Review of last week’s teaching:
I. Rejoicing amid grief, even as Jesus did (vss. 6-7)
II. There is purpose in the pain (vss. 8-9)
A. Charlie Brown was right when he always exclaimed, “Good grief!”
B. It is good for faith
C. The heavenly inheritance cannot perish (vs. 4)
III. The prophecies of old are for us! (vss. 10-12)
1. The coming of Christ
2. The coming of the Holy Spirit
Prepare for Action (1 Peter 1:13-2:3)
i. Application from last week: The problem of pain diffused
A. If God is all-powerful and all-good, how can evil exist?
1. The skeptic assumes he is either one or both of these.
2. Christians know the answer lies in the definition of “good”.
a. God’s goodness is greater than just kindness
b. “No pain, no gain”
c. God disciplines us out of love
d. He is perfecting His love in us
e. Remember even Jesus willingly suffered on our behalf
I. Prepare for action (vss. 1:13-17)
A. Minds (thoughts), self-controlled, hope on future grace when Christ is revealed
B. Obedience, holiness, mindful of judgment in reverent fear (holy fear)
1. Proverbs 1:7 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge”
C. Strangers as in “Unique individuals living in a corporate world”
II. Always remember whose you are (vss. 1:17-25)
A. The Father has redeemed us (freed us from bondage to sin and the Devil)
B. Through Christ’s blood
1. He was chosen, revealed, raised!
2. This surpasses all empty ways of life! (vs. 1:18)
C. Obedience to the truth purifies us
1. The truth is Christ
2. The evidence is deep love for one another
a. “Love One Another” – Christ’s Last Supper command (John 13:34)
III. Born Again (vss. 1:23-25)
A. Not of imperishable seed
B. Of the Living, enduring Word of God, which is preached about Christ
C. No longer the same as the grass and flowers, we are born again to eternal life
IV. Behavioral warnings and wisdom (vss. 2:1-3)
A. Rid yourselves of these:
1. malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, slander.
B. Be like newborn babies seeking:
1. pure spiritual milk
2. healthy growth in salvation
3. for the Lord is good!
