stay set to the standard

Posted on August 23, 2024 by Jefferson Vann

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Stay set to the standard

1 Peter 5:12-14 (JDV)

1 Peter 5:12 Through Silvanus, a faithful brother (as I consider him), I have written to you briefly to encourage you and to testify that this is the true favor of God. Stand firm in it!
1 Peter 5:13 She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you greetings, as does Mark, my son.
1 Peter 5:14 Greet one another with a caring kiss. Peace to all of you who are in Christ.

Stay set to the standard

Peter’s final word of encouragement is for his readers to stand firm. Throughout this study of 1 Peter, I have been posting each devotional with a picture of stones. The idea is that Peter sees the church as stones set upon the pattern of the cornerstone, Jesus Christ. His final encouragement is for his readers to stay set to the standard so that others see examples of the gospel of God’s favor set against the backdrop of a culture that opposes it. Stand firm, brothers and sisters. The world is watching!

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a temporary lion

Posted on August 22, 2024 by Jefferson Vann

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a temporary lion

1 Peter 5:8-11 (JDV)

1 Peter 5:8 Be sober-minded, be alert. Your adversary the devil is walking around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour.
1 Peter 5:9 Resist that lion, firm in the faith, knowing that the same kind of sufferings are being experienced by your fellow believers throughout the world.
1 Peter 5:10 The God of all grace, who called you to his permanent glory in Christ, will himself restore, establish, strengthen, and support after you have suffered a little while.
1 Peter 5:11 To him be dominion permanently. Amen.

a temporary lion

Satan is walking around making a lot of noise, and the danger he poses for us is real. But the danger is temporary. Our watchword today is not to hide from this danger, but to actively and consciously resist him. The suffering will be with us for a little while. But God’s victory will come permanently. There are no guarantees that we will be victorious over Satan’s attacks during this little while. But nothing he can do to us will last forever. What God has promised us will last forever.

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humility toward one another

Posted on August 21, 2024 by Jefferson Vann

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humility toward one another

1 Peter 5:5-7 (JDV)

1 Peter 5:5 In the same way, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. All of you clothe yourselves with humility toward one another because God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.

1 Peter 5:6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you at the proper time,

1 Peter 5:7 casting all your cares on him, because he cares about you.

humility toward one another

Peter’s use of homoios (in the same way) points back to the shepherding task as not dictatorial leadership but humbling service to the flock. Likewise, the younger members of the flock should humble themselves – clothing themselves with humility toward one another. Pride can destroy the young as well as the old. We all need to learn mutual reciprocal submission and allowing God to do the exalting.

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a fellow elder

Posted on August 20, 2024 by Jefferson Vann

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a fellow elder

1 Peter 5:1-4 (JDV)

1 Peter 5:1 I encourage the elders among you as a fellow elder and witness to the sufferings of Christ, as well as one who shares in the glory about to be revealed:
1 Peter 5:2 Shepherd God’s flock among you, not overseeing out of compulsion but willingly, as God would have you; not out of greed for money but enthusiastically.
1 Peter 5:3 not lording it over those entrusted to you but being examples to the flock.
1 Peter 5:4 And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading glorious crown.

a fellow elder

Peter could most certainly have encouraged the elders as their superior — as an apostle, called and appointed by Christ himself. But he encouraged them as a fellow elder. In other words, he found common ground with these church and community leaders.

What he encouraged them to do was to shepherd God’s flock. That does not mean they were “pastors” in our modern sense of the word. At this time in church history, elders were not paid professional church managers. The led Christian communities similar to the way Jewish elders led Jewish communities.

Throughout our study of this epistle, we see less emphasis on obedience to a hierarchy and more emphasis on shared faith and a shared future. Peter speaks as a fellow elder who has the sacrificial suffering of Christ as a backdrop, and the second coming in triumph as a future hope.

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the time has come

Posted on August 19, 2024 by Jefferson Vann

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the time has come

1 Peter 4:14-19 (JDV)

1 Peter 4:14 If you are ridiculed for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Breath of glory and of God rests on you.
1 Peter 4:15 Let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or a revolutionist.
1 Peter 4:16 But if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed but let him glorify God in having that name.
1 Peter 4:17 For the time has come for judgment to begin with God’s household, and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who disobey the gospel of God?
1 Peter 4:18 And if a righteous person is saved with difficulty, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?
1 Peter 4:19 So then, let those who suffer according to God’s preference entrust themselves to a faithful Creator while doing what is good.

the time has come

Peter was referring to the persecution he and other Christians were suffering. He told them to glorift God because they were suffering as Christians. The judgment will only begin with God’s household. It will end with the destruction of our enemies. Entrust yourself to your creator. Final victory is his.

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something unusual

Posted on August 18, 2024 by Jefferson Vann

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something unusual

1 Peter 4:12-13 (JDV)

1 Peter 4:12 Cared for ones, don’t be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you happening to test you as if something unusual were occurring to you.
1 Peter 4:13 Instead, rejoice just as you share in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may also rejoice intensely when his glory is revealed.

something unusual

No one enjoys fiery ordeals, but we can find joy in knowing that they are only temporary. In fact, as we focus on Christ, we remember how much he suffered for us. We also remember that he overcame and is now triumphant. He is now back at the Father’s side in glory. He is soon to return in glory and we who trust in him will share that glory. That is why we can rejoice as we suffer. Our suffering is not permanent. Our victory will be.

Our perspective on suffering needs to change. We need to stop complaining and acting like something unusual is happening. Suffering does not indicate that we are descending into curse and chaos. Suffering happens because it precedes victory, just as it did in Christ’s case. We do not suffer for the same reason that Christ did. He is sinless, but he suffered as a substitute for the penalty our sins deserved. We suffer — at least some of the time — because the world needs to see our faith amid suffering — to draw them to our Savior. So, rejoice if you suffer!

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what your gifts are for

Posted on August 17, 2024 by Jefferson Vann

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what your gifts are for

1 Peter 4:10-11 (JDV)

1 Peter 4:10 Just as each one has received a gift, use it for serving one another, as good stewards of the multifaceted grace of God.
1 Peter 4:11 If someone speaks, let it be as one who speaks God’s words; if someone serves, let it be from the strength God provides, so that God may be glorified through Jesus Christ in everything, to whom is the glory and the power permanently. Amen. ft

what your gifts are for

Peter instructs his readers to utilize their God-given Spiritual Gifts to serve one another as members of the Body of Christ. He had previously told them to submit to every creature. Using their Spiritual Gifts is one way they could do that. God was available and ready to empower their words and their actions of service so that he may be glorified through Christ — that is, through his Body — the church.

You have been given one or more Spiritual Gifts. They are not to glorify you. They are not to enhance your income. They are not to draw people’s attention to you. Your gifts are to serve others so that God is glorified through Christ. Evaluate your use of your gifts and talents. Check to see that you are using them properly. Adjust your ministry if you find that you are drawing attention to yourself and not leading people to the LORD.

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Living like an adventist

Posted on August 16, 2024 by Jefferson Vann

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Living like an adventist

1 Peter 4:7-9 (JDV)

1 Peter 4:7 The end of all things is near; therefore, be self-controlled and sober for prayers.
1 Peter 4:8 Above all, maintain constant care for one another, since care covers a multitude of failures.
1 Peter 4:9 Be stranger-friendly to one another without complaining.

Living like an adventist

The second advent is near. How should we conduct ourselves to be ready for our Lord’s return? We need to exhibit internal control and external care. Internal control is needed because our prayers require self-control and sobriety. External care is needed because the way we treat each other makes up for the times we slip and fail — and we often do. An attitude of stranger-friendliness keeps the door open for us to reach strangers with the gospel. We should avoid complaining because it slams the door.

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the time that has passed

Posted on August 15, 2024 by Jefferson Vann

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the time that has passed

1 Peter 4:3-6 (JDV)

1 Peter 4:3 For the time that has passed was sufficient to do what the Gentiles plan to do: carrying on in unrestrained behavior, evil desires, drunkenness, orgies, carousing, and lawless idolatry.
1 Peter 4:4 They are surprised that you don’t join them in the same flood of wild living — and they slander you.
1 Peter 4:5 They will give an account to the one who stands ready to judge the living and the dead.
1 Peter 4:6 For this reason the gospel was also preached to those who are now dead, so that, although they might be judged in the flesh according to human standards, they could potentially live in the breath according to God’s standards.

the time that has passed

Peter’s point was that the time that has passed was sufficient for walking by the flesh. The Noaic generation had done that, in spite of the gospel being preached to them. They are dead now, and they will be judged for their rebellion when Christ returns. They had their opportunity and they squandered it. We should learn from their negative example and seek to walk according to God’s standards now.

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living the resurrection life

Posted on August 14, 2024 by Jefferson Vann

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living the resurrection life

1 Peter 4:1-2 (JDV)

1 Peter 4:1 Therefore, because Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same thinking — because the one who suffers in the flesh has ceased to sin —
1 Peter 4:2 to live the remaining time in the flesh no longer for human passions, but for God’s desire.

living the resurrection life

Our Lord — who paid the penalty for our forgiveness on the cross — is no longer paying that penalty. His death put an end to the consequences of our sins. Peter encourages his readers to think about the next time their human passions tempt them to sin. He encourages them not to die for their sins — Jesus already did that. He encourages them to live for God’s desire. He wants them to realize that sin with its consequential suffering has already been dealt with on the cross. Having been baptized as a symbol of Christ’s death (3:21-22), they should live the resurrection life that coming out of the water symbolizes.

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