Victorious Living in a Hostile World - 1 Peter

1:37The question is: how do you work through a book? Well, one day I sat my family down, we were talking, and it was in the context of school, and I was explaining to my kids how to read a book. I said, There's a certain way that you can read a book, and I've read my share of books in my life, and this is what I've learned: how to read a book. And I said, first thing you do is you pick up the book, you read the introduction. Second thing you do, you read the conclusion, and then you go back and you look at the table of contents and you start seeing the progression of thought.

2:14My daughter, one of my daughters, looked at me and was absolutely horrified. How is it that you read a book like that? And then I realized, well, she spends a lot of time reading those dreamy novels. And so you don't read one of those dreamy novels where you read the end and then you start working your way through. That ruins the whole book. I understand. But if you're reading for content and you want to understand what a book is about and you're trying to extract information, then this is a good way to read books. And that's how we're going to look at 1 Peter this morning. I'm going to look at the introduction. We'll look at the conclusion. And then we'll kind of go back and look at the table of contents, if you will, or I'll show you the roadmap. Through which we're going to go through over the next several months. So let me just read to you 1 Peter 1, chapter 1, verse 1. Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, Bithnia, who are chosen 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 grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure. So in the opening greeting, the author clearly is Peter. He writes to those who are scattered. His audience is a scattered group of people throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, Bithnia, which are just north of the Taurus Mountains, which would in many, well, much of that is in modern-day Turkey.

4:03They are written. He is writing to them, seeing them as aliens, who are scattered, dispersed. Now, I want you to flip over to 1 Peter 5. Let's look at verse 12. And this will be the final salutation or ending of the book. In verse 12, through Silvanus, our faithful brother, for so I regard. Him, I have written to you briefly, exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it. She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you greetings, and so does my son Mark. Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace be to you, all who are in Christ. Silvanus, the name Silas, you will know him as Silas.

4:58Through Silas, Paul Peter wrote, his immanuensis is the word that he dictated the letter to Silas. Silas wrote and delivered the letter. That is the understanding of what probably took place. But look at the purpose. I have written to you briefly. This is a short work that I have written. And here's his purpose, exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it. There's an exhortation, a testimony. I'm testifying to you what true grace is, and I'm exhorting you to stand firm in it.

5:45Tells you a little bit about what he's doing. And this exhortation applies to the whole book. The whole book is to be understood as this exhortation to stand firm in true grace. It's a testimony. To what true grace is and how to stand firm in it. And this was needed for what was going on in the Roman world was unthinkable at the time. The letter is written sometime after 64 AD, as best as I can tell. The persecutions of Nero were well underway, whereas Mark may have been written just a little bit before or thereabout the time of the persecutions broke out. This letter is written after Mark. I'll tell you a little bit about Nero. He became the emperor of Rome in 54 AD when he was about 17 years old. And very quickly, he developed a reputation for his self-indulgence, his immorality, and his insatiable lust to build. And in May 64 AD, a terrible fire broke out in Rome. And it raged for six days and seven nights and destroyed a large part of the city. And the Romans, the general citizenry, believed that Nero had started the fires because he had this desire to build, so he needed to clear the way for more building projects. Well, the fire was devastating to the Romans, not only from a monetary standpoint, but also a cultural standpoint and even a religion. Standpoint. Many of their great temples, their shrines, and even a lot of their household idols went up in flames, almost speaking that they couldn't even defend themselves against this fire. And it put the Roman citizenry in a crisis. They were angry. Many of them were homeless. Many of them had been killed. And their resentment was very, very great. And Nero knew that he needed to have a scapegoat. He needed to redirect their anger. And so he chose the Christians. And he blamed the fire on the Christians, which already the Romans didn't care for the Christians anyway, because of their close association with Jews and their refusal to walk in the ways of the Romans. Cornelius Tacitus, the first-century Roman historian, writes about this fire and this time and says what happens. And Cornelius Tacitus was no friend of Christians. And he says this: hence, to suppress the rumor, the rumor that Nero started the fires, he, Nero, falsely charged with the guilt and punished with the most exquisite tortures the persons commonly called Christians who are hated. For their enormities. Christus, the founder of that name, was put to death as a criminal by Pontius Pilate, procurator of Judea in the reign of Tiberius. You want external evidence linking the death of Christ as a historical event that goes outside Scripture? Here's Roman historian Tacitus. But he goes on. Accordingly, first three were seized. That first, he took three people who confessed they were Christians. Next, on their information, a vast multitude were convicted, not so much on the charge of burning the city as hating the human race.

9:42And in their deaths, they were also made the subjects of sport, for they were covered with the hides of wild beasts and torn to death by dogs. So they put the wild beasts, they put these hides on them, throw them out in the arena or in a place, and let the dogs go after them. Or they were nailed to crosses or set fire to, and when day declined, burned to serve for nocturnal lights. Put them in tar, burn them as lights. Nero offered his own gardens for this spectacle. So you can see the rage, the brutality, the hostility. And then this was something that spread throughout the Roman Empire. They are haters of the human race. We are haters of Rome. Take out all of your aggression, all of your vengeance upon these followers of Christ. Such was the climate. And both Paul and Peter are said to have died in Nero's persecutions. Jesus told Peter how he would die. But Scripture doesn't record the death of Peter. But all the records of the early church history indicate Peter was crucified. Clement recorded that before Peter was crucified, he was forced to watch his wife be crucified. And as she was being led to her death, Clement says Peter called to her by name, saying, Remember the Lord. And when it was Peter's turn to die, he pleaded to be crucified upside down because he wasn't worthy to die as his Lord had died. And so he died, crucified upside down. Well, and as you walk through 1 Peter, you see that suffering is a major theme. Look in verse 6 of the first chapter. In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials. Look over at chapter 2, verse 12. He's saying, keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the things which they slander you as evildoers. In other words, they are calling him evildoers. Look on over to 3.13, and this theme is throughout. Who is there to harm you if you prove to be zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed.

12:14And then look at verse 4.1. Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose. In other words, Christ suffered. Get ready. Verse 12, chapter 4. Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that's coming among you, which comes upon you for your testing. Though some strange things were happening to you, it says, it's coming, this fiery ordeal. Look at verse 19. Therefore, all who suffer according to the will of God shall entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right. The question is, suffering. He's writing to a people who are being hammered.

13:02How does one be victorious in the midst of such hostility? How can one, how can these guys, how can these early churches be victorious in the face of such brutal hostility? Well, that's the subject of the book. And it's a good question. It's a good question for us today. In fact, yesterday I looked and I just saw a news article that up in New York. Jersey. There are several statues that are being disgraced. They're going around bashing in the heads of Joseph and bashing in the heads of Mary and decapitating the statues of Jesus. And it's not just happening in one place, but in a couple of places. Just I saw this in the news yesterday. An expression of hostility. It's more than just a drunk on a rampage. It's somebody making a statement. I had a very enjoyable lunch just a little over a week ago with a Jewish rabbi. He talked about many things. And one of the things he said to me, he said, you know, I feel sorry for you. I said, why is that? You're white.

14:23He says, and second, you're male. You're a white male. Well, he says, and you are a white male Christian. He says, and furthermore, you are a Protestant, a white male Christian, Protestant that believes the Bible. He said, you have become the enemy of this society. And he said, you know, that's become very evident in our culture. He says, I can see it. He says, it's not getting to where it was in Nazi Germany. Against the Jews, but you can certainly see a movement in that direction. Well, I think we all, I don't know what the degree where our culture is, but certainly I think we can all sense the growing hostility. Let me tell you where this hostility has reached epic proportions, and that is in the world of the Middle East. This article came out last week, and it's rare that people write on this because a lot of the media outlets are silent on what's going on in the Middle East with Christians. But this came out of the Assyrian International News Agency, and the title is: The World's Most Ancient Christian Communities Are Being Destroyed, and No One Cares. And it goes through, talks about Egypt, gives a case in Egypt. There was a young man. He had a tattoo of the cross on his wrist. And his Arabic language teacher told him to cover his tattoo in class. And instead of complying, the young Egyptian Christian pulled out his necklace that had the cross around it. His teacher flew into a rage and began choking him and goading the young man's Muslim classmates, saying, What are you going to do with him? To which the classmates then beat him to death. Egypt.

16:22It goes on to talk about what's going on in Syria. Even worse, in June 2013, Cluster of Christian villages was totally destroyed. And one of the friars reported that of the 4,000 inhabitants of the village, there are no more than 10 people that remain. That's Syria in Iraq. The story is the same, but it's more dramatic. Between 2004 and 2011, the Chaldo-Assyrian Christians have fallen from over a million to about 150,000. The number of churches have been reduced from 300 to 57.

17:09A quote in the Chaldean Patriarch of Baghdad said this, just as he was being installed as the patriarch. He says this, and this is just last year. Still, the shadow of fear, anxiety, and death is hanging over our people. He warned: if immigration continues, that is, people keep leaving because of the persecutions, God forbid there will be no more Christians in the Middle East. It will be no more than a distant memory. How do you write? How do you encourage a people? Now that is severe persecution. That is the world of the Antichrist. Antichrist.

18:02It's a very important question. How can a person, how can these people in the Middle East, how can we in our culture today be victorious in the midst of growing hostility? Well, that's what Peter is all about. And the answer to the question is given in chapter 5 and verse 12. I have written to you briefly, exhorting you and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it. There's the answer to victorious living. Stand firm in the true grace.

18:40Don't stand firm in the wrong grace because there are many imposter graces out there. In fact, the book of Galatians, Paul is addressing this false notion of grace that it leads a person into a righteousness by works. And Paul is very, very graphic in his language. He says, I am amazed in chapter 1, verse 6 of Galatians that you are so quickly deserting him who called you by the grace of Christ for a different gospel. He says in chapter 2, verse 21, I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died for nothing. You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you before whose eyes Jesus Christ was puzzled? Portrayed as crucified. This is the only thing I want to find out from you. Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law or by hearing of faith? Are you so foolish, having begun in the Spirit, that you are now being perfected by the flesh? So grace isn't just a means so that we can come in and obey the Mosaic law to where we can then be sanctified by our works. It is grace from the beginning. And he goes on in Galatians 5: You have been severed from Christ. You who are seeking to be justified by the law, you have fallen from grace. And that is a true grace. Well, on the other side, there's in Romans, Paul deals with this, but those who are using or asserting that grace is an excuse to sin. Paul in 6:1 says, What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase?

20:29No way. 6:14 he says, Sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law, but under grace. You are no longer under the law, you are under grace, and grace is to be your master. Jude, there were those imposter, there was an imposter grace that Jude had to deal with. And that was those who turned grace into a license to live without moral restraint. It was an excuse. It was more than it was an excuse. It was a license. Jude 1:4 says, For certain persons, Have crept in unnoticed, those who were long before marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turned the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord Jesus Christ.

21:14A lot of imposter graces out there. Peter is exhorting to stand in the true one. Grace is not some sort of celestial substance like pixie dust, you see. It's not to be thought of as a trump card that somehow relieves me from moral responsibilities or my duties or submission to authority. Grace is not some kind of theological argument that silences my conscience when I grow comfortable being under sin's dominion because you are not under sin's dominion. You are under the dominion of grace. So grace doesn't teach you to grow comfortable under sin. That's not what it does.

21:54Peter's book is a testimony to the true grace, what it is, and what it does. You see, what grace does is it prepares God's people for victory. That's what being under grace does. What is victory? Glad you asked. I think for Peter, it's victory can best be stated. He talks about the revelation of Jesus Christ. He talks about it in chapter 1, verse 5. He talks about it in chapter 1, verse 7. But then again, in chapter 4, 13, I want you to see something here. It's talking about: do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, the testing. He says this, but to the degree that you share in the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of his glory you may rejoice with exaltation. Peter has in mind that Christ is literally coming back, and that he is going to literally set up his kingdom, that he is literally going to be seen as Lord of lords, king of kings, and that there is coming with him great, great fire, great judgment, but also great reward for his people. This is where Peter's mind is fixed. And the victory, the victory is to be able to stand before Christ as he reveals who his people are, saved by a greatest salvation that has ever been witnessed. And when all that is plain, there will be his people. And victory to him is rejoicing. Rejoicing with exaltation. And that is what he's in all of this. His exhortation: Christ is coming, and I want you standing firm, rejoicing in his presence. I want you to welcome his kingdom. That's victorious living.

23:59But two of the biggest Threats to the early church were number one, persecution, and number two, false teaching. There are those that sought to shake them from their true grace or their firm standing. And if they didn't understand that suffering is part of God's plan, it could easily be shaken. Second thing was false teachers. And that's what the book of 2 Peter is about. 1 Peter, he's dealing with suffering and persecution, victorious living in the midst of a hostile world. In 2 Peter, it's victorious living in a world of false teachers.

24:41Well, in 1 Peter, Peter gives us four things necessary for one to stand firm in true grace. We can think of these as the keys to victorious living. And so, what I want to do this morning, by way of introducing the book, we've already looked at the beginning, we've looked at the end. Now, I kind of want to look at the divisions that I have placed. And there are four. And each of these divisions can be thought of as a key to victorious living.

25:12The first one, and I want you to see these four keys so that you will know how to walk in victory. Look at 1 Peter 1. First one, know your salvation. Know your pointer. First of all, several things you need to know. First 12 verses, know your salvation. There are several things that you need to know about salvation that is brought by true grace. Peter lays them out. First of all, in the first couple verses, he wants you to understand, if you don't get this right, salvation began in the mind of the Father. It does not begin in the will of man.

25:55You've got to understand where salvation begins. You've got to understand that salvation is accomplished by the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit that sanctifies a person. And it is on the basis of the blood of Christ. You see the whole triune God involved in salvation here. And salvation's goal is obedience to Jesus Christ. You see that in the second verse there? Chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father by the sanctifying work of the Spirit to obey Jesus Christ.

26:31And then he goes on in verses 3 through 5. It says, Your salvation, something else you need to know about your salvation is that you are kept by the power of God. Kept. Not only did it begin in the mind of God, but it is kept by the power of God. And your salvation is through faith. Through faith. And it is, your salvation will be revealed. It will be seen. There is coming a day at the end of the day. The revelation of Christ, when he is revealed, when all see who he really is, and that veil is torn back, and the whole world understands who Jesus Christ really is. That day is coming, and at that day, you who are in him, your salvation will be shown for what it really is.

27:24His people. And then he goes on in verses 6 through 9 of chapter 1 to let them know, by the way, your faith, the faith of your salvation will be tested in the fires of life. You need to know that about what true grace brings. It doesn't exempt you from the fires of life. It makes it so you can move through it. I mean, when you buy a car, what do you do? One of the first things when you're trying a new car, especially if you've got a little sports car, you like to get it out on the highway and you like to see what? Let's see what this thing's got, right?

28:04Well, you know, in some way, God's the same way. He redeems us. He establishes us firm in true grace. He puts his song in our hearts. He gives us a deep, abiding love for him. And he said, look, world, watch this one. You remember Job? Who started that whole thing? God. As Satan comes in, have you considered my servant Job? Let's put him to his paces. Let's watch him run. Brothers and sisters, the faith of your salvation will be tested in the fires of life, and you've got to know that about your salvation. And then going on in verses 10 through 12, Peter makes it very clear that the first manifestation of true grace is genuine salvation. That salvation which the prophets spoke about and looked into.

29:03And as he goes on in this section, he remarks that the glory followed Christ's suffering, and glory will follow your suffering. So stand firm. Stand firm. Know your salvation. And stand firm in it. And he goes on, shift gears. So the first key of victorious living is know your salvation. Second, respond to your salvation. And this begins in verses 13 and goes all the way through 2, verse 10. And there are 23 verses here. First section, know your salvation, 12 verses. Second, respond to your salvation, 23 verses. The one thing that Peter makes very clear that you need to know about your salvation is it demands a response. There is response as the old. Sin nature is no longer your master, but the true grace of God is your master, that you are to respond to your salvation. And salvation by true grace quickens us to action. And so we are to be a people active in the disciplines of grace. And he goes on, starting in verse 13. There is action motivated by grace. That is in response to what God has done in your life and the costliness of his sacrifice. We are to be motivated by grace. Second, there is action motivated by fear. Action motivated by fear out of reverence for who God is and what he has done and the price. That should motivate us to respond out of a fear. But then going on in verse 22, there is action motivated by love. Look at verse 22. Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brother and fervently love one another from the heart true grace brings a salvation that requires action motivated by grace action action motivated by fear but also action motivated by love love for each other fervently love one another and there is action that's going to come out of that and also love for the word the enduring word of the lord therefore put all aside all malice all deceit and hypocrisy Envy and slander, like newborn babes, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord. Desire the Word, a love for the Word, for in it we grow in respect to our salvation. Salvation being that sanctifying aspect of our salvation, that sanctifying aspect of true grace.

31:58And then finally, he goes on: response to your salvation, there is action motivated by praise. Action motivated by praise. And he picks this theme up in verse 2, or chapter 2, verse 4, talking about how coming to him as living stones, as a living stone which has been rejected by men, but you are also as living stones are being built up into a spiritual house for a holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

32:32And he goes on in verse 9, but you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. That is action motivated by praise. This is who we are. This is the response to true grace. This is the right response to the salvation that is brought by true grace. Because only you can proclaim his excellent mercies, because, for you were once not a people, but now you are the people of God. You had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. There is nobody else that can praise his name for his mercy, except for those who have experienced it.

33:27So the first key to victorious living is know your salvation. The second key to victorious living is respond to your salvation. And the third key is to embrace submission as a way of life. And he devotes 27 verses to this. So you see, we've got 12 verses, then to 23 verses, now to 27 verses. Embrace submission as a way of life. This begins in chapter 2, verse 11, and goes all the way through chapter 3 and verse 12.

34:00Victorious living involves evangelizing the hostile world in which you live. Victorious living involves evangelizing the hostile world in which you live. Do you imagine hearing this from these people? I mean, can you imagine how the church would have responded to this? I am to do what? For who? Yet that is what God wants. Look in verse 12 of chapter 2 or verse 11. Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts, which wage against the soul. Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing which they slander you as evildoers, they may, because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation. In other words, let them see your good behavior, so that when God visits them in the day of salvation and draws near to them, they will remember your excellent behavior, and they will welcome and glorify Christ. What does excellent behavior look like? Submission. Submission. And he goes through verses 11 through 2, in chapter 2, verses 11 through 17, citizens, submit to your government, even in the midst of all that they are doing against you. Incredible statement. Citizens, submit to your government. He goes on, verse 18, slaves, submit to your masters. You know, much of the Roman world in this day, I think at the time there were more slaves than there were freemen, by a pretty good margin. Slaves, submit to your masters, not even just the good ones, but even the bad ones. Wives, submit to your husbands. Husbands, 3.7, submit to your wives.

36:01Christians submit to one another. Chapter 3, verses 8 through 12. All of this submission. Submission. Now, each relationship has its specific obligations, but the general principle is the same for all. God wants his people to be a people under submission, who embrace submission, who embrace in a submissive way the place that God has put them. And it is through this submission that God expects that people will see the excellent behavior and glorify God. That's the way to evangelize.

36:44Do not be polluted with the ways of the world and embrace submission as a way of life. Then there's a fourth key to victorious living. Know your salvation, respond to your salvation, and embrace submission as a way of life. And then, number four, welcome suffering as a part of life. And there are 40 verses given to this. You see where the heart, soul, and time is spent. Know your salvation, 12 verses, respond to your salvation, 23 verses, embrace submission as a way of life, 27 verses, and welcome suffering as a part of life. It's about 40 verses there. He starts in chapter 3, verse 1. 13, laying this out.

37:34There is a blessedness in suffering. Do not think that this suffering is somehow outside of the will of God, or think that this suffering is something strange happening to you, that, okay, you missed it, or that you're outside of the grace of God, or somehow this is going to overthrow the plan of God. No, it's the opposite. That God intends suffering for his people. Or if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, know that you are blessed in it. And even he goes on in verse 18 through 22 to talk about Christ's example of suffering.

38:14That Christ, the blessed one, suffered for unrighteousness at the hands of unrighteous people. So don't expect that you will be any different. It's not a strange thing. But know that you will be blessed. That God has a purpose. So stand firm in it. See it to the end because God is going to bless you in the midst of it and through it. And at the end of it, he will be glorified. And you will also share in that glory. And then in chapter 4, verse 1, here's the conclusion. Christ suffered, verse 1. Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same purpose. Because he who has suffered in the flesh, The flesh has ceased from sin. He goes on. Get ready to suffer. Get ready to suffer. Christ did. That's how you stand firm in the true grace. It's going to come. Then he goes on in verse 7, chapter 4. The end of all things is near, therefore be of sound judgment and sober in spirit for the purpose of prayer. Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another because love covers a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without complaint. As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as goods. In other words, he's saying, suffer by serving fellow believers. Embrace suffering as a part of your life, especially in serving fellow believers. Now, what hospitality means in this context is a love of strangers. And what was taking place in the Roman world? A lot of Christians were being displaced and moved and fleeing for their lives. So welcome them in. Give them a place to stay. Feed them. They probably don't smell well. They may even speak a little bit different language. They may even have a different way about them. But suffer for the sake of Christ in serving them.

40:27He goes on, suffer in verse 12. Suffer through the fiery ordeals or the trials that come. Suffer through it. Whatever is in your path. And, brothers, I know this is hard, but just think about the churches that are receiving this. Think about our brothers and sisters throughout the world that are really suffering for their faith. We should suffer through fiery trials. This is what he goes on in verse 19. And trust yourself to God. And then in verse chapter 5, he shifts the gears a little bit. It says, Be good examples of suffering. And this is, he speaks to the elders. He says, Therefore, I exhort the elders among you as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and partaker also of the glory of Christ that is to be revealed. Shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God, and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness, not yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock. Suffer, elders, you who have been given charge, suffer especially as an example. And boy, that's hard because you're reading this, and it's like, I realize where I stand in this body.

41:56But it's not just me, it's my fellow elders. And this is for all the men, all those who would name the name of Christ. But then he goes on to say, and then he goes on to speak about the young men. You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders, and all of you who move from young men to all of you, clothe yourself with humility towards one another. Be good examples of suffering. Welcome suffering as a part of your life. Be an example of that, and so encourage the body. And finally, trust God while suffering. Verses 6, chapter 5, all the way to verse 11. Know that your enemy rolls around like a devil, resist him, rolls around like a lion, seeking someone to devour, but resist him. Stand firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are out in the world. After you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be dominion forever. Amen.

43:14Saying, final note, trust God that you're suffering. It will come to an end. God has a purpose for it. Stand firm in it. You know, in this country, we have a legacy of God. All nations, we have something given to us. Our political freedoms, our personal freedoms. We also know that great things do not come easy, right? We know that as being Americans, the signers of the Declaration of Independence pledged a lot, stood firm, so that we might have a political freedom and a personal freedom. These words are written in the Declaration of Independence. For the support of this Declaration, with the firm reliance on the protection of the divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortune, and our sacred honor. And it cost some of them their lives. It cost some of them their fortunes. But they stood firm. And because of that, we as Americans have enjoyed a certain amount of political freedom and a certain amount of personal freedom. So we as Americans understand this or should understand this.

44:37But we have a greater legacy in the church of those who stood firm in true grace, true grace. It's a very touching letter. Read to you in Luke chapter 22, verse 31. Jesus speaks to Peter and he says this: Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat. But I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers. Strengthen your brothers. Touching aspect of this whole letter: this is Peter doing exactly that.

45:25Strengthening his brother. The very word exhorting means strengthening. And this is exactly what Peter is doing. He stood firm in the true grace, and then he strengthened others to do the same. What a high calling. What a high calling. What an example Peter is as an elder and overseer. He stood firm in the true grace and strengthened others to do the same. So I want to invite you to join us over the next six months or so. We're going to be looking at Peter's description of true grace, his testimony of what true grace is and what it does, and how you and I can stand firm in it and how we can strengthen others to do the same. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, I do thank you for the book of 1 Peter. I thank you for Peter, an example. I thank you for his love for you.

46:29Lord, I thank you. For his devotion to you. I thank you for his love for the church. In all this, we see his life poured out as an expression of love and obedience to you and a love for the church. And Father, I pray that this study will be blessed. Father, that all of us here today, Father, would be drawn back to this study. Father, that we would look to be victorious in true grace and let you define that true grace, not us.

47:06Father, I pray for your people here this morning. I pray for those who do not know you, who now at this very moment are sitting here, who are outside of your grace. Father, I pray this morning that you would open their eyes, quicken their hearts. Father, put that desire that they may call upon you. And I pray that they haven't called upon you, that today they would call upon you. For it's in Jesus' name we pray.