Introduction to First Peter (Part B)

It is about what God puts into you, not what men call accredited or anything else.

Men may say and it doesn't have to be lived out with a attitude of bitterness or contention, but it is a fact that every believer has direct access to the throne of God and we are not interested in having a caste system within our faith, yet yet there are places that habit will not depart from this is cross reference radio with our pastor and teacher Rick Gaston. Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville. Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the book of first Peter, please stay with us after today's message to hear more information about cross reference radio, specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching, and now here's Pastor Rick as he continues his introduction to the book of first Peter in first Peter chapter 1 should want to be people of high caliber of character. Should we should we aim lower, should we aim for something else should we pick out some other target. Absolutely not, is why we love the Proverbs of Proverbs are about character. If you want to get it right, says the Proverbs the consider these things and don't be the fool in the bunch fact that the very men compile these Proverbs even authored many of them became the wisest fool of them all is an absolute warning to everyone who would be righteous. So these lessons that come out of the Scripture. They abound do I with my life, offer anything to counteract which Satan is doing as I look at the life of Peter and ICM influenced by the Holy Spirit. And then I also see him influenced by Satan, but not energized Jesus to get behind me Satan he was talking to Peter and threw Peter to Satan, who was influencing him and we go out into the world and we find a society of people not only influenced by Satan, but energized by Satan, and the question is what do I do with my life. To counteract that.

That's why we assemble a churches like this for preaching. That's why God has ordained this because you won't get it shopping or staying at home or whatever chores or things that remain to be done. It is the house of God with the word of God is to be preached and the Holy Spirit is to move in the lives of those in the building that is his intention, you can say no to that or you can receive it. And so the question is what do I do with my life.

To counteract which Satan is doing in my the salt of the earth or not. So I know for fact that there are sitting here in this room right now.

Those who are godly influences those who are doing things with the king who are part of the processes the war spiritual war of counteracting the enemy's movements, attacks and plans. Acts chapter 1 Jesus said this to the disciples. Peter in that group. You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit is come upon you, and you shall be witnesses to me in Jerusalem and Judea, Samaria and out of parts of the world what he was saying to them as you are going to get what you need to preach me that's what it means not to show lawful look, a holy I am to preach the gospel. That's what he is talking about and that is what they went off and did and Peter is continuing this in his letter to these Christians who are trying to do the same thing as they are hounded by the citizens of the Roman Empire because of their hatred of the Christians at the time this letter was written. Once the Simon Peter was converted. Jesus always was real and foremost to him.

Never did Jesus sink into some abstract theory will maybe he's not that never happened to Peter second Peter chapter 1 verse 16 we do not follow cunningly devised fables, when we made known to you the power and coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his Majesty. We sought and you can't take that away from us, and I'm telling you I was there but you believe it or not that's on you. I know it's on me and that's how every Christian should respond to this life than anybody that disagrees with their personal born-again experience. I met him I don't need you to sign off on it. I would like you to. I would like you to also have this experience, but I don't need it I want it.

I want you to want so we have to become wises servants as harmless as doves in the ministry of this power of the Holy Spirit preach Christ. Many Christian today would never allow themselves to sit under the authority of Simon Peter, because you had not enough formal education for them. That's pride for was the first person in the Bible show up with pride. Satan himself, I'll be like the most. I'll sit where he sits. I'll take that power and was cast to the earth. He saw man. He hated him from the beginning and solely look at these things.

We collect them. We hope that they shape us that the impact us. But as I said many Christians have too much pride to receive from people today like Simon Peter acts chapter 4 now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John and perceive that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled and they realized that they had been with Jesus and seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it, but when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred amongst themselves saying what we could do with these guys. They do not get any authority from us. It comes from somewhere else.

They had been with Jesus Christ. Many today given the choice would go sit under Solomon before the set under manlike Peter because of his lack of formal education was one of the point of bringing this up now because you must remember that it is about anointing. It is about what God puts into you, not what men call accredited or anything else. Men may say and it doesn't have to be lived out with a attitude of bitterness or contention, but it is a fact that every believer has direct access to the throne of God and we are not interested in having a caste system within our faith, yet yet there a lot of places that have it and will not depart from it.

But don't let that be you.

It is the truth that came out of this man, the wisdom, the anointing upon his life. Others may diminish that and justify why they do may not be us, and it epic moment in this man's life.

With all this upset about came a day when he denied his Lord.

We failed total collapse. It was catastrophic. But Jesus promised him another chance and within that promise a baked into that promise of victory. Peter would die allegiance to Jesus Christ. Three years after meeting Jesus, the promise was given to him only three years into his walk. John's gospel chapter 21 verse 18, most assuredly, I say to you when you were younger you girded yourself walk where you wished when you are old you will stretch out your hands and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish this he spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God and when he had spoken this he said to him, follow me.

This is the death that you're going to die in front of everybody. God will receive the glory because you will not fail. The second time how encouraging 30 years later there about. It was fulfilled just like Jesus said it is not uncommon for us to fail and it is guaranteed will get another chance. If we want will receive it.

That is the grace of God that is the guarantee God's grace and is all over this letter Peter emphasizes grace throughout these this first letter, especially his letters are written again from a moderate to be never lost sight of that walk. All of his ministry knowing how it was going to end for him.

He did not know the timetable, but he knew how it was going to happen and so that flagship verse that I quoted. Knowing this shortly that I must put off my tent just as our Lord Jesus Christ showed me the tent is the body. It's just a tent just holes is with all the spirit and the soul resides really nothing cast away all receive a glorified body that day. We are looking for. So wherever Peter Peter went his death sentence went with him and everybody was a Christian.

They knew it be a witness, Peter for me but going to kill you for dinner said okay. Another lesson this first letter that we are considering in the second and actually what will get to the second will reach to the second one letter at a time written about 64, 65, A.D., after the birth of Christ, about 30 years after the crucifixion when it happened historically, will Nero. He is the one on the throne. He is the Caesar over the Roman Empire. Nero love to build as many of them did Gerard the great, which is great monster just many throughout history the that they love to build things lawyer ought Nero he wanted to develop Rome. Further, put his his his signature on the city but hadso it is believed that he concocted a plan to burn down portion of the city that would allow him to then go in and redevelop that area and when he did this, the fire burned for additional six days and seven nights out-of-control. Many of the houses in the shops and in that area where it started work were made of wood, not masonry materials and they just caught up until much of the city was destroyed. While the people blamed Nero from the beginning Nero realize he needed to come up with a scapegoat quickly and who else would be better to blame then those Christians, they were just like the Christians we were disliked for two reasons. One, because of our association with the Jews. Will the Jews never liked the second was because of the influence that the Christians had over people and paganism were being converted they were worshiping the Caesar and they were worshiping the man-made gods and they did not share the beliefs of the Roman culture and as a result, they were enemies of the state and so when Nero pics singles them out. It was an easy fit the bitterness towards them was very severe and that's what started the first persecution of the church by the gentle, the Jews persecuted the Christians are ready little bit but now this was a state deal living in the day.

We live in now if we can if we lost his last general election.

We would be experiencing. I believe a lot more persecution.

The screws would be tightening on us because the culture doesn't like us and we don't like the culture though the people in the culture that's a different thing. But they do not have the resources that we have, but we understand it, we understand.

Looking at the story the history of those in ancient Rome what the Christians had to go through their resulting persecutions. We understand it, looking at our own society is the suffering brought on by persecution that cause Peter to address the believers in this very large territory of the Roman empire no less than 15 times does he use the word suffering in writing to them in this first letter and we are to learn looking at this one. How I face such things out. What do I do when I am being bullied.

Things are against me.

What is my attitude to be this not a pep talk. You have fun with them up to feel good about going on playing the game is laying out the fact you say you are a believer than believe this because this is the way it is. So the first letter he deals with troubles from outside the second letter he deals with troubles from inside the heresy. False teachers we listen to these things reside on to be the one of those two. I do not want to be someone who persecutes the church from the outside, the unbeliever, and I don't want to be someone who comes to church and persecutes the church from the inside and many, many don't see a problem with it. So now we look at verse one. Remember we are in first Peter motive kind of gone on a little bit there first Peter chapter 1 verse one Peter and apostle of Jesus Christ to the pilgrims of the dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Nokia, Asia and Bithynia so he uses his Christ given name Jesus named him Peter. He was born Shimon or Simon Simeon God gives.

That's the Hebrew name of the Greek for the Greek for his name was Simon, the Hebrews, Simeon, Jesus named him a rock Petrus immovable rock but not a small rock that's a different Greek word Peter will use the different of the other word of life, loss when he speaks about the living stones. But Jesus named him immovable rock. In contrast to Petra the massive rock that immovable rock to get these three Greek words of a rock that were working with Petrus for the movable rock this large life loss for the smaller rock like gems or stones in the ground of these rocks would cry out to me that was that word in the Greek used by Matthew. For example, and then Petra for the massive rock verse barred me. John's Gospel there we find it.

Peter's brother brought him to Jesus Christ literally brought him to Jesus Christ today when we meet some of the guys was a well he led me to Christ, but Andrew physically takes Peter to Jesus Christ John's gospel chapter 1 verse 41, he found his own brother Simon that again. The Greek for Simeon. The Hebrew name and said to him, we found the Messiah, which is translated, the Christ, the Hebrew word for Christ as Messiah Greek word for Messiah is Christ anointed as our English word, but he brought him to Jesus. When Jesus looked at him. He said you are Simon son of Jonah. You shall be called safe us, which is translated stone" what's with the safest thing that's aromatic. And so when the writers of the New Testament put their stylus to parchment date. The these use the Greek language and that word for safest. They use the Greek word Petrus to interpret what Jesus meant is not a rock like Jesus but is rock.

Nonetheless, and Peter, of course, was the it is an interesting story of a man named Barack who had moments in his life where he was movable but overall he was not. He was everything that Christ said he would be.

So he wore that name. He wore it with honor.

He starts out this letter. Petrus Christ called me that and I'm not letting you go. And apostle. Why is this important authority.

Authority submission to it does not come easily. Many people look for an opportunity to find problems with authority just so they can repel against it. Make themselves feel that I did something today but to get away from it and in Christ, especially the church was built on the testimony and the blood of the apostles and the prophets. Ephesians chapter 2 verse 19 the household of God. In verse 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone, the household of God, you belong to it or are you an outsider look you church built by these men because God did it that way. Just like the Old Testament was built by the prophets and the kings and the priest and the people of God. He saw Jesus raised no less than three people from the dead and then himself. Yeah, I know the Bible says God the father owes him with the Godhead is one you just not going to divide the many, where you turn it, the Godhead is manifested to us to help us get an idea of what's going on and just how thorough God's knowledge of us is in his coming to earth as a babe born in a manger and then living through this life, but virtuous nonetheless.

Less is educational for us, so that when we see him in the wilderness and he doesn't budge an inch to Satan. We understand no one can withstand a face-to-face assault of temptation from Satan on their own. He did because he's not like anybody else.

He is the creator of the universe. Peter saw these people dead.

Then he saw them alive simply because of Jesus Christ. Those who scoff at these things are themselves scoffed at by God, I Gazaway you kidding me.

I put the sun up there the moon into got the blue pant planet that is run perfectly in the universe. Nothing slams into it to kill it and you scoff at the fact that I can bring a life back in my supposed to honor that my supposed to be impressed with some credential you made up we who believe we fall down at the feet of the one who does these things. Like Peter did know when Peter saw Jesus to his first miracle you know it Peter to be filled out in the streets to depart from me-I am not a righteous man. I can handle this. Thank God the Lord did not listen to Peter so he saw also the Transfiguration of Jesus Christ Greek words metamorphosis we get our rings were metamorphosis metamorphosis changed the radiance splendor of Christ was upon him in the in front of the eyes of those three men there were there on the Mount of Transfiguration somewhere in the promised land is unspecified and good because somebody would've put them art of monist to prepare for something of you another opportunity to commit idolatry, but that elevated appearance of Jesus Christ never forgot it been going to talk about it in his letters, Peter never forgot these things and he didn't start around boasting about them pages laid them out as they needed to when they needed to be said brought them forward, but he has so many other things to say because of God working in him.

He saw Jesus walking on water in a storm, carrying an elephant know he did with no relevant what he could've put up uninfected walk on water. Do you need anything else. Fact it was in a storm to save ads doing even talking and passing them on the boat. Peter saw that he wasn't going to give it up for them self so let me ask you Christians when you heard Jesus first speak to you. You remember your number at any point in your life that he is spoken to you.

Are you ready to give that up for anything you better not be. Peter was not he heard the sermons he saw the miracles but it was the character of the man Jesus Christ and move Peter the most, and everybody else to the love.

That's why on that day when Malka's dad reach out to arrest Christ be to try to cut his head off.

Fortunately for Malka's Peter was a poor aim and he only got the ear as he wasn't aiming for the ear is aiming to cut his head open. That was brave love, but it was foolish love, because Christ already laid out to them what was going to happen and what was supposed to happen this man personally knew Christ in human form and he was handpicked and set out with authority and so he says Peter and apostle of Jesus Christ, I was there I was chosen. I'm here now and I am working half of the kingdom. For these pilgrims at his next word here in verse one strangers you could translated that way to those traveling through not going to be here long as passing through have a destination to go to first Peter chapter 2 verse 11 beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims abstain from fleshly lust with war against the soul.

What is that mean war against the soul wants to take you to hell, that's what it means everything that God is working in you, the flesh will try to work against us. That's the curse that is upon us.

But the blessing is the feeling of the spirit he speaks of the dispersion by the Diaspora in the Greek and mostly Francis and James chapter 1 it is used it speaks of the Jews that were scattered about the Roman Empire. Many of the Jews after the Babylonian captivity had no interest in going back to the promised land. They learn to be merchants and they were preferring that lifestyle over the lifestyle and the promised land and they went around and found a bunch of Gentiles sell things to an delivery well. We are so glad you tuned in today to study the book of first Peter on cross reference radio cross reference radio is the daily radio ministry of Pastor Rick Gaston of Calvary Chapel in Mechanicsville, Virginia, and we are blessed to bring you God's word with each broadcast. If you'd like more information about this program or want to listen to additional teachings from Pastor Rick please visit our website cross reference radio.com. We also encourage you to subscribe to our podcast so you'll never have to miss a program. Just search for cross reference radio iTunes Google play music or your favorite podcast. We hope you tuned in again next time to join us as we continue our study through the Scriptures like here on cross reference radio