Holding on to Hope: A study of 1 Peter
Monday, May 3, 2021
Madelaine Looney
Today’s reading: 1 Peter 1:1-2 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, 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.
With the completion of our “Who Led You to the Lord” study, we heard 20 different stories that shared the Gospel and provided the hope found in Christ. That is a perfect transition into “Holding on to Hope: a study of 1 Peter”. Let’s begin with setting the stage and meeting the characters. This letter was written about A.D. 62-63 possibly from Rome. It was written to Jewish Christians who were driven out of Jerusalem. At the time this was the beginning of the great persecution under Emperor Nero. Throughout the Roman empire, Christians were being tortured and killed for their faith, and the church in Jerusalem was being scattered throughout the Mediterranean world. Let’s continue by taking a look at who the writer was. If you will remember, Peter was the disciple that denied knowing Jesus three times during His trial prior to His crucifixion. Fortunately Peter repented and ended up becoming a great apostle. The purpose of this letter was to offer encouragement to these suffering Christians who had been scattered (called the Dispersion). He starts out addressing them as” God’s elect” which is a reminder that they were CHOSEN by God. They are now “strangers” in the places they are living. Wow! Much going on here for these people. They have been forced to flee their homes for their lives and their new normal isn't normal at all. Where is all the hope? What are these first two verses conveying to these Christians? Notice the trinity- God the Father knows where they are. Because of Jesus’ sacrificial blood, they have the Holy Spirit with them every moment of what I imagine to be seemingly impossible trials in foreign lands. In these very first two verses Peter gets right to it: they are reminded they are chosen by God, they are wanted and loved, and they are never alone. Peter closes out the second verse speaking the blessing over them of “grace and peace be multiplied to you”. It’s interesting to me to recognize the persecution and scattering of these people didn’t stop the spreading of the Good News. Quite the opposite- this persecution served as a way to introduce the Gospel to the whole Empire. No persecution can take away salvation to those that believe. Similarly today we are to “gather and scatter” fortifying ourselves with the Good News on our lips to share as we “scatter”. The words in these two short verses are no less important or less pertinant today as they were so many years ago. We indeed are chosen by Him. We are loved and our lives matter. The blood that covered these people still covers us today. We have the Holy Spirit with us every moment. The dates have changed but the message and the hope provided is still needed. Dearest Heavenly Father, Jesus, You are our living hope! You are the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow (Hebrews 13:8). Help us to see that You have been working in our lives before we were even born. Help us to know You first chose us before we chose You. You are gracious and full of love and are ever present even when we don't recognize You are what we crave. Father, open our eyes to see the hope conveyed in this letter written so long ago. Let us connect the dots of what happened then and what is happening in our lives today. Your word is timeless and always living water. Let us drink freely of all you have to offer as we walk through 1 Peter together. Amen.
https://youtu.be/pZMTWQIp6GI