Waves Church

In John 6, Jesus calls himself the bread of life. What did he mean, and why does it matter for us today? This sermon helps us wrestle with what we turn to instead of the bread of life and to see that Jesus invites us to come to him for the answer to the hunger pangs of our soul.

Speaker: Taylor Walling

A sermon from Waves Church on Pepperdine University's campus in Malibu, CA.

Jesus instituted a meal for Christians to remember him by. Some call it Communion, the Lord's Supper, or the Eucharist. When Christians take this meal, what does it mean? What are Christians declaring to Jesus and one another when they take the bread and the cup? In this sermon, guest speaker Tim Spivey helps us uncover powerful declarations in this simple meal.

Speaker: Tim Spivey

A sermon from Waves Church on Pepperdine University's campus in Malibu, CA.

When God gave us life, He entrusted us with a miraculous investment. And one day we will have to answer for what we chose to do with the life, the energy, and the resources God has given us. That's at the heart of the parable of the talents. It's a story that reveals how our view of God will impact what we do with the talents we receive. This message from Matthew 25 concludes the Parables series.

About the Parables series: Jesus is the most famous teacher in world history. And his trademark teaching style was through parables - short stories and word pictures. He’d lead into one saying, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like…” This was His way of using everyday experiences to unveil eternal realities - fields and sheep and vineyards helped reveal ‘things hidden since the creation of the world.’ So if we want see God’s Kingdom the way Jesus did, we need to listen close when Jesus says, “It’s like this…”

Speaker: Taylor Walling

A sermon from Waves Church on Pepperdine University's campus in Malibu, CA.

Do right and wrong really exist, or is it all just a matter of perspective? How should Christians think about and interact with people who don't live their lives for God? Is God going to do something about the evil in this world? Jesus tells a parable and gives an explanation to his disciples in Matthew 13 that help us address these questions - and his words help us see the heart of a patient, compassionate God.

About the Parables series: Jesus is the most famous teacher in world history. And his trademark teaching style was through parables - short stories and word pictures. He’d lead into one saying, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like…” This was His way of using everyday experiences to unveil eternal realities - fields and sheep and vineyards helped reveal ‘things hidden since the creation of the world.’ So if we want see God’s Kingdom the way Jesus did, we need to listen close when Jesus says, “It’s like this…”

Speaker: Jeff Walling

A sermon from Waves Church on Pepperdine University's campus in Malibu, CA.

Jesus gave the two greatest commandments: love God and love your neighbor. And for one lawyer who heard Jesus speaking, that begged a question: "Who is my neighbor?" In this sermon guest speaker Chris Collins helps us to wrestle and reckon with the parable Jesus told to answer the lawyer's question.

About the Parables series: Jesus is the most famous teacher in world history. And his trademark teaching style was through parables - short stories and word pictures. He’d lead into one saying, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like…” This was His way of using everyday experiences to unveil eternal realities - fields and sheep and vineyards helped reveal ‘things hidden since the creation of the world.’ So if we want see God’s Kingdom the way Jesus did, we need to listen close when Jesus says, “It’s like this…”

Speaker: Chris Collins

A sermon from Waves Church on Pepperdine University's campus in Malibu, CA.

"There was a man who had two sons..." So begins what is arguably the most famous parable Jesus ever told. Charles Dickens called it the finest short story ever written. Jesus tells a story that hits every person in his audience - from the spiritually bankrupt to the spiritually proud. And more than anything else, Jesus reveals to us a Father who will do whatever it takes to get his family back.

About the Parables series: Jesus is the most famous teacher in world history. And his trademark teaching style was through parables - short stories and word pictures. He’d lead into one saying, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like…” This was His way of using everyday experiences to unveil eternal realities - fields and sheep and vineyards helped reveal ‘things hidden since the creation of the world.’ So if we want see God’s Kingdom the way Jesus did, we need to listen close when Jesus says, “It’s like this…”

Speaker: Taylor Walling

A sermon from Waves Church on Pepperdine University's campus in Malibu, CA.

Jesus tells a lot of parables that are pretty easy to understand - but that isn't the case in Luke 16. In this plot twist of a parable, Jesus tells about a bad manager who becomes a good example. This sermon wrestles with one of Jesus' most difficult stories and encourages us to become faithful stewards of what God has entrusted to us.

About the Parables series: Jesus is the most famous teacher in world history. And his trademark teaching style was through parables - short stories and word pictures. He’d lead into one saying, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like…” This was His way of using everyday experiences to unveil eternal realities - fields and sheep and vineyards helped reveal ‘things hidden since the creation of the world.’ So if we want see God’s Kingdom the way Jesus did, we need to listen close when Jesus says, “It’s like this…”

Speaker: Taylor Walling

A sermon from Waves Church on Pepperdine University's campus in Malibu, CA.

In a heated exchange between Jesus and some of Jerusalem's religious leaders, Jesus tells a parable to make a simple, devastating point. Obedience isn't about what you say you're going to do - it's about what you actually do. And as Bob Goff once put it, "God was a lot more concerned with the people who faked it than with the people who blew it." This story from Jesus invites us to humble repentance and active obedience. And we may just find that we're brushing up against God's Kingdom in the process.

About the Parables series: Jesus is the most famous teacher in world history. And his trademark teaching style was through parables - short stories and word pictures. He’d lead into one saying, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like…” This was His way of using everyday experiences to unveil eternal realities - fields and sheep and vineyards helped reveal ‘things hidden since the creation of the world.’ So if we want see God’s Kingdom the way Jesus did, we need to listen close when Jesus says, “It’s like this…”

Speaker: Taylor Walling

A sermon from Waves Church on Pepperdine University's campus in Malibu, CA.

Jesus says the Kingdom is like a treasure hidden in a field, like the rarest of jewels. To discover one creates incredible joy. These are items that must be sought, and the Kingdom is more valuable than any treasure, worth pursuing with your whole life, worth sacrificing everything to get. Nothing is worth keeping if it keeps us from Jesus. 

About the Parables series: Jesus is the most famous teacher in world history. And his trademark teaching style was through parables - short stories and word pictures. He’d lead into one saying, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like…” This was His way of using everyday experiences to unveil eternal realities - fields and sheep and vineyards helped reveal ‘things hidden since the creation of the world.’ So if we want see God’s Kingdom the way Jesus did, we need to listen close when Jesus says, “It’s like this…”

Speaker: Taylor Walling

A sermon from Waves Church on Pepperdine University's campus in Malibu, CA. 

When a huge crowd stood before Jesus, he painted a picture of seed falling on four types of soil. Later to his disciples, Jesus reveals that this simple story is an insight into the human heart. And in God's kingdom, any heart has the potential to be transformed by the message of the gospel.

About the Parables series: Jesus is the most famous teacher in world history. And his trademark teaching style was through parables - short stories and word pictures. He’d lead into one saying, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like…” This was His way of using everyday experiences to unveil eternal realities - fields and sheep and vineyards helped reveal ‘things hidden since the creation of the world.’ So if we want see God’s Kingdom the way Jesus did, we need to listen close when Jesus says, “It’s like this…”

Speaker: Taylor Walling

A sermon from Waves Church on Pepperdine University's campus in Malibu, CA.