Final Greetings
Notes
Transcript
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Introduction
Introduction
I. V.12
I. V.12
In v.12 we have a summary of the letter as a whole but as he closes this letter there is a reference to Silvanus
If you have an NIV you will see Silas
Silas is often mentioned in Acts as Paul’s partner in ministry.
Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They sent Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brothers,
, , , ; , , ; 17:4, 10, 14-15; 18:5
Acts
Scholars believe this is most likely the same person mentioned in
For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we proclaimed among you, Silvanus and Timothy and I, was not Yes and No, but in him it is always Yes.
Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy,
To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
Grace to you and peace.
Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy,
To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
By Silvanus I have written briefly to you.
What does Peter mean when I have written briefly to you. Does this mean that Silvanus was Peter’s secretary writing what Peter told him to write?
There wouldn’t be a problem with that if Peter is moved by the Spirit and is telling Silvanus what to write but that does not seem to be what this passage is saying.
to “write through someone” during the time of the NT is a reference to the carrier of the letter.
In other words the letter was sent by Silvanus, he was the bearer of the letter.
Silvanus is regarded by Peter as a faithful brother.
Peter is commending the bearer of the letter.
Peter considers him to be a faithful brother, he can be trusted and part of the reason this was important is because those who carried the letter would convey any further news from the letter writer and could function as the first interpreter of the letter if the recipients had any questions about its meaning.
Exhorting and declaring that this is the true grace of God
Here he identifies the purpose of the letter.
This is the true grace of God. This refers back to the letter as a whole.
What is the grace of God?
Let’s look back on the grace of God that we have seen all through the letter
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All through the letter we have seen the gracious work of God in Christ communicated to us.
1 Peter 1:1-12.
God in His great grace and mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and we have been born again to an inheritance.
Not an inheritance like the Jews had in the Abrahamic covenant, not an inheritance perishable, defiled, and fading, and not an inheritance that could be taken away from us; but instead an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, unfading, and inheritance that is being kept for us and an inheritance that we are being kept for by the power of God.
We have seen that by the grace of God He is using the trials and difficulties that we are going through in this life to purify us and prepare us for our inheritance.
This hope and this grace that we have through Christ is the hope and grace that all of the OT has been pointing us to.
Look again at 1:18-21
What does gold and silver buy? It buys perishable things because it too is perishable.
Brothers and sisters, gold and silver might buy you an earthly inheritance, it might buy you things that will eventually be taken from you or you will be taken from them in death
But God did not ransom you with something perishable, but He ransomed you with the infinitely precious, infinitely glorious, infinitely worthy blood of His Son.
Something as infinitely valuable as Jesus blood is only spilt to purchase something infinitely glorious for His people and that is peace with God, that is the eternal hope of God’s Kingdom.
This is the grace of God in Christ Jesus toward us.
Look at 2:4-10
We are being built by the grace of God, being built up as a spiritual house, a holy priesthood.
Brothers and sisters we are a chosen race, an elect people, a people called out of the world. We are by the grace of God a new humanity in Christ Jesus our Lord
Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.
A royal Priesthood, we are to mediate God’s blessings to the nations as we proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ.
A holy nation, a people called out from the world and set apart to be God’s people, to know God and to serve God.
A people for His own possession, we belong to God. We are His people and He is our God.
Talk about v.10
Look at 2:21-25
This is the grace of God in Christ Jesus to us brothers and sisters, talk specifically about v.24 and 25
Look finally at 3:18-22
Discuss God’s grace in salvation and also in baptism, baptism is a public declaration and it is a looking to God for cleansing on the basis of Jesus’ finished work and mediation for us.
Brothers and sisters, God’s grace to us is centered upon the redeeming work of Christ and the application of that work by the Holy Spirit
God’s gracious work has been clearly laid out by Peter
But we see that it was not only Peter’s desire to remind us of the grace of God in Christ Jesus but also to call us to stand firm in it.
Through the letter Peter has called the church to continue to holding to Christ, continue in Christ even in the midst of suffering, even in the midst of difficulty.
Peter has been clear that the grace of God in Christ Jesus does not promise us paradise in this age; there will be suffering and there will be difficulty but we are to stand fast in the grace of God and know that God has promised eternal glory in Christ Jesus our Lord.
You might could summarize the letter by saying that Peter is giving a call to stand in grace.
We have seen Peter’s balance of indicative (what God has done for us in Christ) and imperative (how we then should live) all through the letter.
Peter is clear,
Grace has grasped you in Christ Jesus, we have been begotten by God’s grace
But he is also clear,
We must stand in the grace that has secured us.
Grace does not cancel out the imperative but it establishes it, right?
Look at 1:13-16 to see this
And we see it right here as well.
This is the true grace of God, Stand firm in it.
V.13
V.13
I want to point out some themes that frame this letter.
The notion of election frames this letter
and now 5:13 suneklektos (chosen with you or chosen like you)
I think we see the idea of exile as well
and then 5:13
Babylon calls to memory for anyone familiar with the OT exile.
I think we are to understand Babylon symbolically here, the OT Babylon was in ruins at this time so clearly Peter is drawing on OT tradition where Babylon represents those opposed to God.
We see Babylon used that way in Revelation as well.
After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was made bright with his glory. And he called out with a mighty voice,
“Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great!
She has become a dwelling place for demons,
a haunt for every unclean spirit,
a haunt for every unclean bird,
a haunt for every unclean and detestable beast.
For all nations have drunk
the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality,
and the kings of the earth have committed immorality with her,
and the merchants of the earth have grown rich from the power of her luxurious living.”
The point here is simply that God’s people are in exile.
So we see that theme at the beginning of the letter and at the end of the letter, bookends if you will.
So let’s answer the question:
Who is this chosen lady in Babylon who is sending greetings?
Who is this chosen lady in Babylon who is sending greetings? l of that I will simply give you what is the clear biblical answer, it is the church.
Early manuscripts have the word church added to the text telling us that this was the early understanding of what Peter was saying here.
The Church in Babylon, the church in Babylon is sending greetings to the elect pilgrims in Asia Minor.
We see the church referred to in this way by John as well
The elder to the elect lady and her children, whom I love in truth, and not only I, but also all who know the truth,
The children of your elect sister greet you.
A reference to the church is also suggested by the teaching that the church is Christ’s bride
Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior.
Let us rejoice and exult
and give him the glory,
for the marriage of the Lamb has come,
and his Bride has made herself ready;
it was granted her to clothe herself
with fine linen, bright and pure”—
for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.
And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.”
It is the church at Babylon, so where is Babylon, we said earlier that it was symbolic.
Babylon designates Rome itself, the church at Rome sends greetings to the elect exiles in Asia Minor, to the church in Asia Minor, she is here elect sister.
So does Mark, my son
Who is Mark
This is John Mark, the John Mark who accompanied Paul on his first missionary journey, the John Mark who left Paul and Barnabas and who Barnabas recruited for further Missionary work after Paul rejected him.
Paul later speaks highly of Mark
Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you, and Mark the cousin of Barnabas (concerning whom you have received instructions—if he comes to you, welcome him),
Luke alone is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry.
Speak of God’s gracious work in Mark and how Barnabas was used to restore this brother and how he was later used greatly by the Lord
Peter of course would have known of Mark from the earliest experiences of the early church
Meetings were held in Mark’s mother’s house
When he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose other name was Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying.
And there is tradition that mark wrote under Peter’s influence so that Mark’s Gospel is really Peter’s gospel in many ways.
That Peter calls Mark his son is not to be taken literally but it lets us know of the fatherly love that Peter felt toward the younger Mark.
V.14
V.14
Finally,
Greet one another with the kiss of love.
This is similar to Paul’s
Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you.
All the brothers send you greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss.
The love between church members should be similar to that in a healthy family, though of course the kiss here in their culture would be pure and unstained from any sexual lust.
Like other practices with symbolic meanings that change from culture to culture a holy kiss or the kiss of love would not convey the same meaning today that it did in the first century, and in most cultures it would be inappropriate and seriously misunderstood.
Such commands are best obeyed by substituting an action that would convey the same meaning, examples of this are things like a handshake or hug or bow according to the culture.
Peace to all of you who are in Christ.
The reference to peace recalls
according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood:
May grace and peace be multiplied to you.
Peter’s prayer is that peace would be the portion for all believers.
Closing this letter with a prayer for peace is significant, these churches were buffeted by trials and persecutions.
The stress of life was real and what believers need so that they can stand firm even in the midst of the storm is peace.
As I was reading this earlier today I thought of the read yesterday and today
Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my salvation
Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my salvation and my God.
Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my salvation and my God.
May God grant us peace as we rest in His glorious grace that He has poured out into our lives.
May God grant us peace even in the midst of the storms as we look forward to the hope that we have in Christ knowing that we have been born again to a living hope and that in Christ we have an inheritance that imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, a hope that is being kept in heaven by God for us and that we our being kept for that hope by God’s gracious power.