Washed in the Word

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Knowing the future helps us invest wisely in the present.  The problem is we are not prescient.  That is we don’t know the future, but God does.  God is omniscient.  God knows all.  That means God knows the future.  If knowing the future helps us invest in the present, we ought to listen if God offers prophetic truth.  This is exactly where we find oursel...

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First Peter focused on beleaguered believers bearing up under persecution.  So, the threat in First Peter was external.  Second Peter focuses on false teachers.  The threat in Second Peter is internal but all the more lethal.  The New Testament is quite clear that the greatest threat to the church is not external persecution, painful though it may be.  The greatest threa...

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In a day when people are chasing & embracing every wind of doctrine.  In an era where it is taken as an absolute truth that there are no absolute truths, it is critical that we Know Our Scriptures.  The antidote to the poison of false teaching is the undiluted Truth of God found in the Word of God that points us back to the Son of God so that we might find the grace of God.  B...

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Second Peter is the last love letter to beleaguered believers from the pen of Peter.  Roman Emperor Nero is in charge & he has been a scandalous scourge to the cause of Christ.   Peter knows that his leadership & apostleship are about to be extinguished by martyrdom & he wants his torch to be passed on so that his exit does not extinguish the light of Christ.  Whereas ...

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The most important question one can ask is: "Who is Jesus?"  Depending on who you ask, you may hear that Jesus was a great moral teacher like Socrates, Buddha or Gandhi.  Or that Jesus was a paragon of compassion like Mother Theresa, Francis of Assisi or Florence Nightingale.  Skeptics portray Jesus as an itinerant Rabbi whose followers got carried away.  He may have been a M...

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How would you end a letter to beleaguered believers scattered, battered & tattered for standing for Christ in a world that was hostile to the gospel? What would your final words be to those you want to encourage to persevere when the going is rough?  What would you say to those willingly undergoing unjust suffering for the sake of Christ?  Our text today is the Holy Spirit’s ...

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What ought we look for in a shepherd?  Christians and churches have a lot of expectations for pastors but what are God's expectation for shepherds?  1 Peter 5 is one of the most helpful texts in all the Bible in answer to this crucial question.  we have many expectations for shepherds.  But what are God’s expectations?  Grab your Bible, a pen, & print out the f...

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Have you ever wondered: Why this?  Why me?  Why now?  Over 40 years ago Harold Kushner wrote a best seller entitled “When Bad Things Happen to Good People?”  For most folks the question isn’t when, but why?  “Why do bad things happen to good people.”   Christians often wonder “Why do bad things happen to God’s people?”...

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Today the Bible calls us to three things that will help us as elect exiles to minister to our neighbor & bring glory to our Savior.  "A Big Three for You & Me: Suffering, Supplication & Service".  These three are found in 1 Peter 4.  Grab your Bible, a pen, & print out the free downloadable sermon outline & accompanying study guide & let's get Washed in the...

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Have you noticed that sometimes following Jesus hurts?  Our passage today speaks about suffering in the will of God.  The Bible is not bashful about this subject.  Peter began our epistle by telling us that as elect exiles we should not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon us as though something strange were happening to us For the past few sessions our near context ...

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Our text today takes us to challenging places.  To the original hearers these words upended societal norms in liberating but threatening ways. To modern ears these same words are equally challenging but for the opposite reason.  These words are threatening not for their radical liberation but for their seemingly unseemly subjugation. 1st Peter is a monument to the vast difference betwe...

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Work is a central facet of our existence.  Most of us spend about a third of our lives at work.  Work is a good gift from God.  Before sin entered in, Adam worked the garden. But after the fall there is a curse on it all.  Apart from the curse, when you add sinful man into the mix given our proclivity to iniquity, work often feels less than good, especially when our employers...

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Tell me if any of these sound familiar:  “Why do I have to listen to you?”  “Who are you to order me?”  “This state, city, county, or country, is so corrupt why should I pay this tax or toll?”  All of those sentiments pertain to submission to authority or rather, a lack of submission to authority.  1 Peter tackles this subject head on....

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Do you understand God’s plan for your life?  Do you understand your kingdom calling?  Do you understand who you are in Christ & what that means as you seek to live for Christ?  Our text today is the very heart & core of the epistle of First Peter.  Our passage is the fulcrum from which all the teachings of First Peter pivot. Everything before our passage points ...

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Today Peter speaks on something so basic you might be tempted to skip past it.  But it is so intrinsic we must imbibe it until we own it.  Until it is rooted in the very fabric of our daily existence.  Today’s topic is "Christ & the Christian."  May I be so bold as to say never let this passage become old because it is pure gold.An argument can be made that our text...

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In 1980 Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers offered the world a catchy chorus: “You don’t have to live like a refugee.”  Christians find that is not quite the case.  Hebrews 13:14 tells us “this world is not our home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come.”  Peter calls us elect exiles because Christians are temporarily, providentially placed in ...

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Our subject today is one from which folks tend to shy away.  The subject is holiness.  Today we are in 1 Peter 1 & the what of our passage is clear in verses 14-15: "As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct.."  The why of our passage is clear in verses 15-19: 15 bu...

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Sometimes following Christ is hard.  So when our allegiance to Jesus arouses anger from our neighbors God wants us to know three things so we stay the course when the wind & waves are battering our ship of faith.  Today, the Apostle Peter continues his letter to beleaguered believers These saints have endured political, social, & personal persecution.   If you are listenin...

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Salvation is a subject clouded by confusion.  Prosperity preachers promise salvation from pain & paucity.  Concerning salvation Buddhists urge us to pursue nirvana.  The salvation they seek is from suffering by trying to snuff out the fires they claim cause it: attachment, aversion, & illusion.  Hindus seek salvation through moksha which is liberation from the suppose...