Virtue & Vices

What do you do when someone else’s success quietly irritates you instead of inspiring you? James' letter to the church exposes how envy produces disorder while humility, shaped by the Spirit, creates peace.

This Sunday, we'll explore how comparison corrodes the heart and why humility is not weakness but wisdom from above. We’ll look at the difference between competing for recognition and resting in God’s grace.

If you’ve ever struggled to celebrate someone else’s win, this message is for you. Join us as we learn how the Spirit forms what the flesh never can.

Series: Virtues & Vices
Speaker: Jeremy Norton
Scripture: James 3:13–18

Timstamps
00:00 - Have you ever caught yourself scrolling through your social feed, wondering why everyone’s life looks better than yours?
04:12 - Some of you may not know that James was actually one of Jesus’ younger brothers
05:40 - Looking at our core text from James’ letter, he asks a question related to wisdom
08:49 - This same pattern still plays out today, even if it looks a little more polished
10:06 - But then James adds the contrasting statement:
11:50 - Where envy produces disorder, humility, sows peace
13:29 - This is how envy is one of the easiest sins for us to excuse
15:06 - Coming back to our core text, James gives us the end result of wisdom lived out in humility
15:52 - As James continues his letter, he connects the pursuit of humility with the source, which is a relationship with God
16:36 - James ends his letter with a final encouragement and a forward focus
19:17 - As we consider the humility of Jesus’ sacrifice for us, it seems fitting to pause and take communion together
23:48 - Updates
27:22 - Discussion & Prayer Focus

#jeuschrist #jesus #faith #mountainviewchurch #virtues #vices #humility #envy

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Virtue & Vices

What do you do when life just keeps getting harder? In Joy vs. Despair, we’re spending time in 2 Corinthians 4, where Paul writes from the middle of pressure, loss, and weariness.

He’s honest about how hard things are, but he refuses to let despair call the shots. We’ll learn why despair doesn’t get the final word, and why God is still at work, even here.

The goal isn’t to pretend things are fine or force a smile. We’ll focus on the quiet work God is still doing in us, even when circumstances don’t change.

Series: Virtues & Vices
Speaker: Jeremy Norton
Scripture: 2 Corinthians 4:7–18

Timstamps
00:00 - Some mornings, you wake up, and you dread the day ahead
05:41 - Paul writes this letter from the middle of pressure, loss, and weariness
10:13 - We can learn from Paul that despair may come
10:44 - Now, experiencing despair after a crisis is to be expected
14:59 - And this brings us back to our text and Paul’s situation
19:56 - Despair, like any vice, has its foundation in sin
23:22 - So, the invitation today isn’t to deny pain or force joy
25:51 - From now on, whenever Despair says, “This is the end,” let Jesus remind you, “God is still at work”
26:15 - Prayer
26:56 - Updates
28:12 - Discussion and Prayer Focus
29:03 - Come back next week

#jesus #jesuschrist #joy #despair #virtues #vices #mountainviewchurch

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SERMON TITLE: Gratitude vs. Greed.

SCRIPTURE READING: 1 Timothy 6:6–10.

BOTTOM LINE: Gratitude turns what we have into enough; greed makes enough never enough.

PROMO DESCRIPTION:

This Sunday, we continue our series Virtues & Vices with a message that's needed after the holiday season: Gratitude vs. Greed. In a culture that constantly tells us we need more, Scripture offers a better way.

From 1 Timothy 6, we’ll explore why godliness with contentment is a great gain and how gratitude breaks greed’s grip on our hearts. We'll discover the secret of contentment in every circumstance, not connected to guilt or better budgeting.

True contentment is centred on the freedom and formation obtained through Jesus. Learn how the Spirit turns what we have into enough.

#GratitudeVsGreed
#VirtuesAndVices
#SundaySermon
#SermonSeries
#BiblicalTeaching

#MountainviewChurch

#God

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