A Study in 1 Peter: Set a Part
Notes
Transcript
Intro:
Intro:
Welcome: Good morning and welcome everyone in the room! Can we also give a big warm welcome to everyone watching online. We are kicking off a new series we are calling “Set Apart” as we study the book of 1 Peter. Before we get too far into this series, *Pastor Joe Appreciation*.
Context: Now you may be asking, Josh, why 1 Peter. You may not know this but the Bible is actually a collection of 66 books spanning for the beginning of time all the way to the end of the first century, So why 1 Peter.
The context in which the Apostle Peter writes this letter is very clearly similar the context you and I find yourselves in today. Peter is likely writing this letter from the city of Rome, the epicenter of the Roman Empire. One of the largest empire in History, t the time of Peters writing the world was ruled by Rome. From England to Africa and from Syria to Spain, one in every four people on earth lived and died under Roman law. This empire was global melting pot. Full of people from different cultures, ethinicties and social classes. (Sound familiar?) The period in which Jesus lived is a part of what Roman historians call the period of peace in the Roman Empire, but by the time Peter is writing this letter, around 30 years after Jesus’ death the period of peace was coming to an end. There was division rising up within the empire over political issues, social issues, religious beliefs, military strategy and while that is all going on the early christian church is spreading throughout the empire. And these Christians are being compelled to take sides, sides that they can’t fully take because their political affiliation doesn’t take priority over their relationship with Jesus. Their social preferences don’t take priority over their relationship with Jesus. Their ethnicity does not take priority over their relationship with Jesus. The cultural norms of the time do not take priority over their relationship with Jesus. So because they are choosing Jesus over the Roman Empire they are being treated unfairly. They are even beginning to be persecuted because of their faith in Jesus. It is not full fledged persecution, but it is starting. So Peter writes this letter to the early Christians to encourage them in the midst of their unfavorable circumstance. We live in a culture where Christianity isn’t cool. We are not experiencing full fledged persecution, but it is a post-Christian culture. God has given us this letter, these words, to encourage us in the midst of unfavorable circumstances.
12 Through Silvanus, a faithful brother (as I consider him), I have written to you briefly in order to encourage you and to testify that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it!
Transition: Peter says he wants to encourage us so that we stand firm in the midst of these circumstances. How does he do that? He can’t change their circumstances.
You may not be able to change your circumstances, but you can change your perspective.
You may not be able to change your circumstances, but you can change your perspective.
That is what Peter tries to do for the early Christians in the first 12 verses of chapter one. He brings clear truth from God to change the early Christians perspective.
When you change your perspective you change the outcome of your life. How do I know? Because I have seen the Disney classic The Lion King about 12 times in the past year. It is by two year old daughter second favorite movie. Hannah Movie. If you havent seen it yet, I am sorry, but I am going to spoil it for you. You can’t be mad the movie came out in 1994…you have had time. So don’t be like..aww man i was going to go to blockbuster and watch it tonight. The best scene in that movie happen right after Simba has been living a worry free life(Hakuna Matata) and then Nala comes and finds him a comfronts him with the brutal circumstances that he has been avoiding all of his life. Simba, Unwilling to confront those circumstances himself, stumbles accross rafiki who take him to his father. Then Mufasa(Simbas Father) appears to him in the sky and he says “Simba, REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE, You are my son...” Simba goes onto confront the evil circumstances in his life and fulfill the purpose of his life.
Peter does the same thing, right away in verse one he tells you who you are
Remember Who You Are
Remember Who You Are
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.
Chosen by God -
Chosen by God -
(SET APART) Elect (according to the foreknowledge of God)
God picked you. He didn’t have to..but he did.
Recess as a kid..I wasn’t always as svelt and handsome as my wife tells me I am. 5th grade- chunky, bowl cute, braces. I wasn’t picked first. 9th grade- abs, buzz cut, no braces, small muscles. I was picked first.
You were picked first. That means you are valuable. Not for what you do, but for who you are. God values you.
Transition: Remember who you are…you are elect-Chosen by God
Strangers in this World -
Strangers in this World -
Exiles
You are not citizens of this world. This is not your home. You are a citizen of heaven.
An exile is not a permanent resident. The word used for exile here refers to a traveler who stay is measured in a few weeks or months. have you ever been anywhere for several weeks or a few months.
Junior year of College two months in Ghana, West Coast of Africa 2 month internship. I stayed with a host family. From the very begining it was apparent that I was not a citizen of Ghana…do you want to know what gave it away? My shorts. Everyone always wore pants., I was the only person wearing shorts. Did you think it was going to be my skin? Well yeah. Oburoni. Not only did I look different from everyone else, but I behaved differently too. I shook hands differently, I ate differently, I spoke differently. In fact there was another intern there from America who was black, who stuck out almost as much as I did. Not only did we look different, but we behaved different.
If you are a Christian, people should be able to look at you, observe the way you live and behave and come to the conclusion that you are different from the world around you. (v.2 in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood) Because this is not where we come from and this is not where we are going to end up. We are just passing through.
But I wasn’t just a tourist...While I was in Ghana I did indulge myself in the culture, so that I could connect with people in that world. I tried to dress the way they dressed, I tried to eat the food they ate, I traveled the way they traveled and I tried to learn and communicate the way they communicated. So I didn’t completely separate myself from the community. I just knew that culture would not define me or my life. I knew that I would never feel fully at home there, that there would always be an angst, a longing to go back, the whole time I was there I never felt completely at rest, but I knew that one day..I was going to go home...
Do you feel at home here? do you feel at peace here? Or do you feel like there is a giant whole in your gut that is never filled? So you feel unsatisfied? Do you feel a longing for something different. One day, you are going to go home.
Transition: We can’t always change our circumstances, but we can change our perspective. Remember who you are, you are elect(chosen by God) you are an exile a stranger in this world none the less). Is your perspective starting to change? We don’t just need to remember who we are, but we also need to remember who God is.
Remember Who God Is
Remember Who God Is
When you remember who your God is, your problems get a lot smaller. Peter then reminds us in verse 3 who our God is.
1 Peter 1:3 (ESV) 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
God is Merciful
God is Merciful
This is one of God’s attributes. God is not angry all the time. He isn’t mad at you. He is not punishing you. God is Merciful. That means he chooses not to give you what you deserve. Instead, he gives you something you don’t deserve.
Because of God’s Mercy we have three things available to us:
Because of God’s Mercy we have three things available to us:
1 Peter 1:3 (ESV) 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
A living hope
A living hope
Not wishful thinking, but a confident expectation of a better future. It is living-growing…as we get closer to Jesus the expectation builds. Jesus is the source of our hope, because he conquered death and the grade. Because he rose, we to can have a confident expectation for our resurrection. Because Death is not the final word, sin and death can be overcome. There will be a better future, if not on this side on the other!
An Inheritance
An Inheritance
4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,
Not only does Peter tell us we will live beyond the grave, but that there is something better for us on the other side of death. There is treasure waiting for you, kept for you. Nothing can happen to it, it will not fade, it will not be defiled.
Salvation
Salvation
5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
My salvation story: This is the greatest gift the world has ever known. That Jesus, God himself, came to us. He knew we could never work our way to him. It was not possible. SO he came to us. Lived a life without flaw, and then our place on the cross. Then came back to life three days later to show the world that he is God he is the messiah that he is the savior of the world. We should be banished to eternity in hell because of our sin. But if you repent and process your faith in Jesus you will never see the inside of hell.
Do you want to know who can’t be saved by Jesus? The person who believes they don’t need saving. That was me. When I was 14 I declared my faith in Jesus, but soon thought that if I did and said all of the right things, but salvation doesn’t start on the outside and work its way in. It starts with God and works its way in and out. According to Gods great Mercy we receive that salvation of our souls…we must simply turn away from our sin and run to Jesus putting our faith in him.
5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,
We take this for granted. I know I do sometimes. The early church did. If we skip down the verse 10 Peter emphasizes even more how great this salvation is.
10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, 11 inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. 12 It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.
Pastor Joe did a couple messages on the fulfilment of prophecy recently, but life was not easy on the prophets etiher, they were often treated and persecuted for proclaiming God’s word, but they still sought God dilligently and spoke faithful about the coming of Jesus and oh how they longed to see it fulfilled, but they did not get to see it fulfilled in their life times.
The prophets testified to the coming Messiah, but didn’t get to see it.
Angels got to see God’s salvation from Heaven, but haven’t experienced it.
If you are a follow of Jesus you get to experience it and live in it.
In other words…the prophets and the angels wish they were you because you are a main character in the greatest story ever told. Lion King is a great movie, but it is not the best story ever told. Hamilton is a brilliant musical, but it is not the great show in history. The Hunger Games Series is a phenomenal books series…Reading the ballad of song birds and snakes amazed at the authors forethought and creativity, but it is not the best story ever written. Katniss everdeen’s got nothing on Jesus, Simbas got nothing on Jesus. Jesus is the ultimate hero, the ultimate savior.
The greatest story the world will ever know is written by the creator of the universe where he created you and me and this world we live in God himself, coming down to you and me to save us from our selves. And you are a main character in this story. He wrote it for you. He wrote it because he wanted you, because he valued you and wanted to spend eternity with you. It is the greatest story.
You may not be able to change your circumstances, but you can change your perspective.
You may not be able to change your circumstances, but you can change your perspective.
When you face unfavorable circumstances you tend to focus in on the circumstances and try to run away from those circumstance when what you really needs is to filter your perspective on WHO GOD IS AND WHO HE SAYS YOU ARE.
You are Chosen by God, You are a stranger in this world, God is so merciful and in his mercy he has given, through Jesus Christ, a hope that is living, an inheritance that is unfading, and a salvation that is the greatest gift the world will ever know.
This should change the way you see your circumstances.
That is what Peter says in verse 6
1 Peter 1:6–7 (ESV)
6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
The result of a new perspective: Rejoice
The result of a new perspective: Rejoice
When we remember who we are and who God is and in his Mercy the great salvation we have in him how can we do anything, but rejoice? The purpose of your trials or circumstances is not to punish you, but to build your faith in Jesus by testing how quickly you turn your attention to him. This may not happen every time, but as your faith in Jesus grows, you will more quickly remember that God chose you because he values you, you will more quickly remember that this world is not your home so it will never really feel at home here, you will more quickly remember that God is merciful and in his mercy you can have hope, you can set your gaze upon him in heaven because the day is coming when he is going to deliver you fully to himself and then you will rejoice. The suffering isn’t want brings joy, but the suffering causes you to look to Jesus and in him you cannot help, but rejoice.
8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
This joy comes from God. It cannot be manufactured by man and therefore we cannot accurately express the level of Joy find in Jesus. So many followers of Jesus put on the “mask” of joy. They are joyful around others because they are “supposed to be”. I have heard so many people tell me they “fake it until they make it” and even early on in my walk with Jesus that rubbed me the wrong way…now I know why. Because we shouldn’t have to fake it. In any circumstances we should be able to look to our merciful God and our eternal destination and be immediately filled with a joy so big, so powerful, so contagious that words can’t even express. We dont fake joy, we choose Joy because Jesus chose us!
Two daughters waking up in the night from a bad dream or thunder. They dont just sit their and cry and wallow…they call on their parents(usually mom, but sometimes me) My wife told me of one this week where Hannah woke up screaming crying in the middle of the night…she cried for her mommy
That is what we are to do, not just sit and wallow in our circumstances, but look to Jesus and the circumstances we find ourselves in will begin to fade and we will find joy in Jesus