Wayfaring Strangers
A study of 1 Peter
Part 23
“On solid rock, I’ll make my stand”
Today we are concluding our study of the great book of 1 Peter
Over the last few months we have learned and studied over and over how
Peter wrote to encourage those who had accepted Christ as Lord
And no longer felt as if they fit in
How through the trials and troubles?
They could find hope
And peace in God though Christ
But more than that, how they could find joy in the storms of this life
Knowing that there is a priceless inheritance waiting in glory for all who endure
Peter has covered such difficult topics as suffering
As submission
He challenges us to live Godly lives in an ungodly world
And to become building stones in the kingdom of God
While recognizing that Jesus Is the cornerstone
We in his writings have seen Peter transform from
Ready aim shoot Peter
Into the rock he was so aptly called by Jesus
And seeing this in his life
Should make us se that
God can use all of us, we just need to say yes
He taught us the difference between suffering for our choices
And suffering for Christ
And how if we want to be God has called us to be
We must be all in
He goes on once again to warn us of the sever trials that may come our way
But reassures us that we are not alone
As Christ suffered also
And because he overcame
So, shall we
Then he moved on to how we should treat those we are called to lead
And those we are called to follow
Humility is huge in his writings
And I believe this is because he himself found the humility that he lacked in his early ministry
And desires that we as wayfaring strangers
Don’t make the same mistakes he did
He touches on Spiritual warfare
Telling us to stand firm against the attacks of Satna
And remain strong in the faith
And that when we do
Satan will r u n n o f t
And then Shows us Gods kindness and
Assures us that after we have suffered a little while
God will
Restore us
Support us
Strengthen us
And
Place on a firm foundation
Though His Power not ours
We have studied this book verse by verse in context
And we have seen the importance of contextual study for clear understanding of The true meaning of God’s word
So to finish the book
Let me read the last 3 verses for you
They are mostly self-explanatory
So, for a Sunday message
I f will simply read them for you
And explain just a couple of things
if we were doing this study on a Wednesday night
I would break them down in more detail
1 Peter 1
5:12-14
I have written and sent this short letter to you with the help of Silas,[a] whom I commend to you as a faithful brother. My purpose in writing is to encourage you and assure you that what you are experiencing is truly part of God’s grace for you. Stand firm in this grace.
13 Your sister church here in Babylon[b] sends you greetings, and so does my son Mark.14 Greet each other with a kiss of love.
Peace be with all of you who are in Christ
Silas was one of the behind the scenes disciples that supported the work of the church
He was a huge asset to both Peter and Paul and is a true example of someone working for God’s glory and not his own.
Peter once again gives encouragement in the suffering and assures us that what we are experiencing is all part of God’s plan for our lives
Even when we can’t see or don’t understand it all
He says hang your hat on this fact- stand firm in this grace
Then verse 13 throws us for a bit of a loop
Maybe
“Your sister church here in Babylon[b] sends you greetings, and so does my son Mark.”
Your sister church in Babylon
If you are a student of scripture
Especially old testament scripture
Or end times scripture
This may be confusing
As you know that The Babylonians
Were fierce enemies of God and god’s people
And in the end times
Nothing positive is said about Babylon
Don’t get hung up on this
This is a symbolic reference to the Church that was in Rome
Serving as a light in the darkness
In
One of the most corrupt places on earth
Mark is John mark- the author of the gospel of Mark
Peter ends his letter with verse 14
“Greet each other with a kiss of love.
Peace be with all of you who are in Christ”
Guys listen to me
I know it is biblical to kiss each other
I can tell you it really made me nervous when I was young in my ministry
I am ok with it now; many people greet me with a kiss and I feel so honored to be loved
But
Please don’t kiss me on the mouth
It makes me really nervous
And honestly
If I am not expecting it
All you will get is a mouthful of whiskers anyway
All jokes aside
Great each other in love
Weather that be wit a kiss, a hug, a handshake or simply a pat on the back
Love is the key
Then Peter says peace to al who are in Christ
Shalom
I struggled with put this recap together
In a recap I really don’t want to introduce any new information
But I also don’t want to bore you with
Just a listing of where we have been and what we have studied
So, as I was praying and reading over the last few weeks
Preparing for today’s message
I just kind of kept getting blocked
Until
Tuesday night
Tuesday night God allowed me to go to a place
I had never been
And to meet people
I had never met
And to hear a testimony
I had never heard
And in doing so
He showed me the message he wanted
And he showed me the practical application
Of Peter’s letter
Before I share my brother and new friend’s testimony
Let me remind you
Peter wrote to those that we have called wayfaring Strangers
Those who because of their acceptance of Jesus
Their turning away from their old beliefs
And teachings
Had been rejected by friends and family
Had suffered much
And even been persecuted
Some lost their jobs
Their families
Their very lives
Tuesday God put me in contact with a young man
Who has Lived the book of 1 Peter
He is a wayfaring stranger as are al believers
But his story is amazing
Please listen
On Tuesday
When I arrived with Gary to a man’s meeting
I had no idea what to expect
I was meeting men as they got there
And visiting and getting to know them
We shared a potluck meal that was really good
And then
We began our fellowship time
My new friend Lewis
Was here for the first time as well
And he had been asked to give his testimony that night
I was not prepared for what he would say
I wish he were here himself as he can tell in much better than I can
But let me proceed
Lewis a young Hispanic man
With a wife and two kids
Grew up in the Catholic Church
And as he said
The role models he had for how to treat a wife had been somewhat lacking
So, he was doing what he knew
And his marriage was struggling
I was able to place myself in his shoes when he said
“I thought providing was enough”
Without quoting his exact words
As I can’t remember them
He I a sense
I was broken
My marriage was broken
And I did nit know how to get fixed
By God’ grace Lewis got a job with an oilfield company as a relief driver
The company was filled with Christian men
Although Lewis did not know it at the time
When he would get into a truck each day
Most days Christian radio would be on
And he began listening to focus on the family and realized that there was much more to being a husband and a dad than just bringing home a paycheck
As time progressed he heard more and more messages about how a Godly man deals with his family and how a godly man leads his life
And the Holy Spirit lit a small fire in his heart
He began listening to other programs such as Charles Stanley and Adrian Rodgers
And soon the Holy Spirit was fanning that flame into a burning fire within his heart
One day after Adrian’s sermon
Lewis pulled over
And prayed the sinner’s prayer
And accepted Christ as his Lord and Savior
And this is amazing
And this testimony of God’s love and mercy
And the proof that his word does not come back void
Would be a good testimony
But Lewis testimony does not stop there
Not even close
You, see Lewis for the first time in his life knew grace
He understood that apart from Jesus he was lost and headed for hell
He went on to explain how he had no idea how to pray
In the religion of his youth Prayer was a punishment
When you sinned
You were told to pray so many hail Mary’s and so many our fathers
So, prayer was a not viewed in a positive manner
He realized he had never been taught of the hope that lies in Jesus
The love that comes with a relationship with Jesus
He had simply gone through the motions of religion
Without ever having a relationship with God
Having never been encouraged to red God’s word for himself
Lewis became hungry for the word
And as he read and studied
More and more truths were revealed
And more and more lies were uncovered
He was a on path of true Spiritual growth
His wife came to know Jesus and overcame her upbringing in Catholicism and poor marriage examples in her own life
And their relationship began healing
As Lewis began being the man he was called to be
His relationship with his children changed and healing had begun
I Peter 1:3-4 came to mind as he was sharing his story
All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, 4 and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay.
If the story ended here it would be amazing
Lewis
In his own words almost missed it
Had not God worked though men in his life
Through the words of a radio minister
He easily could have continued on the road he was on
A road that led to an eternity in Hell separated from the God who loves him and created him
But the story does not end there
Peter wrote to Jews who had left Judaism to follow Jesus
Judaism is a religion of rituals
And rules
And walking away made someone a traitor
Catholicism is a religion of rules and rituals
And walking away makes you a traitor
His family on both sides rejected his new commitment to Christ
To the point that they often tried to lure them back
Ostracized them for family gatherings
His wife’s mother vocalized the fact that she wished her own daughter would drown in the baptismal
Lewis was not even invited to attend his own mother’s funeral mass
The other Catholics on his job site began calling him Brother
And they did this in a show of disrespect instead of the show of respect and love we take it as
Unable to get a rise out of him
The began calling him Judas Iscariot
As they viewed him as a traitor to “the Mother Church”
He took his nephews and nieces to church
They became saved themselves
And their dad condemned him for doing so
In all of this
Persecution
And suffering
Lewis is letting his light shine
I told you his family grew up Catholic
His mother accepted Christ before she died
And although Lewis was unable to attend her service
He has the assurance that he will be with her in eternity
His dad has also come to know the Lord
As have his children
His nieces
And I know that as time passed so will many more
Some of the coworkers
That chastised him
Have received Bibles as a gift with their names on them
And they are in the process of seeing the light as well
His story is the story from 1 Peter
Coming to know Christ
Being reject by his former friends and family
Enduring the suffering
Counting it as joy
And overcoming
He is making a difference in the world
He is an example to us all
The coolest part
Is in his humility
Lewis takes no credit for any of this
He knows that he lives only because his savior lives
His story is amazing
But his story is like so many that have gone before us
Wayfaring Strangers
All of them
And all of us
Overcoming by the love of Jesus
Living Godly lives in an ungodly world
Being salt and light
To a world that lives and walks in darkness
Listen to me
Lewis testimony matters
Your testimony matters
Believers
Listen to me
What are you doing with the gift God has given you
Are you sitting on it?
Selfishly hoarding your salvation
Or are you casting seeds and sharing the good news that is the only path to salvation
Let me close with these words from Peter
1 Peter 5:10-11
In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation. 11 All power to him forever! Amen
Listen this applies to all of us
Believers and un believers alike
He will restore you no matter where you’ve been
He will support you no matter what you go thorough
He will strengthen you no matter how tired and beat down you get
He will place your feet on a firm foundation
The Solid Rock of our Salvation
My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.
Jesus Christ our Lord
By his power and his grace, you can overcome
By his power and his grace, you can be saved
By his power and his grace, you can be new
Close from the heart
Pray
