1 Peter 1:3–9

Series “When life gets hard”

Last week, we saw that Peter was writing to believers who were suffering, scattered, and struggling to remain faithful in a hostile world. And that has not stopped. For us in this country the hostility is not so overt, but covert, it's subtle, and we don’t realize it because we are not beaten for our faith, or thrown in prison. by drawing people's attention from the truth to that which seems like truth.

Peter reminds us that following Jesus has always come with a cost. Our hope is not rooted in this temporary life/world—it is rooted in the eternal promises of God. We learned that our identity is not found in relationships, success, or the comfort of approval, but in the fact that we are God's chosen people and citizens of a heavenly kingdom. Shandel in whom christ dwells.

Most importantly, Peter showed us that our salvation is secure because it rests in the completed work of the trinity, the Triune God: chosen by the Father, sanctified by the Spirit, and redeemed by the Son. No matter how difficult life becomes, as a believer you can stand firm because God knows you, God is shaping you, God sees you and God has secured your eternal future through Jesus Christ.

(3) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, (4) to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, (5) who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

We are about to spend the next few months discovering…“How to stand firm and live faithfully for Jesus when life gets difficult.”

I Peter 1:1-2 - right after James before 1 John which we did too.

The letter was written around 64 AD, during the reign of Emperor Nero.

History: Written by Peter an apostle of Jesus Christ

Originally named Simon He addresses the letter as Peter, which means “rock”, the name the Lord gave him

“Prayer is not preparation for the battle; prayer is the battle.”

2 Cor 10:3-6 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete.

Part one of two on prayer

Romans 12:17-19 Do not be wise in your own opinion.

Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.

1) Why does violence and war exist in the first place? Where did it start and why doesn’t God prevent it?

Violence and war exist because of sin. We live in a fallen world and the prince of this world, Satan, has a period of time for which to lead people away from God, This is the reason we have violence and war in the first place, people choose to listen to the lies of Satan and evil ensues. What God created was good. What Satan distorts is evil. Satan is a liar, a deceiver and an accuser. The deception is that we can be like God. And because we think we can be like God, we think we can do whatever we want because we don’t understand the depth of our sin, our capacity for evil, and how far our sin has led us away from Him.

Fear of the Lord !

This morning's message will focus on the core biblical truth that every person is created in the image of God. Our goal is for you to leave with a deep understanding of your inherent importance and significance to God. And to worship him fully for In him we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28)

To structure this discussion, we will answer six questions that have been submitted to us.

1. Scriptural evidence we are “made in the image of God”?

Gen 1:26-27 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they (both man and woman) may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

So God created mankind in his own image,

in the image of God he created them;

male and female he created them.

This establishes that:

• humanity was uniquely created by God
• humanity bears God’s image
• both men and women equally bear that image

(16) Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. (17) When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. (18) Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. (19) Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and (20) teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

(16) The eleven disciples went to Galilee as Jesus asked, and as they were told went to a certain mountain and Jesus would meet them there.

Easter has just happened. The tomb is empty, and Jesus is alive. But now the question presses in on us: what’s next? Because the resurrection is not just something to believe in, it is something that demands a response from our lives.

What kind of response? One that motivates us to action.

(17) When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.

I love the fact that they worshipped Him.

The disciples' journey back to Galilee from Jerusalem, a trek of roughly four days, and those four days must have been filled with wonder and anticipation. The disciples obey Jesus and go to Galilee, and when they see Him, they worship Him—but some doubted. This is one of the most honest moments in Scripture.

Has anyone here rehearsed in your head what you are going to say to someone? I would think during that long walk to Galilee the disciples rehearsed in their minds what they might say to Jesus, when they saw Him.

What conversations do you rehearse that you want to have with Jesus?

However, upon seeing Jesus standing before them, all rehearsed thoughts vanished. Their immediate, involuntary reaction was to fall to their knees and worship Him (I believe we will experience the same reaction when we see Him face to face one day).

It is entirely plausible that some of them having fallen to their knees in worship entertained a mixture of doubt. That doubt is literally to be of two minds.