1 PETER LESSON 6


     We will begin this lesson in I Peter 3:12 "For the eyes of the
Lord [are] over the righteous, and his ears [are open] unto their
prayers: but the face of the Lord [is] against them that do evil."

     The following Scriptures says the feeling of God toward His own
and the people of the world. John 9:31 "Now we know that God heareth
not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his
will, him he heareth."  James 5:16 "Confess [your] faults one to
another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The
effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."  This
certainly does not mean that God will not hear a prayer of repentance.
God will listen to the prayer of anyone when they repent. He does see
the actions of all of us everyday. He listens more to His own than He
does to those who have refused Him. There is a Christian song that
speaks of the all-seeing eye of God. Not anything escapes His view.
God will not force Himself upon anyone. He will wait for us to come to
Him.

     I Peter 3:13 "And who [is] he that will harm you, if ye be
followers of that which is good?"

     The devil cannot harm a Christian without first getting
permission from the Lord. When persecution comes, it is to make the
Christian strong. The blood of Jesus defeated the devil on the cross.
Christians are covered in the blood of Jesus. Some translations say
"if ye be zealous of that which is good". Both statements mean we have
put our trust in the Lord.

     I Peter 3:14 "But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy
[are ye]: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled;"

     In this life Christians have tribulation, or persecution.
Tribulation makes them strong. It is a very strange thing to explain,
but the church grows the most during the worst persecution. True
Christianity will rise above the problems of life and go on.

     I Peter 3:15 "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and [be]
ready always to [give] an answer to every man that asketh you a reason
of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:"

     This just means to be totally committed to the Lord in your
heart. You are what your heart is. The last part of this just means
that we must be ready to witness to everyone about what the Lord has
done in our lives. The witness of the saved, brings others to the
Lord. We should not be arrogant when we are witnessing to others. When
we minister to someone, it must be done in love. The following
Scriptures tell us exactly what to say to those we minister to.
Matthew 10:18 "And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for
my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles." Matthew 10:19
"But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall
speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall
speak." Matthew 10:20 "For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of
your Father which speaketh in you."  Regardless of who we are speaking
to, we must put our trust in God that we will say what they need to
hear.

     I Peter 3:16 "Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak
evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse
your good conversation in Christ."

     This is saying to me that we Christians should be totally honest
in all that we do. When we lie down to sleep at night, we should have
lived today with no regrets. We should do good all the days of our
lives, regardless of what the world around us is doing. When we
continue to speak absolute truth in love, those who have been speaking
evil of us, will soon feel guilty and repent. We must set a very high
standard of Christianity. When the world looks, we must not even give
the appearance of evil.

     I Peter 3:17 "For [it is] better, if the will of God be so, that
ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing."

     Jesus suffered for doing good, not evil. Christians should be
followers of Christ. If He suffered, we will suffer. Paul counted it a
privilege to suffer for Christ. We learn from history that Peter was
even pleased that He would be crucified like Jesus was. If we suffer
for evil we have done, we have no reward, we deserve the punishment.
If we suffer for Christ, great is our reward in heaven.

     I Peter 3:18 "For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the
just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death
in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:"

     Jesus Christ {who knew no sin} took upon his body, the sin of us
all. He had no sin of His own. He was the Righteous One. He gave us in
return His righteousness, which justified us before the Father. The
Spirit of God dwelled within the flesh of man in the form of Jesus
Christ. Jesus gave His flesh on the cross in full payment for our sin.
His Spirit went to the Father in heaven. He said "Father, into thy
hands, I commend my Spirit." His Spirit, which is eternal, went to the
throne of God. Jesus, the Word of God, is alive.

     I Peter 3:19 "By which also he went and preached unto the spirits
in prison;"

     The Spirit of Jesus went into the place of imprisonment of the
spirits departed from this earth and preached to those who had not had
an opportunity to accept, or reject, Him. Every person has his
opportunity to accept, or reject, Jesus as their Saviour.

     I Peter 3:20 "Which sometime were disobedient, when once the
longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a
preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water."

     They were disobedient, because they did not know of God. The
church had not been established at this time, spoken of as Noah's day.
Noah found favor in the sight of the Lord, and God saved Noah and his
wife, his three sons, and their wives. These 8 people would
repopulate the earth. The "number eight" means new beginnings. God
does not leave the slightest detail out.

     I Peter 3:21 "The like figure whereunto [even] baptism doth also
now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the
answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus
Christ:"

     "Water baptism" is an outward show of the death of the body and
rising from that watery grave to new life in Christ. The real baptism,
that saves us, is the transformation that takes place in our heart. We
must turn our heart over to Jesus. Water baptism is very important. It
confirms to the world, what has gone on in our heart. Jesus defeated
sin for the Christian on the cross. He defeated death, when He rose
from the tomb.

     I Peter 3:22 "Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand
of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto
him."

     We can see from the following verses the extent to which His
authority extends. Ephesians 1:20 "Which he wrought in Christ, when he
raised him from the dead, and set [him] at his own right hand in the
heavenly [places]," Ephesians 1:21 "Far above all principality, and
power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only
in this world, but also in that which is to come:" Philippians 2:10
"That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of [things] in
heaven, and [things] in earth, and [things] under the earth;"  Jesus
is seated at the right hand of the Father, because He has completed
His work of salvation. The only time the Bible mentions Jesus standing
at the right hand of the Father, is when he stood to greet His servant
Stephen home.



















                          1 Peter 6 Questions


1.  Verse 12 says the eyes of the Lord are over who?
2.  His ears are open unto their ___________.
3.  Who is the face of the Lord against?
4.  Quote John chapter 9 verse 31.
5.  The _________ ________ prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
6.  The prayers of the _______ are always heard.
7.  Who has the all-seeing eye?
8.  What must the devil do, before he attacks a Christian?
9.  Why do Christians suffer persecution?
10. What does "if ye be followers of that which is good" mean?
11. When is the church in the greatest growth?
12. Sanctify the Lord God in your _________.
13. Be ready always to give an _________ to every man that asketh you
    a reason of the hope that is within you.
14. When we minister to someone, it must be done in _______.
15. Quote Matthew chapter 10 verse 19.
16. When we continue to speak absolute truth in love, what will those
    who have been speaking evil of us do?
17. What was Paul's attitude about suffering for Christ?
18. Christ was put to death in the ________ , but quickened in the
    _________.
19. What did Jesus give to the believers, when He took their sin on
    His body on the cross?
20. Quote 1 Peter chapter 3 verse 19.
21. Why were the people in Noah's day disobedient?
22. How many souls were saved from the flood in Noah's day?
23. Who were they?
24. What does the "number 8" mean spiritually?
25. What is "water baptism"?
26. What is the baptism that saves us?
27. When did Jesus defeat sin for the Christian?
28. When did Jesus defeat death?
29. Where is Jesus now?
30. What was the only time that Jesus was spoken of as standing at the
    right hand of God?