Intro to 1 Peter
Notes
Transcript
First off, who was Peter?
Peter was one of the apostles of Jesus
Peter was one of the primary leaders in the early church
He was there when Jesus gave them the great commission. He was there when the Holy Spirit came upon them at Pentecost.
He preached one of the most impactful sermons found in the New Testament at Pentecost where 3,000 people came to a saving faith.
But Peter was not always surrounded by positive notes
Jesus rebuked Peter more than any other disciple and was the only one who was bold enough to rebuke Jesus
Peter denied Jesus more publically than any other disciple
Jesus called Peter Satan
Even through all of this, Peter established himself unquestionably as one of the Apostles. Paul would often have to defend his apostleship in his letters. But Peter never did because it was never questioned by churches.
The letter of 1 Peter was from Peter to churches in Rome. It was penned by Sylvanus (ch. 5) and then taken to the churches in Rome (ch. 1). It would likely have been taken to one church, read like a sermon to the congregation, copied by a scribe for the church to continue to use after the messenger left, and then the messenger would move onto the next church for a couple of weeks and do the same thing over again.
So, if you will, I am going to read the entire letter tonight, as it was intended.
Read whole book of 1 Peter.
This book is something that we should hold dear. This book resonates with much of what we face today.
1 Peter for You Introduction to 1 Peter
Like the Christians in Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey) to whom Peter was writing, most of us don’t face universal, state-sponsored persecution at this time—but we are encountering the reality of increasing hostility toward anything Christian. While we may live under the rule of governments that offer some legal protections for Christians, Christianity is no longer generally accepted, nor deemed acceptable. In such a context, believers may not necessarily face imprisonments, torture or executions; however, we do face a progressively intolerant culture in which we are likely to be discriminated against simply because we identify with Christ.
Our nation is no longer a Christian nation. I would argue that our nation has never been a Christian nation. You cannot impose religion on a whole nation. We have had Christian morals and ethics, but even that has went out the window. This letter helps to guide a church, and its believers, through a culture that is against them.
What does not need to happen is that we give up fighting against culture. Many churches have done that and embraced the culture. When churches do this, they are saying that scripture is not sufficient to our lives today. We do not believe that here. We believe that scripture is enough. We are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, according to scripture alone, for the glory of God alone.
As believers, we strive to live lives that are honoring to our Lord. This means that the world will hate us.
18 “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.
19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
20 Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.
21 But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me.
22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.
23 Whoever hates me hates my Father also.
24 If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father.
25 But the word that is written in their Law must be fulfilled: ‘They hated me without a cause.’
Because of this hatred the world has for us, they will be against the things that we are for. They will hate the things that are godly. They will try to eradicate holiness. We have seen such a decline in morality that it is obvious. 2 Timothy 3:12 “12 Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,”
How do we withstand persecution? The primary way we do this is through knowing the word of God. Get into God’s word so that it gets into you. God’s word changes us. It not only changes who we are by our actions, but it also changes our reactions. The things that once bothered you now seems to just roll off your shoulder.
When the enemy comes in the form of attacks from this world, you will be enabled to withstand it. Let’s say that you make a stand for something that scripture is clear on, and your family does not agree with you. By knowing God’s word and letting it shape your life, you will be able to confidently stand on God’s word instead of giving into the pressure of family.
Let’s say that your job makes a cultural stance and they are requiring all employees to publically affirm the agenda of the LGBT community. By knowing God’s word and letting it shape your life, you will be able to, with confidence, make that stand and jeopardize your job and have contentment.
These are real life issues for believers. And God’s word helps us to navigate them.
What are things that you see in our world today that you struggle with?
Remember that this world is not our home. We are sojourners passing through and one day we will be in our final destination, the new heavens and new earth. And that is what we must look towards.