1 Pet. 2:13-17
"Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, whether to the king as supreme, or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men- as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God. Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king."

The "therefore" refers to the believers' honorable conduct.

We are to obey the law. The laws are put in place by God to punish evildoers and reward the good. God made government because people need government to control evil.

Don't worship the king. Render to Ceasar what is Ceasar's and to God what is God's.

So do you obey local warlords? As long as it doesn't conflict with God's law.

Beth- "We wouldn't need the government if we hadn't had the fall." Then Josh had her recite the 7 C's - which she did quite perfectly, with thanks to Kelly and Paul!

Good Works Define Us As Christians

1 Pet. 2:11-12
"Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation."

Pilgrims, as defined by Beth, are people on a journey seeking something. As Dad pointed out, we are in exile, and are not living in our home country.

The audience that Peter is writing to is Gentile believers. So why does he say "among the Gentiles?" Because spiritually these people are now Jews. Peter is using the term "Gentile" for a non-believer.

If your behavior is upright, nonbelievers can't laugh at you. If they see your good works, then they will know the truth.

The "day of visitation" could possibly mean the day when the nonbelievers meet God.

Called Into His Light

1 Pet. 2:9-10
"But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy."

Peter is quoting from Ex. 19:4-6 and applying the promises of Israel to new believers. God reached in and pulled us out of the darkness like He bore the Jews on eagle wings in Ex. 19.

What is our purpose now? That we may proclaim His excellencies to other people.

We were once not a people, we weren't Jews, but now we are as special as the Jews, we are now the chosen people. Now I belong to something, I belong to the church, and I now care about other believers.

Controversial question: (not from devotions) Did we "replace" the Jewish nation? I think not. What do you think and why? I answer from Rom. 11.

Free Indeed

Jn 8:33-47 (Sunday's Sermon-a very short synopsis)

This passage is about Jews who believed that Jesus was the Messiah, but they never crossed the barrier of trusting in Jesus to get rid of their sin. They were trusting in the traditions of their fathers to get them into heaven.

You cannot just believe in Jesus as a good moral teacher, because then He is just an ordinary man who cannot tell you what to do. Obedience is the missing link.

Check the family resemblance when determining who your father is. Are you looking (acting) like the devil? Or are you looking like Christ? The Jews were not looking like Abraham.

If the Son makes us free, let us live in the freedom that He gives us and not be in bondage to sin.

Beth to mom- squealing with delight on Friday night when Josh was gone- "Just wait 'till I go to college!! Then YOU will have to do ALL the dishes!"

The Cornerstone

1 Pet. 2:6-8
Therefore, it is also contained in the Scripture, "Behold I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious, and he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame." Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, "The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone," and "A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense."

The "therefore" is referring back to the fact that we are living stones.

The cornerstone of the building is the first stone that is laid. It marks the corner, and if it is not laid exactly right, the entire building will not stand.

All of our lives depend on Jesus. He sets up our course in life. If one stumbles over Jesus, his entire life will be skewed. Jesus is wonderful to know, yet people reject Him.

Funny story: After returning home from Hersheypark, Beth prayed, "Dear Jesus, thank you that we didn't die." (May have had something to do with the fact that we made her go on a few roller coasters that she didn't want to ride. Of course, she was all smiles and very proud of herself afterwards!)

Living Stones

1 Pet. 2:4-5

Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

Imagine a dead thing coming to life. Imagine a stone that talks, a stone that is living! Would you pay attention to it? Jesus is described as a living stone, and the believers are also described as living stones. We are to be like Jesus, strong and durable yet warm and kind.

The temple of the old testament had the function of holding God's presence, and also the priests would offer sacrifices and act as mediators between God and man. But that building has been destroyed and church buildings no longer serve these functions. We do not need anyone to connect us to God for we are holy and we are priests.

Our spiritual sacrifices are our good works(Eph. 2:10), and manifested through our obedience to Jesus. We are to speak the truth, love people, support (or be) missionaries, etc.

God's Food

1 Pet. 2:1-3
Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.

We will start with the last verse. When did you taste that the Lord is gracious? When we were saved. So this instruction is to believers. Because God's word lasts forever, lay aside the following:
malice- hate/ deceit- lies/ hypocrisy- not walking the talk/ envy-desiring others' qualities or material things/ evil speaking- insults.

Next we are commanded to desire and hunger for the Bible as a newborn cries for milk. Trust God that there are exciting things in the Bible for you to find as you read it day by day. What happens if a newborn does not get milk? They starve. And so shall we starve spiritually if we do not feed on God's word daily. In fact, we will begin to experience malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and evil speaking!

God's Word Abides Forever

1 Pet. 1:22-25a

Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever, because

"All flesh is as grass,
And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass.
The grass withers,
And its flower falls away,
But the word of the LORD endures forever."

As you obey the Bible, the Holy Spirit works in you and you will be purified day by day. One of the great truths of the Bible that we must obey is to love other believers in the following three ways:
1) sincerely- not in a fake way
2) fervently- this was a kissing demonstration- ask dad or Beth
3) with a pure heart- not having ulterior motives but only
basing my love on God's agape love

A seed is a picture of being born. The seed is "incorruptible"- not capable of rotting, but lasting forever. The Word of God teaches us about Jesus and is used by the H.S. to speak to our hearts.

Whose Slave Are You?

A & P - I thought that you may enjoy keeping up with our sermons from church through my blog. Any interest?

John 8:31-32
Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in my word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

We are held captive by more than we realize and need to be set free from many issues in our lives.

This is Jesus' call to us to daily conquer sin in our lives. As believers, we have been chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world, predestined to be His sons, forgiven of all our sins, we have received every spiritual blessing, and have been sealed by the H.S. (Eph. 1) So why would we live like an unbeliever?

When it comes to sanctification and personal holiness, we need to know what to say 'yes' to and what to say 'no' to. Controlling my flesh involves being able to say 'no' to sin and walk away from it. Starve the beast and stop feeding the animal and sin will not have it's reign over you.

We can either pursue godliness on a daily basis or we WILL become like the world. How do I overcome sin? Wake up each day and PRAY. Commit the day, my mouth, my actions, my eyes, to the Lord. Surrender to Him verbally and He promises to help us. Read His word each day (heh- you can read a lot of verses and pray quite a few sentences in 5 minutes).

"Sin is an adulteress who is going to constantly call me away from my devotion to Christ."

In Whom Do You Trust?

1 Pet. 1:20-21

"He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God."

Josh explained "foreordained before the foundation of the world" to Beth, saying that God knew that Jesus would be the sacrificial lamb before the world was made.

The whole point of Christianity is that our faith and hope are in God, not in ourselves. Other religions require trust in your own self for good works, etc. Dad's example: If we take a trip to Lancaster, can Beth get there by herself with no help from us? Her faith and hope are in Daddy. She trusts him to get her there. And we trust Christ for what we can not do ourselves.

Another Left-Handed Moment
Question: What is worse than bringing home 2 left-footed roller blades from a garage sale?

Answer: Arriving at college yesterday with 2 right-footed sneakers.

Walk Worthy of the Blood

1 Pet. 1:17-19

"And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot."

When we pray, we are to remember to never pray flippantly, or for "dumb stuff", but to be serious about our praying. We are to live in the fear of the Lord, trying to be holy people.

We are a prisoner of war in a prison camp, exiled far from home, and Jesus has paid our price for freedom. We have been purchased with His BLOOD! The price was death.

Usually people marry and teach their kids the things they have been taught, the "traditions of their fathers". But Christians are to teach their kids the Word, the Biblical instruction which is true truth, not the world's values.

MacBeth joke:
What did the Jew say who brought his lamb to the altar and found out it had a blemish?

" Out ***** spot!"

1 Pet. 1:13-16
"Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, "Be holy, for I am holy."

Of course Dad starts with the "what is the 'therefore' there for?" and he begins by pointing out that these words are what our response should be to our salvation.

The standard dress of the time was a robe with a belt which was used to pull the robe up and out of the way when a man was working. After we are saved, we are to get ready to use our minds for the Lord. Start thinking about what it means to be a Christian. Be serious about life. Apply yourself.

Our hope is in Jesus' return. Until He returns, we are to fight for Him, obeying Him fully.

And "be holy". We are to be set apart, different from the world, not going along with others who are acting against God. Let "all " of your conduct, from morning to night, be different, not conformed to former lusts.

PPP---- What did the French people call the stomach muscles of someone who hoarded money?

"Les Miserables"

Sunday morning car conversation:

Anne: "Will there be left-handed people in heaven?"

Paul: No- everyone will be right-handed.

Dad: No- left-handed people don't go to heaven.

Paul: You know- the separation of the sheep and the goats.


A short synopsis of Michael's sermon(amazing content and delivery for a 21 yr. old young man- I was impressed)

Read Daniel chapter 5. These thoughts sound pretty disjointed, but they did all fit into the context of the scripture.

Be diligent in your school work, in your work place, and people will notice. It brings honor to God and He will reward it.

Don't ignore the lessons of history. God wants us to learn from the mistakes, not repeat them.

Why does God spend so much time trying to explain to us in His Word that He is Sovereign over the world and the events of history? Because He wants us to humble our hearts, repent of our sin, and acknowledge that He is Sovereign in my own life as well as over the world's kingdoms.

Angels

1 Pet. 1:9-12

"receiving the end of your faith-the salvation of your souls. Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven-things which angels desire to look into."

So why are the angels interested in man's salvation? We talked about the angels and how they are created beings without the ability to procreate or the ability to be redeemed if they fall. Perhaps they are wondering why man can be receive salvation by grace and be restored. Why would God allow His Son to pay the price of sin for a man? I have been given something that the angels cannot understand. Do I take it for granted?

We also talked about the book of Isaiah and how it is very full of the prophecies of Christ and how He would come to provide our salvation.

Longing for Heaven

1 Pet. 1:5-7 (no post- everyone was here!)
1 Pet. 1:8-9

"whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith- the salvation of your souls."

Did you ever love someone that you have never met? Have you ever even cared about someone whom you have never met? Wouldn't that be hard? Peter knew Jesus. He spent every day with Him for 3 years. He spent time with Him, ate with Him, travelled with Him, and came to love Him. Peter is amazed that people could love a man whom they never met or spoke with. Truly something supernatural was involved in this ability to love an unseen man. How can we love a man that lived 2000 years ago and feel like we know Him more intimately than men who live today? We have fallen in love with Him from reading about Him in a book. Amazing.

"The salvation of your souls"- Here we discussed how our sins are washed away, but our salvation is not complete. "Now is the time to struggle and fight, tomorrow comes the crown". BTW, where is that from?

Then we had a looooong discussion of what heaven is like. The new heaven and the new earth may be more like things that we know than we think it will be. The God who created all of the nature that we see and also granted us relationships with other people, has somehow involved His character in all of His design and the end result in a perfect world may just be what life is like now with all of the sin removed.

Cakes?

1 Pet. 1:3,4

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you"

We started out talking about what a "living hope" is as opposed to a hope which does not materialize. Beth may hope for a horse ( which may never come to be) , but this is a hope which will come to fruition because it is living.

The inheritance turned into quite an interesting discussion and I have been threatened by a certain someone not to relate all of the details. In any case, it started out with a promised cake and ended up with the cake in a dorm room. Dad got onto the cake analogy to explain "incorruptible, undefiled, and reserved" to Beth. It was a forgotten and rotted cake for "corrupted", a defiled cake by being left outside, a "faded away" cake when someone ate it, and a "reserved" cake when it was saved for Anne.

If this makes no sense, don't blame me! Ask your brother, or your dad. Mom