Solid Rock Church Sermons

In this sermon, we looked at the heart-attitude and role of leadership in the local church. In 1 Peter 5:1-5, Peter calls the elders of the church to have a specific heart-attitude, that reflects the heart of Jesus, toward their role as church leaders. Peter reminds these leaders that their influence over the church doesn’t come from force or power, but from their own submission to Jesus as the ultimate Shepherd of His people. The church is then called to place themselves under the care of elders, as the elders lead from a place of humility. This is a beautiful picture of God’s design to work through imperfect people to make His presence known and to provide safety and care for His people in the church.

In this sermon, we looked at how Jesus’ closest followers kept their distance as He went to the cross. As Jesus died on the cross and cried out, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit,” we see just how much Jesus trusted His Father. In contrast, Luke 24 tells us that all of Jesus’ acquaintances, and the women who had followed Him from Galilee, stood at a distance watching while He was interrogated, tortured, and crucified. They wanted to see what was happening to Him without putting themselves in danger. They wanted to be close enough to see if what Jesus had told them was right but not so close that they would be let down, disappointed, or humiliated for believing that He was the Son of God. Unlike Jesus, they didn’t ultimately trust God with their lives. The same can be true for us today. We want to be close enough to see what Jesus is up to without giving Him the space to be up to something in our lives. We want to know enough about Jesus to make us feel safe, without risking anything to follow Him. Therefore, many of us follow Jesus at a distance. The truth of the Gospel is that the safest place we could be is in a trusting relationship with Jesus.

In this sermon from Luke 19, we looked at how Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a young donkey, fulfilling ancient prophesy and signaling to the Jews that their King had arrived to set them free. However, as soon as Jesus arrived, His intentions were misunderstood. The Jews thought Jesus was there to lead a revolt and set them free from the Romans and they were excited that God finally sent the King to bring political and religious freedom. Meanwhile, the Jewish leaders, the Pharisees, thought Jesus was nothing more than a rebellious leader who would arouse the anger of the Roman government and they wanted Him silenced at any cost in order to protect themselves from a punitive response. Despite these misunderstandings, it’s clear in Luke 19:37-48 that Jesus didn’t arrive in Jerusalem to fulfill the desires of man; He was there to fulfill the prophetic desires of His Father. Jesus went to Jerusalem as the King of Kings, to tear down the old religious system (the Old Covenant) and establish a new way of having relationship with God (the New Covenant). No longer would God’s people need a priest to go into the temple and offer sacrifices. No longer would God’s presence be shielded from His people by a thick curtain. With His death, Jesus became the last sacrifice of the Old Covenant and, when He rose again on the third day, He inaugurated a New Covenant in which God would make His dwelling place with man again. Palm Sunday reminds us of Jesus’ willingness to suffer and die to give us access to a relationship with God.

In this sermon from 1 Peter 4:12-19, we began by looking at God's declaration that those who are in Christ are His "beloved." Peter reminds us that God's love for us doesn't change just because we encounter suffering and hardship. This is important because Peter's encouragement to suffering Christians is to not be surprised or caught off-guard in suffering. Instead, Peter encourages us to rejoice in our suffering, knowing we are experiencing fellowship with Jesus. Peter ends this section on suffering by encouraging Christians to entrust themselves to the faithful Creator. Like these early suffering Christians, we can entrust our souls to the faithful Creator, knowing we are His beloved and He is trustworthy, even in the pain of suffering.

In this sermon, we looked at Peter's call for us to follow the example of Jesus by living righteously in the midst of persecution. As believers, we are able to reject sin and suffer for righteousness because we have freedom in Jesus and our former life doesn't define us. This shift in the way we live may surprise people but Peter reminds us that we will all give account to God for our actions. What God calls us to is not like our former life; instead of living recklessly, we are called to be self-controlled, to love one another, and to use our gifts for the benefit of those around us. In all of this, our goal is "that in everything God may be glorified through Christ Jesus."

In this sermon, we looked at 1 Peter 3:8-22 where Peter sums up the instructions he has given to the believers exiled in Asia Minor. Peter tells them to have unity of mind in the things of Christ and other virtues that will help them support each other in the suffering they are experiencing in an unbelieving society. He instructs them not to repay evil to those who speak evil of them or insult them but to bless because they are blessed. Peter encourages these Christians by reminding them that God sees their suffering and hears their prayers. He also reminds them that it’s better to suffer for good than evil because Christ also suffered in order to make us alive in Christ. As we are united with Christ in suffering, we are reminded of the hope and life we have in Him.

In this sermon, we looked at the calling for Christians to honor one another in marriage, even in times of suffering and persecution. In 1 Peter 3:1-7, Peter writes to a group of Christians who have been exiled yet calls them to continue working toward a God-honoring marriage. Similar to Paul’s marriage instructions in Ephesians 5, Peter calls wives to submit to their husbands and for husbands to provide care for their wives. In addition to these instructions, Peter calls wives to see their beauty in their inner character rather than their outward appearance. He also calls husbands to live with their wives in an understanding way by paying attention to their needs and protecting them so that their prayer life isn’t hindered. All of this reminds us that, even in the midst of our own suffering or persecution, the love of Jesus compels us to live our lives aimed at glorifying God.

In this sermon, we looked at how 1 Peter 2:13-25 challenges the way we treat those who disagree with us or mistreat us. Peter writes to Christians who are being persecuted by the oppressive Roman government. After reminding them of their identity in Christ, Peter now calls them to submit to this pagan authority and to do good. While believers' citizenship is in heaven, we don’t have license to rebel and disobey our local government; Peter reminds us that human governments are put in place by God to restrain evil and reward good. According to Peter, Christians have been called to do good by honoring everyone, loving our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, fearing God, and honoring the governing authority of the land. As we applied this message to our lives, we discussed the importance of discerning between our personal convictions and clear Biblical convictions. As Christians, we are called to submit to the mandates and laws of our governing authorities, even when we disagree or are mistreated, until or unless we are forced into an action, or prohibited from an action, that violates clear and explicit Biblical conviction. In this, we honor God by trusting Him as the One who is sovereign over all earthly authorities.

In this sermon, we looked in 1 Peter 2:1-12 at Peter's calling for believers to put off their old identity, which is rooted in the flesh, in order to live according to their new identity, which is rooted in the Word of God. Peter tells these exiled believers that their suffering is a reflection of the suffering of Christ because He, too, was rejected by men, but chosen and precious to God. He reminds them that despite experiencing rejection by men, they have been born again into a new identity in Christ: a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, and a people for God's own possession. Peter describes believers as God's beloved sojourners and calls us to pursue a life of good deeds, rooted in our new identity in Christ, and aimed at the glory of God.

In this sermon, we looked at 1 Peter 1:13-25 to see Peter's first commands for the Christians who were suffering persecution in Asia Minor. Building from the opening doxology in verses 3-9, Peter roots his instructions for the Church in what is already true about them: They have been born again into a living hope and an inheritance that is untouched by death, unstained by evil, and unimpaired by time. With this foundational truth in place, Peter first commands these believers to set their hope completely on the grace of Jesus. With their hope set on the grace of Jesus, Peter commands them to live in holiness and reverence to God, seeing Him as a loving Father who can be trusted, even in His judgement. Peter then commands these believers to love one another earnestly, with a pure heart, out of the secure and reverent relationship they have with God. In the same way today, we can be assured of this inheritance we have in Jesus as we set our hope on Him, live in holiness and reverence to God, and love one another earnestly out of the love He has given to us.