James 4:6 5/19/2026

“… Therefore it says, “GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.”

Sometimes scripture is mysterious and hard to understand but that is not the case this morning.  Evidently, arrogance puts us in opposition to the King of Kings.  

So, are you always the smartest person in the room, or are you poor in spirit?  It’s critical to understand that, not only will God not support pridefulness – He will actively oppose it.  Have some of your most “brilliant” plans not worked out?  Does your intellect at times seem to not hold up under scrutiny?  ... According to this verse, there may be a reason for that. It is dangerous to ignore God saying He opposes something you’re doing.  

Humility is the remedy for pride. This passage says being “poor in spirit” produces grace.  …. So how do I progress from arrogance to being poor in spirit? What does it take to suppress egotism and elevate humbleness?

Pride is the original sin… it turned an angel into a devil, and has destroyed countless men, yet we don’t run from it.  Our smugness is a result of failing to compare our shallow righteousness to the perfect holiness of God. Take an honest look in the mirror. Shine the purity of an omnipotent God on your trivial “good works” and be wrecked by the comparison.  As in Isaiah 6,  observe the holiness of God and cry out “Woe to me… I am ruined!”  It’s crucial to recognize that we are destitute and broken. That realization allows God’s power to be perfected in our weakness. It stops our arrogance from interfering with His omnipotent indescribable power and makes us usable vessels for the gospel. 

As I look for a suitable quote to end this message it dawns on me that there are more quotes exalting pride than there are warning against it.  And that is the problem… The world will push you into the very thing that will destroy you. Don’t buy the lie.  Let me challenge you today to die to yourself and let your value be found in your relationship with God. Pursue The Lord first, serve His children second, and you remain third. It will provide strength and freedom you can find nowhere else.  

“Pride is a sin that can readily be seen in others but is rarely admitted in ourselves.” - Ezra Taft Benson

2 Chron 24:17 5/12/2026

“After the death of Jehoiada, the officials of Judah came and paid homage to the king (Joash), and he listened to them.” 

Joash became king at 7 years old, and for about 30 years Jehoiada was his mentor.  “Joash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all the years of Jehoiada the priest.”  But when Jehoiada died, our verse this morning shares an ominous statement that changes the course of Joash’s life. Joash listened to flattery and it destroyed him.  So, the lesson today is “Guard your heart”, and it applies to us in two ways:

The first application is obvious… Joash, was raised well.  I was too, my parents and mentors gave me every opportunity to grow in the Lord. I was given a firm foundation. However, I can’t assume that because I had parents and mentors who gave me a good start, that the enemy won’t try to flatter me into finishing poorly… I must Guard my heart, especially against compliments…  "Man is tested by the praise he receives" (Proverbs 27:21). When Jehoiada died, the officials that came to memorialize his life, flattered King Joash and he eagerly listened. Joash embraced their praises, and pride demolished his life. The original sin did what it always does… destroys.

The second application is more subtle…and applies to how we mentor others.  As parents, teachers, and coaches, we must examine those we lead to make sure we don’t just change their conduct, without changing their hearts. Jehoiada was a godly priest… and Joash followed his instructions.  But when Jehoiada died, Joash went completely off the rails… That indicates that Joash grew up doing the right things, but not for the right reasons. Surface obedience without heart change is dangerously misleading. Scripture says anything done in that condition is worthless. 

The lesson is that while we mentor, we must influence actions, but we also must influence motives.  This approach is more time-consuming, but it’s part of making true disciples.  So, as we raise our children, and mentor those God puts in our lives, we must deal with the cause, not just the effect…. We must make sure we lead others to their own faith, not just train them to mimic ours. We are called to be heart doctors, not choreographers.

“The hypocrite’s concern is not how holy he is, but how holy he looks.”
– Richard Sibbes

Joshua 9:1-2 5/5/2026

“Now it came about when all the kings who were beyond the Jordan, in the hill country, the lowland, and on all the coast of the Great Sea toward Lebanon, the Hittite and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, heard about it,  that they met together with one purpose, to fight with Joshua and with Israel.”

So, apparently ignoring inconvenient truths and adjusting your “algorithm” to support your agenda, is not a new phenomenon.  Everybody, including the kings referred to in this passage, had heard about the parting of the waters of the Jordan river. They were aware that the walls of Jericho fell at the shouts of the Israelites. Still, they ignored the success of the Israeli military and instead stubbornly planned to fight God’s army. 

It’s interesting that they didn’t examine those miracles… Despite the evidence, they neglected to consider the possibility that the Israelites God was actually God... They failed to explore Israel’s claims of divine deliverance. So, it seems the lesson this morning is that arrogance leads to willful ignorance.  And that arrogance still exists today. 

How many people today are ignoring truth and cherry-picking statistics to suit their agenda? Secular teaching offers no definitive answer as to how, or why we exist. And even if it did, science has been embarrassingly inconsistent throughout history.  Accordingly, researchers refer to “god particles” and other phrases that confirm that there is power out there that we don’t understand.  

So, we search… but not for truth, only for support of our opinion.  For example, If you ask ChatGPT, it will list Christianity as the most historically defensible religion, and Judaism as the oldest continuous tradition. Yet many refuse to even read, much less study the Bible. Preferring to have no answers at all, over answers that don’t suit their purpose.

Don’t double down on willful ignorance. God has not hidden Himself. He has provided ample evidence and we are without excuse. God loves you and sent His Son to redeem you… Your eternal destiny hinges on what you do with that fact. Take and unbiased look… Study His love letter to you and weigh the evidence.  Don’t form your opinion and then collect truths to support it… Collect the truth, then form your opinion. 

“They would rather believe the impossible, than accept the unthinkable…  that there is a Creator.”  - Thomas Nagel