1 Peter 1:1-12 - Faith in Faithless Times
Notes
Transcript
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
Introduction: This past week, the kids at VBS have been learning that God is a creative God, a designer; that Jesus is King, Jesus is Redeemer and that the Holy Spirit helps us follow God’s plan.
Today, as we celebrate VBS, we are also beginning our summer sermon series in 1 Peter as we look at having unshakeable faith in a world that seems to have gone mad.
And our first sermon ties in incredibly well with day 4 of our VBS. Day 4 is the day that we share with the kids about how Jesus is our redeemer; He died for our sins so that they can have eternal life in heaven.
And sometimes as adults we can think of the Gospel as kids stuff. We can think of it a decision we make or a prayer we pray when we’re kids and we grow up and beyond that. But the Gospel isn’t just for kids or even new believers. It’s for all of us.
Whenever Jesus’ disciples face tough times, they remind themselves of the Gospel.
Transition to the text: Turn with me in your Bibles to 1 Peter. Over the next 10 weeks we’ll be going through this incredible letter to encourage people facing tough times. Peter was one of Jesus’ disciples, you might even say he is the oldest and most trusted disciple even though he repeatedly got is foot stuck in his mouth. Peter was someone that people looked up to, so when he spoke, people listened.
So how would Peter encourage a people who were beaten down by the world through persecution and hard times?
Peter tells that to...
Introduce:
Big Idea: Remember and believe what you already know.
Big Idea: Remember and believe what you already know.
Read:
1 Peter 1:1–12 (ESV)
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. 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, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 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. 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. 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.
Big Idea: When things get tough, remember and believe what you already know.
Big Idea: When things get tough, remember and believe what you already know.
Transition: Peter writes to those people who are exiled because of the great persecution that has come on the Christians in Jerusalem.
So much of the Bible talks about how people are to respond to tough situations.
And most of the time we don’t need to be told what to do, but simply reminded of what we already know.
1. Remember what Jesus has done and what it means for you. (1 Peter 1:1-7)
1. Remember what Jesus has done and what it means for you. (1 Peter 1:1-7)
Explanation: Peter has a couple of reminders meant to give encouragement in light of our trials in life.
First Peter reminds us that no matter what we face in this life, we have the promise of eternal life because of what Jesus did on the cross and how he overcame death and rose from the dead.
He’s given us an inheritance that we can never lose. It’s true that Jesus secured our salvation but our inheritance is so much more than heaven, though eternal life is nothing neglect. But our true inheritance is God Himself. We get to be in relationship with God for eternity.
Jesus said John 17:3
3 And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.
And while the path to salvation is through life, we can be certain of what awaits us on the other sides.
And what this means for us is that we can look at the trials of life and the tough times and the tough people we come in contact with not as evidence that God has abandoned us or even that He is angry with us but rather that these trials are only temporary and test the genuineness of our faith.
Application: The most important thing we can do when we face the troubles of a faithless world is to lean deeper into who God is. So many of us have an internal monologue going through our head telling us that we’re not not good enough or that the situation we find ourselves in is because God doesn’t love us.
Reject those lies, because the truth is God sent HIs son to die on the cross that we may have eternal life. There is no reason for us to worry about anything if we can just remember what Jesus has already done.
2. Remember that even when you can’t see Jesus, He’s still right here. (1 Peter 1:8-9)
2. Remember that even when you can’t see Jesus, He’s still right here. (1 Peter 1:8-9)
Explanation: One of the hardest things in this life, especially when we face times, is to think that we are all alone. And in tough times, it makes you think you are alone.
But think about the people that Peter was writing to. They had to leave home because of intense persecution. They lost family (sometimes to martyrdom). They got separated from family. In many cases they found themselves in situations where they had no Christian community.
But you’re never alone. Jesus is always there. We may not see Him day in and day out, but his promise still stands:
Hebrews 13:5–6 (ESV)
5 ...for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” 6 So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”
For Christians, whenever we feel alone, we must remember that God is always with us.
Application: There are going to be times in our lives when we feel all alone. We may even be alone from a worldly perspective. But we are never alone when we remember that Jesus is with us.
Jesus didn’t just die to save us from our sins. He died to make us family.
15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.
Paul also writes about this in Romans 8:16-18
16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. 18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
And if we are coheirs with Christ, that means we are connected to one another.
Why? Because God keeps His promises.
3. Remember that God keeps His PROMISES. (1 Peter 1:10-12)
3. Remember that God keeps His PROMISES. (1 Peter 1:10-12)
Explanation: God is a promise keeper. For thousands of years, God promised that Jesus was coming. But the promise wasn’t just for salvation from sin, but also the establishment of a family of God that transcended ethnicity and culture.
So you can be comforted in the the reminder that even when we think we’re alone, Jesus has purchased for us, with His sacrifice on the cross, an entire family so that we can go anywhere in the world and find family.
For the people Peter as writing to, the answer was to trust in the God who keeps promises.
Peter writes of the prophets who told of Jesus’ coming. They spoke of Jesus’ sufferings and that it wasn’t an accident, but it was the way.
You see, God designed our salvation around Jesus’ crucifixion. The cross wasn’t God just fixing our mistakes and make the best of our mess ups. The cross was always plan A.
He planned the right time at the right place. He told the prophets where Jesus would be born, who His mom would be, who His step dad would be, even who He would grow up to be.
All those promises came true.
Applications: No matter what we face in this life, we can rest in the promises of God.
God promised his people that He would come through for them. That even though our sins separated us from Him, He would not leave us to our own devices, but would make a way for to be right with Him.
It took a long time. In the meantime he made other ways. The sacrificial system. But all that was leading to Jesus. God’s promise that we will one day spend eternity with Him in heaven.
So when we face tough times now, we remember that this life is only temporary. As the apostle Paul said:
17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,
God promises that in light of eternity, no matter what you go through
Response: When you go through tough times, do you remember to turn to Jesus?
Response: When you go through tough times, do you remember to turn to Jesus?
Summation:
Big Idea: When things get tough, remember and believe what you already know.
1. Remember what Jesus has done and what it means for you. (1 Peter 1:1-7)
2. Remember that even when you can’t see Jesus, He’s still right here. (1 Peter 1:8-9)
3. Remember that God keeps His promises. (1 Peter 1:10-12)
Conclusion:
When we encounter a faithless world, let us remember to remain faithful to a faithful God. God is not surprised by our struggles. In fact those struggles test the genuineness of our faith and train us for any future struggles that may come.
The question is, do we remember?
Do we remember what Jesus had done from us?
Doe we remember that Jesus is with us?
And do we remember that God keeps His promises?
It’s funny when I look back over my own life. It’s not often that the good times had anything to teach me. Certainly the good times are fun, but it’s truly in the tough times that we find out what we are made of.
Will we forget? Or will we remember?’
When you can remember that Jesus has already done so much for us; when we remember that He will never leave nor forsake us and when we remember that God keeps His promises, we will learn to trust Him no matter what.
So when you face tough times, remember to turn to Jesus.
Week 1 of 2022 Summer Sermon Series: Unshakeable: Faith in Faithless Times (1 Peter 1:1-12)
Big Idea: When things get tough, remember and believe what you already know.
1. Remember what Jesus has done and what it means for you. (1 Peter 1:1-7)
2. Remember that even when you can’t see Jesus, He’s still right here. (1 Peter 1:8-9)
3. Remember that God keeps his promises. (1 Peter 1:10-12)
Response: When you go through tough times, do you remember to turn to Jesus?
Opening Discussion:
How do you feel about the world that we are living in? What are somethings that get you excited? What are some things that worry you?
Sermon:
What does Peter remind the his readers that God has done for them?
According to Peter what is the purpose of the trials we face in life?
What will be the result of our faith in faithless times?
What does Peter say about what the prophets said about the coming of Jesus?
How do these prophecies from the Old Testament help us to have faith in faithless times?
Application:
What do you most related to about Peter’s words to his readers?
Why is it sometimes difficult to see God’s hand in our lives in the midst of our struggles?
Do you have a moment in life where God’s love for your was so clear that it gives you strength in the present?
How do you view your trials in life? Do you allow them to draw you closer to God? Or do they draw you away from God?
How does the truth of the Bible give you confidence that God will come through for us?
How will you maintain your faith in faithless times?