S.5 E.14 Suffering is not Final - Grace Is!

Peter finishes his letter with instructions to the elders, the pastors/shepherds of the congregations he is writing to. He encourages them to care for their people dependent on God's grace. God can be trusted in the midst of difficult circumstances so as leaders set an example. Let God's grace prove itself in real life. 

You may have watched the movie, "The Passion of the Christ" - the graphic depiction of the sufferings of Christ is difficult to watch. It only showed the physical suffering, we cannot imagine the internal suffering of bearing the sin of every man, woman and child who has ever lived in soul. Down through history the people of God have suffered, the Hebrew people from the inception of their existence, the early church, the church through the Middle Ages and into our present time, God's people have endured suffering. In America we have been insulated from severe suffering, but I wonder if the time is coming when we to will experience the carnage of persecution. Are we ready? Peter instructs us to be ready and one of the primary tools for being ready is REJOICING. 

Love - Hospitality - Speaking for God - Serving - Praising God = Keys to going through tough times well.

1 Peter 4:1-7 - Since Jesus suffered - have the same attitude He had. 

Peter's first letter addresses folks, Christ following folks who are living in a world that is foreign, hostile and uncomfortable. That kind of world is becoming increasingly real for Christ followers today. Peter is concerned that his hearers (that includes us) understand that they are chosen by God, given authority and responsibility and called to represent Christ in this kind of at atmosphere. 1 Peter 2:21-25 invites us to embrace a similar mind set as Jesus, a willingness to suffer in order that those around us see Jesus in us and be given the opportunity to be saved, to be healed, to have Living Hope!

1 Peter 2:13 - 3:7Peter lays out a strategy for effecting transformation in the world/culture in 3 very specific arenas; the government, the workplace and the home. His strategy is very counter intuitive. Hope you find this thought provoking. 

Scripture; 1 Peter 2:11, 12Being a child of God gives us great privilege. That privilege comes with obligations internally to ourselves and externally to the world around us. Peter begins to spell out those obligations. in these two verses.

1 Peter 2: 9,10 = This may be the most amazing description of the persons who believe in Jesus in the entire Bible. Here Peter admonishes us to accept the titles that describe with the responsibility that they are designed for. 

Scripture - 1 Peter 2:4-8Theme - God's work is LIVING and He invites us to be be a part of it. This is the third qualities in Peter's letter he describes as "living". Living Hope 1.3, LIving Word 1:23 and now Living Stone/s. God wasys are always life producing, this is a key to discerning what is from God and what is not - Does it produce life or does it end in death?I would also like to invite you to enjoy a them song for this series in 1 Peter. It is a Phil Wickham song called "LIVING HOPE". https://youtu.be/9f2FXxDVO6w?si=D7CuV0KQa4mgl-Kz

Scripture: Luke 24:13-35 (NIV)Song: He's Alive (Don Francisco)https://youtu.be/70qk6tLHht4?si=dpvdZlTS--97uljx