Monthly Archive for March, 1997

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1 Peter 1:14e

Published on March 21, 1997 in 1 Peter. 0 Comments
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“as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance.”

 

to the former lusts
“Lusts” means to greatly desire to do or have something — to long for, to desire very much, to crave. It means to strongly desire to have what belongs to someone else. It carries the idea of engaging in desires that are morally wrong — to covet, to lust (Acts 20.33; Matthew 5.28; Galatians 5.16; 1 Timothy 6.9; 2 Timothy 2.22).
Ephesians 2:1-3 says: “
And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.”
In Romans 6:12, the injunction against letting sin reign in our mortal body to obey the lust thereof, refers to those evil desires that are ready to express themselves in bodily activity. They are equally the lusts of the flesh (Romans 13:14; Galatians 5:16, 24; Ephesians 2:3; 2 Peter 2:18; 1 John 2:16).
“Lusts” describes the emotions of the soul, the natural tendency towards evil things.
Principle:
Every Christian has a proclivity to sin.
Application:
It is helpful to know that inherent within the Christian is a proclivity to sin. It is the desire that drives the orientation to sin.
Hebrews 12:1 tells us that there are certain sins toward which each Christian aligns himself,
“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” God wants us to lay aside sin that we lean toward.
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1 Peter 1:14d

Published on March 20, 1997 in 1 Peter. 0 Comments
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“as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance.”

 

not conforming yourselves to the former lusts
There was a time when the whole scheme of life for Asia Minor Christians revolved around lusts. They fashioned their lives around lusts. When they came to Christ, He changed their whole orientation. What is in style spiritually?
What is the pattern God wants us to use to trace our spirituality? The next verse says that we are to be holy because God is holy (v.15). We should fashion our lives after Him. God wants us to mold our lives after that which is essential in character and thus complete or durable, not merely a form or outline
The other time the New Testament uses “conforming” is in Romans 12:2,
“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
In this verse being outwardly conformed to the things of this age is contrasted with being transformed (or transfigured) inwardly by the renewal of the thoughts through the Holy Spirit’s power.
A similar distinction holds good in Philippians 3:21; the Lord will “fashion anew [or change outwardly] the body of our humiliation [earthly body], and conform it in its nature to the body of His glory [resurrection body].”
Fashion is a reflection of the lives we lead and the way we lead them. The business of fashion is the business of making our lives suit our times.
There are two standards by which we may fashion our lives – the world’s or God’s. To fashion our lives according to the world is to fix them to the “former lusts.” In this case the Christian reflects the world with his life. If we fashion our lives according to fellowship with God, our lives will reflect his life. The next verse in I Peter says “but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct” (v.15).
Before we became Christians, lusts drove us to frustration. We made a mess of our lives, why go back to that life?
Ephesians 4:17-19 says: “This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.”
This is a picture of those without Christ. They have no eternal purpose. Their lives are “vain.” Their hearts are “blind.” This is God’s view of those without Christ whether we are good or bad, clean or dirty, rich or poor, fat or thin, black or white, non-religious or religious.
Principle:
God wants our dress to be up-to-date spiritually.
Application:
Some people keep up with the latest fashions. They buy the latest clothes and the newest cars. They wear the current hair style.
When it comes to being in fashion spiritually, we are often way out of date. Our fashion of spirituality is passé. We live legalistic lives. Our Christianity is not in vogue. We do not embrace the true design of the Christian life. We would rather be religious than own a vital relationship with the Lord. When it comes to spirituality we are old-fashioned. We live by the old man.
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1 Peter 1:14c

Published on March 19, 1997 in 1 Peter. 0 Comments
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“as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance.”

 

not conforming yourselves
Now we come to the fourth directive. This is no suggestion or hint. It is not good advice but a divine directive from heaven.
The words “not conforming” mean do not be shaped by those desires you had formerly. “Conforming” means to fashion or shape one thing like another, to form or mold after something. It means to conform one thing to another, to give the same figure or appearance as. This verb has more special reference to that which is transitory, changeable, unstable.
“Conforming” is an act of assuming an outward appearance patterned after some certain thing. This is an appearance that does not come from and is not representative of one’s inmost and true nature. Here “conforming” refers to the acts of a child of God shown by habits, mannerisms, dress, speech and behavior from which God saved him.
The believer here masquerades in the costume of the world. He relates to outward, changeable fashion in contrast to intrinsic reality. This verse warns against conforming to something changing and illusory. To fashion our lives after the world means our lives will orient to something fleeting and unstable. If we fashion our lives after the Lord, our lives will be sure and secure.
The word fashion means to make a copy out of a thing. Fashion is the reflection of the lives we lead and the way we lead them. Fashion is like a mirror that reflects the true condition of our face. If our face is dirty, the mirror will reflect that. If a person has a dynamic relationship with the Lord then his life will reflect that. The business of fashion is making norms suit our times and lives. Napoleon said, “A man becomes a creature of his uniform.”
Principle:
God does not want us to fashion our lives after the fickle fancies of men.
Application:
When a disobedient child of God develops a scheme that revolves around lusts, he is not allowing God to fashion him. When the believer masquerades in the costume of the world, he does not give true expression to who he is. He is controlling his life, not God. He assumes the dress of the world. His fashion reflects his life.
God does not want us to control our lives. He wants to control them. As Christians, when we devise own scheme for life, we will make a mess of it. We are then disobedient child. We need to take our hands off the steering wheel of our lives. We should give our lives to Him lock, stock and barrel; body, soul and spirit. We should let the Lord fashion our lives.
We do not have to pull strings to make openings for ourselves. We do not have to know the right people; we do not have to play politics. All we need to do is commit our lives to God’s will: nothing more, nothing less, nothing else.
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1 Peter 1:14b

Published on March 18, 1997 in 1 Peter. 0 Comments
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"as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance.”

 

as obedient children
This verse contrasts what Asia Minor Christians were at this time to what they were before they came to Christ.
The word “obedience” comes from two Greek words: “to hear” and “under.” This means to subordinate oneself to the person heard. Obedience is a response, a refrain. An obedient child of God will listen to God and obey.
“Obedience” is to obey on the basis of having paid attention to someone. Christians who follow God’s norms prove their relationship to him. All Christians surrender to lust at times. There was a time when all Asia Minor Christians did was gratify their lusts. They lived without standards and therefore all they could do is accommodate their whims of lust.
We find the supreme illustration of a proper response to the will of God in the person of Christ. In Philippians 2, Paul speaks about Christ’s attitude toward obedience,
“Let this mind [attitude] be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.”
Hebrews 5:8 says, “though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered.” Through suffering Jesus learned to listen to the voice of God.
The will of God should be our command. The test of our love for Jesus Christ is to hear when he speaks,
“You are My friends if you do whatever I command you,” (John 15:14).
“These things I command you, that you love one another,” (John 15:17).
Obedience here is not legal or moral obedience. It is an obedience that results from a relationship. A child obeys his parents because of his relationship to his parents.
God wants us to be children marked by obedience. He wants us to hold that kind of distinction,
“Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name,” (Ro 1:5).
This is obedience not merely to explicit commands but to whatever may come from His will. This obedience applies even to thoughts (2 Co 10:5).
Principle:
God wants our obedience to stem from a relationship, not legalism.
Application:
A requirement for living in a family is obedience. Did your parents ever say to you “If you are going to live in this house, you will live by our rules.” As parents, that is their privilege.
Our Heavenly Father brings us into His family and says, “It is your responsibility to live up to the standards of my house.” The difference between the Heavenly Father and the human father is that the Heavenly Father never loses His temper or gets indigestion. He is never bedeviled by high blood pressure.
The Father is never sloppy in training His children. He never says, “Why should I spoil my dinner with all this commotion?” Some human fathers let their children get away with murder. Not God. He cares about us. He loves us too much not to train us in godliness. He is a faithful Father.
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1 Peter 1:14

Published on March 17, 1997 in 1 Peter. 0 Comments
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“as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance.”

 

If the Christian follows the three admonitions of verse 13, he will not conform to evil desires. In verse 14, we find the fourth responsibility – to conduct ourselves under God’s norms.
 
as obedient children
“Obedient children” is literally “children of obedience.” When we come to Christ, we become members of God’s family. Our whole attitude changes because we are in a new family. Obedience is the indication of trust in God.
“To obey is better than sacrifice” (1 Samuel 15:22).
This was a statement by Samuel after Saul disobeyed the Word of the Lord. The Lord had said, “Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them” (v. 3). “But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, and were unwilling to utterly destroy them. But everything despised and worthless, that they utterly destroyed” (v. 7). The problem here was not obedience but total obedience.
Samuel came to Saul again and Saul said “Blessed are you of the Lord! I have performed the commandment of the Lord” (v.13). Saul tries to make brownie points with the preacher Samuel. He claims personal innocence from this problem but blames the people “for the people spared the best of the sheep and the oxen, to sacrifice to the Lord your God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed” (v.15). He shifts the blame to his people.
Saul also tries to justify his sin by religion, “We are going to make sacrifices with these sheep!” It is to this comment that Samuel says, “to obey is better than sacrifice.” Religion means nothing without the right heart. God takes no interest in religion, His interest is in revival. God is not interested our sacrifice but in our soul. The Lord cares very little about our gifts or service if we do not have the proper heart towards Him. Saul obeyed, but only in part. “But I have obeyed the voice of the Lord, and gone on the mission on which the Lord sent me” (v. 20). The Lord is not the Lord if he is not Lord of all. Saul was willing to give to God as long as there was no loss on his part.
Saul repented, “I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice. 25 Now therefore, please pardon my sin, and return with me, that I may worship the Lord” (vv. 24, 25). This is the original point! God does not want formal obedience. He wants the believer to obey because of personal affinity with Himself. However, God disciplined Saul for incomplete obedience.
Principle:
God is not interested in religion but in a relationship.
Application:
Is your relationship with the Lord mechanical? Do you have a vital relationship with Him?
Saul did not listen to God. He carried out what was convenient for himself. He was not concerned with God’s will. The will of the superior should be the implicit command of the follower.
The attitude in the church today is, “Sure, I’ll minister in church – as long as it is convenient for me. I’ll lead a small group because no one else will.” God does not want that kind of sacrifice. If Samuel were here he would say, “to obey is better than sacrifice.” Action based on personal relationship with God is far more important than duty to church.
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1 Peter 1:13i

Published on March 16, 1997 in 1 Peter. 0 Comments
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“Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

 

at the revelation of Jesus Christ
This phrase refers to the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. At this time the Christian will receive the fullest possible life. We find the reason for this life in the word “revelation.”
“Revelation” means unveiling. Jesus Christ, as in no other point in history, will be unveiled for who He is. We will vitally relate to Him at that time. That will be complete grace to us.
When we meet Jesus, He will give us inexpressible privileges (grace) that we have never know up to that point. In the past He was never fully revealed to us. In that day He will be revealed fully.
God wants us to cultivate the reality of that revelation now! He wants us to experience the reality of Christ now. We do this by cultivating our hope in Christ. This makes for robust Christian living.
I live in the Pacific Northwest. We get weeks of clouds. Many Christians drape heaven in clouds. They do not let the glories of Christ shine through in their lives.
The “revelation” in 1 Peter 1:3 is the same word as the word “appear” in 1 Peter 5:4. God calls us to look forward to the consummation of our salvation. This is a great and glorious hope to a Christian who is blind or paralyzed (Philippians 3:20, 21). Perhaps today the Lord will come and deliver us from pain. There many not be any cure down here. Jesus may come today–glad day. This is a bright teaching of the Word of God.
Principle:
Jesus will be fully unveiled before the Christian one day.
Application:
Those without Christ cannot think beyond the grave. They cannot see farther than the casket. They are ignorant of life after death. All they see in death is the bleak, black terminus of all existence. They cannot see beyond that because they have no faith (Hebrews 11:1). Because of that they have come to the erroneous conclusion that there is nothing beyond the grave.
Those with Christ look forward to meet their Savior one day. They see beyond the grave. They hold a blessed hope.
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1 Peter 1:13h

Published on March 15, 1997 in 1 Peter. 0 Comments
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“Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

 

that is to be brought to you
 
When Jesus comes back again He will bring full grace to us. We will need grace to enter the presence of God. This is the grace of salvation from the very presence of sin. Jesus brings grace unto us. “Be brought” can translate “is being brought.”
 
Eternal life begins at the moment a person trusts Christ as his Savior (v.3). Hebrews 6:18 says, “that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil.”
Principle:
When we stand before God at the Judgment Seat of Christ, we will stand in the grace of Christ.
Application:
When God judges Christians at the Judgment Seat of Christ we will not stand in our works. We will stand solely on his grace. That is all we will plead.
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1 Peter 1:13g

Published on March 14, 1997 in 1 Peter. 0 Comments
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"Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

 

All three commands in this verse relate to mental attitude.
 
fully upon the grace
 
It is one thing to rest our hope on grace; it is another thing to rest our hope completely on grace. “Fully” is an idiom meaning “into end.” This is a degree of completeness, with the possible implication of purpose or result – “completely, totally, entirely, wholly.”
 
God wants us to hope perfectly. He wants us to develop a mature hope. He wants us to acquire a thorough hope of the grace that Jesus brings by the unveiling of himself. Mature hope rests on grace.
This means to have a hope that is in a state of completeness. God wants us to live in hope. An individual who has this hope is complete. He does not want anything. He has complete expectation based on God’s provisions in grace.
Jesus Christ personifies grace. Titus 2: 11 says, “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.” All that we have before God is from the grace of Christ. It is because of Him that we have rights before God.
Principle:
God wants us to rest our hope completely on grace.
Application:
God does not want us to waver in our hope. The only way our hope cannot waver is to stabilize it with grace. Grace gives our hope a strong base.
It is not enough that we receive grace at the point of our salvation. We need grace for daily living. We need grace to hope for the eternal state. We need to rest completely on grace.
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1 Peter 1:13f

Published on March 13, 1997 in 1 Peter. 0 Comments
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“Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

 

and rest your hope
God wants hope to predominate our lives. He wants us to live in hope. This was especially true for suffering Christians such as those in Asia Minor to whom Peter was writing. Those who suffer need something beyond their present circumstances. They need a transcendent life.
Christian hope is transforming hope. It opens a new world. It supplies new guarantees. To the Christian, hope is no dream; it is absolute anticipation of certainties. The Christian hope appropriates eternity now. We can enjoy the grace of our eternal future now.
The meaning of hope in the Greek language is not like the anemic English connotation: “I hope it doesn’t rain tomorrow.” Rather it is the robust idea of confidence in the future (Romans 5:1,2). That is why we call the Lord’s return the “blessed hope” (Titus 2:13).
Principle:
God gives the Christian confidence about the future.
Application:
In life, we often promise according to our hopes and perform according to our fears. The Lord, however, wants us to perform according to our hope. One of the earmarks of the Christian life is that it is a life of hope. This is not hopefulness: it has nothing to do with hope as it relates to length of time. It is a quality of hope. It is no nebulous and vague hope.
The Christian can look death in the face without flinching. No non-Christian can do that. To them, there is nothing as final as death. They are afraid of death (Hebrews 2:14,15). But for the Christian, death is just the room attendant who ushers us into the presence of God.
Anyone can endure suffering if they are certain that it leads somewhere. Athletes will rigidly train for an event if they feel sacrifice will help them win the competition. Students will spend hours in study if they feel they will get better grades. If Christians suffer with a view to fulfill God’s purpose, their sufferings have eternal purpose.
God wants us to have hope without reserve for what Christ will bring in His coming. This will bring buoyant hope to present suffering. This is transforming hope. It opens a new world and supplies new guarantees.
Hope is no pleasant dream for the Christian. It is far more than a pretty thought. It is absolute anticipation of the certainty of God’s grace when we meet Him. Increased energy and mental health are the result.
Human hope is the anticipation of good without certainty; it is anemic and preoccupied with present problems. The Christian hope is absolute anticipation of certain benefits. The future for Christians is as certain as the past. Their future is unalterable because God is unalterable. His promises are unalterable. We hope, not because of who we are but because of who He is.
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1 Peter 1:13e

Published on March 12, 1997 in 1 Peter. 0 Comments
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"Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

 

be sober
This is the second “mind” word in this verse. Not only must we gird up the loose ends of our mind that hang down but we must also have a wholesome mental state.
“Sober” has a positive meaning–to possess a calm and collected spirit. Sober people are circumspect in their judgments. They are mentally calm, steady, steadfast and solid. They possess a state of mind whereby they are self-controlled and able to see things without distortion. Fear or worry do not distort their thinking.
The New Testament uses this word figuratively–be vigilant against all spiritual dangers and enemies (1 Peter 5:8). Be temperate and modest in eating, drinking, apparel, recreation, business, and in the whole of your behavior.
When the word is used figuratively, the subject is a person. The idea is the opposite of every kind of fuzziness. We value sober judgment in both individual and public life.
Be sober-mined also in opinion, as well as in practice and humble in your judgment of yourselves. It does not in itself imply watchfulness, but is used in association with it (1 Thessalonians 5:6, 8; 2 Timothy 4:5). It means to be free from every form of mental and spiritual “drunkenness” or excess. Rather than being controlled by outside circumstances, we should direct our lives from within (cf. 4:7; 5:8; 1 Thessalonians 5:6, 8).
The New Testament uses the word “sober” in five instances (1 Thessalonians 5:6, 8; 2 Timothy 4:5; 1 Peter 1:13; 4:7; 5:8). It means acknowledgment of the reality of revelation and discharge of the resultant ministry in worship, hope, love, and even conflict.
Principle:
God wants us to be sound and balanced in judgment.
Application:
For centuries, society has used alcohol for a sedative. Only in the last decade have we begun to face the scope of its deadly impact on human behavior and society. Rampant domestic violence and carnage on the highways are a prime example. At the same time, scientists are discovering new ways which alcohol causes illness and shortens lives.
If we are going to manage our mind under God’s standards, we must gird up the loins of our minds. The most mature Christian needs this exhortation. God requires this of a “bishop” (I Timothy 3:2) and aged men (Titus 2:2). God wants leaders to teach young women and men to be sober (Titus 2:2,4,6).
God does not want us to become intoxicated with the latest craze. It is easy to be taken with the latest fashions of this world.
A life free from worry is not a life devoid of the responsibilities of life. Do not cripple your life by worry, hate and fear. If there is a film of dust on our telescope we may miss great dimensions of the heavens. If we cover our spirits with the film of earthly preoccupation, we will lose lose sight of the glories of eternity.
The allurements of the world can intoxicate our minds. A calm, steady mind will weigh and estimate things accurately. We only have a certain quantity of attention to expend. If we fling it away on things other than God’s will, we will have little to offer God.
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