Welcome to the Paul Tripp podcast, where pastor and best-selling author Paul David Tripp connects the transforming power of Jesus Christ to everyday life.

If you were writing to friends and family members who were suffering, what would you write?

In today's episode, we will begin another sermon series from the archives,

elect exiles from First Peter.

In this inaugural message, Paul unpacks the pastoral wisdom behind the challenges Peter

gives to the elect exiles and how we can benefit from these reminders.

To hear more sermons from Paul, visit paultrip.com slash sermons.

Now here's Paul, teaching from First Peter.

Well, if you were writing to people who were suffering, what would you write?

Probably most of us would write words of comfort and encouragement and hope.

And surely those words are in this letter, 1 Peter,

but in a real way, the words of Peter are shocking and surprising.

They're shocking, first of all, because they're written by Peter. This man who denied his Lord that he is an apostle of Jesus Christ and that he's writing this letter filled with the gospel is itself an argument for the transforming

power of Jesus Christ.

We could really just tonight preach a sermon on the first word, Peter,

and celebrate what grace is alone able to do.

But the words are shocking because of where the content in this letter goes. It's much, much more than a hymn of comfort. It really is a call to action.

These are marching orders.

These are fighting words that Peter writes.

And maybe that's exactly what suffering people need to hear. that Peter writes.

And maybe that's exactly what suffering people need to hear.

I mean, what is it that suffering does to you?

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