WHEN FAITH IS TRIED
1 PETER 1:1-7
1. Faith is tried by transformations
• Stone
• Rock
2. Faith is tried by tribulations
• Strangers
• Scattered
3. Faith is tried by temptations
• Manifold (diversity)
• Multiplied
I. Be mindful of election (1:1-2)
A. Selection by the Father
B. Sanctification by the Spirit
C. Sprinkling by the Son
II. Be mindful of resurrection (1:3-4)
A. Regeneration to hope
1. Mercy
2. Means
B. Reservation as heirs
1. Unchanging
2. Undefiled
3. Unfading
III. Be mindful of salvation (1:5)
A. Protection
1. Ability
2. Appropriate
B. Perseverance
1. Finished
2. Final
IV. Be mindful of perfection (1:6-7)
A. Seasonal
1. Rejoicing
2. Sorrowing
B. Eternal
1. Refining
a. Faith
b. Fire
(1) Proven
(2) Precious
2. Revelation
a. Praise
b. Honor
c. Glory
Kenneth
S. Wuest commented, “It is not the testing of our faith that is to the glory of
God, but the fact that our faith has met the test and has been approved, that
redounds to His glory.”
• Trial of faith is mysterious (Acts 12:2)
• Trial of faith is meaningful (Acts 8:1)
• Trial of faith is modeled (1 Pet. 2:21)
• Trial of faith is momentary (Lk. 22:28)
• Trial of faith is molding (2 Cor. 4:17)
I've had many tears and sorrows;
I've had questions for tomorrows,
There've been times I didn't know right from wrong.
But in every situation God gave blessed consolation that my trials come to only make me strong.
I thank God for the mountains;
And I thank Him for the valleys;
And I thank Him for the storms He brought me through,
For if I never had a problem;
I wouldn't know that He can solve them,
I'd never know what faith in God could do.
Through it all, Through it all, I've learned to trust in Jesus I've learned to trust in God; Through it all, Through it all, I've learned to depend upon His Word.
WHEN FAITH IS TRIED, PART 2
1 PETER 1:9-16
V. Be mindful of glorification (1:8-12)
A. Eyes of faith (8)
1. Christ returning
a. Love
b. Faith
2. Christians rejoicing
a. Joy
b. Glory
B. End of faith (9-12)
1. Salvation sought by the prophets
a. Spirit of Christ in them prophesied a time of grace
b. Spirit of Christ in them prophesied a time of glory
2. Salvation brought by the preachers
a. Anointing
b. Angels
VI. Be mindful of purification (1:13-16)
Heb. 12:14 (Weymouths). Persistently strive for peace with all men, and for that growth in holiness apart from which no one will see the Lord.
A. Pursuit
1. Anticipation (13)
a. Readiness
b. Watchfulness
2. Separation (14)
a. Obedience
b. Old
B. Person (15-16)
1. Calling
2. Conversation
3. Command
2 Cor. 7:1 [KJV]. Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
Is. 35:8 [KJV]. And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it [shall be] for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err [therein].
WHEN FAITH IS TRIED, PART 3
1 PETER 1:17-25, 2:1-3
VII. Be mindful of conversation (1:17-25)
A. Reverence (17)
1. Father’s justice
2. Father’s judgment
a. Deeds
b. Days
B. Redemption (18-20)
1. Ancestors (18)
a. Religion
b. Ritual
2. Atonement (19)
a. Precious blood
b. Pure blood
(1) Sinless Lamb
(2) Spotless Lamb
3. Appearance (20)
a. Foreknowledge
b. Foundation
c. Fulfillment
VIII. Be mindful of regeneration (1:21-25)
A. By faith (21)
1. Raised
2. Glorified
B. By obedience (22)
1. Friendship love
2. Fervent love
C. By the word (23-25; Jas. 1:18)
1. Alive
2. Abiding
VIII. Be mindful of sanctification (2:1-3)
A. Put off (1)
1. Malice
2. Deceit
3. Hypocrisy
4. Envy
5. Slander
B. Put on (2-3)
1. Thirst
2. Taste
Wuest
said, “Sin in the life destroys the appetite for the Word. The Christian who
tries to find satisfaction in the husks of the world, has no appetite left for
the things of God.”
WHEN FAITH IS TRIED, PART 3
1 PETER 1:17-25, 2:1-3
VII. Be mindful of conversation (1:17-25)
A. Reverence (17)
1. Father’s justice
2. Father’s judgment
a. Deeds
b. Days
B. Redemption (18-20)
1. Ancestors (18)
a. Religion
b. Ritual
2. Atonement (19)
a. Precious blood
b. Pure blood
(1) Sinless Lamb
(2) Spotless Lamb
3. Appearance (20)
a. Foreknowledge
b. Foundation
c. Fulfillment
VIII. Be mindful of regeneration (1:21-25)
A. By faith (21)
1. Raised
2. Glorified
B. By obedience (22)
1. Friendship love
2. Fervent love
C. By the word (23-25; Jas. 1:18)
1. Alive
2. Abiding
VIII. Be mindful of sanctification (2:1-3)
A. Put off (1)
1. Malice
2. Deceit
3. Hypocrisy
4. Envy
5. Slander
B. Put on (2-3)
1. Thirst
2. Taste
Wuest
said, “Sin in the life destroys the appetite for the Word. The Christian who
tries to find satisfaction in the husks of the world, has no appetite left for
the things of God.”
PEOPLE OF GOD
1 PETER 2:4-10
I. Christ as the Rock (2:4-8)
A. Living stone (4-5)
1. Dishonored by men
2. Honored by God
a. Come as living stones (experiences with God–Jos. 4:8-9; 1 Sam. 7:12)
b. Built as a spiritual house
c. Serve as holy priests
d. Offer spiritual sacrifices
(1) Acceptable to God
(2) Access through Christ
B. Corner stone (2:6-7)
1. Believers
a. Proud
b. Precious
2. Unbelievers
a. Rejected
b. Raised (Jud. 16:30; Dan. 2:44-45)
C. Stumbling stone (2:8)
1. Offense of the cross (stone rolled–Mt. 28:11)
2. Obedience to the Word
II. Church on the Rock (2:9-10)
A. Chosen generation (born again–Mt. 16:17)
B. Royal priesthood (entrance–Heb. 10:19)
C. Holy nation (uncut stones–Ex. 20:25)
D. Purchased people (Ex. 12:13)
1. Out of darkness, into light
2. Not a people, now a people
3. Without mercy, with mercy
CHRIST, OUR EXAMPLE
1 PETER 2:11-25
I. Works that glorify (2:11-12)
A. Abstain (11)
1. Carnal
2. Conflict
B. Accused (12)
1. Works
2. Watch
II. Witness to government (2:13-15)
A. Submit (13-14)
1. King
2. Governor
a. Doing evil
b. Doing good
B. Silence (15)
1. Insults
2. Ignorance
III. Will of God (2:16-17)
A. Holiness (16)
1. Liberated
2. Captivated
B. Honor (17)
1. Everyone
2. Believers
3. God
4. Ruler
IV. Wronged but gracious (2:18-25)
A. Suffering for Christ (18-20)
1. Reverence
2. Righteous
3. Reward
B. Suffering of Christ (21-25)
1. Visibly (21)
2. Virtuously (22)
3. Vicariously (23)
4. Viciously (24)
5. Victoriously (25)
THE CHRISTIAN HOME
1 PETER 3:1-7
God’s will for marriage is that a believer marry only another believer (1 Cor. 7:39; 2 Cor. 6:14-15). In the first generation of Christianity, often one spouse would become a believer before another. In anticipation of this, Jesus told the disciples that His kingdom would divide households (Mt. 10:34-38). In particular, the circumstances were difficult when someone other than the head of the house became a Christian. Therefore, both Paul and Peter gave practical instruction to the wife of an unbeliever.
Marriage is a sacred institution (1 Cor. 7:13). The conversion of the wife did not nullify her marriage even though the husband was an unbeliever. Marriage remained a sacred institution. Becoming a Christian did not release a citizen from submission (1 Pet. 2:18) to a ruler, and becoming a Christian did not release a wife from submission (1 Pet. 3:1-5) to a husband.
Marriage is a saving influence (1 Cor. 7:14). The entrance of one Christian into a family meant hope for others in the home to be converted (Acts 16:15, 33; Rom. 16:7). When God converted a wife, the husband and children came under the influence of sanctification (Eph. 5:26).
The
wife became the natural person to lead her own husband to the Lord (1 Pet. 3:1). Leonard Sanderson wrote, “A wife
who lives a beautiful Christian life and loves her husband, however, can come
nearer winning him to Christ than any other person.”
The wife should see that the husband has every opportunity to hear the Word (Rom. 10:17). A godly wife will be concerned about winning (Mt. 18:15; Mk. 8:36; 1 Cor. 9:19-22; Phil. 3:8) her husband to the Lord with the Word.
If the husband refuses the Word, a wife has not lost the evangelistic opportunity with him. A wife can win the husband “without the Word” through her conversation.
A
wife will not win the husband by the styles of the corruptible world. Kenneth
Wuest wrote, “These women were making the mistake of thinking that if they would
dress as the world dressed, that that would please their unsaved husbands, and
they would thus be influenced the easier to take the Lord Jesus as Savior. It is
true that they would be pleased, pleased because the appearance of their wives
appealed to their totally depraved natures, and pleased because the Christian
testimony of their wives was nullified by their appearance.”
Peter stated that a wife needed the spirit defined in the Beatitudes and Fruit of the Spirit to win the husband. According to Simon Peter, this spirit was costly (Mk. 14:3; 1 Tim. 2:9). Are you willing to pay the cost of a godly life to win your husband? Are you willing to do what is right, not fearing the consequences (1 Pet. 3:6)?
A
writer asked a pious old man the means of his conversion. Tears gushed from his
eyes when he replied, “My wife was brought to God some years before myself. I
persecuted and abused her because of her religion. She, however, returned
nothing but kindness--constantly manifesting an anxiety to promote my comfort
and happiness; and it was her amiable conduct when suffering ill-treatment from
me that first sent the arrows of conviction to my soul.”
I. Submission to the husband (3:1-6)
Martin Luther said, “Let the wife make the husband glad to come home, and let him make her sorry to see him leave.”
A. Winning the husband with the Word (1a)
B. Winning the husband without the Word (1b-6)
1. Husband who sees
a. Corruption of outward appearance
(1) Hair
(2) Dress
b. Conviction of inward adorning
(1) Heart
(2) Spirit
(a) Meekness
(b) Quietness
2. Wive who submits
II. Sensitivity to the wife (3:7)
[PHILLIPS]. Similarly, you husbands should try to understand the wives you live with, honoring them as physically weaker yet equally heirs with you of the grace of life. If you don’t do this, you will find it impossible to pray properly.
[CEV]. If you are a husband, you should be thoughtful of your wife. Treat her with honor, because she isn’t as strong as you are, and she shares with you in the gift of life. Then nothing will stand in the way of your prayers.
Chrysostom said, “Wouldst thou that thy wife should obey thee as the Church doth Christ? have care thyself for her, as Christ for the Church. . . .”
A pastor said, “If you want to know about a man’s character, then look into the face of his wife.”
A. Harmony
Peter chose a word used nowhere else in the New Testament to describe a husband’s close companionship with his wife. A husband and wife dwell together in physical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual intimacy.
In marriage a husband enters a lifetime pursuit to know (2 Pet. 3:18) his wife. A Christian husband must study his wife.
B. Honor
Peter
contrasted God’s creation of the wife as the gentler (Mt. 26:41; 1 Th. 5:14) sex opposite to the
husband created with more dominant traits. A husband must not bully a woman or
abuse the strengths God endowed to a man. A husband must carefully treat his
wife as a vessel that might be easily smashed (2 Cor. 4:7; 1 Th. 4:4).
Peter
distinguished the feminine characteristics to be admired in the woman.
The weaker aspects of a woman actually strengthen a marriage (1 Cor. 1:27, 12:22). A man holds the power to
lavish (assign, portion out
) honor (same Greek
word in 1:19 translated “precious”) upon his wife. Kenneth S. Wuest wrote,
“Christian husbands are to deem the helpmeets which God has given them precious,
and are to treat them with honor.”
Rom. 12:10. [Be] kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;
C. Heirs
Peter noted the spiritual equality of the woman with the man (Gal. 3:28). A husband must treat the wife through the eyes of Christ her redeemer and nurture her spiritually. Both ascend to and inherit together (Eph. 3:6; Heb. 11:9) a lofty spiritual relationship with Christ.
Rom. 8:17. And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with [him], that we may be also glorified together.
D. Hindrance
Peter
warned that failure to know, honor, and serve the wife will result in
interruption (cut into, cut off or impede one’s course;
Rom. 11:22) of a husband’s prayers. Broken
relationships stop prayer (Col.
4:2).
Husbands who dwell with their wives in this way demonstrate Christ to unbelievers through the testimony of a Christian home. Charles H. Spurgeon said, “When home is ruled according to God’s Word, angels might be asked to stay with us, and they would not find themselves out of their element.”
SUFFERING FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS
1 PETER 3:8-22
I. Instruction of Christ (3:8-12)
A. Requirement (8)
1. Like-mind
2. Same-feeling
3. Brotherly-love
4. Tender-heart
5. Humble-mind
B. Repayment (9; Prov. 17:13, 20:22; Rom. 12:17)
1. Happiness for hatred
2. Courtesy for cursing (1 Pet. 2:23)
a. Responsibility
b. Reward
C. Restraint (10)
1. Wickedness from words
2. Lies from lips
a. Lifetime
b. Daytime
D. Renounce (11)
1. Evil for good
2. Persecutors of peace
E. Righteous (12)
1. Favor of the Lord
2. Face of the Lord
II. Injustice for Christ (3:13-17)
A. Hurt unfairly (13)
B. Persecute wrongly (14)
1. Terror
2. Trouble
C. Accuse falsely (15-16)
1. Allegiance
2. Apologetics (Christ as God, salvation by faith, Bible as infallible, resurrection as fact)
a. Defense
b. Doubt
3. Attitude
a. Gently
b. Reverently
(1) Conscience
(2) Conversation
D. Suffer righteously (17)
1. Well-doing in His will
2. Wrong-doing like the world
III. Illustration by Christ (3:18-22; glory through suffering)
A. Crucified (18)
1. Satisfaction (once for all)
2. Substitution
a. Just
b. Unjust
3. Sanctification (permission to enter)
B. Buried (19-21)
1. Physical death
2. Spiritual life (Father, into Thy hands)
(a) Buried but in paradise
(1) Prison
(2) Preach (different interpretations)
• Christ preached in His preexistent state
• Christ preached in spirit by Noah to that evil generation
• Christ preached between His death and resurrection to offer salvation for spirits in sheol
• Christ preached (proclaimed victory) to fallen angels (2 Pet. 2:4)
(3) Patience (Rom. 3:25)
a. Antediluvian
b. Ark
(b) Buried as in baptism
(1) Typology
(2) Theology (contrast)
a. Purification of the flesh by ritual
b. Purging of the conscience through resurrection
C. Risen (22)
1. Enthroned
2. Exalted
a. Above angels
b. Above authorities
c. Above adversaries
SINCE THE END IS NEAR
1 PETER 4:1-11
I. Fight sin (4:1-6)
A. Flesh (2)
1. Wants of men
2. Will of God
B. Former (3-4)
1. Sexual
2. Sensual
C. Future (5-6)
1. Account to God
2. Alive to God
II. Finish strong (4:7-11)
A. Pray
1. Seriousness
2. Watchfulness
B. Love
1. Fervently
2. Forgive
C. Share
1. Hospitality
2. Happily
D. Serve
1. Accordingly (as gifted)
2. Faithfully (stewards)
3. Interdependently (multi-colored)
a. Speaking gifts
b. Servant gifts
4. Worthily (His glory)
FACING PERSECUTION
1 PETER 4:12-19
Heb. 13:3 [ESV]. Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body.
I. Expectation of persecution (4:12; Jn. 15:20)
2 Tim. 3:12 [NIV]. In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.
A. Strange
B. Suffering
II. Joy in persecution (4:13)
Jas. 1:2 [NIV]. Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds.
A. Fellowship
B. Future
III. Blessing of persecution (4:14)
Mt. 5:12 [NIV]. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
A. Spirit of glory
B. Spirit of God
IV. Righteous in persecution (4:15-16)
Phil. 1:29 [NIV]. For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him.
A. Doing evil
B. Doing good
V. Vindication after persecution (4:17-18; Prov. 11:31; Mt. 5:44; if the righteous suffer to be purified, what of the unrighteous?)
Rom. 12:19 [NIV]. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord.
A. Judgment of the saints
B. Judgment of the sinners
VI. Trust in persecution (4:19)
Lk. 23:46a [NIV]. Jesus called out with a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit."
2 Tim. 1:12 [HCSB]. And that is why I suffer these things. But I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to guard what has been entrusted to me until that day.
A. God’s will
B. Good works
REWARD OF SUFFERING
1 PETER 5:1-14
I. Peter rewarded (5:1)
A. Partner in suffering (martyr)
B. Partner in glory
II. Pastor rewarded (5:2-4)
A. Shepherd (2-3)
1. Not grudgingly but willingly
2. Not greedily but voluntarily
3. Not dictatorially but exemplary
B. Chief-shepherd (4)
1. Reveal
2. Repay
a. Win crown
b. Without corruption
III. Principles rewarded (5:5-10)
A. Authority (5-6)
1. Subjection
2. Selfless
a. Pride resisted
b. Humility received
(1) Humbled before God
(2) Humbled by God
B. Anxiety (7)
1. Our cares
2. God’s care
C. Adversary (8-9)
1. Watch
a. Roar
b. Devour
2. War
a. Strong in faith
b. See in faith (Heb. 12:1–cloud of witnesses)
D. Adversity (10)
1. Love
a. Grace in suffering
b. Glory through suffering
2. Length (how long)
a. Shape
b. Stabilize
c. Strengthen
d. Support
ENDNOTES