In the text today, Peter helps clarify what it means to live as sojourners and exiles in a hostile world. He talks about our relation to the other people in the world and our relationship to those in governmental authority. We discovered two principles along the way:
1. When believers live honorably before a hostile world, the world is drawn to Christ. (11-12)
2. When believers willingly show honor to a hostile government, objections to the gospel are silenced. (13-17)
The Big Idea of the text is as follows: God ordained us to live honorably and to show honor in a hostile world opposed to Him and His message.
1 Peter 2:11-17
Living Honorably in a Hostile World
November 21, 2021 • Dr. Peter Radford
More from
Sermon Series on 1 Peter
1 Peter 4
December 12, 2021
In chapter 4 of 1 Peter, Peter challenges us to shift our thinking about life in this world as a follower of Jesus. He conveys three surprising principles: 1. Christians who have died to their sinful passion will not fit in with the world around them. (1-6) 2. Every believer is given a spiritual gift for the good of the body and for the glory of God. (7-11) 3. Christians embrace suffering as an inevitable part of living for God in this world; this suffering leads us to a greater trust in our faithful God. (12-19) The Big Idea we discovered was that God calls followers of Jesus to live in a world they will never belong to, to help a community He gifts them to serve, and to suffer trials as those who have put their trust in a faithful God.
1 Peter 3
December 5, 2021 • Dr. Peter Radford
In chapter 3 of 1 Peter, Peter is driving home the idea that Christians need to live in a counter-cultural way. The culture pulls us away from Christ, but (here’s the Big Idea) being an elect exile means embracing a life-transforming faith that causes believers to swim against the current of the culture. Peter examines this concept in several arenas including marriage, the church, and living in a world that is hostile to Christians.
1 Peter 2:18-25
November 28, 2021 • Dr. Peter Radford
In today’s text, Peter challenges his readers to follow the example of Christ as they face suffering. He presents Christ as a faultless example of selflessness and suffering for doing what is right. He challenges us to follow Christ’s example in three ways: 1. Believers follow the example of the suffering Savior by enduring suffering for righteous actions. (18-20) 2. Believers following the example of our Suffering Savior by copying Jesus’ selfless example. (21-23) 3. Believers follow the example of our Suffering Savior by dying to sin and living to righteousness on the basis of his sacrifice. (24-25) The Big Idea was pretty clear: God wants our lives to reflect the self-sacrificing example of our Suffering Savior