If the announcement of pardon gives joy, there is no reason to fear that the conscience is not awakened.

1 PETER 1, Verses 1-8

God has a different purpose in every book in the Bible. Each one is like a precious jewel, with its individual shades of color seen against the background of God's love. In this book, the believers had been Jews, who had been scattered into other lands and were suffering for their faith in the Lord Jesus. In these two letters, Peter does not tell of the wonderful heavenly position of the believer like Paul does. He tells them that they are strangers and pilgrims who suffer on the earth, and directs their (and our) thoughts toward heaven.

1 Pet 1:2 God knew beforehand who would believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. That is what "foreknowledge" means. The true Christian life is an obedient life. "Sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ" means that the believer stands perfectly clean before God because he has been cleansed by the blood of Christ.

1 Pet 1:3 He tells them that they have a living hope based on the resurrection of Christ in contrast to only a hopeless life on earth which they used to have when they were unsaved Jews.

1 Pet 1:4-end They have an inheritance which will never perish, can't be spoilt, won't fade away, reserved in heaven! And still we get attracted by some foolish, passing thing here on earth!

1 Pet 1:5 The believer is kept safe by God's power. He has s salvation ready now, and waiting to be shown to him.

1 Pet 1:6 He has something to make him rejoice greatly. But he also has trials and difficulties, if he needs them!

1 Pet 1:7 These things happen to him, in order that what is real in him, will result in praise and honor and glory when the whole world will see the Lord Jesus. (It is when the Lord Jesus appears at the end of the tribulation and the beginning of the millennium). If you remember that He is coming soon for us believers, then it makes it easier to endure all the difficulties. That is, the difficulties because we are believers.

1 Pet 1:8 We shall not only endure, but triumph with a joy that cannot be explained.

#343

Repentance is not salvation... but there is no salvation without it.

1 PETER 1, Verses 10-22

1 Pet 1:10-13 All through the Old Testament, the serious-minded men tried to find out the secret of the Christ Who was to come. Even the prophets read over what they had written, in order to try to find out the meaning of the words about the sufferings of Christ. They could understand that this coming One was to be great, but couldn't understand the part about His sufferings. (Read Lk 24:25 & 26, 44, 46). Even the angels tried to find out. Does this not thrill us!

1 Pet 1:14-16 The believer has a new life to live, he leaves the old life behind him.

1 Pet 1:18-19 "Redeemed" means to be "bought back". The Lord Jesus bought us back for God. The cost was His precious blood.

1 Pet 1:22 "Obeying" is mentioned for the third time in this chapter. If we obey, we will love all other believers, for they are God's children.

#344

To do so no more is the truest repentance.

1 PETER 2, Verses 1-7

1 Pet 2:1 What goes out of our new life. "Malice" means thinking bad thoughts about others. "Guile" means to deceive or to be tricky. "Hypocrisies" means to pretend to be something we are not. "Envies", to want to be what we are not. "Evil speaking", bad talking. All must go out of our life, if we are going to be ready for the next verse.

1 Pet 2:2 Be thirsty, (like new-born babies are) for the spiritual food, the milk of the Word of God. This is the only food for our new life in Christ.

1 Pet 2:3 We never will find the Bible attractive unless we have tasted that the Lord is good.

1 Pet 2:4 Christ is the living Stone. The unsaved refuse Him, but He is precious to God, and precious to us!

1 Pet 2:5 Most important verse. Every believer is also a living stone. But more than that, every believer is now a priest! We are able to offer up spiritual sacrifices (not dead animals as in the Old Testament) to God. They are acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. We do not need any other man to come between God and us (i.e. priest or minister).

1 Pet 2:7 Is He precious to you? To a believer He should become more precious each day.

#345

Often the soul, by seeking joy, cannot get it; this would not purify and bless it; and to bless, God must purify. When emptied of self, and seeking God, we find joy.

1 PETER 2, Verses 8-25

1 Pet 2:8 Christ is a stone over which those who don't believe, stumble. The last part of the verse doesn't mean that the unbelievers were chosen, but it does mean that they are going to stumble over the Stone which was appointed.

1 Pet 2:9 If verse 7 is true about us, then we shall be showing His attractiveness by our lives.

1 Pet 2:11 Our old nature has selfish passions, and here we are warned that they make war against our soul; we are not to let them have control of us (Rom 6:11 & 12).

1 Pet 2:13-21 We are to obey the government's laws. If we suffer patiently for being a believer, we do well and shall be rewarded later. For we are only following in the footsteps of the Lord Jesus.

1 Pet 2:21-25 Our eyes are turned to Him as the perfect example.

#346

Joy is as characteristic of God's people as its absence is marked in human systems.

1 PETER 3

1 Pet 3:1-6 These verses are particularly for believing wives whose husbands are not saved. "Be in subjection" goes further than "obey". It is the result of trusting God, and resting quietly in Him. Then the wife will be willing to submit to her husband. If she is enjoying the Lord in her life, then the husband will "read" her instead of the Bible and will be won to Christ. This is a promise.

1 Pet 3:7 The believing husband is to show consideration to his believing wife. They are heirs together of what God has given them.

1 Pet 3:8-9 Finally, a message for all believers. How close do we come to it?

1 Pet 3:10-18 Every chapter has something about suffering in it. We need to remember that the enjoyment of our blessing is going to come to us through obedience and suffering. And as He had joy, so also shall we. When suffering is mentioned, so is reward.

1 Pet 3:19 The spirit of those people who heard the preaching of Noah and didn't believe him, are now in chains (imprisoned and waiting for judgement).

#347

Intimacy with Christ will keep my conscience alive and my heart happy.

1 PETER 4

1 Pet 4:1-7 Suffering for being a believer is further explained.

1 Pet 4:1 If I (my old life, the flesh) want to do something, and go ahead and do it, my old life, my flesh enjoys it. But if I don't do it, my flesh suffers, but I don't sin.

1 Pet 4:4 The world can see no happiness in being a believer. But we have a joy that they don't know anything about.

1 Pet 4:8-19 How believers are to act toward each other.

1 Pet 4:8 "Love" is another word for "charity". To have love for other believers keeps us from doing things (sins) which we might do otherwise.

1 Pet 4:11 When directed by God, everything in the believer's life comes from God.

1 Pet 4:12-19 We are not to be surprised if we believers suffer for the name of Christ. But we are to connect our sufferings with what He suffered when here.

1 Pet 4:13 The thought of the coming of the Lord Jesus is the reward, and gives us strength to keep on.

1 Pet 4:15 A believer should never suffer as an evil-doer.

1 Pet 4:17-18 The "house of God" is made up of all who "say" they are Christians whether true believers or not. It is far better for an unsaved person to say he is not a Christian than to say he is. If we suffer here on earth, what is it going to be like for the unsaved to suffer in hell forever!

#348

We are "called" to enjoy what is above us and to inherit what is below us. The inheritance takes in all created things.

1 PETER 5

1 Pet 5:1-4 The older men were to be examples of the Christian life. Peter had been a witness of the suffering of Christ, and he was going to be a partaker of the glory which is coming.

1 Pet 5:4 Rewards are coming!

1 Pet 5:7 The more accurate translation of this is - "Having cast all your cares etc". Don't take them back again!

1 Pet 5:8-9 These show how much the Lord loves us. Satan hates us, and will try to get our thoughts away from the Lord.

1 Pet 5:10 God will keep us until that day! When we think about this, we shall know what to keep away from in this world which hates Him.