Passage: 1 Peter 1:1-2
Today, we begin a new sermon series in the book of 1 Peter entitled STAND FIRM. First Peter was written to Christians just like you and me who were struggling as they were being marginalized by their society, alienated in their relationships, and threatened with the loss of their honor and social standing.
Life as a Christian was uncomfortable for these believers and we are increasingly experiencing the same thing here in the American church. How can we stand firm in the face of such opposition? How are we to live when everything we stand for as Christians seems to be opposed to cultural norms? What difference does our marginalization hold for the way we do church?
Peter addresses these, and other key questions that arise out of suffering for the name of Christ. He encourages his readers to stand firm, to live obediently, and to hold on to their hope. The message of 1 Peter is a timely one for Christians today who increasingly realize how different we are from the world and how much we may be asked to suffer as followers of Jesus.