“Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere the ceremony of innocence is drowned; The best lack all conviction, while the worst are full of passionate intensity. Surely some revelation is at hand…” - from The Second Coming, by William Butler Yeates

Written in the wake of World War I, Yeates’ grim verse is applicable to all generations and seasons, from the global conflict to the hardworking single mother. Life is HARD, life is filled with TRIALS. When we look back several thousand years before Yeates, we see another poet and songwriter crying out for the solution…

Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer; listen to my plea for grace. In the day of my trouble I call upon you, for you answer me. - Psalm 86:6-7

Talking with Pastor Mark Driscoll before we started 1 & 2 Peter, he observed that ten times “grace” is mentioned in Peter’s epistles. Working backward from the end of 2 Peter, we see how manifold and multi-faceted grace truly is, and how central it is not only to enduring under trial, but operating in such a way that we are not only grace-blessed but grace-blessing. As we span Peter’s writing topically looking at grace and grasping the concept more fully, moving through the letters textually will fill us with a greater sense of wonder for God and enthusiasm for our part in His story.

I was honored to preach on grace in 1 & 2 Peter Sunday March 1st at Mars Hill Church in Lake City.

Listen to the message here by clicking the image above, or download it by right-clicking HERE. Choose from other options by visiting the Mars Hill Media Library.