LIVE AS GOD’S PEOPLE

 

1 Peter 1 (All)

LIVE AS GOD’S PEOPLE

 

Ø This letter was written about 64AD. This means Peter had been a Christian approximately 30 years.

Ø 1 Peter is thought to be written from “Babylon” and is the first letter Peter wrote (or dictated)

Ø The place name “Babylon” may be a code word for Rome since Rome was the seat of the pagan worship of the day.

Ø This lesson is divided into two parts.

ü Part 1 deals with Praising God. (1 Peter 1: 3-5)

ü Part 2 is preparing ourselves (1 Peter 1:13 – 21)

 

Part 1

Ø Vs. 2 in Peter’s greeting is very important. We often speed over the greetings but here Peter brings in the idea we are sanctified “through the work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by His blood.

ü The Greek meaning of the word sanctify is “to make holy, consecrate, to separate from the world. We are to be set apart from sin in order that we may have intimate fellowship with God and serve Him gladly with praise, reverence and awe.

ü Peter is letting the people know they are set apart for holy use. They are consecrated. They are made holy through the Spirit for obedience to Christ. They are not the same as the rest of the world, they are set aside for God.

ü This is the lead in to the rest of Peter’s comments to them and use. We ARE NOT the same as the rest of the world and should not act like the world. We have a much higher calling and priority.

ü Acts 26:18 make4s it clear sanctification is by faith.

Ø Praise God for our hope (vs. 3)

ü Our hope is in the new birth promised by God the Father through Jesus the Christ.

ü This hope is not earned or deserved but is through love and mercy.

ü We are born into a living, active hope.

ü This birth is even more real than out physical birth and is for eternity. (John 3: 5 - 7)

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Ø Praise God for our inheritance (vs. 4)

ü We are “heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ” (Romans 8:17)

ü 1 Peter 3:9 is quite clear that we are to inherit a blessing and must act accordingly.

Ø Praise God for our safekeeping (vs. 5)

ü We are shielded by God and provided the tools (see the armor of God in Eph. 4) for our safekeeping. God keeps us safe through our faith.

ü Hebrews 2: states “We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so we do not drift away.” It is our job to listen, study, learn and do.

Ø Vs. 6 – 12 address the troubles the believers are going through at the time. They were being persecuted and were questioning why this was happening. Peter compares the faith that comes trough trials to gold and tells them that faith is much more valuable. Gold can perish but faith will not. Gold fills the pockets but faith saves the person. Gold is for the present faith is for eternity. Peter returns to this a bit later in the letter.

Ø Peter also reminds them that they believe in and love Christ through faith and not sight. That belief brings inexpressible joy and the salvation of our souls.

Ø Peter now makes a connection between the present day believers and the past. He shows that the prophets were serving the believers in Christ. Their work was to prepare for the coming of the Christ. He also notes that even the angels were not allowed to look into these things. We are a very privileged people.

 

Part 2

Ø This section starts with the word “therefore” meaning it is the logical extension of what was just said.

Ø Call to Holiness (vs. 13 – 16)

ü Peter is adamant in vs. 13 that we must prepare our minds for action. We must have self-control. We are to be serious, thoughtful and not careless or facetious, certainly not about the things of God.

ü Most of the people receiving this letter had been pagans before they heard the Gospel and became believers. In their ignorance they fashioned their lives according to their natural desires and the desires of the world. As believers they are called to fashion themselves as obedient children of God.

ü Although we consider the U.S. to be a Christian country we often fashion ourselves after our own desires and the desires and priorities of the world. We go to church and then may or may not act as obedient children throughout our daily lives. The early Christians had the same problem and Peter (as well as Paul) warns us about this problem. They never said it would be easy.

ü Vs. 16 is very hard for us. “Be holy because I am holy.” There is no equivocation here. Peter takes us back to the words of Christ related in Matthew 5:48 “Be perfect as the Father in Heaven is perfect.” Peter expands on this in 2 Peter 3:11 - 14 where he says “Since then everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and Godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed it coming…..So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with Him.”

ü We are not told to try to be holy but rater to be holy. We can make all the excuses and equivocations we want, but the Word still stands. The great news is God, through Jesus, has given us grace for the forgiveness of our sins and the tools to overcome the temptations of the world and our flesh.

 

Ø Call to Reverence (vs. 17 – 21)

ü This section takes us back to Ecc 12:13 “Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.”

ü We do not need to hide from God as did Adam and Eve. We do have true moral guilt, but we also have true forgiveness through Christ. We cannot deny the guilt (as much as we may want to) but we certainly should not deny the grace and forgiveness.

ü Our duty is to give God and call on God in an attitude of awe and reverence and praise.

ü God judges us impartially. He does not judge based on looks, position, profession, ethnic group or other criteria man uses. God judges fairly and impartially based on our individual decisions and actions.

ü The first evaluation is did we accept Christ as our Savior. If the answer to that is no then not a lot else matters. We can be very moral but moral actions are not what saves us. We are saved by grace through Christ. Without accepting Christ there can be no forgiveness.

ü Vs. 18 – 19  are interesting considering our culture today. Peter is very clear that salvation does not come through perishable things, including money. Believers are redeemed only by the blood of Christ.

ü Our culture is fixed on money and perishable things as the way to be somebody or achieve success. Many of the reality shows push money, position and putting work and achieving wealth as the highest priority.

ü People do all manner of unfortunate and demeaning things to be the “winner.” Peter is quite clear that these things are emptiness, just as the lifestyle handed down to the pagans in his day was empty.

ü Again, the only salvation comes through the blood of Christ and the highest priority is given to us in Ecc. 12:13

ü In vs. 20 Peter echoes John 1:1 - 2 “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.” Peter shows that God’s plan for the salvation of man was revealed in these last times. Using the term “last times” is appropriate since, with the death and resurrection of Christ, we are in the last time, however long it takes.

ü  The people Peter wrote to in that time had forsaken their old imaginary gods for Jesus the Christ. I am not sure, we have done the same today.

ü Vs. 22 reminds the reader that we are purified by obeying the Truth (the Word of God) and that brings sincere love for the brothers and sisters in the Lord. That love is to be sincere, deep and true (from the heart) not just a show.

ü Peter also reminds us the second birth is not like the first (natural) birth temporary, but is imperishable. John 3:5 – 7 is quite clear that the first birth is a natural birth (water birth) but the second is a spiritual birth.

ü To end this first part of the letter Peter makes a point to remind us that men and their glory are all temporary. Regardless of what men do, it will pass away but the Word of God is forever.