Introduction:
A. Maybe you’ve heard the statement: “Where there’s life, there’s hope!”
1. Like most sayings, it has an element of truth, but no guarantee of certainty.
2. It is not the fact of life and determines hope, rather it is the faith of life that determines hope.
B. As Christians we have a living hope because we have a living God.
1. This “living hope” is a major theme of Peter’s first letter.
2. Peter wants to encourage us all to be hopeful.
3. As we begin to explore the wonderful letter we call First Peter, let’s get reacquainted with the man who wrote it, the people to whom he sent it, and the particular situation that prompted him to write it.
I. The Writer
A. First Peter begins with these words: “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ...” (1 Pet. 1:1)
1. Some liberal scholars have questioned whether a common fisherman could have penned this letter, especially because Peter and John were both called “unschooled, ordinary men” (Acts 4:13).
2. But this description only suggests that they were without formal education and status.
3. We must never underestimate the three years of training that Peter received from Jesus.
4. Nor should we minimize what the Holy Spirit could do in his life.
B. What do we know about Peter?
1. We know that he always stood out among the group of apostles – whether it was for a good reason or a bad one.
2. Peter was the one who was willing to get out of the boat and walk on the water to Jesus.
3. Peter was the one who confessed that Jesus was the Christ.
4. But Peter was also the one who denied Jesus three times.
5. So Peter simply introduced himself as Peter, and apostle of Jesus Christ – He didn’t feel the need to identify himself any further, because he realized that every Christian in the early church knew who he was.
C. It is interesting that he identified himself as “Peter,” because that wasn’t his given or legal name.
1. His given name was Simon.
2. At their first meeting, Jesus gave him the nickname “Peter” – which means “rock” or “stone.”
3. Jesus perceived that Simon would one day be an important foundation stone of the church.
D. We know that Peter and Paul were the two leading apostles in the early church.
1. Paul was assigned to minister especially to the Gentiles, and Peter to the Jews.
2. Just before the crucifixion, Jesus predicted that Peter would deny Him. Jesus said, “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” (Lk. 22:31-32)
3. Then after Peter had denied Jesus, and Jesus was crucified and resurrected, Jesus appeared to Peter and the apostles on the shore of the sea of Galilee in John 21.
a. Three times Jesus asked Peter if he loved Jesus and three times Peter replied, “You know I love you.”
b. Jesus followed up each response with “Feed my lambs…take care of my sheep…feed my sheep.”
4. As Peter wrote this letter we call First Peter, he was doing what Jesus had commanded him to do – He was strengthening the brethren and feeding the flock.
E. Let’s notice some things at the end of the letter.
1. Look at chapter 5, verse 12: With the help of Silas, whom I regard as a faithful brother, I have written to you briefly, encouraging you and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand fast in it.
2. Do you remember who was Silas? Silas was one of the leading men in the early church. He was there at the council in Acts 15, and was chosen to go with Paul and Barnabas to share the official letter that resulted from that Jerusalem council.
3. Then after Paul and Barnabas had their disagreement over John Mark, Silas became Paul’s missionary traveling companion.
4. So it is interesting that Silas was now working with Peter and his ministry.
5. So Silas was a faithful brother and fellow missionary with both Paul and Peter.
7. Notice that Silas is working with Peter to make this letter available. It is possible that Silas was the bearer of this letter, and the secretary who wrote it.
F. Look at the next verse: She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you her greetings, and so does my son Mark. (1 Pet. 5:13)
1. Peter also mentions Mark, his son (most likely in the faith). This is the Mark who caused the disagreement between Paul and Barnabas.
2. As you know, Mark rebounded after that early failure and became valuable to Paul and to Peter as well.
3. He is the one who wrote the gospel of Mark, which many scholars believe relied heavily on Peter’s input.
G. Peter indicated that he wrote this letter from “at Babylon.”
1. There is no evidence either from church history or tradition that Peter ministered in ancient Babylon.
2. “Babylon” is probably another name for the city of Rome, and we do have reason to believe that Peter ministered in Rome and was martyred there.
3. Rome is called “Babylon” in the book of Revelation, and it was not unusual for persecuted believers during those days to write or speak in “code.”
4. Peter probably arrived in Rome after Paul was released from his first imprisonment about A.D. 62.
5. First Peter was written about 63 A.D.
6. Paul was martyred about 64, and perhaps the same year, or shortly thereafter, Peter laid down his life for Christ.
7. So that’s what we know about the writer, now let’s talk about the recipients.
II. The Recipients
A. To whom was Peter writing?
1. Look at the beginning of the letter: To God’s elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, 2 who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood… (1 Pet. 1:1-2)
2. This letter was meant for God’s elect.
a. This term is best understood as God’s chosen ones – which is a common description of God’s people.
b. The patriarchs – Abraham, Isaac and Jacob – were chosen by God to be His covenant people. The nation of Israel was chosen by God.
c. Now, with the coming of the New Covenant, there is another group that carries the designation of God’s chosen – the church.
d. Notice the map…Peter mentioned that these chosen ones were scattered in five different parts in the Roman Empire – these five regions were in northern Asia Minor, which is modern Turkey. To the West is modern day Greece, and to the West of that is Italy.
3. Peter elaborates on God’s chosen ones - First that this was “according to the foreknowledge of God.
a. God the Father knew that the church would be His chosen people before it happened.
b. It was part of His plan from the beginning.
c. There are numerous Old Testament prophesies that foretold of the church and the way God would bring the Jews and Gentiles together as one body – the church.
d. The church is not an afterthought, but is the fulfillment of God’s eternal plan – according to the foreknowledge of God the Father.
4. Peter adds – “through the sanctifying work of the Spirit.”
a. To be sanctified means to “be set apart for holy uses.”
b. The Holy Spirit sanctifies us through the Word, and through the indwelling direction and empowerment.
5. Peter adds one more thing – “to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood.”
a. The sanctifying work of the Spirit is to lead us to obey Jesus.
b. We cannot become part of the chosen people until we respond with faith-motivated obedience to Jesus, and, thereby, are sprinkled with His blood.
c. Picking up on the Old Testament images of forgiveness resulting from the sacrifices of animals and the sprinkling of their blood, we Christians are saved through the shed blood of Christ.
d. When Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper he said, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” (Mt. 26:28)
e. When we obey the gospel by being baptized, we are sprinkled by the blood of Jesus and our sins are forgiven and washed away.
f. In that first sermon on the Day of Pentecost, Peter preached, “Repent and be baptized every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.” (Acts 2:38)
6. Did you notice the Trinitarian aspect of verse 2? The verse mentions God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
B. Peter not only called them the elect, he called them “strangers in the world.”
1. Other translations use the terms “exiles” or “aliens” or “foreigners.”
2. The word literally means “one who comes from a foreign country into a city or land to reside by the side of the natives.”
3. So it describes a person who is traveling or living in a foreign country.
4. The term is used only three times in the New Testament, and two of those three occasions are found in this letter. (The other time is Heb. 11:13)
5. So why did Peter call them strangers, aliens and exiles?
a. Those Christians living in those five provinces were just as much exiles as you and I are here in the United States.
b. When we became Christians, our true country became Heaven – This world is not our home, we are just passing through.
c. In Philippians 3:20, Paul says, “Our citizenship is in heaven…” He was a Roman citizen, and his Roman citizenship was important to him, but not as important as his heavenly citizenship.
6. So no matter where we live on this earth, we Christians are always aliens, strangers, foreigners or exiles, because our homeland is Heaven above.
7. We must live in this world, but not be of the world.
C. The most important thing for us to know about the recipients of this letter is that they were going through a time of suffering, and Peter was preparing them for the additional suffering they would face in the future.
1. At least 15 times in this short letter, Peter referred to suffering, and he used 8 different Greek words to do so.
2. Some of them were suffering because they were living godly lives and were doing what is good.
3. Others were suffering reproach for the name of Christ.
4. Peter wrote to encourage them to be good witnesses to their persecutors, and to remember that their suffering would lead to glory.
D. Persecution in the early church occurred sporadically almost since the beginning, but it was first sanctioned by the government under Nero.
1. In 64 AD, a great fire ravaged Rome.
2. Nero took the opportunity provided by the destruction to rebuild the city in the Greek style and begin building a large palace for himself.
3. People began speculating that Nero had set the fire himself in order to indulge his aesthetic tastes in the reconstruction so, according to Tacitus' Annals and Suetonius': “Nero, the eccentric emperor, blamed the Christians for the fire in an effort to divert attention from himself. “
4. Nero was quite insane, and is reported to have tortured Christians with great cruelties for his own enjoyment.
5. Listen to the Roman historian Tacitus: “Besides being put to death they [the Christians] were made to serve as objects of amusement; they were clad in the hides of beast and torn to death by dogs; others were crucified, others set on fire to serve to illuminate the night when daylight failed. Nero had thrown open his grounds for the display, and was putting on a show in the circus, where he mingled with the people in the dress of a charioteer or drove about in his chariot. All this gave rise to a feeling of pity, even toward men whose guilt merited the most exemplary punishment; for it was felt that they were being destroyed not for the public good but to satisfy the cruelty of an individual.”
6. Despite these extreme cruelties, Nero's persecution was local and short-lived.
7. Tertullian referred to persecution of Christians as “institutum Neronianum,” an institution of Nero.
8. After Nero, it became a capital crime to be a Christian, although pardon was always available if one publicly condemned Christ and sacrificed to the gods.
E. We must not get the idea that all Christians in every part of the Empire were going through the same trials to the same degree at the same time.
1. Persecution varied from place to place, though suffering and opposition were pretty general.
2. Nero introduced official persecution of the church and other emperors followed his example.
3. Peter’s letter must have been a tremendous help to Christians who later suffered during the reigns of Domitian (89-96 A.D.) and Trajan (98-117 A.D).
4. We have already mentioned a few things about why Peter wrote this letter, but let’s summarize the message.
III. The Message
A. As we have already mentioned, First Peter is a letter of encouragement.
1. The themes of suffering, glory and grace run throughout the letter.
2. As John is characterized as the author of love, and Paul the author of faith and grace, Peter can be considered the author of hope.
3. As we study 1 Peter, we will see how these three themes of suffering, grace and glory unite to form an encouraging message for believers experiencing times of trial and persecution.
4. 1 Peter 5:10 is a good summary and conclusion to Peter’s message: And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. (How’s that for a hopeful promise?!)
B. The living hope to which we have been called is more than just “hope so,” it is “know so.”
1. It is confident assurance of future glory and blessing.
2. This confident hope gives us the encouragement and enablement we need for daily living.
3. It does not put us in a rocking chair where we complacently await the return of Christ.
4. No, this confident hope puts us in the marketplace and on the spiritual battlefield – where we keep on going even when the burdens are heavy and the battles are hard.
5. Hope is not a sedative – it is a shot of adrenaline.
6. Like an anchor, our hope in Christ stabilizes us in the storms of life, but unlike an anchor, our hope moves us forward, it does not hold us back.
C. If we know Christ and are in Christ, then we have hope.
1. And if we have hope, then we can walk in holiness and harmony.
2. If we have hope, then there will be no problem submitting to suffering, or to those around us in society, the home or the church family – Peter will develop all of these ideas.
D. Peter began the letter with “grace and peace” (1:2), and he ended the letter with peace – “Peace to all of you who are in Christ.”
1. May our living hope result in peace…peace that passes understanding.
E. Let’s end with a quote from Terry Waite.
1. As an envoy for the Church of England, Terry Waite had successfully negotiated the release of numerous hostages in the Middle East during the 1980s.
2. During a negotiating trip in 1987, he himself was taken captive.
3. Waite remained in captivity for 1,763 days, the first four years of which were spent in total solitary confinement, and it was not until November 18, 1991 that he was released.
4. Here is his assessment of his suffering: “I have been determined in captivity, and still am determined to convert this experience into something useful and good for other people. I think that’s the way to approach suffering. It seems to me that Christianity doesn’t in any way lessen suffering. What it does is enable you to take it, to face it, to work through it, and eventually to convert it.”
5. Like Terry Waite, let’s allow our faith and hope to enable us, in the face of suffering, to take it, face it, work through it, and eventually convert it.
6. From the letter of First Peter let’s learn how our living hope involves suffering, grace and glory.
7. May God give us grace and peace.
Resources:
The Bible Exposition Commentary, 1 Peter, by Warren Wiersbe, Victor Books, 1989
The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, 1 Peter, by Edwin A. Blum, Zondervan, 1981
The Chosen Pilgrims, Sermon by Scott Coltrain, SermonCentral.com
Background to 1 Peter, Sermon by Johnny Palmer, SermonCentral.com
