1
Peter’s Heavenly Perspective
1 Peter Selected Scripture
(Part 1)
I. Introduction
A. Last week met Robin’s sister Laurie and
1. Was blessed to know that the Christmas sermon was exactly what she needed
2. What does she need?
a) What ALL of us need – to keep a HEAVENLY FOCUS
b) She realizes this more than most of us because of the difficult trial God has her going through
c) BUT we ALL need this focus
3. Today – I preach this sermon and next Sunday’s For Laurie – to help her keep that Perspective!
B. 1 Peter = BOOK for those who suffer!
1. Theme = SUBMITTING to GOD / LIVING HIS WAY WHILE SUFFERING
2. Last week 1 Peter 4:7-11 Brought to mind – PETER’S PERSPECTIVE in this LETTER
1 Peter 4:7-11 The end of all things is near;
3. And – THE LIFE WE NEED TO LIVE in LIGHT OF THAT REALITY – end is NEAR!
4. NEED to FOCUS on HEAVEN / ETERNITY – not down here!
C. SO – this week talk about Peter’s Perspective on LIFE DOWN HERE in this fallen world
D. NEXT WEEK – talk about Living in light of the imminent return of Christ – 1 Peter 4:7-11
II. The Peter Perspective:
A. SUM: Completely Heavenly
1. Theme: How make this Life WORK in light of AND FOCUSING ON ETERNITY!
a) Don’t focus DOWN HERE
b) FOCUS ON ETERNITY!
c) Old saying: “don’t be so heavenly minded that you’re no earthly good!”
(1) REALITY: People are SO EARTHLY MINDED that they are NO HEAVENLY GOOD!
(2) PETER: BE HEAVENLY MINDED SO THAT you can be of EARTHLY good to God and that will be good for you too!
B. Readers (from 1:1) called ALIENS and STRANGERS! = heavenly perspective!
1 Peter 1:1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen
1 Peter 2:11 Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul.
1. “Aliens and strangers”
a) “Aliens” = “alongside the house”
b) “Strangers”
(1) “person making a brief stay – sojourner going through – passing through!”
(2) What a word! COMPOUND
(3) = to be away from being at home!
(3) Prefer “Sojourner” to “stranger” – SAYS
(a) MORE ABOUT TRAVELING in a
(b) DIFFERENT PLACE THAN HOME!
2. Together -Emphasize DON’T BELONG HERE!
a) we LIVE ALONGSIDE AND are PASSING THROUGH.
b) This IS NOT OUR HOME!
c) Our citizenship is IN HEAVEN (Phil 3:20)
d) Our life is HID WITH CHRIST – IN HEAVEN (Col 3:3)
3. Again – PETER IS ALL ABOUT FOCUSING on ETERNAL FUTURE!
C. Then introduces our Great Salvation
1. Again – PETER focuses on the COMPLETION of that SALVATION = ETERNITY
2. Something ALREADY PREPARED AND READY TO BE REVEALED!
a) V.3 living hope
b) V.4 Inheritance – reserved in heaven for you –
4 to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
(1) “a BLESSING” in 3:9
1 Peter 3:9 … you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing.
c) Our Response: 1:6 In this you greatly rejoice!
(1) Makes a parenthetical statement in v.6-7 and then comes back to finish this thought in 7-9…
1 Peter 1:7-9 … at the revelation of Jesus Christ; 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, 9 obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.
3. MANY times Peter calls us to the FUTURE REVELATION of JESUS CHRIST
a) Chapter 1, 4, 5 especially
D. In that Parenthetical Section: Trials FROM A HEAVENLY PERSPECTIVE!
1 Peter 1:6-7 In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, 7 so 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;
1. Trials = “now for a little while”
2. BUT – View them from a heavenly perspective
3. = Jesus Christ will bring you “praise and honor and glory” at His “revelation” = 2nd coming!
4. Same perspective - 1 Peter 4:13
13 but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation.
E. THEN OT AUTHORS – FOCUSED on God’s REDEMPTIVE PLAN and the END OF IT ALL!
1 Peter 1:10-12 10 As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries, 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 (one of the glories = 2nd coming and eternity with Christ!). 12…—things into which angels long to look.
F. Hope -Main Subject of 1:3-21 = HOPE
13 Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
1. What is our hope?
a) NOUN= the completion of our salvation = glorification, heaven, eternity with God…
b) VERB=Trusting / believing God for the future
c) V.3-12 FOCUSED on WHAT this hope IS (NOUN) = OUR SALVATION
d) V.13 – there is a shift
(1) “THEREFORE” – (and you know what the therefore is THERE FOR…)
(2) Followed by v.13-21 driven by COMMANDS (imperatives).
(3) A shift from Indicatives to Imperatives – facts to commands
(4) Guess what? – shift TO VERB HOPE
(a) V.13 fix your hope
(b) V.21 your faith and hope are in God.
2. What is Peter doing?
a) He Moves from WHAT GOD HAS DONE FOR US to
b) What we MUST DO in RESPONSE to what God has done for us!
c) The KIND OF LIFE that MUST RESULT from the great salvation that God has prepared for us!
3. Back to v.13…
a) Therefore = “GIVEN EVERYTHING THAT GOD HAS DONE FOR YOU IN THIS GREAT SALVATION AWAITING YOU IN HEAVEN, YOUR RESPONSIBILITY IS…”
4. Now look at the structure of V.13
13 Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
(1) act of will= Hope! Live in Hope!
(2) “hope” Dictionary …
(a) American Heritage Dictionary: hope. -- 1. To wish for something with expectation of its fulfillment. 2. Archaic. To have confidence; trust.
(3) Satan has turned “Hope” into a DESIRE / a WISH
(a) Biblical HOPE = CERTAIN FUTURE
(4) How many books / sermons on faith and love!
(a) How many on hope?!
(b) We ignore it!
(c) Missing element of the Christian experience – we like this life too much!
(d) Hope = Christian’s attitude toward future!
(i) In essence, is same substance as faith
(ii) = believing / trusting God
(iii) Faith = believing / trusting God for the present
(iv) Hope = believing / trusting God for the Future
(v) Faith believes what God has done
(vi) Hope believes what God has yet to do.
(vii) Faith accepts, hope expects
(viii) Faith appropriates, hope anticipates
b) Peter – you owe it to God to fix your hope
(1) = to live for ETERNITY
(2) = to live for the glorious fulfillment of His future promise
(3) Its our obligation!
(4) God
(a) Saved us / Forgive / forgave sins
(b) Provided Christ /Transformed us
(c) Proven worthy of our trust in the present
c) SO - “fix your hope”
(1) = PUT your confidence / trust in what God has done for you for the future
(2) LIVE in confidence/trust KNOWING WITH CERTAINTY what awaits you in eternity
(3) NOT a wish or want!
d) “completely” =
(1) with finality (lenski)
(2) I like that “with FINALITY” because we have worn out all of the other superlatives such that we don’t sense the immensity of “completely”
(3) “WITH FINALITY” GRAMMATICALLY shows that COMMAND is NOT “START TO HOPE”
(a) ->LOOKS AT COMPLETED ACTION:
(b) YOU MUST GET TO THE POINT WHERE YOUR HOPE IS FIXED WITH FINALITY AND STAY THERE!
(4) Over Time
(a) Fill the HOPE CUP FULL
(b) THEN KEEP IT FULL
e) Christian COMMANDED to trust God FOR future GIVEN faithfulness in past.
f) EVEN COMMANDED to be able to GIVE a DEFENSE TO non-Christians OF THE HOPE we have!
1 Peter 3:15 but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;
g) HOPE = OUR ETERNITY!
h) PETER – FOCUS on ETERNITY!
5. REMEMBER Peter’s Theme: How make this Life WORK in light of AND FOCUSING ON ETERNITY!
a) What does He say about “HOW TO MAKE THIS LIFE WORK…?”
b) That’s right here in 1:13-21 too!
c) Look at v.16-17
14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, 15 but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; 16 because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” 17 If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth;
d) Our RESPONSE and RESPONBILITY for this ETERNITY – GREAT SALVATION is to LIVE HOLY LIVES!
e) Peter BEGINS HOLINESS here and Carries THROUGH WHOLE LETTER!
f) We are going to see it again in 4:7-11!
g) Be Holy JUST BECAUSE GOD IS HOLY
h) Live in FEAR – that He will have to put you BACK on TRACK TO HOLINESS!
(1) WHOLE BOOK - Fear God – not man!
(2) God can ONLY USE YOU IF YOU ARE HOLY!
6. So, when PETER says “4:7 The end of all things is near!”
a) You say GREAT! That’s all you’ve been TRAINING ME FOR!
b) I’m READY! That’s ALL I THINK ABOUT – ALL I LIVE FOR! TAKE ME!
c) John – COME LORD JESUS COME! MARANATHA!
G. 1:13-21 Toward God: Hope With Finality!
13 Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
1. HOW are we to do this?
13 Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely …
(1) GREEK says: “Therefore, AFTER HAVING prepared your minds for action WHILE keeping sober in spirit, fix your hope with finality”
(a) BEFORE YOU CAN FIX YOUR HOPE with finality YOU MUST FIRST prepare your minds for action while being sober!
b) 1st HOW: “After having prepared your minds””
(1) = a SPIRITUALLY DISCIPLINED MIND!
(2) GET CONTROL OF YOUR MIND FIRST!
c) 2nd HOW: While being in control
(1) NAS: “keep sober in spirit”
(2) = sobriety in life including action
(a) = self-disciplined in action,
(b) self-control, avoiding extremes
(c) A spiritually-disciplined life
d) Putting together – AFTER HAVING spiritually disciplined your mind WHILE living a spiritually disciplined self-controlled life-style
2. V.14-16 HOW’s 3 & 4!
14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance,
15 but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior;
16 because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”
a) 3rd HOW: Not conforming to the WORLD v.14
(1) – DON’T ACT LIKE YOU USED TO!
(2) DON’T BE CONFORMED TO THE WORLD
b) 4th HOW – BE HOLY! V.15
(1) v.15 “But like the Holy One who called you”
(2) “be holy” MEANS BECOME HOLY
(3) “in all your behavior” = WHOLE daily walk
3. Last “How” = Conduct yourselves in fear (v.17).
17 If (Since) you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth;
a) “judges” = God is presently, CONTINUALLY, judging you FOR CHASTENING IF GET OFF THE PATH OF HOLINESS!
H. 1:22-25 TOWARD CHRISTIANS: Love One another fervently
1. How are we to do this “Love One Another”?
a) Key: Through the Word of God
(1) Most CONCENTRATED NT passage on WORD of GOD
(2) EVERYTHING we are to do from this passage – COMES THROUGH the WORD – BY OBEDIENCE to the WORD.
b) Condition: After having purified your souls
v.22 Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren
(1) “have… purified” SETS THE CONTEXT IN WHICH THE COMMAND MUST OCCUR
(a) Peter: “GIVEN that you have done the above (v.13-21) = purified your minds, Hope completely, become holy, Conduct yourselves in fear of God’s chastening, etc IN RESPONSE TO GOD for the GREAT SALVATION He has provided.