![]() ![]() At the same time, Peter was also encouraging them to rejoice in the face of trials. In some ways, Peter was complementing them for their response. Listen again to 1 Peter 1:6 “In this you greatly rejoice…” Was Peter stating how the believers were responding or was he telling them to rejoice? In other words, was he saying, “You are greatly rejoicing in the face of trials” or was he saying “you should greatly rejoice in the face of trials”? I believe that it was both. We are headed down the same path in America today where being a Christian and holding church is being criminalized.Īpplication: Are you being grieved by what is happening in our nation? Are you standing up for truth and integrity? What trials are grieving you? Do you realize that trials have a timeline – a beginning, middle, and end. In the time of the governor Pliny, the name “Christian” was criminalized. If we don’t step up and take a leading role in where our nation is headed, we too will face societal discrimination as Christians and the church. Here’s the point: Societal discrimination was often the method by which Christians were persecuted. What did happen under Nero was that he got the people to hate the Christians. I don’t believe that was really the case because in the next chapter, Peter instructed them to honor the king and submit to those in authority. Some people think that they were being persecuted by the Roman government. The Greek word is “lupeo,” which can be translated “distressed,” “sorrowful,” “deeply grieved,” and “burdened down.” Why did they feel this way? As we learned in the last message, their own family and community had ostracized them and taken away their inheritance. ![]() Peter assured them that he understood that they were grieved. It even reveals our true destination.ġ Peter 1:6 “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials.”Ĭontext: After saying a good word about God, “eulogetos,” Peter immediately addressed the tough situation that the believers of Asia Minor were going through because of their faith in Christ. Genuine faith makes the invisible Christ visible and fills our hearts with joy. Main point: How we respond to the trials of life reveals the content and the quantity of our faith. We are in our series through 1 Peter and today we come to 1 Peter 1:6 for our message titled GENUINE FAITH. So also, some people’s faith looks real until they go through the bus rides of life and they start breaking and flaking even before the ride is over. Sometimes, those glasses would start breaking and those jackets would start flaking even before the bus ride was over. But, I didn’t have to tell them anything. Then, the boys would find a bargain on a Foakley! “Do you think anyone would know?” Or, the girls would find a bargain on a genuine imitation leather jacket! “Can you tell the difference?” My answer would always be – “I can’t tell.” This was of course a lie. Trying to lead 40-50 middle school or high school students through Times Square and China Town was like herding cats. Some of you teachers know what I am talking about. They were a lot of fun, but they were also very stressful. ![]() The ones I especially remember where the ones to New York city. Introduction: When I was a school teacher and then a principal, I would go along with the students on their field trips. ![]()
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