Two Very Important Truths

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Speaker: Joe Whalen
Scripture: Colossians 1:1-8
January 24, 2026

Colossians 1:1-8: Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father.

We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your[c] behalf and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.

Sermon Outline

1. Introduction

2. Two truths

• Truth #1: The gospel has already changed you

• Faith in Christ

• A love for all the saints

• Hope

• Truth #2: The gospel is changing people all over the world

• Everywhere the gospel goes, it brings salvation

• God doesn't begin with our weaknesses; he begins with his strength

• The gospel has already changed you, and it's changing people all over the world

3. Applications

• Remind yourself over and over what God has done for you

• Be thankful

On the Contrary, Bless

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Speaker: Dave Royes
Scripture: 1 Peter 3:8-16
January 18, 2026

1 Peter 3:8-16: Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. For,

“Whoever would love life
    and see good days
must keep their tongue from evil
    and their lips from deceitful speech.
They must turn from evil and do good;
    they must seek peace and pursue it.
For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous
    and his ears are attentive to their prayer,
but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened.” But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.

Sermon Outline

1. A call to tenderheartedness

2. A reminder of God’s attentiveness

3. The result is gospel preparedness

“There’s more glory under the eye of God, in the sighs, groans, and mournings of poor souls filled with the love of Christ, [pursuing] after the enjoyment of him according to his promises — in their fervent prayers for his manifestation of himself unto them — in the refreshments and unspeakable joys which they have in his gracious visits and embraces of his love — than in the thrones and diadems of all the monarchs on the earth.” — John Owen, The Works of John Owen (1850)

Beautiful Conduct and the Glory of God (Part 3)

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Speaker: Dave Royes
Scripture: 1 Peter 3:1-7
January 11, 2026

1 Peter 3:1-7: Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct. Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear—but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious. For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening.

Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.

Main point: Harmony in the home is having self as servant.

Sermon Outline

1. Introduction

• An unspoken sign

• A God-ordained portrait

• Main point

2. The countercultural wife (is a servant-hearted wife)

• Letting conduct speak

• Dressing with inward adornment

• Walking a proven path

3. The countercultural husband (is a servant-hearted husband)

• Marital faithfulness

• Honor from attentiveness

• Unhindered prayer

4. Our condescending God (who came as a servant)

1 Peter 2:12: Keep your conduct among the gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.

Isaiah 42:1-4: Behold my servant, whom I uphold,
    my chosen, in whom my soul delights;
I have put my Spirit upon him;
    he will bring forth justice to the nations.
He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice,
    or make it heard in the street;
a bruised reed he will not break,
    and a faintly burning wick he will not quench;
    he will faithfully bring forth justice.
He will not grow faint or be discouraged[a]
    till he has established justice in the earth;
    and the coastlands wait for his law.

A Most Played Psalm

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Speaker: Dave Royes
Scripture: Psalm 110
January 4, 2026

Psalm 110: The Lord says to my Lord:
    “Sit at my right hand,
until I make your enemies your footstool.”

The Lord sends forth from Zion
    your mighty scepter.
    Rule in the midst of your enemies!
Your people will offer themselves freely
    on the day of your power,
    in holy garments;
from the womb of the morning,
    the dew of your youth will be yours.
The Lord has sworn
    and will not change his mind,
“You are a priest forever
    after the order of Melchizedek.”

The Lord is at your right hand;
    he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath.
He will execute judgment among the nations,
    filling them with corpses;
he will shatter chiefs
    over the wide earth.
He will drink from the brook by the way;
    therefore he will lift up his head.

Sermon Outline

1. Jesus sang this song

Matthew 22:41-46: Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.” He said to them, “How is it then that David, in the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying,

“‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand,
until I put your enemies under your feet”’?

If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?” And no one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.

2. Peter sang this song

Acts 2:32-36,41b: This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says,

“‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand,
until I make your enemies your footstool.”’

Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”
…there were added that day about three thousand souls.

3. Hebrews sings this song

Hebrews 7:21b-25:

“The Lord has sworn
and will not change his mind,
‘You are a priest forever.’”

This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant. The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.

Christmas Snapshots: Providence, Humility, Glory

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Speaker: Mark Estes
Scripture: Luke 2:1-16
December 21, 2025

Luke 2:1-16: In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest,
   and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger.

Sermon Outline

1. Introduction

• How the Christmas story does not begin

• How the Christmas story does begin

2. Snapshot #1: God’s quiet providence

3. Snapshot #2: The humble arrival of Jesus

4. Snapshot #3: The glory of who this baby truly is

5. Application

• If you are dull to the incarnation, consider the beautiful simplicity of the gospel

• If you can’t rejoice because you’re trapped in sin, start going on the offensive

• If you haven’t met Jesus, the angel’s message is for you

Daniel 2:40: And there shall be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron, because iron breaks to pieces and shatters all things. And like iron that crushes, it shall break and crush all these

Proverbs 21:1: The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord;
   he turns it wherever he will.

Psalms 89:20-27: I have found David, my servant;
   with my holy oil I have anointed him,
so that my hand shall be established with him;
   my arm also shall strengthen him.
The enemy shall not outwit him;
   the wicked shall not humble him.
I will crush his foes before him
   and strike down those who hate him.
My faithfulness and my steadfast love shall be with him,
   and in my name shall his horn be exalted.
I will set his hand on the sea
   and his right hand on the rivers.
He shall cry to me, ‘You are my Father,
   my God, and the Rock of my salvation.’
And I will make him the firstborn,
   the highest of the kings of the earth.

God Comes Close

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Speaker: Dave Royes
Scripture: Luke 1:39-56
December 14, 2025

Luke 1:39-56: In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”

And Mary said,

“My soul magnifies the Lord,
   and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
   For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for he who is mighty has done great things for me,
   and holy is his name.
And his mercy is for those who fear him
   from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
   he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
   and exalted those of humble estate;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
   and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
   in remembrance of his mercy,
as he spoke to our fathers,
   to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”

And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home.

Sermon Outline

1. Hear the exclamation

2. Join the exultation

Beautiful Conduct and the Glory of God (Part 2)

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Speaker: Dave Royes
Scripture: 1 Peter 2:18-25
December 7, 2025

1 Peter 2:18-25: Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

Sermon Outline

1. The gaze of God

2. The footsteps of Christ

3. The reversal of curse

1 Peter 2:12: Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.

Beautiful Conduct and the Glory of God (Part 1)

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Speaker: Dave Royes
Scripture: 1 Peter 2:13-17
November 30, 2025

1 Peter 2:13-17: Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme,  or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.

Sermon Outline

1. A distinct attitude

• For God’s glory, we defer rather than complain

• For God’s glory, we trust his providence

2. A divine agenda

• To change foolish narratives

• To demonstrate true freedom

3. Reordered affections

Favor and Fervor

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Speaker: Dave Royes
Scripture: 1 Peter 2:10-12
November 23, 2025

1 Peter 2:10-12: Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.

Main point: Life’s fervor depends on heaven's favor

Sermon Outline

1. Introduction

• Christians aren’t designed to blend into the culture

• A book of hope to people in exile

• Main point

2. An insightful greeting

• A turning point in the text

• A greeting inspired by Hosea

• God doesn't love you for anything in you, but for reasons in himself

3. An ongoing war

• A war that is within

• Soul-destroying desires

4. A watching world

• You will be mislabeled

• Our conduct is paramount

5. A coming day

• Two main views on “visitation”

• How are you doing behind closed doors in the war against the flesh?

Hosea 1:6-9: She (Hosea’s wife Gomer) conceived again and bore a daughter. And the Lord said to him, “Call her name No Mercy*, for I will no more have mercy on the house of Israel, to forgive them at all. But I will have mercy on the house of Judah, and I will save them by the Lord their God. I will not save them by bow or by sword or by war or by horses or by horsemen.”

When she had weaned No Mercy, she conceived and bore a son. And the Lord said, “Call his name Not My People**, for you are not my people, and I am not your God.”

Hosea 2:23: And I will have mercy on No Mercy, and I will say to Not My People, “You are my people;” and he shall say, “You are my God.”

*Lo-ruhama (she has not received mercy)
**Lo-ammi (not my people)

As You Come To Him

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Speaker: Dave Royes
Scripture: 1 Peter 2:4-9
November 16, 2025

1 Peter 2:4-9: As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in Scripture:

“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone,
a cornerstone chosen and precious,
and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”

So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe,

“The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone,”
and
“A stone of stumbling
and a rock of offense.”

They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

Main point: Endurance occurs when we stand together

Sermon Outline

1. Introduction

• Who Christians are together

• Main point

2. A spiritual house

• Christians gather in the presence of God

• Christians gather for right worship of God

3. An eternal decree

• Jesus is the foundation of the house

• Jesus is the architect of the house

4. A treasured people

• A people God delights in

• So that you may proclaim

Daniel 2: 31-34, 44: You saw, O king, and behold, a great image. This image, mighty and of exceeding brightness stood before you, and its appearance was frightening. The head of this image was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its middle and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. As you looked, a stone was cut out by no human hand, and it struck the image on its feet of iron and clay and broke them in pieces.

And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed. Nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever.

Exodus 19:5-6a: If you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.

Wise Speech and the Power of God

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Speaker: Dave Royes
Scripture: Proverbs 18:13
November 9, 2025

Proverbs 18:13: If one gives an answer before he hears, it is his folly and shame.

Sermon Outline

1. The priority of hearing

2. A temptation when speaking

3. A window into the heart

4. The wisdom of our God

1 Corinthians 1:18: For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

The Fruit of Love and Longing

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Speaker: Dave Royes
Scripture: 1 Peter 1:22-23
November 2, 2025

1 Peter 1:22-23: Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God;

Sermon Outline

1. An earnest call to the fruit of love

2. A brief reflection on implanted truth

3. A healthy appetite in spiritual longings

Jacob’s Encounter With God

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Speaker: Richard Goswiller
Scripture: Genesis 32:22-32
October 19, 2025

Genesis 32:22-32: The same night he arose and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. He took them and sent them across the stream, and everything else that he had. And Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. Then he said, “Let me go, for the day has broken.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” And he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” Then he said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.” Then Jacob asked him, “Please tell me your name.” But he said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” And there he blessed him. So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, saying, “For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered.” The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip. Therefore to this day the people of Israel do not eat the sinew of the thigh that is on the hip socket, because he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip on the sinew of the thigh.

Sermon Outline

1. The background to this story

• A fleeing trickster

• A returning patriarch

• A fearful wrestler

2. The Lord prepares Jacob

• Protective division

• Providential seclusion

3. The Lord wrestles Jacob

• Who is this man?

• What is the meaning of this?

4. The Lord blesses Jacob

• Why the name change?

• Why the crippling?

5. How should we seek to apply this?

• The way of divine blessing

• The duration of divine blessing

Hosea 12:3-5: In the womb he took his brother by the heel, and in his manhood he strove with God. He strove with the angel and prevailed; he wept and sought his favor. He me God at Bethel, and there, God spoke with us — the Lord, the God of hosts, the Lord is his memorial name.

“Jacob obtains what he had sought from this encounter, as he sees God face to face and receives God’s blessing. Yet in this instance meeting with God leads not to peace and healing for Jacob but rather to an enduring, painful crippling of his hip. Jacob will forever bear in his body the marks of this excruciating yet grace-filled encounter, in which to survive and to cling to the Lord was to triumph.”
— Iain Duguid, Living in the Grip of Relentless Grace (2002)

Hope and Holiness

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Speaker: Dave Royes
Scripture: Peter 1:13-21
October 12, 2025

Peter 1:13-21: Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

Sermon Outline

1. The call to a fixed hope

2. The display of family holiness

3. The beauty of a foreknown savior

Salvation’s Past

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Speaker: Dave Royes
Scripture: 1 Peter 1:10-12
October 5, 2025

1 Peter 1:10-12: Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, inquiring what person or time[a] the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.

Main point: Seeing the transmission of God's grace helps us to treasure God’s grace.

Sermon Outline
1. Introduction

• Dinner and a tour

• A glimpse to help us savor the gospel

• The main point

2. The work of prophets

• Who does Peter have in mind?

• The prophets' diligent interest

3. The message of preachers

• They unfolded the scriptures

• They heralded the good news

• They were energized by the Holy Spirit

4. The longing of angels

Salvation’s Present

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Speaker: Dave Royes
Scripture: 1 Peter 1:6-9
September 28, 2025

1 Peter 1:6-9: In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith — more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire — may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Sermon Outline

1. Grief in the hand of God

2. Faith in the furnace of fire

3. Joy in the absence of sight

Salvation’s Future

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Speaker: Dave Royes
Scripture: 1 Peter 1:3-5
September 21, 2025

1 Peter 1:3-5: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

Main point: What God has caused, God will guard

Sermon Outline

1. Introduction

• Homesickness and anticipation

• The foundational main idea

2. What God has caused

• A new birth

• A living hope

3. What God guards

• An inheritance

• A salvation

Such a Great Salvation

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Speaker: Dave Royes
Scripture: 1 Peter 1:3-12
September 14, 2025

1 Peter 1:3-12: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith — more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire — may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look

Sermon Outline

1. A salvation ahead

2. A salvation being worked out

• Our trails are various

• Our time is short

• Our faith is tested

• Our reward is being worked out

3. A salvation long anticipated

Multiplied Grace For Elect Exiles

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Speaker: Dave Royes
Scripture: 1 Peter 1:1-2
September 7, 2025

1 Peter 1:1-2: Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood: May grace and peace be multiplied to you.

Main point: When sorrow is added, God's grace multiplies.

Sermon Outline

1. Introduction

• "Christianity is like tea"

• What it's like this side of Glory

2. An unlikely shepherd

• A man who needs no introduction

• A man least expected to write these words

• A man who experienced firsthand the grace of God

3. A foundational identity

• Elect exiles

• Status and sorrow

4. A sovereign plan

• Known by a loving Father

• Claimed by his indwelling Spirit

• Cleansed to be like the Son

5. An agenda-setting prayer

• 1 Peter 5:12: By Sylvanus, a faithful brother as I regard him, I have written briefly to you, exhorting and declaring that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it.

“Peter’s brief greeting, ‘Grace and peace be yours in abundance,’ gives in miniature the whole message of his letter. He writes to those who already feel the scorn and malice of an unbelieving world. Writing from Rome under the emperor Nero, Peter knows that they will experience much worse. Can he really pronounce peace in abundance to those who are only beginning to discover the suffering to which Christians are called? Peter writes for that very purpose.

Once he had fought to defend the shalom (peace) of the Messiah. Under the olive trees of Gethsemane, he drew his sword to resist those who came to arrest Jesus. But Jesus had made him sheath his weapon after one misdirected stroke. Peter wanted to fight because he feared that the death of Jesus would end all hope of victory, all hope of the Messiah's peace. But the death of Jesus had done the opposite. It had accomplished the salvation of God's Anointed.

Now Peter, the apostle of the risen Lord, can pronounce peace; the peace that comes, not by the sword, but by the cross.” — Edmund P. Clowney, The Message of 1 Peter (2021)

The Wonderful Works of God

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Speaker: Tyler Estes
Scripture: Psalm 95
August 31, 2025

Psalm 95: Oh come, let us sing to the Lord;
    let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
    let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
For the Lord is a great God,
    and a great King above all gods.
In his hand are the depths of the earth;
    the heights of the mountains are his also.
The sea is his, for he made it,
    and his hands formed the dry land.

Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
    let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!
For he is our God,
    and we are the people of his pasture,
    and the sheep of his hand.
Today, if you hear his voice,
     do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah,
    as on the day at Massah in the wilderness,
when your fathers put me to the test
    and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work.
For forty years I loathed that generation
    and said, “They are a people who go astray in their heart,
    and they have not known my ways.”
Therefore I swore in my wrath,
    “They shall not enter my rest.”

Sermon Outline

1. An invitation to worship

• A corporate invitation

• A kingly invitation

• A pastoral invitation

2. A warning against hard hearts: seeing the hand of God

• In his works of creation and providence

• In his work of salvation

• In the work of the church

“On my way, the thunder and lightning were renewed; but there being no rain, I kept on, and, blessed be God's good providence, arrived safe at the vicarage. The Lord preserved me from a slavish fear; but I felt a very desirable awe on my mind, even such as I would always wish to feel, on such a commanding occasion. I conversed much with God in mental prayer, and desire to bless his name, that the awful manifestations of his power were not commissioned either to hurt or destroy. I have heard much louder thunder; but never, I believe, saw such prodigious lightning; unless my being more exposed to it, than I ever was before, makes me think so.

Thou, O Lord, commandest the waters; it is the glorious God who maketh the thunder: and (adored be the riches of thy mercy) it was Thou who didst bid the lightnings alarm, but prohibit them to strike. O take me, and seal me thine for ever!” — Augustus Montague Toplady, Memoirs (1825)