Gtcotr/ss083020
The Sacred Scriptures were inspired by the Holy Spirit, preserved by the hand of God, and passed down through the centuries from generation to generation. The two primary divisions of these Holy Scriptures, the Old Testament, and the New Testament, fuse together to tell one story, it is the story of the redemption of mankind from the power of sin.
The word Testament means Covenant or agreement. The Old Testament covers thousands of years and was sealed, or guaranteed, by the blood of sacrificed animals. The Prophet Jeremiah foretold a day when God would make a New Covenant which would be written in the hearts of His people. This New Testament, God said, would include eternal forgiveness and He would remember their sins no more. (Jeremiah 31:31ff)
The Old Covenant judged sin in the life of sinners. The New Covenant has the power to separate sinners from their sin. The Old Covenant was fulfilled in the sinless life of Jesus Christ and the New Testament was sealed by His perfect atoning blood. God’s promise to create a new and eternal covenant with man is available now to any person who believes this Good News. If a person believes they can receive Jesus into their heart by faith. (Romans 10:9ff & Ephesians 2:8ff) Salvation is free to all who call on the name of Jesus.
The message of the Gospel is simple. God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son and whoever believes in Him will not perish but will receive eternal life. (John 3:16) This is the message the Apostle Peter preached everywhere he went, even when he journeyed to the ancient city of Babylon along the Euphrates.
It was from Babylon in about the year AD63 or 64 that Peter, in the last few years of his life, sat down to write a letter to people living in what is now modern-day Turkey, who had accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
The world was in chaos in those days and Believers in Jesus were the new target of world leaders. Even Emperor Nero, leader of the Roman Empire, began to persecute Christians, arrest leaders of the Church, and make it illegal for people to congregate to worship Jesus and share the Gospel of Christ with others. The two great needs of that day were the same two great needs we see in the midst of the chaos of our world today.
The First Need: Proclaim the Good News about Jesus to the whole world.
The Second Need: Inspire and encourage every Born-Again Believer with the eternal message of the New Covenant Gospel.
Let’s read from the letter God inspired Peter to write for us today.
1 Peter 1 NLT
1 ¶ This letter is from
Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ.
I am writing to God’s chosen people who are living as foreigners in
the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia.
2 God the Father knew you and
chose you long ago, and his Spirit has made you holy. As a result, you have
obeyed Him and have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ.
May God give you more and more grace and peace.
3 ¶ All praise to God, the
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been
born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with
great expectation,
4 and we have a priceless
inheritance — an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and
undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay.
5 And through your faith, God
is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready
to be revealed on the last day for all to see.
6 ¶ So be truly glad. There
is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little
while.
7 These trials will show that
your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies
gold — though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when
your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise
and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole
world.
8 You love Him even though
you have never seen Him. Though you do not see Him now, you trust Him; and you
rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy.
9 The reward for trusting Him will be the salvation of your souls.
Here are my Take-Aways from the Apostle Peter’s letter to us today:
1.
V.2) God the Father knew us and chose us long ago …
2.
(v.3) It is by His great mercy that we have been born again.
a.
Now we live with great expectation
b.
All praise to God, the Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ.
c.
We have a priceless inheritance – kept in
heaven for us …
i. Beyond the reach of change and decay
ii. And through our faith …
3.
(v.5) God is protecting us by His power …
a. Until we experience
this salvation
b. Which is ready to be
revealed on the last day
c. And everyone is going to
see what we believed … Glory!!!
4.
(v.6) There is a wonderful joy ahead …
a. Even though we must
endure many trials but for a short season
b. (v.7) These trials
will show us and others that our faith is genuine and well-placed in Jesus …
c. We will not be ashamed
that we believed Jesus (Psalms 25:2; Isaiah 50:7; Romans 5:5; 9:33; 1 Peter
4:16; 1 John 2:28)
5.
(v.9) The reward for trusting Jesus will be the salvation of our
souls.
a.
We love Jesus even though we have never seen
Him
b.
We trust Him and rejoice with a glorious,
inexpressible joy
i. Those without Christ have no trust, no hope, no joy …
ii. Do not let anyone or anything take your joy away
iii. The joy of the Lord is our strength … (Nehemiah 8:10)
iv. Trust in Jesus …
These are timeless lessons from the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Accept them and share them with others. You will never be ashamed or regret you did.
Psalms 27:14 Wait on the LORD; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the LORD!
