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This Week's Messages

The Precious Promises of Peter — Part 10

October 11, 2026 · Pastor Brian Charles

MESSAGE SUMMARY

In the final installment (Part 10) of The Precious Promises of Peter, Pastor Brian Charles brings the series to a close by turning from the precious things Peter names — the blood, salvation, faith, the promises — to the person they all point to: Jesus Himself. Opening from 1 Peter 2:4 and 2:7, he contrasts how Jesus was "disallowed of men" yet "chosen of God and precious," becoming the church's chief cornerstone once the cross established the New Covenant, making believers "kings and priests" indwelt by the Holy Spirit rather than merely served by an external priesthood as under the Old Covenant. He asks directly whether Jesus is precious to the listener, teaching that when Christ holds first place, His presence outweighs comfort, the opinions of others, or worldly praise — and that it's the Holy Spirit who makes Jesus precious to a believer. Drawing on David's priority in Psalm 27:4 and Peter's own restoration after denying Christ, he urges hearers to seek God's presence above all else. The message turns to reflect on death — from Psalm 116:15, "precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints" — framing a believer's departure as entry into a "spiritual family reunion" rather than loss. He then works through what Peter calls precious: the redeeming blood (1 Peter 1:18-20; Acts 20:28), salvation by grace through faith rather than works (Ephesians 2:8), and faith itself as what keeps a believer (1 Peter 1:5). Using the image of a refiner purifying gold and silver (Malachi 3), he teaches that trials burn away dross so Christ becomes more visible in a believer's life. He closes the series with an extended altar call urging listeners to accept Jesus as Savior, and opens the floor for prayer and breakthrough.

SCRIPTURES REFERENCED

Hebrews 13:8 cited for "the same yesterday, today, and forever"
1 Peter 2:4 quoted: "a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God and precious"
1 Peter 2:7 quoted: "to you who believe, he is precious... the stone which the builders rejected"
Genesis 3:15 referenced as the start of the span of messianic promise running through Malachi
John 1:29 paraphrased: "Behold the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sins of the world"
Psalm 27:4 quoted: "One thing have I desired... that I may dwell in the presence of the Lord"
Psalm 116:15 quoted: "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints"
1 Peter 1:18-20 quoted: "not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold... but with the precious blood of Christ"
Acts 20:28 quoted/paraphrased: "feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood"
Ephesians 2:8 quoted: "for by grace are ye saved through faith"
Romans 1:16 quoted near-verbatim ("I am not ashamed of the gospel... to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile"); reference not spoken aloud
1 Peter 1:5 quoted: "kept by the power of God through faith"
Job 23:10 paraphrased and attributed ("Job said... when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold"); exact chapter/verse not stated
Malachi 3 chapter cited; quoted on the refiner purifying the sons of Levi as gold and silver
Philippians 1 chapter cited for "fruits of righteousness"
Ephesians 4:24 paraphrased: "put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness"
2 Timothy 2:22 quoted: "flee also youthful lusts... but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace... out of a pure heart"
John 15 chapter cited; referenced Jesus' teaching on pruning so a branch bears more fruit
Daniel 3 alluded to (Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego) as an example that God remains faithful when faith goes "into the fire"; not cited by reference

Last Week's Messages

The Precious Promises of Peter — Part 9

October 7, 2026 · Pastor Brian Charles

MESSAGE SUMMARY

Pastor Brian continues The Precious Promises of Peter with 2 Peter 1:1, "like precious faith": every believer has faith of equal value and standing before God, obtained through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ, whether or not they hold Peter's office or calling. He ties it to Galatians 2:20, living by the faith of the Son of God in continual dependence on Him, and says the same power that saves also keeps us, "kept by faith through the power of God." He suggests the law was written on stone because of man's hard heart, was fulfilled by Jesus' obedient heart, and is now written on believers' hearts, so that mercy triumphs over judgment and we ought to show others mercy and grace.

He then walks through people of precious faith: Abraham (Romans 4:3) and Sarah, whose son's name, Isaac, means laughter; Moses, who chose God over earthly riches, and whose parents trusted God when they put him in the Nile; the Roman centurion, who had faith in Jesus and in His word; and the woman with the issue of blood, who "prophesied" her healing before she touched the hem of His garment. Along the way he stresses staying in the Word (with the story of a woman who was delivered, lost her Bible, and returned to torment), speaking what God has said and calling "those things which be not as though they were" (Elijah praying for rain, the fig tree in Mark 11), thanking God in advance (Philippians 4:6), and being joined with people of like precious faith, such as David and Jonathan. He shares that he prayed the church building paid off, and that he is believing for a new property.

He also teaches that believers have the same Holy Spirit as the upper room, and that the church will be caught away before the judgment, pointing to Enoch, Noah's ark and Elijah, and to the Lord's return on a cloud with the dead in Christ rising first. He closes with the blood of Jesus as precious, and with faith as what connects us to God, keeps us, gives access to grace and brings us into an incorruptible inheritance. He says he has "one more message" and will see them Sunday.

SCRIPTURES REFERENCED

2 Timothy 3:16-17 all Scripture is God-breathed and profitable; "man of God" includes men and women
2 Peter 1:1 "like precious faith"; the main text
Galatians 2:20 crucified with Christ; I live by the faith of the Son of God
1 Peter 1:5 kept by the power of God through faith
James 1:25 the perfect law of liberty
James 2:13 mercy triumphs over judgment
2 Corinthians 3:2-3 believers are written and read by men; the law on the heart
Romans 4:3 Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness
Genesis 18 and 21 Sarah, the three angels, and Isaac's name meaning laughter
Hebrews 11:11 Sarah judged Him faithful who had promised
Romans 14:22 "Hast thou faith? have it to thyself"
Exodus 15:26 and 23:25 the LORD who heals; He blesses your bread and water and takes sickness away
Acts 1 the 120 in the upper room; the ascension; the angels' "why stand ye gazing"
1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 the Lord returns on a cloud; the dead in Christ rise first; comfort one another
Genesis 5:24 Enoch walked with God and was no more
Genesis 6 to 8 Noah, the ark and the preacher of righteousness
2 Kings 2 Elijah caught away
Revelation the 144,000, those who washed their robes, and the two witnesses; chapters not stated
Isaiah 60:1-2 arise and shine as darkness covers the earth
Hebrews 11:24-25 Moses chose to suffer with God's people rather than enjoy the pleasures of sin
Matthew 8 / Luke 7 the centurion's faith in Jesus and in His word only
Philippians 4:19 my God shall supply all your need; read on screen
Luke 11:24-26 the unclean spirit returns to its house
John 17:17 "Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth"
Psalm 119:105, 119:130 a lamp to my feet; the entrance of Your words gives light
Matthew 24:35 heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words will not
Jeremiah 23:29 and 1:12 God's word is like a fire; He hastens His word to perform it
Hebrews 4:12 the word of God is sharper than any two-edged sword
Mark 5:25-34 the woman with the issue of blood; "Daughter, your faith has made you well"
Romans 8:6 to be carnally minded is death, spiritually minded is life and peace
Matthew 17:20 faith like a mustard seed
2 Timothy 2:20 vessels of gold and vessels of wood
1 Kings 18:41-46 Elijah hears the sound of abundance of rain
Romans 4:17 calling those things which be not as though they were
Psalm 37:4 delight yourself in the LORD and He will give you the desires of your heart
Proverbs 18:21 death and life are in the power of the tongue
Mark 11 the cursed fig tree; "whoever says to this mountain" (v23 not stated)
1 Peter 1:19 the precious blood of Christ
2 Timothy 1:7 a spirit of power, love and a sound mind
Revelation 12:11 overcame by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony
John 14:6 "I am the way, the truth, and the life"
Luke 1:37 with God nothing will be impossible; "lift the limits"
1 Peter 1:4-5 an incorruptible inheritance; kept by the power of God through faith (he gave "four and five")
1 Corinthians 15:53 this corruptible must put on incorruption
Hebrews 9:27 appointed for man to die once
Philippians 4:6 with thanksgiving let your requests be known to God
Psalm 37:25 David: I have not seen the righteous forsaken or begging bread

The Precious Promises of Peter — Part 8

October 4, 2026 · Pastor Brian Charles

MESSAGE SUMMARY

Pastor Brian continues the Precious Promises of Peter series, which he says is winding down, with 1 Peter 1:7: the trial of your faith is more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tried with fire. Everyone will face trials, and the adversary wants believers to leave faith and act in the flesh, but faith is our lifeline and the just live by it. Using Job 23:10 and the picture of a goldsmith, he teaches that fire does not create the gold; it reveals it and removes the dross, with the Holy Spirit as the one who skims the impurities. Trials show what we are made of and who we rely on, and he stresses that Peter does not call the trial itself precious, but the faith that survives it.

The applications are practical. Stay the course. Look to Jesus as your source rather than scrambling to people, money or your own plans. Cast your cares on the Lord instead of trusting the arm of the flesh, and do not set up camp in the valley. God's grace, the empowering presence of God, is sufficient, and Jesus sending the disciples across the lake and coming to them on the storm shows the worth of obeying His word. Pastor Brian shares a personal testimony of inner healing: weeping at a movie with his daughters and neighbourhood children, and hearing the Lord say He was healing yesterday's hurt to prepare him for tomorrow. He urges listeners to forgive, let go and give it to God.

Other points include people coming into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime; Jeremiah 23:29 and God's word as a fire and a hammer, with a "fight fire with fire" controlled-burn illustration; Psalm 23 as being about our relationship with God now, including the table prepared in the presence of enemies; Israel wanting quail instead of what they needed; and a caution about pride and authority in ministry, since we are spokes called to complement, not compete. He closes by pointing to what believers have in Christ (Colossians 2, Ephesians 1:6, Matthew 6:33), then leads communion, teaching it as participation in the body and blood of the covenant and a reminder of our covenant consciousness.

SCRIPTURES REFERENCED

1 Peter 1:7 the trial of your faith is more precious than gold that perishes, though tried with fire
Job 23:10 "when He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold"
Habakkuk 2:4 "the just shall live by faith" (also Romans 1:17), repeated as the theme that faith is our lifeline
Hebrews 12:2 Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith
Hebrews 13:5 "I will never leave you nor forsake you"
John 19:30 "It is finished"
James 1:2 count it all joy
2 Corinthians 12:9 Paul prayed three times and the Lord said "My grace is sufficient"
2 Corinthians 10:5 casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God
Matthew 14:22-33 Jesus sends the disciples to the other side and comes to them on the sea in the storm
Proverbs 3:5 trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding
Psalm 34:19 "many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all"
Psalm 23 the valley, "He restores my soul," and verse 5, a table prepared in the presence of enemies
Psalm 22 described as a prophetic picture of the cross
Psalm 24 described as the millennial reign after Christ's return
2 Timothy 4:2 "be instant in season and out of season"
2 Timothy 4:6 Paul's life poured out like a drink offering
John 3:16 seen everywhere, yet truth must be received before it sets people free
John 8:32 "you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free"
2 Corinthians 3:17 where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty
John 17:17 "Sanctify them by Your word. Your word is truth"
Matthew 6:33 seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness
Jonah 2:7 "when my soul fainted within me, I remembered the Lord"
John 14:6 "I am the way, the truth, and the life"
Jeremiah 23:29 God's word is like a fire and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces
Exodus 16 manna, and the quail Israel demanded (cf. Numbers 11)
Matthew 6:10 "Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven"
Revelation 1:6 made kings and priests to God
Colossians 2:10 "you are complete in Him" (the pastor was unsure of 2:9 or 2:10)
Ephesians 1:6 "accepted in the Beloved"
1 Corinthians 10:16 the cup of blessing and the bread we break: participation in the blood and body of Christ
1 Corinthians 11:23-26 the words of communion: "this cup is the new covenant in My blood"
Hebrews 9:22 without the shedding of blood there is no remission
1 Samuel 17 Goliath taunting Israel, and Saul losing his covenant consciousness
Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me"