The end of a chapter...
2 weeks ago
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Last week we ended by talking about the written word of God and his judgment.
We saw that for the Christian there is power in the word.
• Jesus defeated Satan with the words that were written (Matt. 4:1-11). The written word of God is a sword for battle and a light to guide us (Psalm 119:11). It is food that enables us (Matt. 4:4) and water that washes us (Eph. 5:25-27).
• The word of God is how we know God, How we follow Jesus and how we grow. (Rom 10:14-21)
• James 1:22 fits here!
• We then read 1 Peter 1:17 which say’s, Christian, God Judges each one of us impartially.
• He does not favor one over another.
• He is Holy and righteous and cannot compromise with sin.
• We need to be serious in how we live our lives. We need to be in the world, but most certainly not of it! (Rom 12:2).
• God is mercy and love, so he is Gracious, Merciful, Loving and forgiving, but he cannot permit his children to enjoy or find pleasure in sin.
• Sin is what nailed Jesus to the cross. Our sins have already been judged (1 Peter 2:24) and so we should leave them there nailed to the cross.
• Prepare your minds. Gird up your loins and follow Jesus. He will lead you away from sin and toward victory!
• We need to prepare our minds with a healthy understanding of the fear of the Lord and knowledge of his judgment.
• Peter writes that not only are we to live our lives of Holiness in the light of our hope, but we are to also conduct our walk in the fear of the Lord.
• Not in a worldly understanding of fear, but we are to live in reverent fear of a Father who judges each one impartially.
• The Greek word used here for judges is krino. It means to consider or determine the correctness of a matter.
• God looks at the believer who is already eternally Judged and he considers their “works” to see if our lives are lived in agreement with his ways.
• It is in effect God searching our motives and examining our hearts (1 Cor. 4:5).
*God evaluates our lives. Because he does we need to live out our salvation with fear and trembling as Phil. 2:12 says.
• His purpose in examining our hearts is to glorify himself in our lives. I think Paul writes about this as well. Our faith as Christians needs to be both from our mouth and in our hearts. If it is then our lives will show it.
• Our lives should also show that we live with a reverence of God. Heb. 12:21 says that the sight of God was so terrible that Moses trembled.
The Psalmist wrote that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of Knowledge
• I think the judgment that Peter writes about is the judgment where we will stand before God and give an account of ourselves. Some will have built or done things that reap an eternal reward, but the believer with no reward is still saved (1 Cor. 3:12-15), he cannot be plucked from the Fathers hand (John 10)
• The judgment Peter speaks of is where God will search us and see if the deeds of our faith are in line with the words of our mouth and is our mouth speaking the truth of our hearts?
• God might ask me, “Ted, why did you keep on living this way, when I showed you in my word and told you repeatedly to not do that?”
• He will search my heart and see what motivated me.
• Paul wrote about this further in 2 Cor. 5:9-10
Because God is the Judge and he judges impartially, we should have a healthy, reverent fear of him.
• So because God will search out the motives and intentions of our hearts, Peter writes again, “to live as strangers (v.17).
• Because you are a stranger to this world. God purchased you with the precious blood of Jesus!
We have been redeemed by an imperishable thing, the blood of Jesus.
We Must set our minds on this fact as Christians. We must gird our minds on the truth, because the number 1 battle field in the spirtual realms for us is our minds.
Satan wants our minds focused on anything other then Jesus and so we must gird it up with truth, holiness and reverent fear of God.
• We should take our mind captive and know that Jesus is the most valuable commodity in all the universe and heaven. A perfect, sinless, spotless sacrifice.
• Ordained by God to die for sins before the creation and because of him, we believe in God. God knew we were helpless! That we could not overcome our sin and could not obey his law, so he sent Jesus, the most valuable of heaven to die for us.
• Because of what Jesus did, our faith and hope is in God. Our faith comes from God’s own grace, it is his gift to all who believe. Our hope grows in and with our reverent fear of the Lord and our love for him.
• It is the love of God that is the greatest motivator for Holy Living.
• The greatest command . . .
• It is because we obey this command that we want to be Holy.
• Peter reminds us, where we are from, where we are going and who got us there:
• You were redeemed
• From the empty way of life
• With the precious blood of Christ
• A lamb without blemish or defect
• He was chosen for this work before creation
• Revealed for your sake
• Through him you believe in God
• God raised him from the dead
• God glorified him
• So, your faith and hope are in God
• Since you have purified yourself by obeying the truth (the word) the son
• So that You have sincere love for your brothers
• Love one another, deeply!
• Love from the heart
• You have been born again
• Born not of perishable seed (the flesh)
• Born of imperishable (the spirit)
• Born through the living and enduring word of God (Jesus)
• Because you have been born again and because of all these things,
• Rid yourself of all malice
• All deceit
• All hypocrisy
• All envy
• And slander of every kind
• Be like new born babies and desire pure spiritual milk
• Desire it so that you may grow
• Desire it so that you may grow up into your salvation
• Because you have now tasted that the Lord is good.
• The Lord is good!
• The bible is clear that Jesus bought us with his blood to live as strangers, to be ambassadors of his kingdom to a fallen world. To walk as his agents of grace, to be light in a dark place and salt to a bitter land.
• For us to do what God wants us to do, we need to do at least four things:
• 1, pay close attention to what we look at, by preparing our minds for action and keeping our spirit sober and fixing our hope on Jesus.
• 2, give more thought to the consequences of our actions then our immediate pleasure. We need to be humble, broken creatures, not selfish, proud and arrogant citizens of a world that usually thinks about me first and above all else.
• 3, we should start each day by renewing our reverence for God. Don’t forget that while God is love, mercy and grace, he is also a jealous God and will not be mocked.
• 4, all through our day we need to refocus on Jesus. Stop throughout the day and pray, read your bible, meditate, allow the Holy Spirit to guide you and your thoughts to dwell on Jesus instead of work, finances, sex, retirement , vacation.
We saw that for the Christian there is power in the word.
• Jesus defeated Satan with the words that were written (Matt. 4:1-11). The written word of God is a sword for battle and a light to guide us (Psalm 119:11). It is food that enables us (Matt. 4:4) and water that washes us (Eph. 5:25-27).
• The word of God is how we know God, How we follow Jesus and how we grow. (Rom 10:14-21)
• James 1:22 fits here!
• We then read 1 Peter 1:17 which say’s, Christian, God Judges each one of us impartially.
• He does not favor one over another.
• He is Holy and righteous and cannot compromise with sin.
• We need to be serious in how we live our lives. We need to be in the world, but most certainly not of it! (Rom 12:2).
• God is mercy and love, so he is Gracious, Merciful, Loving and forgiving, but he cannot permit his children to enjoy or find pleasure in sin.
• Sin is what nailed Jesus to the cross. Our sins have already been judged (1 Peter 2:24) and so we should leave them there nailed to the cross.
• Prepare your minds. Gird up your loins and follow Jesus. He will lead you away from sin and toward victory!
• We need to prepare our minds with a healthy understanding of the fear of the Lord and knowledge of his judgment.
• Peter writes that not only are we to live our lives of Holiness in the light of our hope, but we are to also conduct our walk in the fear of the Lord.
• Not in a worldly understanding of fear, but we are to live in reverent fear of a Father who judges each one impartially.
• The Greek word used here for judges is krino. It means to consider or determine the correctness of a matter.
• God looks at the believer who is already eternally Judged and he considers their “works” to see if our lives are lived in agreement with his ways.
• It is in effect God searching our motives and examining our hearts (1 Cor. 4:5).
*God evaluates our lives. Because he does we need to live out our salvation with fear and trembling as Phil. 2:12 says.
• His purpose in examining our hearts is to glorify himself in our lives. I think Paul writes about this as well. Our faith as Christians needs to be both from our mouth and in our hearts. If it is then our lives will show it.
• Our lives should also show that we live with a reverence of God. Heb. 12:21 says that the sight of God was so terrible that Moses trembled.
The Psalmist wrote that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of Knowledge
• I think the judgment that Peter writes about is the judgment where we will stand before God and give an account of ourselves. Some will have built or done things that reap an eternal reward, but the believer with no reward is still saved (1 Cor. 3:12-15), he cannot be plucked from the Fathers hand (John 10)
• The judgment Peter speaks of is where God will search us and see if the deeds of our faith are in line with the words of our mouth and is our mouth speaking the truth of our hearts?
• God might ask me, “Ted, why did you keep on living this way, when I showed you in my word and told you repeatedly to not do that?”
• He will search my heart and see what motivated me.
• Paul wrote about this further in 2 Cor. 5:9-10
Because God is the Judge and he judges impartially, we should have a healthy, reverent fear of him.
• So because God will search out the motives and intentions of our hearts, Peter writes again, “to live as strangers (v.17).
• Because you are a stranger to this world. God purchased you with the precious blood of Jesus!
We have been redeemed by an imperishable thing, the blood of Jesus.
We Must set our minds on this fact as Christians. We must gird our minds on the truth, because the number 1 battle field in the spirtual realms for us is our minds.
Satan wants our minds focused on anything other then Jesus and so we must gird it up with truth, holiness and reverent fear of God.
• We should take our mind captive and know that Jesus is the most valuable commodity in all the universe and heaven. A perfect, sinless, spotless sacrifice.
• Ordained by God to die for sins before the creation and because of him, we believe in God. God knew we were helpless! That we could not overcome our sin and could not obey his law, so he sent Jesus, the most valuable of heaven to die for us.
• Because of what Jesus did, our faith and hope is in God. Our faith comes from God’s own grace, it is his gift to all who believe. Our hope grows in and with our reverent fear of the Lord and our love for him.
• It is the love of God that is the greatest motivator for Holy Living.
• The greatest command . . .
• It is because we obey this command that we want to be Holy.
• Peter reminds us, where we are from, where we are going and who got us there:
• You were redeemed
• From the empty way of life
• With the precious blood of Christ
• A lamb without blemish or defect
• He was chosen for this work before creation
• Revealed for your sake
• Through him you believe in God
• God raised him from the dead
• God glorified him
• So, your faith and hope are in God
• Since you have purified yourself by obeying the truth (the word) the son
• So that You have sincere love for your brothers
• Love one another, deeply!
• Love from the heart
• You have been born again
• Born not of perishable seed (the flesh)
• Born of imperishable (the spirit)
• Born through the living and enduring word of God (Jesus)
• Because you have been born again and because of all these things,
• Rid yourself of all malice
• All deceit
• All hypocrisy
• All envy
• And slander of every kind
• Be like new born babies and desire pure spiritual milk
• Desire it so that you may grow
• Desire it so that you may grow up into your salvation
• Because you have now tasted that the Lord is good.
• The Lord is good!
• The bible is clear that Jesus bought us with his blood to live as strangers, to be ambassadors of his kingdom to a fallen world. To walk as his agents of grace, to be light in a dark place and salt to a bitter land.
• For us to do what God wants us to do, we need to do at least four things:
• 1, pay close attention to what we look at, by preparing our minds for action and keeping our spirit sober and fixing our hope on Jesus.
• 2, give more thought to the consequences of our actions then our immediate pleasure. We need to be humble, broken creatures, not selfish, proud and arrogant citizens of a world that usually thinks about me first and above all else.
• 3, we should start each day by renewing our reverence for God. Don’t forget that while God is love, mercy and grace, he is also a jealous God and will not be mocked.
• 4, all through our day we need to refocus on Jesus. Stop throughout the day and pray, read your bible, meditate, allow the Holy Spirit to guide you and your thoughts to dwell on Jesus instead of work, finances, sex, retirement , vacation.
Saturday, January 21, 2012
I Peter 1:13-2:3
• Last week we looked at Peter’s bold claims.
• We confirmed that he is writing his letter to believers scattered around the Roman Empire.
• We talked about his address to his readers. That he starts out broad and then he will go back and develop some of those points with more depth.
• I think we will see that in today’s text.
• Therefore, is a connector word. Peter is connecting this passage as one thought to the previous passage.
• Therefore or since, you have a New Hope, a living hope, and you love and believe in Jesus, though you have not seen him, prepare your minds for action.
• Peter is telling the Church to listen up!
• Christian, prepare your mind for action.
• Notice how Peter knows God is sovereign, how God chose you in his foreknowledge, for obedience to Jesus, and yet Peter does not give us an excuse to inaction.
• He allows for both God to work in us and through us and for us to respond.
• Peter say’s to prepare your minds, or to gird up your minds for action.
• To “Gird up” is the Ancient practice of gathering up your robe so that you can move quickly.
• Peter tells the Christians here, get your mind ready so that your body can follow your faith.
• Ready your mind so that you can be self-controlled or sober minded. MacArthur writes of this that, “the sober Christian is correctly in charge of his priorities and not intoxicated with the various [snares] of the world (1906).”
• Get your mind ready for action by being in control of your thoughts, take them captive, and set your hope on the grace that is to be given to you.
• I think hope is often lumped in with belief, but it shouldn’t be.
• Faith or belief is from the heart.
• Hope is from our mind.
• Because I believe in Jesus (in my heart) I have a hope (in my mind) that what he has promised will come true.
• They work together.
• Peter then calls the Christians obedient children.
• He calls them to obedience first.
• Live as obedient Children.
• He calls them children, because they have an inheritance (1:4).
• Because we are God’s children we are to no longer live as if we are children of sin.
• Don’t be ignorant, don’t conform to the evil desires that you once did.
• Romans 8 can be applied here.
• But be holy, just as God is Holy.
• In other words, imitate God (Eph. 5:1). You are his child, act like it.
• The argument is clear and simple. Children inherit the nature of their parents. God, [our Father] is Holy, therefore as his children, we should live Holy lives (Wiersbe, 396).
• The life of sin is disobedience (Eph. 2:1-3), but salvation, true salvation always results in obedience (Rom. 1:5; 1 Peter 1:2)
• Peter say’s to be holy in all you do!
• Therefore, in everything you do, be different then who you were, be different then the world.
• Set yourself apart.
• Prepare your mind, be self-controlled, hope on the grace given to you, stop sinning and be like God.
• Since you call on a Father, you are a Christian.
• To the Christian the words it is written have great authority for us.
• Jesus defeated Satan with the words that were written (Matt. 4:1-11). The written word of God is a sword for battle and a light to guide us (Psalm 119:11). It is food that enables us (Matt. 4:4) and water that washes us (Eph. 5:25-27).
• The word of God is how we know God, How we follow Jesus and how we grow. (Rom 10:14-21)
• James 1:22 fits here!
• Peter then say’s, Christian, God Judges each one of us impartially.
• He does not favor one over another.
• He is Holy and righteous and can not compromise with sin.
• We need to be serious in how we live our lives. We need to be in the world, but most certainly not of it! (Rom 12:2).
• God is mercy and love, so he is Gracious, Merciful, Loving and forgiving, but he can not permit his children to enjoy or find pleasure in sin.
• Sin is what nailed Jesus to the cross. Our sins have already been judged (1 Peter 2:24) and so we should leave them there.
• Prepare your minds. Gird up your loins and follow Jesus. He will lead you away from sin and toward victory!
• The Greek word used here for judges is krino. It means to consider or determine the correctness of a matter.
• God looks at the believer who is already eternally Judged and he considers their “works” to see if our lives are lived in agreement with his ways.
• It is in effect God searching our motives and examining our hearts (1 Cor. 4:5).
• His purpose is to glorify himself in our lives. I think Paul writes about this as well. Our faith as Christians needs to be both from our mouth and in our hearts. If it is then our lives will show it.
• Read Romans 10:8-12
• I think the judgment Peter writes about is the judgment where we will stand before God and give an account of ourselves.
• Are the deeds of our faith in line with the words of our mouth and is our mouth speaking the truth of our hearts?
• God might ask me, “Ted, why did you keep on living this way, when I showed you in my word and told you repeatedly to not do that?”
• He will search my heart and see what motivated me.
• Paul wrote about this further in 2 Cor. 5:9-10
• So because God will search out the motives and intentions of our hearts, Peter writes again, “to live as strangers (v.17).
• Because you are a stranger to this world. God purchased you with the precious blood of Jesus!
• Jesus is the most valuable commodity in all of creation. A perfect, sinless, spotless sacrifice.
• Ordained by God to die for sins before the creation and because of him, we believe in God.
• Because of what Jesus did, our faith and hope is in God.
• It is the love of God that is the greatest motivator for Holy Living.
• The greatest command . . .
• It is because we obey this command that we want to be Holy.
• Peter reminds us, where we are from, where we are going and who got us there:
• You were redeemed
• From the empty way of life
• With the precious blood of Christ
• A lamb without blemish or defect
• He was chosen for this work before creation
• Revealed for your sake
• Through him you believe in God
• God raised him from the dead
• God glorified him
• So, your faith and hope are in God
• Since you have purified yourself by obeying the truth (the word) the son
• So that You have sincere love for your brothers
• Love one another, deeply!
• Love from the heart
• You have been born again
• Born not of perishable seed (the flesh)
• Born of imperishable (the spirit)
• Born through the living and enduring word of God (Jesus)
• Because you have been born again and because of all these things,
• Rid yourself of all malice
• All deceit
• All hypocrisy
• All envy
• And slander of every kind
• Be like new born babies and desire pure spiritual milk
• Desire it so that you may grow
• Desire it so that you may grow up into your salvation
• Because you have now tasted that the Lord is good.
• The Lord is good!
• Last week we looked at Peter’s bold claims.
• We confirmed that he is writing his letter to believers scattered around the Roman Empire.
• We talked about his address to his readers. That he starts out broad and then he will go back and develop some of those points with more depth.
• I think we will see that in today’s text.
• Therefore, is a connector word. Peter is connecting this passage as one thought to the previous passage.
• Therefore or since, you have a New Hope, a living hope, and you love and believe in Jesus, though you have not seen him, prepare your minds for action.
• Peter is telling the Church to listen up!
• Christian, prepare your mind for action.
• Notice how Peter knows God is sovereign, how God chose you in his foreknowledge, for obedience to Jesus, and yet Peter does not give us an excuse to inaction.
• He allows for both God to work in us and through us and for us to respond.
• Peter say’s to prepare your minds, or to gird up your minds for action.
• To “Gird up” is the Ancient practice of gathering up your robe so that you can move quickly.
• Peter tells the Christians here, get your mind ready so that your body can follow your faith.
• Ready your mind so that you can be self-controlled or sober minded. MacArthur writes of this that, “the sober Christian is correctly in charge of his priorities and not intoxicated with the various [snares] of the world (1906).”
• Get your mind ready for action by being in control of your thoughts, take them captive, and set your hope on the grace that is to be given to you.
• I think hope is often lumped in with belief, but it shouldn’t be.
• Faith or belief is from the heart.
• Hope is from our mind.
• Because I believe in Jesus (in my heart) I have a hope (in my mind) that what he has promised will come true.
• They work together.
• Peter then calls the Christians obedient children.
• He calls them to obedience first.
• Live as obedient Children.
• He calls them children, because they have an inheritance (1:4).
• Because we are God’s children we are to no longer live as if we are children of sin.
• Don’t be ignorant, don’t conform to the evil desires that you once did.
• Romans 8 can be applied here.
• But be holy, just as God is Holy.
• In other words, imitate God (Eph. 5:1). You are his child, act like it.
• The argument is clear and simple. Children inherit the nature of their parents. God, [our Father] is Holy, therefore as his children, we should live Holy lives (Wiersbe, 396).
• The life of sin is disobedience (Eph. 2:1-3), but salvation, true salvation always results in obedience (Rom. 1:5; 1 Peter 1:2)
• Peter say’s to be holy in all you do!
• Therefore, in everything you do, be different then who you were, be different then the world.
• Set yourself apart.
• Prepare your mind, be self-controlled, hope on the grace given to you, stop sinning and be like God.
• Since you call on a Father, you are a Christian.
• To the Christian the words it is written have great authority for us.
• Jesus defeated Satan with the words that were written (Matt. 4:1-11). The written word of God is a sword for battle and a light to guide us (Psalm 119:11). It is food that enables us (Matt. 4:4) and water that washes us (Eph. 5:25-27).
• The word of God is how we know God, How we follow Jesus and how we grow. (Rom 10:14-21)
• James 1:22 fits here!
• Peter then say’s, Christian, God Judges each one of us impartially.
• He does not favor one over another.
• He is Holy and righteous and can not compromise with sin.
• We need to be serious in how we live our lives. We need to be in the world, but most certainly not of it! (Rom 12:2).
• God is mercy and love, so he is Gracious, Merciful, Loving and forgiving, but he can not permit his children to enjoy or find pleasure in sin.
• Sin is what nailed Jesus to the cross. Our sins have already been judged (1 Peter 2:24) and so we should leave them there.
• Prepare your minds. Gird up your loins and follow Jesus. He will lead you away from sin and toward victory!
• The Greek word used here for judges is krino. It means to consider or determine the correctness of a matter.
• God looks at the believer who is already eternally Judged and he considers their “works” to see if our lives are lived in agreement with his ways.
• It is in effect God searching our motives and examining our hearts (1 Cor. 4:5).
• His purpose is to glorify himself in our lives. I think Paul writes about this as well. Our faith as Christians needs to be both from our mouth and in our hearts. If it is then our lives will show it.
• Read Romans 10:8-12
• I think the judgment Peter writes about is the judgment where we will stand before God and give an account of ourselves.
• Are the deeds of our faith in line with the words of our mouth and is our mouth speaking the truth of our hearts?
• God might ask me, “Ted, why did you keep on living this way, when I showed you in my word and told you repeatedly to not do that?”
• He will search my heart and see what motivated me.
• Paul wrote about this further in 2 Cor. 5:9-10
• So because God will search out the motives and intentions of our hearts, Peter writes again, “to live as strangers (v.17).
• Because you are a stranger to this world. God purchased you with the precious blood of Jesus!
• Jesus is the most valuable commodity in all of creation. A perfect, sinless, spotless sacrifice.
• Ordained by God to die for sins before the creation and because of him, we believe in God.
• Because of what Jesus did, our faith and hope is in God.
• It is the love of God that is the greatest motivator for Holy Living.
• The greatest command . . .
• It is because we obey this command that we want to be Holy.
• Peter reminds us, where we are from, where we are going and who got us there:
• You were redeemed
• From the empty way of life
• With the precious blood of Christ
• A lamb without blemish or defect
• He was chosen for this work before creation
• Revealed for your sake
• Through him you believe in God
• God raised him from the dead
• God glorified him
• So, your faith and hope are in God
• Since you have purified yourself by obeying the truth (the word) the son
• So that You have sincere love for your brothers
• Love one another, deeply!
• Love from the heart
• You have been born again
• Born not of perishable seed (the flesh)
• Born of imperishable (the spirit)
• Born through the living and enduring word of God (Jesus)
• Because you have been born again and because of all these things,
• Rid yourself of all malice
• All deceit
• All hypocrisy
• All envy
• And slander of every kind
• Be like new born babies and desire pure spiritual milk
• Desire it so that you may grow
• Desire it so that you may grow up into your salvation
• Because you have now tasted that the Lord is good.
• The Lord is good!
Saturday, January 7, 2012
1 Peter 1:3-12
r 1:3-12
• We looked last week at the setting in Peter’s day.
• How he wrote this between 64-65 A.D. during the persecution under Nero.
• We see Peter start his letter with a typical NT address, but he adds 5 quick points of Doctrine.
• These are statements of whom he is writing to and about.
• We spoke of 4 of them last week: 1, God’s elect, 2, the elect are strangers; 3, the elect are chosen; and 4, the elect are chosen according to God’s foreknowledge.
• The 5th statement is the Tri-unity of God.
• He writes that the Elect have “been chosen by according to the Foreknowledge of GOD THE FATHER, through the sanctifying WORK OF THE SPIRIT, for OBEDIENCE to JESUS Christ and sprinkling by HIS BLOOD.”
• SO Peter asserts that God also chooses us by his foreknowledge, through the work of the spirit so that we can be obedient to Jesus Christ, [and this is possible] because of the work he did on the cross with his blood.
• We talked about 2 themes that will develop in this letter; Suffering and Hope.
• Before he deals with suffering, Peter lay’s down a great hope for the believer.
• Remember, these were most likely Gentile converts of Paul scattered throughout the Roman Empire by the persecution of Nero.
• Peter is writing from Rome, which he calls Babylon.
• Many of these New Converts might have been questioning their sanity.
• “I left the comforts of my life to be tortured, burned, crucified or thrown into the Arena?”
• So Peter reminds them, “You didn’t choose this path anymore then I did. You were chosen by God, elected by him in his great, sovereign foreknowledge, to live as strangers in this world.”
• He is trying to remind them of the facts of their salvation.
• Read 1:3-12
• Peter writes to remind Christians of some facts.
• You might be suffering now, but remember what the blood of Jesus did. Remember what he took on the cross from you and for you.
• It was God’s great Mercy (v.3) that gave you New Birth (regeneration).
• This New Birth is into a living Hope!
• This hope is through the resurrection of Jesus!
• Because he lives we will also.
• We might die here on earth, but Eternity is a different story!
• God’s Great Mercy gave us an inheritance.
• It can never perish.
• It can never spoil.
• It can never fade.
• It is kept in heaven for you!
• There is nothing that can take away your inheritance.
• It is kept in Heaven for you, because you are known by both the father and the Son and are sanctified by the Spirit.
• You are a New Creature.
• No longer a citizen of Rome, but a stranger to them.
• Your home is now eternal and your allegiance is Heaven.
• This inheritance can never Perish, because it is held in an imperishable place, heaven, and through your faith, it is shielded by God’s power.
• Your inheritance is not for this life, it is kept in heaven until the coming of the salvation that will be revealed in the last time.
• The Jews were looking for an inheritance in the promised land of Canaan (Num. 32:19; Deut. 2:12;19:9).
• They got a glimpse, just a taste of the future inheritance that was made known in Christ and extended to the Gentiles by adoption.
• If you trust Jesus Christ as your Savior, if he is your Lord, you have an inheritance too.
• If you trust him, you will obey him and do what he did and go where he tells you to go.
• Your inheritance won’t come until the last time, when history ends (Rom. 14:10; Rev. 20:11-15) or until your days on earth, living as a stranger are over.
• So Peter say’s, “In this, greatly rejoice!” v.6
• Greatly Rejoice!
• Greatly rejoice, even though you suffer for a little while.
• Even though you have grief and trials of many kinds.
• Greatly Rejoice, because these have come for a purpose.
• They have come so that your faith may be proved genuine.
• A connection to James!
• Your faith, which is greater then, better then, worth more then Gold, may be proved genuine.
• More genuine then Gold that perishes even though it is refined by fire.
• It is no mistake that Peter uses Gold here as an illustration. Just like today Gold is among the most valuable of things on the planet.
• It supports our markets, buy’s our money and build our computers.
• As Gold is refined all the impurities float to the top and can be skimmed off, leaving only the finest materials behind.
• But like steel that is strengthened by fire, our faith is made strong in suffering and trials and grief.
• Persecution refines us and makes our faith strong so that we can be useful to God and more valuable to his kingdom and plan.
• Our faith, that is proved genuine, 24 karat, is more valuable then the Earth’s most precious metal.
• That Faith, Pater say’s, may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
• It certainly will result in praise, glory, and honor for the name of Jesus, but it may result in that for you! (v.7).
• Your suffering is refining you.
• It is making you more valuable to God.
• It is making you more useful for God.
• It may result in praise, glory and honor for you when Jesus Christ is revealed.
• What a goal!
• Faithfully suffering, knowing you are being purified and perhaps hearing praise form Jesus on that blessed day.
• Imagine, “Steve, or Dennis, or Betty, everyone, listen up. Here is my beloved, in whom I am pleased!” Jesus might say.
• Your faith is proved genuine.
• Though you have not ever seen him, YOU LOVE HIM.
• Our modern language would describe love like this:
An intense feeling of deep affection:
• The Greek word is agapo, which is slightly different then Agape. Agape is Charitable love. Love from God to us and us to him and from God to Jesus is this use. It is an active love. An image used to describe it is feast.
• Agapo is really close to that, but takes a greater image instead of feast it focuses more on the state of wonder and amazement.
• Both have the same type of intensity and root meaning. It is an active love, but agape is used more to describe love as an intense, active, charitable and in connection with a feast. Agape describes a love feast.
• Agapo looks more to the word as a gape. Jaw dropped, awe standing.
• Though you have never seen Jesus, you love him. You are in AWE of him.
• You faith is also proved genuine (v.7), because though you can not see him now, YOU BELIEVE IN HIM>
• Because you love him and believe in him you are filled with an inexpressible joy.
• WHY? Because you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
• What a great JOY indeed! Salvation!
• Freedom.
• Liberty from sin and all it’s consequences.
• Charles Spurgeon wrote, “If God justifieth the Ungodly, then he can justify you. Is that not the very person you are? (Spurgeon, 27).”
• That is the goal of faith, to be justified by God.
• Salvation is why we are all here.
• Salvation bought us and brought us here.
• Salvation is our greatest joy.
• Again Spurgeon said, “Only God can justify the ungodly, but he can do it to perfection (40). If God has justified a man it is well done, it is rightly done, it is justly done, it is everlastingly done (41).”
• You believe in him? Then you have been justified by him and you are receiving the goal of your faith, salvation of your soul. And that has been done by Christ, through the work of the Spirit, by the foreknowledge of God and it is everlastingly done!
• This salvation was such a great work, that the prophets spoke of the Grace that was to come, searched intently for it and with the greatest of care. Not serving themselves, but you.
• Peter ends this chapter with 2 more bold points: It was not just the Holy Spirit, but that the Holy Spirit is THE Spirit of Christ.
• The Spirit of Christ inspired the prophets writings.
• Peter states here that before Jesus was a man, he was God. It was the Spirit of Christ in the prophets pointing them to the time and circumstances.
• Predicting the sufferings of Christ and the glories that followed.
• Peter say’s there that Jesus was in the OLD TESTAMENT and that the prophets wrote about him!
• They wrote by the Sprit of Christ, that Jesus yet to come would suffer and bring glories, because he is the Salvation of God.
• Salvation that comes by God’s grace to those he chose is such a wonderful thing it fills you with an inexpressible and glorious joy and even Angels long to look into these things.
• This first part of 1 Peter paints a picture for the rest of the letter.
• The next few weeks we will hopefully see Peter as he looks more fully into the claims he laid before us today.
• We looked last week at the setting in Peter’s day.
• How he wrote this between 64-65 A.D. during the persecution under Nero.
• We see Peter start his letter with a typical NT address, but he adds 5 quick points of Doctrine.
• These are statements of whom he is writing to and about.
• We spoke of 4 of them last week: 1, God’s elect, 2, the elect are strangers; 3, the elect are chosen; and 4, the elect are chosen according to God’s foreknowledge.
• The 5th statement is the Tri-unity of God.
• He writes that the Elect have “been chosen by according to the Foreknowledge of GOD THE FATHER, through the sanctifying WORK OF THE SPIRIT, for OBEDIENCE to JESUS Christ and sprinkling by HIS BLOOD.”
• SO Peter asserts that God also chooses us by his foreknowledge, through the work of the spirit so that we can be obedient to Jesus Christ, [and this is possible] because of the work he did on the cross with his blood.
• We talked about 2 themes that will develop in this letter; Suffering and Hope.
• Before he deals with suffering, Peter lay’s down a great hope for the believer.
• Remember, these were most likely Gentile converts of Paul scattered throughout the Roman Empire by the persecution of Nero.
• Peter is writing from Rome, which he calls Babylon.
• Many of these New Converts might have been questioning their sanity.
• “I left the comforts of my life to be tortured, burned, crucified or thrown into the Arena?”
• So Peter reminds them, “You didn’t choose this path anymore then I did. You were chosen by God, elected by him in his great, sovereign foreknowledge, to live as strangers in this world.”
• He is trying to remind them of the facts of their salvation.
• Read 1:3-12
• Peter writes to remind Christians of some facts.
• You might be suffering now, but remember what the blood of Jesus did. Remember what he took on the cross from you and for you.
• It was God’s great Mercy (v.3) that gave you New Birth (regeneration).
• This New Birth is into a living Hope!
• This hope is through the resurrection of Jesus!
• Because he lives we will also.
• We might die here on earth, but Eternity is a different story!
• God’s Great Mercy gave us an inheritance.
• It can never perish.
• It can never spoil.
• It can never fade.
• It is kept in heaven for you!
• There is nothing that can take away your inheritance.
• It is kept in Heaven for you, because you are known by both the father and the Son and are sanctified by the Spirit.
• You are a New Creature.
• No longer a citizen of Rome, but a stranger to them.
• Your home is now eternal and your allegiance is Heaven.
• This inheritance can never Perish, because it is held in an imperishable place, heaven, and through your faith, it is shielded by God’s power.
• Your inheritance is not for this life, it is kept in heaven until the coming of the salvation that will be revealed in the last time.
• The Jews were looking for an inheritance in the promised land of Canaan (Num. 32:19; Deut. 2:12;19:9).
• They got a glimpse, just a taste of the future inheritance that was made known in Christ and extended to the Gentiles by adoption.
• If you trust Jesus Christ as your Savior, if he is your Lord, you have an inheritance too.
• If you trust him, you will obey him and do what he did and go where he tells you to go.
• Your inheritance won’t come until the last time, when history ends (Rom. 14:10; Rev. 20:11-15) or until your days on earth, living as a stranger are over.
• So Peter say’s, “In this, greatly rejoice!” v.6
• Greatly Rejoice!
• Greatly rejoice, even though you suffer for a little while.
• Even though you have grief and trials of many kinds.
• Greatly Rejoice, because these have come for a purpose.
• They have come so that your faith may be proved genuine.
• A connection to James!
• Your faith, which is greater then, better then, worth more then Gold, may be proved genuine.
• More genuine then Gold that perishes even though it is refined by fire.
• It is no mistake that Peter uses Gold here as an illustration. Just like today Gold is among the most valuable of things on the planet.
• It supports our markets, buy’s our money and build our computers.
• As Gold is refined all the impurities float to the top and can be skimmed off, leaving only the finest materials behind.
• But like steel that is strengthened by fire, our faith is made strong in suffering and trials and grief.
• Persecution refines us and makes our faith strong so that we can be useful to God and more valuable to his kingdom and plan.
• Our faith, that is proved genuine, 24 karat, is more valuable then the Earth’s most precious metal.
• That Faith, Pater say’s, may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
• It certainly will result in praise, glory, and honor for the name of Jesus, but it may result in that for you! (v.7).
• Your suffering is refining you.
• It is making you more valuable to God.
• It is making you more useful for God.
• It may result in praise, glory and honor for you when Jesus Christ is revealed.
• What a goal!
• Faithfully suffering, knowing you are being purified and perhaps hearing praise form Jesus on that blessed day.
• Imagine, “Steve, or Dennis, or Betty, everyone, listen up. Here is my beloved, in whom I am pleased!” Jesus might say.
• Your faith is proved genuine.
• Though you have not ever seen him, YOU LOVE HIM.
• Our modern language would describe love like this:
An intense feeling of deep affection:
• The Greek word is agapo, which is slightly different then Agape. Agape is Charitable love. Love from God to us and us to him and from God to Jesus is this use. It is an active love. An image used to describe it is feast.
• Agapo is really close to that, but takes a greater image instead of feast it focuses more on the state of wonder and amazement.
• Both have the same type of intensity and root meaning. It is an active love, but agape is used more to describe love as an intense, active, charitable and in connection with a feast. Agape describes a love feast.
• Agapo looks more to the word as a gape. Jaw dropped, awe standing.
• Though you have never seen Jesus, you love him. You are in AWE of him.
• You faith is also proved genuine (v.7), because though you can not see him now, YOU BELIEVE IN HIM>
• Because you love him and believe in him you are filled with an inexpressible joy.
• WHY? Because you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
• What a great JOY indeed! Salvation!
• Freedom.
• Liberty from sin and all it’s consequences.
• Charles Spurgeon wrote, “If God justifieth the Ungodly, then he can justify you. Is that not the very person you are? (Spurgeon, 27).”
• That is the goal of faith, to be justified by God.
• Salvation is why we are all here.
• Salvation bought us and brought us here.
• Salvation is our greatest joy.
• Again Spurgeon said, “Only God can justify the ungodly, but he can do it to perfection (40). If God has justified a man it is well done, it is rightly done, it is justly done, it is everlastingly done (41).”
• You believe in him? Then you have been justified by him and you are receiving the goal of your faith, salvation of your soul. And that has been done by Christ, through the work of the Spirit, by the foreknowledge of God and it is everlastingly done!
• This salvation was such a great work, that the prophets spoke of the Grace that was to come, searched intently for it and with the greatest of care. Not serving themselves, but you.
• Peter ends this chapter with 2 more bold points: It was not just the Holy Spirit, but that the Holy Spirit is THE Spirit of Christ.
• The Spirit of Christ inspired the prophets writings.
• Peter states here that before Jesus was a man, he was God. It was the Spirit of Christ in the prophets pointing them to the time and circumstances.
• Predicting the sufferings of Christ and the glories that followed.
• Peter say’s there that Jesus was in the OLD TESTAMENT and that the prophets wrote about him!
• They wrote by the Sprit of Christ, that Jesus yet to come would suffer and bring glories, because he is the Salvation of God.
• Salvation that comes by God’s grace to those he chose is such a wonderful thing it fills you with an inexpressible and glorious joy and even Angels long to look into these things.
• This first part of 1 Peter paints a picture for the rest of the letter.
• The next few weeks we will hopefully see Peter as he looks more fully into the claims he laid before us today.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
My notes for 1 Peter
1 Peter 1:1-2
• 1 Peter continues nicely from where we left off in James.
• James spoke of perservering under trials of various kinds. We discovered that poverty and oppression by the wealthy were among the trials that James saw in the 1st century Church.
• 1 Peter focuses on suffering and try’s to show us that suffering, no matter how long it continues, is only temporary.
• Peter is an expert on this subject for 2 reasons: He witnessed the suffering of Jesus and he suffered himself.
• He was flogged and imprisoned for his faith.
• Once he even expected his imprisonment to end with his execution.
• Like James, Peter calls on Jesus for our example of how to respond under suffering.
• 1 Peter states that it was written by Peter and he was clearly the leader of the early Church. Remember that Jesus changed his name and declared that upon him he would build the Church.
• There is more information about Peter in the 4 gospels then any other person outside of Christ.
• There is a debate that Peter wrote this letter. The Greek used is considered too well written for an uneducated fisherman.
• 5:12 Peter writes that he wrote this letter by Silas or Silvanus, and diction was certainly common in the 1st century.
•
•
• John MacArthur writes:
Peter, under the superintendence of the Spirit of God, dictated the letter to Silvanus, who was also a Prophet (Acts 15:32), [and] may have aided in some of the composition of the more classical Greek.
• The writing is dated somewhere between 64 and 65 A.D. placing it under the time of the reign of Nero.
• Nero set the city of Rome on fire in his lust to build a new city and when the Populous revolted he blamed it on the Christians, ushering in years of persecution.
• The Christians were hated in Rome because of their close association with the Jews.
• The Christians in Rome were most likely Gentile converts of Paul and Peter writes to them to strengthen their faith because of all their suffering.
• MacArthur writes that the purpose of 1 Peter is to teach how to live victoriously in the midst of hostility, without losing hope; without becoming bitter; while trusting the Lord; while looking for his second coming (MacArthur, 1901).
• Peter knows that suffering comes in many ways. He knows Satan and his demons are a part of the cause of the suffering Christians face. These evil spirits want nothing more then to discredit the Church and Christianity.
• Again, MacArthur writes, “One way these spirits work is by finding Christians whose lives are not consistent with the word of God, and then parading them before unbelievers to show what a sham the Church is (1901).”
• This is among the reasons for our study of scripture. To better know the word of God, better defend the word of God and also so that we can better live the word of God.
• This is a great defense against the schemes of our enemy.
• Not to be outdone, the secondary theme of 1 Peter is hope.
• More specifically, a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
• I wanted to just look today at verses 1-2 because there are a few disputed or debated doctrines contained here.
• The first is: To God’s elect.
• This word comes from a Greek word which can mean, called out, to pick out, or to select.
• The same use of the word was used in the OT to set apart Israel (Duet. 7:6) indicating that God had chosen his people.
• It was used as Elect 13 times in scripture and chosen 7 times.
• Peter uses it here as Chosen.
• Many of the uses of the word elect as chosen are in Isaiah.
• God calls Jesus his Chosen in Isaiah 42:1
• He calls Israel his chosen in Isaiah 45:4
• Isaiah 65:9 “I will bring forth descendants from Jacob, and from Judah those who will possess my mountains; my chosen people [elect] will inherit them.”
• In the glimpse of Eternal Glory the Lord gave to Isaiah he writes, “my chosen ones will long enjoy the works of their hands.” 65:22 speaking of the New Heaven and New Earth.
• Romans 8:33 Paul writes of Gods elect as being Chosen.
• And again in Colossians 3:12.
• So there is clearly many references to God’s people being a chosen people.
• Peter here writes that God’s elect have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father.
• In other words, the chosen have been chosen, according to God’s foreknowledge.
• I don’t think Peter, Paul, or even James had difficulty understanding this language and I don’t think it was as debated as it is today.
• I know many who disagree with the “Elect” on the basis of Free will.
• They argue that God can not know if I am saved before I am saved and, God would not preordain that some are saved and some are not.
• They have said things to me like, “If that is the case, then there is no reason to evangelize.”
• Peter gives a good counter argument to that, “You are chosen for obedience.”
• Evangelize out of obedience, live out of obedience, suffer out of obedience.
• Another argument that I have encountered is, “that’s not fair.” God would not choose some to save and not others.
• Paul wrote that God, “Chose us in him before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4)” and that he predestined us [Gentiles] to be adopted as his children through faith in Jesus Christ.
• Not only were we chosen by God, but we were chosen based solely on God’s Grace and love. It had nothing to do with you or I. It had nothing to do with any good thing we had done or would do.
• The knowledge of that should cause great humility in us.
• God knew us before we knew him.
• To foreknow, as the bible uses it, means to “set one’s love on a person or person’s in a personal way.” It was used this way in Amos 3:2
• God knew Israel in this way.
• God knows us, better then we know ourselves.
• Look at Matthew 7:15-23.
• Jesus says, don’t look at their prophesy, there driving out of demons and their miracles, look at their fruit. Did they do the word of God? Or did they just pursue the miraculous, or did they just do the Christian thing in front of others, but not bear fruit in front of God in their private time.
• Many of Jesus miracles speak of right living, bearing fruit, and living in obedience to the will of God. Part of our fruit is in doing what we are told to do.
• Look at John 10:14-30.
• Jesus knows his sheep in the same way that God knows his chosen people Israel.
• His sheep hear his voice, they listen and they follow.
• It is no accident that Jesus gave an example of himself as a Shepherd and His flock and then recognized his sheep in Matthew 25:31-46. The sheep in Matthew 25 did not do great miracles, they lived with compassion, humility, love and an open eye to hurt, and an open hand to help. They did these things from within.
• These are among the people that God knows in the way “foreknow” is used.
• God set his love upon his sheep in a deep, personal way.
• I love how Warren Wiersbe writes on this passage. Speaking of Election, Chosen and Foreknowledge: The plan of salvation includes more then the Father’s Electing love . . . we have been chosen by the Father, purchased by the son and set apart by the Spirit. It takes all three for there to be a true experience of salvation. As far as God the Father is concerned, I was saved when he chose me before the foundation of the world. As far as the son is concerned, I was saved when he died on the cross. As far as the Holy Spirit is concerned I was saved one night when I heard the gospel and received Christ (392).”
• The reality is that no matter how you experienced conversion the bible is clear that it is by God’s grace. Over and over we see his hand of Grace guiding his foreknowledge as he chose his people again and again. He chose Israel, He chose the 12 and he chose you and I.
• Romans 5:6 tells us that, “You see at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.”
• He died for us and set us free from sin.
• We are no longer a slave to sin, but we are a slave to God (Romans 6:15-23).
• He chose us and set us free from sin.
• Because he chose us we are strangers in a foreign land.
• We are living in a temporary home.
• It is no coincidence that Isaiah uses Election in this context
• Read Isaiah 65:17-25.
• We are strangers because we long for our home, our new home, or eternal home.
• So we ought to live in a manner that represent our master and our home land.
• That is why Peter will quote the OT and tell us to be Holy as God is Holy.
• We were saved for this reason.
• To be like Christ.
• To imitate God as dearly loved children, and live a life of love (Eph. 5:1)
• This kind of life should seem strange to the world.
• 1 Peter continues nicely from where we left off in James.
• James spoke of perservering under trials of various kinds. We discovered that poverty and oppression by the wealthy were among the trials that James saw in the 1st century Church.
• 1 Peter focuses on suffering and try’s to show us that suffering, no matter how long it continues, is only temporary.
• Peter is an expert on this subject for 2 reasons: He witnessed the suffering of Jesus and he suffered himself.
• He was flogged and imprisoned for his faith.
• Once he even expected his imprisonment to end with his execution.
• Like James, Peter calls on Jesus for our example of how to respond under suffering.
• 1 Peter states that it was written by Peter and he was clearly the leader of the early Church. Remember that Jesus changed his name and declared that upon him he would build the Church.
• There is more information about Peter in the 4 gospels then any other person outside of Christ.
• There is a debate that Peter wrote this letter. The Greek used is considered too well written for an uneducated fisherman.
• 5:12 Peter writes that he wrote this letter by Silas or Silvanus, and diction was certainly common in the 1st century.
•
•
• John MacArthur writes:
Peter, under the superintendence of the Spirit of God, dictated the letter to Silvanus, who was also a Prophet (Acts 15:32), [and] may have aided in some of the composition of the more classical Greek.
• The writing is dated somewhere between 64 and 65 A.D. placing it under the time of the reign of Nero.
• Nero set the city of Rome on fire in his lust to build a new city and when the Populous revolted he blamed it on the Christians, ushering in years of persecution.
• The Christians were hated in Rome because of their close association with the Jews.
• The Christians in Rome were most likely Gentile converts of Paul and Peter writes to them to strengthen their faith because of all their suffering.
• MacArthur writes that the purpose of 1 Peter is to teach how to live victoriously in the midst of hostility, without losing hope; without becoming bitter; while trusting the Lord; while looking for his second coming (MacArthur, 1901).
• Peter knows that suffering comes in many ways. He knows Satan and his demons are a part of the cause of the suffering Christians face. These evil spirits want nothing more then to discredit the Church and Christianity.
• Again, MacArthur writes, “One way these spirits work is by finding Christians whose lives are not consistent with the word of God, and then parading them before unbelievers to show what a sham the Church is (1901).”
• This is among the reasons for our study of scripture. To better know the word of God, better defend the word of God and also so that we can better live the word of God.
• This is a great defense against the schemes of our enemy.
• Not to be outdone, the secondary theme of 1 Peter is hope.
• More specifically, a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
• I wanted to just look today at verses 1-2 because there are a few disputed or debated doctrines contained here.
• The first is: To God’s elect.
• This word comes from a Greek word which can mean, called out, to pick out, or to select.
• The same use of the word was used in the OT to set apart Israel (Duet. 7:6) indicating that God had chosen his people.
• It was used as Elect 13 times in scripture and chosen 7 times.
• Peter uses it here as Chosen.
• Many of the uses of the word elect as chosen are in Isaiah.
• God calls Jesus his Chosen in Isaiah 42:1
• He calls Israel his chosen in Isaiah 45:4
• Isaiah 65:9 “I will bring forth descendants from Jacob, and from Judah those who will possess my mountains; my chosen people [elect] will inherit them.”
• In the glimpse of Eternal Glory the Lord gave to Isaiah he writes, “my chosen ones will long enjoy the works of their hands.” 65:22 speaking of the New Heaven and New Earth.
• Romans 8:33 Paul writes of Gods elect as being Chosen.
• And again in Colossians 3:12.
• So there is clearly many references to God’s people being a chosen people.
• Peter here writes that God’s elect have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father.
• In other words, the chosen have been chosen, according to God’s foreknowledge.
• I don’t think Peter, Paul, or even James had difficulty understanding this language and I don’t think it was as debated as it is today.
• I know many who disagree with the “Elect” on the basis of Free will.
• They argue that God can not know if I am saved before I am saved and, God would not preordain that some are saved and some are not.
• They have said things to me like, “If that is the case, then there is no reason to evangelize.”
• Peter gives a good counter argument to that, “You are chosen for obedience.”
• Evangelize out of obedience, live out of obedience, suffer out of obedience.
• Another argument that I have encountered is, “that’s not fair.” God would not choose some to save and not others.
• Paul wrote that God, “Chose us in him before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4)” and that he predestined us [Gentiles] to be adopted as his children through faith in Jesus Christ.
• Not only were we chosen by God, but we were chosen based solely on God’s Grace and love. It had nothing to do with you or I. It had nothing to do with any good thing we had done or would do.
• The knowledge of that should cause great humility in us.
• God knew us before we knew him.
• To foreknow, as the bible uses it, means to “set one’s love on a person or person’s in a personal way.” It was used this way in Amos 3:2
• God knew Israel in this way.
• God knows us, better then we know ourselves.
• Look at Matthew 7:15-23.
• Jesus says, don’t look at their prophesy, there driving out of demons and their miracles, look at their fruit. Did they do the word of God? Or did they just pursue the miraculous, or did they just do the Christian thing in front of others, but not bear fruit in front of God in their private time.
• Many of Jesus miracles speak of right living, bearing fruit, and living in obedience to the will of God. Part of our fruit is in doing what we are told to do.
• Look at John 10:14-30.
• Jesus knows his sheep in the same way that God knows his chosen people Israel.
• His sheep hear his voice, they listen and they follow.
• It is no accident that Jesus gave an example of himself as a Shepherd and His flock and then recognized his sheep in Matthew 25:31-46. The sheep in Matthew 25 did not do great miracles, they lived with compassion, humility, love and an open eye to hurt, and an open hand to help. They did these things from within.
• These are among the people that God knows in the way “foreknow” is used.
• God set his love upon his sheep in a deep, personal way.
• I love how Warren Wiersbe writes on this passage. Speaking of Election, Chosen and Foreknowledge: The plan of salvation includes more then the Father’s Electing love . . . we have been chosen by the Father, purchased by the son and set apart by the Spirit. It takes all three for there to be a true experience of salvation. As far as God the Father is concerned, I was saved when he chose me before the foundation of the world. As far as the son is concerned, I was saved when he died on the cross. As far as the Holy Spirit is concerned I was saved one night when I heard the gospel and received Christ (392).”
• The reality is that no matter how you experienced conversion the bible is clear that it is by God’s grace. Over and over we see his hand of Grace guiding his foreknowledge as he chose his people again and again. He chose Israel, He chose the 12 and he chose you and I.
• Romans 5:6 tells us that, “You see at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.”
• He died for us and set us free from sin.
• We are no longer a slave to sin, but we are a slave to God (Romans 6:15-23).
• He chose us and set us free from sin.
• Because he chose us we are strangers in a foreign land.
• We are living in a temporary home.
• It is no coincidence that Isaiah uses Election in this context
• Read Isaiah 65:17-25.
• We are strangers because we long for our home, our new home, or eternal home.
• So we ought to live in a manner that represent our master and our home land.
• That is why Peter will quote the OT and tell us to be Holy as God is Holy.
• We were saved for this reason.
• To be like Christ.
• To imitate God as dearly loved children, and live a life of love (Eph. 5:1)
• This kind of life should seem strange to the world.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Pray by faith
• The Prayer of Faith?
• I wanted to take some time as we close and just examine the claims made here in James 5:13-16.
• Claim 1, we should pray verse 13. Is this true? Why? Encouragement to pray is a typical conclusion of NT books, but James emphasis is different then just a reminder to pray. He encourages prayer by reminding us of the powerful effects of prayer, or the things that prayer can accomplish.
• James conclusion mirrors Paul’s, who said to “pray in the spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests (Eph. 6:18)” and to pray continually and in all circumstances (1 Thess. 5:17-18).
• For James those circumstances are trouble and happiness.
• Is anyone in trouble? Pray. James brings us back to the beginning of his letter, the trials or trouble of many kinds. He introduced this a problem in the Church community and here at the end he goes back to it. Are you in trouble of any kind pray!
• If you are happy, sing praise. James is giving us a reminder here, because he knows that turning to God is important at all times. We need to be reminded to turn toward God in good times more then we need to be reminded in bad times.
• Giving praise to God in song, worship and prayer need to be a regular part of our lifestyle the same as prayer in times of trouble.
• James gives a third time to pray. When we are sick. The point James is making here is physical sickness. In the NT the use of the Greek word (astheneia) always is associated with physical health.
• We should call on the Elder’s of the Church to pray over us, anoint us with oil in the name of the Lord. Why? What is the importance of anointing with oil? The practice of anointing with oil in healing is only mentioned in one other place, Mark 6:13 and it is as vague as James use here. “They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.”
• Most of the use of oil in the bible is for anointing in a way of consecrating something or someone. It is a symbolic act. It is often associated with the spirit of the Lord being upon Jesus. Jesus spoke from Isaiah in Luke 4:18 when he read, “the Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.” [see also: Acts 4:27; 10:38; 2 Cor. 1:21; Heb. 1:9]
• Perhaps James see’s anointing as a physical act of obedience to be used in conjunction with the prayer of faith?
• Jesus healed with more then prayer and prayer at times. He rubbed the blind mans eyes (Mark 8:23), he put his fingers in the deaf mans ears (Mark 7:33).
• Whatever James intention with anointing is we need to be sure that it is not the oil that has any power, but it is the prayer. Specificially the prayer of faith.
• It is fascinating to me that the prayer of faith being addressed here is not by the person who is suffering, but by the Elder. James places the burden on the Elder to be the one who prays in faith for the healing here. He also ties the anointing with oil to the Elders.
• I think the oil for the Elder is a symbolic gesture between the Elder, the sick person and God. It is a statement much like Communion that we are setting this person apart for prayer, special attention and care in our wisdom and understanding of the situation, we are going to look at the sickness to discover “if” it is caused by sin.
• James say’s the prayer offered in Faith will make the sick person well. Really? James gives Elijah as an example for us.
• Some scholars argue that the healing is in eternity by confining the power of healing to the apostolic age. I don’t see anything in the text or in the NT to make such a restriction.
• Certainly all of us who struggle with illness and every believer can be confident that God will heal them in the end, but that does not require a special visit by the Elders, the laying on of hands or even faith. Victory in the end is a part of the guarantee of salvation and a part of the gift of God’s grace to us.
• There is a relationship at work here between God’s sovereignty and our prayers. Both the believer’s prayer and the Elders prayer. Because James says, “the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”
• The righteous live by faith! (Romans 1:17). The righteous live by faith, “being sure of what [they] hope for and certain of what [they] do not see (Heb.11:1) and that is evident in their prayer.
• The righteous know that God is in control. That he is in all things. That he is mighty to save. That he can and does heal, and so they pray trusting that he will. They know that some times he doesn’t heal because of discipline or sin and still they ask with a hope. There prayer isn’t a fervent wish, but it is a solid petition of the one who sits upon the throne.
• James places and expects the Elders to be among the ones who pray with this kind of faith, presumably because they are called and set apart as mature believers who would understand the will of God, his sovereignty and their ability to live by faith.
• So when the sick come to them for prayer it isn’t the lack of faith on the sick that has kept them ill and it isn’t the power of the Elder that healed them. It is the grace of God at work through the faithful prayer of his people that he has set apart to minister to the needs of the Church.
• Douglas Moo say’s the Shepherd of God’s people, the Elder, should pray with “faith in the God whose will is supreme and best; only sometimes does this faith include assurance that a particular request is within that will. This is exactly the qualification that is needed to understand Jesus’ own promise, ‘You may ask for anything in my name and I will do it’ (John 14:14). To ask in Jesus name means not to simply utter his name, but to take into account his will (Moo, 245).”
• In his book, The Miracles of Jesus, h. Van der loos writes, “faith, forgiveness and healing are all three in essence dispensations of the grace of God. This implies that the relations between these three are not governed by the law of causality but by the will and intention of God.”
• So the big question of the day, James gives us Elijah as an example: Can we expect to be like Elijah?
• I wanted to take some time as we close and just examine the claims made here in James 5:13-16.
• Claim 1, we should pray verse 13. Is this true? Why? Encouragement to pray is a typical conclusion of NT books, but James emphasis is different then just a reminder to pray. He encourages prayer by reminding us of the powerful effects of prayer, or the things that prayer can accomplish.
• James conclusion mirrors Paul’s, who said to “pray in the spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests (Eph. 6:18)” and to pray continually and in all circumstances (1 Thess. 5:17-18).
• For James those circumstances are trouble and happiness.
• Is anyone in trouble? Pray. James brings us back to the beginning of his letter, the trials or trouble of many kinds. He introduced this a problem in the Church community and here at the end he goes back to it. Are you in trouble of any kind pray!
• If you are happy, sing praise. James is giving us a reminder here, because he knows that turning to God is important at all times. We need to be reminded to turn toward God in good times more then we need to be reminded in bad times.
• Giving praise to God in song, worship and prayer need to be a regular part of our lifestyle the same as prayer in times of trouble.
• James gives a third time to pray. When we are sick. The point James is making here is physical sickness. In the NT the use of the Greek word (astheneia) always is associated with physical health.
• We should call on the Elder’s of the Church to pray over us, anoint us with oil in the name of the Lord. Why? What is the importance of anointing with oil? The practice of anointing with oil in healing is only mentioned in one other place, Mark 6:13 and it is as vague as James use here. “They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.”
• Most of the use of oil in the bible is for anointing in a way of consecrating something or someone. It is a symbolic act. It is often associated with the spirit of the Lord being upon Jesus. Jesus spoke from Isaiah in Luke 4:18 when he read, “the Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.” [see also: Acts 4:27; 10:38; 2 Cor. 1:21; Heb. 1:9]
• Perhaps James see’s anointing as a physical act of obedience to be used in conjunction with the prayer of faith?
• Jesus healed with more then prayer and prayer at times. He rubbed the blind mans eyes (Mark 8:23), he put his fingers in the deaf mans ears (Mark 7:33).
• Whatever James intention with anointing is we need to be sure that it is not the oil that has any power, but it is the prayer. Specificially the prayer of faith.
• It is fascinating to me that the prayer of faith being addressed here is not by the person who is suffering, but by the Elder. James places the burden on the Elder to be the one who prays in faith for the healing here. He also ties the anointing with oil to the Elders.
• I think the oil for the Elder is a symbolic gesture between the Elder, the sick person and God. It is a statement much like Communion that we are setting this person apart for prayer, special attention and care in our wisdom and understanding of the situation, we are going to look at the sickness to discover “if” it is caused by sin.
• James say’s the prayer offered in Faith will make the sick person well. Really? James gives Elijah as an example for us.
• Some scholars argue that the healing is in eternity by confining the power of healing to the apostolic age. I don’t see anything in the text or in the NT to make such a restriction.
• Certainly all of us who struggle with illness and every believer can be confident that God will heal them in the end, but that does not require a special visit by the Elders, the laying on of hands or even faith. Victory in the end is a part of the guarantee of salvation and a part of the gift of God’s grace to us.
• There is a relationship at work here between God’s sovereignty and our prayers. Both the believer’s prayer and the Elders prayer. Because James says, “the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”
• The righteous live by faith! (Romans 1:17). The righteous live by faith, “being sure of what [they] hope for and certain of what [they] do not see (Heb.11:1) and that is evident in their prayer.
• The righteous know that God is in control. That he is in all things. That he is mighty to save. That he can and does heal, and so they pray trusting that he will. They know that some times he doesn’t heal because of discipline or sin and still they ask with a hope. There prayer isn’t a fervent wish, but it is a solid petition of the one who sits upon the throne.
• James places and expects the Elders to be among the ones who pray with this kind of faith, presumably because they are called and set apart as mature believers who would understand the will of God, his sovereignty and their ability to live by faith.
• So when the sick come to them for prayer it isn’t the lack of faith on the sick that has kept them ill and it isn’t the power of the Elder that healed them. It is the grace of God at work through the faithful prayer of his people that he has set apart to minister to the needs of the Church.
• Douglas Moo say’s the Shepherd of God’s people, the Elder, should pray with “faith in the God whose will is supreme and best; only sometimes does this faith include assurance that a particular request is within that will. This is exactly the qualification that is needed to understand Jesus’ own promise, ‘You may ask for anything in my name and I will do it’ (John 14:14). To ask in Jesus name means not to simply utter his name, but to take into account his will (Moo, 245).”
• In his book, The Miracles of Jesus, h. Van der loos writes, “faith, forgiveness and healing are all three in essence dispensations of the grace of God. This implies that the relations between these three are not governed by the law of causality but by the will and intention of God.”
• So the big question of the day, James gives us Elijah as an example: Can we expect to be like Elijah?
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Woe to the wealthy merchants . . .
• Last weeks text and today’s both “condemn a pursuit of wealth that fails to take into account the reality of God and his will for humanity (Moo, 209).
• In the course of Eternity what we do in life reflects who we are.
• If we live a life consistent with our confession we should be able to take confidence in our position as co-heirs with Christ.
• In Chapter 5:1, James returns to condemn the rich. These are mostly likely worldly rich people.
• They may be rich believers who are not living like they are a Christian and are oppressing their poor brothers, but I think, and am fairly confident that they may be the wealthy merchants of the 1st century.
• Either way there are truths spoken against them here for some serious misdeeds.
• Calvin writes that those to whom James speaks here, that he has a “regard to the faithful. That [at] hearing the miserable end of the rich, they might not envy their fortune. And that knowing that God would be the avenger of the wrongs they suffered, they might with a calm and resigned mind bear them.”
• In other words, the rich believer at hearing what James says might not pursue their riches and the poor believer might rest knowing God will give them their due.
• James say’s “weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you.”
• As we discussed 2 weeks ago, weep and wail are prophetic language. The sense is that there is terrible judgment for those who abuse their station in life. It is language used by the prophets to foreshadow doom on pagan nations.
• The word used for wail (ololyzo) is only found in the prophets and always in the context of judgment, making it clear that the misery coming upon them is judgment.
• The term rich can be used for unrighteous. And the prophets denounce the oppression of the poor often, especially in Amos. Correlating the rich with unrighteousness and poverty with righteousness.
• The rich that James writes about here are not condemned for their wealth, they are condemned for how they use their wealth. This is consistent with other NT writings.
• It was a sinful accumulation of things, because wealth can be a powerful obstacle to Christian discipleship. It is difficult to overcome the greed of consumption.
• It asks the question, when do we have too much?
• James goes on, your wealth has rotted, moths have eaten your clothes, your gold and silver are corroded and the corrosion will testify against you.
• This mirrors the words of Jesus and shows the frailty of earthly treasures (Matthew 6:19).
• James is saying that the stuff we have has already rotted. It is associated with all the things of this world that will one day fade away and offer no foundation for future glory.
• Not only will our stuff give us no eternal benefit, it stands as a witness against us.
• The fact that these people have accumulated so much shows that their heart is guilty of focusing on earthly treasure.
• I have said it before, take an inventory of your time, energy, money, and possessions and that is where you will find your heart!
• Dibelius said, People who hoard wealth are not only demonstrating false priorities, they are depriving others of life.
• Calvin wrote, “God has not appointed gold for rust, nor garments for moths; but, on the contrary, he has designed them as aids to help human life.”
• This speaks to James heart for the poor, the broken and needy. James witnessed Jesus care for these and the evidence of misuse or disuse will stand as a witness against the rich and it will stand as witness either for or against us as well.
• Have you hoarded wealth or have you been charitable with what God has given you?
• Did you invest what he gave you wisely, or did you bury it in a field?
• James writes that the rich have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence.
• He has accused the rich of hoarding wealth, cheating workers, living self-indulgent lives and at the end of murdering innocent people.
• They murder them by depriving the poor of the things they need to live.
• They hoard things, so there isn’t enough to go around. Supply and demand. They don’t pay fairly or at all, so the poor struggle to eat and survive. The rich take whatever they want even if it costs lives.
• So James tells the brothers to be patient, even until the Lord’s coming.
• You might not see the judgment or justice, but be patient.
• James focus here is on how a believer should respond and it is an attitude we must adopt in order to have a solid biblical understanding of this life and of future judgment..
• We need to be patient. We need to stand firm.
• We need to not grumble against each other, but rather look at the prophets as an example of patience in the face of suffering.
• Look at Jeremiah!
• Know the bible. Know that we consider blessed those who have persevered.
• Look at Job.
• Know the truth. Know that the Lord is full of compassion and mercy!
• Know the 37th Psalm. Trust in the Lord and do good. Commit yourself to him. Wait Patiently for him. Know that the meek will inherit the land, the Lord upholds the righteous and their inheritance will endure forever. Know that the righteous give generously and they take refuge in him.
• When we know these things we can patiently endure all kinds of difficulties and we can be a better witness of his grace wherever we go.
• In the course of Eternity what we do in life reflects who we are.
• If we live a life consistent with our confession we should be able to take confidence in our position as co-heirs with Christ.
• In Chapter 5:1, James returns to condemn the rich. These are mostly likely worldly rich people.
• They may be rich believers who are not living like they are a Christian and are oppressing their poor brothers, but I think, and am fairly confident that they may be the wealthy merchants of the 1st century.
• Either way there are truths spoken against them here for some serious misdeeds.
• Calvin writes that those to whom James speaks here, that he has a “regard to the faithful. That [at] hearing the miserable end of the rich, they might not envy their fortune. And that knowing that God would be the avenger of the wrongs they suffered, they might with a calm and resigned mind bear them.”
• In other words, the rich believer at hearing what James says might not pursue their riches and the poor believer might rest knowing God will give them their due.
• James say’s “weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you.”
• As we discussed 2 weeks ago, weep and wail are prophetic language. The sense is that there is terrible judgment for those who abuse their station in life. It is language used by the prophets to foreshadow doom on pagan nations.
• The word used for wail (ololyzo) is only found in the prophets and always in the context of judgment, making it clear that the misery coming upon them is judgment.
• The term rich can be used for unrighteous. And the prophets denounce the oppression of the poor often, especially in Amos. Correlating the rich with unrighteousness and poverty with righteousness.
• The rich that James writes about here are not condemned for their wealth, they are condemned for how they use their wealth. This is consistent with other NT writings.
• It was a sinful accumulation of things, because wealth can be a powerful obstacle to Christian discipleship. It is difficult to overcome the greed of consumption.
• It asks the question, when do we have too much?
• James goes on, your wealth has rotted, moths have eaten your clothes, your gold and silver are corroded and the corrosion will testify against you.
• This mirrors the words of Jesus and shows the frailty of earthly treasures (Matthew 6:19).
• James is saying that the stuff we have has already rotted. It is associated with all the things of this world that will one day fade away and offer no foundation for future glory.
• Not only will our stuff give us no eternal benefit, it stands as a witness against us.
• The fact that these people have accumulated so much shows that their heart is guilty of focusing on earthly treasure.
• I have said it before, take an inventory of your time, energy, money, and possessions and that is where you will find your heart!
• Dibelius said, People who hoard wealth are not only demonstrating false priorities, they are depriving others of life.
• Calvin wrote, “God has not appointed gold for rust, nor garments for moths; but, on the contrary, he has designed them as aids to help human life.”
• This speaks to James heart for the poor, the broken and needy. James witnessed Jesus care for these and the evidence of misuse or disuse will stand as a witness against the rich and it will stand as witness either for or against us as well.
• Have you hoarded wealth or have you been charitable with what God has given you?
• Did you invest what he gave you wisely, or did you bury it in a field?
• James writes that the rich have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence.
• He has accused the rich of hoarding wealth, cheating workers, living self-indulgent lives and at the end of murdering innocent people.
• They murder them by depriving the poor of the things they need to live.
• They hoard things, so there isn’t enough to go around. Supply and demand. They don’t pay fairly or at all, so the poor struggle to eat and survive. The rich take whatever they want even if it costs lives.
• So James tells the brothers to be patient, even until the Lord’s coming.
• You might not see the judgment or justice, but be patient.
• James focus here is on how a believer should respond and it is an attitude we must adopt in order to have a solid biblical understanding of this life and of future judgment..
• We need to be patient. We need to stand firm.
• We need to not grumble against each other, but rather look at the prophets as an example of patience in the face of suffering.
• Look at Jeremiah!
• Know the bible. Know that we consider blessed those who have persevered.
• Look at Job.
• Know the truth. Know that the Lord is full of compassion and mercy!
• Know the 37th Psalm. Trust in the Lord and do good. Commit yourself to him. Wait Patiently for him. Know that the meek will inherit the land, the Lord upholds the righteous and their inheritance will endure forever. Know that the righteous give generously and they take refuge in him.
• When we know these things we can patiently endure all kinds of difficulties and we can be a better witness of his grace wherever we go.
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