Wrapping Up 1 Peter

Lord willing, in one week (June 8th) we will complete our study of 1 Peter.  I feel the same mixed emotions about closing 1 Peter as I did when we completed Colossians last year.

I’ve personally been studying 1 Peter for about 10 months now.  By next week we will have covered the book over about 35 weeks.  If you came to every class, that would be approximately 2,625 minutes of studying 1 Peter.  All that to say that 1 Peter has been very much a central part of my life in the last year.

On one hand, I feel excited about completing 1 Peter.  It feels good to have taught every verse of a book of the Bible and to know it much better now than I did a year ago. It also feels good to transition to something new. During our 13-week break, I’ll begin studying for SixSixteen’s fall study, the book of Revelation.

On the other hand, when I look back, I know I wasn’t able to give the book its full due.  There is more to say and more that I need to learn from the book. Ending 1 Peter feels a little like saying goodbye to a good friend.

On June 8th (our last class until September 7th), my plan is to do the following:

• Survey the whole book, highlighting key passages.
• Relate those key passages to 5:10-11 and note the context from the rest of the chapter.
• Think on why Peter begins and ends the book with the doctrine of election and how the doctrine of election helps you when you suffer as a Christian.

We hope to see you there.  (And it is still not too late to come if you’ve never come before.)

The Best for Last

We have two more weeks of SixSixteen Sunday Morning until we break for the summer. It is still not too late to come. We’ve been studying 1 Peter and plan to look at 1 Peter 5:6-11 on June 1st and then do a summary of 1 Peter on June 8th.

1 Peter 5:6-11 is an important passage in the book and includes a fitting encouragement in verses 10-11 that summarizes the book nicely. Peter saved the best for last:

6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 11 To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen. (ESV)

We hope to see you this Sunday.