November 17, 2024 • Andrew Cullen • 1 Peter 4:12–19
- Suffering is expected for Christians.
- “Christian” was used as a legal charge.
- The Spirit is our Advocate on earth.
- Christians will be vindicated in heaven.
- Suffering is expected for leaders.
(1) Expectations.
(2) Busyness.
(3) Weight.
- Leadership is hard work because it’s heavy work.
- To fully know Christ, we must suffer with Him.
Steward What God Gives
November 10, 2024 • Andrew Cullen • 1 Peter 4:1–11
- Blasphemy is saying something that is not true.
- The end of all things is only bad news if you do not believe the good news.
- A steward is someone who has authority and responsibility for something that belongs to someone else.
1. Steward His gift(s).
2. Steward His Word.
3. Steward His strength.
4. Steward the opportunity.
Saved through Water
November 3, 2024 • Andrew Cullen • 1 Peter 3:19–22
1. Be holy.
2. Be ready.
3. Be thankful.
- God redeemed the image of water.
- Baptism reenacts the gospel and identifies us with Christ.
4. Be hopeful.
- Christ has triumphed over his enemies.
An Unfair Exchange
October 27, 2024 • Andrew Cullen • 1 Peter 3:13–18
- Satan accuses Job of hypocrisy.
- Faith is accepting what God allows.
- Job sees God.
- Suffering burns away false hopes.
- (1) We must obey Christ when we suffer.
- (2) We may suffer when we obey Christ.
- Christ’s righteousness for our unrighteousness is an unfair exchange.
- Suffering opens our eyes to see Jesus.
The Good Life
October 20, 2024 • Andrew Cullen • 1 Peter 3:8–12
Five stages of change:
1. Attention.
2. Contemplation.
3. Determination.
4. Implementation.
5. Integration.
Do not throw back the spear. (1 Samuel 19)
The good life is a ___________ life.
Marriage on Mission
September 29, 2024 • Andrew Cullen • 1 Peter 3:1–7
Five Pillars:
1. Marriage is one man and one woman becoming one family.
2. Marriage is a covenant of mutual love, commitment, submission, and sacrifice.
3. Marriage is two partners on mission together.
4. Marriage makes us more like Jesus.
5. Marriage points us to Jesus.
- Submission looks like faithfulness.
- Husbands need to be out in front.
Entrusting Ourselves to Jesus
September 22, 2024 • Andrew Cullen • 1 Peter 2:18–25
- Slaves were treated unjustly.
- Do not stop doing good even when it isn’t doing any good.
- Jesus’ suffering was unjust because he was sinless.
- God is the Judge of all and He is just.
- Atonement provides hope for God’s people beyond exile.
- Enduring suffering means entrusting ourselves to Jesus.
The Cornerstone
September 8, 2024 • Andrew Cullen • 1 Peter 2:4–10
- Malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander divide.
- Our oneness reveals God’s holiness.
- Jesus is the living hope, word, and stone.
- Sacrifices are how we respond to salvation.
- Scripture interprets Scripture.
- Jesus is the cornerstone of salvation.
- God’s people declare God’s praises.
Set Apart, Set Among
September 15, 2024 • Andrew Cullen • 1 Peter 2:11–17
- We are set apart to be godly.
- We are set among to do good.
- Submitting to human authority does not mean adopting worldly values.
- Human authority is not absolute.
- Civil disobedience is disobeying when commanded to sin.
- Be careful about what you care about.
- Engage with the world, but do not be enraged by it.
Nourished by the Word
September 1, 2024 • Andrew Cullen • 1 Peter 2:1–3
- The health of our souls is closely connected to the source of our nourishment.
- Ridding ourselves of something = eliminating it.
- Crave the pure milk of the Word of God.
- “We listen by reading God speak.”
- We come to Jesus through the Word.
From the Heart
August 25, 2024 • Andrew Cullen • 1 Peter 1:17–25
- God’s perfect holiness means that He is perfectly just.
- Jesus was without blemish or defect in the sense that He was sinless, holy, and pure.
- Before time began, God’s heart overflowed in love for us.
- Jesus’s death and resurrection are the foundation of our faith and hope.
- Living together as exiles means loving each other as family.
Salvation through Suffering
August 18, 2024 • Andrew Cullen • 1 Peter 1:10–16
- We cannot have inner peace and hope without salvation.
- Jesus was always God’s plan.
- Glory follows suffering.
- God’s grace has always defined his actions toward humanity.
- Knowing the truth should become obedience.
- God makes us holy.
Patience With the Lamp Lit
August 11, 2024 • Andrew Cullen • 1 Peter 1:3–9
- The certainty of suffering does not change the assurance of salvation.
- Because Jesus Christ has been resurrected, we have hope.
- God gives new life.
- Hope produces joy.
- Suffering is pictured as a forge.
- Belief in and love for Jesus are inseparable.
Hope for Exiles
August 4, 2024 • Andrew Cullen • 1 Peter 1:1–2
- Peter avoided suffering.
- If we know who we are, then we will know how to live.
- Babylon became an archetype for corrupt rulers.
- The tone of 1 Peter is urgent and intense.
- To hope means to wait in the tension.
- Our hope is based on who God is.
