And when you pray… Our series entitled “Rooted: Essential Christianity” has so far consisted of sermons through the Apostle’s Creed, The Ten Commandments, and the Reformation Solas. Today we begin the final series of messages in the Rooted series. In these sermons we will be diving deep into the Lord’s Prayer found in Matthew chapter […]

Psalm 133 will sound familiar to many as it is often quoted as a proof text for the cause of unity. Unity is found in an assortment of contexts: patriotism, social activism, sports fanaticism. People from a variety of backgrounds quickly find reasons to rally together. Sadly, Christians have not ranked high on the list […]

Psalm 131 is the shortest of the Psalms or Songs of Ascent. It is a Psalm of David which is significant upon further reflection. He claims to have learned humility and indeed the young shepherd and newly anointed king was a humble man. But as years passed and his power grew the humble song-singing king […]

Peace to all of you who are in Christ. As was the custom of the day, Peter’s letter ends with a final greeting. But unlike the typical letters of the day, Peter’s epistle to the churches of Asia Minor is the inspired Word of God. As such even the words of final greeting are rich […]

Be clear-minded and on the alert. Peter completes the main body of his letter by revisiting several key themes such as the trials suffered by Christians, sober-mindedness, the coming judgment at Christ’s return, and the eternal reign of God. He offers several admonitions and concludes with an encouraging doxology. Three imperatives form the closing section […]

Shepherd the flock of God that is among you… In the immediately preceding passage Peter warned his readers about the inevitability of suffering should they stand for Christ. Now Peter turns his attention to those entrusted to giving spiritual oversight of these Christians in their various churches. And just as the life of a flock […]

“Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you…” Suffering was not part of God’s design for creation. Every time suffering is encountered we are reminded that things are not the way they are supposed to be. Sin has made a terrible mess of God’s good world. Yet the Apostle […]

The end of all things is at hand… In this passage the Apostle Peter is further seeking to shape the way his readers understand themselves. This time he directs their attention to the coming judgement and “the end of all things.” This eternal perspective which has as its focus on life in the age to […]

“Arm yourselves with the same way of thinking.” In his first epistle the Apostle Peter seeks to instruct his readers concerning their identity in Christ so that they may live faithfully in a world in which they ultimately do not belong. No wonder Peter refers to Christians as aliens and strangers. In this epistle, Christians […]

Last week we learned that Christians will be offended, slandered, persecuted, and at times, even murdered just for being a Christian. We do not seek these hardships and pains. We do not pray for them. But inevitably, they happen to those who put their trust in Jesus. Peter teaches us that when we suffer for […]