Often living the Christian life is meant to be lived by looking back. We look back as a reminder of who God is, of who we are, and what He has done in and for us. That is absolutely vital when we face trials and suffering in the Christian life. If we don't have a good grasp of these reminders, we are likely to give in to our fears and fall away. As one who has been there, Peter means to help us by pointing to four reminders that will encourage us as we seek to live faithfully as God's people. In preparation for this week’s sermon, read 1 Peter 3:13-22, Genesis 6, and 2 Peter 2:5-9, as well as Westminster Confession of Faith Article 25.

As we live the good life Christ has called us to live, people will ask us questions. Why have you given up so much to follow Christ? Why do you endure through life’s challenges and suffer with such patience and persistence? They may ask an even more ultimate question: What hope do you have that compels you to live the way you do? Peter calls each of us to be ready to give a defense for our hope. This week we will explore how to be ready to make a defense of the great hope we have in Christ. In preparation for this week’s sermon, read 1 Peter 3:13-17 and 2 Timothy 2:22-26. I also encourage you to listen to this reading on hope found in Chapter 10 of C.S. Lewis’ book Mere Christianity.

In commenting on 1 Peter 3, John Calvin wrote, "How is it that we are overwhelmed with fear...unless because we ascribe to mortal man more power to injure us than to God to save us?" This week we will be talking about fear and in particular how we overcome the fear of man by properly fearing the Lord. The fear of man can paralyze Christians. It can keep us from obedience to God’s Word and from executing the mission God has called us to in this world. Why will we not serve downtown? Are we fearful of who might cross our path? Why will we not share the gospel? Are we nervous about the social repercussions? Why do we fail to reach out in brotherly love to other Christians? Are we fearful of their rejection? Surprisingly, the Christian life is to be marked by fear (1 Peter 1:17), but not the fear of man. And what we will see in our passage for this week is that by properly fearing the Lord we will be freed from the fear of man. To come prepared for the sermon, take time this week to read and to meditate upon 1 Peter 3:13-15a, Psalm 34, Isaiah 8:12-13, Matthew 5:11-12; 10:28, 2 Timothy 1:7, Hebrews 2:15, and Westminster Confession of Faith 5.7.

In our passage for this week, the Apostle Peter presents us with the question, "Who desires to love life and see good days?" Which of us does not want such a blessing? Who doesn’t want to love life? Who doesn’t want to see good days? It is human nature to desire such blessings. How then might we gain such a blessing of life? Peter teaches that if we desire such life then we must be willing to give our lives away. He teaches that to know blessing we must begin by blessing others. To use the words of the Lord Jesus in Mark 8:35, "...whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it." Do you desire to love life? Then give your life away to others. To come prepared for the sermon, take time this week to read and to meditate upon 1 Peter 3:8-12, Psalm 34, Proverbs 25:21-22, Mark 8:35, 2 Corinthians 8:9, Philippians 2:1-11, and Westminster Shorter Catechism 27 and 28.

Last week we looked at the creation and the corruption of marriage in the opening chapters of Genesis. There we saw that God’s original design for the marriage relationship was personal union between one man and one woman rooted in equality of nature and difference of roles. The creation culture of marriage is founded upon the truth that men and women are created different in function but equal in value. Yet this original design was marred by sin. Sinfully the husband now seeks to rule over his wife and sinfully she desires his role as head. God’s original design of loving headship and submission has been corrupted. Yet the story of marriage does not end in sin and brokenness. Rather, the Lord promised redemption to all that had been corrupted by sin. In our passage for this coming Sunday, we will see how the work of Christ brings redemption to God’s original design for marriage by renewing what wives desire and what husbands honor. To come prepared for the sermon, take time this week to read and to meditate upon 1 Peter 3:1-7, Genesis 3:16, Psalm 145:19, Matthew 11:28-30, 1 Corinthians 12:24-26, Galatians 3:27-29, and this article by Dr. Wayne Grudem.

Dearly beloved, we are gathered here in the presence of God, to join this man and this woman in holy marriage. The bond and covenant of marriage is instituted by God, regulated by His Word, and blessed by our Lord Jesus Christ. It signifies to us the mystery of the union between Christ and His Church and is to be held in honor among all people. The union of husband and wife in heart, body, and mind is intended by God for their mutual joy; for the help and comfort given to one another in prosperity and adversity; and, when it is God’s will, for the giving of children and their nurture in knowledge and love of the Lord. Let us therefore reverently remember that God has established and sanctified marriage for the good of all mankind. Our Savior has declared that a man shall leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife and the two shall become one flesh. It is with these words or similar that a Christian wedding ceremony begins. They remind us of the created purpose of marriage and the Lord’s blessing of the union for the good of all mankind. However, we all know that often marriage can become the context of our greatest struggles and hardships. The blessed union has often degraded into a sinful disunion. How then are we as Christians to live in a way that is reflective of God’s created purpose for marriage as an institution of union and love? In our passage for this week the Apostle Peter outlines how Christians are to express their faith in Christ within the context of a marriage relationship. And what we will see is that though sin has marred God’s original design for marriage, through the blood of Christ marriage has been restored. To come prepared for the sermon, take time this week to read and to meditate upon 1 Peter 3:1-7, Genesis 1:27; 2:18-25; 3:16, Matthew 19:4-6, Galatians 3:28, Ephesians 5:25-33, and Westminster Confession of Faith 4.2.

How does the gospel change the way Christians work? We understand that the gospel is not to be compartmentalized to Sunday mornings and private devotions, but how does it effect our "nine-to-five" lives? In our passage for this week, Peter is speaking to how Christians are called to live when under economic authority. While he addresses these commands to servants (2:18), the closest modern equivalent to servants are employees; those who are under the economic authority of another. In these verses, Peter connects the life of a servant to the example and the power of Christ. Here he develops a vision of Christian vocation that should inform how the gospel will change how every Christian works. To come prepared for the sermon, take time this week to read and to meditate upon 1 Peter 2:18-25, Genesis 31:6-9, Psalm 23, Isaiah 53, Ephesians 6:5-9, and Westminster Confession of Faith 8.4,5.

What is the relationship between a Christian and the governing authorities? It is clear from Scripture that we are called to submit to the authorities that have been established in our lives. However, what are we called to do when these authorities act in ungodly ways? How far is our submission to go? What trust are we to put in those who have authority? In our passage for this week, Peter is seeking to encourage his readers to submit to authorities neither begrudgingly nor blindly. As Christians we are called to submit to all authorities freely. To come prepared for the sermon, take time this week to read and to meditate upon 1 Peter 2:13-17, Exodus 6:6-8, Matthew 17:24-27, Acts 5:29, Romans 13:1-7, and Westminster Confession of Faith 23.

Who is worthy to receive the grace of the Lord? Of course, we have been taught to answer such a question with a response along the lines of, "No one is worthy of God’s grace." Nevertheless, we tend to treat people as more or less worthy of God’s grace. We treat people with greater wealth, a better status, or a good family as worthier than someone who is lacking. We might assume that someone who is raised as a Christian is worthier of God’s grace than someone raised as a Muslim. However, when we come to the Word of God we find that God shows no partiality. Rather, He gives His grace to whomever He wills. In His wise providence He may call the one raised Muslim to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, while allowing the one raised Christian to run away from the faith in rebellion. In 2 Kings 5 we come to the story of Namaan, a Syrian general with leprosy. As one who led armies against the people of Israel, we might assume that he was not worthy to receive God’s healing grace. Yet what we find is that God chooses to give grace not because someone is worthy, rather He gives His grace freely, only. To come prepared for the sermon, take time this week to read and to meditate upon 2 Kings 5:1-14, Luke 4:27-28, Acts 7:48-49, 8:20, Romans 2:11-16, Galatians 3:28-29, Ephesians 2:8-9, and Westminster Confession of Faith 16.5.

The women who followed Jesus had an unfinished task to attend to on Sunday morning. Friday evening they had seen that the crucified body of Jesus had been laid in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea. They had prepared spices and ointments to anoint the body. Yet evening came and they obediently rested on the Sabbath. Therefore, the body of our Lord remained in the grave undisturbed throughout the day on Saturday. On Sunday morning we read that the women rose at early dawn to finish their mourning ritual; to give Jesus a proper burial. Despite His repeated teaching, they came expecting to find a dead body. Nevertheless, what they found was an empty tomb and a divine message: "He is not here, but has risen!" Easter has come! Death had been defeated! Christ is risen! And forever will their task remain unfinished for death has no hold on our Savior! To come prepared for our Resurrection Day sermon, take time this week to read and to meditate upon Luke 24:1-12, Psalm 16:10, Isaiah 26:19, Romans 10:9, 1 Corinthians 15:12-28, and Westminster Confession of Faith 8.4.