October 18, 2012
NEW GRACE, NEW FAITH, NEW LIFE
1 Peter 1
Sarah Fultz
Central Truth
Being an heir of the Lord's is a privilege, and one that demands our lives.
Key Verse | 1 Peter 1:13
Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 1:13)
1 Peter 1
Greeting
1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,
To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, 2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood:
May grace and peace be multiplied to you.
Born Again to a Living Hope
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, 11 inquiring what person or time 1 1:11 Or what time or circumstances the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. 12 It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.
Called to Be Holy
13 Therefore, preparing your minds for action, 2 1:13 Greek girding up the loins of your mind and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, 15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” 17 And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, 18 knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. 20 He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you 21 who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
22 Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, 23 since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; 24 for
“All flesh is like grass
and all its glory like the flower of grass.
The grass withers,
and the flower falls,
25
but the word of the Lord remains forever.”
And this word is the good news that was preached to you.
Dive Deeper | 1 Peter 1
We are set apart. That thought keeps ringing in my head as I read and reread the first chapter of Peter's first letter. We are set apart.
This is not a new idea, pastors or authors touch on this all the time. I feel that the vast majority of all self-proclaimed Christians would agree with this sentiment with little to no hesitation. Yet, for some reason, this truth is especially clear to me in reading this chapter. We are set apart in so many ways! We are set apart from those who don't know the Lord (verse 3), set apart from prophets (verse 12), set apart from angels (also verse 12), set apart from our former selves (verse 14), set apart from our forefathers (verse 18) . . . . The list goes on.
Perhaps the most critical distinction that Peter brings to our attention is how we are set apart from this current world. Verse 17 references our "stay on earth" -- pointing clearly to the fact that this is temporary. Our true home, our ultimate destination, is with Him. Peter does us the favor of turning our eyes away from the perishable things of this earth in order to focus on the imperishable, promised inheritance in Christ. Knowing this, then, I pray that we don't lose sight of what is perfect and lasting, and that we "fix [our] hope completely on the grace to be brought to [us] at the revelation of Jesus Christ" (verse 13).
Discussion Questions
1. Does the way you live your life look "set apart" from the world?
2. Reread verses 6 and 7. Have you experienced trials lately? Has the way you handled them "resulted in praise and glory and honor" of Jesus?
3. What does it mean to "fix your hope completely on the grace" of Jesus? Does your life look like this?
WEEKLY FAMILY ACTIVITY
October 15-19 (James 3-1 Peter 2)
Read James 3:1-12.
• What different things does James compare to our tongues?
• Does James mean that your literal tongue is bad or good? What is he actually talking about?
• How have you seen words be used for good? How have you seen them be used for bad?
• Is it hard for you to control your words?
• Do you take time to think about what you say before you say it?
Activity: Get a full tube of toothpaste. Discuss how the toothpaste in the tube is like words that are in your head. Next, squeeze all the toothpaste out of the tube. Then, let your kids try to put the toothpaste back in the tube. It's impossible. Talk with your family about how this is like our words and that, once they are out our mouths, we cannot take them back.
Ask: Why is it important to think about what we say before we say it? How can you use your words for good and not harm? Discuss ways that you can be more careful this week about the words that come out of your mouth.