The effect of Easter is powerful in many ways. Easter makes us tellers of the Good News. It gives new meaning to Jesus’ death, and it gives meaning to the lives of all who believe. Easter truly completes the story of redemption.
As Peter closes his letter, he urges us to live humble lives, waiting for the time when God will exalt us. He warns us to watch out for Satan, our enemy, who actively seeks to destroy us. If we resist him and stand firm in the grace and power of Christ, we will be richly rewarded.
In our text, Peter stresses the importance of leaders who have the heart of God. These leaders may be pastors, or the mature Christians in the congregation. Humble, sacrificial service to the family of God will bring a rich and eternal reward.
In the fourth chapter of I Peter, we are given insight into what Christians in every age should expect. We are called to suffering; living with a constant sense of the coming end. We are called to rejoice, even in hardship. This is the way of the Christian, because it was the way of Christ!
