2 Peter

A Choice and Precious Stone {1 Peter 2}

1:46 AM




When people of old built their houses, they chose for themselves only the finest of stones. The rest they cast aside as junk, good for nothing. This is how Peter describes Jesus. He was rejected, seen as no more than a useless piece of rock. But where men saw rubble, God saw His “choice and precious stone”, and the cornerstone of His spiritual house. “The stone which the builders rejected, this became the very cornerstone” (vs. 7) Why is the cornerstone important? The cornerstone is the first stone set in the foundation of a home. And all other stones will be set in reference to this stone, determining the position of the entire structure. 

Messiah Jesus is the Living Stone, and He calls us to become living stones ourselves, valuable parts of the foundation of God’s house. No matter who rejects us, who calls us worthless, He will not. He is our “precious value”, and sacrificed all to make us His. Knowing full well the agony He would endure, the Lord willingly and lovingly left His glorious place at the Father’s side to pay a debt He did not owe, to give us a gift we do not deserve. Jesus, “who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth, He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross.” (vs. 22,24) And it is only through His great love and sacrifice that we can have eternal life. I love the quote by D.A. Carson which says, “It was not nails that held Jesus to that wretched cross; it was His unqualified resolution, out of love for his Father, to do his Father’s will—and it was His love for sinners like me.”

Jesus suffered for us. He suffered for you, for me, and for all who receive Him as their Savior. He was beaten, flogged, spit upon, ridiculed, and nailed to a Cross to die an excruciating death. It is by those wounds, that shed precious blood, in which we are healed. (vs. 24) And in those times when we feel rejected, unwanted, or useless, we need to remember who we are in Jesus. We are royalty, chosen by God to be His very own; part of a holy nation, paid for with the blood of His only begotten Son. And while the world may see us as rubble, God who has, “called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (vs. 9) sees us as the bright, shining, choice and precious stones we are. 


2 Peter

Not A Single Step, But A Journey {2 Pet. 1:1-2:21}

11:00 PM




Jesus had revealed to Peter that His death was imminent. Peter also knew that the Christians, in what is now modern day Turkey, were suffering persecution because of their faith. And so he wrote this letter to encourage, warn, and give them his final instructions before he was called home by the Lord.

One of the major themes of Peter’s letters is the importance of spiritual growth. From the beginning, God intended our lives as Christians to be ones of perpetual motion. Far from being our only step, receiving Christ as our Savior is just the first step in a lifelong trek of maturity and renewal; with the goal of becoming a perfect reflection of Jesus. So how do we grow spiritually? Peter tells us God gives us everything we need to become more like Him saying, “His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.” (vs. 1:3-4)

What Peter is saying is that right now, we are each fully equipped to lead the lives that God has called us to lead. “As believers, we are partakers of a divine nature by which Jesus abides in us, and anything is possible by His power. We are also given awesome promises through which He develops His character in us.”...Dr. Charles Stanley. 

Yet even though it is God, through the work of the Holy Spirit, who transforms us into His image, it isn’t His plan to do it alone. He wants us to work hand in hand with Him to reach the level of maturity that lets us live a life that not only glorifies the Lord, but protects us from the corruption of the world. “So that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes” (Eph. 4:14) So what part does God expect us to play? Peter tells us that our part includes not only faith, but seven other Christian qualities that when applied to our lives, allow us to mature spiritually. They include diligence, moral excellence, knowledge, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love.

“The grace of God demands diligence, (doing one’s best) as believers grow. It leads to moral excellence, (fulfilling our designated purpose). But the Christian life is more than faith and practical goodness. There is also knowledge, which Christians need not fear; for truth will lead to understanding. Next is self control, which follows when believers submit to the control of the indwelling Spirit. From self control springs perseverance, the ability to endure difficult things. To persevere is added godliness or reverence toward God and fellow men. This leads to brotherly kindness, the outworking of the previous quality. The crowning Christian progress is love, a deliberate desire for the highest good in the one loved.”....Louis Barbieri

Peter goes on to warn that those of us who lack these qualities will be useless and ineffective servants of God, as blind as unbelievers, having forgotten our forgiveness from sins. But to us who use those qualities to grow Peter is quick to encourage saying, “as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.” (vs. 1:10-11)

We’ve all heard the expression, “the journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” And that’s just what the Christian life is all about. Its not a single step, it’s a journey. A journey of moving forward and growing in maturity in our walk with the Lord. It’s about working on deepening our relationship with God, and living a life that glorifies Him. It’s about allowing the fruit of Spirit, “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Gal. 5:22-23) to shine through us for the world to see. God promises to do His part. Shouldn’t we promise to do ours?


2 Peter

Walking in Diligent Perseverance {2 Peter 3 }

11:00 PM



Today Peter reminds his beloved people that the Day of the Lord is near. That they should be resting on His promise with faith! I still remember the first day I heard of Jesus’ return, I was probably 7 or 8 years old. I was thrilled and so eagerly waited in the next few days for Him to come!! So many years have gone by and I sadly have to confess there have been times in my life I’ve lost that zeal, by getting so caught up in the cares of this world! I praise our Father for not giving up on us!! And this is Peter’s concern, so he warns us that we should be careful, we need to be reminded of and remember the old truths that we already possess, but tend to forget.  We must continue to stand firm on our faith!  We must warn those who might take these Truths for granted and might even answer: “Yes, I know that…”, but will continue to live as this would not happen in the near future. Then there are those who won’t even believe that He will come at all, because they see no changes and they’d just rather live according to this world’s standards -Psalm 55:19- (3:3-7).

As I look back to my childhood, and all the years that our Father has granted me to this day I am forever grateful, He has delayed His return for my sake and the sake of my loved ones (3:9-10): giving us the opportunity to get to know Him more through His Word and also to witness to those who are astray, and some others have received His Salvation! But there is still much work to do!


Jesus warned:  “So be alert [give strict attention, be cautious and active in faith], for you do not know which day [whether near or far] your Lord is coming. But understand this: If the head of the house had known what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. 44 Therefore, you [who follow Me] must also be ready; because the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not expect Him”.(Matt. 24:42-44)
Peter points out that the God who created the universe by His word and destroyed the wicked in the flood, has also warned that He will judge the ungodly in the future by fire.  (3:10-11) –Mal. 4:1, 2Thess 1:7-
Peter encourages us: “So, beloved, since you are looking forward to these things, be diligent and make every effort to be found by Him [at His return] spotless and blameless, in peace [that is, inwardly calm with a sense of spiritual well-being and confidence, having lived a life of obedience to Him]. 15 And consider the patience of our Lord [His delay in judging and avenging wrongs] as salvation [that is, allowing time for more to be saved]” (14-15)

To be diligent (2 Tim. 2:15) means giving our attention to something. It implies making every effort or exerting ourselves toward a goal. It doesn’t happen accidentally. It requires deliberate focus. The forces of the world and our flesh are so great that if we do not apply diligence, we will be carried along in the wrong direction

That fact that God’s Day of Judgment is coming, should motivate us to live in diligent perseverance, which rests on four things: (Bible.org)

- the hope of His coming;
- holiness  (1Pe. 1:15) necessary for a clear conscience  (living in peace) –Ro.12:18, 14:19-;
- developing a heart for the lost (3:15a),
- and laying hold of the Truths from the Scriptures (1Thess.2:13, Gal. 1:11-12)

As Peter finishes his final epistle, concerned about the influence of false teachings, he wants us to persevere and he  exhorts us to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. He gives us three essentials for perseverance in the faith: guard ourselves from spiritual error, grow in the grace and knowledge of Him, and live to glorify His name. (3:18)

 “You will never feel yourself such a worm as when, by faith, you see your Savior dying for you; you will never know your own nothingness so well as when you see your Savior’s greatness. When you grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, you will be sure to grow in humility.” C.H. Spurgeon

Christ didn’t give His life for us just to start the Christian life. He gave His life so that we would finish it and finish it well! So remember: walk in diligent perseverance!!

 “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing” (Rev. 5:12)! Let us  Glorify Him both now and unto the day of eternity!

Blessings!
Mari


2 Peter

Climbing Faith's Ladder {2 Peter 1}

12:00 AM

Just as with Paul in writing his 2 second letter to Timothy, we find Peter writing to all of us, knowing he hasn’t much time left on this earth (2 Peter 1:14). for that reason, I tend to view his words here as weightier, since he knows these are most likely his last. After all, if you knew you had only days left to live what would your conversations key on? What would be of greatest importance to you?


For Peter, it seems he’s most concerned about false teachers with their bogus doctrines and sinful lifestyles leading believers astray, and Peter has determined the best way to combat all of that is to make sure we are growing up in our faith! Notice:

“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by his own glory and goodness.Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
“For this very reason, be diligent to add to your faith goodness;
and to goodness, knowledge;
and to knowledge, self-control;
and to self-control, perseverance;
and to perseverance, godliness;
and to godliness, brotherly kindness;
and to brotherly kindness, love.
“For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.
“Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall,and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” -2Peter 1:4-11

I borrowed this from my HCSB study Bible: Because of God's generous provision in Christ, Peter encouraged his readers to build upon their foundation of faith—their initial acceptance of God's love—with the Christian virtues of goodness... knowledge... self-control... endurance... godliness... brotherly affection, and love. These graces, sometimes called the "ladder of faith," are the fruit of sharing in the divine nature. Each successive quality seems to spring from the previous one.

Did you also notice that his exhortation to us also includes a great promise? “...be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall,and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”- 2Pt 1:10-11

With all this in view, I thought it would be wise to break down our “building blocks” of faith to make sure we’re applying each to our lives today, for we must always be growing, and not merely talking about it. After all, according to James- faith without works is a dead faith.
I thought it would be best to begin by defining the word diligence- which basically means, “come up with all the determination you can muster...be persistent, earnest, painstakingly pressing on”. (Hmm… can you see why Peter may have felt the need to add a promise? No slacking allowed in the Christian faith!)
Be diligent to add to your faith...
Goodness or Moral excellence- a quality by which one stood out as excellent, fulfillment of purpose. Found in the Proverbs 31 women and can’t be produced without faith, for it is also a fruit of the Holy Spirit -(Gal 5:22-23)  
“His death saved us but His life transforms us; Everyone has a standard of virtue- humanists say-“you can do it; Jesus says “I’ll do it thru you, with your cooperation” Mjr. W. Ian Thomas in The Saving Life of Christ:

Knowledge- understanding, a recognition, or an acknowledgment. To “know” something is to perceive it or to be aware of it. Many times in Scripture, knowledge carries the idea of a deeper appreciation of something or a relationship with someone. It can only develop with moral excellence and comes as we obey the Word of God.

Self-control- physical and emotional self-mastery, particularly in situations of intense provocation or temptation (1 Cor 9:25) and arises from our knowledge which comes from obedience to the Word of God, out of the faith God has given us.

Perseverance- The ability to bear up under and deal with circumstances and with others; long-suffering in dealing with people. (Rom 5:3)

Godliness - is the reverent awareness of God's sovereignty over every aspect of life, and the determination to honor him in all one's conduct. "Godliness" and "holiness" denote one reality (the terms are joined in 1 Tim 2:2) In Rom 12:1 and 2 Tim 3:5, godliness is evident in deny ourselves (desires, rights, opinions, etc.) and laying down our life to Christ's supremacy.

Brotherly Kindness- The Greek word for brotherly kindness is transliterated "philadelphia," a compound word involving two words: "phileo" (love) and "adelphos" (brother). Therefore it is a love for the faithful and a by-product of true godliness.

Love is agape love (God’s love) and is an action, not a feeling. It’s defined in 1 Cor 13:4-8.

Peter wants us to understand that growing in the knowledge of Jesus Christ is a process- sort of a spiritual construction project. We were all saved by faith, but that’s just the beginning to this new life in Christ! God plans for all of us to be conformed to the image of His Son (Rom 8:29). Therefore, He begins by adding to our faith, goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, and godliness, which will become evident through our brotherly kindness and love towards others.

“A deeper knowledge of the Person of Jesus is the surest safeguard against false doctrine.” - Michael Green. Therefore we should make sure that we are “diligently” following Peter’s advice and building on our faith daily! So let me ask you,
__Do you possess the faith in Jesus that Peter has written about? Have you trusted in Him as your only means of salvation?
__ Are you submitting/surrendering to Him as the Lord over your life?
__Are you growing in your knowledge of God through knowing Jesus as Lord?

These are the foundations of our faith! As you look back over each try to determine just where you would place yourself in your walk with Him? Which one are the two of you working on just now?