On Sunday Pastor Eric preached from 1 Peter 4:1-6. He reminded us that to do God’s will we have to resist our own. We must think like our Savior and be resolved to deny ourselves, to not fit in with the world, and to live for the future instead of the moment.
On Sunday Pastor Eric preached from 1 Peter 3:1-6. God calls wives to “the beautiful faith of fearless submission” as one author describes it. This is countercultural. It honors women. Christian women draw strength and dignity from the affirmation of God. They are precious to Him.
On Sunday Pastor Eric preached from 1 Peter 1:22-2:3. Those who are born again to a living hope are called to love with brotherly affection. Though we often feel like we need to be loved, our new life in Christ enables us to earnestly love our fellow elect exiles.
On Sunday Pastor Eric preached from 1 Peter 1:13-21. We are to set our hope fully on the grace that will come to us at the 2nd coming of Christ. Hope grows in our hearts when we focus our minds on that day. It grows our reverence for the Lord which manifests in changed lives.
On Sunday Pastor Dustin preached from 1 Peter 1:10-12. We are often tempted to wish for a different life. But we occupy a privileged position in God’s plan of salvation. We know what prophets longed to know. We experience what angels wish they could experience. We enjoy a clear view of the glorious grace of God displayed through the saving work of His Son.
On Sunday Pastor Dustin preached from Philippians 3:3-11. He reminded us that it’s worth losing everything to have Jesus. All we once held dear, all our efforts to earn God’s favor — we count them as loss. If we have Christ, we have all we need.
Jeff Schlieder, a member of our sister church in Santa Ana, preached from 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 this past Sunday. He shared that we must embrace the weirdness of the cross to experience the wonder of our salvation. The cross is God’s wisdom though it appears foolish. The cross is God’s strength though it appears weak. The cross isn’t for the somebodies, the influential, or the deserving. It’s for the weak, foolish, and needy.
On Sunday Pastor Eric preached from Genesis 6:1-8. He pointed out that there are many details in this book that threaten to derail our focus (e.g. the Nephilim and sons of God from our text). But we need to keep our eyes on the main storyline. Genesis tells of a God with an unwavering commitment to bring Himself glory by blessing His people, even when they get way off track. That’s our story too.