The Cross and the Crown

Exploring the character of God, through the story of God, for the glory of God

James 4:13-17: Trusting Christ in Discerning God's Will 05/31/2025

James 4:13-17: Trusting Christ in Discerning God's Will Understanding the various ways that Scripture speaks of God's will is vital for discerning His purposes in your life and the life of the church. Having a space for these categories will build faith, clarify understanding, and help us grow deeper in God's wisdom from above. /episode/index/show/thecrossandthecrown/id/36799445

Wisdom for Life: A Call to Graduates and the Church 05/31/2025

Wisdom for Life: A Call to Graduates and the Church We need the wisdom of God before and after graduation. Nonetheless, we often feel the weight of life's changes during our most significant milestones. In this service, we commission our recent graduates, their families, and the church. /episode/index/show/thecrossandthecrown/id/36799380

James 4:13-17 Illustrated in the Life of Paul 05/31/2025

James 4:13-17 Illustrated in the Life of Paul How did Paul model the truth found in James 4:13-17? How is his life an illustration of what it means to align our hearts to God's will and aims? /episode/index/show/thecrossandthecrown/id/36799285

James 4:13-17 05/31/2025

James 4:13-17 How does James confront many of the prevailing attitudes of his day regarding submission to the will of the Lord? How does our planning expose the thing in which (or Whom) we truly trust? /episode/index/show/thecrossandthecrown/id/36799230

The Lord of Glory in Paul, James, and Peter 05/31/2025

The Lord of Glory in Paul, James, and Peter What do Paul, James, and Peter have in common? What happened to transform these men who once persecuted the Lord, rejected the Lord, and denied the Lord? /episode/index/show/thecrossandthecrown/id/36799175

James 4:6-12 05/25/2025

James 4:6-12 What does this passage teach us about who God is and how does God call us to respond to this reality? How do we submit to God and draw near to Him who first drew near to us? /episode/index/show/thecrossandthecrown/id/36701500

James 4:1-6 05/25/2025

James 4:1-6 Are our passions truly at war within us as believers? How shall the human heart be freed from the the allure of worldly pleasures? In the words of Thomas Chalmers, "The allure of sin is severed by the power of a superior pleasure and a more compelling joy." What wisdom and grace does the book of James offer us here? /episode/index/show/thecrossandthecrown/id/36701420

James and 1 Peter 04/05/2025

James and 1 Peter Christlike thinking fuels Christlike loving and overflows into Christlike living. Godly conduct flows from a godly heart that is informed by a godly mind. How are the messages of James and Peter similar? How do both stir us to renew our minds in a way that fuels our heart that bears the fruit of service in our lives? /episode/index/show/thecrossandthecrown/id/36020825

James 4 (Overview) 04/05/2025

James 4 (Overview) What are three spiritual battlegrounds that every believer in all times and all places will face? What role do the bookends of 1. seeking wisdom from above and 2. trusting the Lord's will in this section play in helping us grow in Christlikeness? /episode/index/show/thecrossandthecrown/id/36020690

James 3:13-18 04/05/2025

James 3:13-18 James, from the outset of his letter, calls the believer to ask God for wisdom. In chapter 3, he describes the wisdom from above, one of the gifts from the Father of lights, as being pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. What does this tell us about the character of God? How do we as believers grow in aligning our hearts and minds to the heart and mind of God? What fruit should this produce in the life of the believer? /episode/index/show/thecrossandthecrown/id/36020650

James 3:1-18 04/05/2025

James 3:1-18 The words we speak reveal the truth about the state of our heart. How does James 3 challenge us to examine the root and fruit of our speech? How does James' declaration of the impact of the words we speak challenge us to seek deeply the wisdom of God? What are the consequences of being careless with our words? /episode/index/show/thecrossandthecrown/id/36020620

James 2:14-26 04/05/2025

James 2:14-26 What is the connection that James makes between faith and works? Do James and Paul disagree about the issue of justification? How do the examples that James gives of Rahab and Abraham help us understand clearly what James is- and isn't- saying? /episode/index/show/thecrossandthecrown/id/36020565

James 2:1-13 02/23/2025

James 2:1-13 How does holding faith in Christ, the Lord of glory, being quick to gospel mercy, and embracing the royal law in Scripture ground our efforts to erode the sins of paritiality, favortism, and discrimination in the life of a believer and church? Why is this particular sin so egregious to the Lord of glory? /episode/index/show/thecrossandthecrown/id/35398625

Deep Dive Supplement to James 1:17-20 02/23/2025

Deep Dive Supplement to James 1:17-20 In an age where many are slow to listen, quick to speak, and quick to become angry, Christians are called to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry. What action steps can believers take to grow in this area? /episode/index/show/thecrossandthecrown/id/35398595

James 1:17-27 02/23/2025

James 1:17-27 How do we recieve with meekness the implanted word? Why is the righteousness of God the measuring line to which believers aim to align their heart? What is the law of liberty to which James refers? What distinctions does James make between true and false religion? /episode/index/show/thecrossandthecrown/id/35398550

James 1:1-18 02/23/2025

James 1:1-18 How can Christians count it joy when we endure trials of various kinds? Why is it so important for believers to ask God for wisdom in their trials? How do we cultivate a life of humility? Where does sin originate? How sovereign is the God? What is the word of truth? /episode/index/show/thecrossandthecrown/id/35398475

James: Introduction 02/23/2025

James: Introduction In this introduction to the epistle of James, we will examine the author, date, content, and aims of of this beloved letter of the New Testament. /episode/index/show/thecrossandthecrown/id/35398405

Psalm 101 02/03/2025

Psalm 101 Psalm 101 is a call to godly leadership. What can we glean from peering into the heart of a leader after God's own heart. What should be the response to failures in leadership? How does this psalm point beyond David to Christ, the perfect King? /episode/index/show/thecrossandthecrown/id/35121860

Psalm 100 02/03/2025

Psalm 100 Psalm 100 is a declaration of thanksgiving rooted in the goodness, steadfast love, and faithfulness of the Lord. In this session, we will examine the foundation for praising God and founding our identity in Him. /episode/index/show/thecrossandthecrown/id/35121810

Psalm 91 02/03/2025

Psalm 91 Psalm 91 contains some of the most empowering verses in all the psalter. Saints throughout church history have drawn confidence and courage from its inspiring words during their most difficult days... and also, Satan quoted it to Jesus during his wilderness temptations. How do we avoid mishandling its words and cut to the heart if its beauty? /episode/index/show/thecrossandthecrown/id/35121705

Psalm 90 (Part II) 02/03/2025

Psalm 90 (Part II) In this session, we examine Psalm 90 verse-by-verse. How does the steadfast love of the Lord help us begin to process the difficulties of life and foster a deeper and meaningful relationship with God? /episode/index/show/thecrossandthecrown/id/35121570

Psalm 90 (Part I) 02/03/2025

Psalm 90 (Part I) In this prayer of Moses, we explore the potential settings and themes of the Psalm. /episode/index/show/thecrossandthecrown/id/35121460

Psalm 85 02/03/2025

Psalm 85 In this session, we examine Psalm 85, exploring this song of forgiveness, salvation, faithfulness and righteousness written by the Sons of Korah. /episode/index/show/thecrossandthecrown/id/35121395

The Gospels: Wise Builders Abiding in the Father of Lights, the Light of the World, as Lights in the World 12/30/2024

The Gospels: Wise Builders Abiding in the Father of Lights, the Light of the World, as Lights in the World In the closing passage of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus- the Light of the World- places before us two types of storm-tossed people: those who are wise builders and those who are foolish builders. In this session, we will learn how Jesus' words are a summons to abide in him, the futility of not abiding in him, and introduce how the book of James helps us learn how to put into practice the teachings of the Sermon on the Mount. /episode/index/show/thecrossandthecrown/id/34656590

The Gospels: Two Homes and the Authority of Jesus 12/23/2024

The Gospels: Two Homes and the Authority of Jesus In this session, we will wrap up Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, with his hearers openly acknowledging his authority. In this next warning passage, Jesus continues the theme of religious hypocricy by giving a dire and sobering warning of the fates of many who not only openly profess his name, but who do many mighty works in his name. We are then given an image of two house immersed in a storm. One stands. One falls. Where shall we cast our hope? How then shall we live? /episode/index/show/thecrossandthecrown/id/34593280

The Gospels: The Fruit of False Prophets 12/23/2024

The Gospels: The Fruit of False Prophets In this session, we will continue to dig deeper into the conclusions of Jesus within the Sermon on the Mount. In this warning passage, Jesus calls his hearers to beware of false prophets. How can previous passages in the Sermon on the Mount help us identify true from false prophets? What does "good and bad fruit" look like? /episode/index/show/thecrossandthecrown/id/34593150

The Gospels: The Wide Gate 12/23/2024

The Gospels: The Wide Gate In this session, we will dig deeper into the conclusions of Jesus within the Sermon on the Mount. What does he mean when he warns of entering through the broad gate, which is easy, and that leads to destruction? How have previous passages in the Sermon on the Mount helped define what the narrow and wide gates look like? /episode/index/show/thecrossandthecrown/id/34593105

The Gospels: The Narrow Gate 12/23/2024

The Gospels: The Narrow Gate In this session, we will enter the conclusions of Jesus within the Sermon on the Mount. What does he mean when he says: "Enter through the narrow gate?" What does he mean by saying the narrow way is hard? What does Jesus mean when he says that that the narrow way leads to life? /episode/index/show/thecrossandthecrown/id/34593075

The Gospels: The Golden Rule 12/01/2024

The Gospels: The Golden Rule How does our understanding of the context of the Golden Rule help us understand the meaning of Christ's declaration and command? How does it fit into the larger narrative of the Sermon on the Mount? How does it help us better understand our role in the world? /episode/index/show/thecrossandthecrown/id/34212885

Psalm 75 12/01/2024

Psalm 75 In this session, we will examine the myriad of reasons we have to be thankful. How does Psalm 75 specifically ground in thanksgiving for the grace of God in Christ Jesus? /episode/index/show/thecrossandthecrown/id/34212870

The Cross and the Crown

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