Sermon
Faith Under Fire - 1 Peter 4:12-19
September 13, 2026
Do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that is taking place.
We should not be surprised by challenges, difficulty, struggle, and even pain. They are part of the package deal of life, and Christians are not exempt. But we are not alone in our suffering. God is not silent or absent. He is with us and can and does redeem even our difficulties and pain for our good. The cross is about the defeat of pain—Jesus’ suffering reveals God’s commitment to the defeat of evil, sin, and pain. The pain and suffering of the cross do not get the final word, but the power of the resurrection does.
Above All! - 1 Peter 4:7-11
September 6, 2026
Above all, maintain constant love for one another.
What would someone watching our lives say is most important to us? Our lives are not random, and how we respond when things don’t go our way reveals our foundational values—the things that get the ultimate say. The cross reveals what is of ultimate importance to God: God’s costly grace and love. When we rejected God, above all, God responded in love. If Jesus is our Savior and Lord, his ultimate values become ours, and his love becomes the force that shapes our lives above all.
The passage says, “Above all, maintain constant love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins.” It may seem costly to love others when they aren’t easy to love, to respond kindly when others are cruel, to be patient when things don’t go our way, or to forgive rather than hold a grudge. But knowing and experiencing God’s love in Jesus leads us to love others—even in costly ways. God’s love for us leads us into loving Him and others, above all.
Jewelry or Jesus? - 1 Peter 4:1-11
August 30, 2026
Live the rest of your time in the flesh no longer by human desires but by the will of God.
The cross marks our departure from the world’s ways and calls us to follow Jesus in a distinct and different direction. As disciples, we are to live as Jesus teaches us to live, even when that means standing out and suffering rather than fitting in. We are not the judge; Jesus is, and we should remain humble because we once were lost ourselves. God’s loving response to our brokenness is the cross of Jesus, and as we come to his cross in faith and follow the crucified and risen Jesus, his cross shapes our lives and our will. Our lives are to reveal him.
Knowing How it Ends - 1 Peter 3:13-22
August 16, 2026
Even if you do suffer for doing what is right, you are blessed.
Knowing how it ends makes a big difference. God’s people live in a world that can be hostile to God’s ways, but Jesus reveals God’s love and plan in a hostile world. We should not be surprised by difficulties—but knowing how it ends changes how we respond to them. The cross does not get the last word—the resurrected Jesus does. His body did not remain on the cross or in the grave, so neither will ours. We are dearly loved by God, not because we are perfect, but because God is. Suffering is not the point; God’s love is. Staying the same is not God’s plan for us; maturing in Christ is. Despite the tragedies of our own lives and in the world around us, God wins. The very same Jesus who suffered and died is the Jesus who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers made subject to him. And if Jesus is for us, who can be against us? Knowing how it ultimately ends reveals our lives and God's purposes for us in a whole new light.
Shining in the Dark - 1 Peter 3:18-22
August 9, 2026
Even if you do suffer for doing what is right, you are blessed.
Lifeguards save people by entering the same water, facing the same waves, rip currents, wind, and cold, and using what they have to help those who cannot help themselves. Likewise, Christians do not sit in the Jacuzzi of life while everyone else swims in a shark-infested whirlpool; we face the same sickness, loss, storms, and suffering common to all humanity, and sometimes we suffer for doing good. Yet God calls us not merely to keep our own heads above water, but to lose the “floaties,” learn to swim, and go where people need help. Jesus is our ultimate example—the righteous One who suffered for the unrighteous to bring us to God. Though we cannot always still the storms of life, we can be evidence that people are not alone, because in a broken world we have hope and power through the risen, ascended, reigning Christ, who sends us wherever we are in His grace, love, and power.
Keeping It Personal - 1 Peter 3:13-18
August 2, 2026
Always be ready to share why you have hope with those who need it.
We naturally talk about the things we love, and faith should be no different. A life shaped by grace, forgiveness, and hope ought to prompt others to ask about its source, creating opportunities to share the reason for that hope. Doing so does not require expert knowledge, perfect faith, special religious language, or a perfect life. Doubts, questions, and struggles do not disqualify anyone from speaking about God’s work in their lives. The heart of the message is simple: to share, in one's own words, what God has done, what mercy He has shown, and how His grace brings hope and new life.
I Gotta Friend - John 15:12-17 - Rev. Bill Westlund Preaching
July 26, 2026
This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
Our amazing friend, Rev. Bill Westlund, is preaching.
Lives that Raise Questions – 1 Peter 3:8-18 Sermon
July 19, 2026
Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.
We are called to live lives that raise questions. In 1 Peter 3 we read that by loving others, returning blessing for evil, enduring suffering with hope, and following the example of Jesus, our lives should make people wonder, "What's up with that?" When they ask, we are to be ready to explain the hope that is within us—not with polished speeches, but by sharing what the Lord has done for us and the mercy he has shown us. Jesus himself lived the ultimate life that raised questions, and his cross gives the ultimate answer: because he suffered for us, our hope is secure, and even death does not get the final word.
In the Same Way - 1 Peter 2:21-3:9
July 12, 2026
Do not repay evil for evil or abuse for abuse, but, on the contrary, repay with a blessing.
"In the Same Way."
We are called to live and love in the same way as Jesus —giving ourselves for others, enduring suffering without retaliation, and entrusting ourselves to the God who judges justly. Far from justifying oppression, these often-misunderstood passages instead call believers to reject the world's pursuit of power and to reflect Christ through humble, sacrificial love. In every relationship, we are invited to follow in our Savior's footsteps and shine like Jesus.
Radical Reorientation - 1 Peter 2:11-25
July 5, 2026
Conduct yourselves honorably among the Gentiles, so that, though they malign you as evildoers, they may see your honorable deeds and glorify God when he comes to judge.
We are saved to live differently than the world around us. As followers of Jesus, saved by grace, our lives are to reveal God's ways rather than the world's values. Our example is Jesus himself, who suffered without retaliation and entrusted himself to God. If we trust Jesus for eternity, then it only makes sense to trust him here and now by living as he lived—choosing to forgive, choosing to serve, choosing to give, and not being surprised if we are also called to choose to suffer.
