1 Peter series – “Holding onto Hope in a Hostile World”

1 Peter 1:1-2

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.

Not only do you need to know who you are, where you are and why we are here but you also need to know:

4. What you have been given 

Look at the last phrase of verse 2: “May God give you more and more grace and peace” we have:

• Redemption through grace. 

The word grace means gift. Specifically, it refers to God’s unmerited favor poured out on people just like Peter. God pursued Peter with grace, the coward who denied Christ. Peter didn’t just get God’s grace he gave it, he mentions grace in every chapter of this letter. Is grace your go to word, is your life grounded in grace. Oh we sing about amazing grace but do we soak in it. I think we would rather lip sync about grace than live it. Parents you want to grow Godly kids give grace, Husbands you want a godly wife give grace. You are either going to focus on the grace or the groaning. Not only do we have redemption through grace but we have:

• Reconciliation through Peace. 

Our sin didn’t just separate us it caused us to wage war with God. It’s only through the shed blood of Christ that we can be people of peace. Peter reminds us to pursue God’s peace not the counterfeit peace this world offers. You will either focus on peace or you will panic. Christianity has always advanced when under attack. God’s grace and peace are multiplied in the midst of the mess. Believes in Peters day suffered because of their stand for the Savior and so will we. You can get angry and argumentative or you can chose to live an attractive and appealing life. Look adversity is the Almighty’s specialty. This week I want to challenge you to live for Christ in the midst of a crooked culture. If you are saved spend sometime this week sowing the seeds of salvation. Share your faith with a friend, share Christ with a coworker. Second choose to live out your convictions don’t cower to the culture. If you’ve been compromising; come back to conviction, don’t be afraid of being an alien. If you have allowed yourself to become calloused because of the culture then choose to share Christs compassion. Live in God’s peace as you live out His grace.