1 Peter 4:1-19
Introduction: The Real Identity Thief
It’s the last Sunday of summer, and we’ve not quite wrapped up 1 Peter. By now, though, hopefully Peter’s big goal in writing his letter is clear: He wants to make sure we know who we are.
Peter wants us to be confident in our Christian identity. To know we are God’s “elect.” We are the chosen ones. (Sorry, Trump, it’s not just you who’s been chosen by God.) We are God’s precious— far more precious than Gollum’s powerful ring. We are God’s very “special, beloved, possession.”
Read more1 Peter 1:13-2:3
Introduction: Be a Baby
This summer we’re doing an 8 week series on Peter’s letter. In our introductory sermon we noticed how Peter keeps emphasizing our double-identity: we are chosen by God our Father. But we are also aliens in the world. The world should find us strange, odd, curious, weird. Not that I’m asking us to be especially weird. At least, I don’t really want ME to be weirder than I already am.
But if we are following Jesus we will be out of sync with our culture, with our neighbours, with our colleagues. Our values and our goals and our whole perspective on life will be weird to others, and that should not surprise or alarm us. Our way of looking at popularity, at our jobs, at money, at other people, and even the way we see ourselves… is going to be odd, if we are following Jesus.
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