“Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. Do […]
Text: 1 Peter 3:8-12What is inner beauty that lasts and how do we get it? In today’s quest for physical beauty amidst a burgeoning population of aging Boomers who are finding it difficult to reconcile the ravages of time on their bodies, surgical and non-surgical cosmetic procedures are seeing explosive growth in this country. This craze is not particular only to celebrities and socialites but now includes the rest of society who can afford the cost of the procedures. We all want to look good, but all external and applied adornments will fail sooner or later. The Bible puts forth a better goal of the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. There is power and value in this inner beauty that all women can acquire. Scripture gives us a solid example of such beauty in the Old Testament character of Sarah. She was a woman of recognized great beauty in her society but Scripture credits her with a greater inner beauty of character that was more commendable and precious to God, described in First Peter, chapter three. Here, all Christian women are called to be “daughters of Sarah,” to emulate her lasting beauty of character quality and attitude. Ultimately for women, the beauty of eternal value is like that which Jesus demonstrated in his submission to and hope in God, in doing what is right without giving way to fear. This is true beauty in God’s sight.
Text: 1 Peter 3:1-6The Christian walk is synonymous with innocent suffering and pain, through which Christ our Lord suffered and died. He left us all an example of how to follow him in this. A Christian’s call to this behavior goes against the grain of his human tendencies: to suffer unjust treatment without retaliation, trusting only that God would be the judge of things ultimately. Jesus lived the sacrificial life to which he calls all his believers. It is a life that leads to the cross, and he has modeled how to live this sacrificial life for us. When we suffer unjustly, we share in a tiny portion of what happened to him. When we are mistreated, we are to turn the other check, bless those who curse us, and return good for evil. We are not to retaliate, not to threaten, not to get even. Jesus showed us how to live, and he showed us how to die. This response is a miracle in itself and is under girded and made possible only by the gift of grace from God.
Text: 1 Peter 2:21-25“Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also […]
Text: 1 Peter 2:18-20We are to submit to all those in authority over us. As Americans, when we read that we are to submit to the king, we tend to dismiss that thought since we haven’t had a king since 1776. What does Peter mean when he says we are to submit “for the Lord’s sake"? It means that there is a direct connection between the people in authority over us, and God who is the Ultimate Authority.
Text: 1 Peter 2:13-17A newspaper photographer wanted to get pictures of a fire so his newspaper agreed to charter a plane for him. […]
Text: Titus 3:12-15Roger Staubach, who led the Dallas Cowboys to an NFL championship after the 1971 season and was voted Super Bowl […]
Text: Titus 3:8-11I have three things on my mind that I want to talk to you about. These are really three different […]
Text: 1 Peter 1:22-25Every morning an older woman would go out on her porch, raise her arms to the sky and yell, “Praise […]
Sermon Series: Fortifying our FoundationsThis is the final message in the God Speaks Today series. As I look back on all that has happened, […]
Text: Luke 15:1-7