1 Peter 1:1-2 and what do you do when quarantined?

 

I am thankful to say I have fully recovered from this round of the virus.  The symptoms are gone and I have made it to being mask-free again.  I used the time to explore some of the country roads of central Wisconsin.  This trip found me "against the wind" at one point and if I stopped pedaling I would start going the other way!

I am also living among many lakes and rivers so I made my way to a lake that one of the church member lives on for an evening of fishing from a kayak.  I was a little wobbly at first but after a couple hours on the lake things stabled out.  Many were caught but these crappies and bluegills were what I brought home to clean for a meal in the future.  

I was back in the pulpit this Sunday starting the book of 1st Peter.  What does this senior citizen saint named Peter have to say to the 1st century Gentile Christians who were being heavy persecuted?  Realizing that these are probably some of Peter's last words to the church prior to his own martyrdom, what does he want them to know?

I start the sermon with a story about a senior citizen saint in my life whose name was Barb Auldrich.  In my first church I was in my early 20's and she was in her mid 70's.  Barb and I walked through a lot together and as I was sitting by her in the last days of her life I longed for just a few more words from her.  That was not possible so I spent the time sharing all those things I had learned from her.

This sermon has turned into two so part two will come next week.  Peter starts by stating the Trinity to these persecuted Christians and connecting each part of the Godhead with their salvation.  God planned it by choosing; Jesus purchased it by way of the cross; and the Holy Spirit polishes it by continuing to carve us.  What Jesus and the Spirit have done we have a handle on but what God has done usually is harder to grasp.  Words like elect, chosen, and the foreknowledge of God need to be seen in the context of how the Bible uses these words so we interpret His word correctly.  I keep reminding myself that these terms are used as statements of fact and also in a way to comfort the believers.  

It is challenging in our day to keep God elevated above us.  We so desire to take His place and run the show.  His sovereignty does not negate His commands to us to respond to receive salvation.  We need to go from rebelling to repentance to be restored into His kingdom, His one flock of one Shepherd (John 10:16).  These two concepts in the Scriptures are not in competition with each and we need to continue to humbly dig to understand God's sovereignty and our human response to it.  

I pray I am humbly presenting what God's word says about it so we can be comforted and especially if we are in a time of heavy persecution because we carry the name of Christ.  What do we need to know to stand firm (1 Peter 5:12)?  This might be a 4 month journey through this book!

Adam