The other day I watched some video of the 2004 World Series (won by my Boston Red Sox). When I watched that game live, I was very nervous (many times I had to turn the channel when Boston was in the field). The Red Sox hadn’t won the World Series in 85 years. But now I can calmly watch because I know the outcome.
Sometimes I watch a movie that I’ve already seen. The first time I watch it, I might be a bit anxious wondering how it’s going to end. Now I can watch knowing that everyone will live happily ever after.
When I know the end of a game or a movie will turn out the way I want it to, I can watch in anticipation of a happy ending.
God has told us in the Bible how everything is going to end for the believer. Life might look bleak for you at the present moment, but God encourages us to look to the future with hope in our hearts.
INTRODUCTION TO 1 PETER
Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,
To God’s elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Capadocia, Asia and Bithynia, who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood:
Grace and peace be yours in abundance (vv. 1-2).
AUTHOR: The apostle Peter
A Quick Biography:
• His given name was Simon son of Jonah (Matthew 16:17).
• He as a fisherman from the village of Bethsaida in the northwest corner of the Sea of Galilee (John 1:44).
• Jesus called him to be one of His disciples (Mark 1:16-18) and he later became an apostle.
• Jesus gave him the nickname Peter (Cephas in its Aramaic form) or rock, which soon became better known than his given name (John 1:42; Matthew 16:17-18).
Liberal View: The author was an unknown person writing in Peter’s name. Arguments for this view:
• The letter’s excellent Greek (Peter is described as “unschooled” and “ordinary” in Acts 4:13)
• The supposed dependence on Pauline theology
• The author’s apparent lack of any “insider” knowledge of the events of Jesus’ life
• The absence of the kind of persecution described in the letter during Peter’s lifetime (1:6; 3:13-17; 4:12-19; 5:9)
Evidence:
• It claims to be written by Peter (1:1).
• The author claims to be “a witness of Christ’s sufferings” (5:1).
• There are similarities between this letter and words attributed to Peter in Acts.
• A number of expressions are used that would naturally come from an eyewitness of Jesus’ ministry (one example of this is 2:20-25).
• Peter’s description as “unschooled” and “ordinary” probably refers to the fact that Peter was not skilled in rabbinic training.
• Greek was widely spoken in Palestine (there is no real reason for saying that a Galilean could not have considerable competence in the language).
• The letter was written with the help of Silas (“Silvanus” KJV, 5:12), who may have polished up the language.
• Similarities between Peter and Paul’s theology are not surprising since, as apostles, they would be in agreement on spiritual matters (and to be expected if their letters were inspired by God).
• The persecution described could have occurred under Nero instead of Trajan (the letter nowhere says that there was an empire-wide persecution).
DATE: Probably in the early 60s
Evidence:
• Cannot be placed earlier than 60 since it shows familiarity with Paul’s prison letters (e.g., Colossians and Ephesians, which are to be dated no earlier than 60): Compare 1:1-3 with Eph. 1:1-3; 2:18 with Col. 3:22; 3:1-6 with Eph. 5:22-24.
• Cannot be dated later than 67/68, since Peter was martyred during Nero’s reign.
RECIPIENTS: “Strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia” (1:1)
Their Identity:
• 1:18 seems to suggest that the recipients were mostly Gentiles.
• However, this conclusion could be questioned since “the pilgrims of the Dispersion [Diaspora]” (NKJV) would normally be though of as Jews (at that time there were about one million Jews living in Palestine and two to four million outside of it).
• Peter was known as the apostle to the Jews (Galatians. 2:7).
• Possibly a circular letter (a letter than traveled from church to church)
PURPOSE: To encourage Christians to live godly lives in the midst of suffering (the suffering that Peter’s readers were experiencing was suffering caused by being a Christian, not simply bad events)
The Big Idea: The HOPE that God has given to us can fill us with JOY even in the worst of circumstances.
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!” (v. 3a).
How can I “praise God” and “rejoice” during difficult times?
I. Think of the NEW LIFE God has given us.
“In his great mercy he has given us new birth” (v. 3b). “New birth” is also called regeneration. This is the reason for Peter’s praise.
Our “new birth” is the result of God’s “great mercy.” “Mercy” is the kindness God shows towards us in spite of our sin and because of our total helplessness to right our wrongs. So regeneration is not something we deserve or could produce on our own.
A. We have HOPE.
“Into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (v. 3c).
“Hope” is the eager, confident expectation of the life to come.
1. Our hope is “living.”
2. Our hope is based on the resurrection of Christ.
Our hope is “living” because Christ is living.
C. S. Lewis: “Do not let your happiness depend on something you may lose … only [upon] the Beloved who will never pass away.”
ILLUSTRATION: Owen Wilson’s attempted suicide. Here is someone who “has it all.” But it seems he is lacking hope.
B. We have an INEHERITANCE.
“Into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you” (v. 4).
Our “inheritance” is the object of our hope.
In the OT Abraham was promised an inheritance (Genesis 12:7), which was the land of Canaan. We have a better inheritance. Our inheritance is heaven and all of its blessings.
An inheritance showed that you belonged somewhere, and it was also security for yourself and your offspring. Persecution affected one’s inheritance, as hostile neighbors might drive one from ancestral land, possessions might be destroyed by mobs, or the government might confiscate both goods and land (as Jason risked in Acts 17:8-9). First Peter points to an inheritance that cannot be touched by human hostility, for it is stored in a place where human beings cannot reach.
1. Our inheritance can never “perish.”
2. Our inheritance can never “spoil.”
3. Our inheritance can never “fade.”
(The three terms were likely chosen for their alliteration in Greek, that is, for rhetorical reasons, not because their meanings were entirely different.)
4. Our inheritance is safe.
It is “kept [guarded] in heaven.” It is secure. It will never be denied to us: it is kept “for you.”
C. We have SPIRITUAL PROTECTION.
“Who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time” (v. 5).
The picture is that of a fortress. We are inside. Outside the evil forces are assaulting us. But on the perimeter is the overwhelming force of “the power of God.” He is the one who protects us.
God will protect us until “the coming of the salvation.” To say “I have been saved” is incomplete without a present sense of continuing deliverance from the clutches of sin (“I am being saved”) and a future sense of final deliverance at Christ’s revelation (“I will be saved”).
Our final salvation is “prepared to be revealed in the last time.” “The last time” refers to the return of Christ. “Prepared” means that every preparation for the final unveiling of salvation is completed. It is ready because the past events of Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension have achieved it. There is no question whether or not God’s people will be “saved” in the end. The only question is the exact timing of its revelation.
II. Think of the BENEFITS of suffering.
“In this [hope] you greatly rejoice” (v. 6a).
“Rejoice” refers not to a continual feeling of “happiness” or a denial of the reality of pain and suffering, but a deep, spiritual joy in God and in what He has done (given us hope; hope leads to joy).
Peter is not commanding believers to rejoice in the great blessings mentioned in verses 3-5; rejoicing is the natural response to these blessings.
A few facts about suffering:
• Suffering is TEMPORARY: “though now for a little while” (v. 6b).
Peter is contrasting our temporary problems with our eternal inheritance.
• Suffering is sometimes NECESSARY: “you have had to suffer grief” (v. 6c).
The King James Version says “if need be.” Sometimes suffering is the best way in God’s mercy and hidden wisdom for Him to work out His good plan in our lives.
• Suffering comes in MANY FORMS: “in all kinds of trials” (v. 6d).
A. Our commitment during suffering proves the GENUINENESS of our faith.
“These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine” (v. 7a).
B. Our commitment during suffering will be rewarded with PRAISE from Christ.
“And my result in praise, glory and honor when Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him” (v. 7b).
Yet the focus of our joy should not the inheritance or the glory, but the returning Christ.
1. Christ is the one we love (even though we have not seen Him).
2. Christ is the one we believe in (even though we do not see Him now).
The really important thing is not what we can see (e.g., the trials), but whom we love and believe in (are committed to), even though we do not see him.
3. Christ is the one who fills us with joy.
“And are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls” (v. 9).
a. This joy is “inexpressible.”
It defies outward circumstances (and thus is hard to explain) and is rooted in the realm that is beyond our physical experience.
b. This joy is “glorious.”
Why? “For you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls”
III. Think of how PRIVILEGED we are.
A. We live in the AMAZING AGE that was foretold by the prophets.
“Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently with the greatest of care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings and glories that would follow” (vv. 10-11).
Principle: Suffering comes before glory. Neither Christ nor His people receive the crown of glory without the crown of thorns.
“It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven” (v. 12a).
Sometimes we say, “I wish I would have lived during the time of the prophets.” They wanted to live in our day!
B. We are the objects of God’s salvation, not the ANGELS.
“Even the angels long to look into these things” (v. 12b).
We are privileged above the ancient prophets and holy angels (a teaching also found in Hebrews 1:14 and 2:16).
A LIFE OF HOPE
LIFE.101
1 Peter 1:1-12
The Big Idea: The ______________ that God has given to us can fill us with ____________ even in the worst of circumstances.
How can I “praise God” and “rejoice” during difficult times?
I. Think of the ____________________ God has given us (vv. 3-5).
A. We have _____________.
B. We have an ____________________.
C. We have _____________________________________.
II. Think of the ___________________ of suffering (vv. 6-9).
A few facts about suffering:
• Suffering is __________________: “though now for a little while.”
• Suffering is sometimes ___________________: “you have had to suffer grief.”
• Suffering comes in ____________________: “in all kinds of trials.”
A. Our commitment during suffering proves the ____________________ of our faith.
B. Our commitment during suffering will be rewarded with ____________ from Christ.
III. Think of how ___________________ we are (vv. 10-12).
A. We live in the _______________________ that was foretold by the prophets.
B. We are the objects of God’s salvation, not the _____________.
BOOKS USED
Peter H. Davids
“1 Peter” in Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary, vol. 4
Peter H. Davids
The First Epistle of Peter
The New International Commentary on the New Testament
Wayne Grudem
1 Peter
Tyndale New Testament Commentaries
Karen H. Jobes
1 Peter
Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament
Scot McKnight
1 Peter
The NIV Application Commentary
