1 Peter 1

1 Peter 1:1-25

Teacher’ s Notes for & FIRST PETER Chapter ONE 1. Give two other names by which Peter is called. In John 1:40-41 he is named Simon Peter. The name apparently given by his parents at birth. In John 1:42 Jesus changed his name to Cephas. a. What would be a literal translation of Cephas? “ a stone.” That is an interesting name to think about: b. Was Peter like a stone in the beginning? NO! In Matthew 26:69-75; Luke 22:54-62; John 18:15-18 three times Peter denied even knowing Jesus. i. Have students turn to Luke 22:1-71 : Jesus, having the power to look into man’ s heart (Luke 9:47), could see beyond the denials. In Luke 22:24 there was a dispute among the apostles as to who would be the greatest in Christ’ s kingdom. In Luke 22:31-32 “ the Lord said, Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. … But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.” ii. Jesus knew Peter was going to falter. But, knowing what was in his heart, Jesus also knew that he would return when shown his errors. iii. My thought is perhaps Jesus named him Cephas for a description of Peter’ s steadfastness in his later years. It apparently stayed with him because Paul called him Cephas on at least two occasions. Cephas was the name Paul used in 1 Corinthians 1:12 where people were dividing saying, “ I am of Paul, or I of Apollos or I of Cephas or I am of Christ.” He also called Peter Cephas in 1 Corinthians 9:5. 2. What Scriptures indicate peter to be married with children? We know he was married because his mother-in-law is mentioned in Matthew 8:14-15. a. Only married people have mothers-in-law. Also, Paul mentions that a number of the apostles were married, including Cephas, and that the wives traveled with them on occasion (1 Corinthians 9:5). b. We know Peter had children because he was an elder in the church (1 Peter 5:1) i. God’ s qualifications for elders; also called bishops, and pastors in Scripture, is given in 1 Timothy 3:1-7. PLEASE TURN THERE NOW as we take a little side-trip in our study. ii. Since Peter was an elder, as well as an apostle, it opens the door for some extra thought in our studying the Bible. And these are important thoughts. iii. Notice in your Bible reading that nowhere in the New Testament is the preacher called “ pastor.” This title is reserved only for those men who meet all the qualifications laid down by inspiration, and have been chosen and appointed to that position by the congregation where they worship and serve. iv. The preacher is an evangelist (Ephesians 4:11). As a preacher, Paul was a minister of the gospel (Romans 15:16). This would also describe the man who would minister, or preach God’ s Holy Word today. We preachers are commanded to “preach the word” and make full proof of our ministry (2 Timothy 4:1-5). v. Peter was an apostle of Jesus Christ; he was also a preacher of the gospel, having preached the very first gospel message in Acts chapter 2; and his home congregation where he worshipped when not traveling about as an apostle of Jesus Christ had chosen and appointed him as one of their elders. vi. Since we usually use the title “ elder” instead of “ bishop” and many insist on making their preacher the “ pastor,” I will substitute “ elder” and “ pastor” in First Timothy three as we notice these qualifications. I will also number these qualifications. Notice: “ This is a faithful saying; if a man (1) desires the position of an elder, (or pastor) he desires a good work. … An elder or pastor then must (2) be blameless, (3) the husband of one wife, (4) temperate, (5) sober-minded, (6) of good behavior, (7) hospitable, (8) able to teach; … (9) not given to wine, (10) not violent, (11) not greedy for money, but (12) gentle, (13) not quarrelsome, (14) not covetous; … (15) one who rules his house well, having his children in submission with all reverence. … (for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?) … (16) not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil. … Moreover he must (17) have a good testimony among those who are outside, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.” These are also enumerated in Titus 1:5-9. vii. The point of all this is that Peter met all seventeen of these qualifications; there-fore he had a wife and children. But we must also consider that only when men meet these seventeen qualifications today are they to be appointed as elders or pastors over Christ’ s church. c. A couple more important questions and we will then move on: i. When must a man meet these qualifications? Is it before or after his appointment? If a man does not have these in his life he is not to be considered at all. Although there can never come a time when we cease growing spiritually, elders, also called pastors (Ephesians 4:11) are to be mature Christian men. How then do denominations take young, single men who have never been married and have no children and make them “ Pastors” ? They are both “ adding to” and “ taking away from” God’ s word in so doing. Let us not forget Revelation 22:18-19. 3. What did Jesus mean in Matthew 16:19 by giving Peter the keys to the kingdom of heaven? Jesus was prophesying that Peter would be first to preach the gospel to lost humanity. a. In apocalyptic writing, (symbolic writing where one thing stands for another as in much of the book of Revelations), “ keys” stand for authority or power. In Matthew 16:19 Jesus is giving Peter the power to open the kingdom of heaven to the world by preaching the gospel to all mankind. b. It is through the preaching of the gospel message that mankind can hear and develop faith in Jesus (Romans 10:14; Romans 10:17), and respond through repentance (Acts 17:30), confession of faith (Romans 10:9-10), and be immersed in baptism for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38); thus the gospel becomes the “ keys to the kingdom of heaven.” i. Peter used these keys to open the door of salvation through Christ for the Jews in Acts 2:14-36, and for the Gentiles in Acts 10:24-43). 4. To whom is this letter addressed? (Verse 1). The King James says “to the strangers scattered,” the New King James says “to the pilgrims of the dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia.” a. Guy N. Woods wrote, “ The Greek word for “ strangers” or “ Pilgrims” is -MOS, and refers to people who have left their native land and are living temporarily on foreign soil, and among strangers. The “ Dispersion” was a technical term of common usage among the Jews to designate those of their race who were scattered among the Gentile nations (John 7:35)” . (Gospel Advocate Commentary, pg. 20). b. Brother Woods goes on to say, “ In 1 Peter 2:11, the author uses the word parepideemos … in an obviously figurative sense (as does Paul in Hebrews 11:13), for Christians generally, without regard to former relationships or races; and it is therefore probable that in 1:1 he intended to indicate by “ sojourners” all people of God who were then sojourning on the earth among unbelievers, and therefore in a more comprehensive sense than the literal terms would signify.” 5. To what have we been begotten? (Verse 3). To a living hope. a. What would be the contrast of a living hope? A dead hope. Where, may I ask, is the hope in that? b. Is there any future in the normal thought of death? i. I sometimes say, “ There is only one alternative to growing old,” but I read an article in which the writer questioned a Christian’ s faith when speaking of some-thing bad and then saying, “ It’ s better than the alternative!” The idea of the article being that nothing can be better for a faithful child of God than dying and going on to that inheritance. To that I must say “ AMEN.” ii. Listen to these words written by a faithful Christian many years ago: “ For me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. … But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit for my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell. … For I am hard-pressed be-tween the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better” (Philippians 1:21-23)iii. Paul is saying the alternative to growing old is our inheritance in heaven, and that is far better than anything this world and this life can ever offer. 6. Give a two-word description of our inheritance. (Verse 4). Incorruptible and undefiled. a. What does that mean? It means that our inheritance cannot be corrupted of defiled. Nothing short of one’ s failing to live faithful to Christ can destroy it. It is much the same as Paul’ s thoughts on the love of God in Christ Jesus found in Romans 8:38-39. No created thing, other than the unfaithfulness of the one under consideration, can take the inheritance away. 7. Give four things our inheritance is said to be. (Verse 4). Incorruptible, undefiled, Permanent (does not fade away), and reserved in heaven. 8. For whom is this inheritance reserved?(Verse 4-5). Notice the punctuation. “You who are kept by the power of God through faith…” 9. What is the end of your faith? (Verse 9). The salvation of your souls. a. “ So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: Death is swallowed up in victory. … O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory? … The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. … But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:54-57). b. Do we as Christians still think anything is better than the alternative? 10. Of what did the prophets of old prophecy? (Verse 10). The grace of God that would come in the Christian age. 11. How did the prophets know what to prophecy? (Verse 11). The Spirit of Christ was in them indicating all these things to them. a. What or who is the Spirit of Christ? He is the Holy Spirit who moved these holy men of God to speak (2 Peter 1:21). b. This also is an indication that those prophets of whom Peter speaks were faithful to God. In Romans 8:1-39 Paul speaks of God’ s faithful as being spiritually alive, or in the Spirit because, “ those who are in the flesh cannot please God. … But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. … And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness” (Romans 8:8-10). i. Did you catch that part that said if the Spirit of Christ is not in him he does not belong to Christ? Peter said the Spirit of Christ was in them, thus they were God’ s faithful under the Old Testament dispensation. 12. To whom were the prophets ministering? (Verse 12). Not to themselves, but to us. a. Yes, they were speaking to people during their own lifetime, but those thoughts concerning the Savior was more for future generations who would live after the incarnation of Christ than those living under the Old Testament law of Moses. One might think of this as, “ not to those under the Old Testament, or Mosaic dispensation of time, but to those under the New Testament, or Christian dispensation.” i. Notice the word “ now” in verse 12. Those things of which the prophets had spoken had not been reported as having taken place during the Old Testament dispensations of time, but they have “ NOW” been reported to you through the preaching of the gospel. ii. It is as the writer of the book of Hebrews said, “ God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, … has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom He made the worlds;” (Hebrews 1:1-2). b. Who else wanted to know what the prophets were talking about? The angels (verse 12). i. The angels are created spiritual beings with the ability to reason, or think. They were apparently given the freedom of choice as was mankind, and some of them even decided to go against God and are now held in chains awaiting their final punishment (2 Peter 2:4). Although they are spiritual beings, they are limited in knowledge and cannot see into the future. ii. It seems that they have always been interested in the coming of Christ. Through-out the age of prophecy, Peter says they desired to look into those things of which the prophets spoke. They were anxious to see the coming of God’ s salvation through the preaching of the gospel the death burial and resurrection of Christ (1 Peter 1:12; see Romans 1:16; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4). iii. They were interested in His first coming, but what about the second, when Jesus returns to judge the world in righteousness (Acts 17:31)? In Matthew 24:1-51, when Jesus answered questions concerning the end of time, He said, “ But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only” (Matthew 24:36). 13. What does Peter mean by “ gird up the loins of your mind?” (Verse 13). Think of what one does with a girdle. In days gone by ladies would wear an undergarment called a girdle. When they began to have that flabby waistline this was used to hold it in and make one appear thinner. a. In biblical times they wore those long flowing outer garments and a leather girdle around the waist, such as John the Baptist wore (Matthew 3:4). When they worked or needed to move faster they would gather this outer garment up and “ gird it” with that leather girdle. b. What is the very best way to make one’ s midsection thinner? Diet and exercise! Taking in the proper food and exercising will get rid of our excess weight. c. Like our waistline, sometimes we allow our mind to become flabby with the wrong kinds of activities and need to “ gird it up” with the proper diet and exercise. i. “ Gird up the loins of your mind” here is figurative and refers to our getting all the improper thoughts, feelings and activities out of our minds. “ Casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5). ii. “ For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness… But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil” (Hebrews 5:13-14). iii. Have you ever heard someone speak of another by saying, “ He doesn’ t have good sense?” You exercise the senses in order to have sense enough to discern between good and evil. This is done through study of God’ s word. See 2 Timothy 2:15 in the King James Version. 14. “ KNOWING that you were not with THINGS, like SILVER and GOLD, from your AIMLESS CONDUCT, received by from your FATHERS but with the BLOOD of CHRIST, as a LAMB without BLEMISH and WITHOUT spot.” (Verses 18-19). a. What does that mean? Simply that we have been redeemed by the perfect sacrifice of the perfect Son of God! 15. When did God determine to send His Son as our Redeemer? (Verse 20). Before the foundation of the world. a. Give a two word explanation of that. FROM ! b. The foundation is the first thing to be placed in a building project. God knew He would give man the freedom to choose. He, no doubt, knew that man could very well do as some of the angels had done, and abuse that right by sinning. So, He determined before the very first particle of the physical world was created to send His Son to die as the sacrifice to reconcile us back to Himself. 16. What is the incorruptible seed from which Christians are born? (Verse 23). The word of God. a. “ The seed is the word of God,” so said Jesus in Luke 8:11. Some will still fall by the wayside. Some will still fall on stony ground and some among thorns. Pray to God that the seed within you will find good soil and bring forth fruit with patience (Luke 8:15).