Missions Paul

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.

After telling us to grab hold of our thoughts, ‘minds that are alert’ Peter says this, “Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober …” (1 v 13)

I like The Message: “get your head in the game”.

It is to set your thought patterns positively.

It is to fix your mind away from the voices of your enemy, to say, “I choose to purposely think opposite thoughts.’ We become vigilant to the opportunist accuser who is waiting to trip us up, shut us down and contain our lives and ministries.

It is to choose thoughts that choose a new path, a new way forward and a new day. We all seek those. Our thoughts take us there.

I think starting as early as you can before the day begins is essential. Before the social media kicks in and your phone starts pinging with news and messages. What will today be like for you? Make sure you are sober-minded. For one thing you can be sure of your mind will be attacked with many things seeking to stop you moving into the things God has planned for you.

Having burst out with a hymn-like opening of his letter regarding our salvation Peter starts the next section with an important word.

“Therefore, with minds that are alert … “(1 v 13)

He will write about actions that we must take including ‘’minds that are alert’ but he wants to emphasise that they all spring from the ‘therefore’ formed from salvation. We are saved because Jesus finished the work so that we can walk out our salvation and so being faithful in doing the work of God.

Here is the first action: grab hold of your thoughts.

On to my social feeds this morning came the first two messages. One had been diagnosed with Leukaemia and the other was announcing that her sister had passed away suddenly. Why do I share this that has already been shared? It is because every single day people have to struggle and some have to suffer. We all know it to some degree or the other. It is to people who know these experiences that Peter says literally, ‘gird up the mind’ giving the picture of gathering your loose garments and tucking them in with a belt in order to be more free to move.

If you want to survive the suffering then you need to grab hold of your thoughts. If you want to get through the battle then you need to win the battle of your mind. Don’t allow random, sloppy, negative thoughts to remain. Control those thoughts, defeat them, it’s a struggle but doing so will enable you to break through.

Are you ready for the next season? Are you ready for the Spirit to take you on a new journey? Are you ready for the race? Are you ready for the warfare? Are you ready for the great exploits God has in store for you? Are you ready to be used by God?

Are you ready?

Then make sure you have grabbed hold of your thoughts.

The sufferings of Jesus Christ and the glory that followed had been known before they happened. They had been revealed to the prophets by the pre-existent Christ. These prophets spent their entire ministries listening, studying Scriptures and searching the depths of their soul for the revelations of this suffering and glory. Yet Peter knew they had seen even further than the Messiah. They had revelation of the salvation that is ours.

Peter wrote to his generation who were suffering for their faith and said ‘they saw what you are going through’ and ‘this suffering’ is ‘that which was spoken of’. It is part of the foreseen salvation. Having spoken of their salvation …

“Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.” (1 Peter 1:10-12)

The prophets spoke to people in their generation and to us.

The prophets suffered but didn’t experience the glory that was to come.

The prophets spoke of the Messiah’s suffering and future glory.

The prophets spoke of the salvation that the message of the Messiah would bring.

The prophets had the Law but they longed to see the Grace.

What does this mean?

When you are struggling through your circumstance it is hard to understand what the purpose is? It sometimes seems meaningless, unfair and the questions are many.

Your salvation contains suffering and glory, it is founded on Jesus Christ, prophesied beforehand and only known to the saved. Not even angels can understand this and they do try.

In your suffering there is glory. A cursory look through the Bible and you see this message constantly. Suffering doesn’t stand alone for the saved it contains honour, worth, value, praise, His presence and ultimately heaven!

You may be uncertain about today but you already have eternal security so can face tomorrow.

You may be wondering where life is taking but you already have the fulfilment of the purpose of life right now.

You may be wondering or even hoping for success today but you already have tasted the heavenly rewards for your life

For you are a follower of Jesus, right?

And so, it is here now, the salvation of our soul, you are saved.

“Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” (1 Peter 1:8-9)

These are some of the most important words for those today who are uncertain about what they should be doing, where they are going and how much time is left. Lean into the salvation that you are already receiving.

What the enemy of your soul tries to take from you is immaterial. What your fiercest critic says about you matters not. Even what you might say in your self-condemnatory life does not count. It is what HE has given you that is of most importance:-

The salvation of your life.

If today was your last day on earth it is okay you are safe. There is no need to worry. Your future is secure because your present, today, is saved.

No words can tell.

Indescribable.

Unspeakable.

There is no language that can describe. It is indescribable.

It is not based on circumstance; it is not given by people; it is not birthed from achievement.

“Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy.” (1 Peter 1:8)

It is a filling from outside in.

The only time this Greek word is used in the Bible is here in this verse. It really is unspeakable.

There are no words to describe this joy.

There is no explanation for it.

Many try and teach us so that we can receive it.

Yet it is a gift. It comes to us. We are filled with inexpressible and glorious joy!

Have you seen Jesus?

No is probably the answer for all of us though many in parts of the world have had a visitation of Christ, we haven’t.

Peter had seen Jesus alive leading the team of disciples; he had seen the resurrected Jesus; but he knows most others hadn’t.

“Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy.” (1 Peter 1:8)

There is no difference in the reality of experience between those who have not seen Jesus (us) and those who have (Peter).

We love Jesus the same.

We believe in Jesus the same. And more importantly …

He is the same, yesterday, today and forever.

So how is the love for Jesus created and formed within us?

Peter says it is through the refinement of our faith as we go through all kinds of trials.

This love Submits to His Lordship.

This love can be Seen in how we conduct our Lives.

This love is Submerged in Christ’s Love for others in the world.