Simon Says W1

Vertical! It’s HERD Night! We are so excited to worship together as a family. Today we start a quick series overs the book of 1 Peter. We will not cover every verse but we will cover some major principles that can be extracted from this book

Let me ask you a question. When was the last time you played a game of Simon Says? I’m guessing it’s been a while, so why don’t we give it a shot right now? I need 8 people. Two representatives from each color.

Simon says:

Simon says clap your hands

Simon says jump twice

Touch the floor

Simon says touch the floor

Simon says touch a chair

Simon says touch your head

Come back here

Simon says come back to the stage

Simon says touch your ankles

Touch your knees

Simon says run in place.

Well done. Give it up. I don’t know if you know but Pastor David is one of the greatest Simon says leaders. He is quick and keeps you on your toes. The fun thing about this games is that at some point you will end up doing something that makes no sense yet you trust the person that is telling you to do it.

Well, for the next four weeks, we’re going to focus in on our own version of “Simon Says.” We’re going to be looking at the words of the apostle, Simon Peter in the book of 1 Peter.

My prayer though is not only that we would hear what Peter says but also begin to apply it to our lives as believer in the Lord Jesus.

Before we dive in, let’s watch this video that will give us some background.

Bible Project Video

Based on this, let me break down the first 16 verses of this books, as I can see how it gives us Biblical principles that we can apply to our life.

But first, here is my main point:

Main Point: Pondering upon God is essential to grow into the likeness of Christ.

One of my favorite english words is “ponder.” Here is the definition: Ponder: think about (something) carefully, especially before making a decision or reaching a conclusion.

Ultimately, knowing about God is not the same as understanding who God is and what He has done for us. So for the sake of time, here is principle #1

Principle #1 God’s sovereignty is our source peace.

1 Peter 1:1-2 “1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God’s elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, 2 who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance.”

There are two major theological concepts right of the bat. The doctrine of election and the doctrine of the Trinity.

Last week, I said that because you do not know the answer to a question it does not follow that there is no answer. These two doctrines are actually tough to fully comprehend, yet they are clearly taught in Scripture.

Trinity: The Bible teaches that the Father is God, that Jesus is God, and that the Holy Spirit is God. The Bible also teaches that there is only one God. Though we can understand some facts about the relationship of the different Persons of the Trinity to one another, ultimately, it is incomprehensible to the human mind. However, this does not mean the Trinity is not true or that it is not based on the teachings of the Bible.

Election: The Bible teaches that God chooses people based on His own purposes and His desire to show grace to underserving sinners (Eph. 1:4–6.) He chose in love, in accordance with His pleasure and will, so that He would be glorified. God’s election has nothing to do with what the elect would or would not do.

Interestingly enough, Peter is reminding His audience that God’s sovereignty (The fact that God is sovereign essentially means that He has the power, wisdom, and authority to do anything He chooses within His creation) should not be a source of fear, anger or debate but it is in fact our source of peace.

God has the power to do whatever He pleases and He is a good God, therefore whatever God pleases is good.

Principle #2 God’s promise is our source of praise.

1 Peter 1:3-5 “3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.”

Praise is the joyful recounting of all God has done for us. It is closely intertwined with thanksgiving as we offer back to God appreciation for His mighty works on our behalf.

We praise God for what He has done. Peter tells us that our source of praise is the promise of an eternal inheritance.

This inheritance is eternal to those who have accepted Christ. Our perspective becomes eternal, therefore our praise is fueled by our understanding of what was promise on the pages of Scripture. I have notice that it is very easy to loose sight of the eternal perspective God has promised for us but we must keep our inheritance in view when we worship God.

Principle #3 God’s plan is our source of hope.

1 Peter 1:6-9 “6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”

First of all, I think it’s important to define hope by biblical standards. Hope is not wishful thinking. Hope is the assurance that God will come through in what He said.

This is extremely important because the reality that surrounds those who follow Christ. Peter, yet again is another one that reminds us that walking according to God’s plan is countercultural and will bring trials.

However, Peter tells us that we can put our hope in God because He has a plan that will shape us into the likeness of Christ.

I love this because it connect to what Peter is saying, even trial and hardships should result in praise to God, which reminds us that He has an ultimate plan, which is salvation to the souls.

Principle #4 God’s inspiration is our source of trust.

1 Peter 1:10-12 “10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, 11 trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow. 12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.”

The word of God is such an amazing book. Basically Peter is telling his readers that we are blessed because while the prophets in the OT, predicted and wrote about the Messiah, they did not see or experience the story of the cross and the resurrection.

We have. We can literally look at the whole story and see the connections between the Old and the New. The prophecies about Jesus that were fulfill and that ones that will be. This means that we have a responsability to trust in God’s inspiration.

In fact, this is a good reminder because we can see God’s inspiration in every book of the Bible which allows our trust in His to increase, which brings me to the last principle.

Principle #5 God’s character is our source of motivation.

1 Peter 1:13-16 “13 Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. 14 As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 15 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16 for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.””

Peter is basically saying, you are not following an obscure God. You are not being asked to do anything that God did not first do for you.

The God of the Bible stands in a great contrast to greek gods and other deities. Greek mythology often portrays god’s as angry or incapable of controlling themselves. So much so that when they get annoyed with humanity, they punish it.

Our God is nothing like it. The Bible portrays an amazing God who is worthy of praise, adoration and honor.

Think about it this way.

Playdough- Good kids vs bad kid

Students, if there is one thing that I hope to encourage you while you are on this ministry is to learn the character of God. Way too many Christians have the wrong perspective of God.

Some see god as a monster who is ready to send everyone to hell, while others see god as a hippie God that would never disagree with you and allows anything your heart desires. Others see God as a puny, small and made-up god that has no power or even exists.

None of this extremes is correct and the best way to understand the character of God is to read the Bible.

When you correctly understand God’s character then you are motivated to surrender to His kingship, knowing that He is a good King, yet He is just and cannot exist in the presence of sin.

This is why Peter is calling His audience to be Holy. To be separated from the world and to be conformed into the image of Christ

Now, I know this is a lot so here is my main point:

Main Point: Pondering upon God (His sovereignty, His promise, His plan, His inspiration and His character) is essential to grow into the likeness of Christ.

This is not something you do on your spare time. This is not a hobby.

This is everything. My encouragement for you is to make God your everything.