Above Everything Else – I Peter 4:8

No sincere Christian would readily admit to arguing with Peter or any other penman of the scriptures. Every well-taught Christian knows that the Holy Spirit is the author of the Word of God, and no one should argue or differ with the Lord. But the truth of the matter...

Where Can I Find Christ Jesus? – I Peter 3:18-22

The title to this afternoon’s message is: “Where Can I Find Christ Jesus?” I will begin with something for which I might get some flack, but I know I’m not the only guilty person here, so I might let you shield me if there is any push-back. Years ago, I read and...

To Bring us to God

Elizabeth Barrett’s parents disapproved so strongly of her marriage to Robert Browning that they disowned her. Almost every week for years Elizabeth wrote letters to her parents begging for reconciliation. Not once did they ever reply. Then after 10 years of...

Christian Resilience – I Peter 3:13-16

When the church in Jerusalem was needing help for their widows and orphans, the congregation set forth seven men to serve as servants – “deacons.” There was the famous Philip, and the not so famous Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas and Nicolas. In Acts 6 these men...

Whereunto Have You Been Called? – I Peter 3:9

How many times have you been sitting in a reception area, waiting for someone to call your name? How many times in the last month have you been in a doctor’s waiting room? The last time I was in such a place, my wife and I had been there for more than hour before a...

How to be a Good Husband – I Peter 3:7

In the first paragraph of this chapter, Peter was writing to Christian women married to unsaved husbands. “Ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives; While...

Two Examples: Heresy and Accuracy – I Peter 2:21-24

I hope that some of you can remember when your English teacher asked you to diagram sentences. The technique was used to help us learn the various parts of a proper sentence, and to speak correctly. We were taught the rudiments: the subject, the predicate and the...

The Angels of Soul Winning (Part 2) – Isaiah 6:1-8

I read a statement a few weeks ago which I saved to put into the bulletin some day, but I’ll use it right now. Jim Petersen asked, “Why didn’t Jesus go back into the temple after His resurrection?” That is an interesting question with several possible answers, but...

The Abuse of Lady Liberty – I Peter 2:13-17

The Statue of Liberty stands on a rock in New York Harbor. Tens of thousands of immigrants have passed it before disembarking at Ellis Island and entering the U.S. That statue, sometimes called “Lady Liberty,” is about half as tall as Seattle’s Space Needle. Green in...

For the Lord’s Sake – I Peter 2:13-14

The Bible describes life in a number of ways. James says that it is a vapour, a puff of steam, “that appeareth for a little time and then vanisheth away.” David, approaching his earthly end, described his life as nothing more substantial than a passing shadow. Job...

Peculiar People – I Peter 2:9; Titus 2:11-14

How odd should the people of God be in the eyes of the world? Some might criticize my use of the word “odd,” but note that I am using it in the context of the unsaved mind. We might prefer the word “peculiar,” but we know it in its Biblical context, whereas the world...

Chips off the Block – First Peter 2:4-8

I mentioned in our last lesson that one of the ways the Holy Spirit keeps His Word relevant is with the use of timeless illustrations. For example, babies have been essentially the same from the day in which Eve first gave birth. The Spirit uses what we know about...

A Return to Innocence – First Peter 2:1

I very much enjoyed preaching through I Peter chapter 1. There is a lot of great material there, including the gospel. With chapter 2 Peter’s subject changes from salvation to practical Christian living. And to be honest with you, I seriously thought about bringing...

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...

Foreordained Salvation – First Peter 1:18-21

The Almighty God, Elohim, created the universe between six and ten thousand years ago. And it goes without saying that God did not create Himself. A corollary to that point is that God has always been. The Lord God is eternal, not just in the sense of the future, but...