Nov. 02, 2025

Pastor Dave's sermon begins at 27:20 min into the video. The music "Holy, Holy, Holy", "His Mercy is More", "Goodness of God", "Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone)", "How Deep is The Father's Love For Us", "Thank You Lord", and "The Blessing" are licensed under CCLI Copyright #2723035 and Streaming Media #22024223 licenses.

Pastor Dave continued his series through 1 Peter with a message from 1 Peter 3:8-9 and Psalm 34, focusing on how believers are not only called to be a blessing to others but also called to receive God's blessings in their own lives.

The Foundation of a Blessed Life

Pastor Dave emphasized that having a truly blessed life begins with a personal relationship with God. Drawing from Psalm 34, he explained that "Blessed is the man who trusts in Him" - meaning those who put their full confidence in God. He used a simple analogy about walking into the church building to illustrate faith: "To trust in Christ is to simply put the full weight of your life and your sinfulness on what Christ did on the cross and to fully trust Him." This kind of trust opens our lives to God's favor and blessing.

As children of God, we inherit both eternal salvation and ongoing blessings from our heavenly Father. Pastor Dave reminded the congregation that "Everything you need for life, physically and spiritually, is a gift from God. Every good thing that's ever come in your life is only by God's goodness and His gift to you." This inheritance includes not just eternal life, but also God's daily provision and the promise of a place prepared for us in heaven.

Religion vs. Relationship

Pastor Dave shared from his own background, contrasting legalistic religion with the joy of relationship with Christ. He described growing up in a church environment focused on rules and outward appearances, noting how "the burden of religion had robbed them from loving life." In contrast, he emphasized that following Jesus brings pure joy and the ability to have wonderful days, even in difficult circumstances.

Learning to Love Life and Pursue Peace

Addressing what he called "meddling," Pastor Dave challenged believers who focus too heavily on negative circumstances: "There's a lot of Jesus followers today who are very pessimistic about life... we would be a lot better off and our days would be way more enjoyable if we stopped focusing just on politics and started focusing on Him." He pointed to David's example of writing Psalm 34 while fleeing from Saul, showing how we can have good days even in adversity when we recognize each day as "a God day."

The message emphasized turning from evil and pursuing good - specifically pursuing peace in three areas: with God, with ourselves, and with others. Pastor Dave explained that good actions are those that "have their origin in God and are empowered in the life of a believer by the Holy Spirit." He encouraged the congregation to be intentional about their words and actions, noting how we often invite chaos into our lives through careless speech and behavior.

The sermon concluded with the assurance that God's eyes are upon the righteous and His ears are open to their prayers - not for condemnation, but for comfort and provision. Pastor Dave's practical message reminded everyone that loving life and seeing good days begins with our foundation in Christ, then extends to watching our words and actions while actively pursuing peace with others.