Our Prayer

Our Prayer

Heavenly Father, I know that I have sinned against You and that my sins separate me from You. I am truly sorry. I now want to turn away from my sinful past and turn to You for forgiveness. Please forgive me, and help me avoid sinning again. I believe that Your Son, Jesus Christ, died for my sins, that He was raised from the dead, is alive, and hears my prayer. I invite Jesus to become my Savior and the Lord of my life, to rule and reign in my heart from this day forward. Please send Your Holy Spirit to help me obey You and to convict me when I sin. I pledge to grow in grace and knowledge of You. My greatest purpose in life is to follow Your example and do Your will for the rest of my life. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

Monday, June 8, 2020

Class Lesson for June 11, 2020

Click on the ZOOM link you were sent to join us!

This Thursday @ 7:30 PM

SERIES PROMOTIONAL VIDEO


Click Play to Watch


Hope is a Good Thing
Maybe the Best of Things







THE POINT

Our hope in Christ changes how we view

the world and live in it.

 


THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE

Fraud. Cheating. Scandal. Millions of dollars paid to college administrators. The 2019 college admissions bribery scandal uncovered all of this. High-profile celebrities, student athletes, coaches, counselors, and other professionals all were exposed in the largest case of its kind ever prosecuted by the Justice Department. The scandal left many scratching their heads wondering why any parent would go to such extreme lengths to get a child into a university.

At the bottom of it all was misplaced hope—misplaced in a university, degree, team, or status. All those things can come crumbling down. But it doesn’t take a high-profile case to see misplaced hope; we see it when people pursue a bigger house, a better job, or a certain status as if these things truly matter. We even see it when people buy something just based on the marketing hype. Hope in such things is never sure; these things can disappear overnight. Faith and hope in Christ transforms our perspective so that life is no longer about what we can gain, but about how we love and serve God and others.

 

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

 

1 Peter 1:13-16

13 Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. 14 As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 15 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16 for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”

 

In the previous session, we read Peter’s words about who we are in Christ. Now Peter calls us to action. The first recipients of Peter’s letter were facing persecution, but Peter didn’t call on them to take up physical weapons against the Roman Empire. Rather, he understood that we fight the true battle over our affections, time, disciplines, anxieties, and priorities.

 

We live as God’s people because we have been redeemed from the world. Living as strangers in this world does not mean that as Christians we are to be detached and isolated from other people. However, it does mean we are no longer driven by the culture’s values. We fight the battle of the mind living according to God’s standards of holiness and purity through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Question 2:

What does conforming

to the world look like today?

 

When our minds become consumed with the gifts we have been given and forget the Giver, we’re out of balance; then we need to realign our minds with the hope we have in Christ. Peter gave five admonitions to help us stay aligned with that hope:

  • Be ready. (“With minds that are alert”) We should be mentally alert as we prepare for Christ’s return.

  • Be alert. (“Fully sober”) Peter was referring to the danger of letting our minds be clouded by deceit or our own passions.

  • Be hopeful. (“Set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed”) This hope has an object; it is focused on the grace of Christ!

  • Be distinct. (“Do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance”) The life of the believer should be counter-cultural.

  • Be holy. (“As he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written; ‘Be holy, because I am holy’ ”) God is holy—He is fully set apart from all else—and He has called us to be holy. To be holy is to be like Christ.

 

As God reveals Himself through Scripture, we see that He is holy and set apart. He reserved for Himself a tree in the garden, a day of the week, a tithe, a land, a people, and a temple to name just a few. Holiness describes the relationship between God and His chosen people. God’s holiness confronts our own idolatry and sinfulness and calls us to purity.

 

1 Peter 1:17-21

17 Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear. 18 For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. 20 He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. 21 Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.

 

We see two wonderful truths about God in this passage:

  • God is an impartial God. He’s not impressed with wealth, education, social standing, physical appearance, or intellect. God doesn’t appraise our value based on externals; God looks at the heart.

  • God redeems us through Christ. Our salvation was not secured by anything perishable. The outward appearances and the accumulation of goods will fade away, but our redemption is secure in Christ.

 

Redemption is a rich word with huge implications for our walk with Christ.


A HOLY HOPE

Christ-based hope finds expression in living for Christ. Based on this session, use the acrostic below to share how you can demonstrate hope in Christ.

  

H – Holiness:

O – Obedience:

P – Purity:

E – Endurance:

 

List other ways you can express hope in Christ:

 

 

“All who have this hope in Him purify

themselves, just as He is pure.”

1 JOHN 3:3

 

The Greek word lutroo means to gain release by paying a ransom price.

 

Humanity is not getting better. Life without Christ is barren, futile, empty, and meaningless. Sin sucks the meaning out of life and leaves us searching for direction and purpose. Jesus said He came to give us abundant life (John 10:10); therefore, life apart from Him is incomplete—and we can do nothing to change that fact.

 

The incredible truth is that this redemption through Christ was the eternal plan of God (1 Pet. 1:20). God didn’t go back to His cosmic drawing board to figure out “Plan B” when sin entered the world. He knew even before the first day of creation. Salvation was framed in eternity and revealed in God’s perfect fullness of time.

 

Still with hope in mind, Peter linked back to the brilliance of the resurrection as the basis for our hope and faith. Without the triumph of the resurrection, we truly are without hope and have nothing in which to place a confident faith. This reality is ours because of the finished work of Christ alone, which secures for us a living hope and a firm faith.

 

Question 3:

What’s the evidence that Jesus has

redeemed different aspects of your life?


1 Peter 1:22-25

22 Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart. 23 For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. 24 For, “All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, 25 but the word of the Lord endures forever.” And this is the word that was preached to you.

 

Peter clearly articulated that, when it came down to living out the hope and faith that is ours through the life, death, and resurrection of Christ, the Word of God is our only guide. God’s Word forever stands as the sole authority for how to live in the world, no matter where we are or what difficulties confront us.

 

Question 4:

How have you experienced

the power of God’s Word in remaining pure in this world?

 

Our relationship to one another in sincere brotherly love was assumed. Peter recognized that because we have experienced new life in Christ, our obedience is the means of our purification, and that purity overflows in sincere love for one another. Peter wasn’t commanding us to love—he reasoned that our faith meant we are already loving—but he called us to do so “constantly” (CSB).

This is not love in word only; we are to constantly display “sincere love” (v. 22). Sincerity means our love is to be genuine and real, without hypocrisy or pretense.

 

It’s impossible to love God’s truth and hate another person. Since we believe the Word, we must act on it—and Scripture is abundantly clear on the matter of love. Love for one another is the hallmark of Christianity. We’re not to use others for our own advantage, and we don’t mask inward grudges with a smile. We see no superficial unity painted over hate filled hearts.

 

The Word of God shows us how to love sincerely. In fact, we can’t love in this way without knowing the Word. Throughout the pages of His Word, God reveals what love is, how He has shown it to us, and how we are to manifest it to the world around us. Peter gave us two important truths about the Word in this passage:

  • God’s Word is living. It is alive and active. The Word is always working to accomplish God’s purposes. It is not dead, meaningless, or outdated.

  • God’s Word is enduring. Often in the New Testament we see this word translated “abide” or “remain.” God’s Word is here to stay. It is fixed and unchanging because the God who spoke it is fixed and unchanging.

 

 

Question 5:

What are the challenges and benefits

of loving others sincerely and consistently?





LIVE IT OUT

 How will you live out the truths from this session? Choose one of the following applications:

  • Confess. Confess to the Lord where you have misplaced your hope. Be honest and open about the people or things that you’ve looked to for hope apart from Christ.

  • Read. Commit to read and apply God’s Word to your life every day. It is through continually reading the Bible that we can develop a lifestyle of obedience and holy living. If this is a new discipline for you, consider a devotional guide to help you such as Open Windows, Stand Firm (for men), or Journey (for women).

  • Commit. If there is an area of your life where your hope in Christ is not evident through your obedience to God, commit to change that. Surrender that area of life to God and remove all the barriers that stand between you and total obedience.

 

People often misplace their hope and trust. They focus upon lesser things. But hope in Christ indeed changes how we view the world and how we live in it—to God’s glory.






Looking forward to seeing everyone on Zoom this Thursday night!!


God Bless,


David & Susan

Teacher Notes:

Video: Louie Giglio – Living the Christian Life

Click Play to Watch


Last week we opened this series on LIVING WITH HOPE IN A BROKEN WORLD with: The Basis for Our Hope: We talked about how we put our hope in a lot of things that never live up to their promise. That Hope in Christ is the only sure and certain thing.

We read where some 30 years after the resurrection of Jesus, Christians of the day were suffering persecution for their faith. Peter writes this letter both to comfort and encourage them to stay strong. Keep the faith!

·     He says to put your hope in the perfect eternal future we have with Christ, and trust and obey Him in the present, even in your suffering.

· Christ suffered greatly too you know and now we as Christians have the opportunity to follow Him even in our suffering, showing His grace and power in our hope, obedience, and faith.

Peter said Jesus is our living hope. Our future is secure, endless and perfect. We have every reason to rejoice, even in our present suffering. We belong to God, our present and future are kept by God (in His hands) and we are being developed by God.

 

Tonight, Peter talks about how we are to express our hope in our daily lives.

·     Have you ever had the experience of seeing someone and thinking that there was just something different about the person? Maybe something stood out about their demeanor and the way they carried themselves. But in some way, they stood out from everyone else and made you want to find out more about them.

·   Well that’s what Peter is telling us tonight. He is saying that as Christians, we should stand out from nonbelievers. And the reason should be because of our connection to God. Although we are not of the world, we are currently living in it, and should use this opportunity to allow others to see how God is at work in our lives. There should be a noticeable difference in our behavior because of our relationship to God.

 

THE POINT: Our hope in Christ should change how we view the world and how we live in it.

 

Turn to: 1 Peter 1:13-16

Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”

 

So, Peter starts off by saying that before our actions can change, our minds have to change.

·       Now a good example of this would be how people prepare for an important task, such as a competition, exam, or presentation - they mentally prepare themselves for the task at hand. They get their heads in the game. They also have to keep their heads in the game if they want to be successful in the end.

Peter’s says in his first point:

1.    We must have a holy mindset. What do you think he means by that?

We must live in grace and holiness rather than conformity to the world.

·       If we are going to live for the glory of God, we must be intentional.

·       We have to keep God’s gift of salvation foremost in our minds.

·       The world should not shape our thinking (Romans 12:2).

·       God sets the standard for how we should think and how we should behave.

·       We must see ourselves as holy (set apart) people with a special purpose.

 

How do we live a holy life when we are surrounded by people who are conformed to the ways of the world?

·       We don’t have to detach from other people, but we do have to watch for being driven by the culture’s values or by our own personal cravings. This is a battle we fight in our mind and we can’t do without the power of the Holy Spirit.

·       Remember, God reserved for Himself a tree in the garden, a day of the week, a tithe, a land, and a people.

 

 

1 Peter 1:17-21

Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear. For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.

 

I don’t know about you, but for me, completing a monumental task requires a lot of motivation, especially if the task takes a long time.

·   The Christian life many times is referred to as a marathon rather than a sprint. Peter is saying here that while we run this race we should focus on Jesus. He is the perfect example of how to run the race and the perfect motivation for us to keep running.

·   Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross makes our salvation possible. This gift is precious to us because of its cost to Him.

 

Peter’s second point is:

 

2.    We serve a holy Savior. What does that mean?

 

What Peter is saying here is that we are to live as God’s people because we have been redeemed from the world.

· We can live in the world, but we must live as strangers, foreigners, remembering that heaven is my home.

·   Just as God’s deliverance of the children of Israel from slavery in Egypt was central to the people following Him, so too is our deliverance from sin through Jesus central to our service and submission to God.

·  Our choices in life matter. God placed a high value on our lives, paying for them with the blood of Christ. What we inherited from our human ancestors was a meaningless existence. We lived in futility. What God gave us, instead, is true purpose. In Christ, our lives have meaning and our choices have significant consequences.

 

What are some examples of empty ways of life you see in our culture?

 

What situations or circumstances make you feel like a “stranger” in this world?

 

1 Peter 1:22-25

22 Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart. 23 For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. 24 For, “All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, 25 but the word of the Lord endures forever.” And this is the word that was preached to you.

 

The Christian life is not meant to be lived alone. Our hope in God is demonstrated by the manner in which we treat one another.

 

And Peter’s third point is that:

3.    We are to act with holy love. What do you think Peter means by this?

Live according to God’s Word in order to remain pure in this world.

·  Showing love to each other is the way we show all people that we follow Jesus. This love is an indication of the power of God’s salvation. We have been saved through hearing and believing the Word of God. The Word of God will never fail, but instead it will endure forever. We can count on God’s Word, even when everything else fades away. God’s powerful Word preached to us and God’s powerful love shown to us through Jesus enable us to show love to one another.

·  Peter clearly articulated that, when it came down to living out the hope and faith that is ours through the life, death, and resurrection of Christ, the Word of God is our only guide. God’s Word forever stands as the sole authority for how to live in the world, no matter where we are or what difficulties confront us.

·       It’s impossible to love God’s truth and hate another person. Since we believe the Word, we must act on it—and Scripture is abundantly clear on the matter of love. Love for one another is the hallmark of Christianity.

 

Conclusion: Holiness is about being set apart. God set us apart when He called us and began working in us through the Holy Spirit. Being set apart is not for our isolation, however. Rather, the love we show to both believers and nonbelievers alike sets us apart in an era in which many people only look out for themselves.

 














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