1st Peter Intro: Living Hope in a Hostile World

What does it mean to live with hope when the world around you feels hostile to your faith?

In this episode of Practice the Word, we begin our study of 1 Peter and lay the foundation for one of the New Testament’s most powerful messages about suffering, identity, holiness, and perseverance.

Peter knew what it meant to fail under pressure. He denied Jesus three times—but Jesus restored him. Decades later, that same Peter wrote to Christians experiencing rejection, discrimination, and growing persecution, teaching them not how to avoid suffering, but how to suffer well without losing hope.

We explore who Peter was, who received his letter, and why he calls believers “elect exiles.” Though scattered throughout a culture that did not share their faith, these Christians were chosen by God and reminded that their ultimate citizenship was in heaven.

We also unpack the powerful language of 1 Peter 1:1–2: chosen according to the foreknowledge of the Father, sanctified by the Spirit, called to obedience to Jesus Christ, and sprinkled with His blood. That language connects Peter’s message to the covenant established in Exodus and the New Covenant made possible through Jesus.

In this episode:

• Who was the Apostle Peter?
• Peter’s transformation from failure to faithful leader
• Why was 1 Peter written to suffering Christians
• What it means to be “chosen but scattered”
• Living as an exile in a culture opposed to your faith
• How Christians can suffer without losing hope
• Why our hope rests on the resurrection—not circumstances
• The biblical meaning of holiness
• The connection between Exodus 24 and 1 Peter 1
• Gentile believers and the promises of God
• The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in 1 Peter 1:1–2
• Why knowing your identity changes how you live

Peter’s message remains incredibly relevant: You may be rejected by the world, but you are chosen by God.

The question isn’t simply, “How can I avoid suffering?” Instead, Peter challenges us to ask:

How do I suffer well?

Open your Bible, grab your notebook, and join us as we begin Living Hope in a Hostile World.

📖 Scriptures discussed: 1 Peter 1:1–2, John 1:42, John 21, Exodus 24:8, Ephesians 3:6, Leviticus, and 2 Corinthians.

Subscribe to Practice the Word and share this episode with someone who needs encouragement to stand firm in their faith.

00:00 – Welcome to Practice the Word
00:20 – Introducing 1 Peter: Living Hope in a Hostile World
01:02 – Opening Prayer
01:57 – Welcome Back, Alison
03:28 – Chosen but Scattered
04:21 – How to Study the Context of Scripture
04:40 – Who Was the Apostle Peter?
05:27 – Peter the Fisherman and His Home in Capernaum
06:40 – The Importance of Close Christian Relationships
08:27 – Peter’s Witness and Restoration
09:14 – From Failure to Faithfulness Under Pressure
11:25 – Peter’s Mission Beyond Israel
12:24 – Peter’s Message to Gentile Christians
14:03 – From Fighting Peter to Surrendered Peter
15:04 – Babylon, Rome, and Opposition to God
16:29 – Who Received Peter’s Letter?
17:24 – Strangers, Exiles, and Citizens of Heaven
18:12 – How to Suffer Without Losing Hope
19:56 – Living Hope Is Not Based on Circumstances
20:33 – “Be Holy, for I Am Holy”
21:59 – The Question Peter Asks About Suffering
22:59 – How Do We Suffer Well?
23:26 – Remembering Who You Are in Christ
24:22 – 1 Peter 1:1–2
25:10 – What Does “Sprinkled With His Blood” Mean?
26:10 – Chosen by God, Rejected by the World
27:05 – Exodus 24 and the Blood of the Covenant
28:00 – The New Covenant and Our Identity
29:47 – Ephesians 3:6 and Belonging in Christ
31:20 – Connecting the Covenants
32:07 – God’s Foreknowledge, Choice, and Suffering
33:33 – Faith, Obedience, and the Heart
34:18 – Closing Encouragement

Creators and Guests

Host

Bryan Ford

Host of the Practice the Word Podcast

Host

Veneta Ford

Host of the Practice The Word Podcast

Guest

Allison

What is Practice The Word?

Practice the Word is a Christ-centered podcast for people who are ready to stop sitting on the sidelines of faith and start living the Word of God in everyday life.

Hosted by believers who love Jesus, serve people, and understand the real-world trials of business, family, ministry, hardship, and obedience, this show is for anyone who feels called to step out of the boat and walk with Christ more deeply.

Each episode encourages listeners to read Scripture for themselves, trust the Holy Spirit, serve others with sincerity, and become doers of the Word — not hearers only.

Through biblical conversations, personal stories, interviews with Christian leaders, and practical encouragement, Practice the Word exists to point people back to Jesus, remind them that every day is a gift from the Lord, and challenge them to live fully surrendered to Him.

Whether you are new to faith, returning to God, wrestling through a difficult season, or ready to go deeper, this podcast is an invitation to get off the fence, open the Bible, and practice the Word.

00:00:02:00 - 00:00:20:12
Unknown
Welcome to Practice the Word, a podcast helping everyday believers become everyday doers of the word. Through scripture stories and honest conversations, we'll talk about what it means to follow Jesus with courage, sincerity, and obedience in real life. Let's get started.

00:00:20:14 - 00:00:42:06
Unknown
Welcome to practice the Word. We are so excited. We are going into First Peter and we're going to name this living Hope in a hostile world. If you have never read First Peter chapter one is going to blow your mind. You need to sit down, get your notebook ready, take notes because you're going to need first Peter. Because Peter is what?

00:00:42:07 - 00:01:02:02
Unknown
Who do we know? Peter as the Rock. Okay. He was the rock. Jesus gave him that name. But. But Peter put his faith in the rock of all ages, which is Jesus Christ. So we want you to join us today and take notes. You need the word. We need the word. So let's get started. I'm going to pray and then we'll dive right in.

00:01:02:02 - 00:01:27:20
Unknown
Heavenly father, we thank you for this opportunity to study first Peter. Lord, we know Peter. Oh gosh, Peter was such a courageous man in the Lord. We know he rejected Christ, but you restored him. Lord, as you restore us. So, Lord, we ask you by your Holy Spirit to give us the vocabulary, the words to say, to speak to every heart of every listener.

00:01:27:22 - 00:01:57:09
Unknown
Lord, I pray the maturity of the Lord would be spoken in this in this podcast for First Peter, now Holy Spirit, I thank you that we are speaking in the aroma of life. Like Second Corinthians tells us. And today, Lord, we want to edify and glorify you and all that we say and all that we do. So Lord, fall on us today so that we would compel the listeners, the readers, to hear the word of the Lord and be transformed by the reading of the word.

00:01:57:09 - 00:02:21:04
Unknown
In the mighty name of Jesus we pray, Amen and Amen. Amen. First Peter. Yeah, first Peter. And welcome back to Alison. Yes. Alison is with us again. Oh, we love Alison. I love you. She is wonderful again. She graduated from old Roberts University. She has four wonderful angels. Children. Oh my gosh. We're praying for four more, maybe six more.

00:02:21:04 - 00:02:46:08
Unknown
And she is married to a wonderful man. And her father married and her father married us. And so we have we knew Alison when she was. Yes. Alison. Alison is not much younger than us. I just want to put that out there that we're almost the same age as. I'm just saying. Yeah. But anyway, we love Alison, and we love what she stands for.

00:02:46:09 - 00:03:05:03
Unknown
She's a bold woman of the Lord, and she is a walking testimony and a walking Bible. She loves the Lord, and she has a unique anointing on her life. So listen for her today. You will be so transformed just by her testimony and by her reading the word. She has so much to give and so much to say.

00:03:05:03 - 00:03:28:20
Unknown
So here we go. Wow, thank you for that introduction. I'm so honored to be here. Blessed to be with you. I love you with all of my heart. So this is just fun. I'm here talking with my friends. That's right. Yes, that's what we do. Yes. That's how we move forward. Yes, yes. And I love the Bible. So getting to read the Bible and study it with you, that's just it's it's fun.

00:03:28:20 - 00:03:55:04
Unknown
It's all fun. So are you ready for me to kick this off? Let's do it. Okay. Let's do it. So we are looking at first Peter today. First Peter one. And the point of this message right here is to lay a foundation for First Peter. And we're calling this living hope in a hostile world. And the theme is chosen but scattered.

00:03:55:09 - 00:04:21:05
Unknown
Okay. So when we're studying the word, we've talked about how new believers are reading or listening to this. New believers are interacting with our podcast. They're looking at the videos that are coming up on TikTok and YouTube. So when we're talking to a new believer about reading the word, we need to be considering something. We need to look at the who.

00:04:21:07 - 00:04:40:15
Unknown
So who's writing and who are they talking to, where they were and what was going on was the purpose and what was going on at that time. So can we lay that kind of foundation as we transition into first Peter? Absolutely. Can we do that? Yes. Okay. Go for it. So we're kind of like in a court of law, right?

00:04:40:16 - 00:05:01:23
Unknown
So that's how we take these introductions. So we're going to lay it if it takes us 20 to 30 minutes because it's important as believers are or if, if you just come on and you want to study first Peter to understand who Peter was. Right. So this is Peter the Apostle. Right. So he is the apostle of Jesus Christ.

00:05:01:23 - 00:05:27:05
Unknown
And we'll know that because when we read chapter one, verse one, it's going to say that pretty, pretty clearly. And what was Peter's Hebrew name? His name was Simon, right. So everybody knows that what Veneta said was simply, you know, Jesus renamed him pretty much the Rock. And that's in the Gospels. You'll find that in John 142, he was a fisherman.

00:05:27:07 - 00:05:50:06
Unknown
So he'll probably relate to a lot of us. Eastern North Carolina people, southern people, because we like to fish. And, you know, he moved to Capernaum. We know that in John 144, Mark also recorded in chapter one, verse 29. I went to Peter's house in Israel. You did, I you did. I did. Pete's house still exists to this day.

00:05:50:07 - 00:06:14:18
Unknown
So, so, so is people that people that like to build things like you and I do. So Peter's home was continually added on. Absolutely. When if they got permits for that, are they just added on? Probably that permits was not a factor during that time. No, no. He was the rock though. But he, he did continue to add on to his home because that's where the church met.

00:06:14:19 - 00:06:40:05
Unknown
That's right. Because he kept growing. Isn't it a cool thing growing. And they kept adding on rooms to the home? You know, I think it's a cool thing because we talk. The beds are still there in Peter's home, so you can see where they laid. It's a where Jesus may have laid in his very well. Oh, absolutely. You know, and you know, Francis Chan was always talk about how home where where we get groups of people and we bring them into our homes.

00:06:40:05 - 00:07:01:00
Unknown
And Alison knows this, and and we'll have a meal and we'll have a Bible study, and we'll pray for each other and and be a real, real, vulnerable place for people. And you could see how it would just take off. Right. But I have a question. Right. So so our bishop often talks about who is your Peter, James and John.

00:07:01:01 - 00:07:22:08
Unknown
Yes. Right. So I know I know how dearly Vinita thinks of Alison. I do know because they talk all the time and I have to go to another room and maybe there's a ball game on or I just read normally read, I just read. And so. So to you've Anita is is Alice because I know she fits one of these three.

00:07:22:10 - 00:07:43:02
Unknown
Yes. Whoo! Yep. Alison would be Peter for sure. Would be your Peter. Yes. That's good. Yeah. And there's a reason we say that. And in something where she could be the Peter, James and John all three, she really could be all three. So. So the key thing there is, we're going to talk about it. She could be the rock, the counties.

00:07:43:03 - 00:08:04:19
Unknown
I know, and we're not going to get enough and then love. That's right. This is too much right. So in part of the reason we talk about this would one day in, in prayerfully our bishop comes on and we're going to have a one of my dear questions to him is going to be this, you know, I have a lot of questions about what he makes the statement a lot.

00:08:04:20 - 00:08:27:11
Unknown
And I just I want to delve into it. So if I can get him for an hour, like, yeah, I'm delving into that. I'm like, I'm taking my ten minutes for those questions right there. But, you know, Peter witnessed a ton of things. He he saw the rising of Jerry's daughter. Right. The Transfiguration, which was just. I can't even imagine that.

00:08:27:12 - 00:08:52:19
Unknown
I mean, I don't even know what even compare that to. So, I mean, if people you read the Transfiguration and you can't, that's just that. Yeah, that's that's a cool event. One of the coolest events in the Bible to me, because there's so much revealed there, the empty tomb, which is even better, right? And, you know, after denying Christ three times, the Bible is so perfect.

00:08:52:19 - 00:09:14:08
Unknown
Jesus is so perfect. And he restored him three times. And that's John chapter 21. So the love that Jesus had for Peter, right? So you see, and he has for all of us. But you just see it in writing here, right? You're seeing it. And, you know, one of the beautiful themes we're going to, themes we're going to see in First Peter as it goes on.

00:09:14:08 - 00:09:36:10
Unknown
And I think it's it's going to help all of us. Is that the man who once fell publicly now teaches believers how to remain faithful under pressure. Right. Let's just rename that because we come out of James. So we're we're going to change the word under pressure to suffering right now. How are we coming out of suffering. Right.

00:09:36:14 - 00:10:09:10
Unknown
So if anybody wants to add to that, I would just like to say, I know that you just spent a couple of minutes talking about me and me being like a Peter in your life and connected to you, but what I can say is that the two of you have been pillars in my life, where I have been under persecution or really difficult, challenging things have happened in the two of you have spoken into my life, and I know that a lot of people on the internet don't know you personally.

00:10:09:11 - 00:10:29:10
Unknown
I mean, most of the people that watch won't know you, but I can test how do you? I can speak to the fact that I've watched you walk. I've been in your home and been that vulnerable person in your house. You know, like, I think that's just a testimony of how God calls us to walk with one another.

00:10:29:10 - 00:10:55:03
Unknown
And you talked about Peter going through trials and Jesus restoring, you know, you to have walked that out with me to a certain degree in my life, making sure that I was healed and whole and spoken truth into my life when nobody else was, you know, so I'm grateful to be a part of of that, a part of your lives in that way.

00:10:55:05 - 00:11:25:14
Unknown
And then we see Peter in first Peter speak to Christians who are going through hard times to build them up. Right. And it's just this amazing flow of like, this is what's what Jesus has done for me. And so now I'm going to speak this message of life to you. Yeah. Of encouragement. Yeah. I mean, he's basically saying, don't do what I did, but do what I'm saying now, you know.

00:11:25:16 - 00:11:55:06
Unknown
Right. And he's compelling people to to lay down everything and surrender all to Christ. Yes. So so Peter was called to carry the message of Jesus to other regions, you know, outside of outside of Israel, beyond Israel. He was called to carry that message. And this particular book was sent to multiple communities. It was this letter was circulated.

00:11:55:07 - 00:12:24:04
Unknown
Right. So it looks like sometime around 63, 80 is when it was sent out into the Roman province of Asia minor, which we call Turkey today. So these Christians were beginning to experience persecution. And he wrote this to encourage them in the middle of that. Right. And I what another thing that I think is amazing is that Peter was a Jew, right?

00:12:24:06 - 00:13:00:03
Unknown
Right. And these a lot of these Christians that he's speaking to were Gentiles, and he affirms them as a Jew. Right. Who they separated themselves. They wanted to be separate and distinct. Yes. But he affirmed his Christian brothers and sisters as children of God. Right. And that blows my mind. Yeah. It's like he had the revelation of who Jesus was and the the inheritance that Jesus died for, to restore us to the father.

00:13:00:03 - 00:13:22:23
Unknown
And the culture didn't matter and the culture didn't matter. Right. Brothers and sisters. Right. And before. Before now, when he was chosen, it did matter to him. Yes. Because the exact people you're talking about that he has come to love. He did not love. Right? Right. He would assume to have killed them in a war. Then he would have brought them to his, to Jesus and I.

00:13:23:00 - 00:14:03:07
Unknown
That that is, and again to this letter was pretty much written right before he was killed. Right. So he's had this whole time to reflect to reflection thing. It's 30 years, give or take, after Jesus resurrection. And this is happening during Nero's, where Nero Emperor Nero is really intensifying his persecution of believers now. And one last thing we need to just remember about Peter was, wasn't it, Peter, that that that took the ear off of the soldier?

00:14:03:12 - 00:14:33:07
Unknown
And wasn't it Peter that, you know, he was there, he was ready to fight, you know, fight flesh and blood, which we're told, you know, not to fight. We don't fight fashion, but and so and here he is, you know, he's speaking to us as one people. So he's gone from a fighting Peter P Peter to a surrendered Peter, a whole whole new guy, a whole new man.

00:14:33:09 - 00:15:04:05
Unknown
So much surrendered that in, in, in our church tradition and history. He refused to be executed, crucified the same way. Right? Jesus. Right. He wanted it to be. And how was that? Crucified? Fix it down. Right. It was upside down, right? So? So I think the key thing we have to figure out. Where's Peter writing this right so often is referred to as Babylon.

00:15:04:05 - 00:15:28:04
Unknown
So as we're studying and we keep going through books and books, a themes keep popping out. And Persia, which is modern day Iran area, right. In Turkey. Right. Asia minor. That Turkey area. Now Babylon is often referred to as Rome. Right. So when we're talking Babylon, first Peter five, I don't know, 12, 13, 14 somewhere around there he talks Babylon.

00:15:28:04 - 00:15:55:09
Unknown
When he's talking Babylon, he's talking room. And it is why why is he bringing up Babylon? And in in his throughout scriptures represented as rebellion, world power and opposition against God. It doesn't seem like that theme, kind of from pretty much Exodus all the way to revelation. It does. That theme continues, right? Rebellion, world power, opposition against God.

00:15:55:11 - 00:16:29:16
Unknown
And in in Babylon, you know, Babylon, Rome just destroyed Jerusalem, right? And Rome now ruled what was known as the known world, what we we think was the known world. And, you know, later revelation would also call Rome. We think Babylon is still the reference there. So and I think we go to a good point. We were just talking off camera about who received these letters and Alison because she went to all Roberts for probably I pronounce this.

00:16:29:16 - 00:17:02:20
Unknown
So yes, we're going to work on it. We're going to work on it. So the the people that received the letters, would you like for me to just read for sweeter one? Yeah. Well you can go about it. Okay. So it says right here Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ. And he's writing this to to God's elect exiles scattered through the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia.

00:17:02:22 - 00:17:24:21
Unknown
So what are we? What are we? Just by where Peter is located. Right. And where? Where the letters are going out and who he's writing to and he's getting his point across, is these are Christians now that are living as minorities, surrounded by pagan cultures. And that's key, because, Peter, you're going to you just said some of them.

00:17:24:21 - 00:17:51:12
Unknown
But Peter repeatedly calls them strangers, exiles, pilgrims. And it's not because they lack citizenship, it's because now heaven is where their citizenship reigns. That's right. Right. So that's a key thing for us as believers. My my, my soul, my belief, my citizenship in heaven

00:17:51:12 - 00:18:12:13
Unknown
I pay taxes in North Carolina. I pay my federal taxes to the United States. But to be honest with you, my soul and heart wants heaven because this is going to die out. It doesn't matter. Rome die. It just the whole point of it is, is what's of this earth is going to end at some point.

00:18:12:13 - 00:18:39:08
Unknown
So his purpose of the letter he he's writing to. But these believers that are experiencing exactly what James is talking about in his suffering, which was earlier in the Bible. Right? He's talking about rejection, slander, discrimination, suffering, growing persecution that comes in so many forms. Right? And he teaches them how to suffer without losing hope. Now we got a theme going on.

00:18:39:10 - 00:19:01:00
Unknown
Now we have a disciple of Jesus. Now we have a brother of Jesus. And now the writing of how we suffer without losing our hope. And what? What did Ames teach? Because now we're going to we're going to combine it. I'm not going back to Paul. We're going to go to Jean James real quick. Live out your faith.

00:19:01:01 - 00:19:19:06
Unknown
Right. But what you're going to read here in first Peter. Peter teaches us stand firm in your faith right now. Live out your faith right as if our faith want to be attacked. Right doers of our faith. What? James? See? Right. We go out there and do it. And now what? Peter is kind of standing on top of that.

00:19:19:06 - 00:19:44:21
Unknown
Now you're doing it. Now you got to stand firm on it. So the the it there, there's a lot of main themes are going to happen in first Peter that that get people uncomfortable. And you know when I'm holiness one of them's living hope. One of them suffering identity grace. All these things that the church argues even today.

00:19:44:23 - 00:19:56:09
Unknown
Right. He is writing letters out to, to to Asia minor and saying, look, this is we gotta stand on this thing. We're believers. We, you know.

00:19:56:12 - 00:20:09:14
Unknown
so I'll keep on before we go into the first verse, because I think it's important that we live on those principles that he's putting forth. And one of the first ones is, is living the living hope.

00:20:09:15 - 00:20:33:08
Unknown
And and it's not that our hope is based on circumstances. Funny you say that often. It's not the circumstance you were in, whether that's in prison, whether you've had a sudden death, it doesn't. You've lost your job. But it's based on the resurrection, right? All our hope is right there. That's right. And and then he talks about holiness.

00:20:33:10 - 00:21:07:03
Unknown
Be holy, for I am holy. Yes. Peter. Again, like James, he's quoting Leviticus, right. So holiness is not merely avoiding sin. It is belonging completely to God, right? At all costs, at all cost. And obviously, Peter never wavering, right? Never wavering. And I think that's a great point, because when when Christ was what he was, when he was crucified, Peter wavered.

00:21:07:05 - 00:21:35:09
Unknown
But at the end, through his walk, through his suffering and understanding, prayer like believers lifting him up, what was he able to do? And he was able to suffer through his martyr for Jesus? Yes. And you know. No, no. He went, you know, a little bit in his emotions when he before, you know, Christ died on the cross, he was a little bit in his emotions.

00:21:35:09 - 00:21:59:08
Unknown
But after that he began to step into his calling, you know, saying, I'm not wavering, right? And, you know, there's points maturing. He's gone from drinking the milk to eating meat, you know, as the Scripture talks about, you know, practical application that a lot of times when we have things, whether it's business or life.

00:21:59:10 - 00:22:38:16
Unknown
So to speak, after the, the, the, the event that causes the shaking, right, whatever that is, we always talk about taking the time to reflect. Right. And after Jesus resurrected and he came back and he showed himself and Peter and they go through what acts describes as really the first sermon after Jesus and Peter reflects, and obviously, because it took him how many years to pretty much complete this letter, after he's reflecting and he's learning and he's reflecting, he's not a perfect creature in that.

00:22:38:16 - 00:22:59:06
Unknown
But Peter never asked. And we just talked about this in James. Peter never asked, how do I avoid suffering? That wasn't the question, right? His question was, how should I suffer? Well, right. So write that down. How do I suffer? Well, right. That is what we've got to learn because we already know what we're going to do as believers.

00:22:59:06 - 00:23:26:17
Unknown
Yes, we're going to suffer. Yes. And it's going to be a constant thing. So when we teach our children or we teach people that we mentor or we're just going through something, the question we ask is, how do we suffer this will. Right? Prayer. Right? Right. Getting in the word. Confessing to a light believer. Yes. Understanding that in that confession comes restoration, renewing our mind with the word, renewing our mind with the word.

00:23:26:17 - 00:23:53:00
Unknown
And you know, he constantly he constantly reminds believers who they are, which I think is just, you know, I could see Peter as like, you know, we say a lot of times, ride or die, you know, you're right or live is what I say, right? You're right. Or live because he's always like, he's got your back. He's besides you, you know, he reminds believers are chosen.

00:23:53:06 - 00:24:20:15
Unknown
They're redeemed. They're born again. They're living stones. They're part of a royal priesthood, and they're a holy nation. Right. And behavior always what the James say behavior always follows identity, because what's invisible will eventually come out of your mouth and become visible. Visible? Yes. And and and that's, you know, we can now go into a.

00:24:20:18 - 00:24:22:13
Unknown
First Peter one one through

00:24:22:19 - 00:24:53:09
Unknown
So first, first Peter one one through two, Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ to God's elect exiles scattered through the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bethania, who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father through the sanctifying work of the spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ, and sprinkled with his blood.

00:24:53:10 - 00:25:00:07
Unknown
Grace and peace be yours. An abundance. Wow, that's a lot done. Pack right there.

00:25:00:07 - 00:25:10:00
Unknown
let me read that again. Who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father through the sanctifying work of the spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood.

00:25:10:00 - 00:25:49:09
Unknown
Grace and peace be yours in abundance. Well, first of all, that sprinkled with blood, you know, the most people would be what is this kind of some kind of sense? But, you know, the blood of, you know, the blood. Jesus shed his blood. And it's for our healing. It is it is for our sanctification. And, you know, we take communion every day because there is a scripture where Jesus said, and you can look it up, it might be in Luke or Mark, but he says, you do this as often as you remember me.

00:25:49:10 - 00:26:10:02
Unknown
So you do this in remembrance of me. And so you can speak on this. I just think it was very important to mention that about, you know, again, sanctification. And it goes right into being sprinkled with his blood. Well, I actually had that noted. And, and, and and you know, me, I'm going to go to the Old Testament here.

00:26:10:02 - 00:26:36:16
Unknown
So if you'll pull up Exodus 24 eight. So I think an important thing while she's looking at that, some, some notable things that we're looking at in these first two verses, he talks about the elect exiles. And it's it's combining two what seems like opposites, but it's two opposite truths. Right. Chosen by God and rejected by the world.

00:26:36:17 - 00:27:05:14
Unknown
Right. So we're rejected by the world. Yes. And we're chosen by God. Right. And then I thought was interesting. He mentions the Trinity. He talks about the father, the spirit and the son. And so, I mean, you know, we're we're going, we're going full throttle there at the end of the Gospels where, you know, he's just reverberating again, what he's being taught, what he's been taught.

00:27:05:14 - 00:27:33:02
Unknown
Now he's understood it. He he's walked this thing for 30 years now. So now he's he's got a good grasp on it. So read Exodus 24 eight where it's talking about sprinkling with his blood. Exodus 24 eight Moses then took the blood, sprinkled it on the people, and said, this is the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.

00:27:33:08 - 00:27:59:23
Unknown
So that that is so cool to me, because right there is in the Old Testament, it's basically Moses establishing a covenant right, with Israel. Right? Right. So Peter shows believers that they're now by using the same verbiage right from that quote in Exodus, that now we are members of the New Covenant, remembers that that should give us joy.

00:28:00:00 - 00:28:29:03
Unknown
Right? And so Peter addresses believers. And this is again, we mentioned this just a little bit earlier, but he's he's talking to believers who are elect or exiles were sanctified by the spirit because you talked about sanctification, were sanctified by the spirit. We're what obedient to Christ. James was a big, obedient guy, right? So and we were sprinkled by his blood.

00:28:29:04 - 00:28:50:08
Unknown
So he he's packed so much into those first two verses. In other words, it's a pep talk. He's pep talking us to pretty much saying we're part of the New Covenant. And I'm going to show you why. And I'm going to give you a great example, because Moses did this in Exodus. And and I'm going to read this to you, sprinkling with his blood.

00:28:50:08 - 00:29:16:19
Unknown
He didn't use those words by happenstance. He used it by making a point to who was listening. And in his letter. And if you took everything out of those first two, to me that is like if I mean a court of law and you're telling me that I'm part of the New Covenant, Peter just made a he just put in a great piece of evidence right there.

00:29:16:21 - 00:29:43:17
Unknown
You're sprinkling with his blood. Yes. Exodus 24 eight. Go look it up. Write it down right there beside first Peter one and two. Can I just add Ephesians three six? Yes, it says, this mystery is that through the gospel, the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body and sharers together in the promise in Jesus Christ.

00:29:43:23 - 00:29:47:17
Unknown
Wow. That's right. Wow, what a belonging. Yes, what a belonging.

00:29:47:19 - 00:30:04:13
Unknown
we have disagreements over the old covenant. New covenant. Obviously, God instructed Moses to sprinkle the blood over Israel for the covenant. Right? That covenant didn't die and covenant didn't die.

00:30:04:15 - 00:30:48:13
Unknown
Then. Peter is now saying that there's now a new covenant that envelops. All right. It doesn't. It doesn't eliminate anything. It's all right, al, and it's an important fact. And he introduces the Trinity into this thing. And you. It's just reread that verse again. Ephesians three six. Yeah. Okay. This mystery is that through the gospel that Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body and sharers together in the promise in Jesus Christ.

00:30:48:16 - 00:31:20:15
Unknown
the covenant is real. James understood when he he mentioned suffering. Yeah. So what you just read was basically first Peter laying out and it's laid out many places. We're not talking about just first Peter, but this is where we're studying. So it's a great it's a great focal point that basically in a layman's term to blue collar people, that that what Peter has just done was he's basically gorilla glued the old covenant.

00:31:20:15 - 00:31:46:18
Unknown
And it's not an old I hate old covenant, the covenant God established with Israel to the new covenant that Jesus died on the cross, which really was a covenant for all right. And he gorilla glued it, the perfect gorilla glue. And now and even how does he start that first read that verse again that you just read. How has he started this mystery, this mystery?

00:31:46:21 - 00:32:07:00
Unknown
And even today it's argued about. Right, because we're not going to have the perfect example of why these two things happen. Now. People will sit here and they're going to I know it's coming and I'm okay with it and it's coming, but there's a reason it's called that, right? There's a reason, he says. It's the mystery of it, right?

00:32:07:06 - 00:32:26:14
Unknown
It's a mystery because people can't understand it. Right. But we're not meant to it. And this goes back to my point that we we believe in a God that is outside of time. So when we go into prayer and let's say we went into prayer today at 11:00 this morning, God knew prior to that that you were going into prayer.

00:32:26:15 - 00:32:46:22
Unknown
That's the started circle. And all during this time he's there. But he already knew what you were going to pray for at the end of it. Two to the end of the world as we know it is the mortal world. And the key again is, is if God knew all this, then why are we allowing suffering? Why are we while we allow this, why do we do that?

00:32:46:22 - 00:33:33:22
Unknown
Because we serve a God that gave us a choice. He wanted a people that would choose him willingly. So through our choices which involve sin, obviously that started in Genesis that we suffer consequences for that. But in his infinite knowledge and more importantly, in his infinite love for us, that he created a covenant where we can earn ourselves into heaven, which James made that abundantly clear, that we, through Christ Jesus, can get there because our cup can never feel enough and we can never do enough to enter heaven.

00:33:34:00 - 00:33:57:16
Unknown
We have to do it through Jesus Christ. And no, it's not some simple prayer and assurance policy that you say that say, I'm going to get into heaven. James made this abundantly clear. So go listen to the the eight episodes that the Lord sees the invisible, right? We see it through the visible that comes out of our mouth, but the Lord already sees it in your heart, right?

00:33:57:17 - 00:34:18:00
Unknown
That that's why we have to be in supplication, prayer, fasting, living it right. And so that's what I'm you know, Peter, first Peter is going to be an absolute I mean, it's it's a firestorm. I mean, it's going to light you up as a believer.

00:34:18:02 - 00:34:37:01
Unknown
Thank you for listening. To practice the word. Our prayer is that today's conversation encourage you to open Scripture. Follow Jesus more closely and live as a doer of the word. If this episode blessed you, share it with somebody who needs encouragement. Subscribe to the show and leave a review so that more people can be reached with the truth of God's Word.

00:34:37:01 - 00:34:38:22
Unknown
And till next time, don't