1 Peter 1:3-5 Guarded by the Power of God

Introduction
It is possible that we now all have a deeper appreciation of just how good we’ve had it. Perhaps we’re all seeing that we’ve taken many things in our lives for granted. The life changes we are currently enduring are not nearly as drastic as say, those of the Polish people in the late summer and fall of 1939, or of those who suffered through the Spanish Flu outbreak in 1918, or of the Jews during the siege and fall of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar in 586 BC. While we are going through some major changes right now, none of this compares to what those people endured. I know there are some serious concerns, but let’s take a moment and remember that our future does not depend upon a vaccine, a financial bailout, a political party, our even having things reopened. Our future is solely dependent upon our Heavenly Father and our trust in Him.

Over a month ago, when this stay-at-home stuff all started, I encouraged you to continue worshipping God, particularly by putting on some of your favorite worship music and reading His Word. I hope you’re still doing that. If you’ve chosen not to do so, chances are you’re battling some amount of anxiety, fear, anger, and/or depression; there is also an issue of idolatry. On top of all that, it is late April and we’ve had very little sun and warm weather here in western PA. I think February was nicer than this! I cut grass last week in my parka, winter hat and gloves. Right now I’m looking out the window and it is nothing but grey gloomy muck. We need some sunshine (it won’t kill you) and more importantly we need to remind ourselves of God’s glory through worship, giving thanks, and focusing on Him.

A long time before Nebuchadnezzar’s army leveled Jerusalem, the prophets like Isaiah and Hosea were telling God’s people to stop what they were doing and start worshipping God. Perhaps, like the people then, the Church in America has been a little too focused over the last few decades on things that don’t really matter, like fancier buildings, professional quality performances, and our own comfort and satisfaction. Let’s face it, we could be pretty generous with our missions giving as we gave out of our absolute abundance, but how many of us were on the front lines, directly involved with speaking the Gospel of Christ into the ears of the lost. That is what we’ve been called to do. I know that all believers have different roles and responsibilities within the Body of Christ (Romans 12; 1 Corinthians 12), but we’re all called to be His witnesses (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 1:8; 2 Corinthians 5:20-21 and 1 Peter 3:15).

The believers in Peter’s day suddenly became strangers in a strange land. When they gave their lives to Christ, things changed. One of those changes was persecution, as they experienced the sufferings of Christ. They lost jobs, homes, friends and even family. We don’t have it that hard. We still live in peace and comfort. Yes, there are some new challenges. We can’t go to our favorite restaurant, can’t go hang out with friends, and we can’t go play disk golf. More serious challenges include serious issues like knowing someone who is sick or in harm’s way, or being out of a job. Things are be harder now than they were a few months ago, but so far no one is threatening our homes and family with intentional harm if we don’t forsake our faith. Those who originally received the letter we know as 1 Peter were suffering that type of persecution. The Spirit was reminding them to be holy and to be thankful, for a believer’s inheritance is reserved in Heaven and no one, nor any circumstance, can eliminate or diminish it. Maybe you need that same reminder…

Guarded by the Power of God

In 1 Peter 1:1-2 the Holy Spirit, through the Apostle Peter, addresses this letter, “to the pilgrims of the Dispersion” (strangers in strange places)…”elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ.”

The Spirit at once turns attention to God with a statement of praise to the Father saying, “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” (1 Peter 1:3-5).

The word “blessed” in this verse is an adjective; it’s not a command to praise God but a statement of the fact that God is worthy of all honor and praise. That being the case, we should certainly be offering our honor, praise and thanks to Him. Regardless of our physical, emotional, financial and social situation. We should be worshipping Him because of who He is and He is God Almighty. Revelation 4, one of my favorite chapters in the Bible, tells us a little about the worship that goes on in Heaven constantly.  Verse 8 of that chapter tells of the four living creatures who never ceasing chanting, “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!” and verse 11 tells us that the twenty-four elders add, “You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created.” This happens because of who God is. He is worthy of our praise no matter what’s happening because He is the glorious, all powerful, all knowing, gracious and merciful God of Creation.

Notice how the Spirit, through Peter, refers to this great God who is worthy of all praise. He reminds us that He is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. If you are a believer in Jesus Christ you are now closely related to God.  Many people talk about God being their Father, and while He is their Creator, every human being’s relationship with Him has been broken by sin.  Outside of Jesus Christ, God the Son, no person has a relationship with the Father – none (John 14:6).  But for those who are the “elect according to the foreknowledge of God, sanctified by the Spirit, obedient to Christ and sprinkled with His blood,” God is their Father. The NT is filled with references to God being the Father of those who trust in Jesus Christ for salvation.  The only way for God to be your Father, is to trust in Jesus Christ.

I had a conversation with a lady last fall who accused me of being a self-righteous elitist. Let me assure you that nothing could be further from the truth. Let me again go on public record saying that because of my sin I am absolutely deserving of God’s judgment and eternity in Hell, but God in His infinite mercy redeemed my wretched soul, washed me clean in the Blood of Christ and gave me the seal of His Holy Spirit. Not for any good that I have ever done, on the contrary, it was simply because of His grace. That is what He does for anyone and everyone who stops trying to be good enough on their own, or assumes they already are good enough on their own, and puts their hope and trust in Jesus’ sacrificial death and glorious resurrection. No amount of perceived good that we do makes up for the sin we commit against the Holy God. If someone did great intentional harm to you or a loved one, would the courts be carrying out justice if they convicted that person for criminal and then released them without any penalty because they also did something kind to someone else once? Of course not, and God is not only Love, He is also Justice. Now, back to 1 Peter…

For those who trust in Christ, Almighty God is your Father and the rest of 1 Peter applies to you. If you haven’t put your trust in Christ for forgiveness and new life, it doesn’t apply until you do so. As a child of God through faith in Jesus, you endure the hardships of being a stranger in a strange land by first understanding that your Father God is worthy of honor, praise and worship. It’s about focusing on Him rather than life circumstances.

Secondly, you endure life’s hardships by remembering what God has done. He has begotten us to a living hope. First Peter 3:1 says that God has “begotten us,” “given us new birth,” or “caused us to be born again.” The old is dead and we are new creations in Christ. “Old things have passed away, behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). He has begotten us; He did the action to make us new.  Romans 6:11 says, “Consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God through Jesus Christ.” God did this according to His abundant mercy it says in 1 Peter 1:3. And in Romans, not because of our value or worthiness, but “that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory, even us whom He called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles” (Romans 9:23).  Those who are saved are evidence of God’s mercy, for His own creation rebelled and willingly sinned against Him, each and every one of us. Still, to demonstrate His mercy He calls us into a relationship with Himself and He purifies us through the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ.

So He has given us life, that is, He’s begotten us to a Living Hope. This hope we have grows and matures. The more mature our faith, the more this hope will fill us and motivate us and energize us (see Philippians 3:12-16). Remember the Parable of the Soils in Luke 8? Jesus explains that parable to His disciples in 8:11-15 and He says, “Now the ones (seeds) that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity.” That is exactly what may be happening for many people right now, their faith was okay as long as things were going well, but now there are some cares, riches (or lack thereof), and pleasures (or lack thereof) that are choking it out. It wasn’t a mature faith and it’s not getting any better now due to a self-centered focus. Look, brothers and sisters in Christ, this “living hope” is not just some distant, irrelevant thought. The living hope is based upon the resurrection of Christ and it impacts our daily lives unless we hinder it by making life all about our desires, needs and wants. The Living Hope causes us to live differently.

Part of living differently means we as believers in Christ are not shaken by life’s circumstances. Are you living differently as a Christian, not fearful of current or future events because you know that you are eternally secure in Christ? Is He your all-in-all or is your stuff, your freedom, your relationships, your health, or your comfort what gives you hope? If the latter is the case, you are probably a little shaken these days. You don’t feel like worshipping God because you’re too worried about stuff, or maybe you doubt His love for you because things aren’t going the way you want them to go. That’s the problem with the lie that God just wants you to be happy in this life. What He wants for you is discussed in large extent in 1 Peter. Consider 1 Peter 1:13-16, “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; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, ‘Be holy, for I am holy.’”

We worship God because of who He is and we worship Him because of what He has done. What He has done is give us living hope through faith in Christ. Moreover, through Christ He has begotten us to an inheritance (1:4). We suffer pain and hardship in this life, but there is a reward for those who trust Christ and are faithful to Him. Not just any reward, but one that is incorruptible, undefiled, and cannot fade away, and it is guarded in Heaven for you. God has caused you to be an heir of this future glory. It is secure because He has established it for you in Christ and it cannot be taken away. In 1 John 3:2 we know that part of the inheritance is being made “like Him.”  We also know that there is no suffering in this life that can compare to what awaits us in His presence, as the Spirit testifies through Paul in Romans 8:18.

Then look again at what it says in 1 Peter 1:4-5, “to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, ⁵who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” Verse 5 is no longer talking about your inheritance, it is talking about YOU. You are “guarded by the power of God through faith for salvation.” This is an on-going action by God; He guards us. The Greek term was often used as a military term meaning to “keep from escaping” or “protect from attack.” Do you see, God is continually preserving your salvation and protecting you from the enemy (the world, the flesh, and the devil, and even your old sinful nature that battles against the Spirit sometimes – see Galatians 5:17). No matter what comes your way, persecution, hardship, suffering, even death, you are eternally secured by the infinite power of Almighty God.

So what are you worried about? Far too often our entire focus is on the life that is here and now, which is actually a vapor and soon vanishes away, instead of upon spending our time here seeking His glory as we do our part in the Body of Christ. Why does He not have your continual worship and thanksgiving?

Conclusion

Be encouraged child of God; He’s got this. He’s got you. But if you’re wandering around feeling sorry for yourself, if life is all about you and the different situation you’re in now, you are going to be miserable. The people first reading 1 Peter were suffering hard persecution, and the Spirit told them to remember that their Heavenly Father is Almighty God who is forever on the Throne. Moreover, the Spirit told them to remember what the One True God continually does for them in guarding their inheritance through Christ and guarding them as well.

As believers in Christ, we have many reasons to worship and praise Him. By the way, if you pay attention in Scripture you’ll notice that “worship” is most often done by prostrating yourself, not standing in a pew. So do it. Don’t be like the Nation of Israel in Isaiah 1 or the Churches Jesus rebuked in Revelation 2-3. Be holy. Worship God. Rejoice and trust in Him because of who He is and that He is guarding you.

Grace to you and peace be multiplied.
Pastor Mark

1 Peter introduction: Troubling Times

Introduction
The Church in America has not faced any major hardships, relatively speaking, during my lifetime. In many other parts of the world the Church did or does meet under threat of violence, imprisonment and even death. We have experienced no such thing in the United States. What we are facing now are the legitimate regulations and orders by our government to practice social distancing and to stay at home due to the coronavirus, at least they are legitimate thus far. On Friday I posted an article about that on Goddoestherightthing.blogspot.com. Because it is protecting its citizens from covid19, our government has the God-given authority to make such orders. The Church is not being singled out; social distancing and stay at home applies to all individuals, groups and businesses.

The virus has created hardship, however, as we all know. We have had it good for a long time and I’ve often challenged us to consider if the Church in America was making the most of its freedom?  Prior to 2020, many people in America who call themselves Christians didn’t attend church consistently, didn’t do the basics of reading their Bibles or praying daily. And sharing their faith…forget it. There is a tendency when things are easy to take it easy. Right now, we are unable to meet together. The question is, what are we going to do? Will we seek Him with renewed passion or will we fall away into idleness or idolatry?

Today we begin a study of 1 Peter. If you regularly attend our church, you know that before the Easter season, we were working through 1 Samuel. However, with the new situation we are in, we will move to a study of 1 Peter, a letter written to Christians who were suffering hardship.  Peter opens the letter by greeting these brothers and sisters as “pilgrims of the Dispersion.” They were forced to scatter, though in their time of persecution they continued to meet in small groups. This first post will be a bit unusual in that it will focus on the background and setting for the letter titled 1 Peter. During the study to come, let us pray that God will continue to prepare and use us for His service.  Let us now consider God’s call during troubling times.

Troubling Times

Peter, one of the apostles, wrote this letter probably around AD 62-3.  This places it after the closing of the events in Acts.  He encourages his readers with reminders that they are secure in Christ.  Remember now, the original recipients of this letter had to flee from their homes and were still suffering from persecution. They were outcasts and considered the scourge of society. In the face of this, Peter challenges them to be holy and to be a witness to their persecutors. Can you imagine! They are greatly suffering and the Spirit says through Peter, to keep doing the right things, be kind and merciful, and share the love of Christ with those who persecute you. That, my friends, is love. Loving God enough to live in a way that pleases Him regardless of how bad our situation is, and loving the lost enough to put their own lives in danger to tell the lost about Jesus.

We know from history that Christians suffered greatly under Nero’s persecution in the mid 60s, as well as under Domitian (AD 90-95) and Trajan (AD 97-117) but those came after this letter, though it remained a source of encouragement to those who did endure those persecutions.  The timing of this letter suggests that it was probably persecution by the general Roman population who considered Christians suspicious and hostile. This view of Christians was held because believers refused to engage in the immoral practices that where common, or the idolatrous customs of the day, and because they met privately to celebrate Communion. They were often mocked, discriminated against and brought to court on trumped-up charges.

The purpose of the letter is to encourage readers to trust God and be obedient in the hardships they face. Key themes of the letter are that these people were God’s elect (and thus represent Him as His priests), and that they were to do what was right in the eyes of God. After the opening 2 verses, there are three major sections. The first is 1:3 – 2:10 focusing on their privileges and responsibilities as believers in Christ. The second is 2:11 – 4:11 focusing on living a Godly life that was different from their former ways. The third is 4:12 – 5:11 focusing on the reality of living under sufferings and persecutions. Three times Peter refers to the suffering that his readers are enduring. First in 1:6 he mentions “all kinds of trials.” Then in 3:13-17 he mentions suffering for righteousness in general but also malicious verbal attack. Finally in 4:12-19 he talks about a “fiery ordeal” which includes sharing in the suffering of Christ.

The letter begins by saying, “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. Grace to you and peace be multiplied” (1 Peter 1:1-2).

This is a pretty standard greeting for a NT letter. Peter lists the areas where his recipients lived, and “the Diaspora” was a term used for Jews who were living outside of Israel. John 7:35 mentions this also, saying, “Then the Jews said among themselves, ‘Where does He intend to go that we shall not find Him? Does He intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks?’” The Greek term is also used in James 1:1 saying, “James, a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad: greetings.” But it is not just a term used in the NT times, this concept goes way back into the OT and is mentioned in Deuteronomy 30:4, “If your outcasts are at the ends of the earth, from there the Lord your God will gather you, and from there He will bring you back.”

This opening statement mentions the “elect” or “chosen.” There are some Christians who do not hold to the doctrine of election, placing all the responsibility on man and his free will.  I would encourage you to consider the overwhelming evidence in the Bible that God chose to save the elect before Creation, before their rebellion. Read Ephesians 1 and Romans 9. Jesus said in John 15:16, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit.” The Bible tells us that no one seeks after God: “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt, they have committed abominable deeds; there is no one who does good. The Lord has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all turned aside, together they have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.” (Psalm 14:1-3; see also Romans 3:10-12). Then 2 Thessalonians 2:13 adds, “But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the Truth.” The doctrine of election shows up in almost every single Book of the NT. And in the OT, did not God choose Noah, Abraham, David and even the nation of Israel? And was it because of how impressive they were or because they sought after Him? Not hardly.

The Bible makes clear that no one is chosen because they are so great or deserving. Rather, “God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty” (1 Corinthians 1:27). We are chosen by God, it is not because of any good that we have done.  It’s not because God saw something in us that made Him save us. There is no room for pride in Christianity, rather complete awe, humility, and thankfulness. Give thanks brothers and sisters in Christ; give thanks as you consider that He chose you and now you are the recipient of His mercy and given the task of going and telling others about His grace. For you and I don’t know who has been chosen so we must treat everyone as though they have been. Everyone does need to hear the loving Gospel, that God the Son, Jesus Christ, came to seek and save that which is lost. Again, if you think it is about your free will, read Romans 9.

Closely related to election, foreknowledge means that God chose certain individuals according to His plan and purpose before the foundation of the world to be the recipients of His blessing. God knew those whom He would chose before He created the world and it was a matter of His will not just a knowledge of man’s future choices (see Psalm 139:15-16; Romans 8:28-29). 

Let’s move on, we could spend weeks on the topic of sanctification which is also mentioned in the opening verses of 1 Peter, but let me say here that it is a work of the Holy Spirit with which we need to cooperate. As soon as God’s call of salvation becomes effectual in our lives, we are declared righteous. We then must yield to the Spirit to actually learn to live that way.

If you spend much time reading the Bible you know that while salvation is by grace, meaning we don’t deserve it or earn it, salvation leads to obedience to Jesus Christ.  Recall those well known verses, Ephesians 2:8-9. But what about the next verse, Eph 2:10? It says, “for we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” As a believer, we are to do the good things God determined for us to do. So then how about James 2:17 which says, “faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”  Paul, James, and Peter are actually in complete agreement here. Good works, that is following the example of Jesus in loving God and others, does not save you, only God’s grace does that. But if you are saved there will be good works because the Spirit will lead you to do what is right. If you say you are saved and yet there is no evidence of that; you need to examine yourself with the Truth of Scripture. Friends, I’ve been in enough different churches to know that there are many people who go to church for years yet there is no evidence that they are truly saved, church attendance does not save you. If you are truly saved, you will either love and obey Him in what you think, say and do, OR God will be bringing His loving discipline upon you to correct you.  If you are not saved, you will be disobedient to Christ, living for yourself, and you won’t care, at least not until it’s too late.

Conclusion

The connection of election, sanctification, and obedience makes clear that salvation is not just an escape from the punishment of Hell; it is the present work of God within a believer to change us and mold us into the image of His Son Jesus Christ so that we live for Him now.  If, as a believer, we use our new liberties and freedoms live for ourselves, if we ignore God and our relationship with Him by neglecting our Bibles, choosing not to pray, refusing to share our faith, and failing to demonstrate love for others, then we will find ourselves being complainers, bitter, self-centered and uncaring about those around us. The temptation to fall into a self-centered routine is very prominent right now while we are all separated due to covid19. A video message is good, but without meaningful interaction with each other it is really easy for us to hide behind a façade. Many Christians in America were quite good at that façade when we could meet, let alone now, hiding behind a computer screen or cell phone.

In this letter from the Holy Spirit through Peter, those original recipients were told that they were strangers in a strange land. As believers in Jesus Christ we no longer belong here, our home is in Heaven. But, while we are still here, we have a serious job to do. Are you taking that job seriously?

I dare say that we could all use some improvement – including me. Folks, I don’t know what the rest of 2020 holds, but all this isolation should motivate us to do what we should have been doing all along, following God’s instruction to trust Him, love Him and love each other and be involved with each other in meaningful ways because that is God’s call for us all the time and certainly now in these troubling times.

Doubting Thomas

It was the worst patrol aboard the submarine that many of my shipmates ever experienced. We knew of the developing storm called Hurricane Hugo before we got underway from Charleston, South Carolina. The city was hit hard by that storm and all communications from home ceased for several weeks. Due to all the damage, only official messages from our shore command were sent, nothing else could be. The US Navy did all it could and handled the crisis as well as anyone could expect. For me, I had only an apartment and two cars to worry about. These were things that I cared about but they were just things that could be repaired or replaced. For many of my shipmates, however, they had a wife and children in Charleston.

Those days of not knowing what was happening back home were exceedingly stressful. Life on a nuclear submarine could be stressful in itself, but this multiplied the anxiety that particular patrol. Imagine being underwater for a couple months, knowing that a category five hurricane hit your home town and for several weeks you haven no idea how your wife, children and home were impacted. It was stressful.

Finally the day came when we started to get personal news. They were called “family grams.” It was limited to one sentence from a family member or friend who submitted it. I remember seeing a few shipmates, tough men who served in a hazardous environment, shed tears of gratitude when they finally got word that their family was okay. I didn’t get a message for another couple weeks. It wasn’t until my roommate, who served on a different submarine, returned from patrol about a month before we did and told me that the apartment was fine. He said it stank, however, because the meat in the freezer had rotted with no electricity for a month. Even more amazing, the tree that our three cars were parked around was gone but only one of the cars had received any damage and that was limited to a small dent on the roof; I still cannot figure that one out. Like I said, the possessions in the apartment and parking lot were just things. Still, when I got word that all was well, I was relieved. I believed my roommate’s witness of the situation and my mind was put to rest.

In the Bible we read of one man who received the witness of several very close friends following a traumatic experience, but for over a week he did not believe them. Even if you don’t know the account from the Gospels, you’ve heard about him from the expression, “doubting Thomas.”

Let’s begin with the situation that started all of this. One week earlier, Jesus had entered Jerusalem to the shouts and praises of the masses who had gathered for Passover. The town and surrounding area were abuzz with a couple things Jesus had recently done. One was restoring sight to blind Bartimaeus, and the other was raising Lazarus from the dead. Both of these miracles were witnessed by many people, and both Bartimaeus and Lazarus were up and walking around, so people were able to talk to them. In fact, the Jewish leaders who wanted Jesus dead sought to kill Lazarus also because he was a living witness to Jesus’ power and authority (see John 12:10). Jesus entered Jerusalem that week with people shouting, “Hosanna to the King!” But the Jewish leaders were jealous of Jesus and had been plotting to kill Him for some time. They worked their twisted schemes throughout the week and as Passover approached their plan was realized.

We must remember, however, that the evil plotting of the Pharisees and other leaders did not overpower the plan and purpose of God. It was, in fact, the Father’s will that Jesus, His Holy Son, would die in just that time, place, and way in order to accomplish our redemption. The Holy Spirit, speaking through the Apostle Peter shortly after Jesus’ ascension, assures us that all of this was intended by God. Acts 2:22-24 record the words, “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know; Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it.”

Jesus was crucified. Isaiah said it this way, “Surely He has born our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement for our peace was upon Him and by His stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:4-5). Jesus died on the Cross so that we could be forgiven and redeemed to God. We were dead in sin but through accepting by faith Jesus’ death we are healed, our spiritual life is restored (see Romans 6 and Ephesians 2).

Jesus rose from the dead. Through trusting in His resurrection we receive new life now and eternal life when we pass from this one. The Spirit through Peter said it like this, “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” (1 Peter 3-5).

That brings us back to Thomas and the other disciples. Jesus was crucified and three days later He rose again from the dead. It was now the first day of the week, Sunday, the day of the yearly Feast of Firstfruits (see Leviticus 23:9-14). This Feast was held the day after the regular weekly Sabbath after the yearly Passover. It signified the new harvest to come. It was on that Feast day that Jesus rose from the tomb. The Spirit makes this connection obvious through Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:20-23, “But now Christ is risen from the dead and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive, but each one in his own order, Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming.”

Jesus appeared to ten of the Disciples. Judas the betrayer was obviously not there, and neither was Thomas. The ten were gathered together for fear of the Jewish leaders (see John 20:19-25). Jesus came and stood among them, spoke with them and gave peace to them. He also commissioned them to go by the power of the Holy Spirit and be His witnesses. He then departed. Later, the Disciples tell Thomas that Jesus had come to them and he said, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe” (John 20:25). He doubted, even denied the testimony of his trusted friends and of His Saviour as well, for Jesus had told His disciples on multiple occasions that He would rise from the dead three days after being killed (see Mark 8:31; 9:31; 10:34).

Jesus appeared again to the Disciples eight days later, and this time Thomas was present (see John 20:26-29). Jesus again stood in their midst and He invited Thomas to see and touch the nail prints in His hands and the place in His side where the spear had entered. In response, Thomas confessed, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28). Jesus replied, “Thomas, because you have seen Me you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe” (John 20:29).

You and I have not seen Jesus in the flesh, but blessed are all who believe in His sacrificial death on our behalf, His burial, and His glorious resurrection to life. “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins…for 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” (Ephesians 2:1, 4-5).

On the submarine one day, I received a message from my friend, testifying that things at home were okay. I believed him. He didn’t send pictures or a video; that was impossible. He simply sent a message, one sentence, testifying that all was well. On that day of the Feast of Firstfruits, Thomas’ friends testified that everything was okay. He did not believe their testimony.

You have testimony from God Himself in His Word, the Bible, that Jesus died for you and rose again three days later. And by the way, God also testifies that His Son, Jesus is right now interceding for you at the His right hand, “But He (Jesus), because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:24-25).

Right now I know the faith of many is being tested. Fear over covid19 added to the many other struggles of life are making some people question God. Let me assure you, God is still on the Throne, still sovereign over all things and He still loves you. All of that was true when my shipmates and I went for weeks not knowing what was happening back in hurricane-torn Charleston. All of that was true at the time of Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, and when the Jewish leaders plotted and accomplished killing Jesus on the Cross. All of that was true when Jesus rose from the dead. All of that was true during the week that Thomas doubted.  God was on the Throne, sovereign over all things and loved us when Jesus stood with the doubting disciple saying, “Look Thomas, see the scars?” Situations like these are times when your faith is tested. Do you trust God no matter what, or not? You should. He always does the right thing and He loves you. Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection prove it.

Grace, Peace and Boldness,

Pastor Mark

A note on why we are not meeting this Easter:
As you know, services this Easter Sunday have been postponed. God says we are not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together according to Hebrews 10:25. He also says, “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment upon themselves” (Romans 13:1-2). There have been times when human governments have given commands or enacted laws that contradicted the Word of God. The current ban on gathering in person due to covid 19, however, falls within the God-ordained purpose of government which includes protecting its citizens. Thus, the government’s restriction upon gathering is not a violation of the God given authority it possesses. Nor are we forsaking assembling since we have every desire to gather but cannot due to the God ordained authority’s legal and temporary restriction due to the virus.

We will hold our Easter 2020 services at the first opportunity. Until then, we will continue communicating as we have been since the restrictions were put in place.

May the Lord bless and encourage you today.

The Hour Has Come

My heart pounded and my hands were clammy. It must have been over one hundred degrees in that room, though most everyone else looked pretty comfortable. The lump in my gut grew with each passing moment and I thought for sure I would soon see again the lunch I ate an hour ago. I was next in line to give a speech in my ninth grade English class and my classmate speaking now was going way too fast; no way she would take the rest of the class period. Perhaps you have a similar memory. Maybe it wasn’t public speaking that rattled you; maybe it was waiting for some results from the doctor’s office or a meeting with your boss. Maybe it was sitting in your car with those red and blue flashing lights in your review mirror. Whatever the particulars, these times come upon us humans periodically.

Unlike Matthew, Mark and Luke, the Gospel of John tells little about the week between the Triumphal Entry that we celebrate today, Palm Sunday, and His Resurrection Day the following Sunday. Actually, there are six chapters in John that tell of that one week, but five of them, chapters 13-17, tell of the Passover Jesus shared with His disciples the night He was betrayed and only one, chapter 12, tells of the week leading up to that night. That’s five of the twenty-one chapters of John devoted to that Passover, and those chapters are absolutely amazing.

Last week’s blog was about Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. The affects of that carry over into John 12 where we see that many came to see Jesus on the day He entered Jerusalem on the colt. They came in large numbers to see the Man who raised the dead back to life. As they gathered, John 12:13 says they began to cheer and shout, “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! The King of Israel!” By the way, “Lord” in this quote from Psalm 118:25-26 is the holy name for God, YHWH. As they did, others from Jerusalem who had come for Passover, came out to meet Him also, and joined the shouts of, “Hail to the King!” Read John 12:12-18.

Meanwhile, the Pharisees were further enraged by their jealousy of Jesus. All of their plotting and planning to kill Him amounted to nothing thus far. Now, as they stood fuming, watching the masses cheer Him, they realized they had much to do if they were going to be rid of Him. The evil and murderous intentions of the Jewish religious leaders makes a striking contrast to the Greeks, gentiles that is, who came to worship at the Passover and desired to see Jesus.

Jesus then declares that, “the hour has come.” The hour that He should be glorified, that is. It is clear by the following statements that Jesus is talking about His sacrificial death, burial, and glorious resurrection later that week. He illustrates with a grain of wheat that dies in the ground, it breaks open, ceases to be a seed and becomes a plant which then produces more seeds. That is what Jesus came to do: to die, be buried and then burst forth in Life, giving Life to many others. Jesus came to die as the sacrifice for our sin so that, though faith in Him, we could be redeemed to the Father. The fact that Jesus left His place in Heaven at the right-hand of the Father’s Throne for the sole purpose of dying on the Cross to free us from the penalty of sin and death is evident when He says, “Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father save Me from this hour?’ But for this purpose I came to this hour. Father, glorify Your name” (John 12:27-28). Glorifying the Father by redeeming sinful mankind by grace through faith is the reason He came.

We must not, however, neglect the statements Jesus made in John 12:25-26, “He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me, and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone loves Me, him My Father will honor.”

The obvious questions for each of us are these:

1.   Do you understand that Jesus is the only one through whom we have access to the Father, for He alone is “the Way, the Truth, and the Life, no one comes to the Father except through Jesus” (John 14:6)? That means you cannot be forgiven of your sin or have victory in death by your own “good merits.”

2.   Do you understand that Jesus, God the Son, is the only One who could accomplish your redemption because He alone was sinless perfection? He is fully God so that His death could make redemption available to all mankind, and He is fully man so that He could die and understand the temptations we all face, thus being the perfect High Priest.

3.   Do you understand that, having put your faith in Jesus as your Saviour, you are to love Him with all of your heart, soul, mind and strength? That having died to sin through Him, you are also raised to new life through Him. You are set free from your former slavery to sin and now give yourself to righteous living through the power and leading of the Holy Spirit. Your old life is to be done way with so that you now live for Him.

4.   Do you believe?

5.   If you do believe, are you doing your all to be faithful to Him, which involves following His example. He came to glorify the Father by redeeming those enslaved to sin and death who Trust in Him. We are called to be His ambassadors, bringing glory to the Father by telling others of the redemption accomplished by Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection.

Jesus did not look forward to taking upon Himself the sins of humanity when He went to the Cross. According to Luke 22:42 He prayed to His Father, “take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not My will, but Yours be done.” Jesus was sinless, but He knew the hour was upon Him that He would take all our sin and pay the price that was due: death. Our forgiveness is only possible because the price was paid through His blood.

You and I can still be a witness of that truth today, even with quarantines and instructions to remain home. We still have the world at our fingertips through cell phones and social media. We can still talk with our Heaven Father through reading the Word, prayer and interaction with each other, even if it is within the guidelines of “social distancing” right now. My prayer is that all this time of separation, let’s call it germination time, will blossom into a bounty of opportunities to share the Gospel of Jesus this summer.

One more question, do you refuse to be a witness of the Life-giving Gospel of Christ because of fear? Is it like sitting at that desk in ninth grade, fearfully waiting your turn to give a speech? Does that fear keep you from witnessing to friends, family and strangers?

In those moments, do you, by contrast say, “Father, take this cup away from me; nevertheless, not Your will, but mine be done?”

May the Lord give you boldness as you yield your life to Him, for “he who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” The hour has come for us to germinate.

Grace, Peace and Boldness,

Pastor Mark