Sermon Tone Analysis

*Distractions to the Ministry*

* *

*1 Peter 1:1-2 \\ **1 *Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who are elect exiles of the dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, *2 *according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood: May grace and peace be multiplied to you.

ESV

*1 Peter 1:1-2 \\ **1 *Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, *2 *Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.

KJV \\ *1 Peter 1:1-2 \\ 1 *Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, *T*o those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen *2 *according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure.

NASB95

*1 Peter 1:1-2 \\ **1 *Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ: To the temporary residents of the Dispersion in the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, chosen *2 *according to the foreknowledge of God the Father and set apart by the Spirit for obedience and ⌊for the⌋ sprinkling with the blood of Jesus Christ.

May grace and peace be multiplied to you.

HCSB

*1 Peter 1:1-2 \\ **1 *Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God’s elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout 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, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance.

NIV

*1 Peter 1:1-2 \\ **1 *Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, *2 *elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied.

NKJV

 

There is much that can be gleaned from an introduction or even from a simple greeting.

And when, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, it is found in the Holy Scripture, wouldn’t you agree that it is  blessing to spend some time meditating on it?

Also, the amazing thing is that this gleaning can be used by you and I in our fast pace world.

Notice the first six words that start this letter; ‘Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ.’

This man by the name of Peter, who is he and what are the possible distractions to the ministry that God has given to him?

And how does he avoid these distractions starting with his greeting?

“Peter an apostle of Jesus Christ!”

·         What is this man saying to these people?

·         What is he saying to us today?

·         What should we take away from this?

 

Within this first clause we have the subject – Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ.

Looking at this we have an identification of who this man is: (see the commentary page for notes from the commentaries)

·         Peter – Petros – the Greek name of the leader of the twelve apostles who was also called Cephas and whose name was originally Simon - Peter see

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\\ *Matthew 10:1-4 \\ 1 *And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction.

*2 *The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; *3 *Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; *4 *Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.

ESV

 

·         An Apostle, this is a definer – a modifier that attributes features to or further defines Peter.

We will look at this in more detail

o   How are we defined?

o   What attributes are applied to us?

·         Here is one meaning for ‘Apostle’.

The role of one who has been commissioned and sent as a special messenger – ‘apostleship, to be an apostle, to be a special messenger.

·         A messenger.

So why do you make your position so important when it is never about the messenger but the message and the sender of the message?

*Romans 1:5 \\ 5 *through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, ESV \\ \\

·         My questions to you today are:

o   Are you doing what you are called to do?

o   If you are, what exactly is it?

o   As an illustration – a woman when she gets married, it is customary to address her as Mrs. and the last name of her husband; such as Mrs. McCreary, Mrs. Woodmore, and Mrs. Bryant.

·         Note this is not just another man by the name of Peter and not just a special messenger from anywhere or of just anybody, but

·         Of Jesus and this is a qualifier of the modifying word.

·         It is a statement that limits or constrains the scope of the word it modifies.

·         But there is a further definer or modifier, and we need to be reminded that this is also part of the name of Jesus.

·         Christ – Messiah – the anointed one.

·         It could almost be said this way, ‘Peter the apostle of Jesus the Christ’! or ‘Peter the messenger of Jesus the anointed one’

·         What have we subtracted from our identity or are we still adding or holding on to things that indirectly affect our ministry.

·         If you were asked to say something about yourself, what would it sound like.

·         Listen to Paul

*Philippians 3:1-14 \\ 1 *Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord.

To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you.

*2 *Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh.

*3 *For we are the real circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh— *4 *though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also.

If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: *5 *circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; *6 *as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness, under the law blameless.

*7 *But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.

*8 *Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.

For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ *9 *and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— *10 *that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, *11 *that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

*12 *Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.

*13 *Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own.

But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, *14 *I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

ESV \\ \\

·         Far too many who say they are active in the Church, with a capital ‘C’, are still caught up in things like

o   Their race or ethnic background

o   Where they – live, work, shop, or play

o   Their education or lack there of

o   Physical conditions – including age (old or young), health, the ability to get from one place to another, the time of day, (morning, noon, evening, or night)

o   Their political association and all the stuff that goes with it

o   Our jobs and or hobbies

·         You wear many hats and you enjoy it because it takes up your time and use up your energy

·         Valuable time that can be used for ministry is soaked up in worldly stuff that we feel is so important.

Listen

 

·         It is about taking off stuff and not adding more stuff to ourselves and when we do, as we are tempted in so many situations to do, we are pulled away from doing what we are called to do and that is to be messengers of Jesus Christ.

·         Look at the example of Jesus:

·         He refers to Himself as the ‘Son of Man’ in the gospels but

·         Going back to Philippians Paul says that I may know Him.

·         Listen

·         *Philippians 2:5-8 \\ 5 *Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, *6 *who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, *7 *but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.

*8 *And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

ESV \\ \\

·         Do you hear it?

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus

·         He made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant and humbled himself.

·         Why do you and I do the opposite?

·         Even within the faith, we allow names and dogma to hinder the ministry of being a messenger for Jesus.

·         Names that separate and split

o   Rural church and city church

o   Reformed or non-reformed

o   Followers of Calvin or followers of Arminius

o   Conservative church or liberal church

o   Baptist, Methodist, Pentecostal, non denominational

o   Black, Southern, Full Gospel

o   Pre-millennium, Post-millennium, a-millennium

o   Dispensational or reform

·         These are just some names that has causes separation and church splits.

They have cause fall outs and the questioning of ones salvation.

·         Peter gives his first name and says that he is just a messenger of Jesus Christ.

Even though this is a special position for just a select number, it is not the position but the source of the position.

·         Too many times we stop at the position and we want others to see us and dwell on us because of the position.