Christ Church

New Testament

Eagerly Skeptical (Acts of the Apostles) (Christ Church)

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INTRODUCTION

Thessalonica was a major city in Macedonia. It had a huge harbor and was situated on a major trade route. It had been established by a Macedonian king named Cassander in 315 B.C., who named it after his wife Thessalonike. Paul was supported financially in his mission here by the saints in Philippi, the city he had just come from (Phil. 4:16).

THE TEXT

“Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews: And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures, opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ. And some of them believed, and consorted with Paul and Silas; and of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few . . .” (Acts 17:1–15).

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

They went through two Macedonian cities (Amphipolis and Apollonia) on their way to Thessalonica, which had a synagogue (v. 1). Paul followed his custom and went there first, reasoning with them there for three sabbath days (v. 2). His argument was that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead, and that this Jesus that he preached was that Christ (v. 3). Some Jews believed and attached themselves to Paul and Silas, but a great number of God-fearing Gentiles believed, and more than a few of their chief women (v. 4). The Jews who refused the proofs, driven by envy, rounded up some bad actors to get a tumult going (v. 5). They gathered up a mob, caused an uproar, and attacked Jason’s house (where Paul and Silas were presumably staying, in order to seize them (v. 5). Because Paul and Silas weren’t there, they grabbed Jason and some brothers instead and brought them to the rulers of the city. “These men who have disrupted the world have come here now” (v. 6). Their complaint was that Jason had showed them hospitality, men who were subversive to the decrees of Caesar, saying that Jesus is a different king (v. 7). This unsettled both the rulers and the people of the city (v. 8). Jason and the others with him posted bail, and were released (v. 9). And so that night the brothers packed off Paul and Silas to Berea, about 45 miles to the west (v. 10). Naturally, they went to the synagogue there. The Jews there were more noble than those in Thessalonica, and two reasons are given for saying this. They were eager for the message to be true, and they double-checked it against Scripture anyway (v. 11). A lot of them believed, and honorable Greek women, as well as Greek men (v. 12). But the unbelieving Jews in Thessalonica heard about this and decided to play the role of a dog in the manger (v. 13) and came to Berea to stir up a mob there. So the brothers sent Paul away right away, with Silas and Timothy remaining for some reason (v. 14). So Paul sailed down to Athens, and he sent word back to Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible (v. 15).

THE GENTILE BREAKPOINT

As we are seeing throughout the book of Acts, the lives of Gentiles and Jews were closely intertwined. It was very common for Gentile admirers of the God of Israel to be closely associated with synagogues, and you can see in both Thessalonica and Berea that what was preached to the Jews got to the Gentiles almost immediately. But from the Roman point of view, there was something unsettling about the Christian appeal to these Gentiles.

The Council of Jerusalem decided that Gentiles did not have to become Jews to become Christians. Hopefully that point has been hammered home by now. But by insisting that the Gentile converts keep themselves from the pollutions of idols (Acts 15:20), the Council decided that Gentile converts had to reject their native gods, their native customs, and They did not have to become Jews, but in this respect, they had to act like Jews.

It was possible for someone to admire the God of Israel from the back row of the synagogue without abandoning their ancient customs. In he Christian gospel opened wide one door in front of them, and slammed shut the door behind them. We are consequently seeing how the pagan populations are growing very nervous about this growing movement. Notice how the trouble-making Jews pitched this to the Gentile rulers of the city—these men are teaching something that is subversive to the decrees of Caesar. They are teaching people about the authority of a different king, one Jesus. This is the kind of charge that was guaranteed to get the attention of civic rulers—nobody wants to be the position of protecting seditious traitors, right?

EAGERLY SKEPTICAL

This is an early version of “trust, but verify.” Notice how Luke describes what it looks like to be well-born, to be noble. Someone comes with a message that promises wonderful things. A noble receives such a teaching warmly, hoping that it is in fact true. But the next step is crucial. They sit down and open up their Bibles. “To the law and to the testimony: If they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them” (Isaiah 8:20).

ANOTHER KING INDEED

We do indeed preach and declare the kingdom of God (Acts 1:3,6;8:12; 14:22; 19:8; 20:25; 28:23,31). And there can be no kingdom of God without a king, and the name of this king is Jesus. He is the one who was given universal authority by the Ancient of Days, and a kingdom which cannot be destroyed (Dan. 7:14). He is the one who was given the nations for His inheritance (Ps. 2:8), and He intends to have them all (Matt. 28:18-20).

But He is a High King, not a replacement king. This means that all current political authorities must kiss the Son (Ps. 2:12), lest He be angry. The kings of earth are instructed to wise up (Ps. 2:10), meaning that they must serve and worship Him. They do not throw away their crowns, but rather they must lay them down at the feet of the Lord Jesus, after which they receive them back again. The path of wisdom for them is to echo the words of John the Baptist, wanting Him to increase and for themselves to decrease. But this kind of decrease is glorious, and brings the honor and glory of the kingdoms of men into the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:26).

Jesus is king. Christ is king indeed.

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How to Look like a Madman (The Living Stone) (Living Stone Reformed Church)

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INTRODUCTION

1 Peter teaches Christians how to endure suffering. Where we might be tempted to shy away from suffering by simply blending in with a culture that despises Christ, Peter exhorts us to embrace what the world deems madness. The wisdom of this world is like stumbling around in the dark. But Christ has led us out of darkness and into marvelous light.

THE TEXT

1 Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, 2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: 3 If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious. 4 To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, 5 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. 6 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. […] 1Peter 2:1ff

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

As the New Israel, brought into being by the potent Word of Jesus, it is imperative that the saints conduct themselves righteously, setting aside deeds of uncleanness (v1). As an infant craves its mother’s milk, so saints are to desire the Word, because they’ve tasted and seen that the Lord is gracious (vv2-3, Cf. Ps. 34:8). They have come to the Lord Jesus as a stone upon which to build, even though Old Israel had judged this stone as an unsuitable foundation stone. But God has spoken otherwise, ordaining this stone upon which to build His new temple (v4). Since these believers had trusted in Jesus, they are also identified with Him. They are living stones to be used to build a temple in which to serve God (v5). The OT citations pile up to prove Peter’s point. Christ is the foundation stone Isaiah foretold (v6, Is. 28:16 ). For those who entrust themselves to this stone, they will find Him steadfast and precious, whereas those who reject Him will find themselves continually stumbling over this stone (vv7-8, Ps. 118:22, Is. 8:14). In contrast to those tripped up by Christ, believers are set apart as a royal and priestly nation, and as such are to behave accordingly, unlike Israel had done (v9, Ex. 19:5-6). This is also what Hosea foretold:  God would, by His tender-mercies, give the new name of “My people” to those who were once named “not My people” (v10, Hos. 2:23).

Once more, Peter admonishes them, since they are now citizens of this heavenly kingdom, to live according to their King’s law. Holiness is the true subversion (vv11-12). For the rest of this chapter and well into the next, Peter argues that this holiness will be most clearly displayed in how they conduct themselves in the face of severe mistreatment. First, they are to submit to the ordinances of kings for the Lord’s sake; they will most certainly be mistreated, but it should be due to righteousness, not due to smashing mailboxes (vv13-17). Peter commences to give household instructions. But he starts where others would end: servants (v18). Servants should serve their masters well, even abusive tyrants (v18). There is breathtaking glory in enduring injustice patiently (vv19-20). These servants, oft abused, are to model their service on the example of Jesus, who was the suffering Servant (v21).

Jesus did no evil and spoke without guile (Ps. 34:13). Despite this, He was reviled and put through severe suffering. Nevertheless, He trusted that the judgements of God are pure and right always (vv22-23). Christ’s example of righteously enduring unjust suffering is displayed in His crucifixion, where He bore our sins as His own, healing our wounds by His own (v24, Is. 53:5). We were straying sheep (Is. 53:6), but are now gathered by Christ the true Shepherd and Overseer of our souls (v25).

THE LIVING STONE

Peter gives us term for Christ we don’t find elsewhere in Scripture. Simon (reed), the one whom Christ renamed Peter (rock), now returns the favor and honors the Lord with the striking title of Living Stone. Abraham discerned afar off a heavenly city that God was going to build through him (Heb. 11:10, 16). Of old, Jacob prophesied that the Messiah would be ‘the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel’ (Gen. 49:24). David’s Psalms describe Israel’s God as a rock and refuge (Ps. 18:2; 31:2–3; 62:2). Daniel foretold a stone that would grow into a mighty mountain filling all the earth (Dan. 2:34–35, 44–45). Ezekiel foresaw a restored temple (Ez. 40–48).

Christ is the foundation of all God’s work of redemption. Christ is the stone which God has chosen upon which to build His end times temple; a temple made of people. Those who come to Christ, those who look to Him in faith, gladly enduring suffering like He did, are themselves made living stones with which God will construct His temple. Christ’s life of obedient service to His Father not only exemplifies how you should conduct yourself, but also enables you to do so. Faith in Christ writes you into the story of Jesus which God is telling. However, those that reject Christ find Him to be a striking stone. A stone that crushes them. A stone that makes them stumble and fall. No matter what, you will experience Christ as a stone. For those redeemed by His Gospel Word, Christ is a precious cornerstone that turns us into living stones as well. By this we are included in the habitation God is building for Himself. For those who reject this Word, the stone is experienced as a perpetual stumbling block. He is a stone that is alive. This is what His resurrection means. The construction of God’s house will be built upon Christ who died but now lives forevermore. The resurrection of Jesus is the foundational and inescapable truth of the recreation of this world.

OUR NAME

Now, this just so happens to be the text which principally inspires the name of our church. We selected this name in order to set this vision before us. God has elected Christ as the Living Stone whereby He will build a house for His glory to dwell in. As we trust in Christ, we form the walls, pillars, floors, and bulwarks of this temple erected for the Living God to dwell in. Selecting this name for our church sets a vision before us of a long-term building project that is founded on Christ and Him alone. From the quarry of sufferings, God carves stones of faithful saints. Such saints have gone before us, and we are laid next to them even as they were laid down in alignment with the foundation Stone. We also trust that when our fleeting days on earth are done, that God by His grace will continue this building until every nation, tribe and tongue joyfully worships in this temple which God is building. Thus, this name puts before us our connection to Christ and all the faithful saints that have gone before while compelling us to lift our eyes, by faith, to a glorious future. A future where our children’s children will also be set in these glorious walls of Zion, until this city fills all the world. But make no mistake, the Living Stone, which is Christ, is inescapable. The world must be brought to either come to Him in faith, or be stumbled by Him at every turn. What cannot be done is set this stone aside. That is what we as a church aim to believe and live out.

SUFFERING INJUSTICE

One of the most difficult things for us to do is to endure wrong treatment from others. We think it is our right to get back at those who harm us, abuse us, or mistreat us. But Peter wants us to look at the ultimate indignity and injustice of Christ’s sufferings to embolden us to suffer well. Looking in true faith to Christ really does change us. Looking to the wounds of Christ, really does heal our woes.

We must be careful here and couple this what Scripture teaches elsewhere about righteous opposition to tyrants. However, it is a remarkable thing when a Christian is faced with lionlike tyrant. This tyrant may be a king, a spouse, a parent, a pastor, or a boss. First, you must face such tyranny as Christ did: trusting that God will judge righteously. This demands that your faith must not be principally in earthly courts of justice, but in the final court of God’s judgement. As David said in Psalm 34, “The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are attentive to their cry (Ps. 34:15).” Secondly, by not returning evil for evil you are in fact, like Christ, becoming a greater condemnation to your persecutors. They must either repent and reconcile, or face an even greater judgement for continually abusing the innocent.  Again from Psalm 34, “The face of the LORD is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.[And] Evil shall slay the wicked (Ps. 34:16, 21a).”

SUBVERTING THE WORLD

To trust in Christ, to walk as His royal priests during our earthly sojourn, to conduct ourselves as He did, to build our life upon the Living Stone of Christ and so be used as living stones ourselves is utterly insane to this world. But, like David’s madness in the courts of Achish, what might appear to be madness in the eyes of the world, is how God delivers us. How were you saved from your sins? By the sinless One taking them as His own. How do you subvert tyrants? By enduring their assaults without responding to their sin with your own sin. What should you build your life on? A Living Stone that worldly wisdom rejects.

After all, God’s plan to overthrow all tyrants and bring them to judgement is to let tyrants cruelly kill the Messiah. And then raise the Messiah to life again in order that He might ascend as their judge. The suffering Christ has subverted the world’s wisdom, and calls us to do the same by living as He did.

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Prison Acoustics are Best (Acts of the Apostles) (Christ Church)

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INTRODUCTION

This is the place where Luke joins up with Paul’s entourage (v. 10). He may have been the man in the vision, but regardless, we know that he joined them here. When they cross over to Macedonia, this is the first recorded evangelistic foray into Europe. This is where the Philippian church is established, and reading Philippians alongside this narrative will be especially rewarding.

THE TEXT

“And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us. And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavoured to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them . . .” (Acts 16:9–40).

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

A man from Macedonia appeared to Paul in a night vision (v. 9), asking him to come to Macedonia. The conclusion was to go there in the will of God (v. 10). They left Troas, and went through Sam thrace, Neapolis (v. 11), and then to Philippi, a Roman colony and chief city (v. 12). After a few days, they attended Jewish services by the river (v. 13). Speaking to the women there, they led a woman named Lydia to Christ (v. 14). They baptized her, and she then insisted that they stay with her (v. 15). A possessed fortune-telling girl began to harass them by declaring their mission (vv. 16-17). After some days, an annoyed Paul cast the spirit out (v. 18), which wrecked her ability to make money (v. 19). Her masters grabbed Paul and Silas an accused them to the city rulers (vv. 19-20). They accused them of being Jews, not Christians, and contrasted this with the Roman customs (v. 21). So the mob came against them, and the magistrates ordered them beaten (v. 22). After many stripes, they were committed to prison (v. 23). The jailer put them in the inner prison, with their feet in stocks (v. 24). Naturally, at midnight Paul and Silas started singing hymns to God, with other prisoners listening (v. 25). That’s when the earthquake happened, breaking the doors and chains (v. 26). The jailer saw this and was going to kill himself (v. 27). Paul shouted reassurance (v. 28). The jailer called for a light, and fell down before Paul and Silas and brought them out, asking how he could be saved (vv. 29-30). The answer was for him and house—believe in Christ (vv. 31-32). The jailer cleaned them up, and they baptized him and his household (v. 33). He took them in and fed them, rejoicing (v. 34). The next day, the magistrates assumed the lesson had been learned and sent messengers saying it was time to let those men go (v. 35). The jailer passed the message on (v. 36). Paul said nothing doing. Roman citizens need to be escorted out (v. 37). When they got the message, the magistrates complied, and were much more courteous this time (vv. 38-39). They left the prison, went to Lydia’s house, comforted the saints, and then departed (v. 40).

REALLY ROMAN

Macedonia was a Greek region, but Philippi was a very Roman city. Alexander’s father, Philip, named it after himself, and strengthened it. But in 42 B.C. it was the site of the battle where Octavian (Augustus) and Mark Antony defeated Brutus and Cassius. About twelve years later it was reorganized as a Roman colony (v. 12), and a lot of veteran soldiers were retired there. These people prided themselves on being Roman (v. 21), accusing these traveling Jews of violating Roman customs when they themselves were in the process of violating basic Roman norms. But Paul and Silas were both Romans (v. 37), and Paul was the kind of Roman who had a pocket copy of the Constitution on him.

A MERCHANT OF PURPLE

Lydia is described as a merchant of purple goods, and we are told she was from Thyatira. This meant she was a dealer in luxury goods, and almost certainly wealthy. In the ancient world, purple was derived from the murex shellfish, and the extraction process was very costly. Purple was consequently indicative of status, riches, and royalty. A person in her social class would likely have had a household that had a couple hundred people in it.

THE PYTHONES

The fortune-telling girl was a devotee of the god Apollo. The original says that she had the “spirit of a python” (v. 16). The myth was that Apollo had slain a giant python at Delphi, which is why his priestess there was called The Pythoness. He was the god of reason and order, and he slew the dragon of chaos. In this biblical account, there is no hint that the girl was faking it. It was a real demon.

PRISON ACOUSTICS ARE BEST

In Philippians, Paul tells these saints that he knew the secret of contentment, well-fed or hungry (Phil. 4:11). He was contented when he was put up at the rich lady’s house, and he was contented

when flogged and housed in the prison stocks. The Philippians knew this about him. He had told the Philippians to rejoice all the time, and he had even said it twice (Phil. 4:4)—and they all knew about his midnight impromptu psalm sing. He had told them to do everything without grumbles (Phil. 2:14), and they knew that he lived in the same way that he taught. He was no grumbler.

WASHED THEM ALL AWAY

There is a wonderful picture of gospel grace in v. 33. The jailer took them and washed their wounds. When that was done, they turned around and washed away his sins in baptism. Not only so, but also everyone in his household. The Romans had unlawfully flogged these two citizens. In repentance, the jailer washed their stripes. In forgiveness, they washed his spiritual wounds in return.

So remember that Paul, the persecuted and forgiving one here, at one time had himself been the persecuting one. He had changed sides earlier in his life, just as the Philippian jailer was changing sides now. He knew what that was like.

What we are talking about is the grace of God in the gospel. This is a message of grace, forgiveness, cleansing, and all of it undeserved. You can see how this plays out in a very tangible way here. This is what it looks like. Repentance knows how to wash the wounds that you inflicted. Forgiveness knows how to wash the wounds of the one who inflicted pain on you.

In the message of the cross, we transition from getting what we deserve, good and hard, to receiving as a free gift a precious salvation, the worth of which is beyond all mortal reckoning. We labor hard for our own damnation until we are out of breath, and then God invites us to sit at His table and eat.

“And in this mountain shall the LORD of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined” (Isaiah 25:6).

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Enter Timothy (Acts of the Apostles) (Christ Church)

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INTRODUCTION

In this portion of the book of Acts, we are first introduced to Timothy, Paul’s companion and co-worker over the course of years. As we get to know Timothy, we are going to get to know Paul better, and we are going to see some areas where we can be strengthened and encouraged.

THE TEXT

“Then came he to Derbe and Lystra: and, behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timotheus, the son of a certain woman, which was a Jewess, and believed; but his father was a Greek: Which was well reported of by the brethren that were at Lystra and Iconium. Him would Paul have to go forth with him; and took and circumcised him because of the Jews which were in those quarters: for they knew all that his father was a Greek. And as they went through the cities, they delivered them the decrees for to keep, that were ordained of the apostles and elders which were at Jerusalem . . .” (Acts 16:1–8).

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

So Paul and Silas came back to Galatia, to the towns of Lystra and Derbe. There was a disciple there named Timothy, the son of a Greek father and a Jewess mother, who was Christian (v. 1). This young man had a solid testimony with the brothers at Lystra and Iconium (v. 2), also in Galatia. Paul recruited him, but circumcised him first because the Jews in that region knew that his father was Greek (v. 3). More on this shortly. As they traveled through the cities, they delivered the decision of the apostles and elders at Jerusalem (v. 4). This was an extension and application of that decision. As a result, the churches were established in the faith, and continued to grow (v. 5). They worked their way through the provinces of Phrygia and Galatia, but the Holy Spirit kept them from going into Asia (v. 6). They came to a place called Mysia, and were going to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit prohibited that also (v. 7). So passing Mysia, they came to Troas (v. 8).

KEEPING THE GEOGRAPHY STRAIGHT

Mysia was the northwest region of modern Turkey, adjoined the Hellespont and the Aegean Sea. Troas was a city on the west coast of Mysia. Remember that Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe were all cities in Galatia. Note also that Paul delivered the determinations of the Jerusalem Council to them, even though the letter had been addressed to churches much farther east—in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia. Phrygia was a large region that the Romans divided into Asia and Galatia. Sometimes regional lines and state lines don’t match up exactly (e.g. Midwest, and Iowa).

THE ODD CASE OF TIMOTHY

Many Bible readers have been baffled by the odd case of Timothy’s circumcision. What on earth could Paul have been thinking? In the early stages of the controversy, Paul exulted in the fact that he had brought Titus to Jerusalem with him, and even though he was a Greek, he was not compelled to be circumcised (Gal. 2:3). And he had confronted a fellow apostle over just this issue at Antioch, charging him with hypocrisy (Gal. 2:11). And then there had been a momentous church council, which had decided the question the right way (Acts 15:19).

So he then comes to Galatia (of all places) and circumcises Timothy “because of the Jews which were in those quarters” (v. 3). What on earth? And on top of that incongruity, the very next verse shows them delivering the decision of the Jerusalem Council to the Galatian churches (v. 4).

To understand this, we have to piece a few clues together. Timothy’s mother Eunice and grandmother Lois were genuine believers (2 Tim. 1:5). Timothy had known the Scriptures from infancy on (2 Tim. 3:15). The word child in that verse is brephos—infant. He had been raised as a devout Jew, in other words. He was an observant Jew in every respect but one—he was not circumcised because his father was a Greek. The reason Gentiles should not be forced to accept circumcision is that they would then have to keep the entire law. But Timothy was already doing that. Moreover, the fact that he lived, dressed, ate, and talked like a Jew, all while being uncircumcised, would have been obnoxious and offensive to Jews—like he was LARPing or Cosplaying. So for Paul to circumcise him here was no inconsistency.

THE AGE OF TIMOTHY

We are in the late 40’s or early 50’s. Paul could have been executed as late as 67 A.D. From 49 to 67 is almost 20 years, and in Paul’s last letter to Timothy, he told him to “flee youthful lusts” (2 Tim. 2:22). And in 1 Timothy, he had instructed Timothy not to allow congregants to despise his youth (1 Tim. 4:11-13). If he is still a young man in those letters, then he would have been a really young man when Paul first took him on as a ministerial assistant. I would estimate around 16-years-old.

THEN AM I STRONG

We are going to see that Timothy was a highly valued co-worker in Paul’s eyes. But for those who make snap decisions based on surface appearances alone, Timothy might have required some faith. Paul recruited him when he was very young. What could Paul have been looking at? Moreover, Timothy appears to have been naturally timid—Paul has to encourage him to lean into suffering (2 Tim. 1:8), and not to be ashamed. On top of that, he may have been a sickly and frail man. Paul told him to take some wine for his stomach and frequent ailments (1 Tim. 5:23).

But he is a “true son in the faith” (1 Tim. 1:2), a “beloved son” (2 Tim. 1:2; 1 Cor. 4:17). Paul knows that Timothy genuinely cares for others (Phil. 2:19-22). He was a trusted co-worker (1 Thess. 3:2), frequently entrusted with important tasks (1 Cor. 4:17). Paul has confidence in his ability to imitate perseverance (2 Tim. 3:10-11).

So it is a mistake to think that Bible characters just floated above the ground, not needing to overcome difficulties the way we do.

“Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong” (2 Cor. 12:10).

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Like Your Lawn in August (The Living Stone) (Living Stone Reformed Church)

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INTRODUCTION

We are all too familiar with how flaky human words can be. Actions speak louder than words, as the cliché says. But this is a world that was made by the Word. Our temptation is to minimize the potency of words, which is like a fish minimizing its need for water, or a bird its need for wind. The book of 1 Peter invites you to consider whether you will live in the flimsy world made by the words of human wisdom, or will you be remade by the Everlasting Word.

THE TEXT

Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, 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. 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, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. […] 1 Peter 1:1ff

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

Peter is writing from Rome, which he refers to later as Babylon (5:3). The recipients of this letter are called scattered strangers, which live in five regions of what is now Turkey (v1). He lists those places in a sort of compass, a common custom of OT prophets in their declarations to the nations (Cf. Zeph 2). These saints, comprised mostly of Gentiles, are counted as elect, a term usually reserved for Israel, but now expanded to include believers of all nations. Included in this covenantal status is a multitude of graces: the Father’s electing love, the sanctifying Spirit, the Son’s sprinkled blood, abundant grace and peace (v2). Springing from this salvation is blessing for the God that has begotten them by Christ’s resurrection, promised them an inheritance of a heavenly kingdom, and the security of God’s preserving presence in the face of last times turmoil (vv3-5).

Starting in verse 6, Peter introduces the main theme of his letter: enduring suffering by hope in God. By rejoicing in the hope given to them through Christ’s resurrection, they will be able to endure the heavy trials that lie ahead. These trials are not a sign that things are going wrong, but that God is making their faith into a pure mirror of gold that can reflect Christ’s own image (vv6-8). This faith in Christ results in unspeakably full glory and joy, because by this faith we receive the great salvation of Christ’s new creation (vv8-9).

This salvation is what the ancient prophets foretold, and longed to see clearly themselves. The glory that the prophets foretold was the glory of a suffering Christ. Of course, Jesus is the fulfillment of the prophets’ oracles. This fulfillment is the Gospel that had been proclaimed to the recipients of this letter, and was a wonder even to the angels (vv10-12). By this Gospel, and by this Gospel alone, these saints must gird their minds for a gruesome battle that was soon to fall upon them as Christ’s kingdom was revealed (v13). As children of their holy Father, they must conduct themselves according to the holiness of their God, not according to the ignorant lusts which had a long and inglorious tradition of being handed down from Adam to all his offspring (vv14-16; Cf. Lev. 11:44, 19:2, 20:7). They can call God their Father, because He calls them elect children, but this requires them to walk in reverent fear, as true Word-bearers of the living God before the world (v17).

Their status as covenant members of God’s household is not because they purchased their freedom from sin with gold and silver. Rather, because God’s own Son, as ordained before the world began, had been manifested in these last times, as a spotless passover lamb shedding it’s precious blood for their salvation (Cf. Is. 53:7). By Jesus’ death, resurrection, and glorification, these scattered ones can now have faith and hope in God regardless of the coming sufferings (vv18-21). Since they have been purified by the Spirit’s application of Christ’s blood, they are to embody this in sincere love for each other. Why? Because they are born of God’s everlasting seed of the Word. To drive this home, Peter cites a few lines from Isaiah’s first Messiah song (Is. 40:6-8), with one interesting tweak. Instead of “the word of Theos”, it is “the word of Kurios”. In Peter’s teaching, there’s no question that the Word of Jesus (the Lord), was the vivifying Word of God which Isaiah foretold (vv22-25). This potent Word of Jesus was how these Gentiles had been “gospelled” (v25).

SCATTERED STRANGERS

As we work through Peter’s epistle, think of Peter as a NT prophet. He foretells a coming doom. He comforts the faithful to steadfastly hope in God’s promises. OT prophets were like general contractors giving building updates on the progress of the construction house of God. Peter sees the house of God as complete in Christ, and now is to be filled with residents. Who are these residents? Despite being largely made up of Gentiles, with a small number of Jewish believers, Peter refers to these saints as the diaspora. In the deuteronomic covenant (Deu. 30:4) Israel is told that if they rebelled against the Lord they would be thrust out (diaspora in the LXX). Of course, this is exactly what happened. Yet, in Nehemiah we are told that though Israel had been scattered, if they would repent God would take compassionately regather them.

To use the term diaspora Peter accomplishes a few things. First, it is a word that carries a sting of remembrance of Israel’s sin; one commentator noted that it denotes penalty not privilege. However, Peter repurposes this word to the effect that though Israel has been scattered due to her sin, God’s covenant purposes of electing and sanctifying Israel to be a nation of priestly servants have not been thwarted. Yet, the great surprise here is that he applies this word that had significant weight for Israel, to predominantly Gentile congregations. In other words, all the elect, scattered throughout the whole world, are now reckoned as the true house of Israel. These are the residents of God’s household, and this true word must be embodied in all manner of their conversation.

ENDURE SUFFERING

This really is foundational for all the rest of Peter’s letter. The Gentiles were cast off from God, scattered at Babel by their sinful pride. Israel had been cast out due to their stubbornness and pride. But now, God, through Christ, is regathering a people of His own election. Despite this glorious reality, they should not expect this new arrangement to come about with sweet compliance from the devil and his human henchmen. Peter, living in Rome, foresees trouble.

Unbelieving Jews were increasingly persecuting converted Jews. Gentiles converts became convenient scapegoats, because they had abandoned the idolatrous temples. One accusation of the Christians is that they were magicians (due to the resurrection of Christ, and all the miracles and healings surrounding the church). Christians were proclaiming something about the ending of this world, and the beginning of another. Nero thus used the fire of Rome as evidence of Christians’ magical powers. To bear the name of Christian was soon to become a very dangerous thing. So then, only by seeing themselves as citizens of Christ’s enduring kingdom, would these Christians be able to endure the sufferings which were about to confront them.

THE WORD OF MAN & THE WORD OF GOD

The words of man often startle, unsettle, and disappoint us. The word of man cause us to alter our convictions just to fit in. The word of man compels us to do things we know we ought not to do. Like a fast growing weed, man’s words tower up and convince us to fear, to compromise, to escape like a coward. What words of man ring in your ear? You won’t have enough money for retirement. This pregnancy will probably end in another miscarriage. You’ve totally blown raising your kids well, and nothing can be done about it. Go ahead, black-pill, D.C. will never change.

For the elect of God, foreknown by the Father, sanctified by the Spirit, sprinkled with Christ’s blood, as full citizens of God’s Kingdom such words carry all the weight and substance of dried out grass. All the words of men are like your lawn in late August. Dry. Brittle. Frail. But the Word of this Gospel is like dew on freshly mown grass. It is like a cool breeze through a hot and stuffy room. It is like the dawning sun after a frightful nightmare. It is like an immovable stone.

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