1 Peter 1:3-12

Carl Seitz

1 Peter • Sermon • Submitted 2 years ago

1 Peter 1:3–12

Hope

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Review of 1 Peter 1:1-2

Author = Peter an Apostle of Jesus

The same Peter vacillated between faith and fear

Audience = The elect scattered throughout what is now modern day Turkey after being dispersed from Jerusalem by the emperor Claudius between 41 and 54 A.D.

(God’s elect who are strangers in the world)

Here is a letter written to churches like ours, about a time such as ours.

Like the Christians in Asia Minor, most of us don’t face universal, state-sponsored persecution at this time—but we are encountering the reality of increasing hostility toward anything Christian.

While we may live under the rule of governments that offer some legal protections for Christians, Christianity is no longer generally accepted, nor deemed acceptable

Take Aways =

Just as Jesus chose the apostles, God chose you for a particular work.

There is nothing that disqualifies you from Christian service. What we see as stumbling blocks God can turn into stepping stones.

God does not save us to instruct us, he instructs us to use us.

1 Peter 1:3-12

Born Again to a Living Hope

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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.

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Peter begins here by presenting a strong and personal hope. This hope you see is rooted in the God that Peter has come to know.

One of the reasons we spend time in God’s word is so that we personally get to know Him.

The more we come to know Him the stronger our faith becomes and our hope is assured.

You might notice that Peter uses the same word picture of being “born again” that Jesus used when he spoke to Nichodemis.

What does it mean to be born again?

A new birth brings with it a new identity and citizenship (2:9). In this birth, God is our Father (1:17), and we are his children.

As many of you know, I spent most of my adult life in emergency services. As a paramedic I have had the blessing of delivering 12 babies.

Well actually, their Mothers delivered them I was just on the receiving end, but I was in all f12 cases the first one to make eye contact when they arrived.

Never once, did I see one of them wipe their brow and say, boy I hope this decision works out, or even rejoice for that matter over the great choice they made.

They were in fact, shocked and bewildered. Born of an apparatus that was completely outside of themselves and in which they had no part.

Peter’s hope rests in his election by God, in God’s foreknowledge that every thing that happens to him has been ordained by God and in God’s power that is perfect and complete.

This hope is sure because although we are saved by faith, our hope does not rest in our faith itself, but on the one who that faith is in.

HOPE!

As the likelihood of persecution increases for Christians in the West, we need to arm ourselves with this living hope. Because of this living hope, we no longer need to fear death, much less persecution. So he sees the promises that God provides through His word as:

imperishable,

undefiled (perfect),

Unfading (permanent)

Kept in Heaven for us - God walks with us and blesses us but our real destiny is yet to come.

Our promised inheritance is not susceptible to corruption; it is eternal. It will never become defiled or unclean; it will never fade away or lose its unspoiled character.

1. How can embracing this new identity as God’s child help you if and when you struggle with lack of self-worth or with pride?

2.In a world dominated by materialism and the accumulation of wealth, how should knowing that we have a future incorruptible inheritance affect a Christian’s view of money and possessions in this life?

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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.

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Last time we met we talked about our sanctification

When we were called, we were Justified,

Throughout our Christian walk, we are being sanctified (The process of becoming like Christ).

At the day of Christ’s return we will be glorified (Philippines 1:6)

So when we face trials it forces us to lean into God’s promises and as we come through those trials are faith grows.

REFINING, the process of eliminating by fire the dross of metals

Can you think of a time when your faith was strengthened after coming through a trial?

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8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him.

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Peter saw the resurrected Christ. He saw the Lord glorified at the Transfiguration in Matthew 17:1–9 , and he saw Jesus ascend to Heaven.

If Peter recognizes that we must believe without seeing, then certainly God sees that as well and we are blessed as a result of that faith.

In fact, look at 2 Peter 1:16-21

Read:

“For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”

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How many times have you said to yourself, well if I could have been there and seen with my own eyes, my faith would be more sure?

Well here you see, that now that we have the entire gospel, we have a clearer picture of salvation than those who walked with Jesus and saw His miracles.

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These prophets did not have the full picture but, but they wrote for our sake that the entire plan of salvation would be unfolded before us.

So we live you see, in privileged times. We live in a time where what has been revealed clearly to us is the very thing that Angles of Heaven have longed to look.

QUESTIONS

How does an understanding that we live in a privileged time, when God has revealed His Messiah encourage you in your daily life

How does this section of scripture encourage you to praise God for all He has done