This teaching on 1st Peter chapter 1, verses 17-25 was given by pastor Barry Forder at Calvary Portsmouth on 12th July 2020.
In this chapter, Peter is encouraging us to look forward to the hope we have as Christians, and live life now in the light and understanding of that hope.
Peter ends the chapter by telling us that the ‘Word which by the gospel was preached to us to us’ is the same Word that endures forever. As Isaiah declared:
“All flesh is grass,
and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field:
The grass withereth, the flower fadeth:
because the spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it:
surely the people is grass.
The grass withereth, the flower fadeth:
but the word of our God shall stand for ever”
The Word is eternal, it is God’s complete revelation of Himself to us. It will never grow old or fade. In God’s Word we find His plan that from before the foundation of the earth included you and I (all those who would receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour).
We were born via the natural birth process as corruptible beings (like grass that after a short time will wither), but Peter tells us that God reached into time and pulled us out of the fire of corruption. We were given a second birth, no longer of corruptible flesh, but a spiritual birth.
Peter tells us that because of the indescribable love that God has shown us, we should love each other – specifically we should love all those who are now on the same team we are – whom God has hand-picked, who are now part of this spiritual family by faith. In the next chapter Peter will build on this thought and tells us that those whom God has rescued are part of a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation!
Because of this Peter tells us that we should be ‘passing our time here on earth’ living each day in the admiration, respect, adoration and awe of God our Father. In other words, our lives should reflect the miracle of God’s grace that we are now beneficiaries of!
May you be blessed and encouraged by this study.
The PowerPoint slides used for this study are available for free download.
