1 Peter 1:3-5 - Christ Centered Perspective

In this episode, we’re diving into 1 Peter 1:3–5 and considering how our perspective shapes not only our outlook, but our daily lives. We walk through what it means to live with a Christ-centered perspective that is driven by praise, rooted in the resurrection, and fixed on an eternal inheritance that cannot be shaken. When life presses in and circumstances feel overwhelming, God’s Word lifts our eyes higher and anchors our hope deeper. Join me as we elevate our perspective, rest in what Christ has done, and look to Jesus, our true and living hope. Let’s dig in and look to Him together!

Transcript

2 - 1 Peter 1:3-5 - Christ Centered Perspective

Intro

• Please take your Bibles and turn with me to 1 Peter chapter one and find verse 3.
• Today we are going to talk about the importance of perspectives as we are challenged to evaluate our own perspective.
  • Let me start by sharing a definition of what I mean when I use the word perspective…
    • Perspective can be defined as…
      • “The personal lens through which an individual understands, interprets, and evaluates themselves and their circumstances, shaped by beliefs, experiences, and attitudes.”
  • Like it or not all of us have a certain perspective and that perspective will determine much about our day to day lives.
    • Consider it this way…
      • Imagine two different men, in two different cars, but stuck in the same traffic jam side by side.
        • The first man is livid, his grip on the steering wheel is firm, he is gritting his teeth, and could not be more frustrated with his situation.
          • His mind is reeling with all that he is falling behind on and all that he is not getting done.
        • The second man, in contrast, is not frustrated but rather grateful for a few extra minutes to slow down and spend an extra few minutes in prayer.
      • Though these two men sit only feet apart they are living in two different worlds.
    • What is the difference?
      • It is their perspective of the situation, how they are viewing it and how they are living because of it.
  • Again, that definition of perspective is…
    • “The personal lens through which an individual understands, interprets, and evaluates themselves and their circumstances, shaped by beliefs, experiences, and attitudes.”
• Perspective is an important thing for us to consider, now let’s consider it in light of our text today and the book of 1 Peter.
  • Let us read our verses and then open in prayer.

1 Peter 1:3-5

• In these verses Peter shines light upon some glorious truths for those who he is writing to.
  • By the way, it is important we pause for just a moment and consider again who Peter is writing this letter to.
  • With your Bibles still open please glance at the verses we covered last week…
    • Peter addressed this letter to the “elect exiles of the dispersion”.
    • Or, to consider it in a more modern way…
      • Peter directed this letter to the church dispersed across various regions, living as exiles and strangers in a hostile world.
      • We can place ourselves for a moment in their shoes…
        • Perhaps they faced persecution…
        • Perhaps they faced alienation from their family…
        • Perhaps they faced just regular struggles with life…
      • Though we will get some context about their struggles in a few verses, what is important for us to remember is that…
    • Peter did not write this letter to a people who did not know suffering and struggle.
  • Instead, quite the opposite, Peter wrote this letter to encourage those who were facing great difficulties.  
• Knowing that, then let us begin to consider our text today, which immediately follows the first two introductory verses.
  • As we consider it, remember where we began, considering perspective…
  • Peter challenges his audience, as he does us today, to consider our perspective and to elevate our perspective.
    • That is because we all have a tendency to let our perspective be self-centered and temporal focused.
    • To say it differently we can have a tendency to be nearsighted and blinded by our circumstances.
  • So I am certain that all of us, at least to some degree, can elevate our perspective and reframe the way we look at things based upon these verses.
• Peter challenges us in three ways, first, by challenging us to have…

A Perspective Driven by Praise - Vs. 3a

• Look again with me at the first sentence of verse 3…
  • Peter writes…
    • 1 Peter 1:3a - “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!...”
• Though Peter knows that he is writing to a people who feel extremely out of place…
  • Though he knows that he is writing to a people who are exiled…
  • Though he writes to a people that are more than likely facing some kind of persecution…
  • Though he himself had faced persecution and would end up perishing by it…
• He writes first reminding them that they need to be driven by praise…
  • He opens this letter with a prayer, crying out, “Blessed be… God…”
    • Here is the fact, regardless of what we face, we can always begin with praise.
      • That is not to make light of anything we could be facing, or the hurt we could be experiencing.
      • Instead it is the realization that God is greater than anything we could face.
    • Here is what I mean…
      • If you are in Christ Jesus,...
        • You dwell in the hand of the Son and…
        • In the hand of the Father, and…
        • You are sealed by the Spirit.
      • Thinking about that, consider what Paul writes in Romans 8, he asks a question…
        • Romans 8:35 - “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?”
        • Paul is asking the church at Rome to speculate, let us also speculate this morning. 
      • Considering the love of God shown to us, the love of Christ for which we know, can anything separate us from that love?
        • Can tribulation, trials, and troubles?
        • What about our feelings, being distressed and worried and anxious?
        • What about physical danger?
          • Being persecuted, experiencing hunger and want, famine and nakedness?
          • If we lost all of our physical possessions, including the clothes on our back, have we been severed from the love of Christ?
      • We could continue down this line of questioning and giving more examples but it is important we know that Paul answered this question for us in Romans 8.
        • Romans 8:38-39 - “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
        • Do you believe that, Christian?
        • Do you believe that nothing can separate you from the love of God found in Christ Jesus?
      • Do we act like it?
    • There are times when I am faced with an inconvenience and instead of being driven by praise, I am nothing more than a pouty child.
  • Peter begins here urging us by example to elevate our perspective…
    • Remembering that our salvation has been purchased by Christ…
    • Remembering that we are found securely in Him…
    • Remembering that nothing can separate us from that Love…
  • It does not make light of what we are facing but it instead begins to place things in their proper order.
    • If I know that nothing can separate me from the love God in Christ Jesus then I never have a reason not to praise the Lord.
    • Even if I do not feel like it, I can still praise the Lord.
• This is where a perspective shift begins for us, being driven by praise.
  • So I would ask you to consider your days, your prayers, your attitude when faced with an inconvenience.
    • Does praise flow freely from your lips?
    • Do you bless God as you consider not your circumstances but instead your redemption?
    • Would your life be defined by praise or by pouting?
  • Know this, church, that as I ask these questions I ask myself as well…
    • There are times where I am more pouty than praiseful and I need to elevate my perspective.
• Peter writes to us and urges us to have a perspective driven by praise and second…

A Perspective Rooted in the Resurrection - Vs. 3b

• Turn your attention again to verse 3 but let us consider the second part of it…
  • Peter writes…
    • 1 Peter 1:3b - “...According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,”
  • This flows from what we have already been talking about but connects our hope to the Resurrection.
• Let us consider the Resurrection in two ways…
  • First, let us consider the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead and what it means for us.
    • Let me remind you that the cornerstone of Christianity is the fact that Jesus rose from the dead.
      • If the Resurrection could be disproven then Christianity would crumble.
        • That is because there exists no hope in a dead Jewish carpenter who lived 2000 years ago.
      • However, the Resurrection is one of the most well documented realities of history.
      • Let me give you two considerations for the Resurrection.
        • First, consider the eyewitness testimony…
          • We often think of the apostles, rightfully so, but consider that it was not only the apostles.
          • Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15 and he lists several named eyewitnesses….
            • He lists the 12 apostles…
            • He lists Peter having experienced a separate visit from Christ.
            • He lists James, the brother of our Lord.
            • He lists himself.
            • However, he also says that Christ appeared to “more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive.”
          • This is an amazing thing, Christ did not just appear to a handful of people, he appeared to hundreds.
            • Some of this testimony was written down in the Gospels and letters for which we have possession of.
            • Others testimony was not written down but they still aided in the spread of the Gospel and the validity of the Resurrection of Christ.
          • This is huge, it is one thing to say that I have seen something remarkable.
            • It is another thing for others to stand up and claim that what I am saying is true.
            • Hundreds of people in the first century were able to say that very thing about the Risen Christ.  
          • Not only do we have eyewitness testimony but we also see…
        • Apostolic Transformation…
          • The Bible gives us an honest look at man, including the men that surrounded Jesus when He was arrested.  
          • What do we find?
            • We find the apostles fleeing, we find Peter denying.
            • These men clearly feared for their lives.  
            • The Gospel of Mark tells us that they were in hiding because of their fear.
          • Then, less than two months later, these same men are standing before the same group that killed Jesus with great boldness…
            • Telling the council, we will not stop proclaiming what we know to be true.
            • The change, at the heart of it, is the fact of the resurrection.
          • They saw the Risen Lord, they then realized that the only thing man could do to them is usher them speedily into the presence of the One they were living for.
      • Even though we live 2000 years later the resurrection is just as important today as it was then.
    • Peter seems to not only be referencing the Resurrection of Christ but also…
  • Second, the Resurrection that we have experienced by being born again.
    • The fact is that it is not only the resurrection of Christ that should shape our perspective, but it is also the personal resurrection of being found in Him.
    • If you are a Christian, if you have placed your faith in the Son of God and have experienced the forgiveness of sins…
      • Then that means you have been born again.
    • It is the way of expressing that we have been brought from death to life, we have been made “new creations” in Christ Jesus.
      • It should cause us to consider John 3 and the conversation that Jesus had with Nicodemus.
        • Jesus told Israel’s teacher, “...unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God…”
        • He goes on to describe that being born again means believing, or placing your faith in Christ.
      • So if you have placed your faith in Jesus and repented of your sins, then you are born again.
    • We will focus on this in just a moment but consider how verse 4 begins…
      • We have been born again…
      • Vs. 4 - “to an inheritance…”
    • This rebirth is not simply relevant now but it will be relevant throughout eternity.
  • Let us be sure our perspective is shaped by remembering that we have been born again.  
• In both of these resurrections we find our living hope that Peter is writing about.  
  • Again we have found something that cannot be shaken, that cannot be overturned, that cannot be undone.
  • Therefore our perspective needs to be rooted and grounded in this, and when we are firmly planted and consider our lives through the lens of this living hope…
    • We could join with the Apostle Paul and ask…
      • Romans 8:31 - “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?”
    • Peter answers that question for us today by pointing us to the hope we have in the resurrection.
  • The fact is if God did not spare His own Son for us then we have a hope that cannot be shaken.
• So let us again pause and consider our daily perspective, consider our moody Mondays and tired Tuesdays…
  • Is your daily perspective rooted and grounded in the reality of the resurrection?
  • Is your view of your life and days founded upon the reality of your new birth?
• Peter writes to us and urges us to consider our perspective and how the reality of resurrection should shape our lives…
  • So we have seen that our perspective should be…
    • Driven by praise…
    • Rooted in the Resurrection and, lastly,…
  • We should have…

A Perspective Eternal in the Heavens - Vs. 4-5

• Look again with me at verses 4 and 5 of 1 Peter 1.
  • Vs. 4-5
• The final part of our time together will be to consider our inheritance that Peter writes about in these verses.
  • We are going to look at how he describes this but let us first consider that final verse and recognize the security that we have in Christ and our salvation.
    • Though we have already talked about the security we have in this salvation do not miss what Peter writes here.
    • He tells us that our eternal inheritance is guarded by the power of God.
      • Think about that for just a moment…
        • Your eternity, your salvation is not held by you but instead is guarded by God and His power.
          • The power which He has displayed in speaking Creation into existence…
          • That same power guards your inheritance.
        • There is nothing more secure than something that is guarded by the Power of our Creator.
      • We are secure in Him and what a glorious reminder that is for us today.
    • Consider it again in light of your daily perspective, do you often consider that your Creator, whose Son died for you, guards your eternity?
      • Are your days shaped by considering this reality?
  • Beyond that though Peter describes this inheritance, or to be more accurate he describes what it is not…
    • He uses three words in verse 4 to describe this inheritance, look again…
      • He says that it is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading.
      • Take note that each of these words is the opposite of words that are a part of our current existence.
        • So instead of describing what this inheritance is like he spends time describing it as the opposite of what we now know.
      • Let’s consider these three…
    • He tells us that it is imperishable.
      • For us to understand this we have to know first what it means to be perishable.
        • This we know all too well, for everything in this life has an expiration date. 
          • Sometimes we know that date, other times it is a glorious mystery.
        • However, it is without dispute that everything we see, everything we know, will not endure but is perishing.
          • The only exception to that reality is with people.
          • Though it is true that we all will one day perish and die…
            • It is not the end but instead we will continue to live into eternity.
            • Either with Christ or under the judgment of God.
        • However, our inheritance being imperishable, points to our eternity not expiring.
          • It will never perish.
        • It is also important to note that this word does mean more than simply not to perish.
      • It also points to something that cannot be corrupted and cannot be destroyed.
        • That is to say that Peter is pointing to an eternal home that will never go away.
        • What we are talking about is captured well in a poem by Robert Louis Stevenson named “When all the Stars Are Gone”, it reads…
          • The stars shine over the mountains,
            The stars shine over the sea,
            The stars look up to the mighty God,
            The stars look down on me;
            The stars shall last for a million years,
            A million years and a day,
            But God and I will live and love
            When the stars have passed away.
        • This captures what it means to be imperishable.
      • Not only is this inheritance imperishable…
    • He tells us that it is undefiled.
      • Consider what it means to dwell in a world that is defiled…
        • We dwell in a world that is corrupted and stained by sin.
      • Is there anything in this life that is free from being defiled?
        • I can think of nothing on this side of heaven that is uncorrupted by sin.  
      • What is difficult, at least for me, is imagining a place, thinking of an existence, that is free from such defilement.  
        • Picture it if you can but if you cannot then at least recognize with me that our inheritance is kept guard by God and cannot be defiled.
        • It is where we are headed, and it is a glorious reality to be reminded of.
      • The final point that Peter makes regarding this inheritance is that…
    • He tells us that it is unfading.
      • This is the only time this word is used in the Bible and this word means that it cannot fade, and will not decay.
      • The root word, fading, is used once in the New Testament, in James 1:11.
        • James 1:11 - “For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.”
      • James points to wealth and empty pursuits and tells us that they will fade away, they will decay.
        • To contrast that we have an inheritance that will endure, that will not corrupt, that will not decay.
      • As we think about that it is important that we consider what we are living for today.
    • Are we exhausting ourselves for something that will fade or are we living for something that is unfading?
  • As you consider it let me draw you back to where we started and what our main topic of the day is…
• It is perspective, and Peter urges us to cast our sights upon eternity and the inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading.
• What we have been talking about, what I am really asking you to consider is if you have a Christ Centered Perspective.
  • Is your perspective elevated and do you view your life through who you are in Christ?
  • Is that where your gaze is found?
    • I do not speak of just in this moment, but in your life outside of this place…
      • Tomorrow as you rise…
      • This week as you are stuck in traffic…
      • Two weeks from now as you are scrambling to make it to all the Christmas events…
    • What will your perspective be during those times?
      • Will it be Christ Centered and Eternity Minded or will it be self-focused and nearsighted?
      • I will tell you that the temptation for us all is to live a nearsighted existence.
  • I challenge you today to elevate your perspective and be sure that you are living with a Christ Centered Perspective.  
• We would all do well to follow the example of the apostle Peter…
  • Praising God, with whatever we face…
  • Resting in the Resurrection, no matter what may come…
    • And…
  • Looking forward to the inheritance we have that is guarded by God…

Closing

• It is here we will close, and here we consider…
  • What is your perspective?
    • Only you can answer that question, only you can honestly evaluate yourself.
  • If you are looking upon this last week and it has not been centered upon Christ, then I urge you to elevate your perspective.  
• However, it is important that I also point out that you can only have this elevated perspective if you are truly found in Him.
  • So some of us may not need to consider our perspective but instead consider our salvation…
  • Have you placed your faith in Christ?
    • One day you will stand before God and you will be judged for your sins…
      • Imagine that is today, and you are before Him, and He looks upon you and knows all that you have ever done.
    • If that is today, if that is now, then what is your defense?
      • If it is anything other than Christ has paid that debt for me, then you do not need to evaluate your perspective.
      • You need to see if you are found in Him.
  • The altar will be open for any prayer or decisions that need to be made…
• Let’s pray.