The Word of the Lord Endures Forever

In one paragraph

First Baptist Jackson gathered on September 16, 2018, just days after the sudden death of elder Mark Upton. Pastor Ray preached through 1 Peter 2:13-25 as planned, holding to the pattern of working steadily through God's word even in the middle of grief, and the whole service was shaped by the loss the congregation was carrying together. The service opened with the weight of Mark Upton's death...

Read together

1. Psalm 62:5 "My soul find rest in God, my hope comes from him" - opened the sermon in prayer and quoted again later
2. Philippians 4:7 "the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus"
3. Isaiah 40:31 "those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength, they will mount up with wings like eagles"
4. Psalm 27:1 "The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear"
5. 1 Corinthians 2:9 "no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him"
6. Romans 15:5-6 "may the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another" - used as benediction from two weeks prior
7. 1 Peter 1:22-23 fervently love one another from the heart, born again of imperishable seed through the living and enduring word of God
8. 1 Peter 1:24 quoting Isaiah - "all flesh is like grass and all its glory is like the flower of grass"
9. 1 Peter 2:1 putting aside all malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy and slander
10. 1 Peter 2:2-3 long for the pure milk of the word, if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord
11. 1 Peter 2:4-5 coming to him as a living stone, rejected by men but precious to God, being built up as a spiritual house
12. 1 Peter 2:13-25 the main passage for the sermon covering submission to authority and Christ as example
13. 2 Corinthians 5:21 "him who knew no sin he was made to be sin on our behalf so that we might become the righteousness of God in him"
14. John 19:8-12 Pilate questioning Jesus about authority, Jesus answering "you would have no authority over me unless it had been given you from above"
15. Mark 15:27-32 crucifixion scene, passersby and chief priests mocking Jesus, both robbers insulting him
16. Isaiah 53:7 "he was oppressed and he was afflicted yet he did not open his mouth, like a lamb led to slaughter"
17. Acts 8:32-35 Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch reading Isaiah 53, Philip preaching Jesus from that scripture
18. Luke 23:34 "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do" - changing the heart of one of the robbers
19. Luke 23:42-43 one robber asking Jesus to remember him, Jesus replying "today you will be with me in paradise"
20. Luke 23:46 "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit" - Jesus entrusting himself at death
21. James 1:27 "religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is to look after orphans and widows in their distress"
22. John 11:25-26 "I am the resurrection, I am the life, anyone who believes in me will live even after he dies" - used as benediction
23. John 11:35 "Jesus wept" - noted as a childhood memory verse, in context of Jesus weeping after a loved one's death
24. Psalm 23:4-6 sung during worship - "you are with me, your rod and staff they comfort me, surely goodness and mercy shall follow me"

Talk about it

1. Pastor Ray opened by reading from Psalms and other passages about hope and rest in God, even in the middle of grief. Where do you personally find yourself turning first when sorrow hits, and how does that compare to what those verses describe?
2. Peter tells believers to submit to authority, and Pastor Ray pointed out that Nero was emperor when those words were written. What makes that command feel hard to follow today, and what did Peter's reasoning, 'for the Lord's sake,' mean to you when you heard it?
3. Pastor Ray talked about the ditch of legalism on one side and the ditch of using Christian freedom as a license to do whatever you want on the other. Have you found yourself leaning toward one of those ditches? What pulled you there?
4. Peter gives four short commands: honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king. Pastor Ray asked, 'Do I really have to honor those people?' Which of those four feels most difficult for you right now, and why?
5. Pastor Ray said that Christ is our example in suffering, pointing to the way Jesus kept entrusting himself to the Father rather than retaliating or threatening. What does it look like in a practical, daily way to keep entrusting yourself to the one who judges righteously, especially in a week like this one?