Off the Shelf Sunday School--1 Peter

The Witness & Expectation of Salvation (1:10-12)

Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that now have been told you by those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.

 1.  The Old Testament prophets spoke of the grace that was to come to believers in Jesus. The Spirit of Christ is the Holy Spirit. Believers are blessed in many ways:

a.  They are indwelt by Holy Spirit and “moved” to obedience (Ez 36:26-27)

b.  They “know” or have an intimate relationship with the Lord that does not require others to teach them (Jer 31: 34)

c.  Spiritual knowledge of mysteries is given: incarnation, redemption, resurrection, church (Is 61:10-11; Mt 13:11)

2.  Jesus suffered for the sake of those who put their faith in him. There was also joy present in the redemption and glorification of Jesus and his followers. (Heb 12:2) Persecution, rejection and even death is the path chosen by Jesus and it is also the experience of those who follow him. (Jn 15:20)

3.  Prophets and even angels have partial understanding of future events. The gospel of Jesus Christ is given by the Holy Spirit through the books of the Bible. (2 Pet 1:21)

4.  Why do you think Peter mentions these things? 

Peter is encouraging believers to trust that God is in control during times of trials and suffering. He wants them to know that their sufferings are normal and confirms their union with Christ. They are to preserve with the certain hope that Jesus will guide and bring them to a glorious state of being.

Living a Life of Holiness(1:13-16)

Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. 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.”

 1.  Paul says “therefore” or because of our faith and living hope in Jesus which guarantees our inheritance, resurrection, salvation, joy, glorification, blessings and spiritual knowledge stemming from who we are in Christ.

2.  Prepare your mind for action. How? Focus your thoughts on God and train yourself by prayer and reading the Bible to discern God’s will and transform your mind. This will enable you to discover the good works that God desires for you. (Phil 4:8-9)

3.  Be self-controlled (Titus 2:11-14)

4.  Set your hope on the grace of God which he gives us and which will be fully realized in his presence. How does this grace impact our behavior?

5.  “As obedient children” is translated better “as children whose spirit is obedience.” Stop letting the desires of our flesh control our thinking and behavior. (Rom 12:2) Self-indulgence is a characteristic of those who are ignorant of God. The redemptive work of Jesus shows the love of God which is other rather than self-focused. As disciples of Jesus, we are commanded to love God and others and so follow the example of Jesus in loving others. (Jn 3:16; Mt 22:37-40)

6.  Do not continue to live with sinful habits and desires that characterized your life before you believed in Jesus. Faith in Jesus brings new life and perspectives that shows us our ignorance of spiritual life. Before being born-again, we lived in ignorance, without understanding and separated from the life of God. (Eph 4:17-19) How has your life changed after believing in Jesus?

7.  The Holy Spirit dwelling within transforms the mind and life of believers to produce Christ likeness and holiness. (Lev 11:44-45; Phil 1:6) Becoming holy is not based on human effort but on the transforming work of God. In the Old Testament, Israel was commanded to obey the Mosaic Laws to be a holy nation. They failed to obey and showed that holiness is not achieved by human effort. Failure to keep God’s commands shows us our hopeless condition. (Rom 3:19-20)

8.  The goal of Bible study is not to accumulate knowledge but to get to know God better. We need to pray that God would make his views ours and that we would desire to act in obedience to the truths we see in the Bible. This is the path of holiness. (1 Jn 1:7)