Sermon Tone Analysis

Good morning.

It’s truly an honor and a privilege to stand before you today.

I’ve been given the wonderful and humbling task to preach God’s Word to you, so that we may all grow as God’s revelation to us penetrates our hearts.

I possess a great expectation that you will leave here today not merely more knowledgable, but convicted and encouraged to live your life differently, and to walk forward in the peace only God can provide.

Good morning.

It’s truly an honor and a privilege to be standing here before you today.

I’ve been given the very important and humbling task of preaching God’s Word to you, that we may all grow as His revelation to us penetrates our hearts.

I possess a great expectation that you will leave here today not merely more knowledgeable, but convicted and encouraged to live your life differently, and to walk forward in the peace that only God could provide.

Good morning.

It’s truly an honor and a privilege to be standing here before you today.

I’ve been given the very important and humbling task of preaching God’s Word to you, that we may all grow as His revelation to us penetrates our hearts.

I possess a great expectation that you will leave here today not merely more knowledgeable, but convicted and encouraged to live your life differently, and to walk forward in the peace that only God could provide.

Good morning.

It’s truly an honor and a privilege to be standing here before you today.

I’ve been given the very important and humbling task of preaching God’s Word to you, that we may all grow as His revelation to us penetrates our hearts.

I possess a great expectation that you will leave here today not merely more knowledgeable, but convicted and encouraged to live your life differently, and to walk forward in the peace that only God could provide.

Good morning.

It’s truly an honor and a privilege to stand before you today.

I’ve been given the wonderful and humbling task to preach God’s Word to you, so that we may all grow as God’s revelation to us penetrates our hearts.

I possess a great expectation that you will leave here today not merely more knowledgable, but convicted and encouraged to live your life differently, and to walk forward in the peace only God can provide.

To begin, I’d like to ask you to open your Bibles to 1 Peter, Chapter 1, Verses 1 and 2. Now, 1 Peter is a short letter, only 5 chapters long, and you can find it toward the back of your Bible immediately after the books of Hebrews and James…and predictably right before the letter of 2 Peter.

If you didn’t bring a Bible with you, or you don’t own a Bible, please feel free one of the Bibles from the back of the pew in front of you, and take that home as our gift to you.

To begin, I’d like to ask you to open your Bibles to 1 Peter, Chapter 1, Verses 1 and 2. Now, 1 Peter is a short letter, only 5 chapters long, and you can find it toward the back of your Bible immediately after the books of Hebrews and James…and predictably right before the letter of 2 Peter.

If you didn’t bring a Bible with you, or you don’t own a Bible, please feel free one of the Bibles from the back of the pew in front of you, and take that home as our gift to you.

Now, before we read these verses together, let me provide a just little bit of background as to what has prompted Peter to write a letter to some fellow believers a thousand miles away from his location in Rome.

Rome had just suffered a terrible fire.

The emperor at the time was a man named Nero.

And it was Nero himself who was most likely responsible for starting those fires.

As the blame and backlash started to pile up against Nero, he decided to deflect attention and responsibility away from himself and towards an innocent group of people.

He decided to blame Christians.

And with that accusation, widespread persecution of Christians began throughout all Roman empire.

And so with waves of persecution spreading outward from Rome, Peter writes this letter to a group of believers who could see the chaos and the injustice quickly and inevitably heading in their direction.

So keeping that context in mind, please follow along with me in your Bibles as I read the opening two verses of 1 Peter.

Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,

To those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,

To those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,

who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father,

2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father,

by the sanctifying work of the Spirit,

to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood:

May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure.

According to the last phrase of these two verses, Peter confidently expected these thoughts to help bring the readers, who were about to encounter the most difficult and faith-testing time of their lives, to a real and overflowing sense of peace and comfort.

Surely, if these truths were powerful enough to comfort and strengthen Christians on the verge of tremendous suffering and persecution, then they can certainly be of great value to us in our times of distress.

Now, we may not be facing the threat of torture and death for our Christian convictions, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t experiencing trials.

Take a quick look at the prayer list in your bulletin.

This stands as a stark reminder that pain, suffering, and loss are never far from any of us.

None of us are immune.

We are sinful people, living in a fallen world, so the curses of those realities affect each of us, in some way, on a daily basis.

So what information did Peter supply in these two verses that could possibly provide such comfort and encouragement?

I’d like to share with you 5 Rock-Solid Truths for Obtaining Grace and Peace: The first truth is...

The first truth is:

I.

A Rock-Solid Messenger (1a)

Peter is probably the most well-known member of the 12 disciples.

But what is it about Peter specifically that can help instill peace in a troubled heart?

First, Peter has...

First, Peter has...

A Strong Name

says, “He (Jesus) said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.

“I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.

He (Jesus) *said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”

16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

17 And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.

18 “I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.

So Jesus intentionally and purposefully changed Simon’s name to Petros, or more commonly Peter, which in Greek means “a stone or a rock.”

Peter was symbolically being designated to serve as a foundational stone in the building of God’s church, of which Christ is the cornerstone.

Along with this endorsement from Jesus, Peter has...

-A Powerful Pedigree

This gives Peter...

A Powerful Pedigree

-A Powerful Pedigree

Peter spent three years walking side by side with Jesus.

He saw countless miracles.

He heard the divine teachings .

He walked on water with Christ.

And after he denied Jesus three times, He restored Peter to the position of pastoral leadership shortly before His ascension into heaven.

These facts should give us great confidence and trust in Peter’s words.

His credibility is ultimately proven by...

These facts should give us great confidence and trust in Peter’s words.

His credibility is ultimately proven by...

A Divine Appointment

Peter calls himself “An apostle of Jesus Christ.”

The word “apostle” means “one sent forth, or, one sent on a mission.”

Those who were to be apostles had to meet 3 specific criteria: They had to be specifically called by Christ to the task, they were to have accompanied Christ for his entire 3-year ministry, and they were to be a physical witness to Christ’s resurrection.

These three distinctions disqualify all but a very small group of men, of which Peter was one.

And not only was he an apostle, but he was the undisputed leader and spokesman of the group.

So when Peter writes a letter, and appeals to his position as an apostle, he does so not out of arrogance or superiority, but out of leadership and trust.

If Peter says, it then we can have confidence in its truth and its value to our lives.

Peter even says so much in the last chapter of 1 Peter when he writes, “I have written to you briefly, exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God.

Stand firm in it!”

If 1st Century Christians could stand firm in Peter’s teachings, then so can we.

The second truth that can help us obtain grace and peace today is:

I have written to you briefly, exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God.

Stand firm in it!

II.

A Perspective-Changing Reminder(1b)

In the second half of verse 1, Peter calls these Christians “aliens.”

He chose this word to express a very important idea.

Which is...