The Joy of the Lord (1 Peter 1)

Today’s Passage: 1 Peter 1

Main Idea: the joy we have in Jesus should motivate us to live differently, love deeply, and pursue holiness.

The World of the New Testament

• Dominated by the Roman Empire (polytheistic, militaristic, emperor worship)

Emperor Worship: Caesar was considered the Son of God, Savior of the World, and Lord of All.

A Crucial Choice

The Romans forced Christians to adapt to their way of life or face the consequences.

• The obvious problem: The Roman way of life was incompatible with the Bible’s call to follow Jesus faithfully (as the true Son of God and Savior of the world).

Scripture: 1 Timothy 6:15-16. God is Lord of lords and King of kings. Only God is worthy of our worship.

A Crucial Choice: Whose approval will these Christians seek?

• They could either be accepted by the world (but rejected by God) OR they could be accepted by God (but rejected by the world).
• Choosing God was a costly decision. They faced social pressure and sometimes persecution for their faith in Jesus.

Social Pressure to Conform

• Peer pressure and the threat of being excluded are powerful factors that affect people’s decisions. 
• Research shows people are very willing to give into peer pressure, including giving wrong answers to easy questions (Asch conformity experiment) and even inflicting harm on others (Milgram experiment).

Biblical Principle: Don’t abandon the truth to fit in with the crowd. See Exodus 23:2.

Resisting the Pressure

Recap of 1 Peter 1:1-2: We might be rejected by the world, but we are chosen and accepted by God, and his opinion matters more.

Blessings the World Can Never Take Away

Scripture: 1 Peter 1:3-9. Many things in life come and go (beauty, fame, wealth, etc.).

• Disciples of Jesus have many blessings that the world can never take away, even if it tried: God’s Mercy (v. 3), New Birth (v. 3), Living Hope (v. 3), A Heavenly Inheritance (v. 4), Divine Protection (v. 5), and the Hope of Salvation (v. 5).
• See Romans 8:35-38. Nothing can separate us from the love of God!

Peter says we can REJOICE in these blessings (v. 5) and that we are filled with JOY because of Jesus (v. 8). But what is joy?

Joy and Happiness

Happiness: A natural emotional reaction to the positive circumstances of our lives. 

• One of the things we feel when we ride the emotional roller coaster. 

Joy: A steady source of hope based on constant, unchanging realities (e.g. God’s love, our salvation, the presence of the Holy Spirit).

• Joy isn’t affected by the changing circumstances of our lives since it is based on things that transcend those details.
• We have to choose whether we are going to be at the mercy of the emotional roller coaster of our lives, or if we will build on the foundation of joy that comes from Christ.

Remember: Adversity is Sometimes Exactly What We Need to Grow in our Faith.

• Scriptures: Romans 5:3-4, James 1:2-4.
• Joy is what sustains us in the hard times we experience, like Aaron and Hur lifting up Moses’ hands when they grew weary from the weight of the world.
• Following Jesus doesn’t guarantee us an easy life, but it does give us a source of constant joy we can always depend on.

The Call to Action

Scripture: 1 Peter 1:13-22

1 Peter 1:13 starts with “therefore.” All of the commands we are given are based on the fact that we have received some incredible blessings from God (which the world can never take away).

What are we called to do in light of the blessings we have received from God?

• Live differently (as foreigners on earth)
• Love deeply
• Pursue holiness, obey the truth
• Choose joy. Unless we make an intentional decision to choose joy, we will default to the highs and lows of the emotional roller coasters we experience. 

Study and Reflection

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” -Romans 15:13

Read: Romans 8:28-39

• What are some important things we learn about God and Jesus (their nature, plans, or identity) from this passage?
• What do we learn about ourselves as human beings and/or disciples of Jesus?
• How do you think God would define “working for the good” of those who love him (v. 28)? Does that equal easy, comfortable, and convenient? Why or why not?
• How can we reconcile the promise that God is working for our good if we also know those who follow Jesus are likely to face hardships in this life?
• The sermon talked a lot about the danger of conforming to the world. According to this passage, what should we be conformed to instead?
• The world can take many things away from us, but some things are untouchable. What are some of the blessings we have that the world can never take away?
• How would you describe the difference between happiness and joy to someone who was new to the faith? What are some of the unchanging realities that our Christian joy is based on?
• How would this passage challenge the thinking of a Christian who thought hardships and suffering were signs that God had abandoned them or no longer loved them?
• Challenge: What did you hear as a call to action in today’s sermon and/or this passage? What is the next step of faith God wants you to take in your walk with Him?