Shabbat Shalom everyone. Today I would like to start to deal with a new book, this time in the Brita Hadashah, in the New Covenant, the New Testament. And we're going to go to the epistles as I have mentioned earlier. And I would like today to begin the study of the epistle of Peter, 1 Peter chapter 1. And if you will please take your Bibles to 1 Peter chapter 1 and verse 1 and 2. I'm going to read this ministry meeting just by way of introduction to this book, a very important letter that was written by Shimon Petros. Peter, an apostle of Yeshua the Messiah, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontius, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, Elect, according to the full knowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Yeshua the Messiah, grace unto you and peace be multiplied.

And I'm going to just read for this ministry meeting the first two verses of 1 Peter chapter 1. In this ministry meeting, I would like to specifically introduce this letter that was written by this man by the name of Petros. Or in Hebrew, Shimon Petros, Simon Peter, as we would say this in English. Now, let me just, by way of introduction, remind you, dear beloved brothers and sisters, that there are specifically five letters, five epistles, that were written to Jewish believers of first century. Those five letters in the Brit HaChadasha, in the New Testament, were written by Jewish believers, Hebrew Christian, Messianic Jewish people, to their own brethren, who had a need of encouragement because of persecution, and also had the need of sound teaching, sound doctrine, that they will grow spiritually in their most holy faith.

Those five letters are the first one is the letter to the Hebrews el haivrim the second one is the letter that was written by James we would know it in Hebrew yakov the third letter of course is the letter that we are studying today first Peter the letter that Peter wrote the first epistle the fourth letter is the second epistle that Peter have written to Jewish believers and the fifth letter is the letter of Jude we call him in Hebrew yuda just before the book of the Revelation five epistles were specially written to Jewish believers of first century and of course it applied to Jewish people and non-Jewish people in every generation of the church age but with the understanding that these letters have been written to encourage first century Jewish believers because they were persecuted they were rejected they were despised because they identify with Yeshua the Messiah and so the writers have written to them to encourage them but not only to encourage those Jewish believers to continue to follow the Lord but also their.

Letters were written because there's so much false doctrine that already began to saturate the early church the early assembly the early congregation so the early believers needed to be sound in teaching to have sound doctrine and i would say this many times again and again if we are not going to have sound teaching we are losing out of the healthy ministry that the Lord want to give us for our own hearts it's not only to get saved and to go to heaven with a ticket in our hand but the believer in Yeshua the Messiah in the body of Christ they need to have sound teaching sound doctrine based on the Bible on the Tanakh on the brit hachadasha on the basis of the precious precious word of God and so those five letters were written to these Jewish believers of first century, and here we are going to study the epistles, as I have mentioned earlier, and I would like today to begin the study of the epistle of first Peter in the New Testament, and look how.

It began. It began simply by Shimon Petos, by Peter, introducing himself, and he's writing in Verse 1, it says, Peter, an apostle of Yeshua the Messiah, an apostle of Jesus the Messiah. The whole letter begins by Peter. You know, usually when we write a letter, we will write to someone, dear friend, I would like to tell you about certain things, and I would like to tell you about my needs and your situation, and at the end of the letter, we'll say, your brother Gideon Levitam, or your brother or sister, and so on. But the Bible does the opposite. Biblical time at least in the early church age when you began a letter you introduce yourself you would write who you are what is your occupation or what you are doing and then you will present the desires of your heart to the people to whom you would write that letter well that's how this letter had began Peter an apostle of Yeshua the Messiah he was this man by the name of Peter an apostle of Yeshua, Jesus, Hamashiach, the Messiah, the Christ, the Christos.

He was a sent one that was sent by the Messiah, Yeshua, to represent him as a messenger of the Redeemer, of the Savior, to those around, specifically to the Jewish people. Now, I want to emphasize as an introduction a little bit about the author of this book, a man by the name of Petrus. There's so much that we can read about him in the Brit HaChadasha, in the New Testament, and I would like you for a moment to turn with me to Matthew chapter 4, first of all, and I want to introduce Peter. To all of us, but the whole Gospel of Matthew has so much to talk about Shimon Petros.

We find out, first of all, in chapter 4, that he was chosen by Yeshua the Messiah to become a fisher of men Dayag Shel Anashim it says here in chapter 4 and verse 18 and Yeshua walking by the sea of Galilee saw two brethren Shimon called Peter and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea for they were fishers and he, this is Yeshua said unto them, follow me and I will make you fishers of men now here Shimon petros was chosen by the Messiah Yeshua to become no longer fisher of fish but fisher of men he was raised by the Messiah and it is interesting because it was in the galil he was occupied in his day-by-day business because he was a fisher of fish he was in Galilee there he was casting the net into the sea and as he was doing his Job the Lord came there and called Shimon petros andrew come you follow me and i'm going to make you now no longer a fisher.

Of fish you do it very well in the sea of Galilee but i'm going to make you fishers of men i'm going to send you to fish. You're going to throw the net into the sea of the population of this world, and you will roll in men. You will draw men to the person of Yeshua, the Messiah. It is the call of God. He was raised by the Messiah. He didn't force himself to become a fisher of men, but he were chosen by the Messiah Yeshua himself, the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, to become a fisher of men. You know, God is also working in our lives as well, and he's calling us to be vessels of honor to him, to use us in the vast ministry that he had given unto his own people, to share the message of the messiahship of Yeshua of the gospel in this world now turn to chapter 10 of the gospel of Matthew we find Shimon petros Simon Peter that he was one of the 12 apostles it says notice.

And when he this is Yeshua verse 1 of chapter 10 he called unto him his 12 disciples he gave them power against unclean spirit to cast them out and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of diseases and now notice we have a list of the names of these 12 disciples which he called them 12 apostles the Hebrew word for apostle is shaliyah or shlichim in plurality the names of the 12 apostles are these the first one is Shimon who is called Peter and andrew his brother James this is Yaakov, and the son of Zebedee, and John, this is Yohanan, his brother, Philip, and Bar-Talmai, Thomas, and Matthew, this is Matityahu, the publican, then James, again, another Yaakov, the son of Alphaeus, Labias, whose surname was Tadius, and Shimon, the Canaanite, here is another Shimon and yuda judas ishkariot who also betrayed him we know what happened with judas later on who betrayed Yeshua the Messiah at the Passover time and he was the one that ultimately went and hung.

Himself and he died and now notice verse 5 these 12 Yeshua sent forth and he commanded them go not into the way of the Gentile but into any city of the samaritan enter ye not but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel here we see Shimon petros was one of the first apostles who were selected by the Lord and sent by the Lord for this special ministry that's why we read in 1st Peter chapter 1 and verse 1 Peter an apostle of Yeshua the Messiah a shaliach he was sent by our Lord Yeshua the Messiah to be a servant a minister to those whom he is going to be getting in contact with now this is just the beginning concerning Shimon Petro Simon Peter we find thirdly about the apostle Peter that he was a bold man he was like a rough and a rugged man if you turn your pages to chapter 14 of the gospel of Matthew and you remember on the sea of Galilee.

When there was this storm on the sea of Galilee and specifically we read in chapter 14 and verse 28 and 29 where there was such a fear because of the storm Yeshua came walking on the sea and Peter saw him and look what Peter said to him in verse 28 Peter answered him and he said Lord if it be thou bid me to come unto thee on the water and he said come and when Peter was come down out of the ship he walked on the water to go to Jesus now i don't know how many men in the history of the universe walked on water. But the Bible does tell us that while Yeshua walked on the sea, he's in full control of all the elements.

Peter walked on the water. He was a bold man. You know, many times you blame Peter. Peter, you know, you walked on the water and you failed and you sunk but the rest of the disciples didn't even dare to ask the Lord to walk towards him they were shivering and scared in the ship while Peter says Lord if it is you call me and I will walk towards you on the water and the Bible does say Mark it in your Scripture verse 29 he walked on the water of the kineret the sea of Galilee according to Matthew chapter 14 in verse 29 he was a bold man he loved Yeshua the Messiah so much but he was a bold man by nature he had a lot of rough edges just like you and i have so many rough edges that the Lord have to kind of chip it and deal with it but Peter was a man that was bold fishermen that really have gone strong when he was desiring to follow the Lord Yeshua the Messiah he was not a perfect man but he has gone forward for.

The Lord we find about him another thing that is interesting that God the father revealed to the apostle Peter to Shimon petros the truth concerning the person of Yeshua the Messiah if you turn your page to chapter 16 of the gospel of Matthew and i want you to notice one more thing about Peter here he testified to the truth of the messiahship of Jesus and the fact that he was the son of God in Hebrew we say ben Elohim haim the son of the living God look at Matthew chapter 16 and verse 13 it says when Yeshua came to the coast of kesaria philippi he asked the disciples saying whom do men say that I the son of man am they said some say you are Yohanan the baptizer some said you are Eliyahu Elijah others said you are Jeremiah Yirmiyahu or one of the prophets and he said unto them but whom do you say that I am and look at Shimon Petrus again he always seems to talk first he always seems to do things first.

But here you see what he is saying Shimon petro said Simon Peter answered he said you are the Christ the Mashiach the son of the living God atahu HaMashiach ben Elohim chayim Peter is the one that testified before everyone there specifically the disciples concerning the messiahship of Jesus and you know what Yeshua said in verse 17 Yeshua answered and said unto him blessed are thou Simon, Shimon, Bar Yonah his father's name was Yonah he was the son of Yonah he says flesh and blood have not revealed it unto thee but my father which is in heaven God the father Ha'Abba revealed to this man by the name of Shimon the son of Yonah the truth concerning the person of the son of God of the Messiah he revealed to him that he was the Messiah of Israel the son of the living God ben Elohim but it was not something that was initiated on his own it was a Revelation that God the father had given unto him and you know for this what Yeshua said to him in the next verses verse 18.

Yeshua said to him in Matthew 16, 18 He said, I say unto you Thou art Peter A stone, Petros And upon this rock Upon your confession I will build my assembly My ecclesia, my church Peter, your confession That I am the Messiah, the son of the living God Upon your confession I am going to build the church The assembly The called out ones Peter was not the first pope but Peter was the one that received the Revelation concerning the assembly the church Jewish people and Gentile united together in the body of the Messiah in the present day dispensation from his vantage point it was still future for us today it is the truth that you and I as believers are part of the body of Christ the body of the Messiah and notice what he said and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it and Peter received the keys notice verse 19 and to you will I give the keys of the kingdom of heaven Peter received the key.

The responsibility to open the doors to the Jewish people to the Samaritan and to the Gentiles He was the one that was the first one to preach the message to the Jewish people, to the Samaritan people, as well as to the Gentiles when he went to the house of Cornelius in Acts chapter 10. So he was the one that received the Revelation concerning the Messiahship of Yeshua. You know, another thing we find out about Shimon Petros is that he, just like you and I, often trust ourselves to say to the Lord, Lord, I'm going to follow you wherever you will send me. Peter had this weakness in his flesh.

He oftentimes trusted his ability to follow the Messiah Yeshua. I want you to turn in your Bible to Matthew chapter 26, and you notice in verse 31, Yeshua said unto them, all of you shall be offended because of me this night. For it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad. But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee. Now look what Peter, bless his soul. He loved the Lord, but he did not really understand the weakness of the flesh, the old nature that we have. In verse 33, Peter answered and he said unto him, Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet I will never be offended.

See, he trusted himself. Even if everybody will be offended because of you Lord I will never notice that I will never be offended now what Yeshua had to remind him Peter you know I want to tell you something he said to him in verse 34 Yeshua said to him verily I say unto you Peter that this night before the cock crow you will deny me three times see the Lord knew the heart of Peter just like he knows our hearts he knows that we can trust ourselves the best of us have an old nature that is sinful and the possibility to fall into rebellion and sin and disobedience is existing in our own hearts the Lord Yeshua have to teach Peter this important lesson and you know beloved brothers and sisters again Peter said to him in verse 35 though i should die with thee yet will i not deny you he said again and then of course the other disciples said exactly the same thing you see they're all trusted in their ability to follow the Lord and the Lord Yeshua had to teach Peter this important.

Lesson you cannot trust yourself and in the first repeat of Peter teaches us the importance of not trusting ourselves but trusting in our Lord Yeshua the Messiah and you know brothers and sisters what Yeshua prophesied in verse 34 surely did happen look at this the same chapter the time didn't pass too long notice verse 58 of Matthew chapter 26 verse 58 it says Peter followed Yeshua a far off and to the high priest palace when Peter followed the Lord he stayed at the distance from him you know this expression far off is very important expression because we need to stay close to the Lord not to stay far away from him because when we stay far away from him we are liable to deny him to despise him to fall into all sort of things that can happen in our own life this is what we are capable of and here he stood far off and now notice brothers and sisters Matthew chapter 26 verse 69 now Peter sat without in the palace and a damsel came to him and they.

Said to him you also was with Yeshua of Galilee but he denied before them all saying i know not what you are saying then we read in verse 71 when he has gone out into the porch another maid saw him and said unto them that were there this fellow was also with Yeshua from natseret and again beloved brothers and sisters he denied with an oath and he said i do not know this man notice in the next verse 73 and after a while came unto him they that stood by and said to Peter surely you are one of them for thy speech betray thee he had a galilean speech in the galilean Hebrew type of dialect or the Hebrew that revealed that he's a Hebrew a follower of the Messiah his speech as well proclaimed that he was a follower of Yeshua and look how sad in verse 74 and he began to curse and to swear and he said i know not the man and immediately the cock.

Crew immediately in fulfillment of verse 34 verily i say unto thee that this night before the cock will grow you are going to deny me three times Shimon petros but he trusted in himself he had a confidence that everybody will deny you i'm not going to do so and beloved that teaches us how the flesh is weak even if we mean well we say Lord i love you because you first love me but the flesh has no ability on its own to follow the Messiah we need the help of the Spirit of God in living our lives with a new nature the divine nature that we have and putting down that old nature that is reckoning it as dead to sin that's the way it is and the Lord had to teach Shimon petrel Simon Peter this important lesson not to trust in yourself and you know what we read beloved brothers and sisters look at the verse 75 of chapter 26 Peter remembered the word of Jesus.

Of Yeshua which he said unto him before the cock crow you shall deny me three times and listen to this he went out and he wept bitterly he realized that all the promises that he made to the Lord that all that which he thought about himself i'm going to be following you Lord all the way and he realized that he failed the Messiah and you can imagine Yeshua is there inside being accused being bitten being despised and spit upon and here is this disciple outside walking afar off denying the Lord once twice three times and then remembering what the Messiah has said to him and he went out and he wept he wept because he realized i have really made promises that i didn't keep i failed my Messiah my Lord and he wept bitterly in other passages Yeshua looked at him and he said you are the one that made the promises to me where is the promises that you made to me where are you today and doesn't it remind us of our own self the promises that we.

Made to our Messiah Yeshua and how many times we fail him and we dishonored him and we in a sense deny him before people around us didn't talk about the Messiah instead of identifying with the rejected Yeshua we identify with the world and its views and its system Peter become an example to us and that's why God raised him Yeshua the Messiah called him to be an apostle that he would minister the word of God to those around he was sent by the Messiah to be a minister of the gospel now look at this brothers and sisters just by way of introduction continue here. Turn with me to the Gospel of John, chapter 21.

It was Peter that needed to be publicly restored to Yeshua before the whole group of the disciples and apostles. In chapter 21, it was Peter that was restored by Yeshua, by the Lord Jesus, before his other disciples in order to be used in the ministry in the service and he was commended to the ministry look at this. John chapter 21 and verse 14 we find out this the third time that Yeshua showed himself unto his disciples after he was risen from the dead notice this verse 15 when they are dying Yeshua says unto Peter, Shimon, son of Yonah, do you love me more than these? And he said unto him, yes, Lord, you know that I love you.

And he says unto him, feed my lambs. And again, he said to him the second time, Shimon bar Yonah, do you love me? Lowest thou me? And he says unto him, yes, Lord, For thou knowest that I love thee. He says unto him, Feed my sheep. The third time, in verse 17, he says unto him, Shimon ben Yonah, bar Yonah. Lovest thou me? Peter was grieved. Because he said unto him the third time, Do you really love me? And then he said unto him, Lord, you knowest all things. You knowest that I love thee. Yeshua said unto him, Feed my sheep. Here is the Lord publicly really exposed Peter Shimon petros and he said to him do you really really love me if you love me i want you to minister to my sheep to my flock i want you to minister to the little lamb and the bigger one i want you to minister to the people of God and here publicly he is accepting in other words he's commending Peter Shimon Petros to the work of the ministry three times he asked him to feed the sheep to feed the lambs to feed the flock and here publicly Shimon Petros was called by Yeshua the Messiah and you see it says in verily verily I said to thee when you were young you gird yourself you walk with you wanted but when you will be old you shall stretch forth thy hand and another shall gird thee and carry thee whither thou would not this he spake signifying what death he this is Peter Shimon petros would glorify God and when he had spoken this he says unto him follow me and here we see that the Lord Yeshua.

The Messiah have commended Peter to the ministry restored him to relationship with him publicly before the disciples and said to him you know now that you are young you go wherever you want but as you're going to grow older and he has a reference to his ministry you will be taken away where you would not want to go to and ultimately you're going to stretch your hand and you're going die the death of a follower of Yeshua the Messiah this he spake signifying by what death he should glorified God and you know brothers and sisters the history say that Peter was crucified upside down because he said that he is not worthy to die in the same way that his own master the Messiah have died and so we can see the man Shimon petal Simon Peter in all the journey as he followed the Messiah Yeshua we saw how the Lord have first met him and calling to be a fisher of men and how the.

Lord restored him in this 21st chapter of the gospel of John let me just make a couple more remarks about Peter before we're going to move to the next thoughts of these two verses in act chapter 1 it was Peter who was the first one to minister among the believers that were in the upper room if you just turn the page after John chapter 21 and you notice in Acts chapter 1 and verse 13 when they were come it says when they were come in they went up into an upper room this is in the city of Yerushalayim when we go sometime on the tours to take groups to Israel we go to the upper room in the old city of Jerusalem and there we just imagine how the disciples were there and it says there there were Peter notice his name is the first one Peter and Yaakov and Yochanan and Adu and Philip and Thomas and Bar Talmai and Matityahu and Yaakov and the son of Alpheus and Shimon the zealots and Judah the brother of James and there they were praying.

And he noticed that Peter was the first one to speak among the assembly or the assembled believers. Verse 15, in those days, Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples and he said, he was a leader. He was one of the pillars of the Hebrew church. Even though the church was not born as yet, Acts chapter 1, because the church was born in Acts chapter 2. Shimon Petrus was a pillar among the Jewish believers in the assembly, in the congregation, in the fellowship there in the city of Jerusalem. He was the first one to minister the word. He stood up in the midst of the disciples and he said, at that time notice the number of the disciples were 120 souls.

That's the beginning. 12 apostles, 120 Hebrew believers in the city of Jerusalem. All gathered together in the upper room, it was Shimon Petros who stood and began to share the word, to encourage the brothers and sisters there in this upper room, in the city of Jerusalem. Now notice that, another thing about Peter, in Acts chapter 2, in Acts chapter 8, and in Acts chapter 10, he was used by the Lord in the power of the Holy Spirit of God to open using the keys that Yeshua gave him to open the door to the body of Christ to the body of Messiah in Acts chapter 2 and verses 14 to 19 he preached a message to the Jewish brethren if you just turn the page in Acts chapter 2 notice it says in verse 14 Peter standing up with the eleven lifted his voice and he said unto them ye men of Yehudah the people of Judah he called them in Acts chapter 2 verse 22 ye men of Israel hear this the word Yeshua of Nazareth and men approve of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs which God did by him in the midst of you as you yourself also know he preached the message of the gospel and you know beloved brothers and sisters when Peter preached one message thousands of people came to faith in our.

Lord Yeshua the Messiah thousands of people if you just look at the same chapter at the end of this chapter you will notice the multitude of people that came to know the Lord Yeshua the Messiah remember they said to him in verse 37 at the end they said what shall we do verse 38 Peter said unto them repent be baptized everyone in the name of Yeshua the Messiah for the remission of sins and ye shall receive the gift of the holy Spirit and notice that it says here in verse 40 and with many other words did he testify and exhort saying save yourself from this untoward generation and they that gladly received his word were baptized and the same day listen how many people came it said there were added unto them about three thousand souls you know the difference between first century preaching of the gospel and today the 21st century of the preaching of the gospel in first century Peter preached 3 000 souls came to know the Lord today we may preach.

3 000 messages and we wonder even one soul would come to know the person of the Lord Yeshua the Messiah that's the difference early first century preaching of the message of the Lord Yeshua the Messiah was convicting souls. It was done in the power of the Holy Spirit of God. Three thousand souls. And by the way, these were Jewish souls. Why I'm emphasizing here? Because today, you and I who are Jewish believers, we are struggling. We know it from experience. What happened in our own homes in our own families when we confess the Messiah the rejection the misunderstanding but first century Jewish believers one message by Shimon petros three thousand souls identify with the person of Yeshua the Messiah what an amazing servant of the Lord was this Shimon Petrus now if you turn to chapter 8 here he opened the door to the church to the Jewish people in chapter 8 and in verse 14 we find Shimon Petrus opening using the keys that Yeshua gave him Matthew 16 verse 18 using the keys to open to the Samaritan to the Shomronim chapter 8.

In verse 14 we find now when the apostles which were in Jerusalem heard the Samaria received the word of God they sent down who Peter and John Shimon petos and Yohanan and it says in verse 15 when they were come down and they prayed for them that they might receive the holy Spirit for as yet he this is the holy Spirit was not fallen upon none of them only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus they were not yet receiving the holy Spirit of God they were not yet part of the body of the Messiah the shomronim the samaritan and how many times we spoke about the samaritan today in Israel we have about what 800 samaritan who live in shomron in Samaria and they are not mixing with any other group today but at that time the Shomronim, the Samaritan was a multitude of people living in Samaria the Samaritan and the Samaritan woman we read of her in John chapter 4 and many of the Samaritan who have accepted the word but it was Peter, Shimon Petrus.

Who had to come to use the key through the preaching of the word of God in order for the Samaritan to receive the Holy Spirit of God and to become part of the body of the Messiah turn also please to act chapter 10 and verse 34 it is the same Shimon petos who now had to go to cornelius home a Gentile goy to go to him and to show him that God has no respect of persons there is no longer limit to who can be saved or who can be part of the assembly of the body of Messiah Jewish people act chapter 2 samaritan act chapter 8 but the goyim the Gentiles now can receive the message of the gospel and become part of the assembly verse 34 of act chapter 10 we read and Peter opened his mouth this is in the house of cornelius and he said of the truth i perceive that God is no respecter of persons but in every nation.

He that feareth him and worketh righteousness is accepted with him the word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching shalom by Yeshua the Messiah. He is Lord of all. He presented the message of the gospel to the believers at Cornelius house in Caesarea. And beloved brothers and sisters we read in the very same chapter how all the family of Cornelius have accepted the Messiah and those guests from among the nations who were hosted by Cornelius became part of the assembly of the church of the living God when they have accepted the person of the Lord Jesus the Messiah. And we read in this and while Peter spake in verse 44 the Holy Spirit fell on them which heard the word and here we see that the Gentiles have received the Holy Spirit and became part of the body of the Messiah so it's interesting that Shimon Petros was used by Yeshua the Messiah by God to open the door to the church for the Jews, Acts 2, for the Samaritan, Acts 8, and for the Gentiles in Acts chapter 10.

Turn the page now to the book of Galatians, chapter 2. We find very interesting expression that Paul wrote about Peter, Shimon Petos. We learn that Peter had a specific ministry his ministry was specifically geared to the circumcision to the Jewish people and we read in Galatians chapter 2 and verse 7 we have Paul speaking he says contrary wise when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision this is the Gentile was committed unto me to Shaul Paul listen verse 7b as the gospel of the circumcision was committed unto Peter. Verse 8 for he that wrought effectually in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision the same was mighty in me towards the Gentiles you know we learn that there are two groups of people that the Lord Yeshua the Messiah raised two Hebrew men to minister the gospel in a specific way.

Peter was chosen to be an apostle to the circumcision. Galatians 2 and verse 7 and 8. Paul, Shaul, was chosen to be an apostle to the uncircumcision, to the Gentiles. Galatians chapter 2 and verses 7 and 8. And that is important to understand that Peter had a specific ministry and his ministry was to minister to Jewish people. And you know, sometimes we ask ourselves, in our case, the Lord has raised in our midst individuals. They don't have to be Jewish, but they have a desire to share the gospel with the Jewish people. They identify with the nation. They realize the issues that prevail in the life of the nation of Israel and specifically give their ministry to the Jewish people.

It is not more important than what Paul did. Paul was reaching out the Gentile world, the pagans, the moralists, the educated ones, the philosophers. Paul ministered to them and his ministry was important to minister the gospel to the nations of the world but Peter was called to minister to the circumcision to his Hebrew brethren the Jewish people who he have identified with in his ministry well this is just an introduction about the author we are back now to first Peter chapter one Peter verse 1 an apostle of Yeshua the Messiah a messenger a shaliach of Yeshua the Messiah he was sent by our Lord Yeshua the Messiah but now notice what it says here in verse 1b who were the one that received this letter from Peter remember Galatians 2 7 and 8 say that Peter was an apostle to the circumcision to the Jewish people and apparently beloved brothers and sisters he was writing to the Jewish believers who were scattered and who became strangers in many lands actually their homeland was Israel the capital city of their homeland was Jerusalem Jerusalem, Jerusalem.

But already in first century, when the church was born, early believers in the. Lord Jesus, the Messiah, were persecuted. Persecution prevailed. You and I have no idea about persecution. Praise God for the country that we live in. Praise God for the liberties that we have to gather together on Shabbat, on Friday, on the first day of the week, to meet together around the Lord Yeshua the Messiah to study his word to worship him to praise him but do you know that first century Hebrew Christians messianic Jewish people Jewish people who believe in Yeshua the Messiah they were persecuted they were persecuted by our own brethren and you just notice what happened they have been persecuted so they needed to be scattered abroad and notice he mentioned here throughout pontius galatia cappadocia Asia and bithynia give us a list pontius was a region of eastern Asia Minor galatia was a Roman province central region of Asia Minor cappadocia was a region in Asia Minor west to galatia Asia as he mentioned here was closely to present-day turkey today Asia Minor bithynia was a Roman province in Asia Minor those early Hebrew believers in Yeshua the Messiah became strangers they became foreigners and if you notice it says this word.

Strangers you will find out that in other passages in Scripture they are called as well as strangers they became kind of strangers in many lands in foreign lands where they really not belong just a verse or two to point out in these verses they were scattered so just for a moment if you turn with me for a moment to the book of Acts one more time just want to point out to these verses that I found in Acts chapter 6 look at that what happened you remember the story on Stephen how Stephen was stoned and ultimately he died in Acts 6 and verse 8 to 15 it says and And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people.

And there arose certain of the synagogue, which is called the synagogue of Liberteans and Cyrenians and Alexandrians, and of them of Cilicia and of Asia, disputing with Stephen. And then notice it says that in verse 14 and 15, we have heard him say that Yeshua from Nazareth shall destroy this place and shall change the custom of Moses that Moses delivered unto us and all that sat in the council looking steadfastly at Stephen they saw his face as the face of an angel Stephen was the one that was already being persecuted earlier in chapter 4 and in chapter 5 the Hebrew believers were persecuted but the The climax came to the time of Stephen.

If you turn the page from chapter 6 to chapter 7, and notice what happened, verse 57, to Stephen. It says, Then they cried with a loud voice, and they stopped their ears, and they ran upon him with one accord. And they cast him out of the city, and they stoned him. The first martyr, Hebrew martyr, was Stephen. He was one of the Jewish people from the diaspora who became a believer in Yeshua, the Messiah. He was persecuted and he ultimately died. He was stoned. And as he was dying, he says, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. He loved his Hebrew brethren who misunderstood the fact that he was following Yeshua, the Messiah.

But now, brothers and sisters, look in chapter 8 of Acts, in the first few verses we read there concerning the scattering, the dispersion of these Jewish people, Jewish believers. Saul, verse 1, was consenting unto his death, this is the death of Stephen, and at the same time there was great persecution against the assembly, the church. And then it says, which was in Jerusalem, in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered abroad. That's where we get the word in 1 Peter chapter 1 and verse 1, strangers which were scattered throughout the land of Esjamaino. They were scattered, as we have here in chapter 8 and verse 1. Throughout the regions of Judea, Samaria, only the apostles remained in Jerusalem.

And devout men carried Stephen to his burial and made great lamentation over him. And Saul, he made havoc over the assembly, entering into every house and hauling men and women, committing them to prison. You know, early Jewish believers have suffered. And because of their persecution, they end up to leave the land and to be scattered abroad. And ultimately they became strangers. It was not the land of their fathers. The promised land was Israel, was Canaan. The capital city is Jerusalem. That's the promised land. But they were scattered abroad. And so Peter was ministering unto those individuals who were scattered abroad. Now I want you to turn to chapter 11 of the book of Acts.

And I want you just to notice that in verse 19. Now they which were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about Stephen, they traveled as far as Daphneus, Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to none but to the Jewish people only. That was the earlier persecution that Jewish believers have gone abroad, but they presented, first of all, the gospel to the Jewish people. Later on, they also presented to the rest of the nations of the world in Asia Minor. But there, notice, they were scattered abroad. They went to Phineas and Cyprus and Antioch. You know that Cyprus is, today we know it is an island of the Mediterranean.

Antioch is the capital of Assyria and the Phoenicians area. And they were preaching the word of God, first of all, to the Jewish brethren, but also to the others around them. And so, beloved brothers and sisters, they were strangers, and here we get the word scattered. That's where you get the word diaspora, dispersion. Do you know that all of us who are Jewish people today, we live in the dispersion, in the diaspora. Really, the home of the Jewish people, biblically, is the land of Israel, the land of Canaan. So the Jewish people are scattered abroad throughout the land of this world. And Peter was writing this letter and the recipients of this letter was Hebrew believers who were scattered abroad.

Now go back to 1 Peter chapter 1. And I want you also to notice another thing that is very interesting. Where was the letter of 1 Peter written? Where was the letter written? Notice if you turn to 1 Peter chapter 5 for a moment, the letter that was written by Peter was written in Babylon, in Babel, in the city of Babylon. Notice chapter 5 and verse 13, the church that is at Babel, Babylon, elect together with you, salute you, and so does Marcus my son. And apparently, later on, Peter, like other apostles, have left the city of Jerusalem, Yerushalayim in Hebrew, and have gone to Babylon. Now, we know very well the story of Babel.

Babylon is in the land of Shinar, is the land to which our Jewish people have been carried already by Nebuchadnezzar. If you remember three times Nebuchadnezzar came and he took the Jewish people to Babel he burned the temple in Yerushalayim destroyed the city Jerusalem and carried many of our own people to Babylon one of the people that was carried to Babylon was Daniel and his three friends hananiah azariah and mishael and three times we have Nebuchadnezzar and his armies coming to draw the people in 586 he took some in 597 bc he took others to Babel to Babylon and in 605 bc it was when he took the rest of them to Babel now what happened in Babel in shinar Jewish community have grown and you remember a verse that we often mention Psalm 137 by the rivers of Babylon there we sat down and we wept as we remember Zion the Jewish community have become a center place in Babylon and there are many Jewish people remain in Babylon not all of them came to the city of Jerusalem to rebuild the city under Ezra and amaya and zrubabel many remain in Babel in Babylon and so there's a Jewish community so apparently what happened.

According to first Peter chapter 5 and verse 13 Peter went to Babylon to the land of Shinar and there he wrote this letter to the scattered Hebrew believers who were scattered abroad and the letter is not only for Hebrew believers it's for all Bible believers but specifically he's going to meet Jewish need when you write this letter now quickly one more thing i want to go on to verse two now we read verse one by word of introduction the author is Peter the one who received the letter Jewish believers who were scattered abroad in the dispersion in the diaspora the letter was written in the land of Babylon in the city of Babel first Peter chapter 5 and verse 13.

It was written by Peter, who was now situated with other Jewish people in the land of Shinar in Bavell. Now, what is the theme of the book of Peter, 1 Peter? You know, it's a beautiful theme. You remember we just read Psalm 22. Psalm 22 is one of the major Psalms that speaks about the sufferings of the Messiah this is the theme of Psalm 22 my God my God why has thou forsaken me Yeshua Jesus our Lord and our Messiah suffered by the hand of man but he also suffered by the hands of God when he was hanging on the tree and so the theme of the book of first Peter is the sufferings of the Messiah and the glory that should follow Peter is reminding Jewish believers and all of us as believers that we are in some form and shape as we walk here in this world we will experience suffering which will identify us with the sufferings of our Lord Jesus the Messiah now if you want to write this down every chapter in first Peter chapter one chapter two chapter three chapter four chapter five every chapter the word sufferings is mentioned for example in chapter one verse six and seven we read about the sufferings of the believers.

It says in first Peter one verse six he's saying wherein he greatly rejoice though now for a season if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold testing, trials, that the trial of your faith be much more precious than of gold. That's the sufferings of the believer. Now notice in verse 11 he's speaking about the sufferings of the Messiah. In verse 11 he says, searching what manner the Spirit of Messiah which was in them did signify when he testified beforehand of the sufferings of Christ the sufferings of the Messiah the Mashiach that's chapter one notice in chapter two verse 19 again speaking about the suffering of the believer for this is thankworthy if a man for conscience towards God in due grief and suffering wrongfully that's the believer's suffering and then notice now in verse 21 of the same chapter even there unto ye were called because of Christ the Messiah also suffered for us again the sufferings of the believer identifying with the sufferings of the Messiah chapter 3 and verse 14 the believers are suffering but if ye suffer.

For righteousness sake happy are ye the believers are suffering notice in verse 18 of the same chapter first Peter chapter 3 verse 18 the sufferings of the Messiah for the Messiah also has once suffered for sins the just for the unjust that he might bring us to God again the sufferings of the believer the sufferings of the Messiah again chapter 4 and verse 12 notice that he says beloved think it not strange concerning the fiery trial suffering which is come to try you as though some strange things have happened unto you notice in verse 13 he's speaking about the suffering of the Messiah but rejoice as much as he are partakers of the Messiah's sufferings now turn to chapter 5 quickly in verse 10b we find out again after that he has suffered for a while that's the sufferings of the believer and then notice now go back to verse 1 of chapter 5 the elders which is among you as i exhort you he says who am also an elder and a witness of the.

Sufferings of the Messiah you notice the theme of first Peter the whole chapter is the sufferings of the Messiah and the believers identification with the sufferings of the Messiah now quickly i'm going to close here with this second verse go back to first Peter chapter 1 and verse 2 this time and i just want to conclude by way of introduction here is verse 2 here's the greetings he's writing to them and he said to them elect the believers were elect according to the foreknowledge of God the father through the sanctification of the spirit and to the obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Yeshua the Messiah of Jesus Christ grace be unto you and peace be multiplied Here's the greetings.

This greetings is connected with election. You know, brothers and sisters, one truth that we have a hard time to grasp is the truth of election. Every one of us who is a believer here, and I trust all of us here are believers, we have been elected. The word elect. Here they simply mean chosen we have been chosen elect and notice it is according to the foreknowledge of God in other words God knew and purposed this in eternity past to have an elect company a chosen people that he will bring unto himself as a people that will be part of the redeemed company. Notice, it is the whole persons of the Godhead are involved in that election and the bringing about of a people to himself.

The foreknowledge of God the Father, sanctification through the Holy Spirit, God the Holy Spirit, unto the obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Yeshua the Messiah, God the Son. We have God the Father in eternity past fought and had this planned. We have God, the Holy Spirit, who have walked in our lives and in due time brought us into a relationship with the Messiah. We have God, the Son, the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, who paid the price and shed his blood in order to bring a people for himself. Election, elected, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit were involved in the truth of election.

It was the foreknowledge of God. And we can talk about this, Lord willing, as we move along in this book of Peter. But I just wanted you to grasp here the introduction. Who is the writer? When did he write it? To whom did he write it? And the fact that those that have accepted the Messiah our people have been elected and chosen by God in eternity past and in time we became part of the assembly of God well brothers this is i'm going to close right now may the Lord bless these thoughts to all of us we'll continue as we study the book of first Peter and we go through the rest of the remaining of that epistle