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1 Peter 1:1-2

Living as Elect Exiles

September 5, 2021 • Dr. Peter Radford

This week we focus on the unique name that Peter gives his audience: elect exiles. We consider the following three questions in our study:

• What is an elect exile?

• How does one become an elect exile?

• How do we live our lives as elect exiles?

Our Big Idea for this week is: God chooses us out of this world, to live in this world temporarily, as citizens of a different world.

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