Category: 1 Peter

Reading

Audio, Visual

SAA Notes

Isn’t it wonderful that a day is coming when God will visit us? Pray that He will visit us in revival, as well as looking for That Day when Jesus returns. There is much thought for husbands and wives here too.

SJA Notes

* Mighty God, Your word to us is mighty. Please write it on our hearts today.

“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.”

It can be a strange thought that the Holy God would, and could, suffer.

Here was the true man, the sinless lamb, God in the Person of the Son.

And he SUFFERED.

We remember that He was both fully God and fully man.

The idea that the perfect God would suffer can boggle the mind.

The idea that the all-powerful-without-equal God would suffer for His enemies is a great philosophical thought-mine.

God’s word tells us the truth.

He did suffer.

He was mistreated and laughed at by His creation. As He went to the cross He experienced the most painful suffering in history (physical, mental, spiritual).

Our King was punished by His Father, the full cup of His wrath poured out on the sinless man.

For us! God’s people.

“By his wounds you have been healed.”

We were like sheep gone astray, but now have returned to the Good Shepherd, the Overseer of our souls.

* Father God,

Thank You for Jesus’ work, that He has called us back, we who were once Your enemies now counted as Your people.

Hallelujah, what a Saviour You are!

Amen.

Reading

Audio, Visual

SAA Notes

It is interesting that Peter starts with: prepare your minds for action! We might think that prepare your hearts for action might be a better call. Peter, the action man, is no stranger to thought or its place. Right thinking (or good theology) is imperative for godly action. The first ten verses of chapter 2 are very significant verses.

SJA Notes

* Dear God, thank You for this day, and thank You for Your word to us.

“Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”

In this passage Peter draws our attention back to the old testament book of Hosea, one of the prophets that preached to Israel, calling them to repentance.

Three of Hosea’s children are mentioned that he had with his wife Gomer, who was a prostitute.

The second child, a little girl, was named “No Mercy”.

The third child, a little boy, was named “Not My People”.

Hosea taking a wife from whoredom and having children of whoredom was a hard narrow path for him that God called him to – And it was a direct picture of Israel at the time.

God caused the land to vomit them out, He says,

“Call her name No Mercy, for I will no more have mercy on the house of Israel,”

And,

“Call his name Not My People, for you are not my people, and I am not your God.”

These are hard words.

They are true words.

And as with Israel, so with us.

We are by nature and intent on our own at war with God, we humanity are sinners in need of a Saviour that works (as were Israel).

How wonderful then, for Israel and for us, that Jesus went outside the camp, while we were still enemies, still sinners, still at war with Him, He reverses the curse and brings such blessing.

“Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”

Hallelujah for God’s mercy to us, for Jesus!

* Father God,

Thank You for Your mercy, not giving to us what we deserve.

Thank You for Your grace, giving to us what we do not deserve.

Thank You for Jesus, that in Him we see both Your grace and Your mercy writ large.

Amen.

Reading

Audio, Visual

SAA Notes

These twelve verses are jam packed full of theology – all that is most necessary for us to know about Jesus, about what God is doing through Jesus in this world. Such knowledge is a sure foundation for life in a perilous world. What heartens you most here?

SJA Notes

* Dear God, Your word is truth. Please write it deep in our hearts today.

“… To an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,”

We believe Jesus was raised from the dead.

We believe His resurrection caused us to be born again.

We believe we are born again to a living hope.

We believe that this living hope is wrapped up in an inheritance like no other. This hope/inheritance cannot perish, it cannot be defiled and it will not fade.

We believe our hope/inheritance is kept in heaven for us.

How deep and wide these truths are, how important they are for our daily walk, how good a God we have to give us an inheritance such as this!

* Almighty God,

We bring You thanks Lord, thank You – For all that You have done for us, all that You are doing, and the great hope we have in our inheritance, stored securely in heaven.

Please mark us as Your people in truth, who go about Your will, bearing Your Name well, each day.

Amen.