Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Austin Redeemer Presbyterian Church

Pastor Danny continues our series on the epistles of Peter with his sermon "Holiness."

The Apostle Peter is writing to Christians who are on the outside of their communities because of their faith. Their well-being and safety are at risk. They have already begun experiencing trials. Soon persecution will come their way. What counsel does Pastor Peter give to these Christians who belong to God and to one another but may feel all alone in the struggle? Peter points them to Jesus who is the ground and object of their hope. In what do you hope? Where do you turn when life gets difficult? What comforts you in times of trial? This week, we continue in our new study of First Peter by fixing our eyes on Jesus, our living hope.

The analogy that Peter gives these early Christians is that of exile: just as the ancient Jews had to live as the people of God while in exile in Babylon, so also these elect exiles must live as the people of God scattered among the towns and cities of the Roman Empire. Does this same term apply to us? If it does, how should we then live because we are not just exiles, we are pilgrims on the way to a future already ordained for us by God? And though we may be exiles now, the world through which we are passing is also, as with Abraham, our inheritance! Join us this Sunday as we begin working our way through 1st and 2nd Peter, letters to exiles.

Jesus uses a common oil-burning lamp as a “visual aid” or as a “parable” to illustrate the value of “light.” No doubt, you can think of examples in real life that demonstrate the value of light—a candle in the midst of a blackout, the light on your phone when you are trying to open the lock on your front door, or a handy flashlight to change a flat tire late at night. The Bible includes several references to “light” in both the Old and the New Testaments (see: Gen. 1:1-5; Ps. 119:105; Prov. 6:23; Lk. 2:32; Jn. 3:19-21, 8:12). These short passages show us that light is a very important concept in the Bible. It is not an accident that Jesus uses a lamp that gives off light to express something quite valuable—but what does it mean? If we conclude that the “light” in the Parable of the Lamp refers to the gospel message, then how should Christians today seek to show forth the “light” of the gospel? Both Jesus and Paul speak of Christians as the “sons of light” (Jn. 12:36; 1 Thes. 5:5). Therefore, we can be confident that whatever we might do in our life—whether it is in art, business, economics, education, family, law, politics, sports, or work—we bring the light of the gospel into it. Jesus did not intend for us to keep the light hidden, but to make it clearly known for all to see!

There were no happy expectations among the disciples on the first Easter day. Instead of lively preparations for worship, lunch, and time with family and friends, those first disciples were prepared only to deal with death and the decay of their rabbi’s broken body. But in the very place they expected to find death, they were surprised by life. Their despair turned to joy. Their lament turned to witness. Those early witnesses of the Resurrection passed down their testimony through the ages to you and me. Our faith is based in large part on whether or not they told the truth. Can we trust them? And when will our faith be turned to sight? When will we also see the resurrected Lord? Join us this Easter Sunday as we hear the first articulation of the gospel message and the difference it makes—now as we worship in faith and in the future when our faith shall be made sight.

As the tide turned during World War Two, the Allies freed Rome, Paris, Manila, and other major capitals of the world. As they marched into these newly freed cities, they were greeted with tremendous victory parades: people lined the street, they were accosted with food and gifts—even a kiss or two from a pretty girl grateful to the soldiers who now filled her street. Something similar is happening when Jesus rides into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. This week, we turn to John’s account of the Triumphal Entry to get a glimpse of the freedom Jesus wins for us—not with tanks and airplanes, but at the cost of his own blood.