Waves Church

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...

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 tea...

"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. Ab...

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...

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 repentan...

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 teac...

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 st...

"What are other people saying about me?" That's the first question Jesus asks his disciples. The second question he asks is far more personal: "Who do you say that I am?" On the second anniversary of Waves Church, this message offers us a reminder that our faith can't stand on anyone else's answers. Jesus isn't just interested in what you know others think. Jesus is asking each of us to make a con...

In the famous moment when God calls to Moses from a burning bush, there's something profound revealed. God shares his name with Moses, and in doing so God reveals part of His transcendent nature. In this sermon, we are invited to encounter a God who calls us by name and wants to have a personal encounter with us. Speaker: Taylor Walling A sermon from Waves Church on Pepperdine University's campus...

What if God's dreams for us are bigger than the dreams we have for ourselves? What if pursuing God's mission on earth isn't primarily through mass gatherings but through one on one connection? And what if God wants to lift our field of vision past our moment into history so we see further into His redemption plan?  Those are big questions. In this sermon, we take them head on to find a kingdom poi...

God wants us to know him and find life in Jesus. Nothing compares to that - not our heritage, not our hard work, and not our religious performance. In this sermon we dive into the radical stance taken by the earliest Christians - which was to trust in Christ as the only source of life, hope, and resurrection power. Speaker: Taylor Walling A sermon from Waves Church on Pepperdine University's campu...

Fruit of the Spirit - Week 9 Self control is something that most of us want the results of more than we want to actually be self-controlled. We want physical health without the discipline of diet & exercise. We want the full savings account without having to cut back on our spending. We want the results more than the fruit. God wants us to experience self-control for even greater reasons than...

Fruit of the Spirit - Week 8 Most of the characteristics included in the fruit of the spirit are virtues most of us know we could use more of, but there's one on the list that we might not want to be labeled with. Gentleness is often associated with weakness or fragility - which is nearly the opposite of what it means in the Bible! So what does it mean to be a person who is gentle according to God...