Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! 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, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. ...

To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

By Silvanus, a faithful brother as I regard him, I have written briefly to you, exhorting and declaring that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it. She who is at Babylon, who is likewise chosen, sends you greetings, and so does Mark, my son. Greet one another with the kiss of love.

Peace to all of you who are in Christ.—1 Peter 1:3–9, 5:11–14 

Outline

Introduction: A People Rooted in Promises

1. Some Promises for Prayer (1 Peter 3:12, 5:6–7) 
2. A General Principle of Prayer (1 Peter 3:7, 3:12)
3. The Present Need of Prayer (1 Peter 4:7)

Application: A People Proving his Power 

Introduction: A People Rooted in Promises

Let me remind you of where we’ve been on this journey in 1 Peter. The apostle Peter started by telling these people who they are. They are a people rooted in the promises of God. Peter started by telling them who they are, what their identity is, and piling on the promises of God. They are elect exiles, set apart by the Holy Spirit, and sprinkled with blood for obedience to Jesus.

They are born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. They have an inheritance kept in heaven for them and a God who promised to guard them by faith. That inheritance is imperishable, unfading, and undefiled. Never going away, never diminishing in glory or beauty, and never susceptible to any brokenness creeping in. They are recipients of the eternal word of glory. 

They are children of their Father, who would refine their faith through trials so that it would be strong enough to make it to the end. They are children of the Father who is always watching to discipline them for their good and his glory. They are a family meant to come together, love each other, and walk together toward glory. They are a chosen race and a royal priesthood meant to declare the excellencies of the one who saved them by his mercy.

And that’s how Peter ended last week too. He reminded the believers that it was the God of all grace who had called them to eternal glory and would make sure they got there, because he himself would pour out his power toward them. 

And why does Peter tell them who they are and give them these big promises? Because he knows suffering is coming. He knows persecution is coming. And he wants them to be able to stand in all of this grace. He wants their anchor firm.

As the waves of suffering come, he wants them to remember that they are children of the God of all grace and, like little Quinn in the ocean last week, he wants them to stand in his strength. Like little Apollos under the water, he wants us to know that he’s got us and will keep his promise never to leave us or forsake us—no matter how unsettling the circumstances are.

And not only does Peter want them to stand firm, but he wants believers to shine as lights in the midst of a crooked generation so that others may see our beautiful deeds and see the beauty of our King. 

This is the call of our lives as the blood-bought family of God right now: Stand firm in his grace and shine forth his glory. Stand firm in his grace amidst the waves of social unrest, election seasons, the COVID-19 pandemic, job losses, disease, and even death. Shine forth his glory as we hope in Jesus rather than in politicians; as we love each other and those who curse with self-giving love; as we honor politicians with whom we disagree; as we show that our unity in the gospel is so much stronger than any opinions, preferences, or lies that could divide us; and as we cling to our King as our steady anchor in the midst of the uncertain waves of 2020.

So Peter has tried to show us that we are people rooted in his promises, standing in his grace, and shining forth his glory. And I wanted to take today to look at the four times that Peter mentions prayer, because I think it is the greatest need of the hour. 

We are creating all sorts of times to pray in this season of uncertainty. We are praying on our Fasting Fridays at 6:30am and Noon. The day before the election, we are going to have 24 hours of prayer that you can sign up for. We’re going to devote our Wednesday Night Connection after the election to a night of worship and prayer. Why would we do that?

Because I think prayer is the most basic way to lean into God’s presence and power, rooted in his promises. Why? Because prayer admits we are weak and cannot do it, and that the God who created the world must step in and work in us and through us for the sake of his name. So with that backdrop from Peter and that motivation—God’s presence and power—let’s look at what Peter says about prayer as we review.

Some Promises for Prayer (1 Peter 3:12, 5:6–7) 

I just finished saying that we are a people rooted in the promises of God. That means the promises of God compel us to trust the Lord and act differently. And it’s no different with prayer. Peter gives us two stunning promises in this book about prayer.

For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer.—1 Peter 3:12 

Why would we pray? Because our Father’s eyes are always on us. He’s always with us. We are righteous in Christ and our Father’s ears are open to our prayers. Revelation 8 tells us they are a sweet aroma to him. Hebrews 12 tell us we can approach boldly and find a throne of grace. Ephesians 2 tells us we have access by the Holy Spirit. 

Our God is not sullen and annoyed, wishing you would stop bothering him. His eyes are on you and his ears are open to you. I want you to have this picture in your mind.

When you are afraid and the waves are crashing over you and you feel like you’re alone—if you would just look behind you, you would see that your Father’s eyes are on you. He hasn’t lost sight of you. And when you cry out to him in your pain and uncertainty, or when you cry out to him for power and for help to obey, he will not turn his back on you. He will run to you and stoop down and listen to you intently. This is the promise: If we will draw near to God, then he will draw near to us. What a stunning promise! Oh, that in our uncertainty we would draw near to our Father.

Let’s look at the second promise of Peter about prayer:

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.—1 Peter 5:6–7

As we admit our weakness and rest in our Father’s strength, we are invited to cast our anxieties on him. Why? Because he cares for us.

I don’t know how many people carry so much shame and guilt and pain on their own and try to fix themselves up before they talk to God. But here is a stunning invitation. Those burdens you can’t stand to carry anymore? Don’t! Cast them on the strong shoulders of your Father in heaven whose eyes are on you and whose ears are open to you.

Why? Because he cares for you. He already knows your pain. He already knows your fear. He already knows your brokenness. He already knows your failure. And he wants you to come and cast it all on him.

The first thoughts of almost every day for me and the last thoughts of every night for me are so easily filled with my fears and failures. It’s just who we are—and there are plenty of things to fear and plenty of ways I fail, so there’s no shortage of material. 

But what I’ve begun to do in the morning and evening for a few years now is simply look all of it right in the face, remember who my Father is, and say, “Lord, take it. I can’t bear it. You want me to cast it on you. You promise that there is well-timed help and mercy at your throne of grace. I can’t bear this on my own. I can’t bear this counseling case on my own. I can’t bear my parenting needs or failures on my own. I can’t bear my family’s suffering on my own. I can’t bear my sinful failures on my own. I can’t bear the uncertainty and conflicts in the church on my own. I’m giving it to you.”

And as I cast those cares on him, I feel his care for me. I experience his watching eyes and open ears. Who is more faithful than he is? When will he not be there to keep his promises? When will his power not be enough to sustain? He is the God of all grace and all power.

We can leave the restlessness of our fears and failures, cast our cares on our Father, and run to Jesus who promises rest for our souls—his yoke is easy and his burden is light. Rooted in these promises, we should storm the throne of grace for God’s presence and power as dependent children who need our Father’s strong arms to hold us in the waves.

A General Principle of Prayer (1 Peter 3:7, 3:12) 

Our union with Christ can never be broken because of his death and resurrection. But our fellowship with him can be broken. The promises we just talked about are always there for the repentant heart; listen to Isaiah 66:2:

All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the LORD. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.

Yet we can all admit that, at times, we are not contrite. We are not humble. We do not tremble at his word. Instead, like Israel in the book of Judges, we are caught up in the guiding principle of this present age and simply “doing what is right in our own eyes.” There is no repentance. So here’s the principle: while fellowship in prayer is always available to the repentant Christian, fellowship in prayer will be hindered if you are unrepentant and ignore sin. Let’s see this.

Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.—1 Peter 3:7

Here is a principle for the husbands in the room. If you don’t live with your wife this way, knowing her soul, showing her honor, and treating her like a fellow-heir of grace with you—then your Father tells us our fellowship with him in prayer will be hindered. In other words, don’t treat your wife harshly, cruelly, or as unimportant and expect that her Father is not going to discipline you and is just going to pretend like everything is OK. Or what about 1 Peter 3:12?

For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil. 

If you are actively, unrepentantly practicing evil, the Lord will not just let it go. He will discipline you for your good. Your fellowship with him will be broken and hindered. Now, your union is never broken with him—and therefore the humble, contrite heart can run back to him at any time and fall into his arms. But unrepentant sin will cause distance.

Are we obsessed with the sin out there in the world but not looking honestly at our own hearts? To our passionate pleas for the culture to change and for laws to change, our God might say, “Judgment begins at the household of God” (cf. 4:17)—so repent from your sexual sin, from your bitterness, from your grumbling, from your reviling, from your apathy, from your greed, from your need for comfort, and from your anger—and then pray for the nation.” 

I would simply ask you today that if there are patterns of unrepentant sin in your life today, would you right now draw near to God in repentance? Do you care about pro-life issues during an election year and are apathetic practically between elections? Do you hate and revile political opponents? Are you caught up in some pattern of lust, bitterness, anger, or anxiety that you need to give over to the Lord? Draw near to him now—in repentance! 

The promise is that he will draw near to you. If we want to see our world changed, it will happen through prayer, and if we want to pray in deep fellowship with our Father, we cannot fellowship with idols while we fellowship with him.

The promises to pray are great—so let us throw off every weight and sin which clings so closely and let us run the race set before us, looking to Jesus and drawing near to him and his throne of grace in repentance. Here is where the first two points come together often our need for repentance is a need to stop relying on our own power and trust his promises. 

You and I were never meant to repent for not being everywhere for everybody and all at once. You and I are meant to repent because we've tried to be.^[1] 

The Present Need of Prayer (1 Peter 4:7)

The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. 

We are living between the first and second comings of Jesus—that’s what the Bible calls “the last days.” We are a people waiting to head home to be with him forever. His return is imminent, even if we don’t know when. The call here is not to predict when he’s coming, but rather to call us to sober-mindedness and self-control so that we can be a people of passionate prayer. 

The need of the hour is prayer. People in our neighborhoods and the nations are lost– let us pray with tears for their salvation. People are suffering—let us pray with passion for their sustaining. So Peter says to bathe your mind in who you are and what you’re called to.

So, let me ask you: Are you sober-minded and self-controlled? Are you filling your soul with healthy meals from the Word to let it shape you, calm you, and hold you so that you can then go to God in prayer? Or are you filling your soul with late-night Taco Bell snacks of the world that only cause you to run on anxiety and adrenaline and post more than you pray? 

Why do I say to go to the Word for this? Because the last time Peter called his hearers to sober-mindedness was in chapter 1, where he told them to set their hope fully on Jesus Christ. How will you do that apart from the Word?

Christians have a chance to shine brightly in this season as we fix our eyes on Jesus and pray for an outpouring of his presence. We have a chance to stand firm and not be shaken. We have a chance to bless those who curse us. We have a chance to submit to and honor those with whom we don’t agree. We have a chance to fill the places where we live with beautiful deeds that show the beauty of our King—and it’s going to happen by prayer. There is nothing more important in this moment than a praying church. 

And if we want to be a praying church, then we must fix our hope fully on Jesus Christ in these present days. Would you commit to opening the word of God and reminding yourself of the good news of Jesus before you look at any other news? Would you commit to eating true bread and drinking true living water before you fill up on other things? Would you commit to turning off your TV, or phone, or whatever if you feel your soul losing control or sobriety and instead run to Jesus? Would you commit to pray more than you post? Would you commit to pour out your heart before God before you pour out your opinions to others?

Application: A People Proving His Power

And as we give ourselves to prayer, and as God meets us with his presence—we become a people who prove his power. Let me read three passages in 1 Peter that prove this is the point of it all: to make much of our God who sent his Son to purchase a people that will be with him forever. 

Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.—1 Peter 2:12

Whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.—1 Peter 4:11

By Silvanus, a faithful brother as I regard him, I have written briefly to you, exhorting and declaring that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it.—1 Peter 5:12

O Bethlehem, in this uncertain season, remember who you are. Be rooted in his promises—in his Word—so that you can hope fully in Jesus! Walk through 1 Peter and remind yourself of those promises these coming weeks. O Bethlehem, fill this place with beautiful deeds that show the beauty of our King. O Bethlehem, as you find that you are weak and cannot stand, pour out your heart, knowing your Father’s eyes are on you and his ears are open to you. O Bethlehem, where there is unrepentant sin in your life—turn from it now and fall into his arms again and find freedom to obey and love, empowered by deep fellowship in prayer.

And as we walk out this Christian life, rooted in his promise and empowered by prayer, we will prove his power and he will get glory. It is a strange thing when people can disagree and still love each other. It is a strange thing when people bless those who curse them. It is a strange thing when people love, submit to, and honor those they don’t always agree with. It is a strange thing when people keep hoping and rejoicing even when suffering comes and society seems against them. It is a strange thing when people admit their weakness and run to another for his strength. It is a strange thing when people can be at rest in the midst of waves that keep crashing. 

And as that happens, it will happen because he is keeping his promises and drawing near to us with power as we draw near to him in prayer. And all of that will show that what most defines Christians is their hope in the eternal glory they have been called to by a heavenly Father who has always got them, because they are a part of the blood-bought family of God.

We are a people that can rejoice—because we know our Father sees us, hears us, will carry our burdens, and will meet us in our suffering with power to stand in his grace and shine forth his glory.
__________ 

[1] Quote from Zack Eswine given to me by Stacy Thorpe.

Sermon Discussion Questions

1. Some Promises for Prayer (1 Peter 3:12, 5:7) 
2. A General Principle of Prayer (1 Peter 3:7, 3:12)
3. The Present Need of Prayer (1 Peter 4:7)