post update

Due to the passing of Pastor Mark's Dad there will be no new message posted this week. The next post will be during the week of July 19, 2020.

Thank You

1 Peter 2:6-8 The Precious but Often Rejected Cornerstone

Introduction:

An old saying goes, “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” The fact of that can be seen in the many antique stores, flea markets, and yard sales so popular in the US; at least they were popular, not sure how they are doing on this side of covid19. Back in March and April the only treasure people were hunting for was toilet paper. Funny how things can change and change quickly. In years past I have shopped in those stores and in the yards of perfect strangers to see what “treasure” I might find at their junk sales. I found a few books of interest and some tools, nothing that I can specifically remember right now. I guess that says something about how much of a treasure it was.

As we build upon last week’s post, moving through 1 Peter 2, we come to the one real Treasure, Jesus Christ, who is the precious Cornerstone and who is rejected by many.

The Precious but Often Rejected Cornerstone

Please begin by reading 1 Peter 2:1-8.

“Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious. Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, ‘Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious, and he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.’ Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, ‘The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone,’ and ‘a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.’ They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed.”

The Cornerstone: Those who put their trust in Jesus Christ come to Him as the Living Stone. Forgiveness of sin and salvation from the due penalty of death and eternal judgment are only possible through faith in the sacrificial death and burial of Jesus Christ and in His glorious resurrection. Those who believe are then being built together as the Temple of God, giving the spiritual sacrifices of dying to self and living for Christ (see also Romans 12:1-2).

The Spirit then led Peter to quote Isaiah 28:16. In that passage God was rebuking the leaders in Israel for forsaking Him. The priests and prophets were drunk with wine and told lies to the people, tickling their ears so that they believed they were safe and blessed while doing any evil and wickedness their hearts devised. The same verse from Isaiah is also quoted in Romans 9:33 and in that passage the Spirit though Paul says Israel needs salvation thru faith in Jesus Christ alone. Salvation does not come through the Old Testament Law. The Gentiles (that is the rest of us) only find salvation in Jesus also, not in our merit or achievement or anything else. Salvation only comes through God the Son and His name is Jesus. I would encourage you to read Isaiah 26 and Romans 9-10 right now.

Jesus Christ is the Cornerstone of the Temple being built to the Father. Without Jesus, we have nothing! With Him, we have everything! No believer will be disappointed; our faith is not in vain. I’ve been studying Jeremiah lately because God seems to be compelling me to do so. It is fascinating and I’m sure you’ll be hearing more about it in the days ahead, not only from me but from others as well. Jeremiah was only about twenty years old when God called him to begin the ministry of prophecy to the nation of Judah, a job God chose for him before Jeremiah was born. Jeremiah 1:4 says, “Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying: ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.’” Because of his faithfulness to God, Jeremiah had a hard life, suffering greatly at the hands of his countrymen whom he cared about very much. Jeremiah was hated and his message from the Lord rejected by those to whom he was sent. Still, Jeremiah was never put to shame; God was faithful to him. When we read that believers will not be put to shame in 1 Peter it doesn’t mean we won’t face hardship or even suffer as a Christian; it means that as His faithful followers we will never be forgotten, forsaken, or abandoned by God. He will give us what we need when we need it according to His perfect will and our future inheritance is reserved in Heaven for us and cannot be diminished in any way.

Therefore, Christ is precious to us, as 1 Peter 2:7 says. In Jesus we are blessed beyond measure. Our men’s small group on Sunday mornings is being amazed once again by Ephesians 1. If you haven’t read it lately, and even if you have, you should read Ephesians 1-2 right now.

God’s blessings are lavished upon us as Ephesians 1 and 2 explain. Don’t miss what it says in Paul’s prayer for believers in Ephesians 1:15-23:

“Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power ²⁰which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.”

I mention it specifically because of what is then said in Ephesians 2. So look again at Ephesians 1:20 (I left the superscript verse number in the quote above) and compare it with Ephesians 2:4-6,

“But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ, by grace you have been saved, and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”

Spiritually speaking, believers are now seated in the heavenly places with Christ because we are in Christ. That is your home. We’re physically still here on Earth going through the ups and downs, the good and the bad, but in another sense we are seated with Christ in the heavenly places and we are given the Holy Spirit as guarantee that when we leave here, we will be there.

Because of all this (salvation and eternal security) Christ is priceless to us. But is He really? Is Jesus not just first place in your life, but everyplace in your life? Is Jesus who you live for, or is He nothing more than an afterthought, a Sunday morning duty? In our Sunday morning worship services we are going through Jesus’ messages to the seven churches in Revelation 2-3. In the process, we are doing a Spirit-led church spiritual examination like Jesus did with those seven churches. Five of the seven were rebuked by King Jesus because, while they were busy doing His work, their hearts did not fully belong to Him and as a result they compromised with sin. That is a huge problem in the Church in America. In many ways we have been busy, but our hearts are not His and compromise with sin is clearly evident. “He who has an ear, let him hear!” I would encourage you to read Revelation 1-3 right now.

So, back in 1 Peter 2, the Holy Spirit tells us that for those who believe, Jesus is precious; He is the only One through whom we have forgiveness, reconciliation, peace with God, and eternal unity with God. For those who do not believe, however, the Good News of Jesus Christ is rejected and they not only stumble over this Cornerstone, but they are offended by Him. Again, 1 Peter 2:8 says Jesus is, “a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence.”

We are surrounded by unbelievers who will reject the Truth and thus reject us. Now if we hide our faith, if we never open our mouths with the loving truth of the Gospel, then we probably don’t know if the people in our families and circle of friends and acquaintances are offended by Jesus or if they know He is priceless. Look, the message of the Gospel is considered offensive to many because it says we are all sinners who have made ourselves enemies of God with our wickedness and sin. We don’t like to hear that; we prefer to believe we are good and that God will accept us on the basis of our goodness. But that is a lie, we are not good. God says, we have all sinned and that no one is righteous (good). Romans 3:10-12 spell it out clearly,

“As it is written: ‘there is none righteous, no, not one; there is none who understands; there is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; they have together become unprofitable; there is none who does good, no, not one.”

If a person never accepts the forgiveness and reconciliation available through Jesus Christ and Him alone, they will die in their sins and face eternal judgment. Hebrews 9:27-28 says,

“And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.”

Thus, the most loving thing we can do is speak the life-giving Gospel of Jesus Christ with those around us. None of us deserve His salvation, but Jesus made it possible through His sacrificial death on our behalf. In Him we have new life now and eternal life in the future. We are His ambassadors who have the duty to speak the message to reconciliation to others (2 Corinthians 5:17-21). If you have come to faith in Christ, you recognize that He is precious. For those who have not come to faith, Jesus is a stumbling block and rock of offence because the Gospel means I’m not good enough to be acceptable to God on my own; that is correct. But in Christ we are accepted because His righteousness is granted to us. Do what you’ve been called to do: tell others about forgiveness and salvation through Jesus. Many will be offended, even as you tell them with love and grace. Some, however, will understand and believe; a few will confess and repent of their sin and give their lives to Christ and that makes any suffering we may endure worthwhile.

Conclusion:

By coming to Christ, you are being built up as a spiritual Temple and a holy priesthood, for the purpose of offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God thru Jesus Christ. You know that you need Christ for the forgiveness of sin through His death for you, but do you know God’s will for your life right now? It is for you to draw ever nearer to Christ who is The Living Stone and to spread word of Truth: that salvation is in Jesus alone.

1 Peter 2:4-5 Living Stones

Introduction:

What great salvation has come to us who trust in Jesus, the Son of God. We can do nothing to earn that salvation. It makes absolutely no difference how “good” we are, no one is perfect, everyone sins, and therefore we all deserve eternal punishment. But God in His great mercy offers salvation from our sin and it’s punishment through the Blood of His Son Jesus Christ. 

But that is not the end, is it? No, that is just the beginning. Once we are saved we are then responsible to God for how we live. As we saw a few verses ago we need to live the remainder of this life in the fear of God. God loves us, and He loves us enough to make sure we don’t go on living the same sinful and destructive ways we did before we came to faith in Christ.

We are also supposed to love the brethren with a sacrificial kind of love like Christ has for His church. We are to put away the sinful habits and ways that cause us to hurt or neglect one another. We are to desire the Word of God like a baby desires milk. Today we will see some things about our position and function as part of His Church, the Body of Christ.

Living Stones

Please begin by reading 1 Peter 1:22 – 2:5.

The Living Stone: Having just told his readers, who were Christians, to put away all worldliness and to desire the Word of God, Peter now indicates that doing those things contributes “to our coming to Christ” who is The Living Stone (2:4). Again, The Spirit through Peter is talking to Christians here; we established that in 1:1-2 and throughout this letter. So as a believer in Christ putting away malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and evil speaking, and desiring the Word of God so that you can mature in your faith are all part of the post-salvation process of “coming to Him” or “drawing near to Him.”

Let’s consider God telling His people to draw near in the Old Testament. Let’s begin with some context. God brings Israel out of Egypt under Moses. Israel enters into a covenant with God at Mount Sinai “I will be your God and you will be My people” (Exodus 24). Israel breaks that covenant by worshiping a golden calf that they made (Exodus 32). The covenant is renewed after they were disciplined (Exodus 34). They were then given instructions on how to approach their Holy and Almighty God who dwelt among them at the Tabernacle (Leviticus). They approached God through priests (Leviticus 8-10). The assembly (nation) lived all around the Tabernacle where God uniquely dwelt (Leviticus 9:5). Aaron, the High Priest, went to the alter (Leviticus 9:8). “Coming to or drawing near to” the Tabernacle in Leviticus 9:5 and 8 is the same Greek word translated as “coming to” Christ in 1 Peter 2:4; that is the Greek work in the Septuagint (LXX) which is the ancient Greek version of the Old Testament that Jesus often quoted. Israel in the Old Testament entered into the covenant at Mt Sinai, but that did not guarantee their “coming near” to Him. Christians in New Testament are saved by grace through faith in Christ, but that doesn’t guarantee “coming near;” it’s a huge step, the first and a vital step, but it’s just the beginning.

The Spirit refers to Jesus as The Living Stone. It is taken from Psalm 118:22-23, “The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This was the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.” It is also from Isaiah 28:16, “Therefore, thus says the Lord God: ‘Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation. Whoever believes will not act hastily.’” Jesus is the first stone laid in the Spiritual Temple that is the Church, the Body of Christ. The entire “building” is centered upon and built upon Him. He is the Living Cornerstone. Christ the Living Stone was examined and refused by men (1 Peter 2:4b). The word “rejected” here means “an examination and declaration of unworthiness.” Those who reject Christ consider Him unfit, unworthy of their trust. They are either indifferent or defiant; either way they reject Him. As a believer in Christ, you can expect to be rejected by those same people as well. The reality is that Christ was chosen by God and of immeasurable value (1 Peter 2:4c). This shows the vast chasm between God’s view of Christ and man’s. Man rejects Christ, but God honors and glorifies Christ. That God had “chosen” Christ is an interesting way of saying it since Jesus has always existed with the Father. This “chosen” is the same word used in 1 Peter 1:2 concerning our being chosen by God. It simply means that Jesus Christ was foreordained before the foundation of the world to be the Saviour of the world. This is reflected in the high Christological passages of Colossians 1:19-23, Philippians 2:5-11, and Hebrews 1:1-4, 3:1-6. I encourage you to read those passages often.

Now let’s move onto the other living stones.

The Living Stones: The Spirit continues His statement in 1 Peter 2:5 to believers about “coming to Christ.” That like Christ, we too are living stones being built together into a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices to God thru Jesus. Look at the Temple imagery in this verse including stones, spiritual house, priesthood, and sacrifices. All who trust in Christ for salvation become part of that Temple, being built into a spiritual house and priesthood. God is building this spiritual Temple, starting with Christ and including all who believe. The Old Testament Tabernacle/Temple is where God dwelt among His people. The New Testament Temple is the Body of Christ made up of us and it is where God dwells among us. He is building a holy priesthood; we are all priests, we all have access and we all need to take those priestly responsibilities seriously.  We, the Temple of God, are His dwelling place and we have access to Him for the purpose of offering spiritual sacrifices.

“Coming to” or “drawing near to” Jesus Christ, the Living Stone continues beyond salvation. In Leviticus God told Israel how to draw near; through bringing sacrifices to the Tabernacle and later the Temple. The sacrifices we offer include our very lives (Romans 12:1-2), loving each other (Ephesians 5:2), ministering to each other (Philippians 2:17 and 4:18), and praising God with the fruit of our lips (Hebrews 13:15) for example.

Conclusion:

Ok, so put these verses together…

By coming to Christ, you are being built up as a spiritual Temple and a holy priesthood, for the purpose of offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God thru Jesus Christ. Coming near to Christ begins with putting off all malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, evil speaking (2:1), desiring the Word as a baby desires milk so that you can mature (2:2), and coming to Him so that we are built up together as the Temple, as priests, for the purpose of offering spiritual sacrifices thru Jesus Christ to God the Father. If you do not put off the old sins, if you do not feast on the Word of God, you will not mature or positively contribute to the church. I hear many preachers tell people, “you need to be in church anytime the doors are open, you need to get involved in the church, you need to give more money.” The real issue, however, the reason believers struggle is because they do not put off sin, do not desire the Word, and do not draw near to Christ to be His Temple and royal priesthood.

You know that you need Christ for the forgiveness of sin through His death for you, but do you know God’s will for your life right now? It is for you to draw ever nearer to Christ who is The Living Stone.

Grace & Peace,

Pastor Mark

1 Peter 1:22 - 2:3 Love and Desire part 1

Introduction:

Given our title for this morning, which is “Love and Desire,” you might wonder if your kids/grandkids should be reading it. I assure you it is not for mature readers only. We are working through 1 Peter 1 and into chapter 2 today. As we proceed, I want you to get out of the individualistic mindset that our culture constantly forces upon us, and instead think about this passage as Jesus’ Church.

           

What great salvation has come to all who trust in Jesus, God the Son. But that salvation is not like fire insurance that we buy and then go about our business putting it far from our minds. No, His salvation changes everything about who we are, what we do and how we think. Being indwelt by His Holy Spirit, we become less like our old self and more like Jesus as we cooperate with the Spirit and the Word. Let’s see then what the Spirit tells us in 1 Peter 1:22 – 2:3.

Love and Desire:

Please begin this morning by reading 1 Peter 1:1 – 2:3. The Holy Spirit through Peter issues the command to be Holy and then gives other instruction relating to it. We’ve talked about those in previous weeks, so let’s dive into our text for today where our two main points are love the brethren and desire the Word. We begin with 1 Peter 1:22, “Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart.”

Building upon the command to “be holy,” and the instruction to conduct themselves in fear of the One who judges according to each one’s work, the Spirit tells us to love our brothers and sisters in Christ because our souls have been purified by truth. You are familiar with “if-then” statements like, “if you want to eat dinner, go wash hands first.” Your mother may have said something like that to you often when you were a child. These are called conditional statements. There are several types of conditional statements; they basically go like this: “If” something is true or needed, “then” something else is also true and will (or should) happen. There are many conditional statements in Scripture. Consider Jesus’ statement in John 14:5, “If you love Me, [then] keep My commandments.” Another example is right here in 1 Peter 1:17, “if you call on the Father…[then] conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear.” Thus, IF you love Jesus and if you call on the Father, THEN obey Him and conduct yourself to please Him. The statement in 1 Peter 1:22 is a little different. Here the purifying of their souls is sonsidered a statement of fact; the Spirit knew their standing in the truth and love for the brethren. Based upon that, the Spirit commands greater love for each other.

The first occurrence of “love” in 1 Peter 1:22 is the Greek word “philadelphia” which spoke of the love one has for a blood-related brother or sister. The second occurrence of the English word “love” in that verse is the Greek word “agape” which is a stronger kind of love; it is used of God’s love for us in places like 1 John 4:10, “in this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” Thus, because believers’ souls have been purified by obeying the truth, revealed to them by the Spirit, with the evidence of loving each other as brothers and sisters, they are now to increase their love for each other to the kind of love God has for us, a fervent love from a pure heart. Understand this, the brotherly kind of love common among many Christians is not sufficient; it’s good, but not enough. Now, it so happens that we’ve just started a weeks-long examination of “the Love Chapter” (1 Corinthians 13) as part of our Step 4 spiritual inventory at Celebrate Recovery. You can visit crnewbrighton.blogspot.com to check that out. Let me just give you a quick sample: 1 Corinthians 13:4 begins God’s detailed definition of love by saying, “Love suffers long and is kind…” The entire chapter uses the “agape” for love. Verse 4 sets in place two pilliars of Godly love: patience and kindness. The Greek word translated “patient” or “suffers long” means “to bear up under provocation without complaint” (BDAG) while “kindness” is a rare Greek verb meaning “merciful behavior.” This patience is a passive state of mind while kindness is an active behavior, “love suffers long and is kind.” Going back then to the idea of 1 Peter 1:22, love each other with God’s kind of love which stands firm when grieved by you and merciful in its actions toward you.

That’s not even the end of it! The statement continues with further explanation of why such love is commanded by God. It is a high calling after all and totally not what would be natural. The reason such love is expected by God of His children toward one another is that He as done everything to make it possible. God issues some high commands, but He gives us everything we need to fulfill them. In this case, the Spirit reminds us that we can love like that because we have been born-again. We’ve been made new, the old self-absorbed sinful person is dead and a new creation is born in us with the ability to know and love with a Godly love because the Holy Spirit is in us. This was accomplished in each believer because of they believed and submitted to the truth of the Word of God. His Word stands forever, unlike our flesh which is here today and gone tomorrow, speaking of our brevity of life on this Earth.

God’s Word will never fade, never become obsolete or irrelevant; it stands for eternity. Without looking it up on the internet, do you know who won SuperBowl XIX or even XXXI? Can you mention one of the powerful kings of Spain, Russia or Germany? Do you know who won the gold medal for, well, for anything in the 2000 Olympics? Can you, without looking it up, name the winner of best actor in a dramatic film in 2017? Even if you get one of these, it is most likely because you are particularly interested in the subject and if you can get them all you must be a trivia guru and seriously, there a better things to do with your time. But these human glories all fade away to obscurity and the deep files on some internet server. Conversely, we’re still being amazed and changed by God’s Word, the Bible, and it was recorded and revealed to us thousands of years ago. Nothing else comes in any way close to that because nothing else is the eternal Word of God.

Moving onto 1 Peter 2:1-3, the Spirit says, “Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.” Based upon the command to be holy and to conduct ourselves while living this life in fear of God, and having souls purified such that we need to love each other with God’s kind of love, we must also put off wickedness, deceit, hypocrisy, envy and evil speaking. We must also crave the Word of God as a baby craves milk so that we can grow. Since none of you remembers being a newborn baby, maybe you remember having a newborn baby. The child ate at 8pm and soon after went to sleep. You were tired as well and went to bed before 10pm. It isn’t long, however, until you hear the cry. It’s time to eat again. You can’t ignore it because it will not stop. You have to get up and go tend to the child who needs to be fed. The child needs and craves milk, and nothing else will satisfy. That is how we need to crave God’s Word. That is how a believer grows in spiritual maturity, drawing closer to God and thus each other as the Spirit makes us more like Christ through the Word.

Now, we live in a very individualistic society where we are bombarded with the self-satisfying philosophy that life is “all about me.” That philosophy drives us to all kinds of foolishness, bitterness, hurt, despair and resentment. It is a breeding ground for addiction, disunity and hatred. Oh, look around and what do we see today? Addiction, disunity and hatred, go figure. Individualism crept into our churches like a sneaking, ravenous wolf. What we need to do then is ask the Spirit to reveal any unholiness, any selfishness, any lack of love in us. We all need to do that personally, and also together as the Body of Christ. As members together of the Body, sin in any one of us affects the others. If not directly, it impacts the others by the lack of Godly love because one is off chasing some self-centered sin and thus not doing his or her part in the Body. The Christian life is not about you, it is about Christ and His Church of which you are part as a believer.

Conclusion:

In 1 Peter 1 the Spirit tells us to be holy and to love one another with a zealous, Godly kind of love. Such love will only come when we feast upon the Word like a new baby feeds upon that life-sustaining milk. Don’t assume you are doing okay in these areas, ask the Spirit to show you the truth about yourself, about your love for God and other people and about your spiritual diet.

Grace & Peace,
Pastor Mark

1 Peter 1:17-21 Time to Be Holy (part 2)

Introduction:

Over the past months a great deal of turmoil has come upon us. We are a strange people who forget what we should have just learned and often forget what keeps it all together as we move from one situation or crisis to the next. Consider that in April-May we were making heroes out of anyone whose jobs were considered essential, who had to be out in public places amid the pandemic. Yet in a matter of days a movement began to defund, that is eliminate, many police departments, people who were celebrated as heroes. What happened to Mr. Floyd was totally unacceptable, but you cannot project that crime upon all police officers, many of whom are heroes as they stand in harm’s way to protect, serve and maintain order so that things don’t degrade into anarchy. Racism is sin. Hating anyone based upon the color of their skin is wrong; we were all created in God’s image. Likewise, hating someone just because they wear a badge is sin also. We’ve lost the big picture.

Over the past decades, I believe we’ve become so focused on particulars, that we’ve forgotten the big picture of the Bible as well. There are an endless number of books, articles, seminars and videos that discuss things relating to the Bible. We spend much time, effort and money on studying those things and relatively little time meditating on the Bible itself. Denominations dig-in deep on some interpretation or opinion and find themselves separating from each other, and non-denominational groups do the same thing. In the process we neglect the big picture. God is the One True God who is the Creator, sustainer and Redeemer of sinful mankind. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ to be the sacrificial lamb who paid the penalty of sin for all who believe. Jesus rose again to give us new life in unity with Him and gives all who believe the guarantee of the Holy Spirit. As Spirit indwelt believers, we are to live for Him who redeemed us to Himself and that means being holy, like Him, no matter what situations come and go in this life. Part of being holy like Jesus means trusting, loving and obeying the Father according to His example and the Spirit’s leading. Jesus came to bring peace between Almighty God and rebellious mankind; He showed patience, kindness and love even to those who hated Him so that we could be united to Him, and through Him united to each other. Unity with Him is the only way we can expect any kind of unity with each other.

We’ve been working through 1 Peter 1 for several weeks now and when we take a passage in small sections as we are we can easily loose sight of the big picture. The big picture in 1 Peter 1 is, “but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct” (1:15).

Your Redeemer

Please begin by reading 1 Peter 1:1-21. According to 1 Peter 1:17 part of our motivation for holiness is fear. This is the Holy Spirit’s command through Peter, “And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear.” I talked about that last week so let’s move on to the other motivation to holiness.

In 1 Peter 1:18-21 the Spirit reminds us of what our Redeemer did for us. It should give us a sense of awe as we consider how God the Son humbled Himself so that we could be forgiven and united to the Father. The Spirit says, “you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.” Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, no one comes to the Father except through Jesus (John 14:6). The Spirit spoke of Jesus’ redemption of us this way through Paul, “being in the form of God, [Jesus] did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure (Philippians 2:5-13). That passage then continues as 1 Peter does by then saying our proper response is holiness, “Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain” (Philippians 2:14-18).

In both 1 Peter and Philippians we are motivated to holiness through a realization of who God is and what He has done. It is through fear and awe. The Holy Spirit encourages and strengthens us, reminding us how God has lavished blessings upon us through Christ Jesus. Christ was preordained for His atoning work. He removed the enmity we created between us and God by our sin. It is through Christ alone we have faith and hope in God. It is God who determined our salvation, accomplished it, and in Him is all our future hope. That is awe inspiring. He is the One that then says, “Be holy.”

Being holy means being like Him which we can do by yielding to the Spirit’s work in our lives, minds and hearts. He changes us. We cannot make ourselves to be like Jesus. Please, He is God and we are dust. The only way we can be like Him is His changing us. The Spirit’s changes are radical, producing in us the mind of Christ (Philippians 2:5) so we will speak and think like Jesus did. The Spirit also produces the works of Christ in us; Jesus said to His disciples, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father” John 14:12).

Conclusion

Being holy, like Jesus, as we yield to the Spirit is the only way we will have unity as God intended it. You can attend all the classes you want, read all the books available, and spend your whole life trying to change your heart, your attitudes, and your actions, but you will never have unity with the Father and selfless love for other people unless you trust in Christ as your Redeemer and yield your life to the Holy Spirit.

Grace & Peace,
Pastor Mark

1 Peter 1:17-21 Time To Be Holy

Introduction:
A Wedding dress is not for everyday use; its not even for use on special occasions save your Wedding Day.  Wearing it any other time would be a little strange because it is made for one particular event. It has been set apart from all the other dresses and outfits as unique and special. Believers in Jesus Christ are set apart, referred to in Scripture as “made holy.” In a day and age when holiness isn’t talked about much, not even in many churches, is being holy passé?

Time To Be Holy

Please begin by reading 1 Peter 1:1-21. As believers we are commanded to be holy in 1:15 and today we are going to see why.

According to 1 Peter 1:17 part of our motivation for holiness is fear. This is the Holy Spirit’s command through Peter, “And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear” (1 Peter 1:17). I know the idea of fearing God is nearly rejected these days because it doesn’t fit our societal norms, but we cannot interpret Scripture by what society has to say. The main verb of this verse is the command, “conduct yourselves,” or in other words “live a certain way.” What way? Well, during the rest of our lives here on Earth we are to conduct ourselves in fear. Fear of what? The question is better asked, “fear of who?” because the answer is clearly given: fear of God.

Perhaps you can understand if you read Leviticus 26; I challenge you to stop and read it now.

“Well, that’s Old Testament, Pastor. That’s not the way it is now,” you might say. Then how do you explain away Hebrews 12:3-8, 11? That is New Testament. How do you write-off Jesus’ instruction to His disciples in Matthew 10:28 where He tells them, “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Actually, Jesus’ makes a similar statement on another occasion which is worded more strongly than Matthew 10:28; it is in Luke 12:4-5 which is again spoken to His disciples, “And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!”

Fear is not a command most Christians in our culture or churches expect or want to hear. “Live in fear?” they say, “No, God loves me.” After all, the Bible says, “perfect love casts out fear.” Yes it does, that’s 1 John 4:18.  Now we know that the Bible has no contradictions in it so let’s turn there and see what’s going on because Peter tells us to conduct ourselves in fear, but John says perfect love casts our fear. In 1 John 4:12-16 the Spirit tells us through the Apostle that our love for each other bears witness to our unity with God. If I say I love Him and you say you love Him, we better have some Godly love for each other! I mean, He tells us to love our enemies (Matthew 5:44) so as believers we surely better love each other. Now, let’s read 1 John 4:17-19, “Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. 19 We love Him because He first loved us.” We have no fear because it is obvious by our lives in this world that we have close communion with Him. We don’t just know about Him, but we know Him because we cling to Him and we do, say, and think like Him. Verse 17 says, “as He is, so are we in this world.” God’s love has been perfected in us through that intimacy with Him and thus we can have boldness WHEN? – in the Day of Judgment. In Christ, we are made perfect, in that we are declared righteous through the Blood of Christ. That is our legal standing before God according to the Holy Spirit through Paul in Romans. Romans 5:18 says, “For as by one man’s (Adam) disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s (Jesus) obedience many will be made righteous.” Romans 8:3-4 adds, “For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” That is absolutely the truth; as believers in Jesus Christ, washed by Blood and filled with the Spirit and communing with Him, we have no need to fear. His perfect love, which provided forgiveness and unites us to Him, casts out that fear. It’s not because we are better than anyone else, the only difference is that we recognize and confess our sin, ask God to forgive us by the sacrifice of His Son Jesus, and give our lives for Him; we conduct ourselves in holiness. Back in 1 Peter 1:17, however, we’re not talking about fearing future judgment, it is talking about fearing God’s intervention now when we rebel against Him through sin.

Referring back to the command to “be holy,” the Spirit tells believers to conduct themselves in fear of the Sovereign God who oversees all that is said, done, and desired by every human being and who judges according to each one’s work (1:17). That’s what Hebrews 12:8-11 is about, God chastising His children when they neglect their love for Him and do what is sinful. As a loving Father, He disciplines His children for their own good. Sin, rebellion, and hardness of heart cause hurt and division. It is us separating from God and in the process hurting each other and ourselves. Look around, sin caused the division we see in cities across America right now. Mr. Floyd was deplorably and unmercifully killed and that was sin. Meanwhile, rioters (not peaceful demonstrators, but rioters) have destroyed, robbed, fueled division, injured and killed (no one is talking about the many good police officers that have been injured and killed in the riots). That too is sin. Hating someone because of the color of their skin, whatever color it is, is sin. Hating someone just because they are a police officer is sin. All lives matter. Can’t you see that we are being played by sin, dividing us and turning us against one another? It has to stop.

God is the righteous (and patient) Judge. He rebukes sin and holds us accountable. Look, we all expect the man who killed Mr. Floyd to be held accountable, right? Yes, we can all agree that that man needs to pay for his crime. We tend to want everyone else to be held accountable when they sin, but when we are the ones who are guilty of some sin, “give me grace, have mercy on me!” The fact is, everyone who rejects the forgiveness available through the Blood of Christ will be held accountable on the Day of Judgment for the sin they committed.

The idea of Christians fearing God is all through the NT.  Look up these passages: 2 Corinthians 7:1; Ephesians 5:21; Philippians 2:12; 1 Peter 2:17; and Acts 5:1-11. The context of 1 Peter 1:17 is a command to be holy, to live holy, putting away the former sins, because the One we call Father judges each man’s works. If I am in communion with Him I have nothing to fear, but if I am ignoring or rebelling against Him I can expect some discipline. God told the Israelites that punishment would come if they disregarded Him and entered back into their sin.  Great fear came upon the church in Acts 5 due to the sudden and severe discipline brought upon two members for lying to the Holy Spirit.

Conduct yourselves while here in fear because you have not been redeemed with corruptible things (1:18). Look at the contrast, conduct yourselves in fear, not in the worthless way of life you used to have. Rather, conduct yourselves in fear because you have been redeemed with the precious Blood of Christ (1:19). How pleased with you do you suppose God is when you bring disgrace upon His Son Jesus Christ, which is exactly what you do when you sin?  The Son who was sacrificed in your place and who the Father then glorified, you disgrace by returning to your sinful conduct. You think He says, “Oh, that’s okay because I love you?” Perhaps we need reminded of what the precious Blood of Christ has done for us:

·        Colossians 1:20-22 though we were the enemies of God, we are reconciled in peace

·        Hebrews 9:14 it cleanses our conscience from the need to do dead works (the Law)
·        Hebrews 10:19 it gives us bold access to the Father
·        1 John 1:7 it cleanses us from sin

We are also motivated to holiness through awe of Him and what He has done. Jesus was preordained for His atoning work, removing the enmity we created between us an God. It is also because of Jesus that any of us have faith. It is God who determined your salvation, accomplished it, and in Him is all our future hope.  That is awe inspiring.  And He is the One that says, “Be holy.”

Grace & Peace,
Pastor Mark

1 Peter 1:13-16 Time to Get Serious

Introduction:

What would you do if you had to go to Pittsburgh tonight around 11:30pm?  A trusted friend calls and says she is in trouble and needs help. There were demonstrations throughout the day that turned violent, the city is under curfew and your car has been acting funny lately. Would you go? How do you prepare for such a trip?  What do you do before you go? What do you take with you?

Time to Get Serious:

Please begin this morning by reading 1 Peter 1:1-16. We cannot just jump right into our text without having the opening verses fresh in our minds. Today we are going to consider some implications of our salvation. Up to this point the Holy Spirit, through Peter, has been giving us some doctrine, in today’s passage He makes application, telling us what we must do as a result of the teaching just given in 1:1-12.

This starts off with a rather strange statement… “Gird up the loins of your mind.” This figure of speech is a phrase that has shifted out of our normal use. Today we might say, “get your head together,” “get focused,” or “stop messing around, its time to get serious.” Then 1 Peter 1:13 goes on to say, “be sober.” There is no time to be drunk or under the control of anything that hinders or alters your thoughts and emotions. Also, “be serious” because there is no time for goofing off. That should be very easy to understand these days with things coming unglued. Set your hope fully upon the grace to come, here pertaining to the future and complete realization of our salvation at Jesus’ return.

So, what would you do about helping that friend stranded in Pittsburgh? You prepare yourself to go help, you get serious and you stay alert the entire time. This would be no joy ride or sight seeing tour, this would be an intervention. The idea of 1 Peter 1:13 is that we stop wasting our time, and get serious about how we are living and spending our time. In our culture, we spend to much time living for ourselves, forgetting or neglecting the awe of our salvation and the reason we remain here in this life. We too often neglect our duty as disciples of Christ who have been given a mission. Maybe you don’t think this describes you; maybe you believe you’ve got it all together as Christ’s ambassador. Let me ask you this, “How does your salvation affect your daily life?” Now don’t just throw out the good Christian answer that you know you should give. You need the real truth in this answer. The self-justifying delusion our minds tend to dream up will not suffice. The reality of how your salvation through Christ impacts the way you live and think on a daily basis is what you need to consider. I suggest you pray for the Spirit’s revelation of truth as you search the Scriptures to find this answer. You cannot reliably answer this question without time (like several days) of prayer and searching the Scriptures.

Notice that the statement begun in 1 Peter 1:13 continues into 1:14, “Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; ¹⁴as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance.” As a disciple of Christ, you don’t live like you did before committing your life and will to Him. As a Holy Spirit indwelt believer in Jesus Christ, you have to think, speak and act differently; it’s the difference between dark and light, death and life.

The sharp contrast in how we live now verses how we used to live is even commanded in 1 Peter 1:15-16. Basically, it says to stop giving yourself to your old sins, and be holy. The reason is that we’ve been called by God who is Holy. We talked about being called several weeks ago with 1:2 and 1:3. By God’s grace He called you, you didn’t deserve it, nobody does. But God lavished His grace on us. I love Ephesians 1:7-8, “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence.” How can you and I be united with God if we don’t keep ourselves from sin and be holy? From Leviticus through Revelation God tells His children to be holy. “Holy” means to be dedicated to, or reserved to God, set apart. God is Holy in that there is nothing and no one like Him; He is unique, different than everything else. Our holiness comes from separation from sin and self and dedication to God. In Leviticus 17-25 God spelled out in no uncertain detail what holy living meant to Israel in the OT. We aren’t under the Law anymore, but we are still commanded to live a holy life. Israel was surrounded by immoral and demonic cultures and so are we. Immorality is everywhere, demonic forces are at work all around us the Bible warns. Division, fighting, disunity and chaos are the work of spiritual forces of evil and they are hard at work right now. God required repentant hearts and sacrifices in the OT; He still demands repentant hearts, but He supplied the sacrifice in sending His Son Jesus to the Cross. As indwelt believers united to Him, we are to be dedicated to and engaged in God’s will, God’s service, and honoring Him all day every day.

How you and I are doing with that is the question we will ask over the next several weeks.

Conclusion:

We need to be ready. Ready to do His will in any and every moment as He directs and leads us. We need to be holy. Putting away the former sins and meaningless endeavors. What on Earth could be more important?

Over the coming weeks and months we will be doing a spiritual inventory at First Baptist. On Tuesdays at Celebrate Recovery this spiritual inventory is at the individual level, while on Sundays it is on a group level. We will be seeking the Spirit’s leading as we do this. As Psalm 26:2 says, “Examine me, O Lord, and prove me; try my mind and my heart.” Then again in Lamentations 3:40 we read, “Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord.” Hope to see you on Sunday and Tuesday because you can’t get the real truth about yourself unless your spiritual inventory includes both the individual and group aspects.

1 Peter 1:10-12 The Blessing of Now

Introduction:
There is a movie I would recommend, and that doesn’t happen too often; it’s called “Time Changer.” It is about a man traveling ahead in time to see how the liberal teaching of his day would actually affect society. He returns bent on returning to strong biblical doctrine.

We seem to have a fascination with time travel and most of you can probably think of a movie/book or two that have that as part of the storyline.  Well, God has never permitted men to travel forward or backward in time, but He has permitted a few to at least see the future including Daniel, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Paul, John, and a few others.

Our passage for today is 1 Peter 1:10-12, it says the prophets of old inquired and searched, longing to see the Messiah who would come, and see that future come in their lifetimes.

O what great salvation has come to us who trust in Jesus, the Son of God, but do we appreciate it? Being the recipients of so much grace have we lost the awe?  Perhaps we are guilty of taking our salvation and our Saviour for granted.

The Blessing of Now:

I would ask you to now read 1 Peter 1:1-12. We cannot just jump right into our text without having the opening verses fresh in our minds.

“This salvation” refers back to the salvation of our souls discussed in 1:3-9, the prophets of old searched for the Messiah.  You see they understood, at least in part, that the Messiah would come and that He would suffer, not for Himself but for others; Isaiah 53 makes that very clear. They also knew He would restore the Kingdom. The Israelites longed for the Messiah/King to restore glory to the nation of Israel. I think that along the way, especially during the 400 years of silence between the OT and the NT, most Jews focused on the Messiah’s restoration of the Kingdom.  Consider Mark 11, The Triumphal Entry, where the masses, stirred by Jesus’ raising Lazarus from the dead, usher Jesus into the city (see Mk 11:7-10). Then look at Mark 11:10, the people expected an immediate restoration of David’s Kingdom when Messiah came. Also very telling is the disciples question in Acts 1:6; at least with them Jesus had already suffered and rose to life, so it’s a legitimate question. Yet you still see great emphasis on the Kingdom restored to Israel.

This focus on the Kingdom led many Jews to walk away from Jesus; because He was not meeting their expectations. They expected the Messiah to come and lead them into military, political, and economic independence from Rome. That seemed to be the average person’s expectation, basically a what’s-in-it-for-me attitude. Sounds like many people today, many who “come to Christ” because they just want a better life for themselves. That’s not what “this salvation” is all about as plainly indicated by 1 Peter 1:6-9.

The prophets longed for the salvation, the grace, and the glorification of God.  Read any of the prophets and you will see that they understood their sinfulness (their own and that of the nation of Israel). Consider Isaiah 6:1-5 for instance.  Isaiah understood that he and the nation were unclean. That chapter goes on to tell of God’s judgment upon Israel. The prophets understood our need for salvation due to our wickedness and rebellion. They understood that no one deserves God’s forgiveness or mercy, but His grace gives those in abundance.

I fear that most people already think they are good enough to go to Heaven; according to God they’re dead wrong.  Few understand/believe their sin will send them to Hell.  After all, “God is love, He wouldn’t send me to Hell, I haven’t done anything that bad.”  Without an understanding of personal guilt, a deep regret for personal sin, and a decision to repent (to turn away from sin), there is no salvation. Second Corinthians 7:10 says, “for godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation.” Understanding the penalty of sin, the prophets inquired of God and searched the Scriptures, and told of the grace that God would send in the person of the Messiah.  They longed to see the Messiah come because He alone could bring that grace and salvation.

The Spirit of Christ (a name used here of the Holy Spirit) revealed to the prophets that the Messiah, the Christ, would come. Let me remind you that “Messiah” is a Hebrew word meaning “anointed one,” “divinely appointed King of Israel,” and “High Priest of Israel.” Christ is the Greek word for Messiah/Anointed One. Let’s consider for a moment just one passage the Spirit revealed to David, who is called a prophet in Acts 1 and 2. Let’s look at Psalm 22, portions of which are quoted in Hebrews and applied to Jesus…

Psalm 22:1 says, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, and from the words of My groaning?” That statement was quoted by Jesus as He hung on the cross (see Matthew 27:46, Mark 15:34). Psalm 22:6-8 says, “But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised by the people. All those who see Me ridicule Me; they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, ‘He  trusted in the Lord, let Him rescue Him; let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!’” This is true of Jesus as He hung on the Cross (see Matthew 27:35-43; Luke 23:35). Psalm 22:16-18 says, “For dogs have surrounded Me; the congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet; I can count all My bones. They look and stare at Me. They divide My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots” (see Matthew 27:35; Mark 15:24; Luke 23:34, John 19:24, 20:25). Hebrews 2:12 applies to Jesus Psalm 22:22 which says, “I will declare Your name to My brethren; in the midst of the assembly I will praise You.” This is one example of what the OT prophets had and searched trying to find out who the Messiah would be, and when He would come. They sought to know about Him. They longed for His coming. That was Then.

Back in 1 Peter, the Spirit tells the readers that it was to them the prophets ministered. The prophets ministered to us so we would know that Jesus was the Messiah. They inquired and searched diligently, never seeing the promise realized. Like those we read about in Hebrews 11, they did not see the Messiah before they died.          But we know who the Messiah is, His name is Jesus Christ. Consider Matthew 13:14-17 which says, “And in them (the multitude gathered around Jesus) the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says, ‘Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, and seeing you will see and not perceive; for the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them.’ But blessed are your (Jesus’ disciples) eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear; for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.” The OT prophets longed to know, to see, and to hear what we know, have seen, and have heard through the pages of the New Testament. Do you understand the incredible blessing you have been given, to have the record and witness of Jesus Christ? I fear that like most of the Jews in Jesus’ day, we are too worried about ourselves and how to make our lives better. We are not so impressed with the amazing grace and the salvation through Jesus. Are you in awe at the grace given to you, those of you who believe?

How awe inspiring is it, look at the end of 1:12, these are things angels desire to look into (experience). The Spirit states something similar in Ephesians 3:8-12 through the Apostle Paul, “To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ; to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him.” That salvation is for all who believe. This is now.

Conclusion:

We cannot travel through time and that is a good thing. As a follower of Christ, the grace and salvation you have received is more than the prophets of old knew and that angels can know. Be thankful and give praise. In this time of viruses, lockdowns, economic and political chaos, what we need is unity with God, and through Him unity with each other. We need to trust what He is doing and we need to put off the anxiety, idolatry, and grief through praise and worship of Almighty God. We are now recipients of God’s grace, having record of Jesus Messiah's sacrificial death, burial and glorious resurrection. That should fill us with awe, thankfulness, joy, and dedication to Him. There is no reason to go back in time, and great reason to look forward to the future.

Grace and Peace,
Pastor Mark

1 Peter 1:8-9 Love and Rejoice

Introduction:
I remember the song in its original form and by the original artist, but if I think about it my mind immediately goes to the episode of the “Carol Burnett Show” when she did a skit singing this song on the “Gong Show.” Do you know the song I’m talking about? Let me give you a line from the chorus, “Feelings, wo-o-o feelings, wo-o-o, feel you, again in my arms.” Feelings was released in 1974 and nominated for the Grammy Award Song of the Year and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. It was also nominated for a People’s Choice Award for Favorite New Song. Morris Albert wrote the lyrics and music (though he was later successfully sued over the music) and he performed the song as well. It was Carol Burnett, however, who made the song truly memorable to me… memorable in a, “oh please get this song out of my head” kind of way.

This post is a continuation of the series of posts on 1 Peter 1. We are up to verse 8 which comes in the midst of a long thought running from 1:6-9. Let’s get started right by reading 1:3-9, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”

Love and Rejoice:

The Spirit tells us in 1 Peter that we can greatly rejoice in our union with God and eternal inheritance even when grievous trials come upon us and that such testing provides a realistic understanding how strong our faith is, and that a faith standing the fiery trials will praise, honor and glory Christ when He returns. In a continuation of that thought, 1 Peter 1:8 considers the One in whom our trust is placed. Speaking of Jesus, it says, “whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory.”

Though we don’t see Jesus Christ we love Him. Do you love Jesus?  Each of you right now consider for a moment what you DO that shows your love for Jesus and obviously you cannot count being in church. What does the Word of God say about how we know if we love Jesus? In John 14-15, Jesus and the disciples are in the upper room and Jesus repeatedly says to them, “If you love Me you will keep My commandments” (see John 14:15-24 and 1 John 5:2-3). What we need to understand is that love is not a feeling; it is action. 

Ladies you know this right?  Suppose a good friend of yours confides to you that she is really struggling in her marriage.  She says that her husband tells her that he loves her, but he doesn’t spend time with her, doesn’t talk to her, doesn’t care after her emotional needs; she says, “I don’t really think he loves me.” Do you agree, ladies? Guys, suppose you discover that the woman you love is unfaithful, yet when you confront her she says, “Oh, but he means nothing to me, I love you!” Would you believe that?

True love is not empty words or a feeling, it is action. Do you love your Saviour Jesus Christ? The Spirit through Peter says in 1:8, “Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory.” Look, there are two main verbs in this verse and a bunch of participles.  Let me highlight the two verbs: “whom [Jesus] having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory.” There is a connection here between loving Jesus and rejoicing.  You cannot have one without the other. When you love Jesus (which means you are keeping His Word) you will rejoice regardless of any trial or trouble because your full attention is upon the Glorious Saviour who is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. I’m not talking about life being “happy,” I’m talking about a deep rejoicing in God. Jesus doesn’t take all your troubles and pain away, but in a relationship with Him, He goes with you through the hardship and pain. The love of Christ and rejoicing go hand in hand, you don’t have one without the other.

Do you love Jesus? “Believing, you rejoice…receiving the completion of your faith, the salvation of your souls” (1 Peter 1:8b-9).  A relationship with Christ will get you through any trial that comes because you are clinging to Him, and He to you. God doesn’t prevent trials, He uses them for His purposes and for your good. My grandparents on by dad’s side were married for seventy years. That is a long time! Over those seventy years there were many ups and downs in their marriage but they got through them together by clinging to one another, and to Jesus. I highly regard both of them, but neither was perfect. That means they had to be patient, give the benefit of any doubt, forgive each other, sacrifice for each other and support and encourage one another to name a few things. It is similar in our relationship with God, the difference is that He is perfect and always does the right thing. Still, you and I need to be patient and trusting when we don’t know or understand what He is doing. We need to ask forgiveness when we sin and forgive others who sin against us. We need to love Him and those He loves (and that is a big job and includes loving people we might not like), and that’s just getting started. It’s not about feelings because feelings are fickle, changing like the winds. The love of God is based upon the unchanging character, unwavering commitment and purely motivated actions of God. Our love for Him, through belief in Jesus Christ, should be the same as His Spirit indwells us.

Conclusion:

I haven’t heard the song Feelings for decades, but it still comes to mind when someone mentions the word and next thing I know, I hear Carol Burnett singing that song in the “Gong Show” skit. Yikes! Love is not some song about feelings. Rejoicing is not some fluctuating sense of happiness. Love and rejoicing are actions based upon a deep rooted belief and commitment. God loves you enough to send His Son Jesus to die in your place and because of that, God loves you enough to forgive you and enter into close communion with you. Love Him back and rejoice.

Next week we’ll continue with 1 Peter.

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Mark