For our Bible Lessons for this quarter we are presenting the wonderful words written by our beloved Brother Peter. We have been greatly inspired through the years in reading and studying the truths that are contained in these two epistles. May the Lord bless and enlighten our hearts with revelations and insights from the writings of this dear disciple of our Saviour.
—Brother Leslie Busbee
1 Peter 1:1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,
2 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,
5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
6 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:
7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
8 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:
9 Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
10 Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you:
11 Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.
12 Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.
13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
14 As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance:
15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;
16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.
MEMORY VERSE: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you. —1 Peter 1:3, 4
CENTRAL THOUGHT: Almighty God, our Creator, has made available for us to be delivered from sin and this evil world, and to be able to live a life of holiness in preparation for everlasting life in the world to come.
WORD DEFINITIONS
1 Peter 1:2, “sanctification”: Holiness of life and character. “sprinkling”: Personal application and obedience.
Ver. 3, “begotten us again”: Brought us to live anew in godliness and spiritual life. “lively hope”: Hope and earnest expectation of eternal happiness with Jesus in the world to come.
Ver. 4, “inheritance incorruptible”: blessings and treasures that will never pass away.
Ver. 5, “through faith”: By means of one’s own confidence and assurance. “in the last time”: At the end of this present world.
Ver. 7, “trial of your faith”: The proving of one’s faith through difficult and heavy adversity. “tried with fire”: put to test by hot flaming adversity and opposition. “might be found”: Will bring full proof of reality.
Ver. 12, “the things”: The blessings of eternal spiritual values. “angels desire to look into”: The angels in Heaven look upon with deep wonder and interest.
Ver. 13, “gird up the loins of your mind”: Draw into control and fasten your interests and thoughts. “at the revelation of Jesus Christ”: By the spiritual insight of Jesus Christ by the inner man.
Ver. 14, “not fashioning yourselves”: Not going after the worldly ways.
Ver. 15, “be ye holy”: Be pure and sinless in all of your habits, talk, and actions.
LESSON BACKGROUND
We have for our series of Bible Lessons for this Quarter the inspiring epistles of one of our Lord Jesus’ disciples, Simon Peter. He opens this epistle as an apostle of Jesus Christ writing to the strangers (or those afar) who were living in various parts of Asia, the area north of the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea. Peter entitled them as “elect,” which means they were part of the faithful men and women who were true partakers of the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, according (or truly in line with) the foreknowledge of God the Father. What a wonderful blessing they were in line to receive; with which blessing we, in our day and time, desire true fellowship! Notice that Peter said that it was through sanctification of the Spirit. They were partakers of the holiness that Christ died for them to possess, through obedience and application of the blood that Christ had shed for them. Jesus paid the price for all of us to attain to these wonderful blessings. We can and must be holy as Peter states in verses 15 and 16.
Peter goes on to declare what we are begotten to in Christ and by His resurrection: a lively hope! This is not just a fancy of the mind, but a living and blessed expectation of an everlasting inheritance, pure and reserved in Heaven for all who are being preserved, by the power of God through faith, unto the final work of His salvation to be accomplished in the last time, that is, at the dawn of eternity.
Along with this blessed hope, Peter noted that these dear saints were also experiencing heaviness because of many different burdens and weighty trials. So it is today for all who are partakers of this wonderful grace and salvation of Jesus; however, notice that Peter declares that the trial of their faith was more precious than earthly wealth (gold that perishes). Though it is now in the heated furnace of suffering, it will be found unto eternal glory when Jesus comes in His everlasting glory.
Reminding them of the blessings they had received, and the anticipation of more to come, Peter charged them to gird up their minds, to be faithful, and hope to the end. Receiving his counsel today, we thank God for His mercy, grace, salvation, strength, and overcoming victory that we can all have abundantly.
—Bro. Leslie Busbee
QUESTIONS:
1. What has God made possible for the soul of man to abundantly have?
2. Describe what that lively hope, given in Christ, means to you.
3. What can we expect to meet and endure before His appearing?
4. How will the trial of our faith be transformed at His appearing?
5. What can we, who do not see Him now, expect if we faithfully believe?
6. What kind of children must we endeavor to be in all manner of life?
COMMENTS AND APPLICATION
Let us notice in our lesson, in verses ten through twelve, how this great salvation, given us through Christ, was inquired of and searched diligently for by the prophets in the Old Testament. Peter states that they prophesied of this grace and testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow. Oh, how wonderful that the Spirit revealed to them this great salvation that was to come to us in Christ, hundreds of years before it came to pass! We need to recognize that God was designing and planning this great salvation long before Jesus brought it to us, and is able make it fully available to us today! This shows how true and unfailing was the grace that God brought to us in the life, death, and resurrection of His blessed Son, our gracious Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
—Bro. Leslie Busbee
REFLECTIONS
“. . . Begotten us again unto a lively hope,” are words, I am sure, that were etched on the apostle’s soul through experience. For over three years, they had closely followed their Savior. They ate together, prayed together, slept together and worshipped together. All too suddenly came the betrayal, Peter’s denial, the mockery of a trial and, fatally, the crucifixion. They beheld the One Who loved them give up the ghost.
Peter went out and wept bitterly and all of them were overcome with grief, confusion and hopelessness—“We trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel.”
To know that Jesus loved us enough to die for us is an important piece of the whole; however, we also need to know the plan didn’t end with the grave. Jesus conquered death, rose from the grave, and entered his glory, and ever lives for us.
All their grief, confusion, and hopelessness gave way unto a lively hope as they saw his wounds and talked with him—Christ was revealed unto them.
We, too, can be begotten again unto a lively hope! Life’s battles, afflictions, disappointments and death can confuse and discourage us, just like it did the disciples. But Christ “ever liveth,” and when he is revealed to us personally, it restores a lively hope. We are begotten again and again—refreshed, restored, renewed. “Hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”
—Bro. Bob Wilson
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