1 – 1 Peter 2:1 (ESV) So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander.

RAF: Look simply at the first word in this verse: “so.” A world of theology can be packed into such a brief expression. It bids us to summarize all of what has come before in chapter 1 – the theme of which is the “living hope” hope the Believer has been “born again to”, and the price paid for such glory – the ransom was paid with the “precious blood of Christ.” “SO” – if this be the case, act accordingly! This is the weight of the Apostle’s words. If chapter 1 is real, how ought that to impact the way we live our lives? And he mentions that its first impact ought to be in putting away the things which are incompatible with the living hope we are headed toward, and the precious blood which was shed for us. Oh what glory is ours! Father, keep such things ever before my eyes that I not live as though these are not true and governing realities. Keep them always in view. Let nothing cloud the clear vision of them.

2 – 1 Peter 2:9-10 (ESV) But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. ¹⁰Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

RAF: This is one of those passages packed with so much for us to understand, that one could spend endless hours musing on its implications. Here is one of those statements which is so sweeping in uveiling the scope of God’s dealings with us in salvation that to miss it, is to miss much of understanding the “why” behind this unsearchable plan. In the simplest of terms, it appears that God’s final goal in all things – is the divinely ultimate manifestation of His mercy and grace through eternal, familial society with a redeemed humanity. And that His motive in it all, is love.

That which God knows about Himself within the Triune Godhead, which He delights in in Himself, and which cannot be known any other way apart from the Fall and the Cross – is that He is a God who is merciful to sinners without violating His justice, and so full of grace, that He makes mere forgiven creatures, a part of His own family through adoptive grace. Mercy brings forgiveness, but grace brings sonship. His desire is to cause the universe to rejoice over His mercifulness and His graciousness. And to that end, He conscripts us into this holy and unspeakably joyous, delightful and eternal occupation.

It is a pity that we often focus only upon the naked facts that Believers are “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession.” As glorious and stupendous and unimaginably wonderful as these things are – they are not the end. He didn’t just do all of this, to do it. All of this is “that you” – i.e. for this purpose: That we might make His mercy and grace KNOWN! To “proclaim” His “excellencies” in it. To be His declaration of His glory through us. And in order for us to proclaim that with zeal and burning love and not like the reciting of indifferent facts – like parrots reciting the Lord’s Prayer – He makes us the recipients of this mercy and grace. He makes us to partake of it. He wants not just eye witnesses, but heart witnesses. Witnesses so consumed with how merciful He is, and how gracious He is, we are stumbling over ourselves to get the message out.

Heavenly Father – grant me the capacity to understand the weight of this glory, so that I might be set ablaze with the realities of it. My heart is so hard at times. My mind so dark. My ears so dull and my tongue so thick. Open my eyes. Unstop my ears. Flood my mind with light. Melt my heart so that in grasping it all, I cannot but help proclaim your sweet excellencies with every atom of my being. Fill me with your Spirit. Spirit of the living God – fill me with Christ.

1. 1 Peter 1:1-2 (ESV) ¹Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who are elect exiles of the dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, ²according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood: May grace and peace be multiplied to you.

RAF: Our election and sanctification are not things done in a vacuum, or unattached to anything else. There is a purpose behind them. Here, the stated purpose is for “obedience to Jesus Christ.” Obedience – not to the Law, not to an external code, but to Christ Himself. A personal obedience. An obedience born of love rather than mere duty.

2. 1 Peter 1:3-5 (ESV) ³Blessed 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, ⁴to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, ⁵who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

RAF: Our being born again is not the end, but the beginning. We are born TO – a living hope. Hope beyond this life, and stretching into the full eternity of the next. He has made us into new creatures that we might be inheritors of what He has stored up for us. Things which:

a. Are IMPERISHABLE – Can NEVER die or end.

b. Are UNDEFILED – Are possessed of absolutely no corruption whatever – nothing which makes them less than absolutely perfect in every way.

c. UNFADING – Are perennially fresh and new. Never losing their luster and shine.

Now THAT, is worth living for!

3. 1 Peter 1:6-7 (ESV) ⁶In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, ⁷so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

RAF: Now trials themselves are indeed grievous – even though in Christ, they yield much, rich fruit. Christians do not live as though trials are not painful. We live authentically. They DO grieve us. But not like they grieve those who have no sense of the goodness of God in them and behind them.

And note that the tested genuineness of our faith may not seem to be more precious than gold to us – but it is to our God. He values above all to be believed and trusted by His own. Without faith it is impossible to please Him. With faith, it is impossible to displease Him. The intimacy of love requires trust. We can and will only know Him to the degree that we absolutely believe Him, and trust Him. Oh Lord – increase our faith. Increase MY – faith!

4. 1 Peter 1:13 (ESV) ¹³Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

RAF: “Therefore” – in other words, since verses 1-12 are true, we learn that: One cannot live well in this life, unless they are living with their eye fixed upon the next. If we are not living FOR the return of Christ, then we will never be ready to act properly given the stresses and concerns of this present age, nor will we be sober-minded in the face of all that confronts us. This comes only from having this future perspective rooted firmly in us. The song writer was correct when he wrote:

This world is not my home, I’m just passing through.

My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue.

The angels beckon me from Heaven’s open door

And I can’t feel at home in this world anymore.

The question is then – are we living for eternity now? Or just for today?

Don’t ask me, I don’t know.  Somehow – I got invited to participate in a conference on the tiny and GORGEOUS  Caribbean isle of St. Maarten.

Sky & I fly out early Monday morning and we’ll be gone until the 17th.

I know I owe Phil and Ophalm  some responses (I’m behind) and I’ll do my best.

Meanwhile – to all my upstate NY neighbors – try and stay warm, will ya?

Corinthians 2:11 so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.

Satan is a ruthless enemy. When Christians fail to realize, that our enemy is real, and seeks to do us real harm, we give him even more opportunity. But make no mistake – if you belong to Jesus Christ, you are hated for that very reason. Hated by one who is more vicious, wicked and desirous of your destruction than you can ever imagine. There is not one drop of mercy within him. He is bent on destroying God’s name whatever the cost. Especially since he intends YOU to bear that cost. He has two chief ends in mind: a. To keep men bound in unbelief. And barring that, b. To keep the Believer bound and ineffective. Now our text is plain, but I fear that our understanding of it is shallow. We get it that Satan “can” outwit us and that he has “designs” against us – or as the KJV puts it – “devices. But all too often we really are ignorant of those devices. Let me list 5 of his most potent weapons against those who are in Christ.

Satan’s first device, is DECEPTION. He keeps the lost from thinking about Heaven, Hell, personal moral responsibility, and what it will mean to face God in the judgment. And for both the lost and the Redeemed, He tries to make sin easy, sweet, pleasing to the eye, with palpable benefits and the promise of no downside – at least nothing too painful. It is all a lie. But we are so prone to it. How we need to have the “belt of truth” on at all times.

Next, he specializes in DISTRACTION. Anything to get all of us so tied up with business, life, pleasure, self-pity, temptation, even “ministry” – so that we care less for finding our supreme pleasure in God Himself – and put ANYTHING else in front of it. If he can get us texting one another while driving on the Autobahn – disaster is sure to come. As one wag said: “Why use murder when a deck of cards will do?” However simple, however captivating, however seemingly harmless – just distraction from seeking first His kingdom and His righteousness.

DIVISION. Oh how the enemy of our souls – but even more of our Savior – loves to foment unnecessary arguments, hurt feelings, self-righteous stands and outright hostility between those who are also in Christ’s Body. If Jesus said the World would know us as His by how we love each other – how is it we find it so easy to malign, gossip, misrepresent, grieve and divide? How Satan laughs as we do his work for him.

DISILLUSIONMENT. Once we have put some other Christian upon a pedestal they fall from, or think God has failed us somehow, or engage in the battle this life is and feel we ought to have only peace and fruitfulness, or see how it is that Christians are not perfect yet and that ministry is often thankless, unglamorous, tiresome, tedious and hard – how easily we want to throw in the towel.

DISCOURAGEMENT. More fall to this device than virtually anything else in the Wicked One’s arsenal. Beloved, we must guard our hearts here with such tenacity and constant vigilance – for nothing will find us more quickly put off track and ruined for service than this hideous monster called discouragement. The tendency to let the other matters weigh upon us – especially our own failures – to make more of our own sin than of Christ’s imputed righteousness, more of our weakness than His strength, more of our guilt than His imputed righteousness and more of our set backs than Heaven’s promise of gain, cannot be fought too hard against. The JOY of the Lord is our strength. None other. If it is gone – fight until you get it back.

DO NOT RELENT! Beloved, this is war. The stakes are eternal. The battle is real. The wounds really hurt. And our God is really God. Our every trust and hope must be in Him. Our victory in Christ IS assured.

In my spare time, I am working on a project. The project is “translating” a book written by Joesph Bellamy in the 1700’s – into more readable English.

 

If you don’t read anything else – scroll down to the opening paragraph of Bellamy’s preface. 

 

 

 

 

 

The original title of the book is:

True Religion Delineated,

or, 

Experimental Religion,

as distinguished from formality on the one hand, and

enthusiasm on the other,

set in a Scriptural and rational light. 

In Two Discourses:

in which

Some of the principle errors of both The Arminians and An-

tinomians are confuted….The foundation and super-

structure of their different schemes de-

molished…. and the truth, as it

is in Jesus, explained

and proved. 

The whole adapted to the weakest capacities, and designed for

the establishment, comfort, and quickening

of the people of God.

So far, I’ve only done the Preface – which is an endorsement written by Jonathan Edwards, and the first paragraph of the the Author’s own preface. I’ve given them to you below to whet your appetites. Enjoy. 

1- Luke 9:46-48 (ESV) ⁴⁶An argument arose among them as to which of them was the greatest. ⁴⁷But Jesus, knowing the reasoning of their hearts, took a child and put him by his side ⁴⁸and said to them, “Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. For he who is least among you all is the one who is great.”

RAF: a. When we are gracious and kind to those of no account simply because we are Christ’s representative here – it is as though we were showing Him kindness and grace.

b. And when we act for Christ’s sake in the world, we act for the Father’s sake as well. His heart is delighted in us.

c. It is not those who are perceived as great by the world’s standards who are truly great – but those who make Christ known in their reception and treatment of others for His name’s sake irrespective of their station. This is greatness.

2 – Luke 10:25-28 (ESV) ²⁵And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” ²⁶He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” ²⁷And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” ²⁸And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”

RAF: Indeed, this Lawyer’s response here is everything. It is this one thing which every human being is bound to – the Law of Love. The Jews were bound to the Mosaic Law additionally. They were bound to such things as marked them out as God’s chosen people among all the nations of the earth. But there is a law which is binding upon all mankind – not the Mosaic code – but the obligation to love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength – and its necessary corollary – to love our neighbor as ourselves. This is what every human being is guilty of having transgressed – even those who did not sin in exactly the same way Adam did – and why death reigned even in those who did not violate the first code – “thou shalt not eat…” Behind every external code which may be expressed for mankind to obey, Jews or Gentiles – is this – the law of love. And it is on the basis of this that every man will be judged. For our righteousness is found in it. Every sin is but a defect of this love. When we fail to love God rightly, supremely and entirely – we sin. The WAYS we sin are myriad. But every sin shares this – the failure to love God supremely. When we fail to love men rightly – as made in God’s image and for His glory – we sin. And once again – the manifestations of that sin are countless. But behind each and every particular manifestation – is the defective love we were created to live in. The failure to bear His image – the image of the God who “is love” (1 John 4:16). “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” (John 15:12 (ESV) No hoops to jump through. No ceremonies to carry out. No high duties to accomplish. Take care that a full and right and consuming passion for God rules our hearts and minds – and all the rest will be accomplished by default. Fail at this, and nothing we do is worth a thing.

To love Him. To have Him as our highest prize, our chief delight, our deepest desire, our sweetest notion, our most lovely vision. To find Him more beautiful than anything. To see in Him every excellence, and to be compelled to look only at Him to the exclusion of all others. To want to know Him, be with Him, hear the music of His voice, feel His touch and smell the holy fragrance of His presence. To count knowing His heart and mind more precious than anything which can capture our imaginations or desires here. To find Him so pleasing, that nothing else can satisfy. This is to love Him in but the barest terms. Oh to study to love Him with all my heart, all my soul, all my mind and all my strength. This, is to cease from sin.

1 – Luke 9:12-13 (ESV) ¹²Now the day began to wear away, and the twelve came and said to him, “Send the crowd away to go into the surrounding villages and countryside to find lodging and get provisions, for we are here in a desolate place.” ¹³But he said to them, “You give them something to eat.” They said, “We have no more than five loaves and two fish—unless we are to go and buy food for all these people.”RAF: The lesson is a profound one. The day will come when the Disciples will be ministering to the people, and the needs of the people will exceed their perception of God’s provision. But, if by faith they will take what they have been given by the Father, and ask His blessing upon it, it will be sufficient – indeed – abundant.

There is great encouragement here for preachers at this point. Many is the time a preacher looks at his notes and wonders how in the world will this ever feed a soul? Yet it is the portion which has been provided that day. Though the needs be never so great, what God provides will suffice. There will be an abundance to meet the need. When once it is consecrated to the Father, it can be broken and will meet the and satisfy all who re there.

2 – Luke 9:17 (ESV) And they all ate and were satisfied. And what was left over was picked up, twelve baskets of broken pieces.

RAF: It is good to remember that God is a God of abundance. To the human eye, the 12 extra baskets seem superfluous. But in His economy, we see there is not simply provision – but abundant provision. Eph. 3:20 reminds us He is able to do far more abundantly than we can ask or think. Though the imagination of man be ever so extravagant – God is always infinitely greater still.

Is there still room at the cross for you sinner? Do not fear. He who fed the multitudes, made provision for more than just them. Come to Christ. You need never fear His lack of willingness or power to save – though He has saved so many already.

3 – Luke 9:42-45 (ESV) ⁴²While he was coming, the demon threw him to the ground and convulsed him. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit and healed the boy, and gave him back to his father. ⁴³And all were astonished at the majesty of God. But while they were all marveling at everything he was doing, Jesus said to his disciples, ⁴⁴“Let these words sink into your ears: The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men.” ⁴⁵But they did not understand this saying, and it was concealed from them, so that they might not perceive it. And they were afraid to ask him about this saying.

RAF: More astonishing; more important; more worthy of our attention and consideration – than the supernatural deliverance of this young lad – is the death Jesus was about to die. Oh, how many things I assign more importance to than the brutal slaying of my Savior at the hands of men, and the grace of God in using that murder as His own sacrificial Lamb for our sins. These are themes worth pondering. It is no wonder that God has power over the demons. It is a wonder indeed that He would go to such lengths to justify lost men. It is a wonder that He would give His only begotten Son to be our substitute. It is a wonder that He would lay upon Him “the iniquity of us all” (Isa. 53:6) It is a wonder that the God against whom we have wrestled with every fiber of our being, would not relent until He brought His elect to glory. It is a wonder to behold such love, such mercy, such unfathomable grace. It is a wonder to be given new life in Christ, the forgiveness of sins and everlasting life. It is a wonder to be adopted into His family – to be set as sons of God with as much familial attachment as Christ Himself. It is a wonder we are loved so. Oh the death of our wonderful Savior! Rom. 11:33 (ESV) “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!”

1 – Mark 1:4-5 (ESV) 4John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.

RAF: Let no one imagine a salvation that is aimed so as to leave us in our sins. Here we see that repentance from sins and the forgiveness of sins are directly tied to one another. The one coming to Christ must be made aware that they are being called to forsake this world and its ways, self and its dominance – to take up and follow Him. For it is only those who follow Him who will one day be with Him. This will be reinforced by Christ’s own teaching not much further into Mark’s Gospel.

2 – Mark 1:14-15 (ESV) 14Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, 15and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

RAF: Gospel preaching must deal with these central themes. 1. Christ’s Kingdom is dawning – Enter it. Become His subject, His citizen. 2. Amnesty is declared. He will forgive and receive all who come believing His message and turning from sin and self to Him. 3. All this, understanding that- He will yet judge all who refuse.

He comes as a King about to take possession of a conquered land and its people. He gives opportunity for those He is about to take possession of to side with Him and live under His rule and reign. To lay down their arms and become His subjects. He promises them forgiveness for how they warred against Him and didn’t want His rule – and how they have done that from the very beginning – against His Father’s rightful reign as well. They have lived in rebellion all these years – and still He is willing to have mercy and forgive, to grant grace and accept them as His own. And no one in that day would have missed how this works – having seen it in the geopolitical scene since the dawn of time. To those who would not receive Him – certain death was the only other option.

3 – Mark 1:16-20 (ESV) 16Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 17And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” 18And immediately they left their nets and followed him. 19And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets. 20And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him.

RAF: As with all of us, Christ Jesus found these men:

a. Where they were.

b. Doing what they were doing.

c. Because they were who they were.

He find us:

a. In the world

b. Sinning

c. Because we are sinners.

Then He promises to make us the real, or substance, of which we are but shadows at the present. We are but indistinct in our reflection of His image. He promises to recover that in us fully.