A Final Charge

A Final Charge

It is always bittersweet to end a book of the Bible, and we are approaching our final sermon in our series on 1 Peter. You may understand what I mean by "bittersweet" – reflecting on these words that God inspired to be written, delivered to us through a faithful brother named Peter so many years ago, words that Christians have reflected on for centuries upon centuries… it is a special thing to dwell in God's Word, and I pray this letter has been as much of a blessing to you all as it has been to me. You may have seen the joke about Paul's letters, that they all follow a similar format: —Greetings, it's Paul; —look to Christ, treasure the gospel; —Immediately stop doing those bad things and love each other, or I will come there myself; —also, some friends say hello. As far as a brief summary of an epistle goes, it's actually not bad! Peter will be ending his letter in a similar fashion – with a conclusion, some greetings from friends and a sort of benediction – but this conclusion isn't simply "filler." These conclusions are very important, so we'll take some time to reflect on this one as we close our series.

Warring Against a Roaring Lion

We conclude our section in 1 Peter 5:5-11, and we're specifically looking at verses 8-11. This is one of those passages that I love because it reminds us that there is far more to this world than we see. There are spiritual forces at work that we're not always aware of, and we are called to be on guard against and even resist those forces of evil. It is a potent reminder that behind the songs we sing and the Scripture we read and the prayers we pray, there is a spiritual battle raging. And we will win, because Christ is victorious.

Dressing Properly

This Sunday we're in 1 Peter 5:5-7, as I had to slow down a bit on our normal sermon schedule and take two weeks on a passage I planned to do in one Sunday (5:5-11). There are two themes that fit quite well for our church in this passage: clothing ourselves with humility, and finding comfort in the mighty hand of God.

Watching Over the Flock of God

This Sunday's passage is a bit of encouragement to elders, but I hope no one thinks that means this passage "doesn't apply" to them if they are not an elder! Elder leadership is an important biblical principle for Christians to understand. Our church is an elder-led church, which means we are led by elders who exercise spiritual oversight, and also led by deacons who serve the body. Our elders shepherd souls, and our deacons steward needs. In particular, Peter speaks about the elders who are "among you." You should know your elders, and elders should know their people! Elder leadership is a very personal business, and it's important for us to encourage a biblical view of eldership. Our culture has unfortunately become fascinated by "celebrity pastors" who preach at a distance, whereas Scripture leads us to see elders as shepherds who work among their own people. Also, many things in Peter's message remind me that our church should primarily be thinking "locally." Elders have a responsibility outside the local church, but their primary focus and attention is within that local body. In the same way, our church should have its primary attention locally—shepherding our own people well here at home, partnering with local ministries and churches, and evangelizing the local community (communities) in which we reside. Ministering locally is an important focus.

Faithful Endurance

This week we turn back to 1 Peter 4, where the focus is once again on suffering. If that sounds familiar, you're not mistaken—Peter returns to this theme quite repeatedly. But he does so deliberately, because the threads that are woven throughout this letter are meant to bring us to a place where we can find joy even in the midst of suffering. This will be an encouraging passage.