While We Wait | Exhortations for Exiles

WHILE WE WAIT: EXHORTATIONS FOR EXILES

A 1 PETER ADVENT SERIES

Series Overview:

The term advent has been defined as the arrival of a notable person, thing, or event. Historically, Advent is a season of celebration tied to the arrival of the Messiah. It’s an occasion where Christ’s people look backward with great joy to that notable event of the Savior’s arrival in the flesh. It’s also an occasion where they look ahead with great anticipation to His glorious arrival when He returns.

And in between those two arrivals? Christ’s people wait.

But in our waiting, we aren’t called to passivity; instead, we are called to action. That, essentially, is what the book of 1 Peter is all about.

Originally written as a letter to persecuted Christians living as exiles throughout the Roman province of Asia Minor (now modern-day Turkey), Peter sought to encourage and strengthen his audience by assuring them that though they experienced suffering, they could nonetheless abound in living hope. Peter accomplished this by looking backward and forward at both arrivals: Jesus’ life and resurrection, which certify the living hope to which they had been called, and the day of Jesus’ revelation, when all God’s promises are finally and fully realized.

With the reality of these two arrivals in view, Peter answers the question of what sort of people we should be as we await the full realization of our hope. And while these words were written for a specific group, God’s message through Peter applies to every follower of Christ, in every generation, as we sojourn in a fallen world toward our eternal inheritance.

Series Outline:

Summary of Foundation (1:3-12

Born again to a living hope, reality & purpose of suffering, climax of faith: revelation of Jesus Christ/full realization of salvation.

Three exhortations tied to this foundation, as we await Christ’s return:

  1. A call to holiness (1:13-2:3)

  2. A call to bear witness (2:4-12ff)

  3. A call to be stewards of God’s grace through love & faithful service (4:7-11ff)

Sequence:

Week 1: Foundation, called to holiness (1:3-2:3).

Week 2: Called to bear witness (2:4-12 ff)

Week 3: Called to be stewards of God’s grace through love & faithful service (4:7-11ff)

1 Peter 2:4-12

1 Peter 2:4-12

WHILE WE WAIT: EXHORTATIONS FOR EXILES

A 1 PETER ADVENT SERIES

Series Overview:

The term advent has been defined as the arrival of a notable person, thing, or event. Historically, Advent is a season of celebration tied to the arrival of the Messiah. It’s an occasion where Christ’s people look backward with great joy to that notable event of the Savior’s arrival in the flesh. It’s also an occasion where they look ahead with great anticipation to His glorious arrival when He returns.

And in between those two arrivals? Christ’s people wait.

But in our waiting, we aren’t called to passivity; instead, we are called to action. That, essentially, is what the book of 1 Peter is all about.

Originally written as a letter to persecuted Christians living as exiles throughout the Roman province of Asia Minor (now modern-day Turkey), Peter sought to encourage and strengthen his audience by assuring them that though they experienced suffering, they could nonetheless abound in living hope. Peter accomplished this by looking backward and forward at both arrivals: Jesus’ life and resurrection, which certify the living hope to which they had been called, and the day of Jesus’ revelation, when all God’s promises are finally and fully realized.

With the reality of these two arrivals in view, Peter answers the question of what sort of people we should be as we await the full realization of our hope. And while these words were written for a specific group, God’s message through Peter applies to every follower of Christ, in every generation, as we sojourn in a fallen world toward our eternal inheritance.

Series Outline:

Summary of Foundation (1:3-12

Born again to a living hope, reality & purpose of suffering, climax of faith: revelation of Jesus Christ/full realization of salvation.

Three exhortations tied to this foundation, as we await Christ’s return:

A call to holiness (1:13-2:3)

A call to bear witness (2:4-12ff)

A call to be stewards of God’s grace through love & faithful service (4:7-11ff)

Sequence:

Week 1: Foundation, called to holiness (1:3-2:3).

Week 2: Called to bear witness (2:4-12 ff)

Week 3: Called to be stewards of God’s grace through love & faithful service (4:7-11ff)

1 Peter 1:3-2:3

1 Peter 1:3-2:3

WHILE WE WAIT: EXHORTATIONS FOR EXILES

A 1 PETER ADVENT SERIES

Series Overview:

The term advent has been defined as the arrival of a notable person, thing, or event. Historically, Advent is a season of celebration tied to the arrival of the Messiah. It’s an occasion where Christ’s people look backward with great joy to that notable event of the Savior’s arrival in the flesh. It’s also an occasion where they look ahead with great anticipation to His glorious arrival when He returns.

And in between those two arrivals? Christ’s people wait.

But in our waiting, we aren’t called to passivity; instead, we are called to action. That, essentially, is what the book of 1 Peter is all about.

Originally written as a letter to persecuted Christians living as exiles throughout the Roman province of Asia Minor (now modern-day Turkey), Peter sought to encourage and strengthen his audience by assuring them that though they experienced suffering, they could nonetheless abound in living hope. Peter accomplished this by looking backward and forward at both arrivals: Jesus’ life and resurrection, which certify the living hope to which they had been called, and the day of Jesus’ revelation, when all God’s promises are finally and fully realized.

With the reality of these two arrivals in view, Peter answers the question of what sort of people we should be as we await the full realization of our hope. And while these words were written for a specific group, God’s message through Peter applies to every follower of Christ, in every generation, as we sojourn in a fallen world toward our eternal inheritance.

Series Outline:

Summary of Foundation (1:3-12

Born again to a living hope, reality & purpose of suffering, climax of faith: revelation of Jesus Christ/full realization of salvation.

Three exhortations tied to this foundation, as we await Christ’s return:

A call to holiness (1:13-2:3)

A call to bear witness (2:4-12ff)

A call to be stewards of God’s grace through love & faithful service (4:7-11ff)

Sequence:

Week 1: Foundation, called to holiness (1:3-2:3).

Week 2: Called to bear witness (2:4-12 ff)

Week 3: Called to be stewards of God’s grace through love & faithful service (4:7-11ff)

The Gospel of Matthew | Jesus, King of Heaven

Matthew at a Glance

The Gospel of Matthew recounts the most important happenings in all of world history—the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. A tax collector named Matthew left his profession to follow Jesus and then wrote his Gospel to tell the story of the long-awaited Messiah, who came to fulfill God’s promise of peace and salvation for sinners. Matthew reveals Jesus’ true identity, that he is the way—the only way—to eternal life. 

Matthew’s Gospel contains five discourses (organized teachings), which provide us with a manual for discipleship. These discourses show us how to live by faith in a fear-filled world and to shine the light of Christ in dark places. Among the riches of this Gospel we find Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, his many parables, and his teaching about how human history will end. But overarching everything else is the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus himself, vividly shown to us by one who loved his Lord. 

Key Themes in Matthew

  • Jesus is the true Messiah, Son of God, King of Israel, and Lord of the church.

  • Jesus fulfills all the hopes and promises of the Old Testament.

  • Christ followers are to live faithful and obedient lives that reflect their Savior.

  • All believers are to participate in Jesus’ Great Commission of making disciples of all nations.

Simple Overview of Matthew*

I. (Prologue) The King’s Advent (1:1–4:25)

A. His Birth (1:1–2:23)

B. His Entry into Public Ministry (3:1–4:25)

II. The King’s Authority (5:1–9:38)

A. Discourse 1: The Sermon on the Mount (5:1–7:29)

B. Narrative 1: The Authenticating Miracles (8:1–9:38)

III. The King’s Agenda (10:1–12:50)

A. Discourse 2: The Commissioning of the Twelve (10:1–42)

B. Narrative 2: The Mission of the King (11:1–12:50)

IV. The King’s Adversaries (13:1–17:27)

A. Discourse 3: The Kingdom Parables (13:1–52)

B. Narrative 3: The Kingdom Conflict (13:53–17:27)

V. The King’s Administration (18:1–23:39)

A. Discourse 4: The Childlikeness of the Believer (18:1–35)

B. Narrative 4: The Jerusalem Ministry (19:1–23:39)

VI. The King’s Atonement (24:1–28:15)

A. Discourse 5: The Olivet Discourse (24:1–25:46)

B. Narrative 5: The Crucifixion and Resurrection (26:1–28:15)

VII. (Epilogue) The King’s Assignment (28:16–20)

*MacArthur, J. (2001). The MacArthur quick reference guide to the Bible (Student ed., p. 178). W Pub. Group.

Summer in the Psalms

The Book of Psalms, or the Psalter, is a collection of poems written by more than half a dozen men spanning the time of Moses to the time of Ezra & Nehemiah (almost 1,000 years) expressing the full range of human emotions-joy, desperation, thanksgiving, fear, trust, anger, and awe. This “anatomy of all parts of the soul” as it has been called has been used by the church for millenia to express its worship. May we, with the Church of all ages, see the Great King celebrated in these songs of praise and with greater clarity and eagerness meditate on His greatness, pray for His strength, sing to His name.

Types of Songs: The Psalms contain many different types of literature. For our purposes we will classify them in 5 categories, though these could certainly be broken down further.

Hymn: Songs of praise to God for some aspect of His nature or simply celebrating some manifestation of His faithfulness in the Psalmist’s life.

Lament: These songs start out as complaint for current distressing circumstances, transition into petition for God to act, and most often end with a declaration of trust in God’s salvation. There are 50+ laments in the Psalms.

Imprecatory: These unsettling prayers call upon God to judge, curse, and, sometimes, destroy God’s enemies.

Kingship/Royal: These are Psalms which celebrate or declare the reign of God as King. Some celebrate the Davidic King as representative of God’s reign on earth.

Wisdom: These Psalms echo the Proverbs in many ways. They are songs specifically focused on teaching God’s people a manner of life pleasing to the LORD.

The Book of Psalms:

Title: Our English title Psalms comes from a Greek word which is a translation of a Hebrew word mizmor. This term signifies plucking, as in, the action that would happen in playing a stringed instrument. The title in most Hebrews manuscripts, however, is Tehillim which means Songs of Praise. This word has the same root as the word Hallelujah.

Authors: There are at least 7 authors through whom God worked to write the Psalms: David (73), Korah (12), Asaph (12), Heman, Ethan, Moses, and Solomon. Many Psalms are anonymous.

Date: From the time of Moses to the time of Ezra Nehemiah. About 1400BC. - 450BC.

Structure: The Psalms were collected and organized into 5 Books. The conclusion of the first 4 books is signaled by a benediction (41.13; 72.19; 89.52; 106.48)

Book 1: Chapters 1-41

Book 2: Chapters 42-72

Book 3: Chapters 73-89

Book 4: Chapters 90-106

Book 5: Chapters 107-150