1 Peter 1:1-12
Related Sunday School Lesson, Family Bible Series, August 8

My wife and I celebrated her birthday a few weeks ago in a cabin nestled on the side of a mountain in North Carolina. For one of our “teambuilding” activities, we chose to go whitewater rafting. We had been rafting on several other occasions and on various types of rivers, but never without our two teenagers and pre-adolescent. We chose to go down a river we had paddled before, but this time we used a two-man raft and no guide.

We signed the waiver, paid our money, and received our equipment. The trip on the class II and III rapids included a wet suit, paddle, and PFD (life jacket), and most importantly, a video presentation on safety. We never thought we would need the safety lecture because of our former whitewater experience, but boy were we wrong.

We did fine for 99% of the river, but then we had to complete the run by going through a nasty class III rapid (Rapids are classed from I-V with V being the most difficult). With apprehension growing faster than fertilized kudzu, we positioned ourselves for the assault on the last rapid.

As we descended on the final drop, the raft turned sideways and we were immediately plunged beneath a rushing cascade of water. We had “crashed and burned” as they say! When the raft tipped over, I grabbed my Mississippi State ballcap but lost my wife – a move that would have disappointed Gary Smalley and Les/Leslie Parrot, but pleased MSU coach Ron Polk! (so much for teambuilding).

As we found ourselves breathless from the cold water and careening helplessly towards huge boulders downstream, we remembered what our safety video instructed us to do. We didn’t try to stand up; we calmly laid on our backs and let the river carry us downstream to safer waters.

When my wife and I re-lived the event later at the cabin, we talked about how fortunate we were that the outfitter provided us with all the necessary resources to enjoy (and survive) our trip. There were the paddles, PFDs, wet suits, emergency instructions, and helping hands to pull us out of the river.

In writing this week’s lesson on the afternoon of our wildwater adventure, I’m reminded of the resources that God provides for all of his children to live successful Christian lives. In the midst of being persecuted, Peter’s readers needed a good “instruction video” to tell them what to do in that type of an emergency situation.

In making this lesson relevant, let me say that the principles posited by Peter c. 62-64 AD, and prior to Nero’s rampage on Christians, will work for you in 2004. You may not be persecuted, but you feel like you are drowning. The water may be your debts, your marriage, your job, your rebellious children, or maybe even your faith. In fact, you may be close to giving up on God.

If you feel that you can no longer handle things on your own, then you are in a perfect position for God to demonstrate His power. You can’t rewind a DVD, and neither can you make it through your situation by trying harder! You need supernatural strength and God’s miraculous power.

Do you remember how Peter opened his chapter with the words “elect” and “chosen”?

Without going into the doctrinal and theological ramifications of these words, let me simply say that they mean you belong to Jesus. You are saved through his atoning death and the Spirit’s sanctifying work. You are His masterpiece! He has known you since before you were born and He has a plan for your life. This is the thought that Peter was communicating to those persecuted saints, and it’s the same message that you need to hear today. Your joy is not determined by your circumstances and neither is Jesus bound by them.

When you were saved, God imparted to you a new birth, a living hope, and an incorruptible inheritance. Peter instructs his readers, and you, to rejoice in these spiritual realities in the face of their (your) trial.

Almost 18 years ago, I suffered the most serious attack on my faith I have encountered while walking with Jesus. I grew disillusioned with my faith and disappointed in Christian leaders. I withdrew from seminary and took a break from regular church attendance. I don’t recommend doing what I did, but for me, I had to discover once again why I was a follower of Jesus. I needed to test the veracity of my beliefs.

After months of searching the scriptures and seeking the Lord, I determined that my faith did not rest on the wisdom of men but on the power of God. I was certain that I had been converted in 1979 and called into full-time ministry in 1982. I once again found the fellowship of the local church warm and inviting. I returned to seminary and completed the work on my master’s degree and also completed the requirements for a doctor of philosophy degree.

Whereas Peter’s audience was suffering through persecution, I suffered through disillusionment. What is the trial that God is using to prove that your faith is genuine? As a result of my trial, I learned that men are fallible and God is not. His resources are available, so keep your eyes on the One you cannot see, and enjoy the presence of His spirit in your life!