Central Baptist Church, Portsmouth, Virginia

This week we’ll be wrapping up Peter’s first letter. His conclusion includes the previous themes of pain, suffering and triumph. And in so doing, he draws the attention of his audience to God in such a winsome way.

We’ve all experienced the effects of good leadership and poor leadership. Sometimes, we’ll settle for a poor leader because we think a good leader will call us to do the right thing which is a hard thing and we’re comfortable just where we are. The task of the church is to make disciples of all nations. That’s a hard task and we need godly leaders who will equip us for that intimidating work.

One of the questions that has bothered a lot of people is, “Why does God allow bad this to happen to good people?” In Peter’s 1st letter he spends a lot of time talking about the sufferings of the church. This next section is no different.

One question that humanity has wrestled with is when will the end of the world come. The church has often asked when will Jesus return. As we continue our series in 1st Peter we’ll discover how the church should live in the end times.

Have you ever noticed how Hollywood distorts reality? Ventilation systems in any building are always strong enough to hold at least one, but usually multiple people crawling through them. When cars crash they always burst into flames. People living in the Victorian era never seem to sweat wearing all that clothing and their teeth are always perfect. So many distortions. You know, in the church sometimes we have our own distortions. At times we all need a reality check. We’ll see that Peter gives us one as we continue studying through his letters.

Have you ever been confused? We’ve all been there. Some things in life are just confusing. One of the most confusing aspects of the human experience is why do bad things happen to good people. Why do Godly people deal with suffering. As we continue our study of 1st Peter, we’ll tackle that and several other difficult questions in a message that is sure to make you think. I hope you’ll join us this Sunday as God helps us put suffering in it’s proper context.

How do you react to thought of more pain or suffering? Many of us try to avoid that as much as possible. We place a high value on safety and comfort. While we know we are empowered to make disciples sometimes that calling seems too messy and makes us uncomfortable. Peter wrote two letters to encourage the church that there is strength in the face of trouble, that those troubles are temporary, and we can have confidence while living on mission. This year we are continuing our deep dive into 1st and 2nd Peter in our sermon series Confidence. Through it, my prayer is you will press on, living the life God made you to live. It is in the darkest times that the collective light of the Jesus’ church shines brightest.

I get it—having a New Year’s resolution is a cliché. Almost everyone is doing it, and most of them are just going to fail by February, so why bother?

But here’s the thing: none of us is perfect. We all have things that need to change, and as followers of Jesus, we’re actually in the very business of being changed by His power! And psychologists tell us that the absolute best time to make changes in our lives is at the start of something new, like the beginning of a month or on a Monday or on a birthday. So there’s pretty much no better time to stack the deck toward positive change than a new year.

In our world people pick sides. The latest headlines reveal division across the globe. Let’s face it if we were God, we’d come to rescue some, but not others. However, the angels announced that the birth of the Messiah would be good news of great joy for all people. Jesus came for the Jew and the Gentile. He came for the down and out and the up and out. He came for the moral and the immoral. He came for you and me.

Sometimes we laugh when people talk about traveling a great distance to visit Buc-ee’s or In and Out Burger or some other place. Other long trips make more sense to us, like traveling to see family or friends. This week we’ll look at the distant gentile magi who traveled a great distance to see the one born king of the jews. Their story raises lots of questions, but also serves as a great reminder that Jesus came for all people.