Day of the Lord

Posted on by korgrocker

“But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be found to deserve judgment. Since everything around us is going to be destroyed like this, what holy and godly lives you should live, looking forward to the day of God and hurrying it along. On that day, he will set the heavens on fire, and the elements will melt away in the flames.”
2 Peter 3:10-12 NLT

The phrase “day of the Lord” is often used in the Bible. In the context it seems to indicate an event during which an act of God brings about some outcome in accordance with His plans and purposes. An example can be found in Ezekiel 30:2-3, “Son of man, prophesy and give this message from the Sovereign Lord: “Weep and wail for that day, for the terrible day is almost here— the day of the Lord! It is a day of clouds and gloom, a day of despair for the nations“. The phrase is also often associated with the return of Christ, as we read in 2 Corinthians 1:14, “even if you don’t understand us now. Then on the day when the Lord Jesus returns, you will be proud of us in the same way we are proud of you“. There is usually a sense of imminence in the verses about the “day of the Lord”, but near or far, no-one knows when it will be. Peter graphically describes the day as coming “as unexpectedly as a thief”. In Matthew 24:42-44, Jesus said to His disciples, “So you, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is coming. Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would keep watch and not permit his house to be broken into. You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected”. Paul picked up the theme as well, as we read in 1 Thessalonians 5:2, “For you know quite well that the day of the Lord’s return will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night“. 

If we pilgrims allow our minds to elevate into Heavenly themes, we can perhaps imagine carrying on what we are doing at this very moment and then, suddenly, something far reaching, catastrophic even, happens. Our eyes suddenly look up and we see what Jesus said would happen in Matthew 24:29-30, “Immediately after the anguish of those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will give no light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. 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“. Sometimes I believe it is that close, and, in their day, many in the Old Testament thought the same. Joel 2:1, “Sound the trumpet in Jerusalem! Raise the alarm on my holy mountain! Let everyone tremble in fear because the day of the Lord is upon us“.‭‭ 

Most people in our societies today have no idea that there will be such a thing as the “day of the Lord”. The situation will be as Jesus foretold in Matthew 24:37-39, “When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat. People didn’t realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes“. But Noah was ready for the flood. It had taken him a hundred years to get ready, but God was in no hurry. And He is in no hurry today, but there will be a day ….

Jesus went on to teach His disciples about being “a faithful sensible servant” (Matthew 24:45). We pilgrims are all servants of God, and He has entrusted us to administer His interests here on Planet Earth. So we are careful to live as He has commanded, in our personal holiness, in our lives at work or school, home or away. And we take every opportunity to warn those around us of the “day of the Lord”. It took Noah a considerable time to build the ark, and we can imagine the ridicule he would have experienced by those around him. But Noah made it into the Hebrews hall of fame (Hebrews 11). We read in Hebrews 11:7, “It was by faith that Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God, who warned him about things that had never happened before. By his faith Noah condemned the rest of the world, and he received the righteousness that comes by faith“. 

So, fellow pilgrims, the “day of the Lord” could come at any moment. Are we ready?

Jesus, we echo the words at the end of Revelation 22 “Amen! Come Lord Jesus”. Maranatha. Amen,

‭‭

Days and Years

Posted on by korgrocker

“But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.”
2 Peter 3:8-9 NLT

It was obviously a problem for those early Christians – why was the expected return of Jesus apparently being delayed? Did He really say He would come back again “soon”? But then, what does “soon” mean? Has God changed His mind? In John 14:3, Jesus said that after He had prepared a place for them, He would return to get His disciples, “When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am“. But there can’t be a delay with the Heavenly building work because, after all, God only had to speak the word and something would appear from nothing. But Jesus did say that even He didn’t know when He would come again – Matthew 24:36, “However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows“. All He said was that His followers must be ready – He said, “You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected” (Matthew 24:44). 

The Bible tells us much about the End Times, and how Jesus will return. Jesus provided some detail in Matthew 24 and 25. His discourse contained warnings and signs of the end, and He left the impression that he would return within a generation. Matthew 24:34, “I tell you the truth, this generation will not pass from the scene until all these things take place“. However the word “generation” can also be translated “age” or “nation”. But comparing current world events with the End Times prophecies, we can surely assume that we are living in the End Times, and must do what Jesus advised – get ready for His return. 

Peter gave a reason for the apparent delay in Jesus’ expected return. He wrote, “He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.” That’s the grace of God. The fact that we are currently alive in itself indicates that God is giving many generations the opportunity to reach out to Him and embrace His loving and saving grace. If Jesus had returned when the early believers had expected Him to, then we probably wouldn’t be here. God is patient, and events will happen as He orders.

But what about Peter’s suggestion that “ A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day?” God lives outside of time, or perhaps time lives inside God. But the Eternal Being sees the end from the beginning. All history, all world events past, present and future, all generations and nations, are laid out before Him and He can therefore see many things, that we can’t. But what we do know is that God can be trusted. The One who holds the world isn’t capricious, or unpredictable. He is holy, loving and kind. The accolades we could write about God are many, but one driving factor is His righteousness. His perfect righteousness can be trusted to bring about a conclusion that is right. All we are asked to do is to have faith in Him, believe in Him, put our trust in Him and get ready for Jesus’ return. It may not be in our lifetimes, but that doesn’t matter. What does, is that we follow Him and keep His commandments. Day by day, year by year. Time is unimportant. 

So how are we living? How do we treat those around us? How is our relationship with Jesus? It would be terrible to find that He returns, and finds us unprepared. Especially when His grace is freely available.

Father God. We know You love us, so it is no hardship to return that love. We say “Come Lord Jesus”. Amen.

The Same Word

Posted on by korgrocker

“They deliberately forget that God made the heavens long ago by the word of his command, and he brought the earth out from the water and surrounded it with water. Then he used the water to destroy the ancient world with a mighty flood. And by the same word, the present heavens and earth have been stored up for fire. They are being kept for the day of judgment, when ungodly people will be destroyed.”
2 Peter 3:5-7 NLT

There are ahead of us in time certain world events that will be catastrophic in their totality, as Peter described. But before we get there we are in a season of grace where we have the opportunity to consider who or what this “same word” really is. We think of a word as being something articulated and mouthed in our own languages that helps us communicate with those around us. From an early age, babies learn to speak and communicate, and through schooling, this extends to both spoken and written words. Information is contained in words, and without such a form of communication the world would be a poorer place. 

God Himself used words to create the heavens and the earth. We know the Genesis story well. Those verses that started “Then God said…”. The scientists and technologists have tried many times to emulate what God can achieve, but one thing they have failed to do is to speak in a way that creates something from nothing. One thing I always ask evolutionists and physicists, if I get the opportunity, is “Where did all the matter come from in the first place?”. They talk about the “big bang” and other complex theories, but of course, they have no answer to the origin of matter. Only God can create something from nothing, by a word. Neither can they answer the question, “Why is there matter and life around us, and not just nothing?”. It is usually at this point that the conversation changes. 

John’s Gospel starts with, “In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone” (John 1:1-4). John set the scene for who Jesus really was, and is, right at the start of his Gospel, and we have to embrace the implications of this when we think about Him. The Son of God Himself was directly involved in the “same word” that uttered “Then God said …”. In fact, John said He was that Word at the very creation of the world. But after this He fulfilled God’s plan for mankind by becoming one of us. Who ever heard about a God who created the world and then became a part of that creation? The One with unlimited power and presence becoming a limited human being. And all to enable human beings to find God, their Creator, and turn to Him so that they could live with Him forever. Such love and grace!

But back to the consideration of what is to come. According to the Bible, Jesus didn’t just come to this world, born as a human baby, living and dying, and then never to be seen again. That “same word” still exists today. And we know that he is actively at work in Heaven preparing a place for us, “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am” (John 14:1-3). And one day He is coming back. Hebrews 9:28, “so also Christ was offered once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him“. 

But we also know that one day everyone will be judged according to what they did in their lives. Revelation 20:12, “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“. And the One who will be the Judge is Jesus Christ Himself. John 5:22, “In addition, the Father judges no one. Instead, he has given the Son absolute authority to judge“.

So we have gone full circle, in a way. The same Word, who spoke into being the world we know, will one day utter judgement on those who come before Him. No more “gentle Jesus meek and mild”. The last judgement will be a scary occasion “when ungodly people will be destroyed”. In fact, the very Word that created will speak out punishment and judgement, scaring even the created environment to disappear. “And I saw a great white throne and the one sitting on it. The earth and sky fled from his presence, but they found no place to hide” (Revelation 20:11). But because of our loving and gracious God, we have an opportunity, in this season of grace, to embrace all he has for us. The Word who become flesh died for us at Calvary, that our sins would be forgiven and His righteousness able to cover us like a cloak, enabling us to enter God’s presence. Don’t miss this opportunity. Grab every opportunity to warn those around us. One day it will be too late.

Dear Father God. We reach out to You today, deeply grateful for Your love and grace. Please forgive us for our sins. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Word

Posted on by korgrocker

“They deliberately forget that God made the heavens long ago by the word of his command, and he brought the earth out from the water and surrounded it with water. Then he used the water to destroy the ancient world with a mighty flood.”
2 Peter 3:5-6 NLT

Here we are on the first day of 2024. It will probably be a year of change, to follow on from the past year of change. We look back and perhaps wonder how we survived. But here on the intersection of two events in the calendar perhaps there is something within us providing a hint of Holy-Spirit-inspired excitement. Is this the year Jesus will return? Will revival break out in our communities? We don’t know, but what we do know is that God has plans. We are not discarded resources, fit for nothing anymore. We are children of God, and He wants to use each one of us for His will and purposes. That is why we have been created, and perhaps we need to look up today and echo the words of Isaiah 6:8, “Then I heard the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?” I said, “Here I am. Send me.”” We have a message of hope that the sad and cynical world around us needs to hear.

But back to our verses today from 2 Peter 3. We can sometimes forget that the world was created. But Peter obviously hadn’t. Referring to the “scoffers” described in the previous verses, he pointed out that they had “deliberately” forgotten all about the Creation story. In Genesis 1:6-8 we read, “And God said, “Let there be an expanse [of the sky] in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters [below the expanse] from the waters [above the expanse].” And God made the expanse [of sky] and separated the waters which were under the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse; and it was so [just as He commanded]. God called the expanse [of sky] heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day” (Amplified version). God created with a Word. He spoke and amazing things happened. But we should take note that God used part of His creation to administer judgement to a whole world of ungodly people, as Peter pointed out to his readers. The “scoffers” in previous verses thought that the world in which they lived was unchanging. They said, ” … From before the times of our ancestors, everything has remained the same since the world was first created” (2 Peter 3:4b). But they “deliberately forgot” the Flood and the changes it brought to this planet. 

The “scoffers” will also not have read the rest of the story. Jesus Himself warned of catastrophic events still to happen. Matthew 24:29, “Immediately after the anguish of those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will give no light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken“. Matthew 24:35, “Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear“. And, ominously, Jesus reminded His disciples of the event long ago, “People didn’t realise what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes” (Matthew 24:39). We tend to be complacent, thinking that because the sun rises every day, and we have air to breath, that the world is unchanging. Of course, the ecologically conscious amongst us warn about global warming and assign blame to man-made use of fossil fuels. They hold conferences and feel good when world leaders sign pledges to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, but in general the events Jesus warned about will bring a whole new dimension to the meaning of climate change. In fact, as we read in Revelation 20, there will be no climate left capable of changing. But in Revelation 6:12-14, we read, “I watched as the Lamb broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake. The sun became as dark as black cloth, and the moon became as red as blood. Then the stars of the sky fell to the earth like green figs falling from a tree shaken by a strong wind. The sky was rolled up like a scroll, and all of the mountains and islands were moved from their places.” 

We need to be aware that the world is not immune from change. Astronomers tell us of events far away where stars flare up and disappear. It could happen to us as well. But there is Someone who is unchanging, and who will last for eternity. We read Hebrews 13:8, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Malachi 3:6, “I am the Lord, and I do not change. That is why you descendants of Jacob are not already destroyed“. ‭‭We don’t know when the world will end. But we trust in the One who holds the world in His hand.

Dear Father God, the unchanging One. Thank You for Your unchanging Word, the living Word, Jesus. Amen.

Scoffers

Posted on by korgrocker

“Most importantly, I want to remind you that in the last days scoffers will come, mocking the truth and following their own desires. They will say, “What happened to the promise that Jesus is coming again? From before the times of our ancestors, everything has remained the same since the world was first created.””
2 Peter 3:3-4 NLT

‭‭The resurrected Jesus had a conversation with Peter where He asked three times if Peter loved Him. Towards the end of this we read in John 21:21, “Peter asked Jesus, “What about him, Lord?””, referring to the disciple John. “Jesus replied, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? As for you, follow me.” So the rumour spread among the community of believers that this disciple wouldn’t die. But that isn’t what Jesus said at all. He only said, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?”” (John 21:22-23). Soon after, on the Mount of Olives, we read the account of Jesus’ return to Heaven and we read 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!”” 

There was an expectation in the early Church that Jesus was coming back to Planet Earth, and this was going to happen within a generation. The problem was that as time went on, He didn’t re-appear as expected, and people died without seeing Him again. But apparently there were some “scoffers” who tormented those early believers by asking them, “Where is He?”. “What happened to the promise?”, they said. And they pointed out that the world around them was as it always had been. The seasons still took place. Crops grew. Rain fell. Mountains remained. Lakes were still full of water. People were born and eventually died. Nothing had changed. 

We still have the “scoffers” today, and there seems to be so much more to scoff at. Science, technology, the internet and social media seem to have combined to bring about a plethora of theories and ideologies, each with their own adherents and opponents, evoking a sometimes violent clash, as opposing sides scoff at each other. And as for those who believe in a Man who was crucified two thousand years ago and who said He was coming again, such a “theory” is so implausible (to them) that the “scoffers” say it isn’t even worth scoffing at. Generations of “scoffers” have never left this earth. Regarding my faith, I have been asked frequently, “You don’t really believe that stuff do you?” We pilgrims have all met then “scoffers”, I’m sure.

There was a character in John Bunyan’s “The Pilgrim’s Progress” called Atheist. He once claimed that he was a pilgrim believer, but apparently he left his country out of curiosity and intrigue, not to find relief from a burden of sin or to escape the wrath to come. He sought for evidence of God’s existence and for the hope of eternal life, but finding none, he resolved to give up and go back to his country. And he became a scoffer, renouncing the gospel. He became a person who rejected all forms of religion and turned into a “scoffer“. From the book, 
“So this man drew nearer and nearer until he came right up to them. His name was Atheist, and he immediately asked the pilgrims where they were going.
Christian said, “We are going to Mount Zion.”
Atheist burst into howling and scornful laughter. He said, “I cannot but help laugh on account of it being so obvious that you are both ignorant persons; for you have committed yourselves to a very tiring journey that will provide you with absolutely nothing for your trouble, other than a fruitless journey.
Christian said, “Why man, do you think it possible that we will not be received at our destination?”
Atheist said, “Received! But there is no such place that you dream of in all this world.”

I once worked with a man like Atheist. He was brought up as a Catholic, but sometime in his journey through life, something happened to make him change and turn on his previous belief in God, and he never missed an opportunity to scoff at me for my faith. Incidentally, it was a bitter-sweet experience for him, because part of my testimony for becoming a Christian was because of him and his atheistic and humanistic ideologies, forcing me to confront my agnosticism and reach out to God instead. So while I had the opportunity I replied to his scoffing with a word of thanks,

So how do we pilgrims deal with “scoffers”? Psalm 1:1 is a good place to start. From the Amplified Bible version, “Blessed [fortunate, prosperous, and favoured by God] is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked [following their advice and example], Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit [down to rest] in the seat of scoffers (ridiculers)“. About this blessed person, the next verses read, “But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And on His law [His precepts and teachings] he [habitually] meditates day and night. And he will be like a tree firmly planted [and fed] by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season; Its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers [and comes to maturity]” (Psalm 1:2-3). The Bible has several references to “scoffers”, but in God’s Word we can find the words we need to bolster our faith and keep us spiritually strong on our journey through life.  No “scoffer” will ever stop God loving us, and His strength will keep us from withering in a land of Godless ideologies and “scoffers”. There will come a day when the “scoffers” will find that God isn’t impressed by their foolishness, and they will suddenly realise that Jesus really did come to this world to save us.

Dear Father God. Thank You for the purity of Your Word and its power, shining like a beacon in a cynical world. Amen.

Wholesome Thinking

Posted on by korgrocker

“This is my second letter to you, dear friends, and in both of them I have tried to stimulate your wholesome thinking and refresh your memory. I want you to remember what the holy prophets said long ago and what our Lord and Saviour commanded through your apostles.”
2 Peter 3:1-2 NLT

This is Peter starting to wrap up his letter, reminding his readers in Asia Minor what the purposes of his letter were. In fact, his first letter had the same purpose as his second – making and encouraging disciples. He wanted to strengthen their faith so that they could stand on their own spiritual feet by themselves. If there was anyone qualified to write this letter, with its encouragements and wisdom, its warnings and scope, it was Peter. The fisherman from Galilee, impetuous, outspoken, but with a special place in church history. Jesus said to him, “Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it” (Matthew 16:18). So as a trusted disciple with a trusted mission in the future of Jesus’ church, the local representation of this church in the five provinces of what is now modern Turkey was important both to him and to God. In fact he referred to his readers as “dear friends” perhaps indicating that he knew them all personally. 

In Peter’s day there was no New Testament as we know it. The Apostle’s teaching was the gold standard for those early believers and it was only through the letters written by them, or by personal visits, that the Gospel message was propagated. Peter was executed about 68 AD and his second letter was probably written a year or two before that. The Gospels may have been written just after this, though we can’t be sure. So those early believers were particularly vulnerable to false teaching and error. But Peter carefully “tried to stimulate [their] wholesome thinking and refresh [their] memory“.

What did Peter therefore wish to remind the early believers of? A disciple of Jesus Christ builds his faith on the foundational truths of the Gospel, truths laid down by the Apostles, the men who had been with Jesus. The men who stood up in the Sanhedrin and confounded the Jewish leaders with their boldness and wisdom. Acts 4:13, “The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus.” What a tremendous accolade – being noticed as having been with Jesus. Do those around us make the same connection? Hmm..

Jesus’ first disciples were giants of the faith. They had experienced the tongues of fire at Pentecost. They were men driven by their love of Jesus and the Holy Spirit within them. The words of Jesus never forgotten, words still ringing in their ears. And words they now repeated over and over again to anyone who would listen and who would embrace the Saviour as they had done. Words of eternal life, of the Kingdom of God, of Jesus Himself. 

What is the “wholesome thinking” that Peter referred to? Paul’s words might help us with an answer, because he reminded his readers of how they should align and renew their thoughts. We read in Ephesians 4:21-24, “Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy“. Those early believers weren’t on their own because they had the Holy Spirit within them, bringing to their remembrance what they had been taught. Bringing to their minds “wholesome thinking” from the teachings of Jesus.

What do we pilgrims think about such a reminder from Peter’s letter? Don’t need to hear it? Or something we take on board and remind ourselves to once again open the Bible, perhaps to a section we have neglected.  There are many distractions in our world and our thoughts can quickly rush off to irrelevancies and even untruths. We are constantly exposed to information, most of which is unwholesome and can even draw us away into wrong thinking. We, like those early Christians, need to “refresh [our] memories”. Regularly, and frequently. And against the timeless truths of Scripture, the things of the world grow strangely dim. We need to become, and stay, close to Jesus – only He has the words of eternal life.

Dear Lord and Father of mankind, forgive our foolish ways; reclothe us in our rightful mind, in purer lives thy service find, in deeper reverence, praise. Amen.

Returning To Sin

Posted on by korgrocker

“And when people escape from the wickedness of the world by knowing our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and then get tangled up and enslaved by sin again, they are worse off than before. It would be better if they had never known the way to righteousness than to know it and then reject the command they were given to live a holy life. They prove the truth of this proverb: “A dog returns to its vomit.” And another says, “A washed pig returns to the mud.””
2 Peter 2:20-22 NLT

This is a tragedy. I know people who once came to experience God’s saving grace through Jesus, who travelled for a while in His presence, but who then rejected Him and returned to their old sinful ways. Some of these people are personal friends and who are now in a spiritual desert, cynical, disillusioned and in denial. Often it is not God they have rejected, but the church, a fellowship of believers, who has turned them away. There may have been a misunderstanding, or a situation that was clumsily dealt with. But it may have been nothing to do with the church of which they were a part. Perhaps they started the journey but found the going too tough for them. Perhaps sin was so entrenched in their lives that they found themselves unable to rely on God and His love and grace. But in the end, they turned their back on the One who was their Saviour and Lord. 

Why is it that some people, who have received a glimpse of God and His Kingdom, who have even experienced God’s healing love and grace, then turn their back on Him? There was the case in Palestine of people who believed in Jesus but succumbed to peer pressure. John 12:42-43, “Many people did believe in him, however, including some of the Jewish leaders. But they wouldn’t admit it for fear that the Pharisees would expel them from the synagogue. For they loved human praise more than the praise of God“. In the parable of the soils, there was the case of the good seed that quickly grew up but didn’t last for long. Matthew 13:5-6, “Other seeds fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seeds sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow. But the plants soon wilted under the hot sun, and since they didn’t have deep roots, they died“. In both cases, worldly pressure and the pleasures of sin created an environment where following Jesus was too big an ask for them. Their lives were dominated by short term considerations rather than the prospect of eternal life after they die.

After Jesus fed the five thousand, He went on to teach about Him being the Bread of life. We read the account in John 6. He said, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever; and this bread, which I will offer so the world may live, is my flesh” (John 6:51). He went on to say, “But anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise that person at the last day” (John 6:54). ‭Hard teaching indeed for a people who recoiled in disgust at anything that superficially looked like cannibalism. But the outcome was, “Many of his disciples said, “This is very hard to understand. How can anyone accept it?”  … At this point many of his disciples turned away and deserted him” (John 6:60, 66). There are some Christians who started their pilgrimage only to find some Biblical teaching that they couldn’t accept. A lady I know has a son who is a homosexual, and she was unable to accept what the Bible says about such a lifestyle choice. Even after much counselling infused with God’s love and grace, she finally decided that God and His ways were not for her. 

The writer to the Hebrews said this, “For it is impossible to bring back to repentance those who were once enlightened—those who have experienced the good things of heaven and shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the power of the age to come— and who then turn away from God. It is impossible to bring such people back to repentance; by rejecting the Son of God, they themselves are nailing him to the cross once again and holding him up to public shame” (Hebrews 6:4-6). Hard words that surely must penetrate through the façade of those who have rejected Jesus. 

There are some people in my community who have known God in the past, but have rejected Him. People who think they are good people (and they are of course by the world’s standards) but are unable to once again turn to God. Of course, “It is impossible to bring such people back to repentance” by my own efforts. But God will never give up on His children. His Spirit will always be there, drawing them towards the One who has the words of eternal life. Sadly, Peter had to write, “It would be better if they had never known the way to righteousness than to know it and then reject the command they were given to live a holy life“. But we pilgrims pray for those we know who now live in a life away from the One they once knew. God’s grace in without limit, even for them.

Dear Father God. What else can we do other than kneel at Your feet with grateful hearts? Amen.

Being Enslaved

Posted on by korgrocker

“They promise freedom, but they themselves are slaves of sin and corruption. For you are a slave to whatever controls you.”
2 Peter 2:19 NLT

I’ve mentioned it before, that old Bob Dylan song. The chorus lyrics go like this, 

But you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed 
You’re gonna have to serve somebody
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody.

Peter wrote, “For you are a slave to whatever controls you”. A slave is a servant, but without the opportunity to escape from their bondage. People think that slavery in the 21st Century in Western societies doesn’t exist, but nothing can be further from the truth. In 2021, over 12,000 people held in slavery conditions in the UK were referred to the authorities, but the true number is thought to be much higher and in the region of 130,000. Criminal exploitation is the most common reason but there are others, and people are held in appalling conditions, under the control of cruel and heartless individuals. In Biblical days, slavery was common and an accepted part of society. The Old Testament contains specific teachings about how slaves should be treated. New Testament writings, particularly from Paul, were addressed to slaves and contain some insights into the conditions in which they lived. Ephesians 6:9, “Masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Don’t threaten them; remember, you both have the same Master in heaven, and he has no favourites“. And then there is the letter from Paul to a man called Philemon who owned a slave called Onesimus, who had apparently absconded and ended up known to Paul. The Bible doesn’t specifically condemn slavery but it does provide a blueprint showing how we should treat our fellow human beings, reminding us that we are all God’s creation. Those who violate God’s teachings and principles become vulnerable to His judgement.

The Bible does say much, though, about slavery to sin, and that was what Peter was writing about. Paul wrote, “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard“. So slavery to sin is a common affliction of human beings, but it doesn’t need to be. John 8:34-36, “Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave of sin. A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son is part of the family forever. So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free“. The only way that we can escape being a slave to sin is through Jesus. Only He can set us free, and He did that through His death at Calvary. His shed blood will cleanse us from all our sins. 

So the question has to be, what is controlling us? Our natural state is to be a slave to sin. That governs our behaviour, our habits, our likes and dislikes and so on. In our sinful state we know no better; well, that is until we meet Jesus. It has to be said that sin is, or can be, enjoyable, because it panders to our fallen nature. But sinning isn’t God’s way. When we trust Jesus for freeing us from our sins, and instead taking on His righteousness, we become acceptable to God. In his first letter Peter wrote, “For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy“” (1 Peter 1:16). Holiness is a prerequisite for being in God’s presence, and one day we will truly be perfect and holy, and able to be with God in Heaven. The alternative is to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a while before taking up residence in a place where the consequences of sin knows no limits‭‭. There we will find the ultimate sinner, the devil himself.

Peter wrote that false teachers, rather than showing believers the way to eternal life, corrupted the message about Jesus and God’s saving grace, because they themselves had failed to embrace it. Instead they preached a message that continued the same “sin and corruption” that they themselves were experiencing, and were slaves to. We pilgrims know better of course, and we propagate God’s message of forgiveness at every opportunity. We watch out for any message that preaches otherwise. And we regularly ask God the same question that David did in Psalm 139:23-24, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.” And He will.

Father God. We do ask that question in Your presence today. Please help us to have the courage to face into anything that gets in between us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Being Vulnerable

Posted on by korgrocker

“They brag about themselves with empty, foolish boasting. With an appeal to twisted sexual desires, they lure back into sin those who have barely escaped from a lifestyle of deception.”
2 Peter 2:18 NLT

‭‭It’s a big transition, moving from the kingdom of the world into the Kingdom of God. From a monochrome darkness into the glorious technicolour of God’s presence. And the devil doesn’t like it because his mission is to kill and destroy anything God has made. We read in 1 Peter 5:8, “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour“. The time when a Christian is most vulnerable, comes after they have been born again into God’s Kingdom. They, like a natural baby, will lack the defences they need, and will often rely on others to protect and nourish them. 

The one person a new Christian comes to trust in is their pastor. He or she may have brought them to faith and a dependency, at least initially, can result. But our pastors sometimes have their baggage, and they can bring with them their own world views and ideologies that may or may not be helpful for a new Christian. But Peter was going further then that. He was concerned with teachers whose curriculum extended beyond the purity of the Gospel and the teachings of Jesus. These false teachers had come up with their own version of the gospel and it wasn’t always “good news” for a new believer. One of the things a new believer has to face into is how to deal with their own behaviour and habits, and the Holy Spirit will gently bring conviction to start the baby Christian on the road to maturity. So imagine the scenario where a teacher says something is acceptable when God says it isn’t. Peter mentioned in his writings “twisted sexual desires”, but this is only one area of potential error. 

Jesus said, “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). The world is full of spiritual traps and enticements. The society around us has adopted an “if it feels good then just do it” philosophy and to stand firm against such an inward looking ideology takes courage and fortitude. For a person to move kingdoms will mean, as Peter wrote, them leaving behind a “lifestyle of deception”. A believer must therefore be firmly anchored in the truth, discerning and recognising the snares that may be disguised as appealing opportunities. Only then can they avoid replacing one sinful lifestyle with another.

Some years ago, someone in the church I was a member of asked me a basic question about our faith, and I gently asked what the Bible said. To my surprise, they admitted that they didn’t have a Bible, let alone read it. I gave them my own, and suggested that it might be a good idea to go away and read it, because only in God’s Word would they find the answer to the questions about faith and the Christian life. A Scripture I often quote is from John 6:68-69, “Simon Peter replied, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life. We believe, and we know you are the Holy One of God”“. We must shift our allegiance and dependencies away from total dependency on another human being, no matter what their status is in life, and onto our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ. Of course, God uses pastors and teachers to help us in our journey of sanctification, but we must always check out what they say by reference to our Bibles. One church I attended was criticised for preaching sermons based on a book, but not from The Book. Instead of the purity of God’s Word they used a work from an author, albeit one well respected in Christian circles. We need to hear God for ourselves, because only He has the Words He wants us to hear.

Psalm 119 begins, “Joyful are people of integrity, who follow the instructions of the Lord. Joyful are those who obey his laws and search for him with all their hearts. They do not compromise with evil, and they walk only in his paths” (Psalm 119:1-3). When we pilgrims do that, there is no room for false teaching to muscle in.

Dear Father God. Indeed, only You, and You alone, have the words of eternal life. As we reach out to You today we pray that You will keep us safe from the evil one and his ploys. In Jesus’ name. Amen

Uselessness

Posted on by korgrocker

“These people are as useless as dried-up springs or as mist blown away by the wind. They are doomed to blackest darkness.”
2 Peter 2:17 NLT

Still referring to false teachers and false prophets, Peter defines them as being “useless”. Harsh words perhaps? But words that describe the pointlessness of being someone who is preaching against God’s plans and ways or distorting His message. In the context of God’s kingdom, they add little that is positive and much that is negative. So Peter describes them as being “useless“.

A big question sometimes asked is about the purpose of life. What are we humans here on Planet Earth for? Are we here, as some will claim, by accident? Are we too just the useless result of our circumstances? The product of a mix of chemicals formed by chance on a lump of rock that happened to end up at just the right distance from a source of light and heat, creating an environment conducive to the formation of life? That is what many evolutionists would have us think. Unfortunately for them, the facts don’t fit in with their theories. We pilgrims know how we got here, because the Bible tells of how it happened. The Genesis account describes the formation of our planet, and then there is the verse, “Then the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person” (Genesis 2:7). And the man, Adam, ‭‭was given a job to do, “The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it” (Genesis 2:15). He was useful, and, better, he was being useful in a way that aligned with God’s desires for him. We can read on in Genesis, and find that farming for food to live on was the first physical priority. So mankind had to be useful in the sense that if they weren’t then human beings would probably have died out through starvation. And we can see that even us pilgrims have to be useful in our societies where keeping alive is the main requirement. Of course, this is a simplified picture, but it doesn’t answer the question, why are we here? Or, what is the purpose of life? 

We turn to the Bible for meaningful answers. Solomon, one of the wisest men who ever lived, concluded after wrestling with these questions, “That’s the whole story. Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty. God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14). Another perspective we must consider is that we pilgrims, Christian believers, are assured of a future beyond the grave. One day, our physical bodies will die. This wasn’t God’s plan, because He originally created perfection, but through sin, our bodies will be corrupted and will die. But because we have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, He has granted us eternal life. When we die, our spirits will live on with God in Heaven. This will be the time when we will receive a new body. We read in Philippians 3:21, “He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control“. 2 Corinthians 5:1, “For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands“. 

So we can see that to be useful, we have to have a relationship with God, and work to provide for both ourselves and our families. Those false teachers were going to find, according to Peter, that their uselessness will lead to an end of the “blackest darkness”. The Westminster Shorter Confession says that the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. So in whatever we think or do, is our main focus God, or our own selfish desires? Do we align ourselves to God’s ways, or get absorbed into a society where the main driver is sin? There is no middle ground.

Today we pilgrims have an opportunity to shift our focus from the natural to the spiritual, as we do every day. From our mundane existence into something so amazing and wonderful that it is breathtaking in its implications. We don’t have to wait until we pass over the Great Divide into God’s presence before we can “enjoy Him forever“. He is with us now. We can reach and touch Him. He is that close. There is a poem, which includes, “Two men looking through prison bars; one saw mud, the other saw stars.” Where are we looking today? A useless life will only find mud, but those who are useful will find the stars. Let’s embrace the Creator of those stars today while we have the opportunity.

Dear Father God, our amazing Creator. We reach out to You today, and pray that in whatever we are doing, we will be useful to You and Your purposes. In Jesus’ name. Amen.