Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

We have been studying the book of 1 Peter and we have seen that it seems to have an emphasis on Holy Living.

Someone has recently asked me how can we take that which was written some many years ago and study it like you do and get application?

God’s word is full of principles that are very applicable today and we can certainly glean much from God’s word.

However, as I have studied this Letter penned by Peter who walked with Christ, was willing to fight for Him, denied Him multiple times and was redeemed by Christ and later told that he would be instrumental in building the church of Christ, I have learned that Peter particularly, can teach me some things about Holy Living.

You see, I can relate to him on many levels.

I have been one that would fight for the stance of Christ and I have been one that has denied Him over and over again.

I am reminded in this great book that I redeemed and I am called to a holy way of life.

Studying a book like 1 Peter gives me several processes and action steps that I can do in order to grow and become more holy in my way of life.

The End is Near

That first phrase is quite disturbing.

If this was written almost 2000 years ago, does the end mean it is not near?

Through out the ages, we have had warnings about the end being near.

I am not a doom and gloom kind of guy, but everything ends at some point.

The death rate these days in 100%!

I don’t know when the end will happen, no one knows.

God is moving this present world to an eternal order!

Over 2500 prophecies were listed in the Bible.

According to Biblical scholars, over 2000 of them have already been fulfilled.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that if God’s purpose is to move to a more eternal order, we are closer and ever to the end.

Unique among all books ever written, the Bible accurately foretells specific events-in detail-many years, sometimes centuries, before they occur.

Approximately 2,500 prophecies appear in the pages of the Bible, about 2,000 of which already have been fulfilled to the letter—no errors.

From Peter’s perspective, all the previous acts of redemption had been completed:

Creation

The Fall of Man

The calling of Abraham

The Exodus from Egypt

The Kingdom Israel

The exile of Babylon and the return

The Birth of Christ, His Life, Death, and resurrection and His ascension in Heaven

The pouring our of the Holy Spirit to establish the church.

The last great redemption that Peter has been exposed to, the church age, had been going on for about 30 years by the time this letter was written.

So in his mind, Peter was urging his readers to live for such a time as this!

Clear Minded and Self Controlled

Peter tells us to be clear minded and self controlled.

This stems from the previous verses we discussed last week that admonished us to be done with sin.

Peter however, gives another reason to be sober minded, not intoxicated with ourselves and the stuff of life, so we can pray.

Prayer is one of the greatest gifts or spiritual discipline you and I could ever have!

We have access to the creator of the universe!

Isaiah 55:6

deuteronomy 4:29

These verses remind us that our God is available to us.

Peter shares this so you and I can be FIT for prayer, FREQUENT in prayer, and FERVENT in prayer!

How is your prayer life by the way?

This week I received a message from a gentleman on facebook that I had not heard from in over 30 years.

He reminded me of our connection from our home town and how I that I mentored him when I was a young college student.

He reminded me that I had told him if he asked God to wake him to wake up him up at a certain time to pray, that he would.

He said he didn’t believe that could happen but he tried it anyway, and God has been doing that for him that last 30 years.

God desires to have fellowship with you and me and the greatest was we can do that is having regular time with Him in prayer.

We need to pray more than just when we have tests, trials or temptations.

We need to pray more than “Now I lay me down to sleep, pray the Lord my soul to keep.”

God wants our needs but also wants our hearts to be molded and shaped into His heart.

In order to do that, we must strive to be clear minded and self-controlled and these are prerequisites to being able to pray.

Love, Love, Love

1 Peter 4:8

This would be a great verse to memorize and practice every day.

Have you heard that before, “Love covers a multitude of sins.”

You see it was LOVE that brought us salvation:

It was love that paid the price for us

Romans 5

It is LOVE that compels us!

I am reading a book by Bob Goff that is called LOVE DOES.

It is a magnificent book in which this lawyer has learned that God provides opportunities each and every day to love others and not only to love others, but to do things of love and trust God with the next steps.

His book is full of delightful stories that are about taking the steps and being obedient to our Lord just by loving people!

In his epilogue of his book, Goff writes, “If you’re like me, I’d ask myself at the end of a book called LOVE DOES--- so what do I do?

It can be a tough question to answer, honestly, but it can also be an easy one.

Let me tell you what I do when I don’t know what to do to move my dreams down the road.

I usually just try to figure out what the next step is and then I do that.

I know it sounds too simple, too formulaic; it seems like there must be more to it.

But there isn’t.

For most of us, that next step is picking up the phone, sending an email, writing a letter, buying a plane ticket, or just showing up.

After that, things start happening.

Things that perhaps have God’s fingerprints on them.

You’ll know which ones do and which ones don’t.

Pick the ones that do.”

Bob Goff, LOVE DOES

When you realize that indeed Love Covers a multitude of sins and we are to love each other differently, then we will offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.

We will serve others by becoming conduits of God’s grace.

We will speak as if we are speaking the very words of God with the strength HE provides.

And all this will be done so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ.

To Him be the glory and power forever and ever.

Amen.