Lessons of Christmas- The Mystery of It All

1 Peter 1:10-13.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on December 5, 2015.

As we enter the Christmas season, we have been looking at lessons that it teaches us.  Last week we talked about the Goodness of God displayed at the birth of Jesus.  Today we are going to look at the Mystery of God.  It has been said that God works in mysterious ways.  Although this is true, there is much more to it than that.  Whether you are a person who likes mysteries or not, there is something about mystery that engages our mind.  Our natural curiosity wants to try and solve it.  One thing about a good mystery is that it usually has a surprise twist that provides the hidden information to solve the mystery.  We see these same elements in the plan of God, which has some parts that are very clear and others that are not.  At the birth of Jesus there was the mystery of who the messiah would be and how salvation would be accomplished.  A big part of the mystery was the timing.  When would all this happen?  Lastly, I would point out the mystery of God’s dealings with Israel and the nations of the world.  All of these mysterious things come together at Christmas in an even greater mystery: the incarnation.  In Jesus was united God and man in one being.  He is the one who is both fully God and yet fully man.  This is a mystery. 

In 1 Peter 1:10-13, Peter points out these things to the believers of his day.

Salvation Was A Mystery

Through the years prophets in Israel had spoke on behalf of God.  They explained past, present, and sometimes future things.  Of course God himself gives the first prophecy in the Garden of Eden when he explains that the “seed of the woman” would crush the serpents head.  This first word of hope to mankind let us have a glimpse that God was doing something about our situation.  Over the centuries a large body of prophecies had been accumulated.  These words were not a complete picture, and in fact they left many questions in the hearts and minds of those who pondered them.

The prophets themselves were in the same boat as those to whom they spoke.  They did not understand everything they were being told.  Yes, Adam and Eve knew that God would help one of their seed to give them victory over the serpent, but they didn’t know how and when.  Peter reminds us that there has always been mystery in what God is doing.

Yet, this drove the prophets to search and inquire into it carefully.  Up to Moses, the Words of God were handed down orally.  Thus to search and inquire into the matter could only be done by finding an elder who was faithful to the old ways and would explain what God had done and said in the past.  Such wise men like Noah had held onto the promises and prophecies of God despite the fact that the rest of mankind had cast them aside.  With Moses God began directing the prophets and others to write these things down.  Once that was done the writings themselves could be searched and compared.  Ultimately we see the prophets exemplified in Daniel who was searching the scroll of Jeremiah and came to understand that the exile into Babylon would only last 70 years.  Thus he knew that God was going to help his people return to Israel.  He also received many visions and prophecies regarding the future.  Yet, Daniel had many questions.  In chapter 12 of the book of Daniel, we see him asking God for more understanding and yet the Lord tells him, “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.”  Even though he was the holy prophet of God, he had to trust God in the midst of many mysterious, unknowns regarding the plan of God.  We live in days where it is easy to connect with faithful, godly elders.  We can also search the Scriptures with the help of powerful computers.  Along with this, God is as close as He has ever been when we pray.  So have we grown weary of the mystery?  Have we come to the place where we quit hoping for the resolution of God’s plan?  There are even some in the Church today that teach that prophecy and searching it out for understanding is a problem.  The problem is not trying to understand prophecies.  This has been the impulse of godly people from the beginning.

Peter points out that these prophets wanted to know who the messiah would be and when he would come.  Over time God gave further clarification.  First we find that the messiah would come from Abraham, then Isaac, and then Jacob.  Later we are told that he would be of the lineage of David.  In regards to time, they are eventually given some inkling in Daniel.  In fact chapter 9 of Daniel is a prophecy that lays out how much time was left.  He also reveals that it would happen during the reign of the 4^th Beast Empire.  Notice how similar their questions are to ours today.  Our waiting for Jesus to come back is very similar to what they waited for.

Peter points out that that, by the Spirit, they saw the sufferings and subsequent glory of the messiah.  These two incongruous ideas created a lot of questions and mystery concerning the plan of God.  The suffering and victory of the messiah may seem to be a contradiction, but it is more a contradiction of implausibility rather than impossibility.  God had promised a savior.  But when he came he would suffer.  Why?  He would be glorious on one hand and yet there would be nothing about him physically that would draw men to him.  They mystery was in how all these puzzle pieces fit together.  At Christmas God solved part of this puzzle for us.  Christ came first to save us from our own sin (the true enemy).  To do this he had to make himself vulnerable and let himself be tortured, even put to death, for our sake.  But how could he do all that and yet remain the King who would raise up the righteous and put down the wicked?

Why All The Mystery

There is a part of us, whether as an atheist or a frustrated believer, that wished God would make things clearer.  Yet, he has a penchant for mystery and long waits in between times of revelation.  Peter points out in verse 12 that it has to do with the fact that prophecy is not just for us.  We are serving others.  Either God has to make a clear explanation to every single person who ever existed within their time, or we have to put up with a bit of mystery.  There is no way around this.  Prophecy was never given to elite men for their benefit alone.  It was given to them in order to serve others.  First they served the people of their time by sharing the prophecies.  However, Peter points out that they also served the generation that would be alive when the messiah finally came.  Those who would see the resolution of prophecy needed served in this way.  Because of the words that were shared and written down, they would be able to see the connections between what was happening and what God promised.  It would help them to navigate especially difficult times with the understanding that God desired them to have.  Thus early Jews who were heard the good news of Jesus could either ignore the Scriptures and reinterpret the events, or they could embrace them and rejoice in Jesus.  Of course, Peter is talking about the mystery of salvation.  Through Jesus it became far less mysterious.  Of course we also recognize that Jesus and his Apostles prophesied about a future 2^nd coming.  Thus, as I said before, we are in the same boat.  We have been served by Jesus and the Apostles in order to understand what God desires of us in these last days.  God was not interested in giving each generation full understanding.  No, that would come after the events occurred.  Rather, was giving each generation enough information that they would be encouraged and pass down the prophecies until that generation in which they would occur.  We are not just waiting for Jesus to come back.  We are also serving the next generation for him.

We are not just passing on information about God’s plans for the future.  We are also passing on an inner response of faith toward God himself and toward His promises regardless of how much we understand.  Some reject the prophecies because they are not clear.  However, the mystery also ensures that someone somewhere will still be interested in these things.  The intellectual puzzle laid alongside of the spiritual battle helps to keep faith alive until the event itself is revealed.  We think we need full disclosure.  But what we really need is trust and faith in God.  Peter points out that the prophecies were explained to the believers of his day by the Holy Spirit.  If we do not hand down the Word of God to the next generation in the power of the Holy Spirit, then our stream of influence is doomed.  Faith is kept alive by the help of the Holy Spirit.  Prophecy must never be a matter of intellectual curiosity and fleshly pride.  It must be a matter of a soul who has placed its hope in the hands of God.  There is one last aspect here that Peter doesn’t point out, but is shown in Ephesians 3:4-10.

In the first century things were revealed by God that had been kept a mystery from the beginning of creation.  The people of God as His Church are a message from God to both mankind and the Spiritual rulers that have abused their positions.  Those angels who were put in charge of the nations and were leading mankind away from God through the teachings of demons, are just as important in this as we are.  The wisdom of God is being displayed and explained in the mere existence of the Church, much more what it has to say.  There are still mysterious things that are yet to be revealed.  But to those who put their faith in God and trust Him, there is a joy of bearing the revelation of God’s wisdom as it has been revealed.  Part of God’s plan is to raise mankind to a position greater than those angels that ruled.  All authority is being stripped from them and given to Christ and His Church.  We are being raised up to reign with Christ in their place.  The elites of the world may scoff at such thoughts and the powers of darkness may bristle at such thoughts.  However, God has pledged himself to destroy the wisdom of the wise men of this world and the power of the powerful of this world.  Thus we see the present mystery of God’s choice of the lowly over the top of the great and proud.

The first Christmas reminds us that there is ahead of us a great day of rejoicing.  No matter what it may look like in the now, a great day of revelation is coming in which the wicked and powerful of this world will have no say in the matter.  God will do what He is going to do.  Blessed are those who put their faith in Him!  Maranatha!

Lessons from Christmas

The Identity of Jesus II

On the heels of Peter’s confession that Jesus was the Messiah and the Son of the Living God, we have this event where three of the disciples actually see the divine glory of the Son of God shining through the humanity of Jesus.  It is one thing to believe that Jesus is divine, it is quite another to see what these men saw that day.  The apostle John refers to this when he says in John 1:14, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”  The glory of Christ’s wisdom, healings, exorcisms, and control over nature come to its apex in this visual demonstration of the power of Christ called the Transfiguration.  Let’s look at the passage in Luke 9:28-36.

The True Glory of Jesus

It is somewhat difficult to comprehend exactly what it is to say that Jesus is both human and divine.  Of course the disciples came to the fuller understanding of just who Jesus was over time.  But they clearly proclaimed him as fully man and yet fully God.

What did this exactly look like?  Well in some ways Jesus looked and acted like a normal human.  He walked to places he wanted to get to.  He got hungry and tired.  He grew up like any other kid from an infant to an adult.  The utter humanity of Jesus made it hard for those who knew him from Nazareth to accept him as Messiah and Son of God.  His humanity was real and it clothed or cloaked the divine being that resided within.  Yet, he did amazing things that could not be explained as human whether then or now.  Jesus healed people on command and not just the trickery of lengthening someone’s leg.  He traveled the country side healing everyone who was brought to him.  He also commanded demons to leave possessed individuals and they came to their right mind.  He showed amazing command over nature, whether in multiplying the bread and the fish to feed the multitudes or commanding the storm to stop and it obeyed.  All of these things begged the question, “What sort of man is this?” 

Yet, this event becomes the apex of events, up to this point, that helped the disciples to see Jesus as more than a man.  Here the glory of Christ as the Son of God is allowed to shine through his humanity.  Our passage today describes several things regarding this glorious event.  First, the face of Jesus is “altered.”  In Matthew and Mark the greek word used is literally “metamorphosed” and means to change form.  Between these two words we see that the face of Jesus changed and yet it remained a face.  It was just different.  Another point is that his robe became brilliant white and actually cast light from Jesus.  If you picture how the mantle of a gas lamp glows you probably have the right picture.

I think it is important to recognize that in this instance Christ does not get rid of his humanity in order for his glory to be seen.  Rather, he allows his true glory to shine through his humanity.  Even today, Christ retains a glorified body that allows his divine glory to shine through.  The only difference is that this glorified body cannot die and does not grow old.  Luke mentions this in relation to the second coming of Christ in chapter 21:27, “They will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.”  John glimpsed this again when Jesus appeared to him on Patmos in Revelation 1.  Sometimes we are tempted to think that we will not be glorious until we die and get rid of this body.  The truth is that the human body was designed to allow the glory of Christ to shine through it.  God is saving us both in body and in spirit.  Yes, greater glory lies ahead for us.  But God wants to “shine” through us gloriously today.

Now another component of this episode is that Moses and Elijah appear and speak with Jesus.  Of course the disciples would not know their identity at first and thus they are called men and then identified.  Why?  Some have pointed out that Moses and Elijah represent the Law and the Prophets.  Both of which pointed to the coming work of Jesus, the messiah.  Another thought is that Moses represents those who have died and are carried to glory (see Jude).  Whereas, Elijah represents those who are caught up and carried into glory.  Notice that Elijah and Moses are glorious as well.  They are probably shining as well because of their faith in Christ.  He has shared his glory with them.  Now this is a promise that is held out to believers throughout the Bible.  Daniel 12:3 says that, “those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever.”  Yet, their main reason for being there is to speak with Jesus regarding the work of dying on the cross that Christ still had ahead of him.  Most likely this is an even that is revelatory for the disciples, but encouraging for the humanity of Jesus.  Now at verse 32 we sort of transition to the disciples.  So let’s look at their side of this.

The Disciples Witnessed His Glory

Clearly Jesus intended for these 3 (Peter, James, and John) to witness this spectacular event.  Later John would emphasize this in 1 John 1:2, “the Life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal Life which was with the Father and was manifested to us.”  Of course he is talking about Jesus.

It is interesting that this happens during a time of prayer.  Like the Garden of Gethsemane on the night he was betrayed, Jesus asks these three to spend time with him in prayer.  It is clear that they are not used to spending time in prayer as they have trouble staying awake.  Yet, they are awakened by the sudden appearance of the glory of Christ accompanied by two saints.  Now sleep is used in the bible as a metaphor for spiritual sluggishness and lack of alertness.  Thus prayer is continually connected to those who are awake and alert.  Perhaps this is a prophetic picture of Christ’s 2^nd Coming.  Christ himself asked the question of whether or not he would find faith when he returned.  If the time was not shortened even the very elect would not be saved.  This idea that even faithful Christians would struggle with sleepiness in the last days leading up to Christ’s 2^nd coming, is seen in the parable of the 10 virgins.  Yes, 5 were ready and 5 were not, but all of them were asleep.  It was the sudden announcement of the bridegroom’s presence that awakened them.  I believe that God helps us in the weaknesses of our flesh.  Just as Jesus put up with the disciples weakness in the flesh, so he knows our weakness as well.  Yet, the Spirit of the Lord will always be faithful to wake us up so that we do not miss out on the glory of Christ.

One of the important things about this event is that Jesus had previously told his disciples that some of them would see Him coming in his Kingdom before they died.  Here these 3 disciples are given a glimpse of what it will be like when the Son of Man returns with his holy ones, both angels and saints.  This glimpse is so powerful that Peter thinks it is happening for good.  But it wasn’t time yet for the Kingdom of God to be fully instituted here on earth.  I say not fully, because Jesus did start the Kingdom of God here on earth.  However, it is a spiritual kingdom in which Christ rules by his Spirit in the hearts of believers.  It is not a kingdom that is run by men and rules over the peoples of the earth.  Yet, the day is coming that Christ will return and complete the Kingdom of God on earth.  Peter’s desire to build three shelters for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah, demonstrates what he thinks is happening.  They are here to stay and Jesus is ready to reveal his true glory to all the world.  Yet, the physical kingdom is to be delayed.  A time of spiritual harvest must happen first; a time where people are called by the Spirit of God to embrace the spiritual leadership of Jesus Christ in their lives.   As Peter is in the middle of announcing his plan for Jesus and the others, an ominous cloud not only comes over them, but is low enough that they “enter it.”  I believe that this is intended to be connected to the pillar of cloud that led Israel in the desert.  It only settled on the tabernacle and represented the presence of God.  A change is being seen here as Christ allows his disciples to enter into the cloud of God’s presence with him.  The voice of the Father once again announces to those who have ears to hear that Jesus is His beloved son and that they are to listen to him!  I am sure that Peter meant well, but these words are too cutting to miss.  Our flesh is always quick to try and jump in and do for God what we think He needs.  However, God instructs us to knock it off and just listen to Jesus.  He is the commander and the One with the plan.  We are to follow him and not what we envision for him.   Today, there are too many great leaders that are jumping in and telling the group what they need to do for Jesus without first asking the question, “What is Jesus telling us to do?”  It is easy to point to the general instructions of the Lord and then say that the details are up to us.  There is some truth in this.  However, like Joshua sending troops against Ai, we ought to stop from time to time and ask God if there is something that we are missing before we rush ahead.  Peter had a good intention, but rotten timing.  Satan is looking for such people who have good intentions but are not submitted to the leadership of Jesus.  They are easily received by others and easily manipulated by him.

Let me close by encouraging us to quit looking at our failures and weakness in the flesh and using that as an excuse for hanging back.  You were designed to shine forth the glory of Christ.  In this flesh we are not going to glow physically (unless it serves God’s purposes to do so).  But the glory of who Christ is and his wisdom can be seen in us if we will daily lay our flesh at his feet and ask for his help.  God is not surprised that we are weak and fleshly.  Christ came precisely because of this.  Thus let us throw off the excuses and fears and choose to follow him in every area of our life.  Instead of second guessing Jesus and his apostles, let us throw off those things that are hindering us and make the choice to surrender to his leadership.  It is he who is the cornerstone and it is he who set the apostles about him as a foundation for us today.  Quit these false distinctions that try to distinguish between things Paul said and what Jesus said.  These apostles were speaking at the direction of Christ and the Spirit of Christ.  When we reject them we are ultimately rejecting the Christ who commissioned and sent them.  Don’t be deceived.  God is not mocked.  He will not receive those who through clever sophistry develop arguments to redefine their sin as righteousness.  That is not the path of glory, but rather the path of destruction.  Let the glory of Christ shine through you today!

Identity Jesus II audio

Glorifying God

Today we will move into chapter 2 of Malachi.  God continues to challenge the priests of Israel.  In chapter 1 he calls them to task for not correcting the people who brought lame, sick, and blind animals to sacrifice.  The priests not only were disobeying the Law, but they had also developed an attitude that God’s commands and the sacrificial system were tiresome.

Glorifying God

In verses 1-2 the priests are warned that if they do not give glory to God’s Name then a curse will come upon them.  So what does it mean to glorify God’s Name?

The word for “glory” comes from a root that refers to something heavy.  This is reminiscent of chapter one where the prophecy given to Malachi is called a “burden.”  To glorify God is to give Him (and His Words) a certain weight in the sense that He cannot be tossed aside lightly.  In fact God is to be glorified (treated as heavier) above all other things in this world. His Word should be too heavy to toss aside or ignore.  This is exactly what the priests have been doing.  In fact when we ignore God’s Word it is like ignoring a Mac Truck coming at you on the freeway.  It’s weight is real and you ignore it to your own peril.

Another way that we should recognize the weight of God’s Word is how seriously we take it.  If you were in line to inherit a large fortune and then were told by a lawyer that the Will had been changed and you now inherited nothing, you would want to see the document.  You would seriously read through every paragraph and line because you have so much riding on what it says.  God’s Word is even more important than that.  Yet, it is so easy at times for us to treat it as if it was just a bed time story.  If there is something in God’s Word that you don’t understand then it should bother you to the point that you study, pray, and seek for understanding.

Another thing about glorifying God’s Name is pointed out by Jesus.  He chastised the religious leaders for treating the traditions of men as more important than God’s Word.  Over time we can lose sight of what comes from the traditions of past leaders and what comes from God’s Word.  When they clash we should choose God’s Word over the top of men’s simply because God’s Word has greater Weight than men’s.  Thus we give glory to God when we obey Him over the top of men.

Remember how Paul commended the Berean’s for checking the Word to see if it backed up what Paul was saying?  This is the heart that we need to have.

The Coming Curse

God warned that a curse would follow on the heels of not glorifying Him.  Now in Deuteronomy 27-28 the blessings for obedience and the curses for disobedience were spelled out in the Law.  In fact, when Israel entered the land of Canaan they spit up into two groups on Mt. Gerazim and Mt. Ebal.  They recounted the curses and blessings.  So God is keeping His Word to which Israel agreed to be accountable.

Now it is one thing to be cursed by a witch, warlock, or shaman.  Christians need not fear these curses.  We can trust in the covering of the Son of God, Jesus.  However, when God sends a curse it cannot be avoided and there is no protection from it.  We Americans need to take this to heart because we have been tossing God and His Word aside both in the secular world and in the religious world.  We have been blessed by God to the point that we have become the greatest power in the world.  However, we will find that blessing cursed if we do not turn back to God and glorify Him.

What does such a curse look like?  Basically God begins to remove or diminish the blessings that he has given.  Their economy would plummet to the point that they would have to borrow from other nations instead of being the ones giving loans.  Their military would be defeated and they would eventually come under the subjugation of other nations.  Their population would be increasingly impacted by governmental corruption, crime, war, disease and overall generational degeneration.  In short God will face them to face the Truth of His Word.  Is any of this sounding familiar?  I believe that a curse from God has entered the land of the United States of America.  It is not an all or nothing thing.  It always comes slowly and over a long period of time so that people can repent.  Are we repenting as a people?  Quite the opposite.  We seem intent on pressing the pedal to the metal as we plunge off the cliff of rejecting God’s Word.  The curse will only become more obvious in the days, months, and years ahead.  We will be forced to face the Truth of God’s Word.

Know this: God always warns the ignorant and curses the unrepentant.  We become cursed because he removes his hand of protection and blessing.  Today we have become “willingly ignorant.”  God is faithful to warn through faithful Christians and devastating events.  Will we repent?  Each generation makes a decision as to what path they will walk: the path to blessing or the path to curses.  The path to curses always ends in destruction.  Paul warned Christians in Galatians 6:7-8, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.  For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.”  We cannot make a mockery of God’s Word and expect anything but corruption and destruction, period.  But if we want “life” we must listen to what His Spirit is saying.

God Desires Faithful Servants

In verses 3-7 God tells them what is going to happen to them and then reminds them of the day when he first called the sons of Levi to serve Him.  There were some who took God’s Word lightly such as the sons of Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, who were killed by God for disregarding His command.  But the rest feared the Lord and glorified His Name by obeying.  They served God in Truth and in Faith.

Now we should remember that all believers in Jesus Christ are priests unto the Lord.  In 1 Peter 2:9 it says, “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”  When you look at verse 6, God describes what he is looking for in a priest.

First we see that “God’s Word was in his mouth.”  Our mouth needs to be praising and speaking the Word of the Lord.  Why wouldn’t it?  Perhaps we let ourselves become enamored with other words?  Next we do not promote injustice.  God is concerned with the way that we treat one another.  It needs to be just, not as we define it, but as God defines it.  The priest of God needs to be at peace and straight with God.  There are no issues that are separating us.  Rather we are honestly seeking to serve Him with all our heart.  Next, we should “turn others back towards God.”    This is not just the job of pastors.  However, pastors should take it doubly to heart.  A priest encounters people who are walking away from God and works to encourage them back into the path towards Him.  Lastly, the priest of the Lord faithfully gives God’s message to a lost world.

O friends, how we need to recapture the true priesthood of all believers.  We are called to be the hand, voice, and Words of Jesus in the lives of our nation.  May we have a healthy fear of God that does not settle for being plundered by the enemy.  But, rather, rises up and faithfully speaks in the face of increasing notoriety.

Glorifying God Audio

Peter's Prayer for Believers

Today we will finish the book of 1 Peter as we look at 1 Peter 5:10-14.  It begins with a prayer that Peter prays for them and, by extension, for us today.  Before we look at the specifics for which Peter prays, let’s look at his descriptions of the God to whom he prays.

The God To Whom Peter Prays

First Peter describes Him as the “God of all grace.”  He is the source of all the good things that have come into our life.  James 1:7 says, “Every good and perfect gift comes from above, coming down from the Father of lights in whom there is no shadow of turning.”  Even things that we may think came from other people, can be traced back to God when we ask questions such as: Who gave them the health, strength, finances etc…, to do what they did?  What moved their heart to help me?  Did they make themselves?  Good comes to us through the creation which God himself made.  Thus he is the source of all good.

He is also the God of all grace in the sense that, when we are in difficult times, He is the One to whom we should turn.  His potential supply of help and grace is inexhaustible.  He has “all” the grace we need.

Second, God has called us into His glory by Jesus.  Just as he told us, Jesus is the door by which we are invited to participate and enjoy the glory of God.  This God who has made a way for you to have a part in His glory is the God Peter addresses.  Notice that Peter qualifies this with the statement, “after you have suffered a little while.”  Now my flesh really wishes Peter had left that out.  Suffering has been a big part of this letter.  Peter recognizes that in this life we have our particular lot of suffering.  Here, Peter agrees with what Paul said in Romans 8:18, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”  After the sufferings of this present world, we will join God in his eternal glory.  In that moment this present suffering will seem small, light, and incomparable.  That may not make it easy now.  But it is part of the Hope that we hold.

Lastly, in verse 11, we see that God is the only One worthy of the glory and power of creation.  Any glory and power of this world has its being in Him.  Thus any glory it has reflects upon the God who made it.  Within our own lives we should live in a way that is reflective of the glory that he has.  And, if there is any praise or glory back to us from people, it really is ultimately deflected back to Him.  All glory and all Power really do exist for his purposes and are representative of Him.

Peter Prays that God Would…

He prays that God would perfect us.  The word for perfect here means to mend or fix that which is broken.  As a fisherman, Peter had “perfected” many a net so that he could use it again.  Like a ship that has gone through a storm, we may be beat up and wounded.  Perhaps, like the shipwreck that Paul went through, we may have thrown some precious cargo and tackle overboard in order to survive.  Peter prays that God would fix and mend their lives.  He prays that God would equip them with whatever needful thing they have lost and supply any new thing necessary for them to fulfill the purpose for which they have been made.  We need to cooperate with this perfecting in our lives.  Some things that are painful or difficult are the very things that God is using to mend and fix us, if we look to Him in faith and trust.

He also prays that God would establish us.  This word means to be firmly set.  It is the picture that we will not be easily knocked over or moved.  Clearly we are to be firmly set in Jesus.  So that we will not be easily swayed or knocked off of our dependence and faith in Him.

Next he prays that God will strengthen us.  This word does often refer to physical strength, but I am quite confident that Peter has an inner strength in mind here.  Thus he is asking for God to strengthen their hearts and souls.  Our hearts and minds are inundated daily by the temptations and deceits of our own sinful flesh and of our enemy the devil.  Thus we will need strength in order for our faith to persevere through the individual tests and to the end of our life. 

Lastly he prays that God would settle us.  This word literally means to put a foundation under something.  Clearly, as I said earlier, this foundation is Jesus.  1 Corinthians 3:11, “No other foundation can anyone lay that that which is laid, which is Christ Jesus.”  However, it is more than just a name or an identity.  God places the life, teachings, work, death, and resurrection of Jesus under us as a foundation.  He does this by giving us teachers, fellow believers, and the Holy Spirit.  As we cooperate with this process we are enabled to build upon a foundation that can never fail.  When the person and work of Jesus is the basis for everything we do then we can say that God has finished this task in our life ; )

Peter’s Closing Comments

Verses 12-14 are the closing of this letter.  Peter makes it clear that his purpose in this letter was to exhort and testify that they had received the “true grace of God.”  Much speculation had traveled throughout the empire and the apostles had to be vigilant all the time in the area of doctrine.  He encourages them that they have already received the “true” grace of God, as opposed to any new “grace of God” that someone might be shilling.  Though it might not seem like enough, we have been given the grace that God knows will not only help us, but is all we need.  We can trust his provision.  In light of a day and age that speculates on everything, we need to hear this message now more than ever.  Every year a new speculation about religious conspiracies within Christianity or even in its origin try to question whether we have been given the true grace of God.  It is true that many Christian groups have added to God’s Word.  However, in the Bible we have the eye witness testimony of men who were there and verify that the things we have recorded are true.  I won’t go into it here, but the text of the Bible is without question the most verified ancient text.  Any attempts to change its text have been easily spotted throughout history and were never global in their acceptance.  We can be confident that we have just read the actual letter that Peter wrote to believers in the first century.

Peter also exchanges greetings from the church where he is writing.  The “she” referred here is tied to the believers who are receiving the letter by the phrase “elect together.”  This clearly is a reference to the church (a feminine noun that would use a feminine pronoun) rather than a specific woman.  It is interesting that Peter appears to be in Babylon.  If it is meant literally then it would be a reference to the Babylon of the Mesopotamia.  However, many have pointed to a possible coded reference to Rome.  John appears to do this in the book of Revelation.  So it is possible.  Another reason to believe that this may be a reference to Rome is that in the book of 2 Peter 1:14, Peter mentions this first letter and that he is about to be put to death.  Since the clear testimony of history is that Peter died in Rome, it is very likely that he was in Rome which led to his martyr.  Many Protestants have rejected this because of the Roman Catholic Church’s teaching that Peter was the first Pope in Rome.  There is no evidence that Peter ever was a Bishop or Pope in Rome.  Yet, we need not be blind to the fact that Peter probably interacted with the Roman church before his execution.  These two letter appear to have been written in the period leading up to his death.

Peter’s last statement is to remind them of their duty to love one another.  He does so by referring to a customary greeting, the kiss.  The biblical injunction here is emphasizing the kind of greeting rather than the act of greeting itself.  As Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss, so believers are to reject such hypocritical and deceptive techniques.  They are to truly love one another and not hide behind the mask of social customs.  Then he prays peace to those who are in Jesus.

Are you in Jesus today?  That means you have trusted in him to be the forgiver of your sins.  You have looked to his death as the price of your own sins.  You have trusted in his work on your behalf to make thing right between you and God.  Have you done this?  Don’t put it off.  God has loved you within time and throughout history.  It is revealed to you today through this letter that Peter wrote.  Your faith is not a leap of faith, but a trusting in the objective reality of the testimony of not just Peter, but also thousands who witness the coming of the Savior of the World, Jesus.

Peter's Prayer audio