LWCC

God poses some challenging questions to Malachi regarding God's people and their allegiance to Him. How do these questions apply to us? Tom Harkaway tackles these questions with insight and scholarly research. This study leads us to some good questions of our own as we face a new year in our walk with the Lord.

This Sermon was Preached on Dec 29th @ Living Water Community Church by Tom Harkaway

Haven't you seen a movie in which you started watching what you thought was the main story only to realize later that there was a much larger story surrounding the one you started watching? That's what Christmas is like. In this message we'll see how the larger meaning of Christmas becomes more apparent as we notice how the birth of Jesus was a historic event, a global event and eventually how it becomes a personal event for all who are drawn into it.

This Sermon was Preached on Dec 8th 2019 at Living Water Community Church in Ypsilanti Michigan by Pastor Clark Cothern

Questions for Discussion:

1. What movie have you seen that hooked you with the story you started watching and then you began to see that there was a much larger story involved?

2. What's the most typical story you tend to see portrayed at Christmas time?

3. What are some historical events about the Christmas story that have been corroborated (validated because they support one another) as factual?

4. What is it about the Christmas story that makes it global in scope?

5. What is it about the Christmas story that makes it personal?

There's a danger in familiarity. There is a danger in the familiar stories of Christmas, that we will drift toward sentimentality rather than hearing and receiving truth that changes us. In this passage we'll see what the real meaning of Christmas means to us and we'll answer the question, "What will we do to become close to the One who became close to us?"  

Here are Simon Peter's closing thoughts, in a nutshell:

I. Humility a remedy for anxiety.

II. Resist the enemy by what you feed your mind.

III. Friends in Christ give you strength to stand.

It's all relational in nature. As we learn to submit ourselves to others, especially those in authority, and especially those who are mature in Christ, we learn to trust God more and become anxious less often. We resist the enemy by turning to God and His Word instead of turning to anything else that would keep us from feeling things we don't like. Friends who care for one another and pray for one another hep us do both of the first two things on Peter's list.

This Sermon was preached on November 24th 2019 at Living Water Community Church in Ypsilanti Michigan by Pastor Clark Cothern. 

1 Peter 5:5-14

Rock Solid Advice

Questions for Discussion

1. What, for you, triggers anxiety? (That may require some serious thought and perhaps some discussion with those who know you well.)

2. Simon Peter offers advice that might sound a little "out there" at first. He says we should become humble and submit ourselves to authority as part of getting rid of our anxiety. After hearing the pastor speak about this for a few minutes, do you get a sense for what Peter might have meant?

3. What are some ways we tend to avoid bad feelings, especially anxious thoughts and feelings? What things are good for us (and feed our souls and bodies) and what things are harmful to us (by keeping us from healthy habits)?

4. What are a few basic things we can do as an alternative to "escapism?"

5. How do friends help us in this pursuit?

6. What is necessary in a friendship for you to stay friends even through disagreements?

Peter talks about leaders as one shepherd to another. He provides the criteria for spiritual leadership in local expressions of the Body of Christ. You'll learn how the world's standards for leadership are miles apart from God's standards. It's a unique calling, this thing called Godly leadership, but the rewards are incredible. Scripture: 1 Peter 5:1-4

This Sermon was Preached on November 17th @ Living Water Community Church in Ypsilanti Michigan by Pastor Clark Cothern

Questions for Discussion

1. What are some differences between what the world looks for in a leader compared with what God looks for in leaders?

2. Why are the responsibilities of an Elder so weighty?

3. What are four aspects of the Shepherd's job description?

1)

2)

3)

4)

4. What attitudes should a Godly Elder possess? Why are they so important in leading a "flock?"

5. What are some of the rewards promised to leaders who continue to follow Jesus' example and serve willingly?

Have you ever been in a place so dark that you felt disoriented? I suspect we all have at one time or another. In this passage Peter helps us gain perspective in our dark seasons and shows us how they can become a positive test of faith. We'll also look at some of Jesus' words to his disciples as they were getting ready to head into a terribly dark time. Peter's advice and Jesus' words from John 16 provide some promises that give us a ray of light when we're experiencing darkness.  

This Sermon was preached on November 10th at Living Water Community Church by Pastor Clark Cothern

Questions for Discussion:

1. Have you ever been in a place so dark that you felt disoriented? 

2. Peter talks about dark times being opportunities for us to test our faith. In verse 12 he tells his readers not to be surprised that they find themselves in trying times. Why should we not be surprised that we find ourselves in dark places at times? 

3. How does knowing Jesus help us as we seek perspective when we’re in darkness? 

4. In John 16 Jesus makes two important promises (verses 12-15 and 16-24). What are those two promises? 

How does knowing the truth that the Holy Spirit reveal help us find peace when things aren’t peaceful? What truth is he talking about? 

5. Peter says that in darkness we can still find reasons to rejoice. What is at least one reason to rejoice? 

In verses 14-16 of 1 Peter 4 Peter talks about two different kinds of suffering. What are they? 

How do we cause ourselves to suffer? 

If we allow God’s judgment to come upon us as believers, how does that help us as we face darkness and earthly suffering? 

6. What about this passage allows us to commit ourselves to our faithful Creator to continue, “doing good,” even when we find ourselves suffering and in emotional darkness? 

It's tough to maintain a positive attitude when you are being mistreated, isn't it? In this passage Simon Peter encourages fellow believers who are experiencing mistreatment and he also challenges them to live with the same attitude that Christ had toward suffering. As the world becomes more and more hostile toward Christianity we can take heart from this message because it reminds us that we know the ultimate outcome. 

This Sermon was preached on November 3rd 2019 by Pastor Clark Cothern @ Living Water Community Church

1 Peter 4:1-11

Suffering, Serving, Sharing

Questions for Discussion

1. Is it easy for us to forget there are many Christians experiencing serious persecution? Why or why not? 

2. What attitude does Peter say we should have about suffering? 

3. What is different about believers in terms of their outward behavior? What are possible responses of friends who see the difference? 

4. Why would the awareness that “the end of all things is near” be an encouragement rather than a discouragement? 

5. What are some things Peter says we should do as we wait for the end to come? 

6. What is a definition of God’s glory? What is meant by the phrase, “the beauty of His holiness?” 

7. What are some things believers look forward to when the end finally comes? What are some things we won’t miss? 

How come bad things happen to good people? Is it fair that Christians get treated badly simply for doing what’s right and trying to help others? And what about that perplexing notion that Jesus "descended" to preach to prisoners after he died? These questions are answered in this section of Peter’s letter. 

This Sermon was preached at Living Water Community Church on October 27, 2019 by Pastor Clark Cothern in Ypsilanti Michigan. 

1 Peter 3:8-22

Suffering for Doing Good

Questions for discussion

1. According to Peter’s words in this letter, should believers in Christ expect to suffer even if they “do good?” 

2. What does Peter mean when he says that it is better to suffer for doing good than for doing evil? 

3. When Christians suffer for the sake of Christ and refuse to retaliate what do we hope may happen as outsiders witness that behavior? 

4. When people ask us about our differences how does Peter say we should respond? In what tone should we answer? 

5. The same gospel is true today as it was in Noah’s day. What is that gospel message? 

6. What are some of the rewards awaiting those who suffer for Christ’s sake here on earth? 

1 Peter 3:1-7

Be peculiar: Submit as Christ submitted

This passage can be easily misunderstood. To get at what Simon Peter says about submission in the home (including wives submitting to their husbands), Pastor Clark will eliminate several things that don't represent biblical submission. These reflect the world's view of submission. Then what we're left with is a balanced biblical view of submission that empowers women and challenges men.

This Sermon Was Preached on October 20, 2019 at Living Water Community Church by Pastor Clark Cothern

Last week we learned that it’s biblical to be peculiar. We’re different because we’re God’s special possession.  Simon Peter continues to encourage and admonish believers who need to be reminded of their status as joint-heirs with Christ.  In this passage, a continuation of his previous thoughts, he says that one way we can be peculiar (different from the world) is to submit to authority.

This Sermon was preached at Living Water Community Church on October 13th 2019 in Ypsilanti Michigan by Pastor Clark Cothern