Gtcotr/ss041716
1 Peter 5
10 But may the God of all
grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have
suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.
11 To Him be the glory
and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
12 By Silvanus, our faithful
brother as I consider him, I have written to you briefly, exhorting and
testifying that this is the true grace of God in which you stand.
13 She who is in Babylon,
elect together with you, greets you; and so does Mark my son.
14 Greet one another with a
kiss of love. Peace to you all who are in Christ Jesus. Amen.
Note: (Written about the
year AD60/61 and sent by the hand of Silas to those in Asia Minor; “She” refers
to the Church in the city of Babylon.)
10 But may the God of all
grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have
suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.
After
you have suffered a while … The God of all grace will …
1.
Perfect you (Mend; Restore; Put your life in order)
2.
Establish you (Make Stable; Support; Undergird; Set Fast)
3.
Strengthen (Strengthen)
4.
Settle you (Place you on a firm foundation)
The
life of Peter (From childhood to martyrdom – his wife and the price she must also
have paid for him to say yes to Jesus that day …)
·
Many
scholars imagine Peter and his younger brother Andrew to have been orphaned or
at least to been raised without the benefit of a father being present in his
early life.
·
One
of the older Disciples of Christ, Peter was probably near 30 and married to a
woman from Capernaum when he first met Jesus.
·
Shortly
thereafter he was cleaning his fishing nets beside his boat when Jesus asked
him to use the boat as a platform from which to teach the multitudes who were
gathering on the shores of the lake.
·
Afterwards
Jesus told Peter to launch his boat out into the deep waters and let his nets
down once again. Peter, although with some reply, obeyed His request and
encompassed a huge catch.
·
It
was then Jesus challenged Peter become a fisher of men.
·
Peter
left all to follow Jesus convinced that He was the Messiah.
·
Peter
opened his house to Jesus and soon everyone knew where they could find Him when
they needed something.
·
The
miracles, the trials, the tests, the prisons, beatings, hardships, the
healings, the hopes, the martyrdom he marched towards and the eternal glory he
embraced gave Peter a life worth living and a testimony worth hearing.
·
Peter
knew of what he spoke when finally, later in life, having fulfilled his great
commission and taken the Gospel of Jesus from Jerusalem, through Judea and
Samaria and on to the uttermost parts of the world, he said:
1 Peter 5:10 But may the God
of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you
have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.
Without
regard as to where you are in life right now, whether busy about making a
living, trying to build a life or hoping to make a difference … you need to
meet Jesus and take Him home with you.
Let
me tell you what having the Lord Jesus Christ in your life will do for you
through the years.
1.
He will heal your hurts and put your life in order.
2.
He will undergird and support you so that you are stable and
steadfast.
3.
He will make you strong in the places you once were weak and give
you vigor and vitality in life.
4.
He will set your life on a firm foundation in such a way that the
very gates of hell cannot prevail against you.
Is
there any reason in your wildest imagination why you would dare pass up the
chance to invite Jesus into your life in a greater way today?
