Untitled Sermon

Introduction

Please be finding in your Bibles the Book of 1 Peter 1:3-5.

Last week, we took a dive into the introduction of 1 Peter and found some very interesting things. We were able to see that the apostle Peter, who was once a simple fisherman and driven by emotions, had become a teacher of the faith and doctrine of Jesus Christ. We were also introduced to the fact that Peter is man who is driven by hope. Peter opens and then maintains a message of hope throughout this entire epistle and I am truly looking forward to teaching through this book with you as we explore God’s Holy Word through the eyes of Peter’s heart.

We found out last week that Peter is writing this letter specifically to those who have undergone severe persecution and have been therefore scattered throughout Asia minor. He is writing to those who have been forced out of their homes, lost family members, had their lives turned upside down, and are living in a state of absolute and complete confusion.

They are confused physically. They have been living in a state of church growth and expansion, but now it seems that everything has taken a turn for the worse. As they have physically lived out their lives for God, they have been persecuted for it. They have been driven from their homes because of a fear for their lives. They are now living in a place that is not home around a people they do not know, and having to adapt to a new way of life. As they long in their hearts to continue sharing the Gospel of Christ, they are also walking throughout every day looking over their shoulders in fear to see if this might be the day that the danger they have run from has caught up with them. Is this the day that I will get caught? Is this the day that someone gets offended by something that I say, and then run to the Romans and get them to come take me away? How do I know if the people that I am inviting into my new home are people that are genuinely concerned about their spiritual well-being, or if they are spies sent in to infiltrate our group, gather information, and then send the dogs to destroy us? Physically, these people are exhausted.

They are confused mentally. After coming to a knowledge of Jesus Christ, they completely changed the way they were living their lives. They gave up certain practices, began to think a different way, and began to model their lives after Jesus Christ and the apostles. They became what we now know as the church. Their mentality was one of faithfulness and expansion. Their motives were completely spiritual and they began to focus on those spiritual things vs worldly things. Now that Jesus is gone, his name tarnished, the church being under heavy persecution, and the people scattered, they are mentally confused about what to do with their lives. They want to continue as they have and continue to move the church forward, and I am certainly glad that they did, but they are also living in a state of fear. They are mentally worried about not only what to do, but also how to do it in a safe manner so that they, and those they are witnessing to, can remain safe and continue to expand the Kingdom of God.

They are confused spiritually. Imagine what must have been going through their minds. They had seen Jesus perform amazing miracles, as well as the disciples. They had seen sicknesses healed, blind eyes restored, and dead people brought back to life. They had also listened to the teachings on love, hope, and faith. They had heard Jesus say “Ask and it shall be given you; seek and you shall find; knock and it will be opened unto you”. You better believe that they were praying now harder than ever. They had trusted to the fullest and their world was still upside down. Their families were still torn apart. Their prayers were still unanswered. They had to be wondering in this moment if what they had come to believe was really true. They must have been asking themselves if the decisions that they had made were the right ones. Was it worth it to denounce their heritage just to live in fear and follow the beliefs of a man that was now dead and gone? Was it worth it to walk away from certain family members and become outcasts because of their new-found faith? Was it worth leaving a comfortable lifestyle just to live in fear?

Peter knew exactly how they felt. Peter, being one of the patriarchs of the early church, must have felt the same amount of persecution as the rest. He too was feeling the pressure and knew that these people needed a word of encouragement. See, everyone scattered throughout this region had not had the same luxury of knowing Jesus on a personal level as Peter did. These people did not get to be a part of the inside lessons that only the disciples got to be a part of. These people did not hear the prophecy Jesus spoke of while still in the flesh and then get to watch it come true just as He said it would. Peter was one of the few that got to lean in close to Jesus while He still walked this earth. Knowing what he knew, seeing what he saw, and witnessing what he witnessed first-hand, left Peter without question, but not everyone experienced what he got to experience. Knowing this, Peter is moved by God to write a letter to this group of people, explaining that their decisions were not in vain. He explains that their beliefs are true, God is still God, and Jesus truly was the Son of God.

Peter begins to break down their new-found beliefs and explain how each part is legitimate and trustworthy. He begins here in 1 Peter 1:3 by diving into the thought of their eternal salvation. This is what we are going to look at today.

The Source of Our Hope

The Mercy of God

The New Birth

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ

The Substance of Our Hope

An Eternal Perspective (Living Hope)

An Eternal Inheritance

It is Incorruptible and Pure

It Will Never Fade Away

It is kept in Heaven for Us

The Security of Our Hope

We are kept by God’s Power

Our faith is strengthened by God