1 Peter 1 Lesson

INTRODUCTION TO 1 PETER

Today we will begin a five-day study on 1 Peter. 

In this epistle, Peter writes about:

1. Persecution,
2. Suffering,
3. The perfect example of Jesus.

Peter’s first epistle takes on one of the most important questions for people of faith to consider:

• “Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people?”

WHY DO BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE?

The Bible teaches us that God allows suffering for three reasons:

1. To discipline us,
2. To teach us,
3. To shape us into the Christians that He created us to be. 

Consider the following scriptures:

1. “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor faint when you are punished by Him; for whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and He punishes every son whom He accepts.  It is for discipline that you endure, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?” – Hebrews 12:5-7,
2. “Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trials,  knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.  And let endurance have  its  perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” - James 1:2-4,
3. “Tribulation brings about perseverance;  and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope;  and hope does not disappoint, because the love God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” – Romans 5:3-5.   

SUFFERING TEACHES US

Adversity and suffering are important and necessary for our spiritual development.

If we approach suffering with a Godly attitude and allow the Holy Spirit to work through us, God will use our suffering to:

1. Perfect us,
2. Confirm us,
3. Strengthen us,
4. And establish us!

Peter wrote about this in the following scripture:

• “And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.” – 1 Peter 5:10.

GOING “ALL-IN” ON OUR FAITH

As you read the following scripture, think about the level of commitment that it takes to be a Christian, and then ask yourself if you are where you need to be in your Christian walk:

• “Therefore, let those also who suffer according to the will of God entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right.” – 1 Peter 4:19.

Peter is not talking about a lukewarm faith here.

He is talking about making a full commitment.

Going “all-in!”

And as he talks about entrusting our very souls to God, he also talks about the precious inheritance that awaits those who are faithful in their service to the Lord.

An inheritance that:

1. Is imperishable,
2. Is undefiled,
3. Is reserved for us in Heaven,
4. Will never fade away!

HOPE AND SUFFERING

Suffering and hope are two themes that are repeated throughout the Bible. 

God did not spare Jesus from suffering.

He did not spare the Apostles.

So, what makes us think that He will spare us from going through hard times?

The key for us is to endure and persevere through whatever obstacles come our way, and to develop a Godly attitude towards suffering.

If we can persevere through suffering, and at the same time be filled with hope, we will become the light and the salt of the Earth that God created us to be (Mathew 5:13-16).    

HOPE SUSTAINS US

It is our hope in Jesus that allows us to get through even the grimmest of circumstances. 

Without hope, we would be lost!

The Apostle Paul wrote about this in his letter to the Romans, as seen in the following two scriptures:

1. “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” - Romans 15:13, 
2. “For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” - Romans 15:4.

One of the best ways to have hope is to be diligent in our study of God’s Word. 

The encouragement that is found in the inspired words of the Bible provides a hope in us that nothing else can!

It is this hope that allows us to persevere through even the most difficult of circumstances. 

But in order for us to successfully persevere, we must trust in God and the plan that He has for us (Jeremiah 29:11).

CONCLUSION

All of us are going to suffer.

That is a fact!

The Bible does not sugarcoat the fact that life on earth is going to challenge us in ways we never thought of.

Consider these words written by Peter:

• “And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.” – 1 Peter 5:10.

Peter's phrase "after a little while" is significant because it points out that our suffering is only temporary. 

Sometimes, in the heat of the moment, it may feel as if we will never see better days and that our suffering will never end. 

When this happens, we can become discouraged and fooled into thinking that our suffering is permanent. 

It is during times of suffering that we need to double down on our faith and put our complete trust in God and His plan for us.

If we can maintain a Godly attitude in times of adversity, we will be pleasing to God and His light will shine through us. (Mathew 5:16)

We also need to keep our suffering in perspective and remember that we are not in it alone.

We have our Brothers and Sisters in Christ, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit to help us. 

There is a lot that we can learn from suffering.

God uses suffering to:

1. Perfect us,
2. Confirm us,
3. Strengthen us,
4. And establish us!

We will end today’s study by revisiting the following scripture from Peter’s first epistle:

• “And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.” – 1 Peter 5:10.