Three Brothers – I Peter 5:12-14

I have been trying really hard to develop this lesson into a sermon, so that I could have something to preach. But with the material before us, this will be little more than a Bible lesson with some teachable material. And yet, I did manage to find three points to...

God of Grace and Glory – I Peter 5:10-11

There are people who like to read the Bible as if it was some mystical collection of allegories. To them very little is black and white. To them just about every other statement must mean something other than what it clearly says. The word “Israel,” for example,...

Care Casting – I Peter 5:6-7

Twenty to twenty-five years ago, Judy and I began to set aside a few dollars every month in the hopes of leaving it to our children should the Lord not take us away together at some point. We established an account with a well-known investment company, and other than...

Receiving the Crown – I Peter 5:1-4

Peter reminded the pastors of the churches in Galatia, Cappadocia and Bithynia that their primary duty was to feed God’s sheep. Then he concluded his thought by saying there is a reward for faithfully carrying out that duty. “When the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye...

The Great Pastoral Duty – I Peter 5:1-4

Here we are in the auditorium of the Calvary Baptist Church. Why are you here? Is it to see your Christian friends? Do you come to sing the songs of Zion? Is it out of habit? Why are you here? Is it to worship the Lord? Is it to testify of your faith to the community?...

The Fellowship of Fiery Trials – I Peter 4:12-19

  It appears to me that Peter was concerned about the saints in Asia Minor – Galatia, Pontus and Cappadocia. Perhaps he had heard that they were suffering under severe persecution. Perhaps he was afraid they would stumble and turn from Christ, even renouncing...

Serviceable Stewards – I Peter 4:9-10

Last week we looked at the Lord Jesus’ “Parable of the Talents” applying it to the work of evangelism. Matthew 25 tell us that this was given just two or three days before Jesus’ crucifixion. In Luke 19 we read a similar, but different illustration, called the...

Sin Free? – I Peter 4:1-5

Before the 19th century, there were only two ways to travel from New York to Sydney, Australia. Usually those old sailing vessels went under the Cape of Good Hope at the southern end of Africa. But there was another route: sailing by way of the Drake Passage or...

Those Incarcerated Spirits – I Peter 3:18-22

Where would you prefer to live: on the planet Mercury or on whatever Pluto is being called today? Astronomers tell us that the surface temperature of Mercury is 354 degrees Fahrenheit. I don’t know if that is on our side of Mercury or on the Sun’s side, but it doesn’t...

The Reason He Had Hope – I Peter 3:13-17

Do you have a sister, who used to be very close to you, but who now refuses to let you see her children, because you became a Christian, and she became a Mormon? Or did you loose your job when you told your employer that you had been saved? Have you ever been teased...

Ready, Always Ready – I Peter 3:13-17

Have you ever noticed that every once in a while I can make some really profound statement? I have to think really hard to come up with these to make sure they are accurate as well as erudite. For example we begin with one tonight: “Life is always changing.” Have you...

Checking All the Boxes – I Peter 3:8-11

Abraham Marshall was the second pastor of the first Baptist church in Georgia. The Kiokee church, was started by his father, Daniel, near Augusta, across the Savanna River from South Carolina. In 1786, Abraham, rode his horse from Georgia to Connecticut. He had two...

All Roads Lead to Glory – I Peter 3:1-6

One of the things which made the timing of Christ’s incarnation so exciting was the way in which God providentially brought many factors together. Only “when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son…” Things like the Greek language and the unity...

What Sort of New Life? – I Peter 2:24

Let’s put you into what I hope is a familiar picture. You are an 8-year-old boy, living with your parents and two sisters. Your father works 14 hours a day as slave labor, laying brick, and you started several months ago making those bricks, baking them under the hot...

Surrendered to Judicial Authority – I Peter 2:21-24

Let’s say that you are walking down a busy downtown street, and you find yourself among three strangers. No one seems to know anyone else, and there isn’t any talking between you. After a minute or two, you hear the siren of a rapidly approaching police car – two...