1. LIVE A GODLY LIFE IN AN UNGODLY WORLD
29 April 2018

2. First Peter is such an encouragement to those of us who believe because it reminds us that we always have hope in Jesus. This letter is full of practical advice for everyday living, especially in the midst of hard times, and urges us to keep the glory of our inheritance in view while we are living here on earth. First Peter teaches us that there is such a thing as godly suffering. Some suffering is done in Christ and some is done for Him. When a believer suffers in order to do God’s will, that is cause for rejoicing (see 1 Peter 4:13). Saying no to self and self suffering in the flesh leads to the death of selfishness, and that kind of hardship yields tremendous freedom and strength. First Peter also calls us to develop lifestyles that are holy and pleasing to the Lord. It addresses not only our behaviour, but also our intentions, and causes us to examine our hearts so we can operate from pure motives. The words of this book also gives us nuggets of truth to fight the spiritual war and overcome the enemy. It exhorts us to remember that everything about our lives is a witness that tells others something about God, that we are to live humbly before God and that above all, we are to love one another intensely (see 1 Peter 4:8). I hope this book encourages you when you go through trials and difficult times in your life and that it inspired you to develop and maintain godly attitudes and behaviors in every area of your life. Thanks be to the information and guidance from my Joyce Meyer Bible.

3. Live a godly life in the midst of an ungodly world
1 PETER 1 vs 3
Praised be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ by His boundless mercy we have been born again to an ever-living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
This verse tells us that when we become born again by accepting Jesus as our savior, we have an “ever living-hope” in our hearts.
As we all try to live holy lives, Peter tells us to be holy in verse 15 & 16, but God never told us to be holy, without giving us the help we need to make us that way.

4. Remember an unholy spirit can never make us holy, so God sends His Holy Spirit into our hearts to do complete and thorough work in us.
The Holy Spirit, according to 1 Peter 1:22, is the One Who purifies our hearts so we can allow the sincere love of God to flow through us to others. The Holy Spirit’s aim is to get us to the place where the sincere love of God flows through us, which helps us to “ever be filled with the Holy Spirit” (see Ephesians 5:18).

5. Walking in the love of God is the ultimate goal of Christianity, and should be the primary pursuit of our lives. We should keep our love for Jesus red-hot! We should also have a fervent love for one another (see 1 Peter 4:8). Jesus Himself instructed us to love one another as He loves us (see John 15:12). He said that was the new commandment He came to pronounce and all other commandments are summed up in the exhortation to love God and to love other people (see John 13:34; Matthew 22:37 – 40).
When I think of what I can do for myself or how I can get others to bless me, I am filled with me. When I think of other people and how I can bless them, I find myself filled with the Holy Spirit, Who is the Spirit of love.

6. Verse 5 Chapter 2:-
Come and like living stones, be yourself built into a spiritual house, for a holy, dedicated, consecrated priesthood, to offer up those spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable and pleasing to God through Jesus Christ.
Peter tells us how we should be living like stones, but only the kind pleasing to God and that life is one with the right motives, such as a desire to express our love for Him or a desire to honor Him and thank Him for what He has done for us.

7. It’s all in your attitude
Suffering is one of the most difficult things to understand in life and in Christianity. We know that God is good and we know that He sees everything and is all powerful, but why does He allow us to suffer, especially unjustly? This question has been asked by millions throughout the ages: “Why, God? Why?”
God does not delight in our suffering, but He is honoured and pleased when we endure it with a good attitude (see 1 Peter 2: 19,20). Trust requires unanswered questions. If we knew all the answers, faith would not be necessary.

8. Some people become angry at God when tragedy or extreme difficulty comes their way. This is the worst thing anyone can do because He is the only One who can help us. One man I know endured the tragic experience of watching his only son die after cancer. Afterward, he bitterly asked God, “Where were you when my son died?” God replied, “The same place I was when Mine died.”
God gave His only Son and allowed Him to go through unspeakable suffering that He did not deserve, and He did it for us. There are times when we go through things that God intends to use for our good and the good of others later in our lives.

9. The true test of faith is how we behave during trials and tribulations, especially once we feel we are totally unfair. Peter said that fiery ordeals will come to test the quality of our faith and that we are not to be amazed and bewildered (see 1 Peter 4:12, 13). Instead of being concerned about why you suffer, just make a decision to get through it with a good attitude and you will see God work everything together for good (see Romans 8:28).

10. The hidden person of the heart.
First Peter 3:4 talks about “the hidden person of the heart,” which means who a person really is underneath his or her appearance. When we interact with others, we should endeavour to know who they really are, in their hearts, and not make hasty judgements against them or judge them according to their appearance. When we do not endeavour to know the “hidden man of the heart,” we make a mistake in one of two ways:
1. We approve of someone because they appear to be something they are not; or
2. We disapprove of someone because of some outward appearance or action, when that individual is actually a wonderful person on the inside.

11. I have found that we all have our little quirks and our little odd actions, behaviors, and ways that other people do not easily understand. God Himself does not judge by appearance, and we need to follow His example (see 1 Samuel 16:7).
David would have never been chosen by man to be king unless God looked on the heart. Even his own family disregarded him. They did not even include him in the selection process (see 1 Samuel 19:1 -13)! But the Lord saw David’s heart, the heart of a shepherd. God saw a worshiper, someone with a heart in Him – someone who was pliable and moldable in His hand. These are the qualities He looks for in us.
I often think of the geodes – crude, ugly-looking rocks that appear hideous on the outside, but are absolutely gorgeous on the inside. Some are actually gemstones inside, but their rough, crusty exteriors are terribly unattractive.

12. Like the geodes, we are often rough, crusty, and crude on the outside, but God knows that He has placed such beauty within us. Just as the gold miner knows he must be patient when digging for gold, God knows He must be patient with us as the Holy Spirit continues working within us, digging in our lives, and eventually bringing out the treasures that are within us.
What we sow into the lives of other people, we will surely reap in our own. If we sow harsh, hasty judgement, we will turn reap harsh, hasty judgement. So, when the temptation to judge or criticize is at the door, resist it. Instead, do your best to look for the best in others and see what God values about each one – the hidden man of the heart

13. I also remind you to examine your own heart and be sure you have right motives and heart attitudes. Our secret thoughts and attitudes should be godly. We may hide from other people what is going on inside of us, but we cannot hide anything from God. Our outer man is our reputation with people, but the hidden man of the heart is our reputation with God. We should be much more concerned about our reputation in heaven than our reputation on earth.

14. In 1 Peter 3 vs 10 we read “For let him who wants to enjoy life and see good days – good – whether apparent or not, keep his tongue free from evil and his lips from guile.
This tells us, if we want to enjoy life, which is possible, even when there is no apparent reason for us to enjoy life, we must keep our tongues free from evil. If we speak positively and keep the truth of Gods word on our lips, we will have joy even in the midst of difficulties.

15. Have fervent love
One of the most amazing things I have ever learned – a lesson that still thrills my soul – is that love is actually spiritual warfare. This truth makes spiritual warfare fun, because loving people is very enjoyable.
I have learned that instead of looking like I am “oppressed and under something” all the time. I can actually look happy. I have found that I can be on the attach instead of under the attack.

16. First Peter 4:8 teaches us to have “intense and unfailing love for one another.” The King James Version translates this verse to say that we are to have “fervent love” for one another. The verb form of the Greek word that is translated fervent means, “to be hot, to boil.” Our love walk needs to be hot, on fire, and boiling over; not tepid, cold, or barely noticeable.
I once heard someone say that even a fly is smart enough to know not to land on a hot stove. If we are hot enough with love, Satan cannot stay around us for long. We might say we will be “too hot to handle!”

17. Have you ever let something cook in the microwave for too long and found yourself unable to remove it from the oven because it was too hot to handle? That is the way I want to be. I want the love of God in my heart to be so red-hot that Satan dreads to see me get out of bed in the morning!
Let your love be red-hot. Let it be fervent toward God and toward other people, and as you do, you will not only live in obedience to the Word, you will also be too hot and on fire with God’s love for the enemy to handle.

18. The spirit of glory
First Peter 4:14 states that the Spirit of God and the Spirit of glory is resting upon us when we are reproached for the name of Christ. Just imagine: We think it is awful when people mistreat us because we are Christians, but God sees it in an entirely different light. God never expects us to suffer for Him without His help. Therefore, we can firmly believe that any time we are reproached or mistreated because of our faith in Christ, God gives us an extra measure of His Spirit to counterbalance the attack.

19. The Holy Spirit often acts as a shock absorber
The Holy Spirit often acts as a shock absorber. Automobiles have shock absorbers to soften the blow of unexpected potholes in the road. The road of life is fill of potholes, but God softens the blow and actually comforts us in all of our difficult times.
People who are not serving God and trusting Him to meet their needs sometimes look and act as if they are much older than they actually are. Their faces show the strain of the years they have lived without the Holy Spirit’s help and protection. Their attitudes are sour, due to years of adversity. They often become bitter because they have deemed life unfair. They do not realize that their lives would be different if they had served God and leaned of His Spirit to guide and protect them.

20. Many times in my life I was reproached from the name of Christ, but now I know that the Spirit of glory was always upon me. Right in the middle of attack and adversity, God kept making my life better and better. He loves to take a mess and make something glorious out of it. If you ask Him, He will take your mess, if it is a mess and turn it into your ministry. When the Spirit of glory is upon you and within you, you can help others who face the same kinds of things God has helped you overcome. Your burden can become your blessing, and your weakness can become your weapon.

21. Putting the Word to work
To humble yourself “under the mighty hand of God, that in due time He may exalt you” (1 Peter 5:6) means to ask the Lord for what you need and then wait on Him to provide as He sees fit, knowing that His timing is always perfect. Are you humbling yourself under His hand in every situation of your life and trusting that He knows what is best for you? He has great plans for you, so I encourage you to be still, stop striving, and allow Him to show you how to cooperate with His purposes for you.
Also, be sure to cast all your cares upon the Lord (see 1 Peter 5:7). Do not worry about anything because staying peaceful is actually proof that you have humbled yourself and that you can trust God to do what needs to be done. Amen