't enough to prove you're going to heaven, but it is enough to send you to hell. Both thoughts are true for the same reason: talking is so easy to do, in fact, it has never been easier. Nearly everything in our lives has made it faster and simpler to talk. We came up with the landline to share voices immediately. Then we made the cell phone so we could have this ability anywhere. Then we made the internet so we could permanently place our voices out there to talk for us even when we are not talking. Now with AI I can build things just by talking. Indeed, what hath man wrought? The way that this promise was presented to us was that all of this communication would be like sending torches into the darkness. Truth as it really was could be revealed for all to see in the flickering digital light. Injustices could be corrected, power could be held accountable, yes, even the gospel could be communicated faster and wider than ever. All of it was and is true. However, as James tells us, the darkness we bear those torches within is a bone-dry forest, branches and leaves everywhere ready to lap up the least spark. It is no wonder that James spends so much time on speech and the tongue, as this is quite a power to steward. The solution isn't to extinguish the torch. How can the Savior known as the Word have silent followers? Woe to us if we preach not the gospel, but woe to us if we do not tame our tongues. The solution that James gives to us is implicit rather than explicit, but the way he details the problem is a useful teaching tool in itself. When I began the process of learning how to drive my mother's day one lesson was this: I was driving a 3 thousand pound death machine to myself and others if I use it improperly. It was a sober start, but it was necessary. I had to come to grips with what I was doing. Today, James gives some us talking lessons with the sobering introduction to begin.

    28 min

  6. Jun 1

    Faithful Works

    For those who are a little less familiar with the Bible, this passage may sound odd. Even for those who are very familiar with the Bible might wonder how this passage fits with the rest of the Bible. After all, isn't the main message of Christianity is that you cannot work your way to heaven? Isn't salvation by grace through faith? These are the sorts of questions that we bring to this text, but this isn't really James' point. As we will see, James isn't trying to tell us how one gains faith, but what true faith actually looks like. We can know this even before we come to this text. One thing that we remember is that the Bible doesn't have a bunch of different authors but there is One Author, the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit doesn't forget what He intends to say, so He isn't going to say that salvation is by grace on the one end and that salvation is at least partially by works on the other.

    34 min

  7. May 27

    Love Your Neighbor

    What is the first piece of information you want to know about a person? What is the first thing that you notice when you meet them? For those in sales, the most relevant thing about you is how much money you have, and they often tell by looking at your dress, particularly your shoes. For others, it's what kind of job you do, or whether or not you have kids, what color you are, or your denominational affiliation. Collecting this information isn't necessarily a bad thing, but how you treat them based on what you think you now know about them might be. Do you assume once you've noticed their brand-new, brand-name shoes that these people are more valuable to know? Do you think that because you know where they are from you know what they are really like?

    34 min

  8. May 11

    A Season for Everything

    For this week, we are taking a break from James to look at Ecclesiastes 3 and see how everything has a season, each a gift. If you are interested in this topic, I would recommend the book, Everything is Never Enough by Bobby Jamieson. It is one of the better books I've read so far this year.

    36 min
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About

Listen and grow with us as we learn from God's Word together at Knollwood Presbyterian Church.

Information

  • Creator
    Knollwood Presbyterian Church
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    101
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2020 Knollwood Presbyterian Church
  • Show Website
    Feast and Follow with Knollwood