Hey guys,
I apologize for letting myself fall a little bit behind this week. My research work has taken up morning and night preparing for my thesis defense. That is no excuse so I apologize and will be caught up today.
On another note, today we start 1 Peter which won our vote. If you have any ideas or suggestions for the next book, let me know as this one is only 5 chapters so it will be done soon. I will try to make the next transition smoother with only a day or two of psalms.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, (1 Peter 1:3, 4 ESV)
This was a difficult chapter for me to choose between verses, but I feel like the message that this first section conveys was something that I desperately needed to be reminded of recently. Verse 3 first stuck out to me because it made me really think about all the things that God really did for us in the resurrection. Specifically for those of us who are not of Jewish descent, the opportunity of salvation as it has not extended to all of those who believe. That was really a heavy thought that I often looked past in the death and resurrection of Jesus. It's also so fitting that Christ didn't just die accomplishing these things for us, but he rose and gave us this living hope to sustain us until we see the beautiful inheritance alluded to in verse 4. "An inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading." Those three descriptors beautifully describe of us of the unimaginable that awaits. While sorrow will often be felt at the end of someone's life on earth, if we have confidence in our faith, then we should also rejoice because they are finally receiving their inheritance in heaven and get to be with God and glorify him.
My prayer is that you and I can remember these three adjectives that describe our inheritance to sustain us in times of trouble and the help remind others when they are struggling in their faith or dealing with death.
imperishable, undefiled, and unfading
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you" (1 Peter 1:3-4)
ReplyDeleteI think this verse just clearly defines what God has prepared for us as His children. And I think this is what we should look for and understand that God does care for us and God listens to us. My college group bible study read through John 11 last night and talked about God weeping for Lazarus and how He was moved by Lazarus' death. We often forget that, in times of struggle, God is there for us. We get too caught up with ourselves and focus on us rather than inviting God in. I think this chapter shows that it is indeed exact opposite.
"Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls." 1 Peter 1:8-9
ReplyDeleteThese few verses really stuck out to me, and encouraged me. Peter was a disciple who spent years at Jesus's side, watching Him speak, perform miracles, and eventually, rise from the grave. No one had a better position to witness Christ's ministry. However, he is writing to believers who could, for the most part, only rely on the testimony of others. The original twelve, after witnessing Christ's power and authority, must have been incredibly encouraged to go out and witness to the world. Not everyone was so lucky. And in these verses, Peter acknowledges their incredible faith for having such motivation without having witnessed what they believe. Such is the power of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit encourages us and fills us with the knowledge that we serve a very real and powerful God, even though we cannot share the same experiences as some disciples. This is really cool. We can have full assurance that the Spirit guides us in our faith towards "obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls."
1 Peter 1:3-4
ReplyDeleteAaron Keys spoke at Grace Midtown this morning. His message was powerful, relevant, and impossible to remember all the way through after having seen it only once. God worked in power. One thing that he mentioned was about our inheritance; the inheritance is received upon someone's death. THIS MEANS THAT WE HAVE GOD'S INHERITANCE NOW. We have eternal life. Aaron made a great point that we are not just sinners saved by grace, we are sons and daughters of the Most High God! Our inheritance is both everlasting life and the Holy Spirit dwelling inside of us. We have both now! He mentioned the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place in the Jewish Tabernacle. Upon Jesus's death, the veil (Jesus's flesh) was torn enabling us to live in the presence of God. Why should we just be one and done each week? God created us to go to church to worship from the overflow of living a life with him! Church is not just for encouraging us; it is for celebrating what God has done and is doing for us! My question then is how can we live in God's presence, abide in the vine?
I would encourage all of you to watch this powerful sermon. It should be posted sometime this week on itunes or on their website. It is 45 minutes to an hour long, and it will rock your world.
"Like obedient children, do not act in compliance with the desires of your former ignorance but, as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in every aspect of your conduct"
ReplyDelete1 Peter 1:14-15
"Since you have purified yourselves by obedience to the truth for sincere mutual love, love one another intensely from a [pure] heart."
1 Peter 1:22
This seems almost like a two step process in my mind. Here we are called to not act in compliance with our ignorant desires that we have learned from society, but rather to act in compliance and be obedient to God and be holy in all aspects of our lives. This is a hard enough task for me right now, but Peter continues and gives us hope that through the understanding of true, sincere, mutual, sacrificial love, we may be able to spread that love intensely to others.
We are called to love one another intensely with a pure heart, but if we do not know that kind of love, how can we share that love with others. We cannot share what we do not understand and we cannot love purely if we are not purified ourselves.
In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade.
ReplyDeleteFor you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.
For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. For, “All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord endures forever.”
We are like grass, God says. We think of the great struggles, and life goals and such in our life and it all seems so big. But it is like the flowers of the field, God says. It will wither and fade. But he has made us a promise. The seed with which he bought us is imperishable. Even gold, which never rusts or tarnishes is said to be a perishable good. The very matter and energy of this world is more perishable than his Word and the Blood of Christ. It will never fade away. And what comes with that is an eternal inheritance. Our life plans and goals and ambitions are nothing. No degree or pay raise or award will last. It will all fade away in a few decades. But the inheritance that God promises us will never perish.
Do not store up for yourself treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy, and thieves break in and steal. Instead, build up for yourself treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy and thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.