Tag: A New Life

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 27:24 — )

Sermon: The True Grace of God
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Duration: 27:24
Size: 12.5 MB

New Life In The Same Old Place
“The True Grace of God”
1 Peter 5:8-14

I. Which Grace?

Grace should neither be a license to sin, nor a foundation for trying to establish our own right-standing before God, based on our good works.

Peter has not only given us a kind of purpose statement or summary statement for the whole letter, but he tells us that what is contained in this letter is, in fact, “the true grace of God”.

II. The Passage: “Standing Firm in the Faith” (5:8-11)

Let’s use three key phrases from verses 8-11 as a means of rewinding back to the beginning of the book, and then forward to pick up one of three main themes.

A. “Be Sober-Minded”: True Grace Results in Living in God’s Holiness (5:8-9a)

Don’t fall into that stupor of living for what will not last and for what ultimately doesn’t matter.

If you have received the true grace of God, are you striving by that grace to live a new life that is all

B. “The Same Kinds of Sufferings”: True Grace Reveals God’s Purpose in Our Suffering (5:9b)

I think our tendency is to believe that the grace of God somehow frees us from pain and suffering in this life.

This kind of purposeful suffering was not only being used by God to test and refine their faith.

The true grace of God reminded them that this path of suffering was taking them exactly where God wanted them to go.

C. “His Eternal Glory in Christ”: True Grace [Continually] Redirects Us to God’s Salvation in Christ (5:10-11)

The only reason Peter can exhort his readers the way he does is because of the radical reality of what Jesus has done.

It was the radical reality of what Jesus had done and would do in accomplishing true salvation that Peter uses to comfort and motivate his readers.

III. Peter’s Closing Remarks (5:12-14)

First, as tensions outside the church translated to tensions inside the church, Peter reminds them of the custom of greeting one another with a kiss that expresses God’s love.

Second, he asks that, in the midst of all the chaos they were enduring, that God’s perfect peace would be theirs.

IV. Your New Life in the Same Old Place

As we leave this book, our prayer should be that God would never let it leave our hearts and minds.

You have been chosen by God in grace, and because of that, you are now an alien in this world system that has turned away from God.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 28:25 — )

Sermon: Let Go and Let God
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Duration: 28:25
Size: 13.0 MB

New Life In The Same Old Place
“Let Go and Let God”
1 Peter 5:5-7

I. The Passage: “Clothe Yourselves…with Humility” (5:5-7)

There is a common thread weaving its way through all three of these verses. It’s the thread of humility.

A. Humility toward the Elders (5:5a)

These leaders were not always older in a chronological sense, but they were typically older, or more mature, spiritually.

Peter is calling the other members of these churches to submit themselves in humility to their leaders.

B. Humility toward One Another (5:5b)

So a rough translation straight from the original language would read, “All of you, toward one another, humility, tie around you as a servant’s apron.”

Have you tied humility around your waist this morning when it comes to your relationships with your brothers and sisters in Christ?

C. Humility toward God (5:6)

No, genuine humility can only come from one place: it can only come from a right view of who God is and our relationship to Him!

You cannot be truly humble unless you measure yourself by who God is and what God wants.

II. God-Centered Humility (5:7)

What’s strange about this connection is that it implies a relationship between humility and the casting off of anxiety; the unloading of our worries.

Pride is confidence that we have this kind of power. Anxiety is fear that we might lose or can’t have this kind of power.

First, we can “let go and let God” because we can trust that God’s grace will empower us to do so.

Second, we can “let go and let God” because we can trust that God’s hand is truly mighty.

Third, we can “let go and let God” because we can trust that God really cares about us.

The humility to which Peter calls his overwhelmed readers is a humility motivated by faith that God is mighty, and mighty in His concern for our absolute good.

We know for certain that the shoulders of God are able to bear all of our anxieties because those same shoulders bore all of our sin on the cross.

Next Week
“The True Grace Of God”
1 Peter 5:8-14

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 28:24 — )

Sermon: The Chief Shepherd’s Shepherds
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Duration: 28:24
Size: 13.0 MB

New Life In The Same Old Place
“The Chief Shepherd’s Shepherds”
1 Peter 5:1-4

I. A Leader by Any Other Name

Is it any wonder that most people are confused about the specifics of church leadership, or what is often called church government or church polity?

A. What is an Elder?

Now the word for elder here is the word, presbuteros. It literally means, someone who is older.

The emphasis here is not on physical maturity, but spiritual maturity.

1. An Elder is an Overseer, Ministering (Shepherd)

So shepherd or pastor is simply another title for an elder. An elder is one who shepherds God’s flock.

And so here, an elder is also called an overseer.

2. An Elder May Be Worthy of a “Double Honor”

While there is no difference between an elder and a pastor and an overseer, we do find a distinction among elders.

This “double honor” simply means that they can devote more time to the work.

3. An Elder is Part of the Body, Not Over It

Elders who lead and teach are not any better than any other part of the body. They simply have a different role.

B. What is Peter’s Exhortation?

An exhortation is simply a strong encouragement to action.

1. Shepherd from a Willing Heart (5:2)

This makes their service a joy, not a chore.

2. Shepherd with Eagerness (5:2)

He should not only give his permission, but also his passion to the work.

3. Shepherd by Example (5:3)

God’s leaders are always servant leaders who follow the lead of Jesus, so that others will by led to serve Christ and others in His name.

C. What if You’re Not an Elder?

All of this means that in God’s economy, all of us desperately need the shepherding that God wants to provide for us through the men and women he has called as leaders.

1. Pray for Them

2. Encourage Them

3. Follow Their Lead

II. The Care of the Chief Shepherd

They have no function or authority or position apart from the Chief Shepherd.

Pray for His under-shepherds; encourage them; follow their lead as they follow Jesus’ lead.

Next Week
“Let Go And Let God”
1 Peter 5:5-7

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 29:24 — )

Sermon: It Comes As No Surprise
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Duration: 29:24
Size: 13.4 MB

New Life In The Same Old Place
“It Comes As No Surprise”
1 Peter 4:12-19

I. The Passage: “Do Not be Surprised” (4:12-19)

Why were his readers surprised by their suffering?

Maybe their belief that suffering was “something strange” flowed out of a belief that Christianity was only about victory, and glory, and prosperity, and blessing, and a crown.

Their understanding of God and salvation, their theology, has a hard time dealing with the subject of suffering.

II. It’s Not “Strange”, It’s…

Peter gives five reasons why suffering is not “something strange“.

1. The Father’s Test (4:12)

Suffering is a refining tool that God the Father uses to test and prove the genuineness of our faith.

2. The Son’s Sufferings (4:13)

Because we are in Christ, we experience the very hostility and resistance that resulted in Jesus being hung on the cross.

There is no Christianity without the cross. There is no genuine salvation that only offers a crown.

Wherever “the rub” is felt, we know that such sufferings demonstrate our connection with Jesus.

3. The Spirit’s Evidence (4:14)

Peter is reminding them here that their suffering is not “something strange”, but is in fact a wonderful reminder that God’s Spirit is working in and through us.

When we suffer for Him, we should be encouraged by the fact that our suffering is evidence that God is very near…that He is working in us through His Spirit.

4. An Opportunity to Glorify God! (4:15-16)

Peter wants to make sure that his readers make sure that they are suffering for the right reasons.

If anyone is suffering for the right reasons, let them not be ashamed, but glorify God in the name.

5. The Beginning of Judgment Day (4:17-18)

So here he is saying that your suffering is not “something strange” because this is what we should expect at the beginning of the great Day of Judgment.

III. True Protection (4:19)

Because suffering is not “something strange”, but is in fact, the Father’s test, and the Son’s sufferings, and the Spirit’s evidence, and an opportunity to glorify God, and a sign of the beginning of Judgment Day, therefore…

True protection in the face of suffering can only be found in the One who made us.

How is He calling you to endure this morning in your suffering for Christ, maybe he’s calling you to rejoice and count yourself blessed in that suffering?

The call of the gospel is that our eyes are always fixed on the cross of Jesus Christ.

Next Week
“The Chief Shepherd”
1 Peter 5:1-4

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 28:56 — )

Sermon: What To Do At The End Of The World
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Duration: 28:56
Size: 13.2 MB

New Life In The Same Old Place
“What To Do At The End Of The World”
1 Peter 4:7-11

So, what do you do if you believe the world is coming to an end?

I. The Passage: “The End…Is At Hand” (4:7-11)

Peter has been encouraging them in this section about how to face the suffering they’re experiencing because of their faith in Christ.

A. The End is Near, Right at the Door (4:7a)

Well look again at what Peter declares at the beginning of these verses: The end of all things is at hand!

Peter believed that all of the pieces of God’s redemptive plan were in place. He believed what Jesus told him.

Peter wanted his readers to know that they were on the verge of God’s final judgment.

He wanted them to see their sufferings as evidence that the return of Christ, that the final judgment, that the end of the world as we know it was “near”, was “at hand”, was “right at the door”.

B. Clarity and Focus at the End of the World (4:7b-11a)

The end of the world is “at hand” just as much today, as it was when Peter wrote these words.

God has ordained that each and every generation live with a genuine anticipation of Christ’s return and genuine belief that He might come at any time…because he could.

1. Praying with Clarity and Focus (4:7b)

So, what does Peter tell them in light of the very imminent “end of all things”?

What do you do at the end of the world? You pray.

For people who were enduring trials of the last days, Peter’s focus is not first on the content of their prayers, but the act of prayer itself.

“The end is at hand” prayers are prayers that demonstrate we are entrusting ourselves to God for his purposes and his glory in the midst of our suffering.

2. Loving with Clarity and Focus (4:8-11a)

Not only do these followers of Christ desperately need to be a praying community. “Above all”, they need to be a loving community.

Recognizing that the end is at hand brings clarity and focus, not only in our relationship with God, but also our relationships with one another.

Peter reminds them here to honor God with their gifts.

Peter says, pray and love with the clarity and focus that only the end of the world can bring.

II. The End of the World and the Glory of God (4:11b)

The end of all things should bring us clarity and focus in regard to the most important thing in the universe: God’s glory.

May God be glorified in our lives as we pray and love with an uncommon trust that to God and God alone belong glory and dominion forever and ever.

Next Week
“It Comes As No Surprise”
1 Peter 4:12-19

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 34:54 — )

Sermon: Fighting Through Your Suffering
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Duration: 34:54
Size: 15.9 MB

New Life In The Same Old Place
“Fighting Through Your Suffering”
1 Peter 4:1-6

I. Your Top Ten

C.S. Lewis wrote, We were promised sufferings. They were part of the program. We were even told, “Blessed are they that mourn.”

II. The Passage: “Arm Yourselves” (4:1-6)

This is a military term Peter is using here.

In the suffering you are currently experiencing. In the suffering that is to come, are you ready to fight?

A. Fighting to Respond Like Jesus (4:1-2)

Peter is telling us that because Jesus, the Son of God, God in human flesh suffered as we suffer, we have a perfect example to follow.

Peter is reminding them that the one who is willing to suffer for Christ and/or suffer like Christ, demonstrates that he or she has put away the old life and is committed to the new.

C.S. Lewis – God, who foresaw your tribulation, has specially armed you to go through it, not without pain but without stain.

B. Fighting to Flee “Human Passions” (4:3-5)

But do you see that the contrast from verse 2 is still here, the contrast between “human passions” or human desires and God’s will, or what God desires.

Instead of fighting to respond like Jesus, they were being tempted to give up and give in, to go back to their old lifestyle.

A past, present, and future perspective on our sinful responses should convince us that such a choice is always the wrong choice.

C. Fighting to Have Hope (4:6)

Some of them wrongly assumed that death would keep the deceased from partaking in Jesus’ return and ultimate victory.

When a follower of Jesus dies, we should not mourn like those without hope. We will mourn, but we should also rejoice.

When we suffer, we need to fight to respond like Jesus; which means we need to fight to flee “human passions” and very often, that means fighting to have hope in the face of fear.

III. The Rest of Your Time

And because of this incredible truth, in light of these incredible truths, we have to ask, from this point out what will you do with “the rest of your time“.

So what will it take for us to fight through our suffering?

Suffering is inevitable, but how you respond and what you choose to do is up to you.

Only faith in Jesus can free us to fight through our sufferings, so that God is honored, even in the worst of times.

Next Week
“What To Do At The End Of The World”
1 Peter 4:7-11

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 29:46 — )

Sermon: Christ-Centered Suffering
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Duration: 29:46
Size: 13.6 MB

New Life In The Same Old Place
“Christ-Centered Suffering”
1 Peter 3:13-22

I. Establishing the Problem: Suffering as a Christian (3:13-14,17,20)

Remember, the whole theme of this book is built around the concept of Peter’s audience, “spiritual exiles or aliens” in this world because they have been born again in Jesus.

I think this passage even speaks to those who suffer more generally.

II. Establishing the Perspective: Honoring Christ as Holy (3:18,20-22)

As they wrestle with the reality of suffering for their faith, Peter is pointing them back to the object of their faith.

Well, it all makes sense because Jesus is God in human flesh.

It means living our lives in the reality of who He is and what He’s done for us.

A. In light of His righteous and redemptive suffering (3:18a)

That’s what Jesus did, isn’t it? He suffered for doing good according to the will, the plan of God.

Our prayer is that as we suffer we will shine, so that God will use our faith to give our opponent faith.

B. In light of His spectacular and spiritual transformation (3:18b)

As they wrestled with their own suffering, Peter’s audience had to remember that Jesus suffered to the point of death.

One day we also will be made alive in the spiritual realm, by the power of the Holy Spirit.

C. In light of His proven and powerful salvation (3:20-21)

When we suffer, no matter how difficult our circumstances seem, God will ultimately rescue us.

We appeal to God for a good conscience when we seek His forgiveness through Christ.

D. In light of His absolute and authoritative position (3:22)

When we feel like our circumstances are too powerful, we need to remember that “angels, authorities, and power [have] been subjected to him.”

III. Suffering but Shining

When our hearts are set on the reality of our incomparable Jesus, we will have hope in our suffering, and we will be ready to reach out fearlessly for Christ, in both word and deed.

Suffering should not keep our focus on ourselves, it should cause us to look for opportunities to do good for others.

It’s all possible because Christ suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God.

Next Week
“Fighting Through Your Suffering”
1 Peter 4:1-6

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 30:55 — )

Sermon: When Every Curse Is A Sneeze
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Duration: 30:55
Size: 14.1 MB

New Life In The Same Old Place
“When Every Curse Is A Sneeze”
1 Peter 3:8-12

I. The Most Common Blessing

For most people, the only time they bless someone or ask God to bless someone is after a sneeze.

A. Called to a Life of Blessing (3:9)

If you were to bless someone, how would you do it (assuming they didn’t sneeze)?

To bless is to do “good” in some way, not “evil”. It is to verbally help, not verbally abuse.

Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.

It is a heart that wants God’s goodness to pour down on our opponent in such a way that our blessing is used to make them into a blesser.

B. Called to a Community of Blessing (3:8)

After specifically addressing different groups in these churches (i.e. servants, wives, husbands), here in 3:8 he brings it back to everyone in the church.

It is our strength as a local church family that God wants to use in our lives individually in the face of difficult times.

God’s design for us as a church is that we would love one another as brothers and sisters, siblings who look out for each other.

We are called to a life of blessing, even with those who hurt us. And we are called to that life together.

C. Called to Inherit a Blessing (3:10-12)

We have been called to bless, and that calling results in our being blessed; “to obtain a blessing”.

We give blessings in light of the fact that we will receive the greatest blessing.

For a people tempted to fear in the face of opposition, Peter reminds them that God is in control, and that as they bless those who curse them, God has blessed, is blessing, and will bless them.

II. Blessing Because of His Blessing

Are we as a church encouraging one another, are we standing with one another or are we responding with anger and bitterness when a brother or sister hurts us?

When we treat every curse as if it were a sneeze, that is, when we treat every curse as an opportunity to respond with a blessing.

Next Week
“Christ-Centered Suffering”
1 Peter 3:13-22

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 30:03 — 13.8MB)

Sermon: Being Jesus’ Wife
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Duration: 30:03
Size: 13.7 MB

New Life In The Same Old Place
“Being Jesus’ Wife”
1 Peter 3:1-7

I. The Passage: “Won Without a Word” (3:1-7)

First Peter is writing to his audience to remind them of their identity as spiritual aliens, redeemed and born again by faith in Jesus Christ. (1:1-3, 14-16, 18-21)

Second in light of this new identity live lives that are separate from the world, and yet, shining the hope of Christ to the world. (2:9, 11-12)

Third, one way they can live this separate but shining kind of life, is to be submissive to the authority structures that God has placed in this world, as a way to demonstrate they are submissive to God. (2:13a; 2:16)

Peter is writing here for none other than Jesus’ wife…all of them.

A. Jesus’ Wife is Submissive and Shining (3:1-2)

But remember, Peter’s entire discussion about submission is not about equality.

Peter is extremely concerned with the message these Christians were sending to non-Christians about the faith.

Ladies, whether you are the wife of a godly man, or the wife of a worldly man, remember that your actions in most cases speak louder than words.

B. Jesus’ Wife Knows True Beauty is about Her Spirit (3:3-4)

Peter’s argument is not against braided hair or gold or clothing, per se.

This kind of imperishable beauty comes from knowing that, because of what Jesus has done, you are beautiful in the sight of the only one whose opinion really matters.

C. Jesus’ Wife is in The Company of Great Women (3:5-6)

The greatest women in history were those with the greatest faith in the greatness of God; women like Abraham’s wife, Sarah.

The submission that Sarah modeled is not one based on fear of what a husband might do our say. It is based on faith.

D. Jesus’ Wife Needs a Husband who is Jesus’ Man (3:7)

A husband who is Jesus’ man will have the heart of Christ for this woman who is striving to be Jesus’ wife; to be God’s woman.

When you are not understanding; when you do not show her honor, God is not interested in your supposedly pious prayers.

Gentlemen, please hear me, for believing couples, the point is still the same: Jesus’ wife needs a husband who is Jesus’ man.

II. A Desperate Housewife or a Desperate Faith

God is not looking for desperate housewives. He is looking for wives who have a desperate faith, a faith that holds on to Christ as its only hope.

True submission is only possible through the power of the gospel.

Next Week
“When Every Curse Is A Sneeze”
1 Peter 3:8-12

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 29:03 — )

Sermon: Enduring By Entrusting
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Duration: 29:03
Size: 13.2 MB

New Life In The Same Old Place
“Enduring By Entrusting”
1 Peter 2:18-25

I. Power and Persecution

How do you respond in a situation like this? What do you say? What do you do? What would most people do? How would most people react?

II. The Passage: “When…One Endures Sorrows” (2:18-25)

As strangers in a strange world because of their faith in Jesus, Peter is encouraging these Christians to consider how their daily lives can hinder or help them as they attempt to represent Jesus.

In our passage this morning, Peter is continuing that discussion about subjection or submission. But this time, he has a new context he wants to address:

A. God’s Call for Endurance (2:18-20)

This word specifically refers to slaves or servants who are working, not in a field or a shop, but in a household.

Now, since slavery is no longer an institution in our culture, passages like this are typically connected, and rightfully so, to the modern context of the employer/employee relationship.

Endurance is literally, “bearing up under”; it is persevering in the right attitude and actions because your heart and mind are set on God.

But what does it look like to endure? And why should we endure?

B. God’s Example for Endurance (2:21-23)

God has given us a perfect example of this kind of endurance in suffering: Jesus.

To be mindful of God goes hand in hand with entrusting ourselves to God.

How in the world is a normal person supposed to bear up under this kind of unfair treatment and continue being submissive to a person like this?

C. God’s Provision for Endurance (2:24-25)

Why did Christ endure in the face of unjust suffering, because he was bearing our sins in his body on the cross.

We can because through faith in Jesus, we can “die to sin and live to righteousness“.

We can entrust ourselves and our circumstances to God believing that God will make right what is wrong.

III. The Purpose of Our Endurance

Jesus endured for the good of others; for our good. And so we endure for the same purpose.

Our endurance is focused on the good of others and the glory of God.

Next Week
“Being Jesus”
1 Peter 3:1-7