Sermons Elsewhere

God in mercy has reached own and saved those whose trust is in the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, we should be living sacrifices in our daily lives. Humbly active for the Lord.

How is it possible for Christians not only to survive but to grow spiritually in very difficult days? The apostle Peter was writing to Christian people who lived a time of suffering. You can read about Saul of Tarsus persecuting Christians in Acts 8:1–4. That led to them being scattered from Jerusalem. Since Peter refers to a wider area than Judea and Samaria he was probably talking about later ongoing persecution. Suffering for Christ’s sake in this present world is a major theme in the epistle. Persecution and suffering as a Christian is with us today. Perhaps it is as simple as friends or family thinking you are foolish or it can be that some areas of work are closed to you because of your faith. This letter is one of encouragement. Peter is telling us how not only to survive but to thrive amidst hardship and difficulty. His focus is on God powerfully working, Christian, you are, 1:2 elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father. 1:3 We have a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and 1:5 are kept by the power of God through faith onto salvation. Repentance and faith lead to a changed life. 1:15 “but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct.” Now, I want us to focus on chapter 2:1–3, which in many ways summarise the Christian life. We will look at them under three headings, repentance, faith and growth.

How is it possible for you to be reconciled to God? The apostle Paul wrote his letter to the church in Rome to set out clearly the answer to this question. This is controversial because many do not see any need to think about God, some consider they are good enough already whilst others rely upon religious ritual or observances. Our society, indeed all humanity is plagued by trouble, drug abuse, broken homes, knife crime in the UK, terrible wars in many places. Yet many live their lives without thinking about how they will answer to their creator, how they will be reconciled to their judge. What does God have to say to us in his word?