The Word, the Gospel and You – First Peter 1:25

We are surrounded by all kinds of news. For example, there is a great deal of seriously bad news – news about bad things. I heard an article on the BBC World News about China’s persecution of some of her own people. Thousands of Chinese citizens are being jailed,...

May 29

John Gano was ordained to the gospel ministry by the Baptist church in Hopewell, New Jersey, on this day in 1754. John’s mother was a Baptist, but his father was a Presbyterian, so the young man was raised under a cloud of theological confusion. After his conversion,...

The Gospel’s Written Seed – First Peter 1:23-25

In addition to our text, let’s add two other scriptures. Psalm 126:1-6 – “When the LORD turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream. Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The LORD...

What was Your Birthing Experience? – First Peter 1:23-25

Peter’s reference to “being born again” is quite different from Jesus’ exhortation: “Ye MUST be born again.” Nicodemus, the man to whom the Saviour was speaking, needed to be regenerated; made spiritually alive. But the readers of Peter’s epistle are people who had...

May 22

Joseph Ivimey came into this world at Ringwood, England on this day in 1773. I mentioned him a week or two ago, because the Lord saved him and called him into His ministry. In his youth he was sent to live with his uncle to learn a trade, and it was through that...

The Grassiness of the Flesh

In concluding chapter one of I Peter, the Holy Spirit blends together three subjects: the new birth, the eternal Word of God and the weakness of human flesh. In order to fully understand any one of these, we must understand to some degree the other two. Why do we need...

What did they Do to be Saved? – First Peter 1:22

Paul and Silas were directed by the Holy Spirit to sail across the northern tip of the Aegean Sea from Troas to Philippi. Their lives then intersected with the life of Lydia, who was working there, but who actually lived in Thyatira. She responded positively to their...

May 15

J. E. Feisser was a minister in the Dutch Reformed denomination in Holland during the 19th century. The early part of his life was not pleasant. He lost his wife and two children, then his own health began to deteriorate, and he lost his right eye. Immersed in...

Salvation’s Social Effect – First Peter 1:22

There have been a number of life changing events in each of our lives. When you were born, your previous life, (and I’m not referring to some pre-incarnate spirit existence, because there was no such thing). When you were born, the life you enjoyed inside your...

Belief in God – First Peter 1:18-21

Do you believe in God? Do you really believe in God? I can ask that question in the context of a sermon, because no one has to take it personally. There are a lot of pitchfork Christians in churches. When the preacher lays something objectionable at their feet, they...