The command to love one another is one of the most basic commands in the Bible. But the reason and resources to love are not often understood. We love one another because we have been born again. We love one another from the power of...
It is necessary that we know and remember that we have been ransomed with the blood of Christ. This passage tells us from what, with what, and for what Christ ransomed us. By knowing these things we come to see that Christ’s blood is precious,...
Holiness is a beautiful word. Applied to God, it refers to the perfection of all his attributes combined into a single description of his nature. God is holy. Since all of God’s attributes are perfectly good, his holiness is beautiful. How does holiness apply to...
In 1 Peter, hope is a powerful thing. It is the reason for being and doing. It motivates us to be and do. The call to set our hope fully on the grace of God in Christ is to be heeded because our lives depend...
We are called to consider salvation. In the trials and testings of life, we may be tempted to neglect our salvation for some form of self-generated coping scheme or doubt our salvation because our circumstances are so difficult, or come to believe that our salvation...
In the various trials of life that test our faith, from where does our joy come? Our joy comes from God; his great mercy toward us in Christ, his work in us to conform us to the image of Christ, and his promise to get...
In a letter designed to encourage believers toward faithfulness to Christ as they experience the tension of living in this world, Peter begins with praise to God. As he praises God for his great mercy toward us, he is reminding us of the basis of...
Today we begin a sermon series in 1 Peter. We don’t get past the opening greeting without being encouraged by the truth of the gospel that attends our way as sojourners in this world. We find here the reason to praise God for his great...
As Christians and as a congregation, let us hear and heed the call to be constant in prayer. As we pray, let us trust in the love, wisdom, and power of God; entrust ourselves, our circumstances, and others to him; ask him in Christ’s name,...
The promise of the presence of Christ did not end when he ascended to heaven. He said he will be with us to the end of the age. Christ has given us his Spirit to be with us, to live in us, and to give...
