1 Peter 1:6-12 Faith & Focus - "Don’t Give Up" Peter was a regular guy. He wasn’t highly educated; Not part of the religious elite. Fished for a living. He was married and had a fishing business with his brother Andrew and with his friends, James and John. A regular guy leading a regular life until Jesus said follow me and I will make you fishers of men. They dropped everything and followed Jesus, and their lives, then & for eternity, would never be the same! *Jesus still calls regular folks and equips them to amazing things for His kingdom! Peter wrote 1 Peter to offer encouragement to Christians who were suffering for following Jesus - for their Faith in Christ. They’re going through some hard trials... Peter was an encourager! Be an encourager! I pray you have a Peter in your life! 1 Peter 1:1-2 ~ Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God’s elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, 2 who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood (forgiven): Grace and peace be yours in abundance. That’s some encouragement! Right off the bat ~ let me just remind you who you are in Jesus! (who have been Born Again) You’re God’s elect – God loves you and He Chose You before you were born to be restored into your relationship with Himself through Jesus! You’ve been set apart – You’re being made Holy & equipped for the things God has purposed for your life! “To be obedient to Jesus Christ.” V3-5 tells us We are born again into a living hope – a Priceless, Imperishable Inheritance that through faith is being kept for you by God! It can’t be taken away! This LIVING HOPE we have compels us to NOT GIVE UP when life is hard! Have you ever had someone LIE to you trying to encourage you? They mean well.... but how encouraging is THAT!? Good intention ~ ZERO effect! Usually, you know what you’re going through... Definitely NOT your motivational speaker! Peter’s not like that! Don’t be like that! He tells the TRUTH, even with the hard parts! This is who you are, I know it’s hard now, but this is what it’s doing! ...And they were encouraged! Difference between TRIALS and CONSEQUENCES Trials: Not a result of something you’ve done. Consequences: The outcome of your actions. 1 Peter 1:6-12niv ~ 6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, 11 trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would fo...
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