Episodios

  • Standing Firm in Brotherly Love

    Standing Firm in Brotherly Love
    Jul 22 2024
    Christians live as exiles in a world that rejects their message, meaning that they will suffer at times for doing good. In light of this reality, Peter calls us to emulate Christlike virtues at all times – unity of mind; sympathy; brotherly love; tender hearts; humble minds; blessing and not repaying; keeping one’s tongue from evil and deceit; spurning evil for good; honoring Christ the Lord as holy; and being ready to give a defense for our faith in gentleness and respect. As a result of our Christlike demeanor and behavior, opponents who slander, revile, and mistreat us will ultimately be put to shame as their accusations prove groundless.
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  • Standing Firm as Wife and Husband

    Standing Firm as Wife and Husband
    Jul 15 2024
    Peter – who was married himself (Mk 1:30) – turns his attention now to the Christian home itself, particularly to the godly institution of marriage. In Christ, he calls wives to be subject/submissive to their husbands (cf Col 3:18; Titus 2:5). The same word (hupotasso) is used of Jesus to His parents (Lk 2:51); demons to Jesus’ disciples (Lk 10:17, 20); creation to futility (Rom 8:20); all things to Jesus (1 Cor 15:27-28); Christians to each other (Eph 5:21); the church to Christ (Eph 5:24); Christians to God (Ja 4:7); and younger men to elders (1 Pt 5:5). Submission, then, carries the idea of “humble service toward” and “to follow one’s leadership.” Note how Peter’s eye is especially toward wives with unbelieving husbands; in this case, wives should not pressure husbands into believing but let their godly living testify to the gospel truth (v2). Moreover, wives should focus on inner beauty (a gentle and quiet spirit) rather than outward adornment, as faithful women have done before them (v3-5). Likewise, husbands are to live in an understanding way (her needs) and to shower them with honor as “weaker vessels” – never threatening them via physical or verbal abuse – as both are equally heirs of grace and life (v6-7).
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  • Standing Firm Under Earthly Authorities

    Standing Firm Under Earthly Authorities
    Jul 8 2024
    What a time for Peter’s hearers then (scattered under increasingly hostile Roman rule) and now (in the midst of another tense election year) to receive these words of Jesus! As citizens in a land that increasingly rejects our gospel message, Peter gives us a fourfold-calling as citizens under earthly governments. First, he calls us to “be subject” to every civil authority as part of God’s will for us (v13-15). Likewise, God establishes earthly governments to (1) punish those who do evil; and (2) to praise those who do good. In this way, both sides serve and bless the other/the community as a whole. Second, Peter assumes that Christians under any government will naturally be those who are “doing good” and thereby “silencing any ignorant, foolish people.” (v15) Third, we are to use our Christian freedom not as a license to sin but to live as servants of God (v16). Fourth, we are to honor fellow citizens as we honor the emperor; in this way we show our fear of God (v17). In all of this, even if we suffer for doing good, God looks graciously upon us and to this Christ left us an example (v20-21).
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  • Standing Firm on the Cornerstone

    Standing Firm on the Cornerstone
    Jul 1 2024
    A frequent image for God (and His Son) in Scripture is both a stone (Heb: ‘eben; Gk: lithos) and a cornerstone. Here, Peter refers to Jesus as both a living stone and a chosen and precious cornerstone. Moreover, he writes that “as we come to Him” – indicating a daily coming to Christ in personal relationship with Him – we too, like living stones, are “being built as a spiritual house” (v5). Peter envisions Christ’s Church as the new temple of God, complete with holy priests and spiritual sacrifices. In this way, believers receive great honor; unbelievers, however, stumble over Jesus as a rock of offense as long as they continue to disobey the Word (v7-8). Our calling as stones in Christ’s temple is to proclaim God’s excellencies; as such, we are the stones that “cry out.”
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  • Standing Firm in God’s Word

    Standing Firm in God’s Word
    Jun 24 2024
    Peter uses many words here to describe God’s Word: purifier, the truth, rebirthing, living, abiding, word of God, remaining forever, good news, and pure spiritual milk. His desire is that as spiritual exiles in this world, we would crave God’s Word. When we regularly taste how good His Word is, we grow up into salvation and increasingly put away all malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander. In other words, God did not give us His Word for information but to effect transformation in us!
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  • Standing Firm in Holy Exile

    Standing Firm in Holy Exile
    Jun 18 2024
    Where do you set your hope? Peter calls us to fully set our hope now on the grace to be revealed when Jesus returns. This has been God’s endgame for His children from eternity! Moreover, when we fix our hope each day on the sure and certain Great Day, it changes how we live in the moment. Amidst the lure and pull of this present, evil age, we – as spiritual exiles – live sober-minded and holy lives, distinct from those around us…ever fighting the desires of sin. [Perhaps recall a time when you were in a unique social setting and felt like a complete outcast/outsider who didn’t really belong there.] For in our holy exile (Jesus has called us out of this world so that we do not belong to it anymore), we know that Christ has ransomed us not with silver or gold, but with His precious blood; and He has been raised from the dead and received glory, so that our faith and hope are always in Him.
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  • Standing Firm in God’s Mercy

    Standing Firm in God’s Mercy
    Jun 10 2024
    Peter writes his first letter to a diversity of believers who have been dispersed throughout Roman provinces in Asia Minor. While many Christians were literal exiles in the Greco-Roman world, Peter especially has in mind “spiritual exiles” who are awaiting their heavenly inheritance. He encourages his readers then/now to endure suffering and hardship by standing steadfast in Christ. Peter reminds us from the start that the God who has called us, given us His Spirit, sprinkled us with Jesus’ blood, and rebirthed us into a living hope via His great mercy (vs3), is the same God who continues to guard us by His power for the salvation to be revealed on the last day. Hence, whatever our earthly trials, we rejoice; and though our faith be tested by fire here, we know that our faith will culminate in the salvation of our souls.
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  • I Am His Story: Melissa

    I Am His Story: Melissa
    Jun 3 2024
    This section of Hebrews 11 continues the long list of OT believers who accomplished great feats through their faith in the LORD & His coming Messiah. The author draws our attention to the stories of “Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets – who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection….” Our faith in Jesus wields the same power, and today we celebrate the faith-story of one such daughter of the King.
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