Grace in Peter's Life and Writings

Ideas of grace. First of all, a lot of people think that grace is liberalism. Some people think that grace means that you can do anything that you want because as a saved person, God will not let you be lost. You're under grace. You hear that idea?

I hear that idea all the time. Of course, this is unbiblical because Paul in Romans chapter 6 verse 1 says, shall we continue in sin that grace might increase? May it never be, he says. Paul says that grace is not an excuse to continue sinning without guilt or without consequence. Now those who are under grace are not free to Now those who are under grace are not free to continue to sin because the Bible says the wages of sin is death.

And so that's contradictory. So grace is not liberalism. Another thing that grace is not, you know, we're gonna do Another thing that grace is not, you know, we're gonna do what grace isn't and then we're gonna see what Paul says it is. Another thing that it isn't is permissiveness. Grace is not permissiveness.

A lot of people think that grace means that when it comes to you personally, God doesn't care about sin. He's kind of blind to your sin because of grace. In other words, some people think that grace makes God into some kind of indulgent grandfather who says, well, boys will be boys, you know. Of course, that's not that's not it at all. The bible says, for we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body according to what he has done whether good or bad.

1st Corinthians or 2nd Corinthians, rather, chapter 5 verse 10. So grace does not mean that god ignores or god indulges our sins. Not a single one. Another false idea about grace is this. Some people think grace means, that we have a special permission from god to remain worldly.

And I think this is the most common misconception of all concerning grace. That somehow because of grace we have a special dispensation from god to remain worldly. The thinking goes like this, by grace I'm going to heaven. So in the meantime, I can just be part of this world until it's time to go. I don't have to make an effort at holy living.

I don't have to make an effort at spiritual growth. I don't have to make an effort at building up the kingdom. Now there are some people who just kinda clock in at church just enough times to keep their membership on the roll. I actually know that. You can't be you can't be a preacher for, you know, a long time till you figure that out.

Some folks, they just they clock in just enough times so the elders won't go see them and say, look. What's going on? You're not coming to church. Just enough times. But the Bible clearly indicates that those who are saved by grace are also transformed by that grace into something different.

Grace is not a commodity. It's not like a pill. Grace is an empowering thing, an energizing thing, a transforming thing. Paul says that Christians produce spiritual fruit. Right?

Love, joy, peace, patience. You know, that spiritual fruit that he talks about, as well as self control and faithfulness. Grace does not exempt us from living a holy and pure and fruitful and faithful life. As a matter of fact, grace promotes that. We are moved to do those things because of grace.

We are yearning to do what is right because of grace. It moves us to do these things. When I see people who are uninterested, uninvolved, you know, and relying on grace to excuse that type of behavior, I say to myself, they haven't got a clue of grace. There is no grace in their lives. I see grace in the life of a person who's on fire for the Lord, who desires to do what's right, who's hungry and thirsty for righteousness.

I say that person, grace is working in their lives. And then finally, I don't wanna be too negative this morning. I just wanna give you the other side of the picture before we go into the text. Some people think that grace, is premeditation. Let me explain that.

The worst and most dangerous misconception about grace is that you can play around with it and use it to your advantage. That's what I mean. Grace is premeditation. The most dangerous game in the spiritual world is presuming on God's good grace. In other words, thinking that you can sin now and enjoy that sin or enjoy that spiritual neglect now, because later on God's grace will cover your tracks.

Well, grace is not something that we use to enjoy sinfulness. When we do this, we don't realize that the net effect of this type of thinking is that it hardens our conscience to the point where we can't repent. We don't know how to repent. I mean, if you take advantage of grace, the net effect of doing that is that it'll harden your heart to the point where you won't know how to repent anymore. That's what the Hebrew writer is talking about in Hebrews chapter 6 verses 4 to 8, where he says, we cannot be renewed again to repentance.

He's talking about that. There's a point where your heart your heart gets so hard that you you can't repent anymore. You don't know how. So liberalism and permissiveness and worldliness and premeditation, these are some of the things that grace are not. Now, let's look at 1st Peter and let's review his introduction and go into what Peter says that grace is.

Now that we have a little idea of what it isn't, 1st Peter chapter 1 verse 1. Verse 1 and 2 are introduction. He says, Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who reside as aliens scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia who are chosen. Well, Peter introduces himself first. You know that in those days letters began with the salutation upfront.

Today we write a letter and then at the end we go, yours truly, Mike. In those days, when they wrote a letter, they would put yours truly, Mike, at the top and then write their write their letter. So this is just normal for those days. And he immediately establishes his credentials and authority as not just any old apostle, not just any messenger because there were many messengers in those days. There were a lot of preachers going around.

He says he is an apostle that was chosen by Christ, and that was a special distinction in those days when the apostles were still alive. You had apostles like Barnabas. Okay? You had messengers. Alright?

Epaphroditus was a messenger. You had messengers, and then you had the messengers that were specifically chosen by Christ, the 12. So he's establishing his credentials. He's one of those messengers. And the letter is directed to the churches scattered throughout Asia Minor, which is today Turkey, and would be passed around among the churches in those days.

And he meant for his letter to be passed around. That's how the gospel was, the gospel and the epistles were spread in the 1st century. One letter was written, it was, it was spread around, it was copied. And then in verse 2 he says, according to the now here's the key, by the way. You really need to, you know, heads up on this verse right here.

He says, 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 the great excuse me. May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure. Well, here again, as as was custom, he offers a blessing upon them and he gives the reason why they should receive this blessing. Now the blessing is that grace and peace be upon them in full measure. That's the blessing.

Okay? The reason for them to have access to this fourfold blessing are the following. And what he does is, you know, again, he he he lists them but they're in reverse order. So the first reason why they should have this blessing of grace and peace is this: Jesus died and shed his blood to wash away their sins. That's why they should have this blessing of grace and peace.

Secondly, they obeyed the gospel in repentance and baptism to access this blood of Christ. Therefore, they should have this grace and peace. Thirdly, he says the Holy Spirit has filled them and continues to work in them. Therefore, they should have this blessing of grace and peace. And finally, God knew see, that's what he mentions right at the beginning.

God knew from the beginning that all those who would accept Christ would have these blessings of grace and peace. That's why they should happen. So you see in verse 2, that's the key verse, that's the setup verse. He sets it up right here and he says, I'm an apostle selected by Christ and here's my blessing on you, that you people have grace and peace. And he's gonna explain what grace and peace means later on.

But upfront he says, and you people deserve to have grace and peace. You should have grace and peace because Jesus died and obtained it for you, because you people obeyed the gospel and repent and baptism, because the Holy Spirit's inside of you now, because God knew from the beginning if you would respond in this way you would receive that grace and peace. And so he sets it up in verse in verse 2. He prays that the blessings of grace and peace, as a result of their salvation through Christ, known and promised by God, would result in them experiencing the joys of grace and that peace that he talks about. Now, in the next verse, or in the next verses, he's going to explain that one of the joys and one of the meanings of this grace and peace he's talking about is the idea of security or hope.

Same thing. Same word. You slash security slash hope. Because in the Bible, the word hope was this if you wanted to if you wanted to say, what does hope feel like? It feels like security.

You know how you know when you feel safe, all the doors are locked. All the windows, you got bars on the windows, you got the alarm on. You know what I'm saying? You're feeling safe. You got your big gun by your bed.

I feel safe. Alright. Well, if someone says, what does hope feel like? It's that feeling. It's feeling safe.

It's feeling secure. So Peter says, one of the blessings of this grace and peace is that you're going to feel safe. You're going to feel secure. Okay? And in verses 3 to 12 he explains this idea of security.

Alright, now verse 3. Now that you understand the idea, let's see how he develops it. Verse 3, he says, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who, according to his great mercy, has caused us to be born again to a living hope. There's that security. Okay.

There's that security. Through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. So it was God's plan to save us through the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. That's why we should feel secure. See, that's the point.

Salvation and its accompanying grace is not a human invention. It's a godly thing. So he says, yeah, grace and peace. And this grace and peace, this security you feel, this is not something you feel. It's not because the gun by your bed and the bar's on the window.

It's not that type of thing. This grace and security that you feel is because God gave it to you through Jesus Christ. It's a spiritual thing. It's a gift thing. And if God doesn't give it to you, no amount of bars in the windows and guns under the bed are gonna make you feel it.

Okay. In verse 45, he continues, he says, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. Now because this security, because this hope comes from God, it's a powerful thing and it's a sure thing. Now the inheritance that he's talking about is the glorified body that we will receive at resurrection, and the eternal life that that glorified body will experience. You know, I mean, if my kids were to say, what is our inheritance?

Well, you know, you split the house four ways and somebody gets the car and, you know, a couple of bucks in the bank. You know, they know what the inheritance is gonna be. So and so gets one ring, so and so gets mom's necklace, and, you know, whatever. Alright? Although I might be buried with my intrepid.

I'm not sure. But anyways, so the kids know what the inheritance is. So Peter is talking about this sure thing and this wonderful inheritance, you know. Well, the what is he doesn't explain it right here, but what is the inheritance? Well, the inheritance that we're going to get is the glorified body which God will give to every faithful, Christian that will enable that Christian to live with God in heaven.

That's the inheritance. That's what's coming. And Peter says that this will be revealed at the resurrection when Jesus comes. In other words, you can be sure, you have hope, you have absolute security that this inheritance that God has promised you will be there for you when it's time. A lot of people I know are afraid, boy, what if I've lived this whole Christian life for nothing?

And Peter says, no. No. No. Don't worry about that. This hope, this thing is sure.

In verses 6 to 9, Peter says, in this you greatly rejoice. In what? Well, in this sure hope that you will have this glorified body, this inheritance. Okay. So he says, in this you greatly rejoice even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials.

So that the proof 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. And though you have not seen him, you love him. And though you do not see him now, but believe in him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls. You know, it's a long verse. Boy, that's a mouthful.

Right? You know, if we're English teachers, we'd say, well, it's much too long a sentence. Cut that down. Chop that down. That's that's not the way the Greek language works.

Peter is saying this sure gift that you're going to have causes you to rejoice, causes you to have happy anticipation now. Man, I can't wait. I can't wait. I know William. I told William, William is my youngest son.

I said, Willie, since you were born in Oklahoma, this ring here is gonna be yours when I'm gone. This is my graduation ring from college and I went to Oklahoma Christian. You know what? Every once in a while, I leave this in a basket on my table, you know, in our bedroom. Every once in a while, William comes in.

I see him picking it up and eyeballing at him. He's always checking it out. You know what I'm saying? He's got that, know, of course, it's a mixed emotion, you know, but he has a little anticipation like, man, one day this is gonna be man, I've seen him put it on his 3rd finger, his thumb, you know, to see for fit size. Little anticipation.

He knows it's his even though I'm wearing it for now. Well, Peter says, hey. You have a happy anticipation. You know what's coming. You know what's coming.

You have this happy, glorified, glorious anticipation of what's coming. Even though there may be a little bit of suffering in between. Even though there may be, you know, some obstacles between now and then. And he says, remaining faithful while you wait for this gift of grace does several things for you. First of all, he says, it confirms that your faith is genuine.

If a person endures while the going is rough, it demonstrates that their faith is real. It's not just talk. You know what James says in James 3 18, you show me your faith by what you say. I'll show you my faith by my works. And so hanging in there while you wait for that happy thing, that gracious thing, confirms that your faith is a real faith.

Secondly, it honors Jesus Christ your lord. Your suffering and your patience is a demonstration of love and loyalty to the lord and this genuinely honors him as your lord. Isn't that what Paul says in Romans chapter 12 verse 1? To offer your whole body as a living sacrifice. Yes, we honor the Lord by singing songs.

And yes, we honor the Lord by worshiping in such a way that is according to his word. That's why we do things carefully, not to go against what the word says. That's on Sunday morning for an hour. What about the other 100 hours the rest of the week? Well, we honor our Lord Jesus Christ by being patient while we suffer, by being patient while we bear under the trials and tribulations of of normal human life.

That, Peter says, that honors Christ. Just as surely as the songs that we'll sing in a few moments honor Christ. Thirdly, he says it generates joy and love in you. Jesus said blessed or happy are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew chapter 5 verse 10, suffering righteously for the Lord produces happiness.

It's a natural reaction for the spiritual person. Haven't you ever had to make a choice? And that choice was, if I go this way, I do the things of the world. If I go this way, I'm going to do what Christ wants me to know to do, and I know that this is what he wants me to do, and this is gonna cost me a lot, but you do it anyways. How do you feel after?

You feel great. You feel great. You're going, oh, God. Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you for letting me give you something that was mine to give. You know, the money I give is not mine to give, it's all his anyways. But when I have to do what's right, and it costs me something, oh, boy. That thing there, that belongs to me, and that I can give to him. Oh, it's a wonderful feeling.

That's what Peter says. And then finally, he says it guarantees salvation. A proven faith results in a secure hope of salvation which produces peace and joy in a person's heart. And so Peter tells his readers that grace means feeling sure about salvation. Even though there are times when a person's faith is tested, continuing in faith will only strengthen that hope and increase the joy.

Don't ever worry that doing what Christ wants you to do in your life will ruin your faith. Sounds like a contradiction, but it's not. Don't ever worry that trials will ruin your faith. What ruins your faith is when you don't do what Christ wants you to do. That's what ruins your faith.

In verses 10 to 12, Peter ends up this section, and this is this is all for this morning. He says, as to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries, seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preach the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look. In the last two verses of this section, Peter compares his readers to 2 other groups in order to show how secure they are. Remember, this is all about security.

Grace means security. It means hope, means safety. Well, he compares these people that are reading his message to 2 other groups. The first group are the prophets who spoke from god and who did miracles and who counseled kings and who saved the nation. The other group are the angels who are mighty beings who dwell at the throne of god.

Now Peter says, both these groups did not receive the revelation about god's gracious plan to save men through faith in Jesus Christ and give them glorious bodies and allow them to live forever in heaven. That's the revelation. They didn't know that. The angels didn't know that. The prophets didn't know that.

And even though they were mighty servants who searched for the answers, all they knew was that God's plan was to serve people in the future. So the conclusion to this idea is this, God's grace is no afterthought. It was planned for and it was passed on carefully throughout the ages until the right time to reveal it to the world so everyone could take advantage. There's no slippage. There's no mistake.

There will be no mistake. Nobody will be left out. And so Peter begins his epistle by explaining that the grace of God is a sure thing. Now when we think of his grace, his favor towards us, we can think security. You know, when I'm talking and I'm preaching to you about the grace of god, in your mind, you should be thinking security, safety, because number 1, it comes from god.

When a promise of blessing comes directly from god, you can be sure. Number 2, it grows stronger with adversity. The promise of grace itself cannot be diminished by trials. The harder you struggle to remain faithful, the more grace produces in the turn in terms of joy and hope and security. And finally, it has lasted throughout the ages.

Long ago, angels and prophets handled it and passed it on down, and we receive it today and the grace of god in forgiving us and granting us eternal life is as fresh and motivating as it was 4000 years ago when God answered it, announced it to Abraham. That grace that motivated Abraham to go to the top of the hill, a mountain, and offer his son is the same grace offered to us. It has the same motivating power. We often think, oh, man. Oh, God.

Please, you know, don't ever ask me to do what Abraham did. If God asked you to do what Abraham did, you could do it because the same grace is at work. See what I'm saying? Grace means security. Security and God's desire and his ability to fulfill his promises to bless us now and to save us forever.

We sometimes doubt and sometimes we're afraid of the past or we're afraid of the future, but God's grace has wiped away the past with Jesus's blood and has guaranteed the future with his resurrection. Every time you're afraid, look at the empty tomb. Look at the empty tomb. Every time you're afraid of the past because of your sins, look at the cross. Look at the cross.

And the weeks to come, we're gonna continue with other meanings of grace. This is why this epistle is so wonderful. He spends the first chapter talking about grace as security, but he's gonna talk about grace in other lights as we go through from chapter to chapter. But for now, just know that if you are in the grace of God, you can be sure you can be sure of the promise that he has made for your future. And that is a glorified body and eternal life with him in heaven.

That's our class for this morning. Thank you very much. We have a few moments left. If there are questions or comments, I'd be happy to take those. If not, we can take the extra time, have some fellowship, enjoy our time together.

Alright. We're dismissed. Thank you. Alright. Alright.

We're dismissed. Thank you. Alright. We're dismissed. Thank you.

Alright. We're just