Many authors through the years have emphasized the themes of warfare in the Christian life. They’ve helped us remember the armor in Ephesians 6 doesn’t cover our backs and that the gates of hell in Matthew 16 are being attacked. They’ve quipped that the church isn’t a cruise ship but a battle ship. In this next section of Peter’s letter, we turn to the purpose and work of the gathered community of faith: what is the church and what are we called to do? In this sermon, we’ll explore that question using three key words: fortress, fight, and future.
This spring, we begin a new sermon series through the letters of the Apostle Peter. 1st and 2nd Peter were written to Christians who were navigating their new identity as people of God while still living and working in the world.