The Second Letter of Peter- 2

Subtitle: Growing in Godliness- 2

2 Peter 1:10-15.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on Sunday, July 19, 2026.

Today’s passage transitions from Peter’s list of virtues that we need to be adding to our lives in verses 5-7.  Peter had then warned in verse 9, “he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.”  This leads to our passage today which begins with the word “therefore.”

Today’s message is the logical imperative to those who understand this warning.

Let’s look at our passage.

Peter gives a final exhortation

Make certain your calling and choosing by Jesus. (v. 10-11)

Whether we view our calling and choosing as something the Father does or something Jesus does (as it says in this passage), it is all the same.  What the Father wills the Son and the Spirit go forth to do.  Jesus is the executor of the Father’s will.

What is meant by calling versus choosing, i.e. election?  Calling refers to all the ways that God’s choice, or election, is made known to people.  The various theological positions deal with this differently, so here is my explanation of what I see in Scripture.

The first truth is that God has made the choice to save humanity from its fallen state and back to its proper state in relationship with Him.  Yet, He also chose the particular, righteous way that this saving (or redemption) will be done.  The sending of the Eternal Son to take on human nature and provide salvation for “whosoever believes in him [Jesus]” is God’s particular way.  God will save anyone of humanity who puts their faith fully in Jesus.

Because of His nature, God also knows the individuals who will choose to do so.  This bothers some.  They believe that the foreknowledge of God regarding what a person will choose removes the true freedom of that person to choose Him.  Of course, nothing about foreknowing a situation logically makes the situation happen.  We easily see this among humans.  If you see someone throw a ball onto the table, you quickly make the calculation that it is rolling too fast to stay on the table.  You know that it is going to roll onto the floor and choose whether you will do something about that.  Your knowledge (though after the fact of the throw) does nothing to affect the throw or its velocity.  It simply is something that exists within your mind.

Of course, with God, He has prior knowledge, and His knowledge is complete, i.e., He knows for sure without error.  This still does not affect the choice of people.  Let’s picture salvation as a plate of food.  God places the plate laden with food before us.   He knows whether we will eat it or not, but we are still completely free to eat it or not.

Someone may argue that the person is not completely free to choose because they are in bondage to sin.  How can a person in bondage be free to choose?  Just as the person can eat food because God has put it in front of them, so a person can choose to take hold of salvation because the Spirit of God is calling them and will help them to overcome every hurdle, if they will believe.

So, God’s election or choice of saving humanity through Jesus is brought to people through an external and an internal witness.  Christians are the external witnesses that share the words of life and live out the words of life before those who do not yet believe.  At the same time, the Holy Spirit is working on the inside of a person to recognize that there is something in those words and in those people.  Though these are all influences, they do not remove a person’s freedom to choose.

Jesus represents this choice and calling that occurs in our lives.  What does Peter mean by making our calling and election sure or certain?  The calling and election are always certain from God’s side of the equation.  He will not change His mind about saving humans through faith in Jesus.  The plate of food in front of you may be certainly there, but it is not certain that you will fully eat it.  Peter is focusing on our side of the equation.  We are not saving ourselves, but we are “certainly” taking hold of what God makes available to us.  This is the imperative.  A similar phrase used of this idea is the many imperatives to “walk worthy” of the calling of Christ (Eph.4:1; Col. 1:10; 1 Thess. 2:12).

Peter then states that those who “practice these things” will never stumble.  Practice is essentially living out these godly virtues by faith.  The help of the Holy Spirit will ensure that this will happen in increasing measure.  It could also be translated as simply “those who are doing these things.”  The point is not about doing them without fail, but a continual applying of ourselves to these things by faith and by the help of the Holy Spirit.

Different versions can affect how we understand the word “stumble.”  Peter is not saying that those who do these things will never make a mistake.  Stumbling and falling are used in Scripture to refer to a spiritual problem.  Regardless of what words you use, the idea is two-fold.  We can stumble in doing these things, but we do not fall away from Christ.  You could also describe it as falling from the path but not falling away so as to never recover.

Peter is stating that those who live a life of pursuing these virtues by faith will never fall away from Christ completely. 

In Romans 11:11, Paul uses similar terminology about the nation of Israel.  As a people, they stumbled in the first century. Paul wants Gentile Christians to know that this stumbling was not so that they would fall forever (without recovery).  Rather, their stumbling was so that the Gospel would go to the Gentiles and provoke them to jealously over the relationship they have with God.  This would cause them to desire to turn back to the Lord.  If the stumbling of the nation of Israel meant grace to the Gentiles, then what would recovery of the nation of Israel mean but life back from the dead!

The point is that God is always working to make us like Jesus.  Even when we stumble, He is not seeking to cut us off, but rather, He seeks to bring us to repentance.  A person who is seeking to grow in godliness is continually repentant for the ways in which they fall short.  This keeps them moving forward in the growth of godliness.

Peter then connects this to missing out on the everlasting kingdom of Jesus.

Verse 11 says, “in this way…”  It may be good to think of our growth in godliness as a path whose endpoint is being completely like Jesus in these things.  This path will proceed to the end of our mortal life and will finish at the resurrection of the righteous.

Essentially, Peter is telling us that those who do not abandon this path will never fall away from Christ.  This leads to the implication that those who do abandon this path will find themselves shut out of the Kingdom of Jesus.  Their faith was not actually in Jesus because in the end they refused to follow the godly path that he has made for us.

Such people can have various ideas in their heads.  Some are playing games.  They don’t think it is real while imagining some benefit by joining the Christian community.  Others may have a twisted theology.  They imagine that Jesus paid the price for all their sins, so they don’t have to worry about how they are living.  Often there will be a reference to grace versus works.  However, Jesus did not die on the cross so that we could keep on sinning in this life.  Even if you imagine a life with no sin “in heaven,” to believe you are not supposed to become like Jesus in this life is a refusal to listen to the Word of God and the Holy Spirit that inspired it.  The Spirit is working at all times to help you be more like Jesus.  We refuse to listen at our own peril.

By the way, the Bible is not against works.  We are warned against dead works and encouraged towards the works of faith.  Dead works are when we think that our life is acceptable to God on its own merits.  However, this is not what Zacchaeus was doing when he gave money back to all of those people.  He was so happy to be saved that the Spirit that he volunteered doing more than the law required.  These are the works of faith.  Following Jesus is a work of faith.

When Peter speaks of being “abundantly supplied” an entrance into the Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, it is speaking of a specific entrance that is in the future.  They had all entered the kingdom in the sense that it was within them by the Spirit of Christ.  He is our Lord and we obey his commands.  However, Peter is looking ahead into that grand entrance that will occur at our death.

Our spirit will either go into the grave awaiting judgment because we refused to believe in Jesus, or our spirit will enter into God’s throne room where Jesus is.  This life is part of our entrance.  However, we must endure by faith to the end.  Thus, our entrance is not complete until we stand before Christ.  Of course, we will then experience a resurrection at some point and join Christ as he takes control of the kingdoms of this earth.  Jesus will reign on this planet in person for 1,000 years.

Notice that we are not trying to get to heaven so much as we are being joined with Jesus never to be separated again.  In John 14:3, when Jesus told his disciples he was leaving them, he also promised that he would come back for them so that “where I am, there you may be also.”  The point is relationship and presence, not place.  Thus, at death, my spirit is with Jesus in heaven.  In the Millennial Kingdom, my spirit, now in a glorified body, will be with Jesus on this earth.  In the Final State (Revelation 20-22), we will enter the new heavens and the new earth with Jesus regardless of what we will be doing and where it will be done.

Let’s not forget that Christ is king over this earth right now.  However, Christ is not enforcing his kingship.  It is our duty to teach, to disciple, the nations in following him.  When he takes up political control at his Second Coming, then his kingdom will be fully upon the earth.  It is here now in us but not yet fully.

He does not want us to forget these things. (v. 12-15)

In view of The Entrance that Peter has just mentioned, his exhortation turns to deal with the forgetfulness of humans.  The stakes before us are too high to jeopardize by forgetting the things Peter has spoken.  To forget is to fall away and lose out on this great kingdom and all that God has for us ahead.

Peter says that does not want to be negligent to remind them always.  Kids can become annoyed with the reminders that adults give them.  However, kids and adults have proven throughout history that forgetfulness comes easy to us.  What is important today can easily be not important tomorrow.  Peter is writing this letter so that it can stick around and remind them when he is gone.  If they forget, it will not be because Peter was negligent.

How about you and me?  If our loved ones are to forget these things, let it not be because we were negligent in these matters.  May we remind them as we live and leave behind reminders for when we are gone.

Peter says in verse 12 that they know these things and are established in them.  They are presently doing well!  Peter is not saying that they are not doing enough.  Rather, he understands how perseverance works.  Perseverance is hard.  People need encouraged in these things.  Oh Lord, remind us from what You have saved us and to what You are bringing us.

Peter likely knows that he will be martyred for Christ.  Perhaps some of these Christians he addresses will also face such a trial.  Why would I risk an immortal life in order to keep a temporary life?  May God strengthen us all to remain established in the faith and growing in godliness.

In verses 13-14, Peter refers to his “tent.”  There is a certain urgency to his letter because he knows that he will shortly (soon) put off his mortal body.  This is what the tent symbolizes here.

God dwelled among Israel in a temporary tent until they entered the promised land.  God eventually dwelled among them in a permanent structure.  This symbolism is on purpose.  Our mortal life is pictured by that tent made from animal skins, always on the move in the wilderness of this life.  However, there is a day that is coming when we will be given a fixed or permanent body in the resurrection.  God will still dwell within us, but now He will be within us, and we will be what He has been making us to be.  The path of becoming godly like Jesus will have come to an end!

Peter knows he is going to die and will be unable to remind them again.  This is why he is writing a letter.

He emphasizes that this has been revealed to him by Jesus.  He could be talking about the discussion in John 21.  Jesus told Peter after his own resurrection that “when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish.”  That event was over thirty years ago.  I believe that Peter has had a recent revelation from Christ that his time was near.  He is most likely arrested and held in Rome.  Jesus has prepared him for the judgment of a wicked man that will come upon him.

In this letter, Peter ensures that his diligence at the moment will provide a harvest of reminders later.  They will be able to remember his teachings, but this letter will ensure that the fog of time will not hinder this remembrance.

Today, the apostles are all gone, but their writings remain.  We call it the New Testament.  Those impacted by their ministry have created a wave of faith across the world and down through history.  All of this is headed somewhere.  Jesus is going to return with the saints in glorified form.  If you want to be in that group, if you want your loved ones to be in that group too, then we need to apply the same diligence that Peter applied.  It starts by keeping ourselves immersed in the word of God and following the leading of the Holy Spirit in living out the righteousness of Christ.  We are believers today because of the diligence and faithfulness of people before us.  This work has been helped by the Holy Spirit down through the years and is still operating here today.  May God help us to work with the Holy Spirit in order to promote the purpose of Jesus across this earth to save people from their sins and provide their entrance into His eternal Kingdom!

Growing in Godliness 2 audio

The First Letter of Peter- 8

Subtitle: A New Spiritual People- part 5

1 Peter 2:9-10.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on Sunday, January 11, 2026.

This section will finish the description of this new spiritual people that Jesus is making out of Jews and non-Jews (those of all the nations).

It is not enough to know the content of these descriptions and commands that Peter has given in 1 Peter 1:13 to 2:10. We must believe them and trust God’s work in them.  We must grow in walking out a life of faith in Jesus as the Messiah of God who is leading us in glorifying God the Father.

We need to be the new spiritual people that God is making us to be.  We can complain that it’s to hard, and God can’t expect us to do this.  However, God doesn’t expect you to do it.  He expects you to do it with the Help of His Holy Spirit and by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ!

Let’s look at our passage.

But you who believe are… (v. 9)

When Peter quotes Psalm 118:22 (the stone the builders rejected) in verse 7 and then quotes Isaiah 8:14 (a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense) in verse 8, he is giving us the Scriptural support for understanding this as always being God’s plan.  He ended verse 8 with the point that those who did not believe were disobedient to the Word, and this caused them to stumble over Jesus the Messiah.

However, God had appointed them to this stumbling.  This is not in the sense that they had no choice.  However, having become hard-hearted towards the prophecies about Messiah and his suffering, God sent Jesus at just the right time.  He would be rejected by those who were supposed to point the world towards the Messiah that would come.  God sent them a test that He knew they would fail.  Yet, their failure would lead to the salvation of anyone who would believe in this Messiah, even if they were involved in putting him to death!

In verse 9, Peter now turns to those who didn’t reject Jesus or, at least, didn’t continue in rejecting him.  “But you are…”  Both Jews and Gentiles ended up in this place of faith in Jesus by different ways.  Those Jews who believed the Scriptures embraced Jesus as Messiah when he was revealed.  Simeon and Anna are examples of this in Luke 2:25-38. Saul of Tarsus would be an example of someone who rejected Jesus at first but then changed his mind as God confronted him with his errors.

The Gentiles did not have the Scriptures unless they had interacted with some Jews.  They are hearing the Gospel without a foundation of the Scriptures.  Yet, some of them believed.  By the way, we should always recognize that though Gentiles were embracing Jesus as the Messiah, many of them were also rejecting the Messiah.  It was only a remnant of Israel and a remnant of the nations that were believing.

Peter is going to use language from Exodus 19:5-6 and Deuteronomy 7:6 to describe this new spiritual people in the same way that Israel had been described there.

The first one is that they are a Chosen Race.  The word translated as “race” in the NASB has the idea of offspring.  Thus, it can emphasize a family, or larger nation of people.  Using race is almost too specific since the Church is made up of people from every nation.  If anything, we are spiritually connected to Jesus not biologically.  We are offspring of the spiritual work that he has done.  I think that some better translations are Chosen People (NIV) or Chosen Generation (KJV/NKJV).

The key point of this phrase is that we are Chosen by God (and generated by His Spirit).  Lots of people are born again by the Spirit of God to join this chosen people.  This first phrase is not specifically used in Exodus 19, but it is there in concept.  This phrase is used of Israel in Deuteronomy 7:6.

“For you are a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.”

Of course, we see Israel using this of themselves in places like Psalm 105:6.  Yet, we must be careful of letting God’s choice of us go to our head.  For what are we chosen?  Why did God choose us?  It was not because we were better than anybody else.  Both Israel and the Church did not exist when God purposed to make them. 

We should also recognize that the Church is chosen because of its connection to Jesus who is the Chosen One of God.

Isaiah 42:1, “Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My chosen one in whom My soul delights.

I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations.”

This comes from the Servant passages of Isaiah in which God describes a perfect servant in contrast to the imperfect service of Israel as a nation.  Those who believe in the Chosen One are spiritually birthed into a new spiritual people who work with Christ for His Chosen purpose.  We become chosen ones.  Our purpose is to call all people to join this chosen people and live a life that demonstrates the love of Christ.

Second, Peter tells them that they are a Royal Priesthood.  In Israel, the kingship and the priesthood were to be kept separate which makes these two terms stick out.  Only Messiah could rightly be both king and high priest.  Yet, this idea is used in Exodus 19:5-6.

“5 Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine; 6 and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the sons of Israel.”

The Hebrew of this phrase is made of two nouns in a construction similar to “Kingdom Priests.”  When this was translated into Greek (c. 250 BC), they used a Greek phrase that is exactly what Peter uses in our passage.  In light of this, I am not sure why translators of the NASB chose “kingdom of priests” in Exodus 19 but chose “royal priesthood” in 1 Peter 2:9.  The testimony from at least two centuries before Christ is that this Greek phrase is the closest equivalent to the underlying Hebrew in the Old Testament.

All of that said, I believe the emphasis is that they are priests that belong to a particular King and His Kingdom.  For Christians, this King is Messiah and his kingdom. 

Even in the Old Testament, it is clear that God is not talking about the Levitical priesthood.  He is describing the whole nation of Israel as priests of God’s kingdom.  Israel could be a kingdom of priests in the sense that they would be the mediator between God and the other nations.  The other nations would know the word of God through them, and they would learn how to have sins covered by them.

The Church is in a similar position, although it is of global scope and the empowering of the Holy Spirit makes it a stronger work.  Peter is not talking about a particular priestly group within Christianity.  He is talking about all Christians together operating as mediators between God and lost humanity.  This is what the Protestant reformers meant by the priesthood of all believers.

We can even see this principle in a smaller scope.  Moms and dads are to be priests in their home for the sake of their children.  Churches are to be priests for the sake of their cities.   All of us together are to operate as priests between God and the lost of every nation.

Let me also just add that the royal part is not so much about us right now.  Jesus suffered in doing the will of God as the Great High Priest of all humanity.  He is now exalted into his kingly role seated at the right hand of the Father.  The Church that is on the earth right now is destined to reign with Jesus as kings, but we must first follow his lead.  We serve as priests to our God embracing the suffering that comes with pointing sinners to Christ.  Thus, the royal part is mainly about Jesus.  We are priests for the King of kings, and we will one day reign with him.  But, for now, we focus on being priests for the King.

Next, he calls us a Holy Nation.  Though the non-Jews are a part of the nations, they become a part of a spiritual nation made up of believers from all nations including Israel.  It is not about geography in the natural.  However, we are tied to the spiritual geography of Christ ruling from the heavens.  The followers of Christ are a new nation, or people, that God is using to speak to all the nations.  Thus, we are holy, set apart for His purpose.  We see this concept used of Israel in Exodus 19:6.

“6 and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the sons of Israel.”

Finally, Peter calls them a People for God’s Own Possession.  The KJV has translated this as a “peculiar people.”   The word peculiar is generally used today to refer to something strange or odd.  However, its Latin origin only meant something that was “one’s own thing.”  A possession was peculiar to a particular person.  It belonged to a specific person.  We are a people peculiar to God.  We are His own special possession.

Of course, all the nations belong to God, the whole earth is His.  Yet, after the tower of Babel, God had disowned the nations, turning to make a nation out of the man Abraham.  The Church is not so much trying to take over the nations as it is making a people from out of all the nations into a possession that especially belongs to Him and for His holy purposes.

This is why 1 Peter 4:4 talks about the nations thinking it is strange that Christians do not run with them after the things of the flesh that are an excess of wickedness.  If you trust in Christ, then you will live a life that is contrary to the world around you.  You can’t hold on to the world and God.  It will eventually pull you apart spiritually.  You will eventually hate one and love the other.

We see this described in similar language in Exodus 19:5. “5 Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine…”

The Church just as Israel is not a special possession of God because we were smarter, richer, more powerful, etc.  We are His special possession because we have believed upon Jesus as His Savior for the world.

Before and After, Then and Now (v. 10)

Peter has two more descriptions that come from the book of Hosea.  It has a before and after (then versus now) aspect to it.  He essentially gives two parallel statements saying, “This is what you were before, but you are now this!”

The book of Hosea opens with God speaking to Hosea.  He is to marry a woman who will become an adulterer.  The children from these illicit affairs were to be given symbolic names.  Two in particular are Lo Ammi, which means “not my people,” and Lo Ruhamah, which means “no mercy” or “no compassion.”  In that book, God is telling Israel that they have been like an adulterous wife to God.  The generation of Hosea’s day were the offspring of this spiritual adultery.  God was going to unmake them as a people and show them no mercy.  Yet, the passage ends with a promise that God would reverse this condition.  “Where it was said of them ‘not my people,’ it shall be said of them ‘You are sons of the Living God!’” (Hosea 1:10).

Peter sees this as not only a restoration of Israel’s fortunes through the remnant, but also the reversal of the fortunes of a remnant of the Gentiles.  If God could reverse the spiritual adultery of Israel, then why not do so for the spiritual adultery of the Gentiles since the Tower of Babel?  Of course, this was God’s plan all along.  He has done it in such a way as to demonstrate the wisdom of His mercy.  The Church is made up of both Jews and Gentiles who were cast off (not my people).  However, in Jesus, they are now His people again.

Peter then describes the same thing but focusing on the mercy, or compassion, of God.  You who had not received mercy have now received the mercy of God!  Mercy involves help from one who doesn’t owe it to another who needs it due to an affliction they suffer.

If there is no mercy from God, then it is because we keep choosing our sins and rejecting His Word to us.  Yet, in embracing Jesus, we step into a place of God’s help for our affliction under sin (ours and others).

You might ask how you can live up to those great statements?  You can’t by yourself. However, if you ask the Holy Spirit to help you, and you listen to God’s Word and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, you will find that God does these things through us.

The next time you think that you are not important in God’s purpose, just remember that you are a part of His special people.  You belong to Him.  He has mercy for you, and He has purpose for you!

New Spiritual People 5 audio

The Kingdom of God- 8

Subtitle:  Inheriting the Millennial Kingdom I

Revelation 19:11-20:10.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on Sunday, May 4, 2025.

Last week, we looked at the promises of the a kingdom led by God’s Messiah that are in the Old Testament.  This Anointed King would judge the nations and cause the righteous to inherit the earth.  The kingdom of Messiah would never end.  That is the promise.

Today, we are going to look at the New Testament promise that speaks of the Second Coming of Jesus, the Messiah.  We want to explore how that will fit in with these Old Testament promises.

Let’s look at our passage.

The Second Coming of Jesus

Revelation 19:11-19.

The idea that the Messiah would come twice is not readily apparent in the Old Testament, but does make sense.  We talked about the nature of Messiah’s Kingdom.  It is operational now, but not yet fully as was promised.

There may be many reasons why this is so, but one of them has to do with God’s nature as a the ultimate Teacher.  He wants us to learn how to gain victory over our flesh, before He gives us immortal bodies that are not bent towards sin.  The resurrection is necessary because we cannot inherit the Kingdom of God in our flesh.  However, it is not necessary that it occur immediately.  God in His wisdom gives us a life of taking possession of our souls by patience, faith, and leaning on the help of the Holy Spirit.

Thus, the nations have had 2,000 years to hear the truth about who Jesus is, the reality of his kingdom, and the truth about what he is calling us to do.  At a point in time determined by the Father, Jesus will return to take up a direct rule over the nations bodily upon this earth.  This event will involve a judgment of those powers and people of the earth who have rejected his kingdom.

Revelation 19:11 introduces the rider of a white horse who appears before the earth as the heavens open up.  This connects with several passages, but Matthew 24:30 is an important one.  “All the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory.”  Jesus uses the imagery of Daniel 7, which shows the Son of Man riding the clouds of heaven to God the Father in order to receive dominion over the earth.  Yet, in Matthew 24, Jesus depicts the Son of Man coming out of heaven to the earth in order to take up that dominion.

There is no question that this rider is Jesus, though his name is not mentioned here.  Jesus is presented in the New Testament as the Son of Man that Daniel 7 and Matthew 24 are talking about.  John is seeing that same event that Jesus revealed would happen in Matthew 24.

On top of that, notice the descriptions of the rider.  He is called Faithful and True.  He represents the character of God in keeping His promises to humanity.  It is not just that Jesus is faithful and true in his character, but that his very existence is the proof and actuality of God’s faithfulness and truthfulness.

We are also told that the rider will judge the earth in righteousness.  Isaiah 11:3-4 mentions that Messiah would “not judge by what his eyes see…and ears hear, but with righteousness.”  It may seem strange.  Surely, he should look at the evidence.  However, the point here is about a judge being swayed by the person who is in front of them to pervert justice.  Messiah will not do that.  He will give a righteous judgment (more on this in a bit). 

Verse 13 says that his name is the Word of God.  This ties back to John’s earlier Gospel (John 1:1-3, 14-18).  There John states that “in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we saw his glory…”  John makes it clear in verse 17, for any who didn’t understand by then, that he is talking about Jesus.  Jesus is the Word of God.  All the words written by the prophets and collected together as Scripture point to Jesus, they reveal him.  If we were to sum up everything that God wants to say to humanity and put it in one Word, one person, it would be the totality of who Jesus is.

Verse 15 speaks of him as the one who strikes the nations with a sword from his mouth and who rules them with a rod of iron.  The first part is focusing on the words that he speaks.  He is the Word of God speaking the word of God.  This is blessing to some (those who believe) and a curse to others (those who do not).  Yet, the phrase about the rod of iron comes from several places in the Old Testament, but especially Psalm 2.  It points to a change in the kingdom of God.  At the Second Coming of Christ, the will of God will be enforced on the earth.  Jesus will not bend to the ideas and desires of the rulers of this earth.  They will bend to his will.  We see similar ideas in Zechariah 14, which speaks of the rule of the LORD after his coming to earth.  If a nation refuses to come up to Jerusalem and worship, then they will have no rain until they do.

Finally, the rider is referred to as the King of kings and Lord of lords.  We could spend a lot of time on this, but suffice it to say that it is a term that speaks of the highest authority and is connected to Jesus in 1 Timothy 6:13-14.  “I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate, that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which He will bring about at the proper time—He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.”

Revelation 19:20-21.

Just as the identity of the rider is clear (Jesus), so the purpose of the Second Coming of Jesus is also clear.  We’ve already seen that he is coming to judge the nations, but he is also flanked by the armies of heaven (vs. 14). 

The nations have had ample time to submit to the authority and power of Jesus voluntarily.  The nations of the world today are strongly rejecting the wisdom of Jesus and forging their own paths.  Yet, these are proving to be unwise and destructive.  Yet, the book of Revelation reveals that even worse times are to come.

Yet, at just the right time, God the Father sends Jesus to judge the earth.  Isaiah 11:4 states that the Messiah will “decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth.”  Whenever you are tempted to question whether or not God cares about the little guys who are being crushed under tyranny, this should put it to rest.

Judgment is not necessarily a negative word.  It simply means a decision.  If my car was stolen and then I saw that my neighbor down the street had it, I would call the cops, and we would end up in court.  The judge would make a judgment, a decision, about the case.  When he decides that the car really does belong to me and that my neighbor knowingly stole it, the judgment will be a good thing to me, but a bad thing for the thief.  The Second Coming of Jesus is just like this.  It is good news for those who have been living by faith in Jesus, but it will be bad news for those who have rejected Christ and are living for themselves.

The armies are no doubt heavenly angels.  Matthew 24:31 pictures Christ sending forth his angels to gather his chosen ones.  Matthew 13:41 speaks of angels gathering “all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, ⁴² and will throw them into the furnace of fire.”

However, the armies of heaven also include earthly armies.  In this case, the only earthly armies that could be coming from heaven are the armies of resurrected, righteous saints.  1 Corinthians 15:23 speaks of the resurrected saints following him at his second coming.

This martial entry does not have to be a conflict, but the beast has gathered the kings of the earth with their armies in order to attack Jesus at his coming.  Can you imagine attacking the very One who went to the cross for your sins and to obtain your salvation?  Take note that this is the same problem that was at his first coming.  The perfect one, whom the world desperately needs, is attacked by the very ones he aims to help.  Jesus should be celebrated by the nations, but the nations of the world will try to kill him instead.  This is what we see in verse 19.

Thus, part of the purpose of this coming is to remove the enemies of Christ.  It begins in verse 20 with the beast and the false prophet being seized and thrown into the Lake of Fire.  These beings have worked in league with the devil to deceive the nations and harness them against Jesus.  They represent spiritual interference (interlopers) on the earth.  Then, the kings and their armies are summarily dispensed in verse 21.  In truth, all the great power of humanity to Jesus is but a drop of water to the universe.  There is no contest.  There comes a time when a military man needs to make a hard decision.  Am I fighting on the right side or not?  It is better to be killed by the beast and gain the inheritance of the saints, then to be safe for 42 months and then be taken out by Jesus for eternity.

There is yet another enemy that Jesus will deal with.  The break from chapter 19 to chapter 20 is unfortunate.  The story continues without a break.  Look at chapter 20:1-3.

The 1,000-Year Kingdom

Revelation 20:1-3.

An angel seizes the devil and chains him in the Abyss, or the Bottomless Pit.  This is a prison for fallen spiritual beings.  There is a difference between the Lake of Fire and the Abyss.  No one comes back from the Lake of Fire.  They are walled off forever from God’s creation.  We are told that the devil is only chained in the Abyss.  That is where the beast came from (Revelation 11:7).  The devil is held for 1,000 years and then released. 

The purpose for binding him is obvious.  It is so that he cannot deceive the nations any longer.  This helps us to explain why the world is as bad as it is.  Things would be bad enough if we were just sinning to please ourselves.  Yet, it is much worse because of the interference from the devil and his cohorts.  They want to destroy humanity and all that God plans with us.

The kingdom that Jesus sets up will have all of these enemies removed, spiritual and human.  We will be enabled to grow in a much healthier way with a much more righteous leadership.

This begs the question.  Why not put the devil in the Lake of Fire?  Why plan to release him later?  Let’s read on.

Revelation 20:4-6.

The devil is removed so that Jesus can rule over a 1,000 year kingdom on this earth upon his return.  This may seem to contradict the many places in the Old Testament that talk about a kingdom that never ends.  However, even this 1,000 year rule is not a beginning or end of his rule.  It is merely a different phase of his rule.  Presently, Jesus rules from heaven by the Spirit through those who believe in Him.  During this 1,000 years, he will be physically present on the earth.  He will rule over the whole planet.

Notice verse four.  Thrones plural are established and those who sit on them are given power to judge (by Jesus).  This is exactly what the Old Testament promises to the saints.  Jesus mentioned this to his disciples when he told them that they would rule with him on 12 thrones ruling over the 12 tribes of Israel (Matthew 19:28).  Paul mentions this in 1 Corinthians 6:3 when he reminds the Corinthian believers that we will judge angels one day.  These thrones are the varying levels of authority that will be given to the resurrected saints.  They will be the perfect administrators for the authority of Jesus.

Who are they to rule over?  Matthew 25 makes it clear that, though many will die during this period, some will survive.  Those who survive will be brought before Jesus, and he will determine who is able to enter into this 1,000-year kingdom.

Revelation 20:4 may sound like it is limiting this resurrection to only those killed in the tribulation.  However, Colossians 3:4 makes it clear that all the righteous will participate in Christ’s Second Coming.  Thus, this is giving particular encouragement to those who will face the beast and his short rule.  Essentially, it will be worth it to hold on to faith in Jesus.

We also see that there is a sense of political and religious duties.  The saints will rule and judge, but verse 6 adds that they will be priests of God and of Christ.

There is little said about what the period will look like, but the earth will have its first government that is ran by people who are 100% righteous.  They will be just like Jesus.  Imagine that!

This section also makes a distinction between the First Resurrection and those who are resurrected later.  The wicked dead will still remain in the grave awaiting a later judgment.  They will eventually be resurrected in order to be judged (Revelation 20:12).

The First Resurrection is clearly the resurrection of the righteous.  Jesus and some of the Old Testament saints were the first fruits of the resurrection (a harvest picture).  The Second Coming of Jesus will complete this First Resurrection.  The Second Resurrection is a resurrection of the wicked.  It happens at one time for all of them.

The Old Testament speaks of the earth being transformed by the presence of Messiah and his saints.  There will be no war.  People will live longer.  The natural order will be restored so that the animals will not eat one another.  Babies will be safe next to a poisonous serpent because nothing will harm others in his kingdom.  The cleaning of the destruction of the previous epoch will begin, but then be replaced with a rebuilding.  It will be a society that is not built upon the bodies and souls of men.  The immortal believers will teach and lead mortal humans who survived and will repopulate the earth.  The earth itself will bear more fruit than ever imagined as the curse is lifted by the presence of Jesus.

Why would this only last 1,000 years?  Why would it ever end?  Let’s read on.

Revelation 20:7-10.

The release of the devil is to show that even 1,000 years of a perfect king with perfect laws, perfect judgment, and perfect administrators will cure the heart of mortal humans.  He will be able to deceive millions if not billions into rebelling against Christ.

This gives an important message to the current world.  Many hold out the carrot of a Utopian age built by man.  Yet, God warns that we will never be able to do it in our mortal bodies.  We are too bent towards pleasing our flesh.  Even when God gives us a Utopia, we end up rebelling against it and attempting to destroy it at the first opportunity.

This is why the resurrection is so important and why Paul stated: “Flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 15:50).”  Death and resurrection is the only workable plan to fixing humanity.

So, why would God go through this if it is only going to end in rebellion again?  One reason is that God is keeping His word to all the saints of every age.  They will see the wicked removed from power, and the world will be ruled by the saints.  Another reason is to teach us the lesson of what I just stated, the need for resurrection and the impotency of perfect governance in the face of man’s penchant towards sin.

Yet, the kingdom of Christ doesn’t end in verse 9.  Rather, it will only enter into a new phase.  Just as the Millennium is a new phase to the rule of Christ, so the creating of a new heavens and a new earth will be another phase to the kingdom of Christ.  No mortal or wicked being will be allowed to enter the new creation.

These are the promises of God to those who will trust Him.  When He fulfills them, it will be clear that He keeps His word and does all things in wisdom.  “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”  How you live will make all the difference in the world.

Kingdom 8 audio

The Kingdom of God- 5

Subtitle:  Our Battle in the Kingdom

Ephesians 2:1-10.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on April 13, 2025.

Today, we are going to identify some enemies of the Kingdom of God and anyone who is a part of it.  We need to see these in our own life and learn how to deal with them.

Let’s look at our passage.

Our enemies (v. 1-3)

When we talk about enemies as Christians, it is important to recognize a huge shift from the Old Covenant with Israel through Moses and the New Covenant with “whosoever will” through Jesus.

Israel was commanded to go into a specific area that had been judged by God.  Thus, there were literal battles between Israel, representing God’s people, and the nations that were in rebellion against God.  Israel would be a sword to some nations, but also a revelation of the One True God to the nations surrounding the area that God had given to them.  In other words, Israel was not trying to take over the world, nor were they commanded to do so by God. 

Yet, even in the Old Testament, we see that these enemies were not the only enemies Israel faced.  There were Israelites who were unfaithful to God and misled the people.  There is even a testimony from the prophets that there wasn’t one of them that was totally righteous before God.

God shows anyone with eyes to see through His interactions with Israel that no amount of fighting bad people, bad nations, and stamping out the sinners in their own nation, would fix this world.

Yet, in the New Testament, the command of Christ to his disciples does regard battles and going to the ends of the earth, but it is not about fighting physical enemies and taking physical territory.  The battle is more about the spiritual enemies that are keeping the world captive to sin. 

This highlights a common mistake that atheists will make.  They will challenge Christians with a statement like this.  “Your God commands you to kill homosexuals!  How can you defend that!”  Of course, they have clearly not understood the message of the Church, and more importantly, Jesus Christ.  The New Testament presents that all people (including Israel) are sinners in bondage to sin.  All are guilty before God and deserve death, rather than salvation.  Yet, God sends us Jesus.  He is the divine intervention that helps us in this tragic predicament.  Yes, we are all worthy of death, but Jesus has obtained for us the hope of forgiveness and redemption.

Jesus is not currently taking territory geographically, but rather, internally.  Those who believe on him are not only forgiven, but the Spirit of God enables them to take possession of their inner souls.  This is intended to spill out into their life and affect the people around them.  It spills out into their family and neighborhood.   If enough people in an area are transformed by faith in Jesus, then it can even spill out and affect a whole nation.  Thus, geography can come under the rule of Jesus, but that is not the current focus, the heart of people is the focus.

For the Christian, there are still very real enemies, and some of them are even people.  Yet, we do not deal with them in the same way as Israel was commanded.  So how are we to deal with them?  This passage in Ephesians chapter 2 helps us to identify them, and then, we will talk about how to battle them.

#1 The World-

In verse 2, Paul talks about how each of them (of us) were before the believed on Jesus.  They walked “according to the course of this world…”  The word translated “course” in the NASB speaks of the systems of humanity within a nation and the world as a whole.  They may have distinctions, but there is a bent to them that is away from God.  This can be more or less, religious or secular.  Humans born in those societies tend to follow this course that is away from God.  Israel, which was supposed to represent a system of God, had become deep-captured, until they were just like the world around them, standing against God without even knowing it.  These systems of the world are more than just a bunch of individuals doing bad things.  It becomes a system that is greater than any one sinner, and is more than the sum of its wicked parts.

Of course, we cannot blame all of our sin on the world and culture around us.  However, a culture that is far from God makes it easier for a people to fall into the trappings of sin, and even define it as good.  If adults teach and model things to their kids that God says is sinful, then they are more likely to follow them, and that place becomes a place of bondage and tyranny, both spiritually and literally.

This can even happen in a society that claims to follow God.  The political leaders of Israel (Herod when Jesus was born) had created an anti-God power structure, no matter how much lip service He might give to Him.  Similarly, the religious leaders of Israel in the first century had also created an anti-God, anti-Messiah, religion in God’s name.  Think of that.  In God’s name, we put to death the very Messiah that He sends.  Of course, this isn’t an Israelite problem.  It is a human tendency driven by this world.

Christians do not fight the world systems primarily through political means.  We know that no amount of laws, punishments, prisons, wars, etc. will ever fix this world.  This doesn’t mean that we don’t have laws and such, but that we are not looking to these things to fix the world.

Jesus sends us to the world with the message of the Gospel.  We are to tell people the truth of their peril and God’s offer of forgiveness through Jesus out of love for them.  We also live our lives according to the words of Christ and his apostles (the New Testament).  Thus, we refuse to conform to the ungodly pressures of the society around us.  We go to battle against the philosophies, ideas, and false religions that hold them captive, rather than against them.

Though our primary focus is not political, the politics of a nation will change when enough people repent and believe on Jesus.  When enough people are living out the commands of Jesus, that nation will be transformed.  We are not talking about reaching 51% and taking over.  Rather, a life that is lived for Jesus by the Holy Spirit’s leading is far more powerful than a mere vote in an election.  Thus, a once pagan place that persecuted Christians can become a place in which they are free to worship God.

The difference here is that our focus is not on the political, but rather on changing hearts.  The Scriptures are clear that Christianity will impact the whole world and make a huge impact upon it.  However, it also makes it clear that the political powers of the nations will not embrace Jesus when he comes back.

#2 The devil-

Verse 2 also says that they walked “according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience…”  This prince of the power of the air is a reference to a spiritual enemy, the devil.  Him and the spiritual entities in league with him have deep captured the world.  Yes, the world is bent away from God, but the devil takes advantage of that and harnesses it for his ends.  2 Corinthians 4:4 says that the “god” of this age [the devil] blinds people from believing God and the Gospel of Jesus.  This spiritual layer lies behind the world system.  It ends up doing the bidding of the devil.  Some people do so knowingly.  We would call them satanists.  However, most people do so unknowingly.  They are simply caught up in a way of living that they have known from birth.  It becomes natural for them to do the bidding of the devil without actually trying to follow him.

We should recognize that, though the sin of humans is definitely a big part of our problem, the interference and misleading of these spiritual beings has made it far worse than it would have become.  Those who think we can build a Utopia by casting off Christianity do not understand the fire they are playing with.  These spiritual beings do not love humans.  They want to destroy us forever.  It is only by the grace of God that they haven’t done so already.

So, just as we can picture humans deep capturing the governmental structures of a society for criminally helping themselves to the people’s treasury, so we can picture the devil and his spiritual cohorts deep capturing the systems of this world to trap people in blindness to God’s offer of help.  This is what Jesus faced: a corrupt Roman system of government and religion, and a corrupt Israelite political and religious system.

There is a spirit (and spirits) working through those who are in disobedience to God (sons of disobedience) in order to create a world system that keeps humans in bondage to sin and blind to the Gospel.

How do we fight these spiritual enemies?  First, we put our faith in Jesus.  We listen to the teaching of Jesus and obey his commands.  This will immunize us to the false teaching and wicked commands of this world.  We also fight him by being alert to his schemes.  The Bible records all the ways that humans are tempted to rebel against God and live contrary to His design.  We fight him by being spiritual people who are not in bondage to sin (James 4:7).  We fight him by using the spiritual armor that Jesus supplies to his people (Ephesians 6:10-18).  We fight him through praying for one another.

Of course, some people say to themselves that they will not listen to the world or God.  They believe that they can somehow just serve themselves.  However, serving yourself only ends up serving the devil.

#3 Our Flesh-

Our third enemy is outlined in verse 3.  “We all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind…”  Yes, we have the world and the devil to watch out for, but the most difficult enemy is internally ourselves.  Paul speaks of lusts of our flesh that fulfill the desires of the flesh and mind.  The desires are the simply what we want, our wishes.  These are connected to what is pleasing  to the senses of our body and what is pleasing to our mind.  Whereas, lusts refer to a strong passion for these things.  We can imagine a spectrum of intensifying desires that go from a low level preference for something all the way to a heated desire that is hard for us to restrain.

It is not that a pleasure in and of itself is evil.  Rather, when we live only to satisfy the desires of our body and mind, then we become captive to our flesh.  It knows no boundaries.  Without the help of the truth of God and the Spirit of God, we will become enslaved to the lusts of our flesh.  This can also happen when we pursue a spirituality that has no connection to the truth of God.  False religions all have their source in the devil and his cohorts.

We might even try to blame God for our penchant to over indulge our flesh.  However, God made these things to be a joy when they are not in control of our life.  If we listen to Him, then they will take their proper place and be His gift to us.  However, if we ignore Him, then they will become a curse to us as they continually seek pleasure at the cost of truth.

This is what we used to be.  However, now, we have become spiritually alive in Christ.  We are still in a body that is used to having its desires and lusts satisfied.  Thus, we have an internal battle against these.  Romans 8:13, “if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.”  This is not just a list of do’s and don’ts.  We are called to be led by the Holy Spirit in putting them to death.  This begins with the Word of God, but is empowered as we listen to the leading of the Holy Spirit.

We also fight these lusts by staying in a community of Christ-followers.  Thus, we have a Kingdom Community, the Holy Spirit, and a new spiritual life that corresponds to the old world, devil, and flesh.  When you lean into these things, you will find a growing victory over time.

We are to fight this battle of sin in a spiritual way.  Thus, the Word of God, which is spiritual, is essential, as well as prayer and fellowship with other believers.  If we feed upon the garbage of this world, then our old nature will overcome our new nature that is spiritually alive to Christ.

Up until now, Paul has reminded them of their old way of life that they had left behind.  Yet, notice in verse 4 that there are things that God is doing.

Our heavenly Father (v. 4-10)

No matter how bad our situation was, or is, or even could become, God is for us.  He has helped us, is helping us, and will complete the good work in us, if we will simply trust Him.  We are His family, and He cares for us.

Paul emphasizes that our heavenly Father is merciful and loving.  He may seem hard and unloving at times.  However, He wants to break through our blindness and our stubbornness.  No matter how failed and plundered a person may become- think about the thief on the cross- you can still believe in Jesus.  The mercy and love of God is not just offered to some.  It is offered to all who are lost.  This doesn’t mean that everyone will embrace it.  But, they reject it over the top of God’s amazing love.

It is His covenant-keeping, merciful, faithful love that makes it possible for a person who is under the tyranny of a spiritual enemy, stuck in the ruts of this world, and enslaved to the lusts of their flesh, to be able to break free, even when they are dead in their transgressions.

Verse 5 reminds us that it is God who makes us spiritually alive together with Jesus.  This is a very real spiritual work that is done by the Spirit of God when someone believes in Jesus.  From this point on, we can read the Scriptures and sense the Holy Spirit speaking to us.  We can be led by Him through the Word, Prayer, and actions of faith.

Paul reminds us that we have been raised up with Christ and seated with him in the heavenly places.  This is a spiritual connection that we have to the greatest throne in the universe.  Yet, upon our deaths, we go to be with Christ, where we belong.

Verse 7 explains that our connection to Christ and the now, but not fully yet, aspect of the Kingdom has a climax.  In the age to come, God will demonstrate the surpassing riches of His grace toward us who have believed in Christ.  Yes, we will see the riches of God’s grace, but ultimately, we are the demonstration of God’s riches to the heavens and to the earth.  The resurrection promises to give all who have died and those who are still alive in Christ, glorified heavenly bodies.  We will shine with the glory of Christ at his side.  This is what Paul is talking about in Romans 8:18-25.  The heavenly beings, the faithful ones and the fallen ones, will see the faithful of humanity not just restored, but raised in glory.  Even rebellious and wicked humans will see the glory of those who trusted in Christ.

However, in all of this, the greatest battle is keeping ourselves focused on God’s purpose.  Thus, in verse10, Paul reminds us that we are God’s workmanship, His special work.  He works in us to do the good works that He has prepared for us in Jesus.

There is nothing wrong with making money, saving up, retiring, etc.  But, if that is all you are living for, then it will be wrong.  It is not the thing really, but me that is wrong.  When Christ comes in, all things should take their proper place so that we are no longer a slave to them.  We don’t have to be a slave to the lusts of our flesh, the course of this world, and the devil.  We can be free in serving Christ!

Our Battle audio