9/2/2012
INTRODUCTION:
· This book includes Peter's writing when he was a mature Christian .....
steeped in spiritual knowledge gained first hand from the Lord Jesus Christ and from the Holy Spirit.
The object of Peter in this epistle is to:
1. Confirm Christians in the.....faith ....profession and obedience of the Gospel.
2. By deepening their conviction that the source of their sharing in the eternal kingdom of God
was to be found in their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
3. Peter teaches that the doctrine of the Lord Jesus Christ was indeed the unchangeable word of God....
therefore they should receive it with childlike simplicity .......
and advance continually in their responsibilities of obedience to the doctrine.
4. Finally, Peter exhorts them to remain steadfast in the faith under all persecution, that they might conduct themselves as shinning "lights in the world."
1. HOPE: RECOGNIZE ITS BASIS (1 PETER 1:1-5)
1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus , Galatia , Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia
· Being an apostle, Peter writes with the infallible Divine authority that Jesus had given him.
· As God's elect they live on this earth as exiles and temporary residents.
2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, that you may obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in fullest measure.
· Peter describes three acts of the Triune God.
· The Father has foreknowledge (why? He knows what will happen for He wills it so).
· The Holy Spirit sanctifies.
· The Lord Jesus Christ expects obedience from those whom He has cleansed from sin by His blood.
· Election is a doctrine very plainly taught by Scripture which teaches that .....
· all who enjoy the blessings of salvation do so as a consequence of the sovereign free love of God..... which, like Himself, is eternal.
· "Elect" means that God has chosen the readers.
· Out of the human race, God has chosen His own people.
Ephesians 1:3-6
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love 5 He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. NASB
· God only elected those that He knew would accept Christ of their own free will.
Matthew Henry: "Our sanctification does not exist in the mind of God only, but it is real to us, begun in regeneration, whereby we are renewed after the image of God, and made new creatures, and carried on in the daily exercise of holiness, mortifying our sins more and more and living to God in all the duties of a Christian life, which is here summed up in one word, obedience, comprehending all the duties of Christianity."
· We are sanctified, set apart, that we as unique people would be obedient to our Lord.
· Christians show the evidence of election through obedience to God!
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
· Hope pertains to the day that the Lord will come again to receive them to Himself, that, for all eternity, where He is, they will be also.
· Our hope for our resurrection lies in the fact of "the resurrection of Jesus Christ."
· Without the resurrection of Christ, our rebirth would be impossible and our hope would be meaningless.
· Remember, Peter was a witness of Jesus' resurrection.
· He testified to this truth throughout his ministry of preaching and writing.
4 to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,
· The key word in this verse is "inheritance."
· God is keeping our inheritance in heaven where it is absolutely safe for us until the appointed time we receive it.
5 who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time
NASB
· Now we are reminded that it is God Himself who is protecting our inheritance.
· Some believe that the term "revealed" means that everyone shall see this inheritance, but only believers shall possess it.
· What eternal torment this must be!
2. HOPE: REJOICE IN RESPONSE (1 PETER 1:6-9)
6 In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials,
· …"in this" relates to the experience of rebirth and the anticipation of salvation.
· The sufferings they endure are insignificant when compared with the joy they will experience at the end of time.
· Suffering may be difficult to endure, but it is necessary for some Christians to accomplish God's purpose in their lives (to strengthen their faith and witness, for example.)
7 that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
· Peter seems to anticipate the question about why a believer has to experience trials in their life.
· After time, the results of the tests become visible, namely a genuine faith.
· Faith is of far greater value than gold for faith originates in heaven and is a gift of God.
8 and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,
· This joy is the fruit of the Spirit.
9 obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.
NASB
· Salvation belong to us now judicially in principle.
· We will come into full possession of it when we are with Christ eternally.
There are four contrasts to be found in these verses.....
Here and now,
1. Christ, the object of our faith is not bodily present with us, for now we know Him by faith only.
2. Our faith is exposed to manifold trials.
3. Salvation is the object of our faith.
4. We live in a time of heaviness by the weight of our trials.
In Heaven,
1. We shall see Him in person and shall know Him by direct communication and activity with Him.
2. The result of the trial of our faith will be praise and honor and glory to God.
3. Salvation will be completely realized.
4. Our trials and heaviness will be removed and joy unspeakable, and full of glory will take their place.
3. HOPE: RECALL GOD’S GRACE (1 PETER 1:10-12)
10 As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful search and inquiry, 11 seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow.
· They did not understand all that they prophesied, but instead of shrugging their shoulders when they failed to understand the significance of their words, they "searched diligently" to determine the meaning of God's Word.
· The Bible is still a best seller, but the people who regularly read it are a minority.
· Furthermore, persons who search the Scriptures are in a class by themselves; they usually attend a seminary of Bible college.
· But serious Bible study should not be limited to one particular group of people.
· The Bible is an open book in which God tells us about the riches of salvation we have in Christ Jesus.
· Therefore, we should study the Scripture to be wise in respect to salvation and to be obedient to God's command
· In their searching, the prophets were trying to find out the time and circumstances of the coming of the promised Messiah.
· They knew that the Messiah was coming; they did not know when or the circumstances of His arrival.
12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven — things into which angels long to look.
NASB
· The angels have a desire to look into and understand the whole truth in reference to the final salvation of the people of God.
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