Peter teaches us to prepare our minds for action; to be self-controlled as we set our hope fully on the grace given us. “As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as He who called you to be holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:14). Since we call on a Father who judges the living and the dead, impartially, we are to live our lives as strangers on earth in reverent fear. For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that we were redeemed from the empty way of life, but we were purchased with the precious blood of Christ. Jesus was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed as the Messiah for our sake. Through Jesus we were given FAITH in God. As our Father raised Jesus from the dead and glorified Him, our faith and hope are in our Father, and His Son Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all, and “in” all who believe. In first Peter we are reminded of these important things: Be clear minded and self-controlled. We are to love each other deeply, and pray for one another because love covers over a multitude of sins. We are to offer hospitality without grumbling and use whatever gift we have received from the Holy Spirit to serve others.
In Peter’s second letter we learn that everything we need for life has been given us through the divine power of God. God has delivered unto us His promised Holy Spirit who will continue to enable us to walk worthy for God’s glory. For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; knowledge; self-control; perseverance; godliness; kindness; and brotherly love. As we strive to keep these qualities increasing, those qualities will keep us from being ineffective and unproductive.
FAIR WARNING GIVEN: God did not spare the angels when they sinned. God condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and He burned them to ashes. God rescued a righteous man named Lot who lived among lawless men. Our Father is capable of rescuing godly people from earthly trials, however, the arrogant who speak to slander the things of God, they are like brute beasts, born only to be caught and destroyed.
As we surrender to the Holy Spirit within, we become better at living self-controlled, alert and open to hear God’s voice. “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hear My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” (Revelation 3:20) With forgiveness towards our persecutors, we choose to submit to suffering as Christ did. We will suffer is a promise from God. There are 2 broad categories of Suffering. We suffer because of the circumstances of living in a fallen world and we suffer because hurting people hurt others. Peter had hurt others with his saltiness and his emphasis is how to suffer for the sake of Christ in both cases. How do we respond when a violent storm destroys our home, our family and the comfortable life we are accustomed to? How do we cope when our body is failing due to disease or injury? The natural man seeks to assign blame, but what good is promoted when we accuse others? The only way we can successfully endure such suffering is because we are in Submission to God, to His redemptive work and to His Word — and forgive them for they know not what they do.
The truth is that we suffer because of the actions of other people. There is war, there are car accidents caused by drunk drivers, and we are persecuted because of our faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus asks us all “Are you ready to endure hard things for the sake of My name?” Life on earth is hard and Jesus tells us “you will have trials.” John 17:17 Every Word of God is useful for teaching. We are called to humble ourselves and submit to God, and we must also place ourselves in submission to others. Others? Yes, the doctor, the government, our spouse and —once we have WILLINGLY placed ourselves in submission — the question of how we are treated becomes IRRELEVANT. Peter submitted himself to the prison guards even though he was innocent. Our duty toward God is clear. We are to SUBMIT and OBEY. His grace becomes sufficient, it satisfies, it comforts and it enables us to bear all things — trusting that His promises never fail, we press on, endure trials and praise God for His plans for us. Consider that Peter was beheaded, not treated justly, but mocked, imprisoned.
Peter’s stated purpose for writing this letter was to exhort generations of readers. We are reminded to be firmly persuaded that God’s promises never fail. His grace falls on the just and the unjust. His grace sustains the earth and every life that submits to His sufficiency. When LIFE seems hard, Peter’s letters remind us of that which is eternally true. We see that that these words apply to people of all ages who have been unjustly treated and displaced from their homes. Many pilgrims are forced to live as refugees. People still suffer in this century even though they trust in Jesus. Through Moses God told His chosen people that they would be rescued from slavery, and His promise was realized. He provided food from heaven, shoes that never wore out, and water in the desert. In a brief absence of the leadership of Moses, they made themselves an image to worship. God disciplines those He loves and they wandered in the wilderness for 40 years. The truth is that the suffering of the Jews was because that’s the path they chose, not because God has some kind of grudge against them. The natural emotional response to suffering is part of who we are as humans living under the curse. Peter’s goal is to remind us of the greater truths that ought to dominate our thinking. We purpose and choose to respond to our personal hardships in such a way that brings honor to God. Peter attacks the problem of suffering in the most direct way he can. His main point is consistent. We are to be and remain in submission to God. Because we are BORN AGAIN to a LIVING HOPE and a glorious, incorruptible INHERITANCE. No matter what our SEEN and FELT circumstances are right NOW, the eternal truth is in the spiritual realm, the unseen space of heaven where we all have a promised inheritance. Peter draws our attention to the reality that is beyond eyesight. He reminds us that even though we do not see Jesus, we have been given FAITH to still believe in Him. After focusing our FOCUS on these spiritual truths, he explains that our redeeming faith will be tested in order to demonstrate its genuineness. The gospel of Christ which we by FAITH believe, is the same message that was given to the Old Testament prophets. In his exhortations to all readers, Peter uses both the Word of God and the example of Christ to support his message to all Christians who are challenged by their circumstances. Many believers struggle with how what they are going through lines up with their expectations concerning the grace of God. The truth is that the grace of God is being manifested in our lives because of our difficulties.
Peter exhorts all readers to live submissive lives at all levels. Our natural reaction is to insist on our own selfish desires. Becoming more like Christ, we choose to submit. To suffer well means that we do not retaliate, we do not speak ill of our persecutors, but we proclaim the good news. This body, this land, this nation is temporary. Read Isaiah 53 to make this point clear. Christ’s unjust suffering is an example that cannot be disputed. When we contrast our own responses to the brutal, unjust treatment of Christ, it puts us to shame. Be NOT ashamed of the cross of Christ, but bring honor and glory to God in your suffering. Serve one another with joy, even while going through “fiery trials.” God is the Righteous Judge and a Faithful Creator. When we yield our lives to Him, by doing good no matter what happens, His grace will see us through our trials.
Chew on this: Even if our outward appearance does not change, even if our countenance remains the same. Jesus Christ is perfect and holy, and we are not. Jesus is God, and we are not. We engage with His Holy Spirit, by our total surrender to Who Jesus is. His Spirit gently evokes transformation in our minds and our perceptions are miraculously changed. Our Father simply spoke a word, and the heavens were sprinkled with stars, and the oceans were filled with life. If we hear a single word in our spirit from Him, we are changed by His Presence and for His glory. Our earthly, impure minds cannot understand the things of heaven, unless it has been touched by the Holy Spirit and given Godly comprehension. The POWER in the spoken and written words of Jesus are what changes us. His Word will grow the humble, the weak, the meek. We intentionally silence our reasoning and …”Be Still and know that I am God”
“Behind the Curtain” is a 100 page Summary of the New Testament and parts of the Old Testament
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