Abundant Life Sermons

Finish Strong – 1 Peter 5:8-111 Peter 5:8, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” 1)  Be Alert.1 Peter 5:9, “Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.”2)  Resist Satan with Faith and Community.1 Peter 5:10-11, “But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.” 3)  Entrust Yourself to God’s Plan. 

Next Generation Leaders - 1 Peter 5:5-61 Peter 5:1-5, The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed: Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away. Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”To the next generation, the Apostle Peter is teaching you cannot be a great leader until you have learned to be a great follower. 1 Peter 5:5, “Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders.”The most important quality for those in positions of responsibility and authority is humility. Until you’re able to live under authority, God will not entrust you with a position of authority.Abundant Life Staff Core Value Humility: Philippians 2:3-4We reject anything done pridefully, selfishly, or with feelings of envy or jealousy. We will esteem, serve, and honor other team members more than ourselves. As a team, we don’t care who gets the credit as long as God gets the glory. People who lack humility will always breed rivalry, destroying a church’s unity! That’s why humility is essential for those God entrusts with great authority and responsibility. 1 Peter 5:5, Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”God is looking for leaders who will choose mutual submission over competition, division, and self-promotion. Humility fosters mutual submission. Pride fosters insecurity and rivalry, division, and competition. God promises your eventual promotion if you’ll live and lead from humility and submission. 1 Peter 5:6 “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time.”1 Peter 5:7, “casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.”Peter tells us the key to leadership longevity—humility. God dependency instead of self-sufficiency.

A Shepherd’s Calling - 1 Peter 5:1-41 Peter 5:1-2, The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed: 2 Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly;Regardless of whether you ever have the title “pastor,” every Christian is called to shepherd others’ souls. Every church member is called to be a minister. Every disciple is called to “make disciples.” (Matthew 28:19-20)1)  A shepherd’s calling is to lead. 1 Peter 5:2-3, “Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.”Leadership is not lordship. Leadership is influence – it’s the trust you gain through the example of your life. Hebrews 13:7, “Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct.”Humility is an absolute prerequisite to carry spiritual authority. 1 Peter 5:5, Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”2)  A shepherd’s calling is to feed. Peter never forgot Jesus’ charge three times – “tend” and “feed My sheep.” (See John 21:15-17)John 21:15, “Feed My lambs.” John 21:16, “Tend My sheep.” John 21:17, “Feed My sheep.” We are all called to take the Word of God and invest it into the souls of men and women. 1 Peter 4:11, If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God.3)  A shepherd’s calling is to bleed. Peter 5:1, “The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ…”Jesus taught the shepherd’s calling is to lay down his life for the sheep. (See John 10:7-15)John 10:7-15, Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.1 Peter 5:4, “And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.”The “crown of glory” is the shepherd’s crown awarded by the Chief Shepherd to those who have shepherded others well. 

Suffering for Righteousness – 1 Peter 4:12-19The Church has always been refined in the fires of persecution. 2 Timothy 3:12, Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.How to suffer for righteousness…1)Be ready. 1 Peter 4:12, Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you.We should prepare to be persecuted for our faith as Christians. Persecution should be seen as the expectation, not the exception. 2)Rejoice. 1 Peter 4:13-14, But rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified.When you suffer for Christ, rejoice that God has granted you the privilege of suffering for His name. Matthew 5:10-12, Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven…3)Be right. 1 Peter 4:15-16, But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people’s matters. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter.When you suffer make sure it’s for doing what is right and not for what is wrong. Be wise. Matthew 10:16, Behold, I send you out as sheep among wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.4)Rest. 1 Peter 4:17-19, For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? Now “If the righteous one is scarcely saved, where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?” Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator.Rest your life on the cross in the middle of the chaos.

How Now Shall We Live? 1 Peter 4:7-11Suffering is a catalyst God uses to grow us into Christlikeness so we can bring Him greater glory! The Apostle Peter is writing to a suffering Church in the first century. His words are more relevant than ever to the Church of the 21st century.How Now Shall We Live?1)Live with urgency. 1 Peter 4:7, “But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers.”Christ’s return is nearer than it has ever been! 2 Peter 3:3-4, 8-9, “knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, ‘Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation’…But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” We should be living with urgency for the things of eternity. Find your “one.” Suffering and crisis create opportunities for gospel conversations!2)Love fervently. 1 Peter 4:8-9, “And above all things have fervent love for one another, for ‘love will cover a multitude of sins.’ Be hospitable to one another without grumbling.”The early Christians were living proof of a loving God to a watching world. And the ancient world was changed by what they saw!Emperor Julian wrote in A.D. 362 to pagan priests complaining about the growth of Christianity and blaming it on the Church’s “benevolence to strangers, their care for the graves of the dead…it is a disgrace that the impious Galileans [Christians] support not only their own poor but ours as well.”3)Serve sacrificially. 1 Peter 4:10-11, “As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.”The world kingdoms rise and fall, but the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ will last forever!

Right Thinking, Right Living - 1 Peter 4:1-61 Peter 3:18-19, “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, 19 by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison.”1 Peter 4:1-2, Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, 2 that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.To make war on sin demands we arm ourselves with the mind of Him! 1 Peter 1:13, “Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”If you don't make your mind a battleground, Satan will make it his playground.2 Corinthians 10:3-5, For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,Right thinking leads to right living. Philippians 2:5, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.”1 Peter 4:1-2, Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, 2 that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.To think like Christ is to think about a cross. To be delivered from sin’s penalty, Christ died. To be delivered from sin’s power, you die. (See Luke 9:23, Galatians 2:20, 1 Corinthians 15:31, Romans 12:1-2) Romans 12:1-2, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.If you follow Jesus, you will suffer. If you follow sin, you will suffer more. Sin’s short-term gratification will one day bring long-term devastation. 1 Peter 4:3-7, “For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles—when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries. 4 In regard to these, they think it strange that you do not run with them in the same flood of dissipation, speaking evil of you. 5 They will give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. 6 For this reason the gospel was preached also to those who are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit. 7 But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers.”We are living in the end of The End. But the end is only the beginning. Are you ready for eternity?

What To Do When You Suffer1 Peter 3:18-221 Peter 3:18,” For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit.”1.Remember the Gospel.“Death used to be an executioner, but the gospel has made him just a gardener.”George Herbert1 Peter 3:19, “by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison, who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah.”“A wonderful text is this, and a more obscure passage perhaps than any other in the New Testament, so that I do not know for a certainty just what Peter means.”Martin Luther“Spirits” in the New Testament always refers to nonhuman spiritual beings unless qualified.2 Peter 2:4, For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment. Jude 6, And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day.2. Relish in the victory. Colossians 2:15, Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it. 1 Peter 3:22, “who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him.”Jesus declares his dominance to the demons.1 Peter 3:20-21, “who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water. There is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”3.Respond to the rescue.1 Peter 3:22, “who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him.4.Rejoice in Jesus.

The Crucified Life, Part 4The cross is not only the power of God to save us but God’s power to us who are saved! (See 1 Corinthians 1:18)The Three Crosses of Christianity…1)The cross on which Christ was crucified for you. Galatians 3:1, “O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified?”2)The cross on which you were crucified with Christ. Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”3)The cross on which the world was crucified to you. Galatians 6:14, “But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”Four Steps of the Crucified Life...1)Know what God says. Know that as a child of God, your old sinful nature was crucified with Christ so that it no longer has dominion over you! (See Romans 6:6-7)2)Believe what God says. You appropriate all the promises of God by believing what God says no matter what you see. It does no good to know what God says if you don’t believe it. (See Romans 6:11-12)3)Submit to what God says. In the heat of temptation, you will either submit to sin or submit to Him. If you will submit to Him, you CANNOT submit to sin. (See Romans 6:12-13)4)Do what God says. You must learn to “walk out” the crucified life with every decision. It’s not enough to merely believe the Word of God. You must obey the Word of God! (See Romans 8:1-2)Romans 8:1-2, There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.1 Thessalonians 5:23-24, Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.Chain of Command of the Spirit-filled Life!SPIRIT/spirit↓Soul↓BodyThe Spirit-filled life is found in releasing control of your life to God’s Spirit in every decision, thought, and emotion. Galatians 5:16, I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.Crucified Life → Spirit-filled Life → Abundant Life

The Crucified Life, Part 3 - Romans 6The cross is not just God’s power to save us but the power of God to us who are saved. 1 Corinthians 1:18, For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.To follow Jesus demands we take up our cross. Luke 9:23, Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” Four steps to the crucified life…1)Know what God says. Know that as a child of God, your old, sinful nature was crucified with Christ so that it no longer has dominion over you! (See Romans 6:6-7)Romans 6:6-7, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin.2)Believe what God says. You appropriate all the promises of God by believing what God says no matter what you see. It does no good to know what God says if you don’t believe it. (See Romans 6:11-12.)Romans 6:11, Likewise you also, reckon [consider] yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.3)Submit to what God says. In the heat of temptation, you will either submit to sin or submit to Him. If you’ll submit to Him, you CANNOT submit to sin. (See Romans 6:12-13.)Romans 6:12-13, Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.You will serve one of two masters—God or Sin. Submit to Him, and you will not submit to sin! James 4:7, Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.You will either be mastered by Jesus or mastered by Sin. When you submit to sin, it leads to captivity and slavery. But when you submit to Jesus it leads to freedom and liberty!You can’t suppress your sin. In the heat of temptation, submit to Him! Apart from the cross, you are too weak to do God’s will but not weak enough for God to do it through you. The key to victory is NOT DOING BUT DYING!Galatians 2:20, I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.By dying daily through our co-crucifixion, we begin living in the power of the resurrection!Luke 9:23-26, Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels.Jesus’ invitation is to come and die. Only once you die are you fully alive!

The Crucified Life, Part 2 - Romans 6The cross is not just God’s power to save us but the power of God to us who are saved. Key concept of the Cross…The blood is for our forgiveness. The cross is for our deliverance. The blood forgives us of sin’s penalty (Ephesians 1:7). The cross delivers us from sin’s power. (Galatians 2:20, Luke 9:23)Ephesians 1:7, “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.”Galatians 2:20, I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.Luke 9:23, Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.”Four steps to the crucified life. 1)Know what God says. (See Romans 6:6-7) You must know that spiritually you were in Christ when He died. Because you were in Him you also died with Him. Your “old man” or your sin nature was crucified to that sin, and it has lost dominion over you!Romans 6:1-7 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin.You need to know you were crucified with Christ so that sin no longer has dominion in your life. Christ’s finished work on the cross not only forgave you of sin’s penalty but also delivered you from sin’s power!2) Believe what God says. (See Romans 6:11) It’s not enough to know what God says if you don’t believe what God says. Romans 6:11, “Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”You appropriate the promises of God by believing what God says no matter what you see. It’s choosing to believe divine facts no matter how you feel.Whatever you believe you will obey. You will either believe and obey God or believe and obey your flesh. Romans 6:12 “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.”