Sunday 06/06/21

Series: Maintaining this hope

Podcast: Download (Duration: 54:38 — 93.2MB)

Don’t be lazy Minded

Now you remember that last week we covered 1 Peter 1:1-14 which told us that through Jesus as our Lord, we have received the living hope of an inheritance reserved in heaven for you and which we all will receive when Jesus returns Because we will see Him. The implication is not that we don’t know Him on some level, because we do. Jeremiah prophecies that in our day, under the New Covenant we’d all have new softened hearts with His word written in it and that ALL OF US would know Him from the least to the greatest. But on that day, we will see Him completely.

This is said here in Peter like this,

“8 You love Him, though you have not seen Him. And though not seeing Him now, you believe in Him and rejoice with inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 because you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”

So we know, and it stands to reason that our transformation into His likeness is a progressive work and is the result of seeing Him.

As Paul tells us, right now we are looking through a glass dimly, but then face to face. Now we know in part, but then we will know even as we are known. So what is now slow and progressive will in that moment be instant and immediate. In the twinkling of an eye >as it were.

So we left off with verses 13 & 14 of 1 Peter, do let’s pick back up there as well.

“(13) Therefore, get your minds ready for action, being self-disciplined, and set your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

You may remember that at the beginning of the year I told you that the return of the Lord is mentioned in scripture by several words. There is parousia , epiphaneia, maranatha and apokalypsis. This word revelation is apokalypsis, and it means a full revelation, a complete unveiling. To have 100% completely revealed.

“(14) As obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires of your former ignorance”

The word conformed here means To fashion alike, conform to the same pattern outwardly. Zodiates says, An expanded rendering might read, “Stop being molded by the external and fleeting fashions of this age, but undergo a deep inner change [metamorphoústhe {G3339}] by the qualitative renewing [anakainṓsei {G341}] of your mind.”

Keeping in mind that Paul just told us to not be Conformed to the world around us, it stands to reason that he goes on to tell us to be different than the world around us or “other than” as the word holy means.

“(15) but, as the One who called you is holy, you also are to be holy in all your conduct; (16) for it is written, Be holy, because I am holy.”

Rom. 12:1-2,

“(1) Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship. (2) Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God. (3) For by the grace given to me, I tell everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he should think. Instead, think sensibly, as God has distributed a measure of faith to each one. (4) Now as we have many parts in one body, and all the parts do not have the same function, (5) in the same way we who are many are one body in Christ and individually members of one another. (6) According to the grace given to us, we have different gifts: If prophecy, use it according to the standard of faith; (7) if service, in service; if teaching, in teaching; (8) if exhorting, in exhortation; giving, with generosity; leading, with diligence; showing mercy, with cheerfulness. (9) Love must be without hypocrisy. Detest evil; cling to what is good.”

Well, what is good? God and His word!

Jesus IS the LIVING WORD.

Remember Jesus WAS the message.

“In Him was Life and that life (knowledge of and union with the Father) WAS the Light (or revelation or message) to men.”

This passage tells us that we receive the goal of our faith which is the salvation of our souls. That is also what James tells us is the result of receiving Him words.

” receive with a teachable heart, the engrafted word which is able to save your souls.”

God’s word is a revelation of Him! So no wonder it has the same result!

There is a reason the gospel makes much of our minds.

Rom. 8 & Col. 4 – set your mind

James – renew your mind

On things above, by God’s word – by a revelation of Christ to us.

1Peter 1:17-

“(17) And if you address as Father the One Who judges impartially based on each one’s work, you are to conduct yourselves in reverence during this time of temporary residence.”

Consider the price paid

“(18) For you know that you were redeemed from your empty way of life inherited from the fathers, not with perishable things, like silver or gold, (19) but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or blemish.

(20) He was destined before the foundation of the world, but was revealed at the end of the times for you (21) who through Him are believers in God, Who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.”

See that same pattern. Destined (foreknowledge) and THEN REVEALED!

“(22) By obedience to the truth, having purified yourselves for sincere love of the brothers, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, (23) since you have been born again–not of perishable seed but of imperishable–through the living and enduring word of God.

(24) For All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like a flower of the grass. The grass withers, and the flower drops off, (25) but the word of the Lord endures forever. And this is the word that was preached as the gospel to you.”

Now as you remember, we’ve learned that this transformation into God’s likeness this salvation of our souls, rather than our conformation to the world is the result of our love, hope and faith in Jesus Who is being progressively revealed to us.

Who can tell me Who she’s the work of revealing Christ to us?

So then we see that this transfer nation can only be accomplished by our surrender to and cooperation with the Holy Spirit (2Cor. 3:18).

” 6 He has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter, but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit produces life. 7 Now if the ministry of death, chiseled in letters on stones, came with glory, so that the sons of Israel were not able to look directly at Moses’ face because of the glory from his face–a fading glory– 8 how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? 9 For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness overflows with even more glory. 10 In fact, what had been glorious is not glorious in this case because of the glory that surpasses it. 11 For if what was fading away was glorious, what endures will be even more glorious. 12 Therefore having such a hope, we use great boldness– 13 not like Moses, who used to put a veil over his face so that the sons of Israel could not look at the end of what was fading away. 14 But their minds were closed. For to this day, at the reading of the old covenant, the same veil remains; it is not lifted, because it is set aside only in Christ. 15 However, to this day, whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their hearts, 16 but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 We all, with unveiled faces, are reflecting the glory of the Lord and are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory; this is from the Lord who is the Spirit.”

Let’s go on to the 2nd chapter… which g the ends with the phrase, “25 For you were like sheep going astray, but you have now returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.”

1 Peter 2

” 1 So rid yourselves of all wickedness, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all slander. 2 Like newborn infants, desire the unadulterated spiritual milk, so that you may grow by it in your salvation, 3 since you have tasted that the Lord is good. 4 Coming to Him, a living stone–rejected by men but chosen and valuable to God– 5 you yourselves, as living stones, are being built into a spiritual house for a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”

” 6 For it stands in Scripture: Look! I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and valuable cornerstone, and the one who believes in Him will never be put to shame!”

Shame in scripture is always linked to nakedness resulting from the glory being lifted from us. The one who maintains a loving, living faith in (reliance upon) Jesus will Never be exposed as naked and bereft of God’s glory upon them.

” 7 So the honor is for you who believe; but for the unbelieving, The stone that the builders rejected–this One has become the cornerstone, and 8 A stone that causes men to stumble, and a rock that trips them up. They stumble by disobeying the message; they were destined for this.”

Blessings!

Pastor Mark

View posts by Pastor Mark

Hi my name is Mark and though I am opposed to titles, I am currently the only Pastor (shepherd/elder) serving our assembly right now.

I have been Pastoring in one capacity or another for nearly 30 years now, though never quite like I am today.

Early in 2009 the Lord revealed to me that the way we had structured our assembly (church) was not scriptural in that it was out of sync with what Paul modeled for us in the New Testament. In truth, I (like many pastors I am sure) never even gave this fundamental issue of church structure the first thought. I had always assumed that church structure was largely the same everywhere and had been so from the beginning. While I knew Paul had some very stringent things to say about the local assembly of believers, the point of our gatherings together and who may or may not lead, I never even considered studying these issues but assumed we were all pretty much doing it right...safety in numbers right?! Boy, I couldn't have been more wrong!

So needless to say, my discovery that we had been doing it wrong for nearly two decades was a bit of a shock to me! Now, this "revelation" did not come about all at once but over the course of a few weeks. We were a traditional single pastor led congregation. It was a top-bottom model of ministry which is in part biblical, but not in the form of a monarchy.

The needed change did not come into focus until following 9 very intense months of study and discussions with those who were leaders in our church at the time.

We now understand and believe that the Bible teaches co-leadership with equal authority in each local assembly. Having multiple shepherds with God's heart and equal authority protects both Shepherds and sheep. Equal accountability keeps authority and doctrine in check. Multiple shepherds also provide teaching with various styles and giftings with leadership skills which are both different and complementary.

For a while we had two co-pastors (elders) (myself and one other man) who led the church with equal authority, but different giftings. We both taught in our own ways and styles, and our leadership skills were quite different, but complimentary. We were in complete submission to each other and worked side-by-side in the labor of shepherding the flock.

Our other Pastor has since moved on to other ministry which has left us with just myself. While we currently only have one Pastor/Elder, it is our desire that God, in His faithfulness and timing, may bring us more as we grow in maturity and even in numbers.

As to my home, I have been married since 1995 to my wonderful wife Terissa Woodson who is my closest friend and most trusted ally.

As far as my education goes, I grew up in a Christian home, but questioned everything I was ever taught.

I graduated from Bible college in 1990 and continued to question everything I was ever taught (I do not mention my college in order to avoid being labeled).

Perhaps my greatest preparation for ministry has been life and ministry itself. To quote an author I have come to enjoy namely Fredrick Buechner in his writing entitled, Now and Then, "If God speaks to us at all other than through such official channels as the Bible and the church, then I think that He speaks to us largely through what happens to us...if we keep our hearts open as well as our ears, if we listen with patience and hope, if we remember at all deeply and honestly, then I think we come to recognize beyond all doubt, that, however faintly we may hear Him, He is indeed speaking to us, and that, however little we may understand of it, His word to each of us is both recoverable and precious beyond telling." ~ Fredrick Buechner

Well that is about all there is of interest to tell you about me.

I hope our ministry here is a blessing to you and your family. I also hope that it is only a supplement to a local church where you are committed to other believers in a community of grace.

~God Bless!