Sermon Tone Analysis

1 Peter 1:6-9

Peter is in the process of reviewing their condition and explaining their situations to them.

In this, in the KJV is wherein - must look to what has gone before.

Peter has told his readers and hearers that they are God' chosen, elect people.

They are a chosen generation, scattered in little outposts throughout the Roman world.

They were chosen before the foundation of the world and saved by the Father, who elected them, the Son, who redeemed them, and the Holy Spirit, who enlightened and empowered them about their sinful condition and directed them to Christ.

It is God who has done this and because of it, they are protected by the power of God in anticipation of a guaranteed inheritance in heaven, with Him.

6 In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials,

New American Standard Bible: 1995 update.

(1995).

().

La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

This in news that should cause great joy, even though they are distressed and suffering various trials.

;

2 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials,

v. 7 New American Standard Bible: 1995 update.

(1995).

(Jas 1:2).

La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

so that the aproof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

New American Standard Bible: 1995 update.

(1995).

(1 Pe 1:7).

La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

Faith, joy and glory define this verse

CHAPTER XVII.

Of the Perseverance of the Saints

They whom God hath accepted in his Beloved, effectually called and sanctified by his Spirit, can neither totally nor finally fall away from the state of grace; but shall certainly persevere therein to the end, and be eternally saved.

II.

This perseverance of the saints depends not upon their own free will, but upon the immutability of the decree of election, flowing from the free and unchangeable love of God the Father; upon the efficacy of the merit and intercession of Jesus Christ; the abiding of the Spirit, and of the seed of God within them;d and the nature of the covenant of grace: from all which ariseth also the certainty and infallibility thereof.f

III.

Nevertheless they may, through the temptations of Satan and of the world, the prevalency of corruption remaining in them, and the neglect of the means of their preservation, fall into grievous sins; and for a time continue therein:h whereby they incur God’s displeasure, and grieve his Holy Spirit; come to be deprived of some measure of their graces and comforts;l have their hearts hardened, and their consciences wounded;n hurt and scandalize others, and bring temporal judgments upon themselves.p

Westminster Assembly.

(1851).

The Westminster Confession of Faith: Edinburgh Edition (pp.

89–92).

Philadelphia: William S. Young.

We will talk about the nature of salvation in the next lesson (1 Pe 1:10-12)

A durable faith is one where we are able to rejoice for the certainty of our future and salvation.

agallaio- to exult, lypeo - distressed, perasmos, trials

This is the key verse for verses 6-9 and sums up the benefits that God bestows on us for being chosen as part of His elet.

What salvation is he referring too?

He is referring to the salvation God gives His elect.

Salvation from what? Hell.

Salvation for what?

Heaven.

Why is Peter writing this?

Because the concepts of heaven and hell were very scantily developed in the OT.

Unless these Jews had read or been taught the last chapter of Isaiah and/or the 12th Chapter of Daniel, they would have only had a faint impression of what, if anything, happened to them in the afterlife.

David and the Psalmists spoke of the pit and the place of the dead, but they had only an inkling of the terrifying, disgusting nature of hell or its alternative.

Jesus came from heaven, and through His actions and teaching opened heaven to men.

Grace: charis in Greek, Chesed in Hebrew.

To find favor with.

Noah found favor with God.

Jacob found favor with Esau.

The people of Egypt found favor with Joseph, who saved their lives.

Jeremiah, Daniel, Isaiah - virtually all the prophets prophesied of God's grace coming to His people .

By God's grace the Jews were spared from annihilation.

By God's grace they were able to return to Jerusalem and rebuild it and the Temple.

God gives grace because He is merciful - we don't deserve His grace, since our first parents rejected Him and turned on Him as soon as they got the chance, even though He had blessed them mightily.

If it were not for the Prophets, then God's people would have been clueless about what was happening in the world and why.

The prophets explained that everything was a providence of God, either difficult or pleasant, and that these providences, without exception were for the purpose of bringing glory to God and benefiting God's people (and chastising those who rejected the Lord).

Christ died for the sins of the ungodly, that they might be redeemed and restored to a right relationship to Him and glorify Him.

This was a key message of virtually all the prophets - that although God's people had fallen into sin and were destined for damnation, God would redeem them through the offices of His only begotten son who would bless them a prophet, priest and king.

These folks to whom Peter was writing were incredibly blessed, because they were chosen to be the first to be blessed through Christ's ministry and sacrifice.

How we know this is what is happening and what has happened.

The School of prophets.

First mention of this school is in , where Saul found David among them.

They are also mentioned in 1st and 2d Kings and Chronicles.

Obadiah hid 100 or so from slaughter by the evil Queen Jezebel.

They are also mentioned in relation to Elisha and Elijah.

Although not specifically articulated in the Bible, it is likely that these formed a guild of prophets, and guild would develop and provide men who would serve as the prophetic voice of God in society.

As such, they would function as a seminary or bible college.

They would be engaged in the study and interpretation of God's word and delivering it to the society around them.

These prophets, who appear throughout the OT record, would have rigorously studied the prophetic record and learned that a redeemer was coming for certain, what He would do, where He would come from and so forth.

Some of these prophets, like Samuel, Elijah and Elisha, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Amos and others, received a special revelation directly from God, which became a part of the biblical record.

In an evil, wicket and ungodly world, this would be a Godly providence, but not a popular vocation - hence their persecution.

Nehemiah and Ezra make mention of them too.

There were also competing schools of prophets as well, that are mentioned in a couple of places in the Bible, the most notorious being the 450 Prophets of Baal 1 Kings 18, that Elijah called out and executed them after they failed proved they were false.

The prophets of Yahweh, all of them, foretold the redemption of God's elect, which will be remnant of mankind.

God told the of the coming of Christ, some of His characteristics, but not where, or when He would arrive precisely.

He did not reveal everything to each of them, but some clues to some and others to others.

Peter here refers to the anointed prophets (those who's writings are part of Scripture).

God revealed to them that their prophesy was not only to the society in which they lived (in Israel, Judah, Babylon), but to the generations, which is why they wrote down and left their prophesies for us.

The implication here is that God revealed to the prophets, and therefore to us, information that He had not disclosed to angels.

Angels, in God's economy, are less important to Him than we are.

"

Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?

New American Standard Bible: 1995 update.

(1995).

(Heb 1:14).

La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

Peter here teaches of the Holy Spirit, which is the Spirit of Christ.

He was Christ in His pre-incarnate form, schooling them on the sufferings and death He would experience when He came into the world, taking on human form.

The most specific of these prophesies came from Isaiah 53, a prophet who prophesied some 700 years before Christ.

This is what you know and what you have done, now, you must prepare for the next mission - prepare for te future.

Your objectives and goals are provided you by God's Word, the revelation of the Lord.

Don't get distracted by the memory of your sins.

You have to get beyond that.

The New Temple