Northview Church

Demons Believe. Disciples Surrender. (James 2:14-26) | Point Blank — Week 5

What is the difference between believing in Jesus and surrendering to Jesus? In this message from James 2:14–26, we look at the kind of faith James says is dead, useless, and unable to save. The demons believe the truth about God — but they are not disciples. Judas had proximity to Jesus, ministry experience, and religious knowledge — but he never truly surrendered. Real faith is not perfection. Abraham’s life proves that. Real faith is a surrendered direction: acting as if God is who He says He is, even when it costs us. This message is a direct, pastoral call to examine whether our faith is merely something we claim or something that has truly changed us. The sermon’s central line — “Demons believe. Disciples surrender.” — is repeated throughout the manuscript as the defining contrast between dead faith and surrendered discipleship.

Who Belongs in Your Church? | James 2:1–13

In James 2:1–13, we’re confronted with a difficult question: who really belongs in your church? This message exposes the subtle ways favoritism shows up in the church—not always through policies, but through reflexes. We move toward people who impress us, overlook people who make us uncomfortable, and sometimes forget that the Lord of glory made room for us when we had nothing to offer. James calls believers back to the royal law: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” And the gospel reminds us why mercy must keep moving—because mercy first moved toward us in Jesus. Key themes: favoritism in the church, mercy triumphs over judgment, loving your neighbor, James 2, Christian hospitality, making room for the overlooked.

You're Fooling Yourself (James 1:19-27) | Point Blank — Week 3

What if the problem isn't that you haven't heard enough?  What if you've heard plenty — and just keep walking away? James 1:19-27 is one of the most confrontational passages in  the New Testament. James doesn't call out pagans or skeptics.  He calls out church people — people who show up, hear the Word, nod along, and go home unchanged. He has one word for that: self-deception. In this message from our series Point Blank: Faith That  Doesn't Flinch, we dig into what it actually takes to let  the Word of God do what it came to do — and why most of us  keep walking away from the one mirror that tells us the truth. The Word that exposes you is the same Word that can save you.  But only if you don't walk away from what it shows.

Stop Blaming Everything Around You. The Problem Is Inside You. | Point Blank — Week 2

You know the list. The culture is too sexualized. The season is too busy. The cost of living is too high. The enemy is too active. There's always a reason why you can't seem to break the cycle — and it always points somewhere other than you.James 1:9–18 doesn't let that stand.This week in our series through the book of James, we get into the anatomy of temptation — how it actually works, where it actually comes from, and why the excuse-making isn't just dishonest. It's costing you something you can't get back.The gospel collision of this passage isn't a moral lecture. It's a single word swap that changes everything. Not I can't. I won't. And the only reason that word is even available to you is because of what God already did.If you've been losing the same battles for years and blaming everything outside yourself — this one is for you.

Why Is Following Jesus So Hard? (James 1:1–8) | Point Blank - Week 1

Nobody told you following Jesus would feel like this.You believed. You trusted. And life didn't get easier — it got harder. Now you're sitting in the middle of a trial you didn't choose, wondering if any of this is actually worth it.James wrote this letter to people asking that exact question. Scattered. Suffering. Holding onto faith with both hands and losing their grip.His answer wasn't what they expected. And it probably isn't what you expect either.In this first message of our new series Point Blank: Faith That Doesn't Flinch, we're opening James 1:1–8 and confronting one of the hardest commands in Scripture — and the one truth that changes everything about how you walk through pain.Joy isn't found after the fire. It's forged in it.