Hope for the Broken Trinity Baptist Church

Peter says that we, as followers of Jesus, will experience a blessed suffering, a joyful affliction. His point is that we have a joy so deeply seeded, that it rises above even the challenging circumstances we might face in our lives. An unshakable kind of joy.

Peter tells us that as believers we are to be different than the culture around us. That it should be obvious that we stand out from the rest of the world. And he’s going to say that we need to prepare our minds, our attitudes, as we navigate being different and all that comes along with that. We are going to see that an unshakable mind is armed, is wise, and considers eternity.

Today’s passage is an announcement to us that our enemy, the Devil, has been defeated. By way of our victorious warrior, Jesus, we have victory, an unshakable victory.

One thing that we pray for often these days is peace in the Church. And not just maintaining peace in our own churches, but peace across the Big C Church. And that is the focus for Peter: that even in the midst of surrounding chaos, Peter’s desire is that the Church would be a testimony of true peace.

One of the things that is common to all people in our day and time is the desire to have a solid family, to build an unshakable family. But when we look across our culture, it seems like marriage and family is on shaky ground.  Peter is going to address the family by talking about marriage. And specifically, he talks about The Roles, The Responsibilities, and The Results.

Peter is telling us that as Christians, we are being watched. People are looking at the way in which we approach our lives. Sometimes they are watching us to see if we will slip up in certain situations. And sometimes people watch us as Christians to see what being a follower of Jesus is all about. But either way, as believers in Jesus, people are watching us. And Peter’s point is that the way we honor key people in our lives provides a testimony to Christ.