1 Peter 2:19

1 Peter 2:19 says, For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully.  Peter tells us that it is noteworthy if a person suffers for his or her faith in God.  This doesn't say if we suffer for any reason, but if we suffer because of our faith.  If as Christians we break the law because we don't like it, that doesn't mean that we are being persecuted and should be viewed as thankworthy.  Our actions should always bring glory to God and not to our self.  Verse twenty adds, For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God.  Peter tells very plainly that if we are punished for our faults that this does not make our patience in suffering acceptable to God.   Then he tells us that there is a difference in suffering because of our sin and suffering because of our faith.   If we patiently suffer because of our faith in God, then this is noteworthy and acceptable to God.  It is not that we patiently suffer, but the reason that we do so that makes us acceptable to God.  Verse twenty-one continues, For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:   Peter tells us that because Jesus Christ suffered for His faith that we are called to patiently suffer for ours.  Verse twenty-two states, Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:  Peter tells us that there was no sin or guile found in Jesus, but still He patiently endured death on the cross for our sins.  This is what God calls every Christian to do, and that is to be obedient to the heavenly Father no matter the cost in this life.   Verse twenty-three adds, Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously:  Peter said that Jesus was reviled and threatened, but that He did not have the same attitude toward those who were doing this to Him.  He still reached out to them in love, and so must we.  Verse twenty-four continues, Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.  Peter here professes the heart of the Gospel, and that is that Jesus suffered and died for our sins.  Jesus' death in total obedience to the heavenly Father defeated sin and its penalty for all who will put their faith in Him.  Verse twenty-five concludes, For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.  I know a lot of people call other people sheep as a form of insult, but Peter tells us that as Christians we are sheep who have gone astray, but that we have been returned to the fold of God by faith in Jesus Christ.  We are called to humbly follow Jesus Christ, no matter what. 

1 Peter 2:11

1 Peter 2:11 says, Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;  Peter's appeal to Christians as pilgrims and strangers was made because that is what they and all Christians are in this world.  This is not our home, so we will always be pilgrims and strangers here.  For that reason, we are to abstain from fleshly lusts, which are of this world but are at war with our soul, or the spiritual part of us.  Verse twelve adds, Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.  The Gentiles that Peter was speaking about would be those who had not accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord.  Peter called on the followers of Christ to be living examples of the word of God even when the Gentiles were speaking evil of them, so that God might be glorified.  Peter said they would see our good works made manifest in the day of visitation, or when Christ returns.  The people of the word may always be against Christians, but we are to live our lives guided by God's word and for His glory.  Verse thirteen continues, Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme;   Peter tells us that we are to be subject to the law.  We are not told that we can pick and choose which laws to obey.  I believe the only exception to this would be if the law of man defies the law of God.  Verse fourteen states, Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well.  Peter said that we are to be subject to the law of the highest ruler here on earth, but also unto those under them.  We are to do this for the glory of God.  So, if there is a law that in no way goes against God's law and we don't like, and we choose to disobey it, does this bring glory to God?  Verse fifteen adds, For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men:  Peter tells us that the will of God is for Christians to obey the law, and by so doing that we will put foolish people, those who do not know God, to silence.  Veres sixteen continues, As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God.  Peter tells us that even though we are free from the powers of the world in our everlasting salvation that we are not to use this freedom in a malicious way.  If we refuse to obey the law of the world, even though through our salvation in Christ, we may be freed from it, we are still to obey it for the glory of God.  Verse seventeen says, Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.  Peter calls on us to give honor to all men and to fellow Christians.  There are not two sets of rules for how we treat others, but we are to treat the lost and our fellow believers with respect.  Peter also tells us that we are to fear God, which does not mean to live in fear of Him but with an awesome respect for Him, and to honor the king, or earthly rulers.  Verse eighteen adds, Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward.  Peter tells us that we are to be subject to those in power over us, not only those that are kind to us but even to those who may not be.  We are to live in a way that always brings glory to God. 

1 Peter 2:1

1 Peter 2:1 says, Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings,  Laying these things aside implies a deliberate action.  We are not to engage in malice, guile, hypocrisy, envies, or any evil speaking.   We need to ask if what we say today is spoken with any of these attitudes.  Verse two adds, As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:   Once we are born again, we are as spiritual babies, and we need to feed on spiritual milk.  We must learn to rely on the basics of God's word first, and then begin to dig deeper into it.  Verse three continues, If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.  Peter says if we have tasted that God is gracious, and as Christians we must have because His graciousness is what makes salvation possible.  Verse four states, To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious,   Peter said Jesus was like a living stone, the foundation of salvation, Who was rejected by men, and especially by those who were God's chosen people.  Verse five adds, Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.  Peter, who was called the Rock, tells us that as Christians, we are to be lively stones building up the spiritual house of God.  We are called to be a holy priesthood offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through our faith in Jesus Christ.  We cannot just offer God what we want Him to have and think that He has to accept it.  God determines what is an acceptable sacrifice, and not us.  Verse six continues, Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.  The chief corner stone of salvation is. Jesus Christ, and God's scripture has always said this. In Peter's day, this corner stone came, and today we look back on the reality of His coming.  Verse seven says, Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,  Peter said some believed in Jesus Christ as the cornerstone and that He was precious to them.   Others rejected Him, but that did not change the fact that He is the cornerstone of salvation.  All that we build spiritually must be built by faith in the corner stone, Jesus Christ, crucified, resurrected and Lord.  Verse eight adds, And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.  Peter continues to point out that to those who are disobedient to God that Jesus Christ is a stumbling block.  Verse nine continues, But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:  What separates Christians from everyone else is not some innate goodness on our part, but our faith in Jesus Christ.  Because of that, we should live in order to show God's marvelous light to a dark world.  Verse ten concludes, Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.  Peter said that before Christ came, not many people who were not Jews obtained salvation, but now all could.  They simply had to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior personally. 

1 Peter 1:13

1 Peter 1:13 says, Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;  Peter tells us that we are to gird up our minds, which I believe means that we are to be careful about what thoughts or ideas we allow to enter our minds.  We are to hold fast to the grace of God that brings us salvation.   Verse fourteen adds, As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance:  Peter calls on us to be obedient children of God and not to be ruled by the former lusts of our disobedience, and when we give in to the lusts of the flesh, we are no longer obedient children of God.  Verse fifteen continues, But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;  Peter tells us that since God Who called us is holy, then we are to be holy in all of our conversation.   We need to ask before we speak if what we are saying brings honor to God, and not just some of the time, but all the time.  Verse sixteen states, Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.  Peter tells us that God's written word calls on us to be holy because He is holy.  Verse seventeen adds, And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear:  Peter tells us that when we call on God that we need to remember that He judges everyone by their works, and this should bring fear into our lives, since by our works we will always be guilty of sin.  This is why Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation.  Verse eighteen continues, Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;  Peter tells us that we are not redeemed by silver and gold, the corruptible things of the world, which some of the people had learned from the vain conversation of their fathers.  We need to make sure that what we believe is what God says, and not some tradition of man.  Verse nineteen proclaims, But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:  Peter tells us that we are redeemed by the precious blood of Jesus, the sacrificial Lamb without spot and blemish.   Jesus did what no one else ever has or ever will do.  He lived in complete obedience to the heavenly Father.  Verse twenty adds, Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,  Peter says that the coming of Jesus Christ was preordained before creation, yet God created mankind, knowing what it would cost Him to redeem those who would put their faith in Jesus Christ.  At the time Peter was writing, he said Jesus had just recently come.  Verse twenty-one continues, Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God. Peter said that those who would be redeemed must put their faith in the fact that after His crucifixion, God raised Jesus from the dead.  This must be our belief if we are to be saved.   Verse twenty-two says, Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:  Peter says that if we obey the truth of God truth the leadership of the Holy Spirit that we will have unfeigned love for one another.   Verse twenty-three adds, Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.  Peter tells us that we are born again if we are Christians, and when we are, we become incorruptible.  Some people today say that they are a Christian, but not a born again one, and this is an impossibility.  Verse twenty-four continues, For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:   Peter tells us that without Christ as our Redeemer, we are like the grass, which soon withers away.  Verse twenty-five concludes, But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.  Peter proclaimed to those that he was writing to that the word of God endures forever, and that was the word by which the gospel was preached, and it always will be.  God's word will never change. 

 

1 Peter 1:1

1 Peter 1:1 says, Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,  Peter identifies himself as an apostle of Jesus Christ.  We need to remember that this was after Peter had denied Jesus and was restored to Him after His arrest, death burial and resurrection.  We have likewise denied Jesus at one time, but the important fact is whether we then accept Him as our Savior and Lord.  Peter addressed his letter to many different churches, whereas Paul addressed his to a particular church usually.  Verse two adds, Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.  Peter then listed the qualifications for being an apostle or a disciple of Christ.  God knew before creation that a way of salvation would be needed, and He knew the only acceptable way would come through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ and for each individual to accept His sacrifice by faith.  Then, that person would be sanctified to God and have peace multiplied to him or her.  Verse three continues, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,  Peter said that this was done for the glory of God, since it was by His abundant mercy and grace that salvation was and is made available.   Verse four states, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,  Peter told them and tells us that the inheritance that we have through Jesus Christ is incorruptible, undefiled and will never fade away.  This inheritance is not in this life but waits for using heaven.   Verse five adds, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.  Peter also told followers of Christ in that day as well as those today that salvation is kept by the power of God.  Nothing can ever take away our salvation.   Verse six continues, Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:  Peter also said that they were to greatly rejoice, even if they were in heaviness because of manifold temptations.   Temptations are nothing new for Christians, but we can rejoice because through faith in Jesus Christ, we can overcome them all. Verse seven says, That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:  Peter also said that trials would come to our faith, which is worth so much more than silver and gold, even if that faith is tried but fire.  Peter added that the reward for faithfulness would come at the return of Jesus Christ, and He most certainly will return.  Verse eight adds, Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:  Though Peter had seen Jesus Christ in the flesh, those he was writing to had not, and yet they believed in Him.  This is true for every believer in Jesus Christ today.   Peter said they loved Jesus Christ with an unspeakable joy, and were full of His glory, and so should we also be today.  Verse nine continues, Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.  The end of faith in Jesus Christ then and now is the salvation of our soul.  Verse ten states, Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you:  Peter said this salvation was nothing new but had been inquired about and searched for diligently by the prophets and they had prophesied about salvation which would come through the grace of God.  Salvation can never be earned, but always has been and always will be a free gift by the grace of God.  Verse eleven adds, Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.  Peter said that the Spirit of Christ was in the prophets even before He came in human form to be sacrificed for the sins of all people for all time.  Verse twelve continues, Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.  Peter said that this was not revealed to the prophets simply for their good, but for the good of those who came after them.  This Peter said was reported by those who preached the gospel through the leadership of the Holy Ghost.  We today have that same gospel to preach and the same Holy Spirit to enable us to do so. 

Review

 We will look at a few things we learn from the book of Lamentations.  First, God's judgment of the people of Judah and Jerusalem occurred just as Jeremiah had prophesied.  Jeremiah was very saddened by their condition.  God's judgment is coming on all the world, and we as Christians should be very saddened by the fact that so many people will not accept Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord, and God's everlasting punishment awaits them.  Second, the state of the people of Judah and Jerusalem was because of their sin and open rebellion against God, from the governmental leaders to the priests and prophets on down.  Just because the government or someone claiming to be speak for God says that something is okay or true doesn't make it so.  We must always look to God and His word for answers.  God will never change His commandments for us, no matter who may say so.  Last, though the people were suffering, and Jeremiah was lamenting their condition they were not without hope. Today, even if we are saddened by the condition of the world, we need to acknowledge that we are not without hope.   God waited to welcome the people of Judah and Jerusalem back to Him, and He waits to welcome everyone who will come to Him through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ today.  

Lamentations 5:12

Lamentations 5:12 says, Princes are hanged up by their hand: the faces of elders were not honoured.  Jeremiah said that the leaders were punished and there was no respect for the elders of Judah and Jerusalem, which was a result of their sin.  If there comes a time when we are punished and there is no respect for us as followers of Christ, we need to make sure that it isn't because we have allowed sin to rule our life.   Verse thirteen adds, They took the young men to grind, and the children fell under the wood.  There was also no respect for the young people, and they were forced into manual labor.  This was more than simple chores.  Verse fourteen continues, The elders have ceased from the gate, the young men from their musick.  Jeremiah said that there was no joy left.  The elders no longer sat talking by the gates and the young men no longer played music.  When the people of Judah and Jerusalem turned away from God and chased after idols, they suffered His punishment and lost all the joy of life.  As followers of Christ, if we allow sin back in our life and begin to chase after the things or this world instead of obeying God, we won't lose our salvation, but we will lose our joy in life.  The things of this world without being used in obedience to God will never bring lasting joy.  Verse fifteen declares, The joy of our heart is ceased; our dance is turned into mourning.  The priests and prophets had said that Jeremiah was wrong in prophesying that Judah and Jerusalem were going to fall, but now the truth of his prophesy was a reality.  People today may refuse to believe that Jesus Christ is the only hope of salvation and that He is coming again to judge the sins of people, but it doesn't make it any less true. Verse sixteen adds, The crown is fallen from our head: woe unto us, that we have sinned!  Jeremiah acknowledged that the people had lost their freedom as a result of their sins.  They had no one to blame but themselves.  It was not God's fault that they were in the condition that they were in.  Every individual today has only himself or herself to blame if they face God's ultimate judgment without hope.  God has made salvation available to everyone, but too many people, like those in Jeremiah's day, refuse to believe His word.  Verse seventeen continues, For this our heart is faint; for these things our eyes are dim.  Verse eighteen adds, Because of the mountain of Zion, which is desolate, the foxes walk upon it.  Jeremiah said that the people were in deep sorrow because Zion, which was seen as the place of God, and all things associated with Him had fallen.  Verse nineteen states, Thou, O LORD, remainest for ever; thy throne from generation to generation.  Jeremiah acknowledged the eternal nature of God, even if everything associated with Him had been destroyed.   God will never cease to exist, even if everything associated with Him today is destroyed.  Of course, as followers of Christ, everything can never be destroyed in our life, because the Holy Spirit lives in us.  Verse twenty adds, Wherefore dost thou forget us for ever, and forsake us so long time?  Jeremiah asked how God could seemingly forget them forever, and we know that God never forgets anyone, especially those that are His people.  The problem was that the people of Judah and Jerusalem had forgotten God and not the other way around.   Verse twenty-one continues, Turn thou us unto thee, O LORD, and we shall be turned; renew our days as of old.   Jeremiah called on God to turn the people to Him once more, and God had always stood ready to forgive and restore them if they returned to Him.  God will never force anyone to believe in and follow Him, but He always stands ready to restore people to a right relationship with Him if they only come to Him for forgiveness.  Verse twenty-two concludes, But thou hast utterly rejected us; thou art very wroth against us.  Jeremiah said that God had utterly rejected the people of Judah and Jerusalem, but once more, the opposite was true.  The majority of the people had utterly rejected God.