Providence Church

In the first 12 verses of James, he's been talking about trials. Now, in verse 13, he switches the topic to temptation. Perhaps better than any other passage in the NT, James lays out a process for how temptation and sin work in our lives.

It’s okay to ask God to take away our trials. But in our waiting, we can also ask him to give us what we need to be faithful and fruitful in our trials. This is the wisdom from above, and it is available to all who ask.

If you had to pick one word to describe the end of the Kings story, it would be “exile.” Exile is the unhappy but just judgment on the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. But is exile the end of the story?

Josiah’s life shows us the beauty of renewal: hearing God’s Word, grieving over sin, tearing down false worship, and turning fully to the living God. Yet even this unparalleled king couldn’t rescue his people from God’s coming judgment. Why? Because sin runs deeper than our best efforts—it clings to us in guilt and shame, and no amount of personal reform can remove it. The good news is that Jesus does what Josiah could not: He bears our guilt, carries our shame, and takes God’s wrath in our place. This is the hope that truly makes us new.

Manasseh was a wicked king, yet God showed him grace. Still, the effects of his sin lingered on. Ultimately, Jesus is the only one who can fix what sin has broken and make all things new.

The story of “pride goes before the fall” is so common that it has become cliche. And yet, it keeps happening. King Uzziah's story teaches us about true success, the anatomy of pride, and our hope in Jesus.

Do we have a category in our minds for the fury of God? For the vengeance and judgment of God? The story of Jehu shows us the faithful judgment of God; the certainty of it, the severity of it, and our only hope in light of it.

The salvation God brings is a total reversal. The great famine becomes a great feast, and the least and last in this world are the first to the table. They acted on the possibility of mercy, and they discovered the surprising grace of God.

In this account, Elisha shows us that there’s more going on around us than meets the eye. God is always at work in the world in unseen and unexpected ways.

When things fall apart in our lives, we’re tempted to run from it all. We want God to snap his fingers and make it better. That’s what Elijah wanted, but this story shows us what Elijah really needed, and what we really need, is the presence of God.

One of the most important questions for you to answer in this life is: What do you believe? What do you trust in? Your answer to that question will steer and direct your life. Most of us waver between multiple beliefs, but this passage confronts our divided hearts. The prophet Elijah confronts ancient Israel to see who is truly God, and follow him.

In the midst of failing kings and a divided kingdom, there is a faithful God at work to accomplish his plans. There will be a true king who heals what has been broken and unites what has been divided.

Solomon’s downfall is one of the greatest tragedies in all of scripture. It’s a sobering look at someone who didn’t finish well, and it gives us the anatomy of a spiritual downfall.

After David dies, Solomon takes the throne. And even though he gets off to a good start, there are hints of a divided heart.

Jesus promises that everyone who asks receives, but life doesn’t seem to work out that way. Through a model prayer and a parable, Jesus reveals to us that God's greatest gift is his presence.

The power of God prevails over evil spirits and idol empires. He changes people so radically that they begin to change the city.

Seeing the idols of Athens, Paul was provoked to preach about Jesus and the resurrection. Gospel-centered ministry requires that we understand the culture so we can speak into it with the truth of the gospel.

The gospel speaks to all kinds of people and brings them together in the most unlikely of communities. It can go anywhere and change anyone.

The risen Jesus continues his mission through the church. His commission to the disciples contains the how, who, what, and where of the mission.

The resurrection story speaks to the whole person. It has the power to bring our head, heart, and hands in alignment with the glory of God and his kingdom.

This passage is a contrast of two witnesses under trial, Jesus and Peter. One proves faithful and the other proves false. What do we need to be a faithful witness under trial?

In the Garden of Gethsemane we see the full humanity of Jesus as he is overwhelmed by sorrow, let down by friends, and betrayed. The good news is not only that Jesus identifies with your sorrow in his life, but that he willingly surrenders his life to end all sorrow and save the world.

Into the treachery of the plot to kill Jesus, Mark inserts a story about a woman who anoints Jesus. Her devotion and worship show us what it looks like when someone has experienced the love of God personally.

We have been invited into God’s story – his people & his mission. Everything we have is from his hand. And yet,we want to think we belong to ourselves. Jesus tells this parable to remind us that we are stewards, not owners.

When Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey on Palm Sunday, it was picture of his humility and gentleness. The next day, he demonstrated his righteous anger, cursing a fig tree and cleansing the temple. The question is: Why was he so angry?

Bartimaeus is an example ofwhat it looks like to come to Jesus and follow him.

Here in Mark 10, Jesus invites us to consider his answer to an all-important question: What must we do to inherit eternal life? Through Jesus' interactions with this rich young man (and then with his disciples afterwards), we gain insight into both the path and the promise of eternal life.

As Jesus and his disciples get closer to Jerusalem, he continues to teach them about discipleship and life in the kingdom, this time through the lens of marriage and children.

Following Jesus means taking a radical stance toward sin. The stakes could not be higher, so we do whatever it takes to stay on the path of discipleship to Jesus.

The disciples continue to be blind to how the kingdom of God works. So, Jesus has to correct their vision: how they see themselves and how they see others.

To follow Jesus and do his work requires spiritual power. So, how do we access and experience his power in our lives?

The disciples want to be associated with the glory of the Christ, but they don’t understand what true glory is. So Jesus gives a glimpse of his glory; to show more clearly who he is and to give every disciple assurance in following him.

Jesus says he must suffer and die, but the disciples can't see it. When we focus on the things of man, we can't see what God is doing. According to Mark 8, seeing Jesus clearly means seeing why he had to die, and seeing why we must die as well.

The life of faith is a life of waiting for the Lord. That involves being immersed in God’s story, living with expectancy, and committing to practices that keep us attentive to God.

What happens when God comes to the bad guy in the story, the person controlled by sin? If we want to understand the astonishing reality of Christmas, then we’ve got to understand someone like Herod.

We often hear about God coming to the spiritual seekers and to the down and out. Joseph’s story shows us what happens when God comes to the good guy. He has to choose: life on his terms or life on God’s terms.

When Jesus is approached by a Gentile woman in need, he responds in a way that feels harsh. But looking deeper into this interaction, it teaches us how to come to Jesus and about his unique mission.

In Mark 7, we see two very different approaches to religion. The scribes and Pharisees are focused on the externals of religious devotion. Jesus, meanwhile, pushes beneath appearances to the source of true defilement: the human heart.

Our problem runs deeper than having busy lives. We need a rest that only God can give. In this famous story, Jesus reveals himself as the true shepherd who gives us true rest.

In this little passage, Jesus came to his own and his own people did not receive him. Why is this account in the Bible and what is God trying to teach us through it?

This is the most detailed account of an exorcism in the Bible. It gives us insight into the reality of demonic power, the superior power of Jesus, and the choice we have between the two. The choice is always before us: Is God your life, or is your life your god?

In this familiar story, Jesus calms a storm. But the main point of the story might not be what you think.

The kingdom of God comes into the world through the word of God, and bears fruit in those who receive it. Life in the kingdom begins with hearing. Does God’s word stay on the surface of your life or does it take hold of you and change you?

In these two scenes in Mark 3, we see a contrast between the crowds that had gathered around Jesus and the twelve apostles. As we compare these two groups of people, some defining marks of a follower of Jesus emerge.

There has been increasing tension in Mark 2 between Jesus and the religious leaders. By the end of this passage, they are plotting to kill him. What pushes them over the edge is two incidents related to the Sabbath, specifically what Jesus says about the Sabbath and does on the Sabbath.

No one liked tax collectors, but Jesus befriended them and dined with them. It raised questions about who was in and out, and what it means to be close to God. The story teaches us that Jesus draws near to those who know they need him. Whoever thinks he is doing fine will keep him at a distance.

Four men bring their friend to Jesus, presumably to fix their friend’s biggest problem, his paralysis. But Jesus has an even deeper healing in mind.

We generally resist any authority but our own. So, what does it take for people with “authority issues” to come under the Lordship of Jesus? We must see that he has authority over everything, and that he uses his authority for our good.

As Jesus begins his public ministry in Galilee, Mark immediately shows us the message of Jesus and the method of Jesus. And both of those things are more radical than they seem on the surface.

Mark begins the story of Jesus in the wilderness. He is preparing us for a new exodus and a new covenant. If you want to see the real Jesus, you gotta go into the wilderness. It is a place of redemption, repentance, and renewed sonship.