My 5/20/18AM sermon, God’s Worth Provokes Action from 1 Peter 1:13-21, is now online. This sermon flowed out of the beginning of 1 Peter, which showed all kinds of reasons God is worthy of praise. On the heels of that, Peter calls us to actions that are appropriate for the future, present, and in light of the past. I really do hope it’s helpful. Here’s a quote from the sermon:
My good friend Luke has been at Crestview since last August. He’s heading back to India soon. Yesterday (Mother’s Day) he took some time to exhort, encourage, and challenge our church on what he’s observed over the past few months. The sermon was called Charge to Love. It was very encouraginmg and was a charge. I hope this sermon encourages you.
My 5/6/18AM sermon, Gospel Privilege from 1 Peter 1:10-12, is now online. If you have an understanding of the Gospel, then Peter is writing to encourage you. You have understanding that evaded the prophets and something into which angels long to look. The upshot is that no matter what you face, you can walk in hope in the message you rest in. I hope this sermon encourages you.
This coming Sunday, 5/6, we’ll continue to work our way through the book of 1 Peter. As we dig into 1 Peter 1:10-12, we’ll see the privilege that is ours because of the good news. Prophets and angels both longed to look and understand Gospel realities, but this is what is ours who have heard and understood this message. I hope you come expecting great things from God this weekend.
Happy May Day! What’s that? Allow this definition to help: “May Day is a public holiday usually celebrated on May 1. It is an ancient northern hemisphere spring festival and a traditional spring holiday in many cultures. Dances, singing, and cake are usually part of the festivities.” And, when we’re talking dances, a traditional maypole (see pic above) is in order. We grab streamers and carry them, celebration all that spring is. Cake? Well, I’m still holding out for that.
Spring is a great reason to celebrate. God has hard-wired creation to show forth his beauty as the seasons change. Spring speaks of new life. Growth. What we thought was dead stuff ends up coming out of the ground. Here in Kansas, May Day 2018 brings the humid smell of rain in the air. We are drought-stricken area. We could do with a good dousing of rain.
And, with that rain comes the threat of severe weather. Hail, strong winds, tornadoes. Even in the midst of a seemingly good celebration, creation is groaning, longing for redemption. So, as we celebrate May Day and approaching storms, it’s a great time to ask where you go for peace?
Jesus’ disciples were experienced fisherman who were once caught on a boat with Jesus in the middle of a storm. They were really scared. Jesus was asleep. They woke Him up, questioning His motives, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re perishing.” Jesus rebuked the storm: “Peace. Be still.” The storm stopped and Jesus asked, “Why were you afraid? Don’t you have any faith?” And, His disciples wondered to themselves, “Who is this, that even the wind and waves obey Him?” (Mark 4:35-41)
This May Day, whether your heart is celebrating life to the full or wondering what storms may come your way, we can all run to Jesus. He is the Son of Man, the Son of God, worthy of our worship and praise. Allow May Day adoration of Him.
Like I mentioned in March, I’m trying to do a better job this year of keeping track of books I’ve completed reading. As usual, there are some books/things, I’m always working in like the Bible (praying through the Psalms of the Day and doing lots of reading in 1 Peter in different translations), Sonship, as well as Crestview’s Leadership Pipeline material.
In April, I was also able to work through the following:
I received a week off from preaching duties yesterday, 4/29/18, but was blessed to be able to hear Luke preach on 1 Peter 1:6-9. His sermon, Joy In Trials, is online. The quote above really got at the heart of this sermon. In suffering, we try to soothe our souls with pithy cliches or by looking inward. And, Peter’s point in these opening verses of 1 Peter is to look, by faith, to the value that Christ has and rest there. I hope this sermon encourages you.
My 4/22/18AM sermon, Kept for a Hopeful Inheritance from 1 Peter 1:3-5 is now online. This sermon continued our 1 Peter series, giving hope to exiles and outcasts, which is what Christians are in this world. Peter, remarkably, didn’t begin this letter with a fixation on the world or even how believers should act towards the world (although that is certainly coming in the letter). He begins by blessing God and rehearsing some reasons why God the Father is worthy of praise. I hope this sermon encourages you.
My 4/15/18AM sermon, To Elect Exiles from 1 Peter 1:1-2; 5:12-14, is now online. This sermon introduced everyone to the book of 1 Peter, which is the book we’ll be studying for a while. It took those who are believers into tension between who we are in God and who we are related to the world. Specfiically, Peter wrote to elect exiles, to give us hope from God. I hope it encourages you.
This coming Sunday, 4/15, we are starting a new series at Crestview on the book of 1 Peter. The tag for this series is “hope for the outcasts.” Peter understands the problems believers face living life in the tension of the reality that we will be forever in heaven with the Lord but are stuck living life here in this world. We are very much not at home in this world. We are outcasts, exiles, aliens. So, this series will hopefully aim to help us have some insight for really living in this world. I hope it encourages you. Join me in praying to this end and, if you have time, read the book of 1 Peter.
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