Wawasee Bible Sermon Audio

Part 12 - SERIES: This Exile Life If you're a human, the reality is you'll suffer. It's part of life in our broken world. And if you're a Christian, you'll also suffer to varying degrees simply because of your faith. But Peter reminds us to do good anyway. Not to fear people—what they might do to you or say about you—but to love Jesus, and he'll save you. 1 Peter 3:13-22.

Part 11 - SERIES: This Exile Life Peter gives us good instruction on what healthy, God-honoring relationships look like within the church in 1 Peter 3:8-12. There's unity of mind, sympathy for one another, loyal love, tenderness, and humility. Like Jesus, we grow to no repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but we bless others rather than curse them. Righteous relationships bless rather than curse and receive God's strength!

Part 10 - SERIES: This Exile Life What does a marriage that pleases God look like? Peter gives instruction in 1 Peter 3:1-7 to husbands and wives. God is pleased when both husband and wife submit to the lordship of Jesus. Wives should submit to and follow the lead of their own husbands (not all men, just their own husband) because it's honoring to God. Husbands must care for and honor their wives just as Jesus does the church. When he does this, a wife will gladly follow, honor, and respect him. Through it all, both must submit to and honor the Lord, and in doing so Jesus is honored and their marriage becomes a beautiful and joyful thing!

Part 9 - SERIES: This Exile Life Peter expounds on the call to live a holy life by giving instruction on how to live under authority in 1 Peter 2:13-25. God has given us authorities in government and work (and throughout life) for our good. Our perfect God uses imperfect people to carry out his will. Because of sin, some authorities act in unjust ways, but even then we're to honor them. We're to submit to authority unless it 1) forbids us to do what God commands or 2) commands us to do what God forbids. In those cases we appeal to Jesus as our higher authority and obey him. It's also important to recognize that submission does not mean blind obedience. If you're in danger or being abused physically, sexually, or in other ways, that is not a time to submit but to find help and flee to safety. Peter wraps up this passage by pointing us to Jesus who is our perfect example of God-honoring submission to authority. God calls us to submit and do good just like Jesus.

Part 8 - SERIES: This Exile Life 1 Peter 2:11 begins with Peter addressing his audience as "beloved". They're "loved ones". They're loved by Peter, and ultimately by Jesus. This is the primary identity of a Christian, they belong to Jesus and they are deeply loved. All of live should be lived from this identity. Because we're loved and have been made new, we're to abstain from sin, to kill it. Additionally, we're sent to love people and invite them to follow Jesus with us. Because of who you are, be innocent of evil and excellent at what is good!

Part 7 - SERIES: This Exile Life In 1 Peter 2:4-10, Peter references an Old Testament metaphor that he'd heard Jesus use about himself in Matthew 21:42. Jesus is the cornerstone the builders rejected (Psalm 118:22). He's the foundation stone that's precious, chosen, tested, and sure (Isaiah 28:16). And to those who fail to trust him and believe, he's a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense (Isaiah 8:14). Peter tells us about our corporate identity as God's peculiar people, the Church (capital "C"). Built on Jesus Christ, the Church is at the very heart of God's activity in the world.

Part 6 - SERIES: This Exile Life In Chapter 1 verse 22, Peter makes one of the strongest statements on loving one another in the New Testament. It nearly makes the case that love for one another is the goal of our conversion. Certainly love for others is an evidence of being truly born again, and along with a growing longing for Jesus and his Word we see two marks of those who possess real saving faith. If you've truly been born again you'll love others and long for more and more of Jesus.

Part 5 - SERIES: This Exile Life After you become a Christian you belong to God. You are set apart. You're different. The problem is we don't always live like who we truly are. In 1 Peter 1:13-21 Peter begins exhorting us to live out our salvation. To wholly live like the holy people we truly are. To be holy like our heavenly Father is holy. As followers of Jesus we're called to live a holy, set apart, different life. To live a holy life you must know who you are and keep reminding yourself of it.

Part 4 - SERIES: This Exile Life In 1 Peter 1:10-12 we'll take a fresh look at a familiar word: Salvation. Are you sure you know what it means? Have you put the right price tag on "Salvation?" A second key idea in 1 Peter 1:12 is that God calls you to live a life that is bigger than you. God doesn't intend for any of us to be the caboose at the end of the train but instead take someone with us to Jesus.

Part 3 - SERIES: This Exile Life Everyone falls into one of three categories. 1) You’re in the midst of a trial. 2) You’re coming out of a trial. 3) You’re about to find yourself in a trial. Trials are painful circumstances allowed by God to shape our conduct and our character. It’s important to distinguish between trials and consequences, though. Consequences are the natural outcome of my choices. What makes it hard is that in our sin both trials and consequences can get mixed together in the same circumstance. Peter is writing to a group of people who are “grieved by various trials”. But he reminds them that the trials we face all have purpose, so we can and should face them in hope!

Part 2 - SERIES: This Exile Life Peter aims the first comments of his letter not at addressing his audience’s difficult circumstances, nor at telling them how to conduct themselves while living in an evil world—there will be plenty of time for both of those things as the letter progresses—rather, Peter begins with praising God! In these opening lines of 1 Peter the tone is set for those who are living as exiles: set your hope on Jesus! The remedy for their suffering hearts is ultimately in blessing and praising God, turning their sights to the certain hope and unfading inheritance they have in Jesus Christ thanks to God's grace and mercy. Because of God alone we have hope that’s alive and cannot (and will not) fail!

Part 1 - SERIES: This Exile Life We begin a new series through the New Testament book of 1 Peter this week. Peter was a phenomenal character in the Bible, and maybe the most relatable of any Christian leader in Scripture. He was one of three men (along with James and John) who likely spent more time with Jesus than anyone else during his ministry. On his worst days Peter was giving orders to Jesus and denying ever knowing him. Yet on his best days he was the first to recognize Jesus as the Son of God, preached powerful sermons, wrote books of the Bible, and was himself crucified for his faith in Jesus. Peter writes his first letter to Christians scattered throughout Asia Minor (modern day Turkey) who are living as exiles. In the same way every Christian is an exile on the earth, saved by grace to become and live like Jesus.

Hope for a New Year 2020 was a year no one saw coming, except for God. It was a year that many struggle to make sense of, but it’s possible. As we head into 2021 we look at Deuteronomy 11. Moses is giving instructions to the new generation that will be heading into the promised land, and he challenges them to consider their past. This is a generation that spent its entire life in the wilderness. A lifetime of hardship. Yet they had seen God at work over and over, so Moses tells them to consider those years. He would likely tell us the same thing as we enter a new year, consider 2020 (and the years before) and how you saw God at work. God often has us look back so we’ll trust him moving forward and know the best is yet to come!

Part 5 - SERIES: King Jesus During Advent this year we'll be looking at the kingly nature of Jesus. Isaiah gets the privilege of seeing Jesus seated on his throne as King. Jesus, THE King of the universe, is fully—100%—God, eternally existing. But at Christmas the miracle of his incarnation is celebrated. Jesus became human, yet retained his deity. He never ceased to be God in any way whatsoever. Occasionally Jesus even demonstrated his divine characteristics, but it was always to the benefit of others and not himself. He fully retained his deity while living fully in his humanity. Jesus humbled himself. He became poor for our sake in order to save us.

Christmas Eve - SERIES: King Jesus Have you ever wondered why we give gifts at Christmas? In the Bible we see people giving gifts to Jesus (the Magi in Matthew 2). We also see God giving a gift to us at Christmas in Jesus (John 3:16; 1 John 4:9). Becoming a Christian is a gift exchange with Jesus, the King of the Universe. We wrap up all of our junk, our sin, our despair, our hurt—and we give it to him, as ugly as it might be. In return, he wraps up and gives to us his perfect righteousness, peace, and salvation. He loves to receive our gift, and delights to give us his.

Part 4 - SERIES: King Jesus During Advent this year we'll be looking at the kingly nature of Jesus. Isaiah gets the privilege of seeing Jesus seated on his throne as King. All of us are in desperate need. Isaiah writes to a culture and a time with many parallels to our own. And like then, our culture finds itself in need of the Lord and in need of peace. We look for peace and wholeness in many different things, but what we need most is the peace that King Jesus gives. He himself is our peace.

Blue Christmas 2020 Pastor Dave Winters delivers a message at our Blue Christmas Service.

Part 3 - SERIES: King Jesus During Advent this year we'll be looking at the kingly nature of Jesus. Isaiah gets the privilege of seeing Jesus seated on his throne as King. Jesus, THE King of the universe, is fully—100%—God. Hebrews 1 tells us much about the deity of Jesus. To know who God is, look at Jesus! To know who you are, look at Jesus! Jesus is eternally existing, he didn't begin to exist at Christmas, he has always been. And he exists in resplendent glory. The glory of God is his character on display, and in Jesus is it always shining out. As we behold Jesus' glory, it changes us.

Part 2 - SERIES: King of Righteousness During Advent this year we're looking at the kingly nature of Jesus. Jesus perfectly fills three offices or roles that God ordained for the care of his people: prophet, priest, and king. Jesus is the perfect king of righteousness. God promised a savior as early as Genesis 3:15 to rescue us from sin and conquer evil. The rest of Scripture traces the fulfillment of this promise, which is in Jesus, the King of Righteousness. God promised a king who always does right and befriends his people. Jesus, the King of Righteousness, gives his righteousness to us.

Part 1 - SERIES: King Jesus During Advent this year we'll be looking at the kingly nature of Jesus. Jesus is the King, and he is our coming King. Thankfully he will not be elected, but rules and reigns with full sovereignty. He is the King of Kings. The King of Glory. The King of Nations. The King of Israel. So we should seek the King, worship the King, and honor the King.