Hempfield UMC

“…and you rejoice with inexpressible and glorious joy, because you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls. (1 Peter 1:8-9) Pastor John’s Notes: We are the heirs of eternal life! God has saved our souls from eternal death. How very blessed we are and what wonderful hope we have! In all of our daily struggles and the many sorrows we face in this world, we can cling to this sure hope of salvation. Wherever our…

Though you have not seen him, you love him; though not seeing him now, you believe in him. (1 Peter 1:8) Pastor John’s Notes: The source of faith is love. Even though we have not seen Jesus with our physical eyes, we love him. This is faith. Remember that in the original language of the Bible, faith and belief are the same words. Our belief is based on the testimony of the apostles who were eyewitnesses to Jesus’ life and…

You rejoice in this, even though now for a short time, if necessary, you suffer grief in various trials so that the proven character of your faith—more valuable than gold which, though perishable, is refined by fire—may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 1:6-7) Pastor John’s Notes: Our faith is precious to God. Faith is God’s gift to us, but it is not a static gift; it needs to be exercised. Jesus…

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…