Following Peter Following Jesus

Face it – Christians are strange. If not, there’s a problem. A LETTER TO STRANGERS

Following Jesus God loves you. Believe. Get fired up. Love God. Last week, talked about difference between Christianity and all other religions. I’m an achivever-gold-star-seeking type person. What do I DO? Read John 6:29. All other religions: Do this, you’re in. Christianity: You’re in, do this. Think about Peter. Denied & abandoned Jesus. But Jesus died for Him. LOOOOOOOOOOOOVE. Told ‘em better for y’all if I go away & leave behind counselor inside you. Then always ringing in their ears would be Love God. Love others. That’s it. God loves you. Believe. Get fired up. Love God. Love others.

Opening Question Whom (or what) do you really fear? Phobias for everything. Autophobia – fear of yourself. Catabedephobia – fear of both high and low places. Chionophobia – fear of snow. Chorophobia – fear of dancing. Arachibutyrophobia – fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth. Anablephobia – fear of looking up. Coulrophobia – fear of clowns. Alektorophobia – chicken of chickens. There’s even phobefobia – fear of phobias. Whom (or what) do you really fear?

FEAR: False Evidence Appearing Real Let’s get deep here for a moment. Sharks or Cows. Which should you fear more? Let me tell you a story . . . When I was 12 my family prepared for our first trip to Fla by watching Jaws. I was terrified for weeks, barely stuck a toe in the water. But guess what? My fear was unfounded. According to the folks at dailyrandomfacts.com, Americans are TEN TIMES more likely to get stepped on and killed by a cow than eaten by a shark. Ten times. In other words, it’s far more dangerous for me to live in my home state of Wisconsin than to go boogie boarding somewhere in Florida. We do this all the time. We let unfounded fear swallow us up. WRAP. Choke off word. We fear losing our job, we fear looking bad, we fear making mistakes, we fear our boss, we fear being found out for who we really are. Fear, fear, fear. vs.

Letter to Strangers    17 Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear. 

Deep Dive What is “reverent fear”? Again, reference to foreigners/strangers/weirdos/aliens. STAND OUT in love. Not terror of punishment for the slightest broken rule but awe in the face of the holy, all-powerful, utterly good and just. Prov 9:10, 14:26-27, 19:23 29:25. beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. secure fortress, and for their children it will be a refuge a fountain of life,     turning a person from the snares of death. leads to life; then one rests content, untouched by trouble. Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe. What is “reverent fear”? What does the world seem to fear more – Man or God? How about YOU? Peter describes God as both “Father” and “Judge.” What does each of those facets mean to you?

Letter to Strangers   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.

Deep Dive Why does Peter use the word “perishable”? Reminder that temporary. Do we live that way? Do we serve God or money? Ransomed. Rescued. Saved. Freed. Image is someone freeing a slave by buying back from master or a relative buying back property that a debtor was forced to sell or paying a criminal’s fine to release him from a death sentence. Why does Peter use the word “perishable”? What does it mean to be “redeemed”? What “empty way of life” were you saved from? What humongous truths do these verses teach about Jesus? The Father?

Letter to Strangers Peter’s been giving reasons for living holy lives: out of thankfulness bc God is holy, bc judgment is coming and bc Jesus’ blood redeemed/saved/ransomed/freed us. Now he deepens it by bringing it all back to LOVE. See perishable and imperishable concept again …   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.

Deep Dive What does Peter mean by “purified”? Same Greek root as sanctified. Process. By obeying the truth. Believe. Love. Thru power of HS. Repeat. LOVE deeeeeeeeply from the HEART. Go back to chart. 2 degrees of love here. Philadelphia (phileo – brotherly love, tender, affectionate). Agape (Jesus-like unconditional self-sacrificial love for the love-ee’s good that takes no account of the love-ee’s worthiness or actions). Any reminders here of Peter previously? Peter, do you love me? Jesus used these same two words to help Peter really search his heart. Heart: Can’t do on own. Filled with the HS. Jews and Greeks audience believed center of will, emotions and intellect. Born into God’s family. Not temp. Perm. Thru living and enduring Word of God. Jesus! What does Peter mean by “purified”? So, what do we do after all that we just heard? So, what exactly is our “heart”? What is all that “born again” stuff about again?

Letter to Strangers Peter’s been giving reasons for living holy lives: out of thankfulness bc God is holy, bc judgment is coming and bc Jesus’ blood redeemed/saved/ransomed/freed us. Now he deepens it by bringing it all back to LOVE. See perishable and imperishable concept again … 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.”

Deep Dive Read Keller. How in the world do these verses apply to us?

LET’S PRAY!