Maranatha – 1 Peter 5

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you (vv. 6-7).

Are you at this moment feeling anxious about anything at all?  Is there something in your life that is weighing you down and taking a toll on you?  It’s our tendency when such things happen to dwell on those things and wallow in despair.  In doing so, however, we’re missing out on an enormous blessing.  God actually wants us to cast our anxieties on Him.  He cares for us.  So don’t let yourself drown in your sorrows and worries; bring them instead to God in prayer.

And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you (v. 10).

I know it’s hard, but while in the darkness, look out into the distance, for there is a light there that burns bright with an eternal hope.  Whatever we may go through is only a momentary affliction.  All will one day be made well.  In the meantime, we must find hope in that glorious future and find strength in our Lord.

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Maranatha – 1 Peter 4

Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God. For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry. With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you; but they will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead… If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name (vv. 1-5, 14-16).

Living according to the ways of the world is something that lies in our past.  Yet, we are still in the world and are surrounded by opportunities to fulfill our sinful human passions.  When we choose to be satisfied in Christ instead of in those things, worldly people usually don’t understand and may even revile us.  Don’t let their mocking keep you from living according to God’s calling for you as a Christian.  We will be mocked, but in being mocked for our Lord, we are blessed.  Keep living for God despite opposition, for in doing so, you glorify God.

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Maranatha – 1 Peter 3

Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect (vv. 13-15).

How can someone ask us for the reason for the hope that is in us if we don’t let that hope shine forth?  Let us suffer well (and prosper well), that hope exudes from us.  There should be something noticeably different in the way we carry ourselves.  Our attitude as Christians should be completely different.  Even in the most difficult of times, we need not fall into despair because we are founded on the Solid Rock.

Obviously this concept applies to more than just attitude.  Our behavior can also either repel people from or draw people to Christ.  Does your behavior clearly scream “Christian” to the world?  Or are you no different than the average “good guy?”  It’s not proof enough to the world that we don’t do what the “bad guys” do.  Our lives need to be exemplary, our love extraordinary.

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Maranatha – 1 Peter 2

As I was reading Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary on this chapter of 1 Peter, the following quote stood out:

The fruits of Christ’s sufferings are the death of sin, and a new holy life of righteousness; for both which we have an example, and powerful motives, and ability to perform also, from the death and resurrection of Christ.

When it comes to the death of sin in our lives and a rebirth into a life of righteousness, we have 1) an example, 2) motives, and 3) an ability.  Let’s break this down.

First, we have an example in Christ.  If we want to know what it looks like to leave our old sinful lives in the dust and to move forward into lives of righteousness, we need only look at Jesus.  He lived an entirely perfect life, one of love and holiness.  In the midst of the most troubling times, He stood firm, rooted on the right path.

Second, in Christ we have the greatest motive to shy away from sin.  It is not that we need to earn our salvation, for oh, how salvation has already been achieved for us.  It is rather because salvation has already been given to us that we flee from sin and pursue righteousness.  As 1 Peter 1:17-19 says:

And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.

How could we sin against the One who gave everything in order that we would have union with Him forever rather than receive what we truly deserve?

Lastly, we have the ability to live a righteous life.  This ability comes not through our own doing but through the Holy Spirit working in us.  Even though we’re Christians, we still possess our old, unredeemed nature, so we still sin.  But the beauty is that as we yield control to the Holy Spirit, He works in our hearts, sanctifying them and empowering us to live lives that conform to God’s character.

If you’ve been struggling with an area of sin in your life, take heart.  Don’t stop fighting, and don’t stop asking for God’s help in defeating that sin.  In Christ, you have all you need in order to achieve victory.

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Maranatha – 1 Peter 1

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ (vv. 3-7).

Our trials may be some of our greatest blessings from God.  If life always went perfectly, would you ever grow?  Would you ever look to God for help and strength?  Would you have as great an opportunity to glorify God through your actions?  The answer to these three questions is that you probably would not.

Trials are anything but fun and easy while we deal with them, but their impact when all is said and done is something for which to be thankful and in which to rejoice.  Trials lead us to look ahead to our future inheritance and to draw hope and strength from the promise of eternity.  Trials strengthen our faith in God and prepare us to meet future, tougher trials.  Our handling of our trials will result in praise, honor, and glory to God, as our actions show that God is more than enough in the midst of every storm.

Father, I may not always understand why I have to endure the things I do, but I rest in Your promise that You work everything together for good.  Lord, I ask that You would do whatever it takes in my life to bring me into deeper intimacy with You and to strengthen my faith in You.  I only ask that You would grant me the ability to persevere through whatever comes my way.  May my trials result in all honor, glory, and praise to Your holy name.  Amen.

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Maranatha – Psalm 21-25

Psalm 21

This psalm is one of thanksgiving and praise.  King David does not fail to thank God for all that He is and all that He has done for him.  Are our hearts in the same place?  God graciously bestows blessing upon blessing upon us, but do we ever thank Him?  Like David, we experience the “joy of [God's] presence” (v. 6), but do we even praise the Lord for such a blessing?

Psalm 22

Take heart, you who feel forsaken.  Take heart, you who feel abandoned.  While hanging on the cross, Jesus cried out the words of this psalm: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”  Jesus understands all our feelings of abandonment, for He experienced them to the utmost degree.  Simply cry out to Him, and He will surely give you the grace, mercy, and love that you need.  God may not deliver you in the way that you had planned, but know that His way is best.  For example, if Jesus would have been delivered from the cross, look at the sad state we’d be in.  Every trial has its silver lining, and even when it seems God has abandoned you, He has never left your side.

For he has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted, and he has not hidden his face from him, but has heard, when he cried to him (v. 24).

Psalm 23

Maybe it’s just me, but I’m so familiar with this psalm that it has almost lost its meaning.  I’ve had it memorized word for word since high school, and it’s now little more than something I can quickly recite with no thought whatsoever of its meaning.  What a shame that is, for the truths to be found here are mind-blowing.

Look at the amazing blessings set forth in this psalm.  We have no need to want, for God provides all that we need, and in fact, He overflows our cups.  He brings peace and rest to our souls.  He makes us to be more like Him every day.  We need not fear death, for even there, God is with us.  His goodness and mercy are constantly with us, and best of all, we shall forever dwell in His presence.

Awesome, right?  For sure.  But let’s hold up for a second.  You see, these blessings have a sort of prerequisite.  We must first take the Lord to be our shepherd.  We must first submit to His leadership.  If the Good Shepherd wants to lead us to green pastures and still waters, are we going to experience such things if we run the opposite direction?  Of course not!  So the question for us is: Are we following the leading of our Shepherd, or are we stubborn sheep wanting to go our own ways?

Psalm 24

Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD? And who shall stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully (vv. 3-4).

Last January, Brad Lewis, who is one of the Chi Alpha pastors in the Fargo-Moorhead area, gave a sermon on verses 1-6 of this psalm.  Since God definitely used Pastor Brad’s words to work in my life, I would like to share what he said.

Four keys to closeness with God:

1. Clean hands – Having no habitual sin in your life
2. Pure heart – Having motives for our actions that are pleasing to God
3. No idols – Anything more important than God in your life
4. Not swearing deceitfully – Areas where you are not being entirely honest

If you desire complete, unhindered intimacy with God, these four areas must be made right.

Psalm 25

I intended to comment on some verses from this psalm, but as I was reading through Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary the following prayer caught my eyes because it is the desire of my heart:

Blessed Saviour, thou hast graciously taught us that without thee we can do nothing. Do thou teach us how to pray, how to appear before thee in the way which thou shalt choose, and how to lift up our whole hearts and desires after thee, for thou art the Lord our righteousness.

May such a prayer forever be upon our lips.

Tags: Bible, maranatha, notes, Psalm 21, Psalm 22, Psalm 23, Psalm 24, Psalm 25, study

Maranatha – Psalm 17-20

Psalm 17

Arise, O LORD! Confront him, subdue him! Deliver my soul from the wicked by your sword, from men by your hand, O LORD, from men of the world whose portion is in this life. You fill their womb with treasure; they are satisfied with children, and they leave their abundance to their infants. As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness (vv. 13-15).

The things of this world are called treasures, they are so accounted; but to the soul, and when compared with eternal blessings, they are trash (Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary).

We have no reason to envy the rich and the prosperous.  They may have all the luxuries this world has to offer, but they’re missing the best thing of all.  They’ve got much to enjoy now but nothing to look forward to.  But boy, do we as believers have something to look forward to.  One day, we will awake to see our God face to face.  Now I don’t know about you, but that excites me and I’ll gladly give up the things of this world because they are rubbish in comparison to the beauty that awaits me.  Problem is, for me and so many others, that declaration of surrender is all talk and not walk.  Do we honestly live as if our treasure is in heaven?

Psalm 18

With the merciful you show yourself merciful; with the blameless man you show yourself blameless;with the purified you show yourself pure; and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous (vv. 25-26).

Do you want God to reveal more and more of His goodness to you?  Then be like Him in all your ways.  Extend the mercy of Christ to everyone around you and live a holy and blameless life, doing nothing to fuel others’ doubts about your faith and more importantly, about God Himself.

  Psalm 19

The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb (vv. 7-10).

The words “law,” “testimony,” “precepts,” “commandment,” and “rules” are used to refer to Scripture.  The Word of God has great power, for as these verses teach, it revives the soul, gives wisdom, leads us to rejoice, and opens our eyes to see clearly.  Thus, Scripture is to be treasured above gold and honey.  If you knew there was gold buried in your yard, how hard would you look for it?  Knowing that God’s Word is infinitely better, take that intense effort and multiply it exponentially.  God’s Word is readily accessible, and to partake of its treasure, the first step is to open it up and dig in.  Do not neglect the importance of diligent study.

Psalm 20

Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God (v. 7).

Where does your trust lie?  Is it in your own abilities, or in the perceived state of security that you’ve built for yourself?  Or is it in God alone?  Our own abilities can only get us so far; God, on the other hand, can bring victory where you never would have imagined that even being a possibility.

Tags: Bible, maranatha, notes, Psalm 17, Psalm 18, Psalm 19, Psalm 20, study

Maranatha – Psalm 15-16

Psalm 15

The child of God treats others justly and willingly lays aside selfish desires for the sake of others.  He does not lie and does not speak badly about anyone else.  He does no evil to others, and he especially honors those in the household of faith.  He does not take advantage of others.  He even is willing to endure some sort of hurt for the sake of others.  This last characteristic I find especially interesting and challenging.  Are you willing to sacrifice yourself and endure some pain for the benefit of those around you?

Psalm 16

You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore (v. 11).

Think about the things that you expect to bring you joy.  Isn’t it true that often such things bring you a certain measure of joy but that there seems to be a deeper joy that you just can’t grasp?  That’s because nothing in this world can bring us complete joy.  With God, however, we have the blessing of the fullness of joy.  In Him, our joy is complete.

Think also about things that bring you pleasure.  Do they not only last for a short period of time?  The pleasures of this world are fleeting.  One moment, you experience pleasure and the next, unspeakable pain comes, and the pleasure is forgotten.  The beauty of the pleasures that God gives is that they will last forever.  In heaven, we will need not worry about pleasure being replaced by pain.

I’ll leave you with this quote that I liked from Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary:

Most take the world for their chief good, and place their happiness in the enjoyments of it; but how poor soever my condition is in this world, let me have the love and favour of God, and be accepted of him; let me have a title by promise to life and happiness in the future state; and I have enough. Heaven is an inheritance; we must take that for our home, our rest, our everlasting good, and look upon this world to be no more ours, than the country through which is our road to our Father’s house.

Tags: Bible, maranatha, notes, Psalm 15, Psalm 16, study

Maranatha – Psalm 13-14

Psalm 13:

It is a common temptation, when trouble lasts long, to think that it will last always. Those who have long been without joy, begin to be without hope. We should never allow ourselves to make any complaints but what drive us to our knees (Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary).

When God seems far away, and enemies and trials seem to prevail over us, our natural tendency is to fall into despair just like David did in verses 1-4.  But note the change in attitude in verse 5: “But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.”  When life is difficult spiritually or otherwise, our focus must shift away from our problems and to God’s promises and the hope that we have in His salvation.  Additionally, as Matthew Henry wrote, when we’re struggling, it’s not one bit beneficial that we mope around; instead, we must fall on our knees and cry out to the God that promises to hear and answer our prayers.

Psalm 14:

The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God’ (v. 14a).

Note here who the real fool is.  The atheists, agnostics, and secular humanists of our day would have us believe that we are the fools for believing in some magic being who lives in the sky.  But we are not the fools.  The fools are those who would rather believe that everything in the universe just happened to appear and come to its current form than believe that everything was made for a purpose by a higher being to whom we are all accountable.  Take heart when the ungodly mock you, for believing in God makes you anything but a fool.

This verse, however, does bring up an interesting question.  Do we ever live our lives as if there were no God?  Do we claim faith in Jesus, but then live as if we actually don’t believe in Him?  Do you live your life as if you are only accountable to yourself?  This practical atheism is characterized by the divide between what we say and what we do.  Examine yourself to see whether or not you might be living the life of a practical atheist.

Tags: Bible, maranatha, notes, practical atheism, Psalm 13, Psalm 14, study

Maranatha – Matthew 4

The temptation of Jesus in the wilderness as recounted in verses 1-11 highlights two reasons that it is absolutely imperative that we know Scripture and internalize it:

1. Take a look at what the devil used to tempt Jesus.  He used none other than the Word of God, albeit out of context.  The enemy loves false teaching, and he will use it in order to get us to stumble.  Thus, it is essential that we know what Scripture says and what it means in context.  We can’t have that knowledge unless we actually dig in with the help of the Holy Spirit.  Set aside time frequently (everyday is best) to study the Bible.
2. How did Jesus counter the enemy’s attacks?  By using God’s Word.  Since our example (Christ) fights temptation using Scripture, it is clear that we should do the same.  But again, how do you use Scripture to fight temptation if you don’t know it?  I think one of the most valuable ways of internalizing Scripture is to memorize it.  I know what you’re probably thinking: “How do you expect me to find time to do that?  I’ve got too many other things to think about and to memorize.”  I completely understand, as I was in that boat about two months ago.  I got motivated to start memorizing Scripture, however, and I realized that I had been just making excuses.  I may be a college student with limited time, but the real problem was motivation.  If you think about it, though, what better motivation is there than knowing that writing Scripture upon your heart and mind can help guard you from sinning against the Lord?  So get started; I dare you.  I think you’ll find that it’s easier than you imagined and that it’s definitely a worthwhile endeavor.  If you don’t know where to start, do what I’ve been doing.  Take part in the other half of Rocco Grimaldi’s Maranatha Bible study and memorize the passage he posts each week.

I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you (Psalm 119:11).

Tags: Bible, maranatha, Matthew 4, notes, study