Dawn Is Coming : week 5

Levi + Jennie Lusko - Fresh Life Church

Where Beauty Comes From

1 Peter 3:1-7

In the same way

Repetition reveals importance.

Cultivate your inner beauty.

Don't neglect your heart and soul when getting ready for the day.

The daily practice is what makes your soul THRIVE.

Marriage takes intentionality.

1. God cares about marriage!

God created marriage so go to Him if there's a problem.

2. God cares about OUR marriage!

God loves the world, but He loves you uniquely to you.

God loves marriages, but He loves our marriage uniquely to us.

3. God has a plan for OUR marriage!

Look to Jesus.

In the same way, means look to Jesus!

To get to FRESH : submit + serve + study.

The basis is Jesus.

Warren Wiersby joy and triumph in the home.

Jesus first, spouse second. 

Study myself so I can be a better wife.

Ephesians 5:21 submit to one another in the fear of God.

Seven things that will help make your life and marriage fresh:

1. Act life you're on the same team.

2. Don't retaliate, compensate.

3. Try on each other's shoes (sympathize).

4. Bite your tongue.

5. Stay tender.

6. Look for beauty.

7. Consider yourself.

1 Peter 3:8-12 MSG

If we're focusing on negative that's what you'll see.

For every speck in my spouse's life, consider the plank in my own.

Dawn Is Coming : week 4

Levi Lusko - Fresh Life Church

For God's Sake

1 Peter 2:14-25

Beginning with authority.

We love leadership, as long as we're the one in charge.

1. The problem is we're under leaders who are inept.

We vastly overestimate what we would do with more authority.

We underestimate what we can do with our current authority.

Peter had to learn the hard way that he was doing things only for Pete's sake. When we're mindful of the things of God, we'll do things for heaven's sake.

The problem is at times we're put under leaders who we don't want to listen to.

We don't want to submit because we're prideful.

We often act like not Thy will be done, but my will be done.

We're not capable of seeing the bigger picture.

2. The posture we demonstrate.

The posture will have us submitting to authority.

You're not doing it because you know it's right, you're doing it for God's sake.

Choose to rank yourself under.

God is the Author of authority.

Romans 13:1-2

Submission is not weakness. 

Rebellion causes you to lose your freedom.

3. Promise that God will use your response to authority for good.

Promises from these scriptures:

1. You honor God

2. Impact other people

3. You develop your character.

God smiles upon those who are humble.

When we do things for God's sake we end up getting blessed as well.

There is strength in surrender.

You can't lead if you can't be led.

You can't be trusted later if you can't be tested right now.

4. Pattern

We're given a design.

"Leaving you an example."

Jesus is the example of how to submit to authority.

5. Power

The power comes from what Jesus did on the cross!

Dawn Is Coming : week 3

Levi Lusko - Fresh Life Church

Home Away From Home

1 Peter 2:1-5, 9-12

In Philippians Paul says our citizenship is in heaven.

Sojourners or pilgrims of the earth.

Home is heaven!

Church is not something you come to, it's built out of you!

We Provide:

1. A place to belong

"We look for lonely people."

Our greatest fear is invisibility.

Does anyone see me?

Ephesians 2:19-20

He's referencing Hosea and how just because they weren't blood he still accepts those children as his own. God said tell the world it's the same with Me.

2. A place to grow up

There are things you have set aside, selfish sins, in order to grow up.

In order to set things aside you have to sit beside.

The people in your life are either immoral or moral support.

3. A place to be a part of something bigger than yourself.

You cannot be a nation by yourself.

There is nothing in the Bible that points to a solitary relationship with Christ. 

4. Experience a place to make sense of rejection.

It's a job of idolatry : stone gods

A stone is used as a metaphor for not living, stone cold heart.

5. A place to welcome others

Kyle Dougdale : Genesis 3 onward we started constructing buildings.

Dawn Is Coming : week 2

Levi Lusko - Fresh Life Church

Love While You Can

1 Peter 1:13-25

Vs 22 Love one another deeply from the heart.

Don't get used to your salvation...it is mind-blowing!

"Therefore"

Whenever you see therefore stop and ask what it's there for.

Because that's true, here's what you do...

They wanted to be coddled they needed to be reminded of their calling.

Grow in your salvation.

Ready. Set. Grow.

4 Places We Should Seek To Grow In:

1. Mentally Strong

Vs 14 - prepare your minds for action, be self-controlled.

You can't live right if you don't think right.

What are you allowing to show up in your mind?

NKJ says - Gird up the loins of your mind.

They were wearing tunics and robes. If you needed to run you'd grab the bottom and tuck it into your belt.

If we're going to have a strong mental game we need to tuck in things so they don't get in the way.

Be aware of your environment.

Behavior we're allowing in our lives.

We're often bringing upon things just by patterns we allow in our lives.

2. We need to choose to be realistically hopeful.

Hope based in reality.

There is so much tension in the Bible.

Inevitably hope points us to heaven.

We understand it's going to hurt, seek to bless other people.

3. Intentionally formed

Heaven is glorification.

Santification is spiritual formation.

TPT vs 14-15

Be holy because I Am holy.

The goals is holiness.

Holiness is happiness not haughtiness.

4. We need to be reverently ambitious.

Reverence is deep respect.

When God really speaks to you, you feel reverence.

What areas should I be ambitious in? LOVE

The challenging people in your life are there for a reason. Sacrificial love.

We can only love while we can.

"We must all suffer from one of two pains: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. The difference is discipline weighs ounces while regret weighs tons." Jim Rohn

"You have a journey to take, a race to run, a warfare to accomplish, and a great work to do." Matthew Henry

Dawn Is Coming

Levi Lusko - Fresh Life Church

1 Peter 1:3-12 

Peter the apostle hung out with Jesus for 3.5 years.

A.W. Tozer described him as "a bundle of contradictions."

The audience is Christians living in 5 different places (modern day Turkey).

And then those who are scattered, suffering, strangers.

You are the salt of the world, but you have to be scattered.

But don't forget the gathering as well.

Stranger - an exile living far from home.

Your true Home is heaven.

He spoke to them of triumph!

The inevitability of the sunrise!

The wonders of Jesus coming!

Into your circumstances of Him being a part of your life.

He saw Paul the apostle be put to death.

Difficult days are coming.

God used ordinary fisherman who ended up preaching to the ends of the empire.

Don't ever let anyone laugh you out of the dreams God has put in your heart.

Trials are temporary but triumph is forever!!

Trials come for a reason or a season.

Triumphs mentioned::

1. New life (centered on new Hope)

2. In the Will (our inheritance)

3. Access to the Father through praise (joy inexpressible)

4. Deepened (what you're producing in me I will keep...refining me into gold)

DAWN

New state of mind.

When something dawns upon you, you understand things differently.

Yes, celebrate Jesus is coming! But also believing for bright colors in our life as we face things right now.

Fueled by Hope and flamed by Grace!

You've been given that pressure for a purpose!