Our souls wrestle often with the belief that we need to earn God’s love, and it’s an exhausting wrestle. But God wants so much more for all of us. When we consider the life of Jesus, knowing it’s not up to our works but solely dependent on the cross, the hope is we start to become more like him. Scripture: Luke 18:9–14

Psalm 88 reminds us that when Jesus entered into our humanity, he took our sin and God’s wrath and our weakness, and also our pain and abandonment and suffering. Jesus became the blessed man and the cursed man. If Jesus didn’t abandon you in his darkest hour, we can be assured in our darkest hour, he will remain.

As we have learned this month, when we read the Psalms in light of Christ’s finished work on the cross, we see the presence of Jesus throughout these old songs. Psalm 118 especially reminds us of the timeless truth that God is steadfast and our firm foundation when life inevitably gets hard. Even in trials, we rejoice in the one who sustains us.

As we learned last week, reading the psalms through the lens of Christ gives us fresh eyes on an old text. Psalm 32 points to our sins and iniquities, but in light of the forgiveness of God. It reminds the reader that in our humble confession of sin, God’s steadfast love meets us with forgiveness, instruction and gladness.

Key Text: Psalm 32

The Psalms, much like the law, are only understood in light of Christ. In Psalm 1, we see not counsel on how we should live, but confirmation in whom we should trust. Scripture: Psalm 1

In our finale message in this series, we look at the closing remarks of Peter’s letter. Peter speaks of simple wisdom for the Christian to endure faithfully for a whole life: stand firm in grace.

Scripture 1 Peter 5:8–14

How are we to endure in the face of religious, social and political turmoil? By humbly surrendering our lives to Christ despite the cost. When the natural instinct is to close our hands—God invites us to open them to his care and command.

Scripture: Hebrews 13:7–16

Where do you go when your anxiety hits the limits of your humanity? 1 Peter 5:6-7 asks us to lay down our pride. In doing so, we admit that we are not in control as much as we would like, and God cares about our anxieties more than we ever could. Scripture: 1 Peter 5:6–7

Our love of God directly correlates to our love for others. As the family of God, there is a constant call to deepen our relationship ship with God and with our spiritual brothers and sisters. And we are called to steward and disciple the next generation to remember God’s word.

Scripture: Deuteronomy 6:4-9

To be a follower of Jesus means Jesus shepherds us. He leads me, guides me, corrects me. And Peter takes this same metaphor and applies it to the elders of a church. Elders should be shepherd leaders.

1 Peter 5:1-5