It’s the highlight of my week. . .I just can’t wait to spend Sunday morning with you in worship at Avalon Beach Church! Please join us at 9am on 30th street beach in Avalon, NJ. Bring your beach chair, some Wawa coffee and a carload of family and friends.
Our theme for our 4th season is: “A Summer of 3:16.” Each Sunday we look at a different verse in the Bible that’s found in a 3rd chapter the 16th verse.
This week we will focus on James 3:16: “For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind.” Last week we looked at the foundational sin of fear and we found the promise of freedom in 2 Corinthians 3:16, 17, “But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” This week’s message from James is a great follow-up. Another foundational sin is pride. We will see from scripture that it is possible to be free from the tyranny of self-interest.
Here’s a recap of last week’s message, we began with this question: If Jesus were right here, right now, in all of His resurrected glory, would you cower in fear or revel in freedom?
- People are living in fear – Exodus 34:29,30; 2 Corinthians 3:14 – This comes primarily from a misconception of who God is and a misdirected focus on who we are.
- People can live in freedom – 2 Corinthians 3:16-18 – Turn to the Lord in repentance and the veil in our lives from fear is taken away. As we continue growing in Christ, we experience freedom from self-consciousness (which is really innocence) and we are being transformed with every increasing glory into Christ’s image.
- The ultimate goal – 1 John 2:28 – One day Christ will appear in all of His resurrected glory! We must continue in Him so that when He does appear, we can be confident and unashamed before Him at His coming.
Avalon Beach Church 