I PETER—A MESSAGE OF ENCOURAGEMENT
#794 I PETER—A MESSAGE OF ENCOURAGEMENT
Scripture I Peter 1:1-20, NIV Orig. 4/10/1983
Passage
1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God’s elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, 2 who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance.
Praise to God for a Living Hope
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, 11 trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow. 12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.
Be Holy
13 Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. 14 As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 15 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16 for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”[a] 17 Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear. 18 For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. 20 He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake.
Introduction
Slides
Character: Salutation, Greeting, Prayer of Thanksgiving
Written to: “Chosen sojourners of the dispersion”
Content: Practical admonitions calling for persistence in faith—See I Peter 1:6-9
Tradition: A general persecution rather than particular, review I Peter 2:13-17
Other readers: See I Peter 1:1. Compare Acts 2:9 where some of these people perhaps heard Peter preach.
The Writer: 1) Where—“Elect in Babylon” I Peter 5:13
2) When—About the time Paul condemned to death (60’s), and James killed (62AD)
3) Who—no real reason to consider any other than Peter—I Peter 1:1, 5:12
Session 1—4/10/1983 General Information and Election (A Major Thesis Has to do with Election)
First, there are the two extreme positions: (1)God’s sovereignty controls absolutely. Man’s freedom is a pipedream. (2)Freedom on man’s part allows him total control of his eternal destiny.
Election—see also Ephesians 1:4,5: (1)God elects some people to be saved. (2)He does not elect all to be saved. (3)This election took place in eternity past. (4)This election is a happenstance of God’s foreknowledge.
The case for individual responsibility. See John 3:16, Revelation 22:17, John 6:37
What the believers have—(1)called “sojourners”—alien, pilgrim; see also Philippians 3:20-21 and Hebrews 13:14; (2)called “saints”—separated for God and are to live in conformity to God’s will.
Session 2—4/17/1983 The Great Salvation
Quote The Hiding Place(1) [by Corrie Ten Boom]. “Life in Ravensbrück took place on two separate levels, mutually impossible. One, the observable, external life, grew every day more horrible. The other, the life we lived with God, grew daily better, truth upon truth, glory upon glory.”
Also, tell the story of Dr. Schweitzer in Louisville, at bus stop on cold day. Old, ragged woman quickly given $1. “Chin up!” Next day, she’s back. Concern, sticks $20 in his hand. “Congratulations, Chin-up paid 20x1.”
I Peter 1:3 Blessed used only in regard to God. “Unto a living hope.” A miracle takes place “begotten”; through the means of the Resurrection (1)Judaism had hope, but it was never fulfilled—the Greeks had a yearning, philosophical belief, (2)Christians have an empty tomb.
I Peter 1:4 “to an inheritance”: (1)incorruptible—a secure dwelling place the Jews among knew Hebrew history, how often the land was overrun; (2)undefiled—there was no such thing as a land untouched by evils in society, culture, politics, even religion; (3)unfading—the victor’s crown was often no more than a wreath of celery leaves: they were familiar with the fading beauty of Babylon, Jerusalem. Compare Mark 10:17 “eternal life”—I Corinthians 15:50 immortality, Hebrews 1:14 salvation. Reserved in heaven = reservation, guarantee.
I Peter 1:5 “kept by the power of God”: (1)security of the believer; (2)Peter’s experience.
Salvation
1)Luke 19:9 Zacchaeus “today salvation is come.”
2)Philippians 2:12 “Work out your salvation with fear and trembling.”
3)Romans 13:11 “Now is salvation nearer than when we believed.”
Session 3—4/20/1983
I Peter 1:13 “Gird up”—relates to the method of getting long garments out of the way for work; “of your mind”—a case of mental exercise; “be sober”—not directly of alcohol [but, rather], be in control.
I Peter 1:14 “As obedient children”—a case for the understanding of Christian family life under God the Father; “ignorance” would more reflect on pagans than Jews.
Session 4—4/24/1983
We concluded before with the “obedient children” v14 calling on the “Father” v17.
1) We need to consider our approach to God. (1)Psalm 48:1 “Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of His holiness.” (2)Isaiah 57:15 “Thus saith the high and lofty one that inhabiteth eternity.”
2) Is it presumptive to call such an One, Father? Jane Russell—He’s a right good guy. Scribes and Pharisees in John 8, came as officials of the law; woman taken in adultery, “Moses commanded death, What do you say?” John 8:19 “You neither know me nor my Father”; John 8:39 “Abraham is our father.” “If he was,” Jesus said, “You would act like he acted.”
3) What we must remember is that He chose to reveal Himself as Father. (1)It is not sexist lingo, it is divine choice—women’s groups get uptight,; article in file by Nun on God, our Mother. (2)He chose to send His son, not His daughter.
4) God wants us to approach Him, to invoke His help. (1)But not under conditions that satisfy us. (2)You see, the problem is not God’s ego, but our pride. Proverbs 3:7 “Be not wise in thine own eyes; fear the Lord, and depart from evil.” Isaiah 14:11 “Thy pomp is brought down to the grave. Obadiah 1:4 “Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the Lord.”
5) Now, a point about the kind of response we may expect when as believers we invoke the Lord. (1)The response of equality. James 3:17 Wisdom that is from above is without partiality; the word literally: “not the face.” (2)Response of considered judgment—Isaiah 26:9 When thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn right; Hosea 6:5 “Thy judgments are as light.” (3)It is a judgment covering all of life: I Peter 1:17 “conduct yourself throughout” the time of your sojourning. (4)It calls for life to be lived from a Christian perspective. I Peter 1:18 “Redeemed from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers.”
6) We turn in v18 to a thought about the word “redeemed.” See Matthew 20:28 Peter was there when the wife of Zebedee, mother of James and John, requested special treatment for her sons. The scripture says “the ten were indignant.” Jesus said “the ones who are great will be servants . . . the Son of Man came . . . to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” Remember that the ransoming takes place through “the blood.” (1)We don’t learn from the Old Testament by studying about the sacrificial lamb. (2)We better understand Old Testament passages because Christ gives meaning to that sacrifice. He is the type. Others are copies. “He is without blemish, without spot.” So II Peter 3:14 “Be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless.”
7) Then, there is another reference to “foreordained.” (1)If God had wanted to seal forever the choiceless state of predestination, He had but to use such a term here. I Peter 1:20 “He indeed was foreordained.” II Peter 2:17 “Since you know these things beforehand.” (2)There is a timelessness brought out here. We see through the eye, as a camera, one frame at a time. But God sees everything in an instant; the computer is an imperfect example. What God saw in eternity past, He chose to reveal to and through a specially chosen people: This doesn’t compromise His impartiality, it simply confirms His sovereignty. (3)There is a profoundness also about the time of Christ’s coming, and its meaning as there was about the primordial world and before: it is eternity past and eternity now (v20). Katabole—a casting down (as with seed). (4)To be a Christian is not to be lucky and be born under the right set of circumstances. It is to be overwhelmed by the glory of salvation. It is to understand the gift to come from God, through Jesus, under conditions controlled by the Father. It is to walk in fear of what might have been, if we had not such confidence in Christ, if we had disregarded Christ’s ransoming.
What about a man like Gandhi?2 “I owe, and India owes, more to one who never set foot in [India], than to anyone else; that is to Jesus Christ.” (5)John 17:1,4,5 God raised Jesus, God gave Him glory—confirmed His life.
https://www.amazon.com/Hiding-Place-Corrie-Ten-Boom/dp/0800794052#detailBullets_feature_div
https://www.gandhiashramsevagram.org/gandhi-literature/mahatma-gandhi-collected-works-volume-42.pdf p4
1Ten Boom, C., Sherrill, E., Sherrill, J. 2006. The Hiding Place: The Triumphant True Story of Corrie Ten Boom. (35th Anniversary Edition). Chosen Books.
2Gandhi Literature: Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi, V42, p4. 1928: Gandhi Sevagram Ashram.
mahatma-gandhi-collected-works-volume-42.pdf (gandhiashramsevagram.org)