Sermons

Is a Christian’s life supposed to change? If so, how is that change possible? What is life with God meant to look like here and now? In 1 Peter 2:11-12, Peter urges his listeners to live as redeemed people who reject their former ways and live in this world for God’s glory.

Guest Speaker Adam Jones

Relationships can carry a lot of extras with them. Extra people, extra priorities, extra experiences. For a Christian, there is no more important relationship than the one we have with Jesus. We know that our relationship and acceptance with Jesus is based solely on our faith, but once our faith is placed, are there any other extras that come along with this relationship? This week, Peter will help us see that indeed our relationship with Jesus does carry with it a few extras. Even though at first these extras might seem challenging or intimidating, in truth they are a great blessing. And as we see that, Jesus wants us to joyfully and wholeheartedly own them for ourselves.

One of the great joys as a parent is watching your children grow up. It can be truly amazing to observe a tiny infant grow into a capable, conversant teenager. From this week’s passage, Peter will affirm this joy of development but, as he does, we’ll see that those in focus, those who are growing up, are us. Peter reminds us all of the amazing claim the Bible makes about Chrisitians; that through our faith in Jesus, we have been born again into a new life. And like a newborn baby, the goal is for us to grow up in this new life. And we do that by seeking more and more of one who’s given this life to us: Jesus.

An experience we likely all share is some kind of second-guessing major decisions in our lives. Usually it happens after something goes wrong or things don’t turn out the way we thought they would. None of us likes to live with a nagging doubt or insecurity. We want the assurance and peace that comes with confidence. This is especially true when it comes to matters of faith. In this passage, we’ll see that God wants to assure us that we can have complete confidence that placing our faith in Jesus is the right choice.

A hallmark of the Christian life is joy; a contented, happy, exuberant sense of being. Usually when we think of joy, we think of momentous occasions or experiences that call for celebration. But the unique and hard-to-believe thing about Christian joy is that it is also found in somber, distressing, and even sad moments. The big question is, why? How? As Peter will show us, it has everything to do with the future that comes after those times, as well as the one who has secured that future for us.

It’s become cliché to say that we are living in a unique time in history nationally and globally, but that’s because it’s true. We live in confusing, changing, and tense times. With so much change and uncertainty, how do we live into our Christian life faithfully? Answering this question is one of Peter’s highest aims with his letter and from the beginning, we see that it all starts with our identity: understanding and owning who we are in Christ.

These two brief verses are some of the most powerful in all the Bible. They have not only changed lives, but have literally sparked a world-changing movement. Their focus is the gospel, a message we hear and celebrate often. And that’s because in the gospel, there is power, there is the righteousness of God, and there is life of faith.

Guest Speaker Julien de Leiris

Water is one of the Bible’s dominant themes and images. Water cleanses, renews, wipes away. It also quenches. In the middle of his ministry, Jesus said something about water that helps us understand who he is and what he wants to do in our lives. It also helps us understand how Jesus wants us to see his vision for us as disciples. As his disciples, we are sent into the world with living water that only Jesus can give.

Have you ever asked yourself, what’s the point of following Jesus? What is the point of discipleship? Very smart people have said that in any great endeavor we should start with the end in mind. This week we’ll look into the end, the goal, the telos of discipleship. As we do, we’ll see that Jesus has a very clear goal in mind, and that goal not only shapes our day-to-day faith but how we, as his disciples, go about our calling of making disciples like he did.

The final words that someone speaks carry a special kind of importance. In this passage, we’ll hear afresh Jesus’s final words to us: Go and make disciples. As we consider these words, two questions will rise to the top: Who is a disciple, and how do we make one? What Jesus wants us to see is something intensely personal that involves us all: a disciple is someone who has bound their life to Jesus and helps others do the same.