Growing in Wisdom
A Series on the Book of James

The book of James reminds followers and seekers that life in the way of Jesus calls for intense forethought and hard work throughout—in other words, growing in wisdom. In our study of James, we will learn that growing in the wisdom of God requires everything from us and that it cost Jesus himself everything to make our new life in God possible. This series will focus on learning to live wisely in key areas of our life.

1. 7/6: Living Wisely (1:1-18): True wisdom is following the way of Jesus past trials to wholeness
2. 7/13: Living Wholly (1:19-27): True wisdom is living with our whole being devoted to God
3. 7/20: With Our Friendships (2:1-13): True wisdom is following God with our friendships
4. 7/27: With Our Hands and Feet (2:14-26): True wisdom is following God with our hands and feet
5. 8/3: With Our Words (3:1-12): True wisdom is following God with our words
6. 8/10: With Our Desires (3:13-4:12): True wisdom is following God with our desires
7. 8/17: With Our Wealth (4:13-5:6): True wisdom is following God with our wealth
8. 8/24: With Our Hardships (5:7-11): True wisdom is following God with our hardships
9. 8/31: Living Prayerfully (5:12-20): True wisdom is living prayerfully together despite being scattered

For too many in our world, hope is a brittle thing. Hope based on circumstances beyond our control or the illusion of ourselves in charge inevitably comes crashing down on us. That’s what happened for the people of God when they were exiled to Babylon. In the place of humiliating defeat, however, God began to rebuild hope. And his people began to discover anew what it meant to hope in God. Through our studies in the book of Daniel, we will learn to rediscover hope not in ourselves but in the hands of God who is in control of all things.

1. 5/4: Hope in a Time of Change (Daniel 1)
   1. Hopelessness reigns
   2. Yahweh reigns
2. 5/11: Hope in a Time of Chaos (Daniel 2:1-30)
   1. In the midst of chaos
   2. God is in control
3. 5/18: Hope in the Place of False Security (Daniel 2:31-49)
   1. In the place of false security
   2. God is our true security
4. 5/25: Hope in the Place of Opposition (Daniel 3:1-30)
   1. In the place of opposition
   2. God is our defender
5. 6/1: Hope in a Heart of Repentance (Daniel 4:1-27)
   1. In a time of comfort and ease
   2. God calls for repentance
6. 6/8: Hope in a Heart of Humility (Daniel 4:28-37)
   1. In the heart of the proud
   2. God calls for humility
7. 6/15: Hope in the Discipline of Worship (Daniel 5:1-30)
   1. In a time of idolatry
   2. God invites us to the discipline of worship
8. 6/22: Hope in the Discipline of Prayer (Daniel 6:1-15)
   1. In a time of futility
   2. God invites us to the discipline of prayer
9. 6/29: Hope in the Pit of Hopelessness (Daniel 6:16-26)
   1. In the pit of hopelessness
   2. God offers hope

The four psalms that we will look at provide us with strength for the journey of a life well-sung. When we grow tired or discouraged in life, it is songs like these, professed and sung by the faithful for many generations, that give us the strength to carry on.

1. 4/6: A Song for the Dreamer (Psalm 1): God gives us dreams that shape life
2. 4/13: A Song for the Lost (Psalm 23): God is our shepherd who helps us find the way again
3. 4/20: A Song for the Weary (Psalm 62): God is our strength
4. 4/27: A Song for the Vagabond (Psalm 73): God is always with us.

One of the most powerful aspects of the Christian life is the movement through death to life. It is a movement that all believers make when our lives are joined to Jesus. Whether we have been following Jesus for a long time or are just now beginning to get to know him, this is the essential heart of the gospel. We will spend the next few months examining (1) what it means to die with Jesus, (2) the significance of Jesus’ death for us, and (3) the hope of living with Jesus today and forevermore.

1. Dying with Jesus

1. 1/6: Moses (Deut 34:1-12): Moses had faith because he died with Jesus.
2. 1/13: Jacob (Gen 49:28-50:14): Jacob had hope because he died with Jesus.
3. 1/20: David (1 Ki 2:1-12): David lacked love despite his dying with Jesus.
4. 1/27: David (1 Chr 29:10-22): David had love because he died with Jesus.

2. The Death of Jesus

1. 2/10: Reconciliation (Rom 5:1-11): Jesus’ death reconciles us to God
2. 2/17: Substitution (Romans 5:12-21): Jesus’ death makes him our substitute before God’s just wrath
3. 2/24: Empowerment: Romans 6:1-14): Jesus’ death empowers us to live the life we could never live on our own
4. 3/2: Transformation (Romans 6:15-23): Jesus’ death brings transformation
5. 3/16: Belonging (Romans 7:1-6): Jesus’ death helps us find belonging in a family we could never have dreamed up

3. Rising with Jesus

1. 3/23: Responding to the Resurrection (Luke 23:50-24:53): We respond to the resurrection by rising with Jesus

Our fast-paced world makes us wildly impatient. We desire instant results, and if we’re honest: especially in the life of faith. But some things take time—especially good things, things that last. In life and in Scripture, we learn that living by and struggling with faith sometimes (in fact, quite often) slow us down. Yet God calls us to endure in faith and to grow in faithfulness, even when the going is slow. Our series “Slow Faith” will challenge us to make every moment count, not only when our days are exhilarating and fast but also when life is excruciatingly slow.

During the months Sep-Dec, we’ll be looking at the book of Deuteronomy in four parts:

1. [SEP] Slow Leaners: God still shows us the way
   1. Leaving Horeb (1:1-8). God keeps his people going when they lose their way.
   2. Leaving Together (1:9-18). God shows his people the way to each other.
   3. Into Danger (1:19-33). God goes before his people into danger.
   4. Through Detours (2:1-8). God shows his people the way through detours.
2. [OCT] Slow Motion: God still moves us along
   1. Face to face (5:1-7). God commits to moving with his people.
   2. Mentoring (6:1-25). God moves his people to mentor future generations.
   3. Faithfulness (7:1-11). God moves his people into faithfulness.
   4. Trials (8:1-10). God moves his people though trials.
3. [NOV] Slow Change: God still changes our hearts
   1. New Hearts (10:12-22). God changes the hearts of his people.
   2. New Feasts (14:22-29). God changes us by giving his people feasts.
   3. New Leaders (18:15-22). God changes us by giving his people leaders.
   4. Covenant Renewal (29:1-15). God renews his covenant with his people.
4. [DEC/ADVENT] Longing: Slow faith leads to deep longing
   1. Longing for Self (32:48-52). God calls us to die that we might be raised with him.
   2. Longing for Others (34:1-12). God heals the brokenness we leave behind.
   3. Longing for a Savior (34:1-12). God sends the Savior we really need.

As we work through this wonderfully provocative and spiritually formative book, may we grow more into followers of Jesus, the one who took that most slow path of love and sacrifice for our sake.