Peter's message could be summed up but saying. No matter where you are in the Lord, you need sound teachers to remind you often of the basic truth of the faith so that you will stay on course. Peter gives us a model of four characteristics of good sound teachers. This is not a comprehensive list, but it should help you if you are looking for a solid church or giving advice to someone who is looking for one.

First Baptist Church Washington Illinois

A Great Reminder 2 Peter 1:12-15

In verses 1-4, Peter shows us the resources that God has graciously provided for us: He has given us everything pertaining to life and godliness through knowing Christ and through His precious and magnificent promises. Then in verses 5-7, we have the responsibility of pursuing Christian character, summarized in the seven qualities that Peter lays out to add to our faith. Now in verses 8-11, we see the benefits of pursuing Christian character to motivate us to persevere when it would be easier to just go with the flow of the rest of the world and our flesh. If we pursue Christian character, we will have the satisfaction of knowing that our lives are fruitful in light of eternity, and we will enjoy the assurance of knowing that God has called and chosen us as His own. We will not fall away from the faith, and when we step into eternity, there will be a grand welcome.

Benefits Of Pursuing Christian Character 2 Peter 1:8-11

If you are spiritually stuck, God wants you to grow. Even if you have been a Christian for many years, you can still grow in godliness; you can still pursue Christian character. Let's be clear you will not grow without deliberate discipline and effort. It is interesting that Peter, who was a man known in the gospels as being impulsive, here gives a deliberate disciplined approach for spiritual growth. If Peter the impulsive fisherman could become a disciplined, godly man, then anyone can do it. In these verses, Peter is saying because God has imparted new life to us and because we have spiritual riches in Christ, then we must pursue a life of Christian character.

Pursue Christian Character 1 Peter 1:5-7

My prayer is that as I preach this message that it will not be controversial but that it will help you understand and use these precious and magnificent promises we have in Christ that are ours. I will do this through two main points. First God's power is a gift through knowing Christ and second God gives great promises.

God's Power Gives Great Promises | 2 Peter 1:3–4

For this message, we are just going to zero in on the introduction, which I believe is far more than just the casual opening greeting. In fact, I contend that Peter is showing us what real faith actually is. So, I believe Peter is showing us that real faith has the apostolic witness of Jesus Christ as its foundation, is equal to that of the apostles, has Jesus Christ our God and savior as it's object, and it will experience the blessing of multiplied grace and peace.

Real Faith

I believe that in these verses, Peter gives us 4 strategies for growing through suffering; if we are going t grow through suffering, we will need to be humble before God, resist the devil, trust in the Sovereign Lord, and stand firm with other saints in God's true grace.

How We Can Grow Through Suffering 1 Peter 5:6-14

What are the characteristics of a healthy church? Well in this passage from 1 Peter, Peter gives us some. We will see that in a healthy church, the elders will shepherd the flock, and the flock will submit to the elders, and everyone will relate to one another in a spirit of humility.

The Characteristics Of A Healthy Church | 1 Peter 5:1–5

As Christian, we should expect trials, rejoice in suffering, examine ourselves in suffering, and finally entrust ourselves to God in suffering, knowing that they are in accordance with His will. In these verses, Peter was specifically speaking about persecution trials and granted most people in America know very little about being persecuted. Maybe we have suffered a small amount of rejection or have has someone slander us or ridicule us for our testimony. However, I am certain very few Christians have lost their job, have had property confiscated, or have been thrown in jail and tortures, or have seen loved ones executed because of our faith like many brothers and sisters in China see. However, that does not mean that Peter's words do not apply to us. Peter's lessons apply to other forms of suffering as well, and if we should ever suffer for our faith, the lessons are good to know in advance.

Rejoicing In Hard Times 1 Peter 4:12-19

In these verses we will notice that because the end is near that as believers, we need to glorify God through prayer, love, and service.

Christian Service In The End Times

We are called to be different, and to understand that we will suffer like Christ and in that suffering, our holiness will be revealed, but to be holy to be different, we must arm ourselves. That is a military term and was used for a warrior putting on their armor in preparation for battle. This begins in our thoughts as it states we do this in the same manner of thinking. The intent is given to us in verse 2; it is a purpose clause so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God. Listen, it is a constant struggle to be different from the rest of the world; therefore, we need some motivation. Peter gives us two primary sources of motivation and 3 ways we can practice holy living.

Be Different, Suffer Like Christ 1 Peter 4:1-6

The main point that Peter is making is very clear, but the details of that point are undeniably intricate. The main point we will see and what I will set out to reveal to us this morning from this passage is this Christ was a witness through his suffering and was vindicated and that we can be a witness through suffering, and we can trust that God will also vindicate us.

Christ's Victory Through Suffering

These verses (1 Peter 3:13-17) show us that our call is to remain a witness even in a hostile world, second that the practice of our witness is with our lives and with our words, and thirdly that the power of our witness is to bring honor to the Lord Jesus Christ. This whole section is connected by the word "now" to the previous section, which was that quote from Psalm 34 I Peter 3:10-12, where Peter gives assurance that God will vindicate the righteous and punish the wicked. This is a vital truth to keep before us as we face hostility or feel intimidated about witnessing. If we fear God above all else, it will take the fear of man away and give us a boldness we need to be a powerful witness of Christ.

How To Be A Witness In A Hostile World

In 1 Peter 3:10-11, Peter quotes from Psalm 34, which says that if we want to love life and see good days, then there are some things that we must do with our lips, which directly relates to our lives, and results in healthy relationships. The promise in the scripture is that if we live like this, God will bless us, and if we do not, the opposite is true; in fact, it says that the "face of the Lord will be against us." In verse 8, Peter is summing up the section that he began in chapter 2, where he tells us how to live as strangers and exiles on this earth. The theme that will continue on into chapter 4 is having a witness in hostile territory. As Christian, we are to have a distinct behavior, which is noted by our obedience to God and our submission to proper authority, whether that be government, slaves to their masters or employers to employees, or even in the home. Now the commands that we just read are commands that are contrary to the world and contrary to how we want to live, to be honest. If we live like Peter tells us to, we will be foreigners in this world, but we will have a powerful testimony and witness for God.

Loving and Live The Good Life

Peter is making it abundantly clear that a real man will understand and honor his wife, which will result in an effective prayer life. This is one verse, yet it is full of profound truth that will transform every marriage if the husband applies the principles found here. There are two commands and a result that are given in this one verse. First, the husband is to live with his wife according to knowledge; the second command is to show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life. The result is so your prayers will not be hindered.

A Real Man Understands and Honors His Wife 1 Peter 3:7

In the verses, we are looking at today. Peter is saying this is how you can be an attractive wife and therefore, how you can attract your unbelieving husband to Christ. However, we must understand that the qualities that we are talking about today apply to all Christians, both men, and women, so guys, you can’t just check out. We all should develop a submissive spirit, be pure, respectful, refusing to nag, be gentle and quiet, doing good, and focussing on the inward, not the outward. So even though the message is directed to wives, the principles apply to everyone. Men and women alike.

How To Be An Attractive Wife

These are the sermon from First Baptist Church in Washington, Illinois. FBC exists to glorify Christ by calling people to KNOW Him, GROW in HIm, and to SHARE Him with others. These are the sermons of First Baptist Church in Washington, Illinois.

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First Baptist Church Washington Illinois

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