A New Book!

Titus 1:1-4
"Paul, a bondservant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect and the acknowledgment of the truth which accords with godliness, in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began, but has in due time manifested His word through preaching, which was committed to me according to the commandment of God our Savior;
To Titus, a true son in our common faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior."

Paul is writing to Titus, who is on the island of Crete. Paul is between his first and second Roman imprisonments. Titus is Paul's helper and good friend.

These verses are easier to understand if we ask three questions:
What Paul does-----he teaches the truth
Why Paul does it--------- for hope of eternal life
How Paul does it----------he preaches

Obeying the Bible leads to a godly life.
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In response to Dad mentioning that we will start a new book of the Bible:
B.- "Let's do Ruth!"
D.- "No, B., we just did Ruth."
B.- ""We haven't done Ruth in a long time!!"
D.- "It's not like a movie, B."

Peter Closes With Peace

1 Pet. 5:12-14
" By Silvanus, our faithful brother as I consider him, I have written to you briefly, exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God in which you stand. She who is in Babylon, elect together with you, greets you; and so does Mark my son. Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace to you all who are in Christ Jesus. Amen."

This is the end of a real apostle's letter- one who actually walked with Jesus. Amazing.

Silvanus = Silas, Paul's friend in Acts who was released from prison during an earthquake. Peter probably dictated the letter to Silvanus.

Even though the people were being persecuted, they were standing in God's grace, the true grace.

The Mark mentioned here is John Mark who went on the first missionary trip in Acts. Peter helped Mark write the gospel of Mark. Mark became a good helper to Peter after he recovered from his earlier failure with Paul.

The peace that Peter closes with is for those who are IN Christ Jesus, those who are in the ark of salvation. This peace is not automatic because one is a believer. It needs to be actively sought after by staying in God's Word and prayer.

Resist Sin

1 Pet. 5:8-11
"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen."

Dad started out by saying that the devil is behind the persecution that Christians are suffering, and he is also behind other problems in our lives too. (e.g. Job) This verse commands us to resist him, resist sin.

To resist means to fight. What are our weapons? (B. came up with most of these from Pilgrim's Progress):
sword of the spirit
shield of faith
belt of truth
breastplate of righteousness
gospel shoes
helmet of salvation

To be steadfast in the faith is to stand fast. We will share in God's glory in heaven.

Lastly, the four words that Peter uses here- establish, perfect, strengthen, and settle, all are words of being strong. Trials and sufferings will make us strong. God promised!

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Did I share with any of you about the time a couple of weeks ago when we were riding the canal boat at Great Falls and it was really windy? Right when we were to enter the lock, the boat was blown broadside, and we couldn't enter. I thought it was really cool.

Be Humble

1 Pet. 5:6-7
"Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you."

If we trust God and obey Him, He will take care of raising us up. We don't need to strive to be famous. It is up to God to raise us up in His time.

Casting your cares upon Him include your math assignment, what job you will get, who you will marry, and other small and large areas of your life. God cares for every aspect of our lives.

Dad shared how he prays daily for things at work and last week he saw God answer him in a very big way. God's provision came totally out of the blue to Dad. Praise and honor be to Him who reigns on high!!!!

Pastor C.'s Sermon

Facebook---- "George is..............." How many ways can you describe yourself with the verb "to be"? (No, Facebook did not make it into the sermon, I just made up that part.)

Jesus leaves us with 7 "I AM" statements in the book of John. What are they there for and why did he choose these particular 7 ways to express his personality?
I AM the bread of life chap. 6
I AM the light of the world chap. 8
I AM the door of the sheep chap. 10
I AM the Good Shepherd chap. 10
I AM the resurrection and the life chap. 11
I AM the way, the truth and the life chap. 14
I AM the true vine chap. 5

All 7 are positive and full of grace. The main message that Jesus wanted to convey to the world is that He desires a close relationship with us. He is saying that He cares about my daily life, a moment by moment sort of caring is in these 7 statements.

Where do I look for my satisfaction? Where do I look for my needs to be met? There are so many voices calling out to us to draw us away from the Shepherd. Stay in tune with Him by reading and meditating on His Word. Do you want to know Him in a daily way? Then read and study daily!!!!

Wear Your Apron Today

1 Pet. 5:5
"Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for 'God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.' "

This verse is talking about submitting to our church leaders. To submit means we are to listen to Pastor C. attentively, trust him, treat him with respect, and learn from his teaching.

Being submissive to one another means we are to be humble, kind, respectful of others, willing to help others, and be willing to get along without arguing.

The greek word for "clothed" is an apron, which takes all the dirt so that our clothing stays clean. It takes humility to do dirty jobs. If you want God to give you grace and strength, you better be willing to be humble.

Elders

1 Pet. 5:1-4
"The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed: Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away."

Elders should serve willingly, honestly and humbly.

Well that is the extent of my notes as I received a phone call right in the middle of Dad's explanation. Sorry!!!! I do remember him mentioning our one elder, Pastor C. and how he is a good example of these verses. Oh, and his explaining to B. that "elders" didn't just mean the older people at church.

Which Reaction Do You Choose?

1 Pet. 4:17-19

"For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? Now 'If the righteous one is scarcely saved, Where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?' Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator."

If you are being persecuted, not only is it not strange, now Peter says that it is God's will! God wants to purify us through suffering, stretching us and making us grow. Suffering is appropriate because of our sin, and it is also appropriate because it indeed can draw us closer to God.

Our God is a "faithful Creator". He can do what He wants with us and He is good. We can trust Him that suffering will help us. Do you believe this? We certainly never desire to suffer.

Suffering and life's trials can bring about 2 reactions. The response that is honoring to God is submission, thanking God, saying that we love Him, and trusting Him for His plans for our life. The other reaction to problems is bitterness and anger. That will cause destruction in our lives, and of course is not honoring to God.

Persecution

1 Pet. 4:12-16
"Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people's matters. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter."

Peter is talking to believers who are about to go through persecution. He advises them to not think this is out of the ordinary. Persecution eliminates the fake believers. God allows it, to purify the church. Evil is still happening around us, so don't be surprised if one day we must face persecution. You will just be suffering like Jesus did.

If you suffer for doing wrong, that doesn't bring glory to God.

Lastly, dad asked B., "why would a Christian have a tendency to be 'ashamed' "?
Well this led into a detailed story-telling mode description of him being taken by the police, put in jail, and us explaining all of this to our friends and neighbors, and how we may have a tendency to be embarassed, etc. I was getting way too involved in this "story", and started imagining the whole thing and said, "Stop it, stop it!!" I told him that he was giving me "creepy bumps" , then I wacked him, then he said that I was being disrespectful during devotions, then we all cracked up. Don't you wish that you were there?

A Present For You

1 Pet. 4:10-11
"As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen."

These verses talk about two classes (kinds) of gifts; speaking gifts and serving gifts. Ask God to show you your gift(s) and be willing to use it for Him. We discussed how the gifts are more fully developed in other verses.

Love 'til the end

1 Pet. 4:7-9
"But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers. And above all things have fervent love for one another, for 'love will cover a multitude of sins.' Be hospitable to one another without grumbling."

Working backwards: The greek word for hospitable means "love for strangers" which we decided meant anyone who doesn't live with us. We talked a bit about attitude and complaining.

The greek word for fervent compares to stretching or straining taut muscles to the limit as in a runner pushing himself to get his time on the last lap of the mile. This is how we are to love one another. This kind of love in family relationships overlooks daily sin.

Lastly Dad gave the illustration of a space shuttle launch and how the countdown starts months ahead of time. He compared this to Peter starting the countdown to Jesus' return, close to 2000 years ago. Even though it hasn't happened yet, Jesus will return and we are to be ready. Eventually the rocket does lift off!!!
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Did no one like yesterday's joke? I thought it was hilarious, seeing as "clean" and "quiet" were never on A. and my lists!!!!!

Cease From Sin

1 Pet. 4:1-6

"Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles-when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries. In regard to these, they think it strange that you do not run with them in the same flood of dissipation, speaking evil of you. They will give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. For this reason the gospel was preached also to those who are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit."

Chapter 4 begins with a "therefore" referring to the previous discussions about suffering. This passage reminds us that since we have believed in Jesus and committted to following Him, we should no longer bother with our former sins. We should now live for the will of God.

Verses 4 and 5 encourage us to not desire the "fun" of the pagans in this life, because we will be with Jesus in the next life and experience completeness in Him.

We also talked about how pagans mourn at funerals, displaying their emotions and demonstrating that they have no hope. Though Christians mourn and grieve over the death of loved ones, we do have HOPE.
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The Ideal Husband
When talking with my neighbor about J. being at home and looking for a job, I commented that he is quiet and clean and very easy to have around. Her response: "He'll make a great husband!"
So there you have it A.- Just find a CLEAN and QUIET man, and P. , don't worry, you're 50% of the way there!

Ready for a Boat Ride

1 Pet. 3:21-22

"There is also an antitype which now saves us- baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him."

Peter is making an analogy between Noah and Christ. Jesus is our ark through which we will ride the waters of judgement. We must be "in Christ" in order to be saved from our sin.

There are only 2 ways to have a good conscience: one is to not do anything bad, and the second is to be forgiven. We can have a good conscience toward God because of Christ's finished work on the cross.

Jesus was on the cross, fighting against our sin. If He had not risen from the dead, then sin would have won. Since He did rise from the dead, our sin is gone.

Jesus is now sitting at the right hand of God. Remember how in Acts, He stood up to welcome Stephen?

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We will only have one study of the book of Peter this week as Dad is out of town again:(