Painful Progress

Opening:

story

a newspaper photographer out in Los Angeles who was called in by his editor and told of a fire that was raging out in Palos Verdes. That’s a hilly area south of Los Angeles. His assignment was to rush down to a small airport, board a waiting plane, get some pictures of the fire, and be back in time for the afternoon edition. Breathlessly, he raced to the airport and drove his car to the end of the runway. Sure enough, there was a plane waiting with all the engines all revved up, ready to go. He got aboard, and at about five thousand feet, he began getting his camera out of the bag. He told the fellow flying the plane to get him over the fire so he could take his pictures and get back to the paper. From the other side of the cockpit there was a deafening silence.

Then he heard these unsettling words: "Aren’t you the instructor?"……………

Intro

Some of us have been in situations like that one. Our lives have been going along smoothly, flying on cloud nine. We thought we were in control, when "oops!" something changes and we realized we are in trouble. Illness, Bereavement, Marital or Financial problems, the list goes on!

Greeting (vv. 1–2)

Author—Peter (v. 1)

Recipients—Christians living in northern Turkey (v. 1)

Greetings (v. 2)

I & II Peter, I, II & III John, Jude A. Greeting (vv. 1–2)

Obedience conveys the idea of listening and submitting to what is heard. It involves a change of attitude in the believer. In the midst of pain, it is difficult to listen to God, let alone obey him

Refined by Fire (vv. 3–12)

Praise for the Christian’s eternal relationship with God through salvation (vv. 3–5)

I & II Peter, I, II & III John, Jude B. Hope for the Disenfranchised (vv. 3–12)

These three verbal adjectives indicate that the inheritance is untouched by death, unstained by evil, and unimpaired by time. Our inheritance is death-proof, sin-proof, and time-proof.

Rejoicing because of our salvation of hope (v. 6)

Rejoicing in spite of our suffering (vv. 6–9)

Appreciating the grace that has come to us (vv. 10–12)

Pure Holiness (vv. 13–25)

Obedience and holiness in our lives (vv. 13–16)

Reverent fear in our lives (v. 17)

Appreciating our redemption (vv. 18–21)

Demonstrating heartfelt love (v. 22)

Remembering our new birth (vv. 23–25)