Sermon Snippets with Max Taylor

065. Our Living Hope | Studies in 1 Peter Part 8: The Call to Hope and Holiness

1 Peter 1:13-17
 
The gospel is such an unsearchable gem, and as we look at it we are faced with the challenge to not forget the splendor of the gospel, not let it slip, and not neglect to share it. Today we are moving on to the two-part call of the gospel that has to do with soberness. We are called first to hope and second to be holy as God is holy. What a privilege to be called a child of God! May the richness of the gospel inspire us to live hope-filled and holy lives for the praise of His dear Son.

064. Our Living Hope | Studies in 1 Peter Part 7: Our Sought-after Treasure

1 Peter 1:10-13
 
“But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us” (2 Corinthians 4:7). God has given us a magnificent treasure called salvation, and that is what we are being reminded of today. The plan of God is something that has been wondered about for thousands of years, especially before history was made on the cross. And now we are the possessors of this highly sought after gem, and the question is what are we doing with it? Are we squandering it or sharing it?

063. Beauty, Bands, and the Better Shepherd

Zechariah 11:4-17
 
I hope this brief study from one of my favorite minor prophets encourages you to pursue Christ. He is exponentially better than anything else this world has to offer us.

062. Our Living Hope | Studies in 1 Peter Part 6: Resilience that Exceeds Words

1 Peter 1:6-9
 
“The Christian's joy is bound up with love to Jesus: its ground is faith; it is not therefore neither self-seeking or self-sufficient" [STEIGER]. Our salvation carries us through our suffering. So often how we come to know what is real is by going through these times of heaviness and hardship. That is when our faith is refined, being much more precious than gold that perishes. Our security must be found in Christ and not in our relationships, career, accomplishments, possessions, or anything else. None of that is lasting. We must rather look to things above and fix our gaze on our steadfast hope in God.

061. Our Living Hope | Studies in 1 Peter Part 5: Assurance of Salvation Retake

1 Peter 1:5-7
 
As I have thought about last episode, I have come to change my definition of assurance of salvation, and I want to clarify how I think assurance is defined throughout Scripture. I hope this episode gives us a better understanding of assurance before we continue looking at our position in Christ. My hope is that this also challenges you to think deeply about these things. There is nothing more worthy of our meditation than the topic of salvation.

060. Our Living Hope | Studies in 1 Peter Part 4: Assurance of Salvation

1 Peter 1:5-7
 
Caveat: some of my opinions and thoughts expressed in this episode change in the next episode.
 
There is an important difference between eternal security and assurance of salvation. Our eternal security is objective and rooted in God’s unchanging promises, but assurance of Salvation is subjective, depending on our feelings, and prone to change just as our emotions change. Even when we do not feel like it, God is keeping us, and He is ready to reveal us in glory for eternity. So even when we go through times of heaviness and intense trials, God is still in control and He is refining our faith in Him. That is how we can have joy. The key is to continue to have faith in God that He will keep us through the trial and into eternity. That ultimately is our hope.

059. Our Living Hope | Studies in 1 Peter Part 3: Thank You, Jesus!

1 Peter 1:1-5
 
Peter starts out this magnificent book with a celebration of salvation from God “for you” (vs 4). This opening section is almost like a personal thank you note to the Lord for the abundant mercy whereby He has begotten us again. This is what our hope lies in, it is what our inheritance lies in, this is our salvation!

058. Our Living Hope | Studies in 1 Peter Part 2: The Book of Peter

Introduction
 
We will cover a few more introductory facts before jumping into the first passage of this book next week. You won’t want to miss this background material to this fascinating general epistle! The three main goals of the author are (1) to inspire hope in the people of God, (2) to impart spiritual wisdom to God’s people, and (3) to instruct us in our daily lives. Starting into 1 Peter proper next week! Thanks for listening!