“Didn’t You Listen”

Posted on by korgrocker

“So for the second time they called in the man who had been blind and told him, “God should get the glory for this, because we know this man Jesus is a sinner.” “I don’t know whether he is a sinner,” the man replied. “But I know this: I was blind, and now I can see!” “But what did he do?” they asked. “How did he heal you?” “Look!” the man exclaimed. “I told you once. Didn’t you listen? Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?””
John 9:24-27 NLT

What made the Pharisees think that Jesus was a sinner? After all, how could the Son of God ever be accused of such a thing? The reason was that the Pharisees had their own definition about sin, and for them it was founded on the Law of Moses and their many Rabbinic rules and regulations, correct or otherwise, that they had derived from it. They didn’t like Jesus’ claim that He was the Son of God and therefore they accused Him of the sin of blasphemy. The problem for them, however, was His miraculous signs and wonders, and that His teaching that the only way to eternal life was through Him and not just by observing their laws. The last thing the Pharisees wanted was to lose their religious control over the people.

Mr Blind-no-more quite correctly pointed out to the Pharisees that their accusation of sin against Jesus was irrelevant. They had been told that the man was born blind, but could now see, and it was all because Jesus put mud on his eyes. The side issue of accusations of sin didn’t change the facts, although this introduced another problem for the Pharisees – how could someone who claimed to be God’s Son, and the Messiah who they had been waiting for, be a sinner? 

In desperation, the Pharisees asked Mr Blind-no-more a second time about what happened, just in case they found a new snippet of information that resolved their dilemma. But this time they received a tetchy response. “I told you once. Didn’t you listen?”.Unfortunately for them, the man then put his finger on the issue staring them in the face – if this healing happened as they had been told then they had no choice other than to acknowledge Jesus’ claim for who He was, and become His disciples. No human being could ever have healed a man born blind unless God was behind it. 

We pilgrims have seen the risen Lord, and believe in Him. We are His disciples but we remember the life-changing moment when we made that decision for Christ.  We weren’t anyone special. We weren’t religious leaders like the Pharisees. But regardless of the consequences, we took that step into the Kingdom of God, a place that, for many, is fraught with danger and difficulties. A new believer would perhaps be marginalised in their workplaces. Or in danger of attack from their neighbours who follow a different faith. A child of God pursues a path towards holiness and turns his or her back on the pleasures of sin. For many though, taking that leap of faith is too much and, like the rich man in the parable of the Rich Young Ruler, they walk away. It is their choice but God will never give up on loving people. His grace is available right up until the moment when they take their last breath. 

We don’t know if the Pharisees in our account of the blind man and his healing ever became believers in Jesus. We know of course about Nicodemus, from an earlier chapter in John’s Gospel. But neither do we know about those people today who stubbornly all their life have refused to accept Jesus’ gracious invitation to believe in Him. We don’t know what happened in those last moments of their life. I am always touched and greatly encouraged about the last moments of the thief on the cross. We read in Luke 23:40-43, “But the other criminal protested, “Don’t you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die? We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.” And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.”” We pilgrims must never give up on our friends and family. We don’t know what will happen in their last moments of life, and we pray for them in faith that God will answer our prayers.

Dear Father God. You are so patient and kind, loving us graciously as we thrash about ignoring or avoiding Your gaze. Please forgive us, we pray. Amen.

The Will of God

Posted on by korgrocker

“For I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do my own will. And this is the will of God, that I should not lose even one of all those he has given me, but that I should raise them up at the last day. For it is my Father’s will that all who see his Son and believe in him should have eternal life. I will raise them up at the last day.”
John 6:38-40 NLT

Jesus couldn’t have been clearer about His mission. He left His Heavenly home to “do the will of God who sent [Him]”  here on Planet Earth. And twice He said that all those who come to Him, those given Him by God, believing in Him, would be resurrected “at the last day”. The resurrected ones will then enjoy eternal life.

There are those who experience a miserable life riven by illness, deprivation, drugs, or similar, people who say that to go on experiencing such an existence for ever is the last thing that they want. But when God comes to live with His people on the new earth (Revelation 21) we read that “He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever” (Revelation 21:4). Eternal life with God will be a wonderful, fulsome and amazing experience never to be compared with our human natural lives. The Bible clearly states that we will either spend eternity in Heaven or hell, so, at least for me, the choice is a “no-brainer”. The assurance of eternal life is, however, not a choice that can be made when people stand before God on that final and terrible day of judgement. The decision to believe in Jesus, with all that that entails, has to be made while we continue to enjoy God’s season of grace. 

Jesus’ mission was to do the will of His Father. He had no doubts as to what this was, and He set His face steadfastly towards His goal at Calvary, the culmination of His mission. And in the process He would set aside His own will, heavily influenced though it was by His humanity. The degree to which He refused to deviate from those final days in Jerusalem can be found in those moments in the Garden of Gethsemane, which we can read in Matthew 26, “He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine”” (Matthew 26:39). Such was His dilemma, that we read in Luke 22:44, “He prayed more fervently, and he was in such agony of spirit that his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood”. We pilgrims can never even start to imagine what Jesus went through that day, but we bow before Him in worshipful gratitude. What a Saviour!

Are we pilgrims clear about our mission in life? Do we know what God wants us to do? Some believers are called to mission in far off places, and we can read the accounts of many who faithfully laboured for many years amongst needy people. But for most of us the will of God is worked out within our families and communities, schools and workplaces where we are beacons of light in otherwise dark places. So we make the most of every opportunity to share the love of God, and the eternal life that will be the reward for faithful believers. 

Dear Lord Jesus. Again we say before You, What a Saviour! We give You all the glory today. Amen.

Judgement

Posted on by korgrocker

“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. And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.”
John 3:18-21 NLT

Jesus said to Nicodemus in John 3:17 that He didn’t come to judge the world but to save it. He then continued this theme, by saying that if anyone believes in Him then they are not subject to judgement, which, He said, was reserved for those “not believing in God’s one and only Son”. 

In our natural world, if anyone commits a crime, then judgement will follow only if the person is caught and brought before a court of law. So a speeding motorist will escape justice if he isn’t apprehended by a police officer, or clocked by a speed camera. But in God’s Kingdom, no-one escapes justice because God sees all. In fact, more than this, He sees what is in every person’s heart, their every thought. So God knows whether or not someone believes in Him and His Son Jesus. And if they don’t then judgement is inevitable and unstoppable.

Again, in our natural world, someone brought before a judge for a misdemeanour can try and claim mitigating circumstances so that perhaps they can get a lighter sentence. So perhaps they could try and claim that their speeding was as a result of a medical emergency or perhaps a shoplifter said that they had no money and had to feed their children. And in many circumstances, such pleas might be valid and result in a more lenient or compassionate response from the judge. But in God’s Kingdom, not believing in His Son Jesus is a far more serious situation. There will be no mitigating circumstances. There is only one verdict and only one sentence possible. Of course, there are many who justify their rebellion against God by claiming that a loving and compassionate God would never send anyone to hell. That God is loving and compassionate is a correct conclusion, but He can do nothing to save someone who has rejected Him and His Son. As John wrote, “anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son”.

Thankfully, not believing in Jesus need not be terminal – as long as the person concerned realises their mistake and turns to God while they still have time. So the thief on the cross next to Jesus turned to Him in repentance just in time, and Jesus was able to assure him that he would soon be with His Lord in paradise. After a lifetime spent in criminality, that thief suddenly came to realise the enormity of his future without God and turned to Jesus while he had time.

The message for us pilgrims is that we must never give up praying for our loved ones, for our friends and neighbours. We must continually encourage them at every opportunity to do as we read in Isaiah 55:6-7, “Seek the Lord while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near. Let the wicked change their ways and banish the very thought of doing wrong. Let them turn to the Lord that he may have mercy on them. Yes, turn to our God, for he will forgive generously.“‭‭ We live in a season of grace that mustn’t be ignored.

Dear God. That You for Your grace and mercy. We worship You today. Amen.

Jesus Unrecognised

Posted on by korgrocker

“John told them, “I baptize with water, but right here in the crowd is someone you do not recognize. Though his ministry follows mine, I’m not even worthy to be his slave and untie the straps of his sandal.” This encounter took place in Bethany, an area east of the Jordan River, where John was baptizing.“
John 1:26-28 NLT

John had a very public ministry and he was known throughout Israel. The people considered him a prophet and, as such, an important man. Such was his fame that the authorities were wary of him. Jesus had a conversation with some religious leaders about John. He asked them a question, as recorded in Mark 11:30-32, ”“Did John’s authority to baptize come from heaven, or was it merely human? Answer me!” They talked it over among themselves. “If we say it was from heaven, he will ask why we didn’t believe John. But do we dare say it was merely human?” For they were afraid of what the people would do, because everyone believed that John was a prophet“. John had some important information for the Jews, about Someone who was far greater than he was, but at this stage in His ministry, the Man of whom John spoke, had yet to be recognised. 

Would we pilgrims recognise Jesus if we met Him one day? Isaiah warned that Jesus would have no great distinguishing features of other attributes. We read in Isaiah 53:2, ”My servant grew up in the Lord’s presence like a tender green shoot, like a root in dry ground. There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him”. Western films portray Jesus as a white male but the reality is that Jesus would have been of middle Eastern appearance. We build in our minds a picture based on His ministries, His compassion, love and so on, but there was nothing that set Him apart physically. But that doesn’t alter the fact that Jesus was, and is, the Son of God. 

If we were able to recognise Jesus and His saving grace, others will too. Someone introduced us to Jesus. We may or may not have been looking for Him. We may have been sadly distorted in our perception of who He was. But He found us anyway and we responded to His love and grace. We came to Him in repentance and received the gift of eternal life. I recently had the opportunity to thank the man who introduced me to Jesus, even though it was quite a while since I had met with him. What a privilege it is when we pilgrims have an opportunity to introduce someone to Jesus. They may not recognise Jesus at first, but through His love and grace they will come to take the first steps into His Kingdom. Jesus made such an impact on the Apostle Paul that he wrote, ”Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ“ (Philippians 3:8). That’s how important Jesus is. 

So do you know Jesus? Can you consider Him your friend? We can all get to know Jesus now, in this life, and we will be in His company forever in the life to come. What a privilege! What a Saviour!

Dear Lord Jesus. Thank You for coming to this world all those years ago. You are preparing a place for us in Heaven and we look forward to joining You there. Amen.

Moses and Christ

Posted on by korgrocker

”For the law was given through Moses, but God’s unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ.“
John 1:17 NLT

John writes now about the comparison between what is effectively law and grace. The Jews, the Israelite nation, had escaped from Egypt, and were two months into their journey to the promised land when they arrived at the wilderness of Sinai. There they set up camp. And Moses went up Mount Sinai to meet with God. “ … The Lord called to [Moses] from the mountain and said, “Give these instructions to the family of Jacob; announce it to the descendants of Israel” (Exodus 19:3). Then followed the giving of the Ten Commandments and a series of instructions and laws that God had designed for the benefit of His people. Deuteronomy 28 starts, “If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully keep all his commands that I am giving you today, the Lord your God will …” (Deuteronomy 28:1), and then there follows a list of all the good things God’s people will enjoy if they are obedient to Him. But the Israelites were warned what would happen if they failed to keep to these commandments. “But if you refuse to listen to the Lord your God and do not obey all the commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come and overwhelm you” (Deuteronomy 28:15). The down side of being disobedient to God is well documented. Blessings would follow obedience to God and curses would follow if disobedience was the norm. Through the law given to the Israelites came a definition for sin. But there was a problem – no person could become pure enough by following the law to satisfy God’s requirements. 

Paul started his life as a Pharisee, and he was so zealous to protect the Jewish way of life, with its laws and customs, that he even persecuted the early Christians. Galatians 1:13, “You know what I was like when I followed the Jewish religion—how I violently persecuted God’s church. I did my best to destroy it.” But there was then that day when he experienced God’s grace in all its fullness after seeing a bright light, a vision of Jesus. We read, “He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?”“ (Acts 9:4). Paul’s conversion was total and dramatic. He transitioned from law to grace.

What do we pilgrims think of law and grace?  Jesus didn’t come to this world to replace the Law with something else. He came to fulfil the Law by becoming the final sacrifice. So instead of trusting in rules and regulations, we trust in Jesus. We read in Romans 3:20, ”For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are“. Instead, ”God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God” (Ephesians 2:8). This does not mean that we maintain sinful thoughts and behaviours. We bring them all to the Cross in repentance. The Law shows us what God wants (holiness), and grace gives us the desire and power to be holy.

Father God. We worship You today, deeply grateful for all You have given us. Amen.

Grace Upon Grace

Posted on by korgrocker

“From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another.”
John 1:16 NLT
“For out of His fullness [the superabundance of His grace and truth] we have all received grace upon grace [spiritual blessing upon spiritual blessing, favour upon favour, and gift heaped upon gift].”
John 1:16 AMP

We can’t get past the word “grace” in our Christian lives. The reality that Christ took on Himself the consequences of our sin, dying on a Roman cross, so that we could stand before God clothed in Christ’s righteousness, is grace beyond anything we could expect, or even deserve. A reality that can only drive us to our knees in grateful thanks, in worship of God’s Son Himself. The acronym for grace – God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense – is well known but it is underpinned by today’s verse from John 1. There is no limit to God’s grace. 

A church leader I used to know was a great public evangelist, and one of his methods of gaining attention to the Gospel message was to try and hand out a bank note to a stranger in the shopping mall, emulating in a small way God’s grace. Many rushed on by, too busy or too uninterested, to stop and take the gift. Such are those who reject God’s offer of salvation, eyes blinded by the world and its sinful pleasures. They fail to see that the best offer they will ever receive in this life, worth far more than any of the world’s riches, has passed them by. For all those who have turned their backs on God, rejecting His free offer of salvation, spurning that “grace upon grace”, there is an awful alternative. Jesus said, “And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?” (Matthew 16:26). The alternative to accepting God’s graciousness is eternity spent in a place, as Jesus described it, “where the maggots never die and the fire never goes out” (Mark 9:48). 

For those who accept God’s offer of salvation will truly discover “spiritual blessing upon spiritual blessing“, as they journey towards their goal of eternal life spent with God. To send His Son to live and die with human beings was the ultimate act of grace. 

Dear Father God. On our knees we thank You for Jesus and His willingness to die so that we might have life. Such grace! Amen.

The Incarnation

Posted on by korgrocker

”So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son”.
John 1:14

Every year we celebrate the birth of Jesus. Nativity plays in the Sunday schools. The Baby in a manger scenes. Decorated churches and Christmas trees. But the greatest event the world has ever seen has been swamped by materialism. John’s few words, “So the Word became human and made his home among us” was a statement so profound that most people, then and now, missed it. Maudling sentimentality at best. Ignoring it ever happened the worst. And the devil is having a field day, doing what he does best, corrupting and distorting the event of a virgin peasant girl in her early teens giving birth to the Son of God. A recent media story was of a church nativity play where a priest played the part of Joseph and Jesus had two mothers. Sometimes, we wonder if some of our church leaders even read the Bible, God’s Word, at all.

But enough of looking at the negatives. God isn’t fazed by the excesses of sinful man, and He knows that the devil is a defeated foe. Isaiah, through a prophecy given to him by the Holy Spirit, wrote, ”All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’)” (Isaiah 7:14). And hundreds of years later this event really happened, just as God revealed it to Isaiah. The events around that “sign” weren’t recorded in John’s Gospel, but the details can be found in Luke’s. John went on to say that the human Word “was full of unfailing love and faithfulness”. Other translations record “full of grace and truth”. Love, faithfulness, grace and truth. We could go on listing the attributes of our wonderful God. God’s plan for the salvation of the human race started in humble ways, through which the Creator experienced what it was like to live as one of His created beings. And all the way to Calvary He loved and blessed those He came into contact with. 

Words cannot express enough our response to our wonderful God. Those of us pilgrims who have ourselves seen a glimpse of His glory, can only fall down onto our knees in worship. Grateful hearts fumbling inadequate words from our mumbling mouths. But we need to pause often to gaze upon the incarnate Jesus. He came to show us the way to eternal life with God, and we follow in His footsteps, day by day. 

Dear Lord Jesus. In deep gratitude we worship You today, the God who came to Planet Earth to bring the Good News right to our doors. Amen.

Child of God

Posted on by korgrocker

“He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.”
John 1:11-13 NLT

It has always been a puzzle to me, that the expression “born again” causes so much controversy. A dictionary definition of being “born again” is “A Christian who has experienced a distinct, dramatic conversion to faith in Jesus, especially a member of certain Protestant groups that stress this experience“. So the implication is that someone who has not been “born again” into a spiritual relationship with God can still be a Christian. Some view such people, the “born again” ones, as being “the unpleasant sanctimonious ones who keep flaunting their beliefs“. They are negatively viewed as being fundamentalists; Bible-believing followers of Christ who set themselves apart from your normal pew warmers.

I have a friend who considers himself to be a “Christian” purely because he is always helping other people, living what he considers to be a decent and “good” life, and having had a grandfather who was an elder in the Church of Scotland. A neighbour of mine considers herself a “Christian” because her name is on the membership role of a church somewhere, but she hasn’t attended that church for many years. Other people will tick the “Christian” box on a census or other similar form, because they were perhaps christened in a church as a baby. Or they go to a church sometimes on Christmas Eve. And that is where the confusion arises. The label “Christian” has become confused and corrupted, and refers to anyone who nominally or vaguely believes that there was someone called Jesus and they will somehow end up in Heaven when they die. So to them, the terms “born again Christian”, or “true Christian”, or “proper Christian” are offensive and to be treated with contempt. 

The reality is that a “Christian” is a follower of Christ. Someone “who believed him and accepted him” and who is reborn in “a birth that comes from God”. John’s Gospel, right here in the first chapter, is very clear about who a “Christian” really is. Being “born again” gives such believers the right to become “children of God”, John writes. The whole Bible hinges on the relationship between God and mankind, and clearly sets out what that entails. There are three verses in the New Testament that, in my opinion, are key to a “born again” experience. The first is in Romans 3:23. Paul wrote, “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard”. There has to come that realisation that we are sinners, accepting that in God’s sight we fall far short of His requirement  for righteousness and holiness. The second Scripture that matters to me is from Ephesians 2:8-9, “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it“. There is nothing that we can do to earn our salvation – we cannot become a child of God by doing good works, or living what we might consider a good life, or even having our names on the role of church members. The third verse that I refer to is 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“. These are just a few words that Peter preached but the repercussions of them are life changing. There are many other verses that constitute the Gospel, the good news about Jesus and His gracious saving commitment for mankind. 

A human baby is born physically, through a process we are all familiar with. That baby is a child of its parents. To become a child of God, though, we have to be born spiritually. The process is different in that it happens spiritually, not physically, but happen it must. I became a “born again” Christian on a day when I finally realised that I was a sinner, and looked to Jesus as my Saviour. I found out who Jesus was and what He had done for me and everyone else on this planet. And there then started a long journey. There have been easy stretches, and hard times. But journey I must, always keeping in sight that increasing glow on the horizon, the Heavenly promised land. I invite you, my readers, to join me, wherever you are. You will never regret it. We can journey on together.

But what about those people who consider themselves to be “Christian” but have never come to that point in their lives when they have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Saviour? Those people who have rejected the relationship with God that John wrote about? The people who have never become children of God? Their future is something that is up to God and His grace – something I can never judge or take for granted – but why take the risk of ending up in a lost eternity when there is a wonderful opportunity to become a child of God? Now. Today. This very minute.

Dear Father God. I pray today for all my readers, that they too will embrace Your saving grace and become the children of God that John wrote about. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Grace and Peace Multiplied

Posted on by korgrocker

“Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord,”
2 Peter 1:2 NKJV

Peter writes some encouragement for his readers, a blessing numbering just a few words but limitless in scope. And the blessing didn’t stop after it rested on the inhabitants of the five provinces – it has reverberated down through the ages right to the present day. Peter opened a door for his readers, a door labelled “Grace and Peace”, and by it he provided a glimpse into the world inside, a vista of God’s blessings disappearing without limit into the distance. 

Grace is a word that encapsulates the unmerited favour and divine kindness that God has poured out upon mankind. The benevolence that God displays started with the creation of the world and is still with us today. There is no end to His favour, and Peter presents an opportunity for his readers, of receiving more than a single portion. God’s grace, Peter says, is “multiplied” to them from a bottomless reservoir that will never be exhausted. He spoke out that blessing over them through his pen, and I’m sure his early readers would have felt the Holy Spirit pour over them.

Peter could have left his blessing just with grace, but he added to it the concept of peace. Grace paves the way for peace, creating a harmonious synergy between God and us pilgrims. Through His grace we can experience a peace so profound that it is life changing in our world, conflicted as it is by sin. But the peace that Peter wrote about is not just the absence of conflict but a profound tranquillity that surpasses understanding. Paul also wrote about this peace in Philippians 4:7, “and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus“. In an age marked by chaos, the assurance of multiplied peace becomes a beacon of hope to a sad world in despair.

We pilgrims are the enlightened ones. We know God’s grace and peace. We have experienced Peter’s prayer in our lives and have warmed ourselves in the glow from God’s multiplied blessings. But we must act as reflectors, focusing the heavenly rays to those around us, alleviating their distress and despair. We pray that we have the words to say, the deeds to act, to bridge the gap and penetrate the hard outward crust covering the hunger inside our Godless friends and neighbours. Paul wrote in his second Corinthian letter, “He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us” (2 Corinthians 1:4). That’s multiplied grace leading to the comfort of an inner peace. The grace we receive can be multiplied to others.

But we pilgrims must never forget that God’s boundless blessings of multiplied grace and peace is for us too. We need more grace, more peace, more of God, to help us gain “the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord”. There is no limit to God’s grace and peace except ourselves.

Dear Heavenly Father. We thank You for Your many blessings and all the resources we need for our journey through life. All supplied through Jesus. We worship You today. Amen.

Precious Faith

Posted on by korgrocker

“This letter is from Simon Peter, a slave and apostle of Jesus Christ. I am writing to you who share the same precious faith we have. This faith was given to you because of the justice and fairness of Jesus Christ, our God and Saviour.”
2 Peter 1:1 NLT

‭‭We move on to the second epistle written by the Apostle Peter. The historians believe he must have penned this letter, possibly from a Roman prison, just before his execution in 64 or 65 AD, and its audience were probably the five churches in Asian Minor, now part of modern Turkey. In his first letter, Peter wrote to “God’s chosen people who are living as foreigners…” in this part of the world, so the readers of his second may have been Christians who had fled from Jerusalem earlier at a time of persecution. Peter probably used the services of an amanuensis, and his first letter mentions Silas, his “faithful brother” to whom he may have dictated the letter before Silas made the perilous journey to the five provinces.

Peter started his first letter with the claim that he was “an apostle of Jesus Christ”. The second letter added the word “slave” to his apostolic claim. Peter never wavered in his faith, in spite of everything the devil threw at him. He was beaten and imprisoned, suffered abuse, and overall could have been forgiven for giving up the hard road he had chosen. But how could he? He had spent time with Jesus, and that experience never left him through his remaining 30 or so years on this earth. The words of Jesus never stopped ringing in his ears – “Simon son of John, do you love Me …” (John 21:17) – and they drove him onwards and upwards, regardless of the opposition. But describing himself as a slave was indicative of how much Peter loved Jesus, to the extent that he enslaved his life to His service. Imagine the reunion in Heaven, when Peter finally met Jesus again, responding to that love in person.

Peter’s faith in Jesus was “precious”, and he goes on to describe it as being founded on the “justice and fairness”, the righteousness, of Jesus, “our God and Saviour”. The Apostle James wrote, “For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow” (James 1:3). He went on to describe the problem for people struggling with their faith, “But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind” (James 1:6). That is why the faith Peter experienced was “precious”. Peter was never a storm-tossed wave, or like a leaf in a breeze. His faith never wavered.

So, fellow pilgrims, how is our faith today? Are we resolute in our faith “in God alone” or do we instead come and go, trusting our governments or other authorities, instead of putting our faith in our loving Heavenly Father? Do we worry about world events, forgetting that God never leaves His throne? Do we struggle with personal circumstances, forgetting that ” … God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you” (Hebrews 13:5). God is always there for us, and we can trust Him implicitly through anything we experience in this world. On our knees we ask for His forgiveness, and His peace will flood over us. You see, Peter knew that His faith was established in Jesus and His righteousness and love. A strong foundation, stronger than anything this world can present to us. The Kingdom of God will still exist long after the kingdom of this world has disappeared, because our God is so great and so majestic. He builds to last. But we frail and wayward human beings think we have got all the answers and consequently build our lives on a foundation of straw, with a misplaced faith in our own abilities. A quote from J L Packer in his book “Knowing God”, “Our personal life is a finite thing: it is limited in every direction, in space, in time, in knowledge, in power. But God is not so limited. He is eternal, infinite, and almighty. He has us in his hands; but we never have him in ours. Like us he is personal, but unlike us he is great“. How do we view God? The God we worship is far greater than anything in this world. After all, He created the very ground on which we stand. Let that thought infuse our work-a-day existence today. And every day.

Our faith is indeed precious. So precious, that without it we will never see God. Those that find this precious faith are truly blessed and in a great company with believers all over the world and throughout history. And this faith comes as a gift from God. His grace provides the transport we need to support our faith in our life-journey, whatever it may comprise.

Father God. We are indeed insignificantly small compared to You. Please forgive us for our arrogance and lack of faith. We worship You today. Amen.