Devotionary

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Ep 362 – 2 Peter 1:16-21 Dec 14, 2017

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Was Peter worth listening to? Was his message valid and the words he spoke worthy of his audiences' attention? Peter is not above falling back on his credentials as a disciple of Jesus and supporting his credibility with proof of his one-of-a-kind relationship with the Messiah. In 2 Peter 1:16-21, he reminds those to whom he is writing that he was an intimate follower of Jesus, having spent more than three years in His presence as a disciple. Not only that, he had been privileged to be counted part of Jesus' inner circle. And one day, he, James and John, had been invited by Jesus to join Him on a mountaintop where something incredible took place: The transfiguration of Jesus and the appearances of Moses and Elijah. Not only that, Peter and his companions had heard the audible voice of God, saying, "This is my dearly loved Son. Listen to Him." Jesus had been transfigured right before their eyes and God had spoken to them – out loud. This once-in-a-lifetime experience had left the disciples stunned and convinced them that Jesus was exactly who He claimed to be – the Son of God and the Savior of the world. And God confirmed for Peter, James and John, that every word that came out of Jesus' mouth was worth listening to. And Peter reminds his audience that what he and the disciples were sharing was nothing more than the teachings of Jesus. They said what they heard Him say. They taught what He had taught them. They spoke of the Kingdom, just as He had. And the Father still expected the words of His Son to be heard and heeded.

Ep 361 – 2 Peter 1:12-15 Dec 13, 2017

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Nobody likes to be reminded. But sometimes, that's exactly what we need. Which is why, in 2 Peter 1:12-15, we find Peter telling his audience that they can expect to hear him repeatedly remind them of their need to add to their faith the character qualities of Christ. Peter knew they would either forget or simply fail to do what he was calling them to do. Life would get busy. Difficulties would distract them. Paying the bills and trying to survive life in a fallen world would take precedence. And before they knew it, they would be adding everything but virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection, and love to their faith. Because the reality is, if we're not adding these qualities, we'll be substituting them with something else. So, Peter made it his life-long objective to remind his fellow believers of their God-given responsibility to grow in spiritual maturity by making every effort to add to their faith these essential qualities of Christ Himself. Peter knew his days were numbered. He would not live forever, but while he still had breath, he would be admonishing, encouraging and faithfully reminding.

Ep 360 – 2 Peter 1:8-11 Dec 12, 2017

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In verses 8-11 of 2 Peter 1, Peter continues his discussion of the Christ-like qualities that should be a part of every believer's life. But they don't just happen. We have to make every effort, Peter says, that they are added to our faith. And they should be increasing each and every day that we live on this planet. For Peter, this is all about our effectiveness as believers. These character qualities or attributes are not just window-dressing to make our spiritual lives look better on the outside. They are essential ingredients to living lives of spiritual maturity and gospel integrity. In fact, Peter says that if we practice these qualities, we will never fail. That's quite a promise. But it's based on the Word of God and the presence of the Spirit of God in the life of each and every believer. We have what we need to see that these qualities are added to our faith and that they increase over time. So, in essence, we become increasingly more like Christ the longer we live on this planet, in spite of an enemy who hates us and is out to destroy us. For Peter, the bottom line was that our belief in Christ should be evident in the way our behavior mirrored that of Christ.

Ep 359 – 2 Peter 1:5-7 Dec 11, 2017

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In verses 5-7 of 2 Peter 1, Peter is going to provide us with a list of seven characteristics that we are to add to our faith. Think of them as spiritual supplements or divine vitamins designed to improve our spiritual health and increase the stamina of our faith as we live in this world. They are all characteristics of Christ. And they are all non-negotiable. In other words, we don't get to look at the list and pick the ones we find attractive or easy to emulate. Each is essential to our walk. They each have a different purpose and application for life. And we have a part to play in seeing that they added to our faith. As Peter puts it, we are to make every effort. It's not that we produce these characteristics in our own strength, but that we see them as valuable and long to work alongside the Spirit in order that they become increasingly more a normal part of our lives. Expressing belief in Christ, but failing to live like Him is unacceptable for the believer. Claiming to be a son or daughter of God, but lacking the outward evidence that proves our new status as His children leaves the lost world confused and the integrity of the gospel suspect. So, we are to supplement our faith with the character of Christ.

Ep 358 – 2 Peter 1:1-4 Dec 10, 2017

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Today, we transition into 2 Peter, yet another letter written by the apostle to various congregations located throughout the Roman Empire. As before, this is going to be a letter of encouragement, calling on the believers to whom he is writing, to live as who they are: Son and daughters of God. In these opening verses, Peter will let them know that they have all they need to live godly lives, because of what Jesus had done for them. They are fully capable of becoming "partakers of the divine nature", as he puts it. Or, to put it another way, they have all that they need to become like Christ. And Peter, as he did in his first letter, is going to call them to live as who they are. He seems to know that his days are numbered and that he has a limited amount of time to poor into these believers scattered throughout Asia Minor. He is going to do all he can in the time that he has left, to encourage any and all believers to live in keeping with their calling as sons and daughters of God. They have been imputed the righteousness of Christ, placed into the body of Christ, indwelt with the Spirit of God, and assured by the unwavering promises of God. They had all they needed, and Peter expected them to live like it.

Ep 357 – 1 Peter 5:8-14 Dec 09, 2017

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As Peter wraps up his first letter, he will stress our need to stand firm as we await the coming of the Lord. We must live on this earth, eagerly anticipating the return of Christ, but fully aware that the days will be difficult because we live in a world that hates us and face an enemy who is determined to destroy us. But we are not alone. And we have no reason to worry about the final outcome of our lives or that of the world. God is in control. He holds our future and that of the world securely in His powerful hands. So, in the meantime, Peter calls us to resist the enemy. Not in our own strength, but in the strength of the Lord. We are to remember who we are and who has called us to be His children. We belong to God. We are citizens of His Kingdom and heirs of all that belongs to Him as God. We know how the story ends, so there is no reason for us to worry or fret over the outcome. We know our eternity is secure, so we have no cause to panic in the face of opposition in this life. As Paul so aptly put it: "No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord." So, we should resist like it, because we have nothing to fear.

Ep 356 – 1 Peter 5:1-7 Dec 08, 2017

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In chapter five of 1 Peter, we are going to find the apostle giving some serious words of direction to the elders within the churches to whom he is writing. He is not addressing those with grey hair or a significant number of years behind them. He is talking to the shepherds or overseers of the church. These were men who had been appointed to provide spiritual direction to the various local fellowships that made up the body of Christ in that day. These men were leaders, but they were to be a different kind of leader. They were not to see themselves as autocrats or dictators, demanding unquestioned allegiance from their congregations. No, they were to be servants. Their lives and ministries were to reflect the nature of Christ Himself, who came to serve, not be served. But godly leadership not only requires a heart of service, it demands humility. No one is truly qualified to lead. There is no one who deserves to be a leader over God's people. His right to lead comes from God. His power to lead comes from the Spirit of God. His model for leadership comes from the Son of God. And with all that in mind, Peter calls on these men to shepherd like it.

Ep 355 – 1 Peter 4:12-19 Dec 07, 2017

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Rejoice in suffering. We know it's a command found in Scripture, but that doesn't make it any less difficult to grasp or pull off. In 1 Peter 4:12-19, Peter is going to give us a fairly blunt command to "rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings. And James, the half-brother of Jesus, wrote virtually the same thing in the book that bears his name. "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds." Both of these men sound like their elevators don't go all the way to the top. How in the world are we supposed to find joy in the midst of trials and rejoice because we get to suffer for the sake of Christ? For both Peter and James, the issue is one of outcome. As Christians, our suffering has a divine purpose. It is intended by God to purify and perfect us, like extreme heat refines precious metals. Neither one of these men is telling us to like trials. But they want us to realize that trials are a normal and expected part of life as a believer. In the hands of God, they are tools He uses to make us increasingly more like His own Son. So, when we find ourselves facing trials and tests in this life, rather than whine and complain, Peter encourages us to see them as opportunities to have our lives purified and our dependence upon God intensified. We are being perfected by Him and, therefore, we should rejoice like it.

Ep 354 – 1 Peter 4:7-11 Dec 06, 2017

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Good service. We all love it, when we're the recipients of it. But in the Kingdom of God, service is to be other-oriented, not me-centered. As followers of Christ, it's no longer about us. Our lives exist for God's glory and for the good of those around us. In 1 Peter 4:7-11, Peter is going to provide us with a primer on service. First of all, he is going to instruct us to live with a short-term, goal-line mentality, fully expecting the return of the Lord at any time. And while we wait, we are to focus our attention on the needs of others. None of this what's-in-it-for-me stuff. God has equipped us with gifts, not to lavish them on ourselves, but to build up the body of Christ. We are to steward what God has so graciously given us, so that we might serve as His Son did: selflessly and sacrificially. Life on this planet can be hard. There will be days of difficulty and moments of strife and turmoil. We will find ourselves the objects of persecution and facing rejection by this world. But while we're here, we are to live with our eyes on the needs of others, recognizing that the days are short and the mandate we have been given by Christ to spread the gospel and share His love with a lost and dying world is our first and only priority. We are children of God, and we should serve like it.

Ep 353 – 1 Peter 4:1-6 Dec 05, 2017

Show notes

Are you prepared to live the life Christ died to provide? Are you ready to follow in His footsteps and to emulate His example? In 1 Peter 4:1-6, Peter is going to provide us with some strong words of encouragement and incentive to live in a dramatically different manner than we did before we knew Christ. As Peter has pointed out repeatedly in this letter, part of our new life will entail suffering. But rather than seeing suffering as an unnecessary burden or an unexpected setback to our new life in Christ, we are to see it as part of the process of sanctification that God has planned for us. Part of the reason behind our suffering will be because our lost friends will not understand why we do the things we do, and they will attack us. Our new lives in Christ will convict them, because we are no longer willing to go along with their sinful lifestyles or to condone their actions with our mutual participation. When, with the help of the Spirit of God, we stop sinning like we did before, our friends will not understand us. In fact, they won't like us or tolerate us. But we are to continue to live like Christ so that others might come to know Christ.

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