Living Stones Church, Red Deer, Alberta

1 Peter 4:7-11 Do you believe that we are living in the End times? Whenever I ask that question to Christians, most of them state unequivocally, absolutely. What they mean is that this world is coming to an end as we know it. A new world order is about to come upon us from beyond this earthly planet—a cosmic invasion. God returning to complete the work of redemption, which will now include our ver...

1 Peter 4:1-6

1 Peter 3:13-22  

1 Peter 3:8-12 If there is one critical element in learning to enjoy life, it can get along with people. Yet, we discover sooner or later that there are no problems quite like people problems. So, if we are going to enjoy healthier and more enjoyable lives, we need to learn how to live in harmony with others. In our text from 1 Peter, we’ll discover how to achieve harmony, restore broken relations...

1 Peter 3:1-7 We are living in a day in which people don’t know how to work out their differences. This is especially true in their most meaningful relationships. We will be learning from 1 Peter how to operate within the context of their culture and apply those truths to ours in dealing with seemly impossible situations we are faced with in our marriage, family and close interpersonal relationshi...

1 Peter 2:18-25 Scaling Mount Everest is a major accomplishment, and it takes much preparation and the need for experienced guides to take you through to the top. It is a perilous and difficult enterprise. The Bible explains that Jesus is our guide as a believer over the mountain called life, particularly that place on the ascent where we encounter injustice. Jesus leads us on the same path that h...

1 Peter 2:11-17, 1 & 2 Peter Series Spiritual speaking, we swim with the sharks every day as believers. We are living in an environment that is foreign and dangerous to living a victorious Christian life. In the first century, Christians were accused of all kinds of terrible things. People who march to a different drumbeat than the rest of the culture will be held in suspicion, which was certa...

1 Peter 2:4-10 What does it mean to live like a ‘Rock Star.’ Popular culture means idolizing fans, fame, fortune and many other things in life that may not be appropriate. Yet, God has his ‘Rock Stars.’ He calls them ‘living stones,’ as they are a part of the place where He lives. The holiest place in ancient Israel was the temple. It was the place where God lived. Yet, something powerful happened...

Let’s be honest. Any time you spend a lot of time with someone, challenges will arise. The key is to remember that we belong to a community of people as believers, and we are responsible to that community of people. We are expected to share our gifts and talents with each other. We are expected to love, be generous, encourage, live in unity, and be humble. Why? Because that’s how the world will kn...

1 Peter 1:22-25 Leonardo Da Vinci said: “that a life without love is no life at all.” Often in trials, feelings of abandonment can overwhelm a person. Believers are tempted to gradually turn away from God and allow their minds to be closed toward Him, possibly blaming God for not caring. Isaiah was called by God to speak words of comfort to the people of God, who found themselves in exile. They ne...

1 Peter 1:13-25 In the apostle Peter’s first letter, he instructs us on what we ought to be and do because of our relationship with God. Out of this message of love called grace, Peter challenges us to live a holy life. But what does it mean to be holy? Or maybe an even more important question needs to be answered, “how can I be holy when I’m living in an unholy world? We need to consider some thi...

1 Peter 1:1-12 Simon Peter understood the grace of God because of how powerfully he himself had experienced it. Peter could easily recall his bravado, the night in which Jesus was betrayed and his own denial and absolute failure. Years later, Peter is far wiser and humbler can encourage and strengthen those walking in life’s most challenging moments. How do we handle the challenges and consequence...

Proverbs 31:10-31 As we look after the book of Proverbs, four general qualities emerge, describing the nature of wisdom as the godly woman. The literary genre here is a heroic poem and what is characteristic of ancient heroic poems is that it is poetry in action. The Hebrew word for wisdom is in the feminine tense, and therefore throughout the book, we understand that wisdom is a woman, and the ch...

Daniel 10 Occasionally, the Scriptures pull back the curtain for us to gain some insight into that invisible world and its impact on our lives. Daniel 10 brings us behind the scenes to understand the spiritual entities that are at war with God’s purposes for our world. What we discover is a great spiritual battle occurring in the heavenly realms. Most people may feel like they are pawns in the gre...

Luke 24:1-49 Historically, after times of incredible evil, people often go back to life as if nothing ever happened. I’m sure for many Jewish people living during, and after Christ's resurrection, life continued with little or no change. In other words, these events were quickly dismissed, and nothing was learned from them. If we were to travel back to the crucifixion event, it was a defining mome...

Luke 19:35-55 What makes God weep? When peace is offered and is rejected! What can we then expect? What happens when humanity conspires against God? In light of an ever-changing world where human freedoms are being diminished, where is our only hope for true freedom?

Proverbs 31:1-9 We live in a day where many believe that how one lives is not considered critical in their ability to be an effective leader. However, that has not always been the thinking in the past, and certainly not in the thinking of the wisdom literature. A person’s moral life has a huge impact on how they will govern others. It was Harry Ironside that related: “Harry Ironside rightly points...

Romans 13:1-7 The great value of the past is that we can learn from it. One of the reasons that the bible is so valuable is that we are learning how God has related to humanity over the course of thousands of years. Though the context of life may appear different, God has not changed, and the reality is that as human beings, we are still struggling with the same issues. We are living in a day wher...

Proverbs 30 It was C. S. Lewis who wrote: “Evil comes from the abuse of free will.” There is a moral order and when we violate that order by our human rebellion, it creates chaos, confusion and calamity. With so much perversity and evil in our world and found even within our own souls, how can we move forward? Where is the right path to restoration and order? What truly ought to be the proper appr...

Isaiah 40:1-31 Have you ever considered what it was like to be cooped up in the ark for a year, after 40 days of rain? Can you imagine the work of feeding the animals and yes, and cleaning their stalls? Or what it was like to be stuck in slavery in Egypt with a promise of a deliverer and a return to Canaan land, but a generation passes with no one showing up? Or consider the 40 years of wandering...

Proverbs 29 One of the core issues that not only affect each of us individually but also affects how we live together as families and within communities is the issue of personal self-control, as well as the need to utilize discipline in instructing those we are responsible for. Those who refuse to listen to correction will ultimately be brought down. The wicked want to live unrestrained lives, but...

Proverbs 28 Some people say that people are willing to do things that they might not otherwise consider for a certain price. Some people in desperate times would do terrible things for very little. Here in Proverbs 28, we will examine three areas that reveal a distinct difference between the wise/righteous person and the foolish/wicked person.

Proverbs 27:23-27 Wisdom addresses every sphere of our lives, including the workplace. Who are the people who ultimately succeed in their work? People who diligently do their work and understand what is happening in the context of their work environment. Another critical element is the ability to manage or understand people. In the conclusion of Proverbs 27, we find a few verses that address how t...