I Peter 5:10-14

It's all Grace!

“Would you open your Bibles with me to...”

1Pet. 5:10 But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.

1Pet. 5:11 To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

1Pet. 5:12 By Silvanus, our faithful brother as I consider him, I have written to you briefly, exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God in which you stand.

1Pet. 5:13 She who is in Babylon, elect together with you, greets you; and so does Mark my son.

1Pet. 5:14 Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace to you all who are in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Pray

Into

√ We'll start with the end!

Versus 12-14 give us some information about the man who wrote this letter for Peter.

Silvanus, a faithful brother.

Written from "Babylon", thought by many to be a code word for "Rome" as the church was suffering great persecution at the hands of the Roman Emperor.

Closes with a benediction of peace and love.

√ We want to focus our last study on the theme of the letter, mentioned in his opening words, woven through the entire letter, and emphasized here again as he closes his thoughts.

That is…

"the true grace of God in which you stand."

√ The God of all Grace

"the God of all grace" - vs. 10

You may remember that when we began 1^st Peter we found that the central theme of Peter's letter is…Grace!

Specifically, the…

The sufficiency of God's Grace in our lives

…to save us, to transform us, and ultimately bring us safely to the Father.

Peter was a man whose life was marked by Grace and therefore imminently qualified to speak to us about the work of God in our lives.

It is no surprise then that Peter closes his 1^st epistle with a review of the work of God's Grace in our lives.

Ap. As Christians we must constantly be reminded that our lives are to be marked by the Grace of God!

Because if you or I ever move from Grace, we will find that our lives will become spiritually dry, joyless, and fruitless.

For God will not use us if we change His message and begin to live & preach as if Man is somehow able to make himself right before God.

Or if we begin to judge others by our self-righteousness and see ourselves as somehow better than the next person because they don’t measure up to our standard.

Listen, everything good in my life and yours is the result of God's Grace working in and through us.

God's Grace does it all, we're…

Called by Grace

Saved by Grace

Perfected by Grace

It's His work - our job is simply to cooperate with His work!

Called by Grace (vs. 10)

√ Peter begins by telling us we are called by Grace

1Pet. 5:10 But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus

A relationship with God begins when He calls us.

Very important distinction to make, to remember that you and I didn't go looking for God, He came looking for us.

Theme throughout the Bible…

Isa. 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

Paul picks up this theme as he relates that we are all lost without Christ…

Rom. 3:12 They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one.”

Ex. Jesus calling the disciples - He came looking for them - calling each from their vain pursuits in life to an abundant life in Him.

Ap. Jesus is still calling men and women to come to Him.

Do you have a relationship with God? If so, it is because Jesus called you and you came to Him.

If you don't have a relationship with God, then understand that Jesus is calling you this morning! Are you listening?

So, we begin a relationship with God when He calls us to Himself.

Saved by Grace (vs. 10)

√ Not only are we called by Grace…

…we're also saved by His Grace!

1Pet. 5:10 But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus

Note how it is that we are "called to His eternal glory" - how do we get there?

"by Christ Jesus"!

Peter reminds us that Grace comes to us by Jesus alone.

He is the sole dispenser of God's Grace, the Way of Salvation, the path of Life, the One Name by which we can be saved!

Jesus has provided the means by which we can partake of God's Grace and thus be saved.

Remember Peter before the counsel of Jerusalem as he defended God's Grace to the Gentiles…

Acts 15:11 “But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they.”

Paul echoes the same truth…

Eph. 2:5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),

Eph. 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,

Ap. Not one person in heaven will be able to boast that they got there on their own merit! Everyone who enters into eternal life with God will do so because they received His gift of life.

We're saved by Grace!

Perfected by Grace (vs. 10)

1Pet. 5:10 …after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.

√ Perfect?

"perfect" = "complete"

That is, God is doing a work in each of our lives who have trusted in His Son for salvation.

That work is called "sanctification". God is working in us by His power to change our very nature to be like that of His Son Jesus Christ.

That work is done by, perfected by, or made complete by the work of His Grace in our lives.

Ex. There is no power in our flesh to change us!

We cannot make ourselves good.

The best human counselors armed with human philosophy, or therapy, cannot change the sin-nature in us.

Only God can do that.

He does that work in our lives by His Spirit and will complete that project in each of our lives by His Grace.

Ap. We don't deserve a second chance in life

However, God in His Grace gives us that second chance, more than that, He gives us the power of His Holy Spirit to work in us the changes that need to be made.

Not because we deserve it - rather, that's the testimony of Grace - God completes the work He began in us - even after we fail…

…because of His Grace!

Ex. Peter knew this well! From failing in his flesh, to restoration by God's Grace.

God has promised to do a complete work in our lives.

Calling us

Saving us

Completing His work in us

All of it is done by His power through the ministry of His Grace.

Ap. What about me?

You may be thinking that this all sounds great and fine for the people in the Bible…

…but does God promise all this to me?

Can I be certain that His Grace is sufficient to bring me safely to heaven - to complete the work of transformation?

The answer - "yes"!

Promises for you in the Bible.

Php 1:6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you (write your name here!) will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;

These verses in Jude are believed to be one of the first Christian songs that believers sang. Note their cause of their hope and praise…

…His power to bring them safely to the Father by the work of His Grace.

Jude 24 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, And to present you faultless Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,

Jude 25 To God our Savior, Who alone is wise, Be glory and majesty, Dominion and power, Both now and forever. Amen.

Close

√ Are you "standing in the true Grace of God" this morning?

√ Is your life "marked" like Peter's by His Grace?

√ With a fresh view of the sufficiency of God's Grace to work in our lives we can join with Peter in vs. 11 and praise God for His wonderful work in our life!

1Pet. 5:11 To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.