Honourable Behaviour (2)

Posted on by korgrocker

“Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbours. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honourable behaviour, and they will give honour to God when he judges the world.”
1 Peter 2:12 NLT

I am writing this just after the news of the neonatal nurse’s guilty verdicts has been announced. A young woman has been found guilty of murdering new born babies, and the media has exploded with story after story, each seemingly exploring different perspectives of the entire, very painful, investigative and legal processes. It has been such a terrible crime that the repercussions will rattle on for months if not years. Thankfully such occurrences only happen very rarely, but news reporters all have their opinions and they are replicated in print from the perspective of the moral high ground. But why should we pilgrims be surprised that such evil and wicked behaviour should happen. After all it is within an evil and wicked world that we live.

How did all this evil and wickedness appear on Planet Earth in the first place? We know, of course, about the devil and his eviction from Heaven, and the mayhem that he has subsequently caused in this world. But we can surely ask the question, why does God allow such evil to happen? God is of course holy and righteous. We can find verses saying so embedded throughout the Bible. The problem is that He created mankind to be able to choose for themselves between doing good and doing evil. If He had created human beings so that they could only do righteous things, then He would have had to create a race of robots, unable to choose for themselves between good and evil.

God is of course all powerful and more than capable of stopping evil acts. He could of course have protected those new born babies from harm. The problem was, where would He have started? Should He have disabled the medical equipment that was used for the harm? But such equipment is essential for doing good as well. Should He have stopped the nurse’s evil thoughts in the first place? And before we know it we have to extrapolate back to a bland robotic beginning denying free choice, the one thing that God deliberately built into His creation. However, there will be many only too quick to wave their fists in God’s face accusing Him of the evil that has happened.

Perhaps God should remove anyone who is going to commit an evil deed before they get a chance to do it. But if He did that, there would be no-one left on this planet. We read in Romans 3:23, “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard“. Imagine the hypothetical scenario in which God has set a righteousness exam, an entry exam, which has to be passed to get into Heaven by a person’s own efforts. The pass mark is of course 100% because He is perfectly righteous. Now some people are so evil that they might only be 2% righteous, if that. Others are living what they consider to be a good life, and so might claim that they are righteous 90% of the time. However, when it comes to passing the exam there is no difference between the 2% righteous person and the 90% righteous person – they have both failed the exam. God is perfectly righteous and holy. There is not even a hint of sin anywhere in Himself or in Heaven. We pilgrims know, of course, that there is only one way to achieve the righteousness that God demands, and that is by believing in Jesus, who died for us in our place as a sacrifice for our sins. Jesus took on board all the sins of the world, past, present and future, and instead gave us His perfect righteousness.

In the verse today from 1 Peter, we read about the “unbelieving neighbours” giving “honour to God when he judges the world”. They do this after observing the “honourable behaviour” of us pilgrim believers. The Bible tells us that on the day of judgement – there will of course be one as we read in Revelation 20 – everyone will be called to give an account of their lives. There will be many witnesses, and those believers who have behaved honourably will be commended. But this will of course be of little comfort to those who hear the guilty verdict from the Judge on God’s throne (Revelation 20:12). There is only one way to escape that terrible verdict, and that is to ensure our names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life (Revelation 20:15). 

We don’t know what will happen to the nurse in what remains of her life. Perhaps she will come on her knees before God and repent of her sins. The thief on the cross next to Jesus came to such a point of repentance, and Jesus assured him of his future in Paradise. The hurting parents of the lost babies might deem such an act unfair, their pain and grief apparently unassuageable, raw unforgiveness consuming them. We pilgrims pray for them, that God’s love and compassion, that His comfort, will envelope them like a blanket. And we pray too for the nurse, that as she lives out her punishment in prison, that she will find God and peace for her soul. And we pray that God will work in all the people involved, that something good will emerge from the pain and bring a glimmer of hope to this evil and wicked world. 

Dear Father God. We feel the pain in this whole situation, and pray that in it all, You and Your righteousness will prevail over the evil that surrounds us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Honourable Behaviour (1)

Posted on by korgrocker

“Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbours. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honourable behaviour, and they will give honour to God when he judges the world.”
1 Peter 2:12 NLT

Imagine the following fictional scenario – a Christian family each Sunday walk out to their car in the drive, dressed in all their finery, carrying their Bibles, and drive off for church, returning just as immaculate a couple of hours of so later. There is the man and his wife, and two children, a boy and a girl. They are noticed by the neighbours each week, and their diligence in following their faith is well known in their community. But on a Friday night, the husband can perhaps be found in the local pub, cursing and swearing with the locals. The wife attends an activity group in the next village and is well known for her tendency to gossip. Well, these are exactly the sort of situations that we must guard against. Peter wrote, “Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbours”. Living properly means we must behave in a way that corresponds to our faith.

Jesus was scathing about hypocrisy. He hated the behaviour of people who claimed to be holy and full of faith but who were full of lies and deceit inside. In Matthew 23 we read, “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs—beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people’s bones and all sorts of impurity. Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness” (Matthew 23:27-28). On my morning walk today, and after a very windy night, I came across a branch about a metre long and a few centimetres thick. Outside the branch looked all as it should be, bark intact and apparently healthy, but when I examined the inside at the point of breakage, it was rotten. I showed a dog walker and he reflected that it was a bit like society – looking good on the outside but rotten within. A cynical point of view, but perhaps he had a point. The Apostle John wrote in 1 John 4:20, “If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a fellow believer, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see”? The Apostle James wrote in James 1:26, “If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless”. There are plenty of verses in the Bible about the way we should behave, internally and externally.

The duty of all believers is to “walk the walk” and “talk the talk”. In other words, we must behave in a way that coincides with our faith. And not just how we think God wants us to behave, but in a way that our neighbours think we should behave. As an example, it isn’t necessarily wrong to have a drink at a bar with our friends, but, perhaps for the sake of an alcoholic neighbour or workmate, it might be better to avoid doing that, or at least only drink something that is alcohol free. In James 1:22, we read, “But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves”. In other words, we must behave in a way that aligns with God’s Word, because that is the way He wants us to live and for the benefit of the “unbelieving neighbour” who lives next door. Our lives sometimes will be the only manifestation of the Gospel people will see. St Francis of Assisi is credited with the quotation, “Preach the gospel at all times. And if necessary, use words“. Perhaps a very valid point when we consider “honourable behaviour”.

Dear God. We are Your representatives here on Planet Earth. Please help us to live in an honourable way so that You get all the glory. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Temporary Residents

Posted on by korgrocker

“Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls.”
1 Peter 2:11 NLT

Peter warns his readers “to keep away from worldly desires”. But perhaps we think that this is easier said than done because we live on this world, Planet Earth. It’s a world corrupted by sin and wickedness; we only have to read a newspaper, or, more likely, go on-line and start reading what one of the news outlets provides, to find out how bad things really are. Social media seems to be burgeoning with negative stories, many of them heart-rending in their content. So, for us pilgrims, it is a difficult place to keep apart from, and especially if we ourselves are caught up in one of the negative stories personally. We find too that there are consequences to many of the decisions and actions that we make, driven perhaps by our “worldly desires”.

But Peter started this verse with a strange concept, that his readers were “temporary residents and foreigners”, presumably in this world. How can that be, because it was into this world that each of us was born. To answer that, we have to take a step back and consider two scenarios. Firstly, our natural lives will only span a finite number of years, as we read in Psalm 90:1a, “Seventy years are given to us! Some even live to eighty … ”. So in that respect we are “temporary residents”. Planet Earth was already here when we arrived and will probably still be here when we die. 

What was Peter meaning then when he said we were “foreigners” in this world? This is the second scenario and refers to that day when we pilgrims made a decision for Christ. A decision were we repented of our sins and believed in Jesus. We read in Acts 2:38, “Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 10:9-10, “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved”. That is the decision we call being born again. Jesus told Nicodemus about it in John 3:3, “Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God””. The consequences of this are as Paul wrote in Philippians 3:20, “But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Saviour”.

There came that point where we pilgrims acquired a new passport, and it says we are citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven. Instead of the cover saying “United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland”, or whatever your national passports say, our new passport says “Kingdom of Heaven” or “Kingdom of God”. We don’t however have a physical passport because this is a spiritual kingdom and God doesn’t need to issue one. Instead He has written our names in a Book, called the Lamb’s Book of Life. And the wonderful thing is that instead of only being valid for ten years, like the UK passport, it applies for all of eternity. We read about this book in Revelation 21:27, “Nothing evil will be allowed to enter, nor anyone who practices shameful idolatry and dishonesty—but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life”. 

So, we pilgrims are indeed “temporary residents and foreigners” in this world. One day we will have no need for a UK passport, or, indeed any other passport, and can fully and totally take up our citizenship in Heaven. But back to how we started. While we are “temporary residents and foreigners” we have been warned “to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against [our] very souls.” Sound advice from a man who knew as much as anyone the dangers and temptations in living a worldly life. In 1 John 4:4-6 we can read what the Apostle John wrote about worldly people. “But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world. Those people belong to this world, so they speak from the world’s viewpoint, and the world listens to them. But we belong to God, and those who know God listen to us. If they do not belong to God, they do not listen to us. That is how we know if someone has the Spirit of truth or the spirit of deception.” Paul, the Apostle, wrote in Romans 8:37, and referring to the difficulties of living in the world, “No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us”. 

In God, and through the Holy Spirit who lives within us, we can live a life in the right Kingdom. It isn’t easy, and sometimes we will slip up. But our Heavenly Father is quick to forgive us for our sins, and we are free to move onwards and upwards into our calling in Christ.

Dear Father God. Thank You that You have recorded our names in Your Book of Life, sealing our Heavenly citizenship. What a wonderful gift! Amen.

Our Identity

Posted on by korgrocker

“Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God’s mercy.”
1 Peter 2:10 NLT

‭‭Our identity is made up of our memories, feelings, experiences, and relationships, but it will also be influenced by external factors such as fashion, music, and politics. But we mustn’t also forget the spiritual influences that shape our concept of God and His ways. I was brought up in a Christian home, with parents who took me to church each Sunday. I still remember those early years with the pews and hassocks, the musty smell, the prayer book, the stained glass windows, and the wonderful hymns that still resonate with me today. In those days I had a children’s Bible full of wonderful stories – David and Goliath, the crossing of the Red Sea, Jesus feeding the five thousand and walking on water. In those primary years I also went to a Sunday afternoon Sunday School, run by an elderly couple in a Gospel Mission hall. We sung some great choruses. The teacher sometimes used flannelgraph to illustrate the stories. Precious memories, because they shaped much of what I am today.

In our societies we can look around and sometimes recognise the identities of the people we meet. Mainly, of course, by the way they dress, but also by the way they behave. But such preconceived opinions are mostly not helpful, because we can erroneously compartmentalise people into a category that turns out to be false. The old prophet Samuel fell into such a trap when he had been sent to the house of a man called Jesse to anoint one of his sons as the next king of Israel. The first son impressed him, and we read in 1 Samuel 16:6-7, “ … Samuel took one look at Eliab and thought, “Surely this is the Lord’s anointed!” But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart””. 

‭So how would I describe my personal identity? I think we would all find that a difficult, and perhaps painful, question to answer. And one that is very personal to each one of us. To define an identity, we need something to identify with, and the obvious place to start, for pilgrims such as us, is with the Bible. God’s Word defines our identity. We are now children of God. We have just read the verse that we are “royal priests”. And we end up with an identity as a child of God that defines us, even if sometimes we fail to live up to its ideals. 

Peter started the verse today by saying that, in our pre-Christian days, we had “no identity as a people“. Any identity we claimed to have had would in fact be worthless from God’s perspective. Anything blighted by sin and wickedness is not a worthwhile identity to have. But now we have an identity as “God’s people”.

There is an extremely counter-cultural verse right at the beginning of the Bible, that defines our identities and rubbishes most of the secular ideologies around us. Genesis 1:27, “So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them“. This verse, above all others in my opinion, is life changing once its impact is accepted and taken on board. It must break His heart to see rebellious people, who reject the truth that He made them in His image. And all those people promoting a plethora of genders immediately come to grief. How can we reject the fact that God has made us? What else can we do other than repent of our sin and rebellion and embrace the Master Craftsman, who designed every cell in our bodies? 

Father God, we repent of our sin today, in the knowledge that only You have the true answer to our identity questions. Please help us, we pray. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Called Ones

Posted on by korgrocker

“But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.”
1 Peter 2:9 NLT

Peter wrote “he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light”. Did we pilgrims hear a call when we decided to believe in Jesus? Was that a call or a decision? And did we feel we were in a dark place? Of course, for some this is exactly how it happened. Perhaps a person was living a normal life when, suddenly out of nowhere, everything collapsed like a house of cards. A marriage broke up. The illness of a loved one was announced as terminal. A job was lost. Many things can conspire to disturb the status quo and leave us in a dark place. Dark because there seems no way out. For other people the darkness of their previous lives only becomes exposed when they find themselves living in the light of God’s presence. After they make that so important decision to follow Christ. 

So, was it a call we heard? We read in Matthew 4:19-22 the calling of the first disciples. “Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” And they left their nets at once and followed him. A little farther up the shore he saw two other brothers, James and John, sitting in a boat with their father, Zebedee, repairing their nets. And he called them to come, too. They immediately followed him, leaving the boat and their father behind.” Then there was the “calling” of Zaccheus. Luke 19:5, “When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name. “Zacchaeus!” he said. “Quick, come down! I must be a guest in your home today.”” Those “callings” were dramatic and immediate. But on 21st Century Planet Earth, Jesus is not physically present to do the calling. He has delegated the task to us pilgrims. We get a glimpse of how this might work from the calling of Levi (Matthew). Jesus called him to follow Him, and the first thing he did was to hold a party. We read in Luke 5:29, “Later, Levi held a banquet in his home with Jesus as the guest of honour. Many of Levi’s fellow tax collectors and other guests also ate with them”. The natural thing for Levi to do was to introduce his friends and acquaintances to Jesus. 

We pilgrims have responded to the call of Jesus in our lives. Did we hear a “call”? Perhaps it was something less tangible, but the Holy Spirit within us was the key. We read in John 16:8 about the work of the Holy Spirit, “And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment”. We today are commissioned to tell the world about Jesus and His saving grace. But the Holy Spirit does the “calling” in our hearers’ lives. To facilitate the process, perhaps we, like Levi, should also hold a party, with Jesus the guest of honour.

Who have we shared the Good News about Jesus with lately? Do our lives measure up to promote the Gospel? Or are they just like anyone else’s? Do we have the message on the tip of our tongues, ready to share at the first opportunity? The world about us has lost its way, becoming confused by so many unnecessary issues. Confusion about gender, education, origins, finances – the list seems endless. But it is only we called ones who have the answers. The darkness around us needs the light, the light that can only be found through God. Who else will light up the world around us, if not us pilgrims?

Father God. You are the Light of the world, but we are Your reflectors. Please help us to shine with the light of Your presence. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Royal Priests

Posted on by korgrocker

“But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.”
1 Peter 2:9 NLT

Peter started this verse by reminding his readers that they are not like those who have stumbled over the Rock, who is Christ. They are not like those who are disobedient to God’s Word. Instead he reminded them that they are a “chosen people”. We remember the incredible Scripture in Ephesians 1:4, “Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes”. God is of course eternal and He looks down on history in a timeless fashion, so He could see all those who would respond to the tugging in their hearts, pulling and calling them to a relationship with Himself. These are they whom He has chosen. And we pilgrims, who have responded to the call, are “chosen people” as well, warmed within with a glow that can only come from the indwelling Holy Spirit. 

But Peter continues with the news that this “chosen people” are “royal priests”. A few days ago we considered the verse, “And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God” (1 Peter 2:5). But Peter introduces the thought that the priests are “royal”. But when we think about it, we priestly pilgrims are nothing else. As children of the great King we are of course royalty. Princes and princesses. So why do we so often behave as though we are ordinary people, citizens of the secular society in which so many of us live?

Peter goes on to add that we are “royal priests” in a “holy nation”. It gets better and better. Chosen, royal, holy – it all is building a picture of very different people. People who are of a different world. God’s world. His kingdom. 

So should we pilgrims be dressing in a purple robe, cut like that of an Anglican priest, so that everyone knows who or what we are? Must we wear a very visible uniform to shown everyone who we belong to? Such garments are ubiquitous in society today, so we recognise nurses, airline cabin crew, police officers and many besides. Surely “Christian” is worthy of the same? This is where it gets a bit daunting, because do we want to be that visible? The uniform we wear reflects on our employer, or, in our case, on God Himself. Are we therefore worthy of being called a “royal priest”? Would our dress and our behaviour be representative of our calling and the Great King Himself?

Jesus warned His followers that they must be very visible as His disciples but there are consequences for those that are not. We read in Matthew 10:32-33, “Everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But everyone who denies me here on earth, I will also deny before my Father in heaven”. In other words, as “royal priests” we must behave appropriately. Not only must we never be ashamed of our relationship with Jesus, we must also always be prepared to promote Him and our faith as well. That’s what a priest does. I know from my own experience that it can make things difficult in our work places if we publicly declare our faith. If a swear word was uttered in my presence, it was quickly followed by an apology. When I walked into a meeting room there was an awkward silence before the conversation went in a different direction. Thankfully the company in which I worked was large enough to have a Christian fellowship where we could pray and share together. It would otherwise have been a very lonely place.

We “royal priests” have work to do. The society around us look on, searching for ways in which we apparently compromise our faith, so that they can point a finger and accuse us of being no better than anyone else, of just being hypocrites. The world around us expects more from us than even God does. But we, by God’s grace, move onwards and upwards, day by day, always looking for opportunities to share our faith. In 2 Corinthians 2:14-16, Paul wrote, “ … Now he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume. Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing. To those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom. But to those who are being saved, we are a life-giving perfume …”. So, fellow pilgrims, we need to be careful of what perfume we use. A Heavenly infusion or one tainted by the world around us?

Dear Father God. As we move on in our faith, step by step, please help us to become more like Your Son, Jesus, so that we can truly spread You and Your presence in our communities, schools and workplaces. In Jesus’ name. Amen.  

The Ultimate Fate

Posted on by korgrocker

“Yes, you who trust him recognise the honour God has given him. But for those who reject him, “The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.” And, “He is the stone that makes people stumble, the rock that makes them fall.” They stumble because they do not obey God’s word, and so they meet the fate that was planned for them.”
1 Peter 2:7-8 NLT

The context is that, as prophesied by the Old Testament prophets, the Messiah is to become the “cornerstone”, the “rock that makes them fall”. But when Peter wrote these verses, the Messiah had already come, and His coming produced a dichotomy that has been with us ever since. The choice is dramatic and stark – people either choose to follow God or they reject Him. They are either obedient to His Word, or they are not. There are consequences to both choices; eternal life or eternal death. Heaven or hell. There is no middle ground. No grey area between them.

When it comes to obeying God, there are those who truly and diligently search the Scriptures and sincerely do their best to follow Him, applying His Word to their lives. Such obedience is based on our love for God. “Jesus replied, “All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them” (John 14:23). Then there are those who go through the motions, claiming to be Christians, but who do not have a heart to follow Him. Jesus spoke about such people in Luke 6:46, “So why do you keep calling me ‘Lord, Lord!’ when you don’t do what I say?” The Pharisees fell into this group of people who externally claimed they were obedient to God. They diligently obeyed the Law, and claimed that because of that they would get to Heaven. Their self-righteousness was what Isaiah warned about in Isaiah 64:6, “We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall, and our sins sweep us away like the wind”. 

The disobedient, those who have rejected God and His Word, are in a perilous place. As Peter wrote, “they [will] meet the fate that was planned for them”. Jesus said to Nicodemus, “God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son” (John 3:17-18). Judgement is the consequence for all those who fail to believe in Jesus and follow His ways, for those who are disobedient.

So what is the consequence of the judgment Jesus warned of? For the answer to that we turn to Revelation. The Apostle John wrote what he saw in his vision. “I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before God’s throne. And the books were opened, including the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books. The sea gave up its dead, and death and the grave gave up their dead. And all were judged according to their deeds. … And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:12-13,15). That was what Peter was referring to when he wrote “the fate that was planned for them”. A daunting thought but strangely one that most people I know in my community have apparently disregarded. 

So what do we pilgrims think? It’s not altogether healthy to live under a mantra of fear, fear of what might happen to us. But we are in a relationship with our loving Heavenly Father. John wrote in his first letter, “We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them” (1 John 4:16). A couple of verses further on John wrote, “Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love” (1 John 4:18). As we live and move in obedience to God and His Word we have nothing to be afraid of.

Dear Father God. Thank You for Your love and grace. We worship You today. Amen.

The Rock of Stumbling

Posted on by korgrocker

“Yes, you who trust him recognise the honour God has given him. But for those who reject him, “The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.” And, “He is the stone that makes people stumble, the rock that makes them fall.” They stumble because they do not obey God’s word, and so they meet the fate that was planned for them.”
1 Peter 2:7-8 NLT

In these two verses, Peter again quoted from the Old Testament. The first was a verse from Psalm 118:22, “The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone”. This Psalm was very much associated with the Passover celebrations and encouraged the congregation to “Praise the Lord” – “Hallelujah!”. The Passover was all about the time when the Israelite slaves were released from the Egyptians and when they embarked on their long journey in the wilderness before they reached the Promised Land. So there was much to thank God for and the Feast of Passover was celebrated every year. But dropped into the middle of this Psalm was the verse about the cornerstone. A thought that a common item, such as a stone used for building, was thrown away by the builders because they thought it unsuitable. A prophetic glimpse that Jesus remembered and wove into the parable of the wicked farmers. They were the leaseholders of a vineyard, and when the landlord, the owner of the vineyard, sent servants to collect his rent, they were beaten up, even killed. Jesus continued the story, “Finally, the owner sent his son, thinking, ‘Surely they will respect my son.’ “But when the tenant farmers saw his son coming, they said to one another, ‘Here comes the heir to this estate. Come on, let’s kill him and get the estate for ourselves!’ So they grabbed him, dragged him out of the vineyard, and murdered him” (Matthew 21:37-39). Jesus was of course foretelling His death, and He reminded the Pharisees, to whom the parable was aimed, that they were rejecting their Messiah, the Cornerstone, by quoting Psalm 118:22, “Then Jesus asked them, “Didn’t you ever read this in the Scriptures? ‘The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing, and it is wonderful to see‘” (Matthew 21:42).

Peter went on to quote another Old Testament scripture, Isaiah 8:14. Referring to the Lord Himself, we read, “He will keep you safe. But to Israel and Judah he will be a stone that makes people stumble, a rock that makes them fall. And for the people of Jerusalem he will be a trap and a snare”. The context of this verse was a warning about the Assyrians. The Jews had become complacent and Isaiah prophesied that they will come to grief as a result of the Assyrian invasion because they had turned away from God. Isaiah 8:13-14a, “Make the Lord of Heaven’s Armies holy in your life. He is the one you should fear. He is the one who should make you tremble. He will keep you safe … ”. The people were exhorted to trust God for their salvation, but for those who didn’t, they will trip over Him, falling to their destruction.

So what about today? What is the message in all this for us pilgrims? Just as it was in those days long ago, God is always there for us. He is the solution to our problems. As we trust in Him we will find security and safety. The world may rage around us, going to and fro between secular ideologies, staggering from one conflict to another, and if we get caught up in all of that we too will “trip” over the Rock that is God. Instead of being a solution He will become a problem to us. Instead of a foundation to keep our souls safe for eternity, we will find that failing to trust in the Rock will lead to our eternal destruction. Back to Isaiah 8, “Look to God’s instructions and teachings! People who contradict his word are completely in the dark. They will go from one place to another, weary and hungry. And because they are hungry, they will rage and curse their king and their God. They will look up to heaven” (Isaiah 8:20-21).

Back to Psalm 118, the Hallelujah Psalm. We remember when we wake every morning, “This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24). Let us vow not to stumble over any “rocks” in our path today.

Father God. We thank You that in the storms of life You are always there for us, the Rock on who we stand. Amen.

Jerusalem

Posted on by korgrocker

“As the Scriptures say, “I am placing a cornerstone in Jerusalem, chosen for great honour, and anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.””
1 Peter 2:6 NLT

In his letter, Peter quoted Isaiah 28:16, “Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: “Look! I am placing a foundation stone in Jerusalem, a firm and tested stone. It is a precious cornerstone that is safe to build on. Whoever believes need never be shaken.” Isaiah’s prophecy in his chapter 28 was scathing about the rulers in Jerusalem, and he foretold their fate. Isaiah could see coming a time when there would be a righteous Ruler in Jerusalem but his prophecy is still to be fulfilled of course. Other prophets foretold of Jesus ruling in Jerusalem – we can read their prophecies in Zechariah 14 and Jeremiah 3. We refer to this coming of Jesus as His second coming, because we already know about His first coming, as a baby, born in a stable located in Bethlehem. Some 50 days after the resurrection, Jesus went out with His disciples to the Mount of Olives, located just outside Jerusalem, from where He ascended into Heaven. But Jesus is returning to this world, and we read about His return from the angels’ message in Acts 1:11, ““Men of Galilee,” they said, “why are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday he will return from heaven in the same way you saw him go!”” We knew this was at Jerusalem, because the next verse in Acts reads, “Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, a distance of half a mile”. Jesus Himself foretold of His return to Planet Earth in Matthew 24:30, “And then at last, the sign that the Son of Man is coming will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the peoples of the earth. And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.”

But why Jerusalem? Surely there are better places for Jesus to return to? Places where He could be a “cornerstone” far more effectively. Jerusalem is riven by conflict between Jew and Gentile, Israeli and Palestinian, Muslim and Jew. There are many more peaceful places on earth, we could argue. But it will be as God has ordained it. And we also need to remember that one day there will be a New Jerusalem that Jesus Himself foretold about, as recorded by John in Revelation 3:12, “All who are victorious will become pillars in the Temple of my God, and they will never have to leave it. And I will write on them the name of my God, and they will be citizens in the city of my God—the new Jerusalem that comes down from heaven from my God. And I will also write on them my new name.” In Revelation 21:2 we read, “And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband”. The names Jerusalem and Zion are synonymous and the author of the Hebrews wrote, “No, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to countless thousands of angels in a joyful gathering. You have come to the assembly of God’s firstborn children, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God himself, who is the judge over all things. You have come to the spirits of the righteous ones in heaven who have now been made perfect” (Hebrews 12:22-23). 

There is something special about Jerusalem. It figures greatly throughout the Bible as God’s home and one in which we too will live one day. Whether we consider it as a physical place or a spiritual condition, we must never discount it, and must always be obedient to the Scripture, “Pray for peace in Jerusalem. May all who love this city prosper. O Jerusalem, may there be peace within your walls and prosperity in your palaces. For the sake of my family and friends, I will say, “May you have peace.” For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek what is best for you, O Jerusalem” (Psalm 122:6-9). There is much strife in 21st Century Jerusalem, but God will one day answer our prayers.

Dear God. We pray for the Holy City Jerusalem today, that peace will reign and Your Word upheld. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Spiritual Sacrifices

Posted on by korgrocker

“You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple. He was rejected by people, but he was chosen by God for great honour. And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God.”
1 Peter 2:4-5 NLT

The Jewish religion was based on the sacrifice of animals and other items on the altars located firstly in the Tabernacle and later in the Temple in Jerusalem. Sacrifices were typically for an offering for sin, such as we read in Exodus 29:36a, “Each day you must sacrifice a young bull as a sin offering to purify them, making them right with the Lord … ”. But Jesus became an eternal sacrifice for all sins and His death on Calvary sealed the New Covenant between God and man. The prophet Jeremiah foretold of the New Covenant, as we read in Jeremiah 31:33, ““But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel after those days,” says the Lord. “I will put my instructions deep within them, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people””.

Just as the Old Testament priests were responsible for offering up sacrifices to God, we pilgrims of the new Covenant “offer spiritual sacrifices that please God”. So what are these “sacrifices”? One go-to Scripture is in Romans 12:1, “And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him”. Then we have the sacrifice of praise, as we read in Hebrews 13:15, “Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our allegiance to his name”. In the Old Testament, incense was offered up as a sacrifice, and this is often associated with prayer. We read in Psalm 141:2, “Accept my prayer as incense offered to you, and my upraised hands as an evening offering”. 

We pilgrims offer up sacrifices to God that consist of our prayers, praises, worship, our bodies – in fact everything we do we can turn into a sacrifice to God, as we do it in His name. That is what a living sacrifice is all about. We lay ourselves willingly on the altar before Him, remembering the words of the old hymn, “Take my life and let it be consecrated, Lord, to thee“.

Dear Lord. We offer up our sacrifices of praise today in deep gratitude for Your grace and love. Amen.