The “Big Picture” of 1 Peter as a whole:  Peter encourages Christians in Asia Minor who are suffering for their faith by reminding them of their present identity as God’s people, and their secure hope of ultimate blessing - both rooted in the death, resurrection, and victory of Jesus Christ! He also challenges them to maintain the highest standards of holy living as a witness to their persecutors (“piety under pressure”).

The “Big Picture” of 1: 1-12: Peter comforts suffering Christians by emphasizing hope; that is, the confident expectation of their future glorification.

Peter establishes four important dimensions of hope:

1. This hope God has established by the resurrection of Jesus (3)
2. This hope God sustains by faith (4-5)
3. This hope God nourishes until the consummation (6-9)
4. This hope God has long planned for our delight and our good (10-12)

I received a tremendous amount of help in this sermon from resources by D.A. Carson and Karen Jobes and John Piper.