Waves Church

On the first Easter morning, the idea that Jesus had risen from the dead seemed impossible. But after the disciples encountered their risen savior, what seemed impossible was the idea that death could ever hold Jesus in the grave. Easter means the defeat of death, and Jesus' victory has become our salvation. He is risen!   Speaker: Taylor Walling   A sermon preached at Waves Church, a church of Ch...

When Jesus entered the city of Jerusalem, he was entering a place with a clearly defined power structure. And part of his mission would turn that power structure completely upside down. Jesus is still the king who disrupts, who upends our expectations, and who invites us into his upside down kingdom. Speaker: Jeff Walling   A sermon preached at Waves Church, a church of Christ on Pepperdine Univer...

Sometimes God shows up to get our attention, because we've been focused on the wrong things. Israel was dabbling in idol worship when the prophet Elijah sets up a head-to-head between God and a pagan deity Baal. And God displays his power and presence for a purpose - to turn hearts back to Him. We see God active at the altar, and our response should be like the people of Israel - to say He is God....

When situations go from bad to worse, from disappointing to desperate we wonder if anyone is paying attention. Hagar experienced this first hand due to the mistakes and abuses of others. But at the moment she was ready to give up, God showed up. He revealed himself as the God who finds us when we're lost and sees us when we feel invisible. About the series When God Shows Up: There are moments when...

During a time of political uncertainty, the prophet Isaiah encountered God in a dramatic vision. And Isaiah walked away with a deeper understanding of God's sovereignty, God's holiness, and God's mercy. We need that same vision today. About the series When God Shows Up: There are moments when we meet God in a new way. After these moments, we trade a general theory of God for a specific memory of H...

"What does [your name] like?" How would someone who knows you well answer that question? Maybe they'd talk about your hobbies or career or favorite way to spend time. But what if they got asked this question: "What is [your name] like?" Those two questions sound similar, but their difference illustrates the wake we all leave behind. In this sermon from 3 John, we talk about the difference between...

Are we in control of our lives? When we unlock our phones to look at one thing and 45 minutes disappear through scrolling - who is in control? When we start eating one cookie and go through half the box - who is in control? When we get into a heated interaction with a friend and lose our cool - who is in control? Is it even possible to operate with self-control? And if so, how? This message from g...

In John 13, Jesus does something so unexpected, so shocking that it has been remembered for generations. Jesus washes their feet. It was common courtesy to have your feet washed before a meal, but this act of love and service from Jesus was anything but common. Jesus shows us what love looks like, and what it means to become great by being the servant of all. Speaker: Taylor Walling A sermon preac...

The world we live in is not neutral. We are always being formed by something or someone. The question is: what shape is our life being formed into? And are we aware of what is forming us? This message from Romans 12 invites us to look at our lives honestly and ask: am I being conformed or transformed?   Speaker: Taylor Walling   A sermon preached at Waves Church, a church of Christ on Pepperdine U...

We have the ability to cut people down or build people up with how we speak to them. Life-giving words become treasures stored up in the heart, but hurtful words can create lasting wounds. The writings in Scripture speak to this double-edged reality. The question this sermon asks is: how are we wielding our words? Are we speaking in ways that help or hurt our witness? Are we speaking in ways that...

Careless or cutting words can be wildly destructive - so much so that the Bible describes our words like sparks that can ignite a wildfire. And our words reveal a deeper reality. Jesus said that "the mouth speaks what the heart is full of." Our words might be the fruit, but according to Jesus our hearts are at the root. And that means we need God to transform our hearts.   About this series: The w...

"As goes the speech, so goes the life." That ancient saying holds true today - both in the pages of Scripture and in our lived experiences. This message is the first of a three week series called Speak Life on the power of our words, tracing the God-given ability to communicate all the way back to the moment humans were created. Ever since, people have had the ability to amplify the frequency of l...

Christians have the best news in the world - the gospel of Jesus Christ. So why are so many people of faith hesitant to share their faith? And what are ways that a Christian can speak to others about God? This message tackles these questions while looking at one of the strangest stories in all of the Bible in Mark 5. Speaker: Jeff Walling A sermon preached at Waves Church, a church of Christ on Pe...

We do not drift into Christlikeness. Positive, consistent change requires intentionality and dedication. So how can we give the best of our time, energy and attention to God in this new year? How can we live a life of dedication that honors God? This message provides practical ways to make positive change that lasts. Speaker: Tim Spivey A sermon from Waves Church, a local church on Pepperdine Univ...

The first invitation of the Christian faith is behold - not behave, believe or become. First people see God's love and then they are transformed by what they see. This message from Lead Minister Taylor Walling unpacks one Bible verse from 1st John 3, and there is a world of good news in this one verse.  Speaker: Taylor Walling A sermon from The Well on Pepperdine University's campus in Malibu, CA.

Writer Anne Lamott says there's only three basic prayers: Help, Thanks, and Wow. We started 2025 with a lot of Help prayers in the devastation of the Palisades Fires. The end of this year affords us the opportunity to offer God some Thanks and Wow prayers from Psalm 100. Speaker: Taylor Walling A sermon from Waves Church, a local church on Pepperdine University's campus in Malibu, CA. In Community...

When people think of Christmas, they usually picture a nativity scene. That's where the Christmas story happens, but not in John's Gospel. John 1 reminds us that the Christmas story doesn't start at the manger, but in the heavens. The story begins not in ancient Israel, but in eternity past. And in the opening words of John's gospel, we meet at God who has always lived in relationship, and who inv...

Main character energy is not a new phenomenon. People throughout history have gotten caught up in their ideas of how life should go. We want to live in a certain kind of story. But encounters with God draw us into a bigger story in which we're not the main character at all. That was the reality for Joseph, a husband-to-be trying to figure out what to do with the plot twist of Mary's pregnancy. And...

When the angel comes to a young girl in a backwater town, Mary's response does more than submit to God's will - she sings God's praise. Faith gives us the ability to sing, to worship God - something we were made for. Encounter the upside down means by which God works in this message from Luke 1. About this Series: Christmas is a reminder that no matter what our story looks like, God can write a ne...

Jesus had a family tree - just like you and me. His family tree wasn't full of perfect people - it was full of real people. Messy people. The Gospel of Matthew begins with a genealogy, tracing three sets of generations, two divine promises, four noteworthy women, all leading to one messiah. On one hand, it's a list of names. On the other, it's an invitation into the story of God. About this Series...

There is power in naming what is true (and what isn't). Jesus names what is true in Matthew 6 when he points out all the things people chase after - food, clothes, the worries of life. And Jesus names the truth that there is nothing more important to seek than the kingdom of God. Speaker: Billy Coull A sermon from Waves Church on Pepperdine University's campus in Malibu, CA.

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 W...

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....

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, com...