Fbc Eugene

A vivid memory, growing up in rural Montana, was a time when my Dad was unfairly treated. It really troubled me, but with a slight smile he said, “It’s okay, Ben. My day is coming.” And sure enough, Dad was vindicated. Those who wrongly treated him were exposed. In a far more profound way, Jesus was vindicated, after being mistreated and murdered. The good news is, those who know him and are treated like him, will be vindicated as well. Peter reminds us that our day is coming in 1 Peter 3:18-22, one of the most fascinating passages in all the Bible.

Life is hard. Hurt can run deep, especially when it’s intentionally inflicted by another person. Suffering plays a central role in the life of a Christian. It’s essential to our spiritual development as followers of Jesus and can be the source of great blessing for us and others. In our text in this sermon, Peter shares several insights that reveal how we can have a blessed life, no matter how much it may hurt. Read 1 Peter 3:13-18 to prepare.

Pew Research surveyed 10,000 American adults over a 20-year period (1997-2017) and found that the polarization of our society in 2017 was at a 20-year high. The division is even greater today. Jesus called his people to be peacemakers—to stand in the gap of conflict. Today, Christians have an unprecedented opportunity to bless one another and their host communities (as spiritual aliens and exiles) with a clear and compelling picture of what Jesus' love looks like, in the midst of intense conflict. Please read 1 Peter 3:8-12 to prepare for this sermon.

Listen in on this sermon as Josh Bidwell gives a message about being a Faith Filled Follower to reset our minds and our hearts - less on the details of our lives, and more on the Savior OF our souls!

It’s not surprising that the most primal human relationship in God’s creation—the loving, life-long, one-flesh union of one man and one woman in the sacred bond of marriage—is the source of such dehumanizing pain. The world, our flesh, and the devil have so badly misconstrued the majesty of marriage, we cannot read Peter’s instruction about godly submission in marriage without it raising our hackles. Ironically, this sermon was preached on Valentine’s Day, and, once again, we will see what Peter does and does NOT teach about Christ-like submission in a broken world. Please read 1 Peter 2:21-3:7 to prepare

Peter’s next point on Christian submission to authority is especially difficult, not because of what he says, but because of what he doesn’t say. If we are honest, we would have to admit that a passages like 1 Peter 2:18-20 is confusing, if not embarrassing. We believe the Bible is God’s word, so why doesn’t Peter emphatically denounce slavery as an insidious evil? Good question. In pre-civil war days, pastors in the south preached from passages like this to justify the enslavement of Africans—a very dark and heinous time in American history. In this sermon, we will answer this troubling question and see what Peter is and is NOT saying in this passage.

There are parts of the Bible a preacher would just as soon skip. This next section in 1 Peter (2:13-3:7) qualifies. He starts with submission to political leaders, even the ungodly ones, then slaves submitting to their masters, even the harsh ones, and finally wives submitting to their husbands, even the disobedient ones. All kinds of hot buttons, here! As a 22-year-old pastor in my first church, I will never forget the elderly lady who walked up to me after a service. I could tell she wasn’t happy. She said, “Young man, I enjoyed your message, until you got to meddlin’. Peter begins meddlin’ with us in his letter. In this sermon, we will focus on submitting to governmental authorities in 2:13-17. Oh boy…

Those who know and follow Jesus, are an enigma to those who don’t. We are God’s children with his very life in us. We are God’s holy priests capable of offering up spiritual sacrifices pleasing to him. Yet, we are still at war with sinful desires within us and capable of committing great evil. At best, we are a mixed bag. What is more, even at our best, we will be repudiated by the world which is unable to make sense of us spiritually. Yet, some who initially repudiate us may be drawn through our good deeds to faith in Christ. But this conflicting response to us is not surprising, because Jesus himself was an enigma. In this Sermon, while reading in 1 Peter 2:11-12 and 20b-25, we will learn a central truth about following Christ’s example that helps us respond well to hostile authorities, a difficult marriage, and society in general over the next two chapters. Please meditate on these two passages in preparation for the message.

From the beginning, God wanted all of humanity to be holy priests serving him on earth. Adam and Eve were commissioned to care for and keep the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:15), terms used later of the holy work of priests at the temple. After humanity fell in sin, God chose Israel to be a nation of priests (Exodus 19:5-6), but they refused. So, the sacred privilege was bestowed on a single tribe within Israel—Levi. Through Jesus Christ, God’s original plan for the priesthood of all believers is being realized in the Church (1 Peter 2:9). In this sermon, we will explore the honor and privileges we bear as holy priests in God’s kingdom and how the local church should be the most safe, healthy, and personally esteeming community on earth. To prepare, please read 1 Peter 2:1-10.

One of the most well-researched human motives is our need to belong. God hard-wired us to form and maintain positive, stable interpersonal relationships. When a sense of belonging is threatened, it can lead to destructive emotions, such as anxiety, depression, and jealousy, which only further isolate a person from others. As God’s elect exiles in a world to which we no longer belong, we are not exempt from being enslaved by these destructive emotions that erode our individual lives as well as the unity and fellowship of a church family. In his first epistle, the apostle Peter reveals how we can enjoy a deep sense of belonging even as resident aliens in a society where we are marginalized and viewed with contempt. As God’s redeemed people, we have implanted within us a capacity to grow in a love that enables us to not only survive but to thrive as spiritual exiles. Please prepare by reading 1 Peter 1:17-2:3.

Have you ever stopped to think about how many words we hear, read and share during any given day? And how each day there seems to be more words swirling around us than the day before? With smartphones, media and constant connectivity, our daily lives are filled with more and more information; however, increased information doesn't always mean increased wisdom. The complexity of figuring out what and who to listen to can be confusing. The challenge of living out the words we believe in, can make the world we live in feel overwhelming. God knows life can be complex and confusing so He gives a solution, a way to simplify the complexity through His words. As we reset in this new year, let's reset our focus on God's words as we return to the book of 1 Peter. Peter reminds us that the words we live in determine the life and love we live out. So let's choose our words wisely. You can read 1 Peter 1:17-25 as we get ready for this sermon.

Merry Christmas! We hope with your friends and family you were able to form new holiday memories, even with the changes and health precautions of 2020. In this sermon we’re looking at journeys and the faith of sojourners. Journeys were a central part of the Christmas story. Before Jesus was born, his parents journeyed 90 miles or 150 kilometers from Nazareth to Bethlehem. And when Jesus turned one, his parents fled Bethlehem to the country of Egypt where they waited until it was safe, and then journeyed back to Galilee in Nazareth where Jesus grew up. Every year is really a journey by faith, with things to remember, things to forget, and things to anticipate in the year to come. So as we journey from 2020 to 2021, we’re going to look at Abraham’s journey of faith, how he found identity and perspective in God’s promises. Read Hebrews 11:1-16 as we get ready for this sermon!

Thus far, in our Advent series, we have learned that, because of Christmas (God becoming one of us forever in Christ), we gain a shared identity with Jesus, which qualifies us to participate in a shared mission with Jesus. All of this, then, leads to a third shocking truth: We enjoy a shared glory with Jesus! One of the ways God reveals his glory in this world and to the spirit realm is by giving his people glory so that we can glorify him. In this sermon, we will conclude our series by exploring how Christmas is our hope of glory, both now and forever. Read Luke 2:1-20, Psalm 8, Hebrews 2:5-18, John 12:20-43, and John 17:18-24 to prepare. Yes, they all tie together!

In the last sermon, we began this year’s Advent series by exploring what it means that eternal God became one of us in the person of Jesus Christ. Because of Christmas, we enjoy a shared-identity with our Creator and Savior. In Jesus Christ, we have become sons and daughters of the living God. What this means for our present lives and future glory is nothing short of bewildering. Our shared identity with Jesus is only the beginning. As his followers, we also enjoy a shared-mission with him. Once we come to Jesus, we are called to go with Jesus. In this sermon, which was woven within our special Christmas Celebration services, we will consider our great privilege to partner with Jesus in being the light of the world.

In this sermon, and for the two sermon's following, we will step away from our study of 1 Peter to focus on Christmas. I enjoy Silver Bells, Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire, and White Christmas as much as anyone, but to immerse ourselves in the true wonder of Christmas, we must immerse ourselves in the wonder that eternal God has, forever, become one of us. Without question, the Incarnation of God, in the person of Jesus Christ, is the most magnificent, peace-infusing miracle ever. In this sermon, we will explore the true wonder of Christmas and what it means for our lives now and our glory forever. We will also share Communion together, so please have the elements ready. Read John 1:1-18 to prepare.

What motivates you to live the Christian life? To avoid guilt or shame? A creature of habit? To honor tradition? To keep your wife or mother happy? (I know; that’s sexist, but I’m going with the odds, here.) God understands that living as spiritual exiles in this world is a tough assignment. So, he makes a point of emphasizing what should motivate us to stay the course and follow Jesus. In fact, in the Bible, God never commands us with the “what” of obedience without, first, giving us the “why” of obedience, and in a single phrase, the why is his grace in the Gospel—both his past grace and future grace. In this sermon, we will see the power of God’s past grace in wooing and winning our hearts to love him above all else. We will begin with one of the great love stories of all time—the troubled marriage of the prophet Hosea. Hosea’s story illustrates and serves as a touching backdrop to the words of gospel grace in 1 Peter 1:17-21. In addition to these verses, read Hosea 1:1-3:3 to prepare.

A few years ago, U.S. News and World Report published an article titled with an intriguing question: "Why are people religious?" Their conclusion? "People need superhuman instruments to cope with human tragedy such as cancer, earthquakes, auto accidents and terrorism." Sigmund Freud, the father of modern psychiatry, surmised that people invent religion, or God, out of a fear of nature. This may be true for religion in general, but it’s absurd to say such a thing about the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. There is a quality about our God that no person in his or right mind, in an attempt to escape fear, would ever invent him. That one quality of God makes Freud’s theory and the conclusion of that magazine article crumble into dust. This sermon, we will look at this all-important dimension of God’s glory and how it shapes every aspect of our lives as his children. Read 1 Peter 1:13-21. to prepare.

Hopelessness has a deadly effect on the human soul. Without some kind of future goal, we wither and die. This is what makes the Gospel of Christ the best news imaginable. Our hope in Christ is not based on wishful thinking or naïve optimism. Gospel hope is anchored in the historical reality of Jesus’ physical resurrection from the dead. It is the confident assurance, expectation, and conviction of God’s ultimate triumph through his Son and our Savior. This is what 1 Peter is all about—restoring hope to discouraged Christians. In our passage this sermon, Peter teaches us what is required to live each day in light of our hope—our eternal reward and deliverance from exile. To prepare, please meditate on 1 Peter 1:13-21

This Fall, we are in 1 Peter. We are learning that the order of our salvation, from eternity past to eternity future, is the reason we can know joy beyond human expression in even the hardest of times. The Father’s sovereign plan and care for us supersedes anything we may encounter in life. When we suffer in this world, our heavenly Father uses it to refine our faith and prepare us for glory in the world to come. In following the pattern of our Master, the cross precedes the crown. This message, we will see how our confidence in the order of our salvation, so critical to handling hardships with joy, is inseparably connected to our confidence in the written word of God. The Bible reveals the order of our salvation. If the Bible is not trustworthy, then neither is our salvation. Come and learn why we can have full confidence in the divine inspiration of Scripture, that it is not the clever invention of man, but God-breathed truth revealed in human language. Please read 1 Peter 1:10-12 for this sermon

No one is exempt from hurts and hardships in life, The apostle Peter reminds us that this is especially true for God's people. Followers of Jesus can feel life's pain more deeply than others do, and there's good reason for this. Peter also reminds us that, although we may be sadder, we are, at the same time, happier. And there's, definitely, good reason for that! This Sermon, we will learn that hard trials and deep joy are inextricably joined together in the Christian walk. We will also learn how, in even the most painful of times, how to experience a joy that surpasses human description. Please read 1 Peter 1:1-9 as you prepare for this message