1 Peter – Be Ye Holy II 1 Peter 1:15-16

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Scripture Text

1 Peter 1:15-16 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

Introduction

Last time we were examining the command in God’s word to be holy. As we ended I said “We see holiness as unattainable. Why? Is it possible that we don’t fully understand what is being said here?” We need to also be reminded; this is a command from God.

Word Study

Interestingly the root of the Greek word for holy describes an “awful thing”. We have this type of thing in our language as well; let’s use the word “died”. We all know what that means. Now add three letters to it and you get “studied”.

Back to the word holy: as in English add a couple of letters and now an awful thing is made pure. How cool is that, contained within the word holy is our original state and the work that God performs when we are saved.  If you have a Greek dictionary here is what you will see: Sacred-set apart, Morally/Physically Pure, Consecrated-dedicated.

Okay, here goes, our works do not make us holy. We were made holy when we received Christ. The command we received is “be ye holy”. We have been transformed; we must show the world what God has done for us. We have the freedom now to say no to sin; project that changed life for the world to see.

Word of Caution

When we make holy unattainable then we make excuse for sin. God would never command us to do something out of our reach so when He tells us to be holy, we can obey. We have learned that God is the one who made us holy, consecrated and separated; we are to show that transformation.

Someone might think… “Nobody’s perfect”. First of all I’d invite them to make sure they understand what holy means and then my response would be “Are you doing your best to show the holiness God invested in you?” (this is the command we were given)

Closing Thoughts

So what is our conclusion here? Peter is challenging us to use what God has given us.  We have been set apart and dedicated to God’s service. Because of our salvation we have been purified by the blood of Jesus. We were consecrated; we were made holy. Stand up and act like it, show the world what holiness is, a gift from our Heavenly Father.

Until Night,

A Servant

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“Be Ye Therefore…” – Ready

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Luke 12:40 Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.

Introduction

This is the fifth in the “Be Ye Therefore…” series.  Christ had just told His followers not to seek after the riches of this world which are temporal but to seek the kingdom first and then says “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”  Then the parable starts with blessed are the servants whom, when their lord returns, he finds them watching or ready for him.  (By the way these two thoughts are related, for earthly treasure often keeps us from watching or even loving His appearing)  He goes on to say that if the good man of a house knew exactly what hour the thief would come, he would have prevented him from breaking into the house.  He would have been waiting in that specific hour to catch the thief.

 

1 Peter – The Blood of Jesus Part II (1 Peter 1:2b)

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Scripture Text

1 Peter 1:2b “…unto obedience and the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ…”

Introduction

In our last post we left off in a destitute state.  We were dead in our sins without hope.  In this post salvation is offered.

Hope in Jesus Christ

Now we see the glorious work of Jesus.  Rom 6:23b…but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Rom 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.  We know we start as sinners.  We have shown that we have a sin debt.  We understand that sin’s penalty is death.  We now see that Jesus paid the price on Calvary for us but we still don’t know why the blood? 

We will find our answer in the Old Testament, before Jesus became flesh and dwelt among us, when God required animal sacrifices for sin.  Lev 17:11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.  We know that if we lose a significant amount of blood we will die.  This is what happened on Calvary; Jesus shed his blood.  Sin’s penalty is death; the blood that Jesus shed represents that death that paid the price for our sin.  The penalty for all sin was paid that day; all we have to do is accept it.  If you are reading this post and are not saved, or not sure, you can receive the gift of salvation made possible by the blood of Jesus or the death of Jesus as we have learned.  With salvation we are restored to God, given the tools to turn a carnal mind into a spiritual mind, and one day, a place in heaven where we shall forever be with the Lord.

Closing Thoughts

We have now covered the steps to salvation but there is one more; it may surprise you but we have a role in salvation.  No, I’m not talking about works here. We have a part to play if we are to be saved.  What is our role? We must accept God’s gift. Without acceptance we will not go to heaven.  God has provided a plan, a way to be forgiven our sin, but our acceptance is required.  We now know that all are sinners, the penalty for sin is death, we cannot pay that penalty but praise God Jesus paid the penalty for us.  Now we find out that we have a part to play.  How can we accept salvation?  Romans 10:9-10 That if thou shalt confess with the mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.  For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

I have proclaimed the gospel message; it is now time for the work of the Holy Spirit to penetrate the hearts of those God has drawn to Him. Please listen to that still small voice and allow the blood of Jesus to pay the penalty for your sin.

Until Night,

A Servant

 

1 Peter – Sanctification (1 Peter 1:2)

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Scripture Text

1 Peter 1:2 …through sanctification of the Spirit…

Introduction

In this post we are going to look at what happens when a person is saved.  As a Christian it is hard to explain to a lost person what it’s like when you are saved.  We look for words but words cannot describe the change inside. Here is my best effort at describing the moment of salvation… I am clean, my conscience is clear! Stem to stern, from the top of my head to the bottom of my feet, inside and out, my sin is gone, the stain, the blot and the darkness are all gone.  I am free from the evil force that ruled over me. When we are saved everything changes, we have a whole new purpose in life.

How about God, what does God see when we are saved?  Now we are getting to the point Peter is making in verse 2 when he says “through sanctification of the Spirit”.

 

1 Peter – Foreknowledge of God Part II (1 Peter 1:2a)

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Scripture Text

1 Peter 1:2a “Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father”

Introduction

Last time we discussed the foreknowledge of God.  Now it is time to examine the “Elect”.

The Elect

Let’s turn our attention to the word “Elect”.  By way of definition it means what you think, to pick or to choose.  We are familiar with elections; we will cast ballots to elect a president among other offices.  Spiritually speaking, we also choose whom we shall serve.  Does God know the actual number of those who will accept the gift of God and go to heaven?  According to the foreknowledge of God the answer is yes. This does not mean that God forced one to be saved or prevented another; it simply means God looked forward in time and was able to see every person’s decisions and know who will accept Him. Peter calls them the chosen; but how did he know they were the elect?, by the foreknowledge of God.  If you will remember Jesus said he knew all along that Judas was the betrayer.  Jesus knew Judas would sell him out before he actually went to the Jewish leaders and bargained for 30 pieces of silver.  In John 13:21 Jesus said at the last supper “one of you shall betray me”.  How else could Jesus know this other than foreknowledge?

 

“Be Ye Therefore…” – Wise as serpents, and Harmless as doves

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Matthew 10:16 Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.

Introduction

This is the third in the “Be Ye Therefore…” series. In these last days, a Christian needs spiritual discernment now more than ever.  The Lord is reminding His disciples that as they serve among enemies within and without, they are to combine the wisdom of the serpent and the simplicity and humility of the dove.

We Have Met the Enemy… And He is Us

Christ reminds believers that He is sending us forth as sheep among wolves.  But wolves will also creep into our midst.  The apostle Paul told the Ephesian elders this in his final meeting with them before going to Jerusalem and imprisonment, “For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.  Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.” Acts 20:29-30  This is why it is particularly important in the last days to heed the advice of our Lord.

 

“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus” – Paul the apostle

A Servant’s Heart

Philippians 2:13-18 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.   Do all things without murmurings and disputings:  That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;  Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.  Yea, and if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all.   For the same cause also do ye joy, and rejoice with me.

Paul often referred to himself in introduction to a church as doulos theos or doulos Christos which is to say slave or bond-servant of Christ.  Paul had a servant’s heart.  His desire was for the local assembly and the individual in Christ to serve Christ with their whole heart not because of commandment but out of love for the savior.  Paul didn’t mind sacrificing of himself for the cause of Christ, in fact, it brought him great joy to know that his sacrifice of time, effort, and ultimately his own life would increase the faith of others and bring glory to Jesus Christ.  Paul esteemed his brethren in Christ more than himself… “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.” Philippians 2:3

This is the very essence of a servant’s heart.  Christ Himself told His followers that He came not to be ministered unto but to minister.  Here at Servants’ Journal we desire to possess that servant’s heart and to encourage fellow servants in the same.  In keeping with our new theme and focus to possess a servant’s heart, I thought it fitting to post a memorial to some heroes of the faith from the last century whose sacrifice help renew a fire for missions in our country.

 

The Book of James – Faith Revealed James 2:20-26

Introduction

We have one final post on faith.  In our two previous posts James introduced the subject and stated emphatically Christians will act different as a result of their faith.  You cannot say you have faith and not produce any results.  In our last post we talked about the fact that Satan believes in Jesus but that didn’t save him.  We found out that we must believe and submit to the Lord’s will.  This week James gives us Old Testament examples to illustrate what he is saying.

 

The Book of James – Satan Believes James 2:19

Introduction

James continues the theme of faith in our next verse. Last time James taught us that faith in Jesus will produce results.  Historically in our country, and even today, most people say they are Christian or believe in God.  In this post we are going to dig a little deeper into the term “believing in Jesus”.  The question we will be asking… Is saying “I believe” enough?

 

The Book of James – Faith and Works James 2:14-18

Introduction

Starting in verse 14 James will now shift his focus to the subject of faith, more specifically, the faith necessary to be counted as a Christian.

There are those in the Christian community that feel the need to take God’s mysteries and transfer them into intellectual thoughts.  There is a place for this type of approach.  Paul, when addressing the Corinthian Church said this… 1Co 9:19-23  For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more. And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law.  To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.  And this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you.

Paul acknowledged that we are all different so varied approaches can prove beneficial when proclaiming the gospel.  With this in mind taking an intellectual approach to scripture is right and helpful when giving the gospel message to those who prefer to conceptualize and debate Christianity at a philosophical level.  Unfortunately some want to force fit basic concepts into intellectual discourse.  What we are about to cover is the very essence of Christianity yet it can be discussed in very simple terms.  James is going to tell us what role faith plays in the Christian life.