Author: missionspaul

It is widely believed that Peter wrote this letter during Nero’s reign and around AD 62-64. It is written to the scattered Christians in modern-day Turkey who live under the Roman Emperor’s control. It is full of encouragement to persevere under the intense pressure of persecution. They are to remain faithful to Christ and walk in His example. Peter will quote from the Old Testament to support what he writes, as he does in these verses, from Isaiah 28, Psalm 118 and Isaiah 8 respectively.

“As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For in Scripture it says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame. Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” and, “A stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.” They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for.” (1 Peter 2 v 4-8)

Perhaps today you feel stuck between a rock and a hard place!

Are you anxious of what might happen to you? Don’t be!

God will vindicate you:-

1. As God laid a stone in Zion, He has also sent and established you in this place. You are where you are because of God.
2. God chose His Son. He doesn’t make mistakes and that includes you.
3. God placed Jesus as the cornerstone. Though the mounting pressure on you may feel all-consuming it is not the most important thing in your life. The cornerstone sets the course of action. He has you.
4. God gave you someone precious. Jesus is a treasure of love, grace, truth, peace and power. You trust Him, you love Him, you belong to Him; He is precious to you.
5. God was glorified during the rejection, slander and persecution of His Son because Jesus was obedient and held onto His Father. In the same way there is no shame or humiliation to those who put their hope in Jesus. Remember you are standing on the Rock.

I was privileged when I was a Pastor to have had 3 buildings; a converted cow-shed; then a smaller church building which was originally a Unitarian Church and then a very large Methodist Chapel built in 1839 which we renovated. I loved the cow-shed as much as the Chapel. But I knew that they were just stones. It was the people within the buildings that made them come alive.

To a people who know suffering and the difficulty of remaining as a follower of Jesus because of hardship and persecution, Peter writes this:-

“As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him—you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 2 v 4-5)

Jesus is the foundation, the living Stone, the capstone, chief cornerstone, however you want to word it. He was rejected and he suffered even though he was chosen and precious to God.

What is Peter trying to say?

It may be tough but it was also tough for the very foundation of your life, Jesus.

It does not mean you have not been chosen by God.

It does not mean you are not precious to Him.

In fact following Jesus means that it is possible that everything around you will value you far less than God does.

Because ‘you also’ … this is what it means to follow Christ.

As I look back on those 3 buildings I reflect on the people who formed the spiritual house of those places. I can hear the joy; I can see the worship; it is so easy to be right there in the centre again of all that was being experienced as lives were being transformed, salvations, baptisms, healings as the manifest presence of God came upon His people. As the Pastor for these people I can also easily remember the pain, the tears, the suffering that these people also had in their lives, the difficulty to keep on following Jesus in the context of their world.

Yet though they are scattered all over the UK and the world, in Europe, Africa, Asia and USA, I know in those buildings these people were becoming more like Jesus in their suffering and through it all they were being built into a spiritual house, more than just a community, they were a temple. They had become living stones built upon the Living Stone.

So I am a proud ‘pappa’. My granddaughter has now just been weighed again and has reached the grand total of 16ibs 8.5oz!! A marvellous achievement!

Over these last several months she has put on weight! Just like her pappa!

How did she achieve this grand accomplishment?

Milk!

Having spent a wonderful week with her and the family recently I was reminded of the demands her bundle of loveliness brings and it is all around her cravings for milk.

Apostle Peter in writes to the Christians who are suffering. This is an encouraging letter to hold on, keep going and not to let go of their faith.

“Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.” (1 Peter 2 v 2-3)

Paul uses the idea of newborn babies craving for the immaturity of believers.

However Peter uses it to show the passion and desire to grow through the suffering.

He particular chooses Psalm 34 not because it has the ‘taste that the Lord is good’ verse but because of the entire message of the Psalm itself.

The context is suffering and the message of the Psalm is God is close and they will thrive in their adversity. Peter is saying the people of this Psalm were going through what is taking place in your life also.

² I will glory in the Lord; let the afflicted hear and rejoice… ⁴ I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears… ⁶ This poor man called, and the Lord heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles. ⁷ The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them… ⁸ Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him…¹⁰ The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing. ¹⁵ The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,     and his ears are attentive to their cry; …¹⁷ The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles… ¹⁸ The Lord is close to the brokenhearted … and saves those who are crushed in spirit… ²² The Lord will rescue his servants; no one who takes refuge in him will be condemned.

The readers of Peter’s letter knew this Psalm and he used it again later.

He is telling them how to thrive in adversity.

How?

Crave!

Get rid of going behind the scenes either of your heart or behind backs with private messaging to think and speak ill of others.

“Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.” (1 Peter 2 v 1)

These are heart issues.

It is hard to assess and hold accountable the issues of the heart.

The exterior of the Christian can look so polished and yet masked by gifting and personality can hide the most dangerous of evils which eat away like a cancer the very soul of the one professing to have been saved. But saved from what? Are we just saved from hell? Is that it?

Salvation that Peter has spoken of in the first chapter is surely to be saved from the diseases found lurking in our very soul. A simmering anger which has lodged itself perhaps years ago, malice. Words that pretend to be helping but are fuelled by a manipulation to either expose the weakness of the other or benefit the one speaking, deceit. Linked closely is that of being a friend to everyone, complimenting much but meaning little because of a hidden agenda, hypocrisy. Looking at colleagues who have been promoted beyond you, treated and favoured better than you, who have prospered and have more than you and all this is validated by what is in the heart, envy. Speaking in corners, hushed conversations, ‘message me’, things that cannot be said in the open because of the need to protect the outward image, slander.

I wonder what the spiritual audit on those 5 things would reveal.

But that is what God sees. As a disciple of Jesus Christ who has saved you by his precious blood (1 v 18-19) you can live your whole life and not be assessed on these 5 killers of the heart.

Here are 5 questions that will help:

Who has hurt you?

What ambitions do you have?

Who are your close friends?

Are you happy?

What kind of conversations are in your text messages?

Currently I am at my denominations annual conference and there is a lot of preaching going on! It is attended by all kinds of Christians who give their life to the Bible whether as a preacher, study group leader, youth/children’s worker etc. Throughout the day God’s Word is being heard as it is throughout the nations in our churches. The Bible is a big deal for us Christians. I guess if you are reading this devotional then it would prove the point that the Bible is important to you.

It was important to Peter. He uses one passage from Isaiah 40 as a reminder to what the prophet said to the people of God who were suffering at that time and akin to what Peter’s generation were experiencing. It still applies to us today, for the Word of God spans through all generations.

“Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart. For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. For, “All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord endures forever.” And this is the word that was preached to you.” (1 v 22-25)

• Obeying the preached Word of God will lead to the continued positive change within you (purified/cleansed).
• Obeying the preached Word of God leads to you showing real love to others, how you speak to them and behind their backs, deeply, wanting the very best for them.
• Obeying the preached Word of God will lead to you receiving comfort, knowing He cares for you, that despite your sufferings He hasn’t forgotten about you. His power stretches throughout the generations.

So today, be reminded that the preached (in whatever form that takes) Word of God:

• Changes you.
• Conceives powerful love within you.
• Comforts you in whatever situation you are in.

The story of God is one that shows us that in our lives anything is possible.

We know that to be true because of what God has done for us and for our friends.

We know because of the salvation story.

“He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.” (1 Peter 1 v 20-21)

• This salvation brought about by the blood of Jesus Christ (read the verses before) was not a crisis response to remedy the situation that sin had created. This was decided upon before the creation of the world.

This being the case it means that IT IS MORE THAN POSSIBLE that where you feel God has placed you right now was determined by Him even before you were born.

• God’s purposed decision and the timing of that revelation means IT IS MORE THAN POSSIBLE that God has still more things to be revealed and to share with you. It’s not over yet! Timing is everything.

• God raised Jesus from the dead and exalted Jesus to His right hand in the ascension (glorified him) and now we believe in Him. Because God did this it means IT IS MORE THAN POSSIBLE that instead of us trusting in what the world can offer we put our faith and hope in God who turns death into life, lifts what has been brought low and performs miracle after miracle because nothing can stop God glorifying His name.

To the follower of Jesus: do you think our many failures will jeopardize our chances of surviving the judgment day when we stand before God?

^“For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.” (1 Peter 1 v 18-19)

Your very best obedient and holy lifestyle is not good enough to stand on judgment day.

What saved the Israelites in Egypt? Was it their blood on the doorframes that saved them from the angel of death on judgment day? NO!

It was the precious blood of the lamb.

What will save us?

The precious blood of Jesus Christ.

It’s going to be okay.

There are those today who will stand before the authority of man. They will stand before those who slander and speak against them and also those who speak the truth and judge them correctly for having failed the law and the acceptable norms of their culture.

“Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear.” (1 Peter 1 v 17)

The people of God not only stand before men we stand before their Father, always.

We do not quiver at man’s authority. We stand in awe of God.

We do not panic at what will come from the mouths of man. We stand on every word of God.

We do not worry if the lies of man are taken as true nor whether their truth is the truth which leads to punishment. We stand with the One who judges impartially and holds the keys to life and death.

The world will see we are not citizens of this world, this is not our home, we are living for our Father and it can be seen in the way we speak and the way we act.

This may lead to thoughts of despair because the longer we live in this world the more we realise how many times we have failed our Father. The next verse is our saving grace but we will get there tomorrow. Today, dust yourself down and have another go, walk differently in your world and call on your Father to help you as you do.

With his hand on the Bible the king will say: “The things which I have here before promised I will perform and keep. So help me God”. We will find out exactly what he promised later. And many people will swamp social media with their opinions on what he promised and probably what the public promised too.

What kind of king will Charles be? There will be obvious comparisons with his mother. As with most human beings he will hope the public like him. Let’s pray his desire for popularity doesn’t impede on his oath.

Our personal world is much smaller than the kings. Nevertheless the citizens in our world know we are a Christian, they know we have pledged allegiance to our KING JESUS and they know we have made promises to Him.

We are under the same scrutiny.

Peter writes, “As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” (1 v 14-16)

Today whether you watch the coronation oath or not maybe you can take the opportunity to reconfirm your own oath before your King using the words of Peter:

• There is an expectation that we will have a continuance of obedience. It isn’t a promise it is a present ongoing act in the context of our personal developing world and an ageing body!
• The evil desires of money, sex and power (often accepted as the primary 3) or the evil desires of the 7 sins, pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath, and sloth (Proverbs 6) or whatever list you feel a pull towards are there tempting you from the oaths you made. The Message says ‘don’t slip back …doing what you just feel like doing.’
• Be like Him, your KING JESUS. It is hard to agree on what holiness is. What is holy for me may not be holy for you. But if holiness is more about being set apart then we can come into agreement. God is separate to anything else, there is no one like Him. Yet He has given us an invitation to join Him in His separateness. We are actually called not to a list but to His Lordship, ‘just as he is’ that is the call.

Reconfirm your oath to the KING today.

So we ‘grab hold of our thoughts’ and ‘get our heads into the game’ but what we don’t do is give ourselves some kind of pep talk and become determined to perform our way through life. No! That’s akin to a yo-yo diet.

Peter says this, “…set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming.” (1 v 13)

Peter will call us to live holy lives but first he calls for us to focus our thinking and place our hope on His grace. Our best holiness will still need to be surrendered to his pure grace.

On that last day when each one of us stands before Jesus Christ it will not be because we have lived such holy lives that will enable us to stand. We are right now hearing of another Christian celebrity who may have lived a double life and if there are people who have been hurt because of this leader then judgment here on earth is rightly distributed. Even if we think we are far better than this leader or even perhaps you feel your life is worse, the same truth remains: the only way anyone of us will be able to stand before Jesus Christ is His pure grace not our pure works.

Grace wasn’t only given for that day when we came into the revelation of Jesus and began to follow Him having our sins cleansed; it isn’t only for today when each day is a day of His unmerited favour and blessing on our lives; it is definitely for our future when we stand before Him.

We are all going to need His grace. Grace will be there. So let’s set our hope on it today.