Hempfield UMC

You are being guarded by God’s power through faith for a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. (1 Peter 1:5) Pastor John’s Notes: Faith is not self-generated; it is the gift of God. We tend to believe that people’s religious beliefs are merely matters of their own personal preference. But the word for faith in the original language of the Bible carries a greater weight than how it is typically understood in English. The deeper…

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you. (1 Peter 1:3-4) Pastor John’s Notes: One of the main themes of Peter’s letter is hope. The hope that we have in God is quite unlike common worldly hope. Worldly…

May grace and peace be multiplied to you. (1 Peter 1:2b) Pastor John’s Notes: Here is a common blessing that believer’s used in greeting one another. Grace and peace are linked together. Grace is offered to us by God through Jesus Christ, who gave his life on the cross for our sins. By receiving him as Savior, we have a grace that covers the whole of our lives. No longer do we need to live by the terms of reward…

Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ: To those chosen, living as exiles dispersed abroad in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient and to be sprinkled with the blood of Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 1:1-2) Pastor John’s Notes: There are two great works of Jesus Christ. The first is the cross, by which Jesus has made payment for the sin of the…