1 Peter Overview

Introduction

Happy Father’s Day!

Why relevant, why choose this book?

If you’ve read it recently, recurring themes

Suffering

Hostility from the world

Yet, not a drop of hopelessness or despair

Quite the opposite: full of hope and joy

Will we face such times?

Today: overview of and introduction to 1 Peter

Context of the book

Content of the book

Context

Timing

Nero’s government eventually descended into chaos

Burned Rome in AD 64

Blamed Christians as a scapegoat

Persecution of Christians began in earnest

Peter

Spent last decade of life in Rome

Martyred around AD 67

Some clues

Referring to still-functioning government: 1 Peter 2:14

Topics of suffering, trials and persecution recur throughout the book

Peter appears to conceal his location by referring to it as “Babylon” 1 Peter 5:13

Peter appears to not yet be captive

So a reasonable date might be around AD 64, perhaps persecution ramping up in Rome and Peter knows it will spread to other provinces where he is writing to

Audience

Believers in five Roman provinces in Asia Minor, modern-day Turkey

Both Jews and Gentiles

Churches in these Roman provinces were a mix

Jews include

Old Testament quotes

Referred to as in the “diaspora”—something the Jews related to

Gentiles includes

Former lives of ignorance 1 Peter 1:14

Previously not the people of God 1 Peter 2:10

Aliens - not because they were Jews, but because they were believers

1 Peter 2:11 - aliens and strangers in the world

1 Peter 2:12 - nations, not specifically Gentiles (to distinguish from Jews)

Reviled by others (don’t belong)

1 Peter 3:16 NASB95

and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame.

1 Peter 4:14 LEB

If you are reviled on account of the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.

Author

1 Peter 1:1 - obviously Peter!

How such eloquent Greek?

Peter was “uneducated”, a fisherman

But, by now, 30 years into a far-and-wide ministry where Greek was the primary language spoken

“Uneducated” does equal to incapable or stupid

1 Peter 5:12 - Silvanus’ help?

Certainly in writing

Maybe with Greek, but no reason to really think that

A man to learn from

Faithful to the end of his life

Lived out what he teaches in this book

As we saw in his character study

A man full of flaws

Humble

Sanctified by Christ

Read 1 Peter 1-5

Content

Theme

Some times you have to distill down the entire book

Peter makes it easy for us!

1 Peter 5:12 NASB95

Through Silvanus, our faithful brother (for so I regard him), I have written to you briefly, exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it!

The theme: stand firm in the true grace of God!

Why true grace? Is there a counterfeit?

Can be misunderstood, like any other aspect of God

Perhaps especially under trial?

Definition:

The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary Grace (Old Testament)

Grace is the favor of God to human beings.

Grace revealed

True grace revealed in salvation

As a believer: we have obtained grace through salvation

How?

We have hope based on the past, for the present, looking toward the future: 1 Peter 1:3-4

We have a purpose (holiness)

We have identity (a spiritual house, a special people)

True grace revealed in submission

All required to submit

We may think there are very few men in history who we might think escape this rule like emperors or kings or presidents

But even they will have to submit one day, at least

Isaiah 45:23 makes it clear that all men will bow their knee to the Lord

But, even simple patterns of nature teach us this lesson every day

No man controls the weather

No man controls the seasons

No man controls the passing of day into night and night into day

No man controls how they are born

Their gender

Their nationality

Their race

Their culture

We delude ourselves into thinking we can change some of these things, but ultimately we all submit to the rules God has established

1 Peter teaches us that God’s true grace is found in submitting to the order he has established, not rebelling against it

in the civil authorities

in the workplace

in the home

amongst each other

A flavor of what Peter has to say, it is for us, for all

Introduces 1 Peter 2:12

For other men to see and benefit: 1 Peter 2:15

For our good: 1 Peter 2:19, 20b

True grace revealed in suffering

Like with submission, Peter really only seems to make one assumption: we all suffer

Look around! Can you see one person (who isn’t young!) who you can truly say has not suffered to some extent? It’s not hard t think of instances:

We suffer with the choices of spouses

We suffer with the choices of our children

We suffer with the loss of loved ones

We suffer rejection

We suffer with others who are suffering (Sam’s brothers in Venezuela comes to mind)

We suffer from sickness, chronic pain, accidents, disease

We suffer for our faith

From a culture that reviles us

Increasingly from a government that restricts us

Peter turns the tables on our natural thinking on suffering: we are blessed!

Even if we suffer for doing what is right: 1 Peter 3:14

The more we suffer, the more we share with Christ: 1 Peter 4:13

In fact, it has practical lessons to teach:

We learn to stop sinning: 1 Peter 4:1

We learn trust: 1 Peter 4:19

True grace revealed in humility

Finally, Peter closes with a few points concerning the practical outworking of grace in humility

Elders are to shepherd the flock humbly 1 Peter 5:2

Young men are to humbly submit to elders 1 Peter 5:5

All men are to humble themselves under the might hand of God 1 Peter 5:6

Key verse

1 Peter 4:19 NASB95

Therefore, those also who suffer according to the will of God shall entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right.

It reflects every theme of the book

Salvation

Submission

Suffering

Humility

Get’s to the heart of the matter: will we choose to entrust ourselves to our faithful Creator?

Conclusion

Theme: God’s true grace is revealed in salvation, submission, suffering and humility.

Peter teaches us to find God’s true grace in

Our salvation

As we submit

When we suffer

Exercising humility