Waves Church

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...

Fruit of the Spirit - Week 7 If you could listen in on your own funeral, what do you hope people would say about you? Among the characteristics you might want to hear, many people would hope to be described as "faithful." What does it mean to be a faithful person? And how do we walk in faithfulness when times get tough? This sermon explores these questions and looks toward God's faithfulness as be...

Fruit of the Spirit - Week 6 Kindness and goodness are two attributes that, at times, it feels like our world is in short supply of. Maybe that's why we follow good news platforms that promote acts of kindness among humanity. Because of how God made us, we are drawn to kindness and we long for goodness. In this sermon, we explore what it means to be people who treat others with kindness and who em...

Fruit of the Spirit - Week 5 Today's world trains us to value speed and efficiency, sometimes at the cost of loving others well. But Jesus embodied the virtue of patience in his unhurried, interruptible life. This sermon invites us to see in God's patience with us our capacity to be patient - with others, with ourselves, and even when we're waiting on God. About this series: If you were going to d...

Fruit of the Spirit - Week 4 What is peace? Is peace defined by the absence of conflict or by the presence of something or someone? And what does it mean to be people who receive peace from God and make peace with others? In this sermon we look at the life of Jesus and talk about bearing the fruit of peace in our lives. About this series: If you were going to describe Jesus' personality, the list...

Fruit of the Spirit - Week 3 Seriousness is not a fruit of the spirit, but joy is. No matter how seriously Christians hold their beliefs, when God's character shines through us we will be joy-filled people. But joyful doesn't equal happy. While happiness is circumstantial, joy comes from a deeper source. In this sermon, discover what it means to have God-given joy in your life. About this series:...

Fruit of the Spirit - Week 2 The word love is a culturally contaminated term. People say they love a shrimp taco or an outfit or a fiancé or even that they love God. So what does love look like according to Jesus? In this sermon, we explore what it means to show Christian love. About this series: If you were going to describe Jesus' personality, the list known as the fruit of the spirit would be a...

Fruit of the Spirit - Week 1 The character of Jesus can be summed up in what the book of Galatians calls the fruit of the spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. But if we want to look like Jesus, we need to rely on the same source of power that Jesus did - the Holy Spirit. In this sermon, we look at the Spirit behind the fruit. About this...

What does a wise person look like? According to Jesus, wisdom is putting truth into practice, and foolishness is putting truth to the side for our own way of doing things. In this message we explore what it means to be someone who follows Jesus and not just admires him.  Speaker: Billy Coull A sermon from Waves Church in Malibu, CA. In Community. On Campus. For the Kingdom.

What are the conditions that help people flourish? Like a superbloom of wildflowers in spring, there are conditions that bring about our thriving. This message offers an answer from Colossians 3, including practical ways to cultivate communal and individual flourishing. A sermon from Waves Church in Malibu, CA, from Lead Minister Taylor Walling.  In Community, On Campus, For the Kingdom www.wavesc...

How To Live Holy Lives - Week 2 What are the signs of a healthy faith community? How do you know if you are in an environment where people can flourish? In this message we learn about what it means to line up our ways with God's ways, and we explore three key signs of health in a spiritual family: correcting, rebuking, and encouraging.  About this series: The Bible tells us God is holy, but what d...

How To Live Holy Lives - Week 1 On our own, we don't have the capacity or the willingness to persevere in following Jesus. But God graciously gives us His Spirit to empower us and help us along the way. In this message, discover what it looks like to get your spirit lined up with God’s spirit, which means that you live in boldness through the power of the gospel, love, and self-discipline. About t...

In the journey of life, we all end up needing help. The question is, where do we look for that help? Psalm 121 offers an answer: God has the help we need, and he is our watchful protector and provider.  A sermon from Waves Church in Malibu, CA, from Lead Minister Taylor Walling.  In Community, On Campus, For the Kingdom www.waveschurch.com

The empty tomb is more than a reason to believe in Jesus. It's a reason to believe Jesus. To believe that He is trustworthy and that His words really will bear out "just as he said." This Easter message reminds us that the resurrection was exactly what Jesus said was going to happen. And if He was right about that, we ought to give weight to every other thing He said. A sermon from Waves Church in...