Introduction to 1 Peter

INTRODUCTION

This evening I want to start a series of messages from the books of 1 and 2 Peter. When we finish 1 Peter we will go directly to the second letter. Tonight I want to give an introduction to the letters, but I am going to start with some background on Peter.

Peter is often misunderstood. He’s misunderstood by unbelievers who use him in their jokes like:

Three men died on Christmas Eve and were met by Saint Peter at the pearly gates.

So Peter is the guy standing at the gate of heaven who will decide whether or not your get in. Of course we know that’s not true. It’ll be Paul. But Christians often misunderstand Peter as well. We talk about how Peter was the guy with the foot in mouth disease. He always talked before he thought about what he was going to say. But we also have to remember that it was Peter who walked on water. The other eleven – and probably us if we’d been there – stayed in the boat. It was Peter who declared that Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of the Living God. And Jesus said it was God who revealed that to him and not to the other eleven. And it was Peter who stood up and preached the first gospel message on Pentecost Sunday. Peter certainly had his faults and it those faults that help us relate to him. However, Peter also had many strengths too.

Peter was the unofficial leader of the disciples. Why would we say that? Peter is mentioned first in every list of the disciples, and more is written about Peter in the gospels than anyone but Jesus. Then, when we get to the Book of Acts it is usually Peter who speaks in group settings.

After warning Peter that he will deny him, Jesus says to Peter:

Luke 22:31-32 31 Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.

Jesus knows that while Peter will publically denounce even knowing Jesus, all the disciples will run in fear. So Jesus calls on Peter to bring them back together.

We’re first introduced to Peter in the first chapter of John’s gospel.

John 1:40-42 40 Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. 41 The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). 42 And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter).

Peter’s hometown was the village of Bethsaida, located on the north end of the Sea of Galilee. It’s at the point where the northern end of the Jordan River flows into the sea. Continuing in John’s gospel we read:

John 1:43-44 43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.” 44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida.

Peter was a fisherman and at some point he moved to Capernaum. In Capernaum Peter owned a fishing business. You’ll remember how Jesus called him from fishing to become a fisher of men.

Peter’s father’s name was Jonah. Sometimes Peter is referred to as Jonah’s son. Jesus called him that after Peter made that great declaration of faith.

Matthew 16: 16-17 16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” 17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.”

So his full name was Simon, son of Jonah. As we read earlier, Jesus changed his name from Simon to Peter or Cephas. We see all three names used in the New Testament. I think it’s interesting that when it came time to write his two epistles that he uses the name Peter, the name Jesus gave to him and not the name his parents gave him – Simon.

In the two letters Peter does for the churches what Jesus had asked him to do for the other disciples, he encourages them. The believers were going through a time of persecution and it would only get worse.

It’s estimated that Peter’s first letter was written in the year 64 AD. If so, he would have written not long after the great fire in Rome during which it has that Nero played his fiddle as he watched. Nero blamed the fire on Christians. Many believe he was responsible for the fire and used it as an excuse to persecute the believers. That persecution would continue well past the rule of Nero and last some two hundred years.

I want you to think about that. They suffered for more than two hundred years. The suffering of Christians in China has been pretty devastating, but it has lasted less than a hundred years. The Christians in the Roman Empire suffered for more than two hundred. I just shake my head thinking about it, but look at the result. After those two hundred years Christianity became the dominant religion of the empire and for the continent for centuries. You have to wonder if the same thing couldn’t happen in China as well.

Peter had no way of knowing how long the persecution would last; he only knew it was bad and could probably predict it would get worse. So Peter wrote the believers to encourage them to stand firm in their faith.

What I want to do in our remaining time is give a quick overview of Peter’s two letters. I’m going to give outline for letter by Skip Heitzig. I think it gives a helpful and simple picture of Peter’s writing. So go on and turn to 1 Peter 1.

1. Security(1:1-12)

God’s plan for the believer includes security. Peter wants his readers to know that they are secure in their salvation. As I already mentioned, most believe this letter from Peter to have been written around the year 64 AD. It had been thirty years since the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. They were expecting his return to be any day. Paul wrote to the Thessalonians about some who thought if a believer died before Jesus returned they would lose out. Paul assures them that this is not the case. With this is mind, Peter assures his readers that they have a living hope and they can rest assured in their salvation. God has not forgotten about them or us. Peter wrote:

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.

Our salvation is secure because we have been chosen by God and announced before we were even born because God knew us. Our salvation is not based on our emotions, but on our trust in Jesus for our sins. As the apostle John wrote, we can know that we are saved.

John 20:31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

And then in his first epistle:

1 John 5:13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.

We don’t have to wonder if we’re saved or not as too many do.

2. Surrender(1:13-2:10)

God’s plan includes surrender to God’s will in the midst of life’s hardships. No matter what we face we are to surrender to God’s plan and purpose. We do it though our reverence for and obedience to God’s word.

1 Peter 1:14-15 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.

Peter emphasizes the need to honor and obey God’s word. We need God’s word to grow spiritually and your spiritual growth is directly proportionate to your hunger for God’s word. You aren’t going to grow if you never get into God’s word.

1 Peter 2:2-3 2 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, 3 now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.

Some though, don’t pay much attention to God’s word. They call it old fashioned and out of date. They find reasons to criticize and minimize its importance. However, as Paul wrote:

2 Timothy 3:16-17 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

So Peter warns about those who ignore God’s word:

1 Peter 2:8b They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for.

They stumble in their faith because they ignore God’s instructions. We must surrender to God’s will as found in his word.

3. Submission(2:11-3:8)

God’s plan for believers includes submission to the authorities of the world and to each other. Both Peter and Paul agreed that we are to submit to the governing authorities God has put over us.

1 Peter 2:13-15 13 Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, 14 or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. 15 For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people.

Christians were already being viewed suspiciously by the Roman government. False stories were being spread about what they were doing. For example, some believed that Christians were practicing cannibalism in the Lord’s Supper Christians by actually eating flesh and drinking blood. Of course that’s not true. But Christians were also called atheists because they didn’t believe in and worship the recognized Roman gods. So Peter is saying that we should be the best citizens. However, there may be times when we will have to disobey. If obedience to the government means disobedience to God we must disobey the government. Remember what Peter asked the Sanhedrin.

Acts 4:18-20 18 Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John replied, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! 20 As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.

We are to be model citizens until the laws of the land tell us to disobey God and then we obey God’s law and disobey man’s law.

Obedience continues in the home when he addresses wives and husbands.

1 Peter 3:1 Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives.

And to husbands:

Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers. (1 Peter 3:7)

There must be this mutual respect in the home.

4. Suffering(3:9-4:19)

God’s plan includes their suffering. Many believers think that couldn’t be a part of God’s plan, but it is. No believer is exempt from suffering. The example Peter gives is Jesus himself. If Jesus had to suffer, why would we ever think we won’t?

1 Peter 4:12-13 12 Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.

According to the New Testament that when you suffer because of being righteousness (and not when you suffer for being obnoxious), when you are persecuted for righteousness sake you are becoming a partner with Jesus in his suffering. Paul wrote to the Philippians:

Philippians 3:10-11 10 I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.

When we are being persecuted because of our faith we are joining Jesus. And Peter wrote:

1 Peter 4:14 If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.

What did Jesus say about being persecuted?

Luke 21:17 Everyone will hate you because of me.

That’s a promise you won’t find highlighted in too many Bibles or hanging on too many walls, but it is a promise nonetheless.

What do we expect to happen to us after we become Christians? Most expect goodness and joy. But we are warned multiple times that we will find trouble while we are here. Jesus also promised:

John 16:33 I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.

We need to know that part of God’s plan for believers is suffering

5. Service(5:1-11)

God’s plan includes service. It’s not just about what Jesus did for us when he died on the cross; it’s also about what we are now to do for God. Peter starts with the elders.

1 Peter 5:2 Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve.

We are not to serve because we feel like we’ve been forced to, but because of our love for God because of what’s he’s done for us.

Peter then ends the letter with this salutation

1 Peter 5:13-14 13 She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you her greetings, and so does my son Mark. 14 Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace to all of you who are in Christ.

I give just a couple of remarks and we’ll look at these verses again later. First, most believe that “Babylon” is code for Rome. Remember, Peter died in Rome. Second, Mark is thought to be John Mark, the author of the Gospel of Mark. It appears Mark got most of his information for his gospel from Peter.

So that’s 1 Peter. The dominant theme of 1 Peter is the dangers Christians faced from outside the church. The theme of 2 Peter is the dangers Christians faced from inside the church. This danger would come from false teachers and deception.

It’s believed this second letter was written in 68 AD, shortly before his death which was shortly before Nero’s death. Many believe he died in the last persecution of Nero.

There are only three chapters in the second letter and we might divide the letter according to those chapter divisions. Do so we’d call the first chapter:

1. Faithful Progress in Truth

We need to constantly be growing in our faith. As I mentioned before, it is impossible to stay in one place. The movement may be slow and imperceptible, but you are always moving. That means in your faith you are either moving forward or backward. So Peter writes:

2 Peter 1:5-7 5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.

Peter is encouraging us to work at growing in our faith and constantly be adding to it. That’s because:

2. There Are False Prophets Against the Truth

Make faithful progress in the truth because there will always be those who are trying to destroy the truth.

2 Peter 2:1 But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves.

False prophets and false teachers are nothing new. They were in the Old Testament leading believers astray even as the serpent did in the Garden of Eden. There will always be those who strive to deceive the faithful. Therefore, we must stand firm in our faith.

3. Future Predictions of the Truth

There are times when it doesn’t appear that God is moving. We may wonder if Jesus will ever return. Unbelievers certainly think they will never have to face a judgment. But Peter assures us that day is coming and warns us what it will be like.

2 Peter 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.

Because this is true, we need to hold on to the truth that has been handed down to us.

Peter was there when Jesus was baptized and the Spirit descended like a dove upon him. Peter was there when Jesus walked on water and he walked on water too. Peter was there when Jesus transfigured before him and James and John. He was there when Jesus was arrested and went to the cross. And Peter was there in the upper room when Jesus appeared to the disciples. Peter was an eyewitness to all these things and more. But Peter says he has something more reliable than these experiences, he has the objective truth of the scriptures that predicted these things and point to the truth of the gospel.

Lawrence Richards points out that the first opposition to the gospel came from a group called the Judaizers. They said that in order to be saved you must first become a Jew and keep the laws and traditions of the Jews. The emphasis was not on the grace of God but on works. It’s called legalism. The second wave of opposition turned the gospel into a philosophy that focused on how the gospel could benefit you and make your life better. They made it a self-help religion for finding meaning and purpose in life, but that’s it.

What we see is it just doesn’t take long for Christianity to go off the rails. In only thirty years after the death of Jesus false teachers were derailing the faith. Almost every epistle warns about false teachers arising from within churches. It should wake us up to the importance of knowing true doctrine. Jesus warned:

Matthew 7:15 Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.

Those false teachers were already appearing even before the apostles died and are still with us. Even today we find those two same extremes Richards described as having been present in the first century. There are those who push legalism and there are those who see Christianity as nothing more than a religion to help you feel better about yourself. With all the warnings from the New Testament it shouldn’t surprise us that false teaching still happens today.

Tradition says that Peter died as an old man. He wasn’t the last living apostle, but he did live to grow old. Jesus had said that would be the case. By the fire, after eating breakfast on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, Jesus told Peter:

John 21:18 Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.

Tradition tells us that was the case. Peter was in Rome with his wife where both were arrested. They crucified his wife first, forcing him to watch. Then, when it came time for him to be crucified he insisted that he be nailed upside down because he said he was not worthy to die in the same manner as Jesus.

So that very quickly is 1 and 2 Peter. Next Wednesday we’ll start looking in depth at the first epistle of Peter.