02|2023

Sermon Outline:

  1. A salvation worthy of celebrating (1 Peter 1:3-5).
  2. A reason to rejoice, even amidst suffering (1 Peter 1:6-9).
  3. A reminder to understand the times we live in (1 Peter 1:10-12).

Notable Quotes:

“A very strong proof of this destruction of death and its conquest by the cross is supplied by a present fact, namely this. All the disciples of Christ despise death; they take the offensive against it and, instead of fearing it, by the sign of the cross and by faith in Christ trample on it as on something dead. Before the divine sojourn of the Saviour, even the holiest of men were afraid of death, and mourned the dead as those who perish. But now that the Saviour has raised His body, death is no longer terrible, but all those who believe in Christ tread it underfoot as nothing, and prefer to die rather than to deny their faith in Christ, knowing full well that when they die they do not perish, but live indeed, and become incorruptible through the resurrection…Death has become like a tyrant who has been completely conquered by the legitimate monarch; bound hand and foot the passers-by jeer at him, hitting him and abusing him, no longer afraid of his cruelty and rage, because of the king who has conquered him. So has death been conquered and branded for what it is by the Saviour on the cross. It is bound hand and foot, all who are in Christ trample it as they pass and as witnesses to Him deride it, scoffing and saying, ‘O Death, where is thy victory? O Grave, where is thy sting? (1 Cor. 15:55)’”                —-St. Athanasius 

“If you could have heaven, with no sickness, and with all the friends you ever had on earth, and all the food you ever liked, and all the leisure activities you ever enjoyed, and all the natural beauties you ever saw, all the physical pleasures you ever tasted, and no human conflict or any natural disasters, could you be satisfied with heaven, if Christ were not there?”            —John Piper

Discussion Questions:

  • What do you hope for (or hope in)? What preferred future are you telling yourself is just around the corner? Is it eternal? Perfect? Does it diminish over time? Be honest…
  • If you are a follower of Jesus, how often do you reflect on your salvation? How might that impact how you view times of suffering?

This is the 3rd sermon of the series 1 Peter: Thriving In Exile. Unfortunately, the audio was not recorded.

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