November 27, 2011
Morning Service

I Peter chapter one.

 

We have been studying the life of Peter.  Since Peter’s calling, and through chapter 15 of the book of Acts, Peter has used the keys ( which represents authority ) to the kingdom of Heaven, to unlock the door of salvation for the Jews in Acts chapter two, and for the Gentiles in Acts chapter 10.  We hear no more about Peter to the conclusion of Acts.

 

So this morning we will begin to look at the letters of instruction, and encouragement, I & 2 Peter.

 

We will begin with the introduction to 1 Peter:

 

I Peter was written by Peter around the year 64 AD.  It is supposed that Peter wrote this letter from Rome where four years later he will be martyred shortly before Nero’s death in 68 AD.

We will see as we begin the letter that Nero has began persecuting the church, and the Christians are scattering.

 

Let’s begin I Peter:

SALUTATION:

1Pe 1:1-25 KJVR  Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,  (2)  Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.

·     Peter begins with establishing his authority.

·     Tells us to whom this letter is written.  To the strangers scattered throughout Asia Minor, or todays Turkey.  This is the area that the Apostle Paul traveled through, and established believers on three different missionary journeys.

·     Peter calls them the elect of God according to the foreknowledge of God.  Which means that God knew beforehand that these people, and you, and me would accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior.

·     Then he adds, through sanctification of the Spirit, which means that these elect will show forth the fruits of the Spirit found in Galatians 5.  Gal 5:22-23 KJVR  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,  (23)  Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 

·     Then notice;  unto obedience.  Which means a yielded life to the teachings of Jesus, and the Apostles.

·     And the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ.  This statement by Peter is referring to the way they would cleanse objects in the old testament.  By the sprinkling of the blood of bulls, and goats. 

Heb 9:13-14 KJVR  For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:  (14)  How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

• However, there are no examples of anyone being sprinkled in the book of Acts, which shows us clearly that the blood of Christ bought us a new covenant with God, and entrance into that new covenant is through the waters of baptism, and baptism means immersion, not sprinkling.  This is what we mean when we ask the Lord to help us to rightly divide the Word.
• Peter makes this statement because he was in the Jewish faith before becoming a Christian.
• This is an allegory, and Peter will show us what he thinks of baptism before we get out of this letter. 

HOPE FOR THE FUTURE:

(3)  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,  (4)  To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,

• And our lively hope is; Tit 2:13 KJVR  Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ;
• And to our inheritance, Jesus taught the very same thing;  Mat 6:20-21 KJVR  But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:  (21)  For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

 

TRIALS FOR THE PRESENT:

(5)  Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.  (6)  Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:  (7)  That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:  (8)  Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:  (9)  Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.

·     Trusting the Lord that this is where we are in our walk.  If not God, please help us to strive for it.

ANTICIPATION IN THE PAST:

(10)  Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you:  (11)  Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. 

·     Peter no doubt referring to Isa. 53, the suffering Servant.

(12)  Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.

·     Peter showing the importance of Jesus fulfilling all the O.T. prophecies, building our faith.

BE HOLY:

JUST AS A COACH ENCOURAGING HIS PLAYERS, FEEL THESE WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT FROM THE APOSTLE.

(13)  Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;  (14)  As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance:  (15)  But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;  (16)  Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.  (17)  And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear:  (18)  Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;  (19)  But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:  (20)  Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,  (21)  Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.

·     I thought as studying this morning, oh my Lord, and my God, how powerful, and encouraging are these words!

LOVE ONE ANOTHER:

(22)  Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:  (23)  Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever.  (24)  For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:  (25)  But the word of the Lord endureth forever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.

·     Paul said in 1Co 13:13 KJVR  And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.   And charity is love.  Love never fails.

·     And Peter is saying this is how you purified your souls by obeying the truth through the Spirit UNTO UNFEIGNED LOVE OF THE BRETHREN.

·     Love one another fervently from the heart, showing that you have been born again, by the Word of God, which lives, and abides forever.

·     For I know that my life is but a vapor which is here but for a short time, according to James, but the Word of God lives, and abides forever.

 

SEEING THAT THESE WORDS WERE WRITTEN BY A MAN THAT WAS SOON TO BE CRUCIFIED UPSIDE DOWN ON A CROSS, KNOWING THAT THESE WORDS ARE DIRECTLY FROM THE HEART OF GOD, IT SHOULD CAUSE US TO LAY DOWN EVERY WEIGHT, AND THE SIN WHICH DOES SO EASILY BESET US, AND RUN WITH PATIENCE THE RACE THAT IS SET BEFORE US.

 

THANK YOU GOD, FOR JESUS, THE AUTHOR, AND FINISHER OF OUR FAITH, THE WORD THAT WAS MADE FLESH, THAT WAS CRUCIFIED FOR OUR SINS, AND RESURRECTED FOR OUR HOPE OF ETERNAL SALVATION, AND EVER LIVES TO MAKE INTERSESSION FOR HIS CHURCH.    AMEN.