Sermon Cloud

Background on 1 Peter - Heavy Persecution

Hegeunot History

Peter begins the letter with the idea that God has caused these folks (and hopefully you and me) to be born again to an inheritance that cannot be lost. 1 Peter 1:3-5

That understanding this should get us through our trials,

That if our faith is in God who has done this for us we should be living a holy life, being good citizens,

That if we understand the Gospel we are a part of God's true temple, but those who reject this truth are doomed.

Now Peter goes on to tell us of the benefits of God's Kingdom

1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; ¹⁰ who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.

When we trust Christ we are:

• A Chosen Generation; That is a different kind of people who are all of the same gene type. This is a Spiritual genesis that makes us distinct. We are born into the family of God. And the text says that God chose to do this for us.

• As Christians we are a special race of people, like the Jews of Old Testament times we are now God's special people.

• Some try to tell you about racial superiority, this is not talking about that in a worldly way, but we are affected in our lives by being of this “chosen generation.”

• People can see your natural race by looking at you, if you are a “Believer” can they tell that by looking at you, or do you blend in with the rest of the world?

• A Royal Priesthood; We are Kings and Priests Revelation 5:9b And (You) have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, ¹⁰And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth.”

• Royal - That is that God has given us certain authority, things to rule over. What kind of things??

• We have authority with God, that is as His ambassadors.

• We have authority over our spiritual enemies

• over our lusts

• Priesthood - He has also given us direct access to Himself and the ability to intercede for others.

• A Holy Nation; First a “generation” or Gene Type, now we are organized into a “Nation” that is Holy or Set Apart for a purpose and victorious over sin.

• His own special people; This wording here is a little different in the original language, the ESV says, a people for his own possession.

• This indicates that as God chose us at the beginning of the verse, and now it is said that He not only picked us out but paid for us.

GOSPEL! GOSPEL! GOSPEL! GOSPEL! GOSPEL! GOSPEL!

• Again the progression, Generation, Nation, People. If we know God, He wants us to be distinct!

• Vs. 10 (We) once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.

• And so we should, “proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;”

• Are you happy that God has offered this to you?

• If you won the Lotto (not that you should play it!) would you be excited enough to tell everyone how much you had won?, what your numbers were?, where you bought the ticket?

• If you were clean for 30, 60, 90 days or a year or ten years would you be proud to let others know?

• If God has chosen you to be His own special person how do you respond?

• The verse that precedes our text says that Christ is, '“A stone of stumbling And a rock of offense.” They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed.”

• This is where we deserve to be! I can't say it enough!

• I was talking to a man last night about the Feast of Ste. Claire and he said someone told him there was a “Fire and Brimstone” preacher there.

• I'm not trying to scare anyone, I am trying to show you the goodness of God in contrasting what we deserve with the Grace on the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

• Christ CALLED YOU OUT OF DARKNESS INTO HIS MARVELOUS LIGHT!

• You were dead! In trespasses and sins, Ephesians 2:1

• You were like Lazarus, dead and in the tomb for four days, You stunk with sin and death!

• 1 Peter 2:10 who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.

• You were just citizens of earthly kingdoms

• Huguenots – Edict of Nantes in 1685

• with no heavenly privileges, you were Ephesians 2:1-3

• John 6:44 No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. ⁴⁵ It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me.

• If God calling to you today?

If you understand this, Peter goes on and says,

1 Peter 2:11 Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul,

• Sojourners and pilgrims; Travelers and temporary residents.

• When you go out of town you have to look for the stuff you want to do. If you are not from there you don't know the area.

• From the practical standpoint, some of you need to become sojourners and pilgrims and move to a neighborhood that you don't know so that you can't find the sin you know so well in the old neighborhood.

• Abstain from fleshly lusts; This is not your home, don't get too caught up in the worldly amusements or you will be useless to God!

• The world is full of stuff that will distract you! Don't fall for it!

• You know the stuff, women, money, reputation, leisure, etc.

• Stuff that takes you away from serving the Lord.

• Which war against your soul; The things of this world will fight for your attention and take it away from God, which is where it should be directed.

• Lusts “war” against the soul. War is in the middle voice in the Greek, that means that the subject does it to himself, “I dressed myself like this this morning.”

• How long will you be in the battle if you keep shooting yourself?

• Here is where the idea of stewardship comes in.

• 1 Corinthians 4:7 For who makes you differ from another? And what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?

• God “GIVES” us this new citizenship.

• What would the Huguenots have done to have back their citizenship? But they sacrificed that citizenship for the citizenship of heaven.

• Not just your attention, focusing on fleshly lusts, getting what you want, feeding your carnal self, attacks your psyche. It makes you think wrong thoughts

• how may times have you sinned and then couldn't stop thinking about what you had done?

• When you put yourself in a situation where you are around the sin you struggle with, you have to fight with yourself to keep from doing what you know is wrong!

• ABSTAIN, Stay away. Incidentally, this is in the middle voice as well!

• Is Peter saying that we should become ascetics? Monks hiding from life?

As God's chosen people, we need to have a testimony before the world!

1 Peter 2:12 having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.

• Emigration of the Huguenots

• If I am focused all the time on getting my own way and feeding my own desires I will have a very hard time fulfilling this last command.

• My inward attitude should be based on God's goodness toward me and then my outward actions will be good toward others.

• God has given to me so I will give to others

• God has loved me when I was unlovable so I will love others when they are unlovable

• God has shown me mercy in my sin and I will show mercy to those who offend me.

• God has shown compassion to me and I will show compassion to others

So, What have we learned here today?

• The Gospel is not just about being “saved” it is about becoming a new person and a part of a special group people.

• God has given us something we don't deserve!

• That if we understand what God has done for us in the Gospel and in His calling us to it we should;

• proclaim it to others

• not be caught up in the things of the world

• stay away from lusts

• live a life that glorifies God

We have a responsibility to live this kind of lifestyle. Peter says in chapter 4 of this same letter that we need to be Good Stewards of the manifold grace of God. (1 Peter 4:10) He talks about using the gifts that God has given us with our salvation in that passage.

You will never be able to exercise these gifts if you don' t start with what we have talked about here today.

Hebrews 12:1 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, ² looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

If we understand what Christ has done for us we should live differently!