September 2024

Sunday 29th September, 2024 - David Matthews

Readings: Psalm 124; Mark 9.38-50

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be acceptable to you, O Lord

Picture the rough suburbs. A young man in his late teens out too late on a Saturday night. The buses not running according to schedule and anyway he’s lost his Oyster card. He’ll get home more quickly if he leaves the main road and cuts through the side streets. Five minutes later and he knows he’s made a mistake. A big mistake. Someone’s noticed him. There’s shouting, jeering. He can hear footsteps coming from different directions. He’s not carrying but that won’t make any difference; they’ll assume he is. If there’s any sort of a scuffle – and how can there not be – he could easily get stabbed. And no mates around to get him to A & E in time. Ahead, a car turns in from a side road, coming towards him, driving slowly because of the speed bumps. He takes to the middle of the road and runs straight towards it, making sure he’s in the head-lights. The horn is blaring. Brakes applied. Enough choice abuse from the driver to make the toughest guy envious. But it’s all he needs. He’s past the car and sprinting away from the action, every sense alert, back to the bright lights and the long way home.

It was a close shave. A near thing. Something worth getting down on your knees for.

Such an incident, in danger from another’s aggression, may not be in everyone’s experience but many of us will recall a moment – perhaps a car accident narrowly averted, perhaps a fall which could have been so much worse – when we realise that we have had a lucky escape. Or we have read of situations, perhaps reports from the war in Ukraine, when soldiers facing apparently insurmountable odds, have found their way to safety, not through their own skill or cunning so much as by the happy alignment of circumstances.

I do not know whether Psalm 124 was inspired by a particular incident, in which King David’s faction or the Israelites as a nation triumphed. But what the psalm expresses is a deep-felt recognition that, when the odds are stacked against you, only God can redeem the situation. “If it had not been the Lord who was on our side…”  Well, it doesn’t bear thinking about. The images of being swallowed alive or drowned in the raging waters are powerful. The psalmist, we feel, knows only too well what defeat could mean. He inhabits a brutal world. But he also knows that force does not always triumph. He and his companions have slipped free of the snare, like a bird evading the fowlers’ nets. And it is this image of escape and liberation, against the odds, which prompts him to recognise the saving help of the Lord…and, importantly, the Lord who made heaven and earth, who sits outside our mortal experience.

In just eight verses, we travel from a declaration of relief (“what a fortunate escape we had!”) through a potent recognition of the real danger we face, to a profound metaphysical understanding that enduring salvation can only be granted by God, who holds all things in his power.

The psalmist trusts in God’s saving power and, significantly, is moved to give thanks: “Blessed be the Lord who has not given us as prey…”

But.

We know, victory does not always fall to the righteous. The history of man’s inhumanity to man is riddled with examples of military defeat, subjugation, tyranny and worse being meted out to weaker nations who have the misfortune of being seen as an obstacle to another nation’s ambitions. Innocence is no protection from aggression. Nor, we are obliged to conclude, is Christian faith. Good people do “fall prey to the teeth” of their enemies.

There has been a trend over recent decades to assume that the world – that human affairs – are moving steadily towards better times. Until comparatively recently, we were lulled into the idea that liberal democracy was the world-order all nations would soon espouse. And I fear many of us began to think that God, as a result, was to an extent dispensable. He had been working his purpose out very nicely. We were comfortable and more or less content: thank you very much.

But.

The rise of powerful, authoritarian regimes, a shift away from a world-order dominated by America ( a friendly power), the political upheaval in Eastern Europe, the Middle East and sub-Saharan Africa, the increased migration following on from that chaos and the backlash against it, and the growing evidence of a climate change with destructive weather patterns more and more frequent are real dangers we cannot ignore. The future is not likely to get brighter; quite the contrary. Personal safety and physical well-being may no longer be ‘the given’ for millions of people who have been used to that security.

Perhaps one of the demons which has afflicted the Western World in recent years is complacency. Another may be the spiral of self-centredness, exploited by social media, which sends us spinning round and round inside our own echo-chambers. We have, as a civilization, forgotten to put God at the centre. We have been busy creating a world in our own image, not his. What more menacing demon can there be but that?

It is no surprise then that Jesus corrects John for trying to frustrate the casting out of demons by a man who is not a card-carrying, signed-up follower of Jesus.

We might be tempted to dismiss this demon business as ignorant superstition, divorced from our enlightened times, until we realise that it chimes well with the interest our own society has on mental health. Doctors today understand how an individual’s mental and emotional state can be adversely affected by chemical imbalance or repercussions from acute stress or trauma. Without treatment, such individuals may be condemned to a life where they are trapped at the mercy of their ‘demons’. From Jesus’s perspective, anyone who helps restore the mentally disturbed to equilibrium, is to be congratulated because that is how they can find themselves on a path which leads to him.

It is logical then for Jesus to go on to talk about the stumbling blocks (translated as ‘sin’ in some Bibles) we can encounter on that path. And it is right that he warns his disciples that they could become stumbling blocks themselves.

I think a complacent church could be a stumbling block for many drawn to God.

We might bemoan the fact that fewer people attend church these days than was the case fifty years ago but might that be because too many churches are in the business of dispensinga certain warm, fuzzy feeling each Sunday, always looking on the bright side: “God’s in charge, Jesus loves me and I’m in his team. So that’s alright then. Everything must be lovely…What’s for lunch?”

Perhaps, the number of active church-goers has dropped because of a rejection of comfortable coddling. The world is not a secure, contented place. Life can be grim and to pretend otherwise is blinkered and delusional. The Church must recognise that for more and more people, physical well-being and comfort are not to be expected. The Church must not pretend that it is otherwise.

We have to be clear that stumbling-blocks can be constructed from saccharin and sentimentality as well as hypocrisy and bigotry.

Buit why does Jesus employ such a brutal metaphor when warning his disciples about stumbling? I think he wanted to force them (to force us) to put the physical into perspective. Saving our bodies is not what it is about.

The psalmist had not got this far. He was deeply thankful to God for saving him and his people from physical oppression. He knew that the Israelites’ survival was only thanks to God. Survival was what mattered. But, as we now understand more clearly, survival is not always the outcome, even when we are favoured by God.

Jesus rams this truth home. He stands alongside us, facing the world as we have made it. He knows our lives, in the world as humankind has shaped it, may well be grim. That’s not how things should be, or need to be; it is how they are. And Jesus wants his disciples to understand that he is less concerned with external threats to our physical welfare and more concerned with those internal forces (our demons) which deflect us from a relationship with him.

The message we should be hearing is surely this: that our relationship with Jesus can endure, whatever physical situation we find ourselves in. A relationship with Jesus transcends the mortal sphere.

He makes this point unambiguously by employing the hard-hitting metaphor of self-amputation. Physical well-being is not our primary goal. Nor should we assume that being amiable and smooth - never challenging or confronting that which is destructive – is how we should behave. He wants his followers to be ‘salted with fire’.

I wonder if the image of being salted with fire anticipates the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Perhaps. But by having ‘salt in themselves' we can surely understand that he wants his followers to endure in the way that salt preserves; he wants them to be defined and distinctive, in the way that salt brings out flavour; maybe he wants their company to be addictive in the way that we know salty foods can be.

This then is not a call to be simpering or weak, to dispense comfortable platitudes, to excuse predatory or selfish behaviour, to accommodate invidious cultural practices out of fear of antagonising, to accept rather than challenge.

But to be ‘salty’  is still a call to seek peace rather than hostility. A fine line to tread, perhaps. Following Jesus will demand vigilance and constant self-examination.

To conclude. God does not want us to suffer. Jesus spent much of his ministry relieving it and we know that, on occasion, we can experience miraculous rescue. Suffering can itself be a distraction, of course. Jesus told his disciples to free people from their demons and strive not to stumble in their quest to get closer to him. He wanted them to be a peace because peace is that demon-free state of mind when we, as individuals, can find the space to explore a profound relationship with Jesus and with each other: our fellows, created like us in the image of God.

God does not want us to suffer. But neither does he want us to be complacent. He doesn’t want sugar and saccharin. He wants salt.

Our primary function in life is to grow closer to God. Maybe the precarious world we now inhabit is the nudge we need to re-set our spiritual compass. For too long, we in the West have been in danger of seeing God as an optional extra, for the Sunday Club or to give shape to our annual festivities.

Instead, we could do worse than heed the words of Habbakuk, at the end of his book. His life was anything but secure and yet he is able to say,

“Though the fig tree does not blossom

And the fields yield no food,

Though the flock is cut off from the fold

And there is no herd in the stalls

Yet I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.

God, the Lord, is my strength.”

His relationship with God is his core, his engine; it will steer his course whatever the circumstances and whatever the hardship he finds himself in. Adopting this mindset is the only way we shall succeed in re-shaping the world as God intends it to be.

And then we shall join with Habbakuk and say,

“he makes my feet like the feet of a deer and makes me tread upon the heights.”

Amen.

Sunday 22nd September, 2024 - Sue Grant

Failure, Forgiveness (and Restoration), Future

Mark 12:28-34

John 21:1-19

Anyone heard of Kintsugi art? It’s a Japanese technique of repairing pottery with seams of gold, the word means golden joinery. This technique lovingly repairs the broken object in a way that makes it more beautiful and more unique than it was before. Instead of hiding the scars or cracks it makes a feature of them. In many ways this is what Jesus lovingly did with Peter at that breakfast on the beach that we read about. We see how he intertwines justice, (the issue of his denial had to be dealt with) with love and mercy, such that the new Peter was restored to someone so much better.

It seems to be popular to produce a prequel for films these days. You have been studying the letters of Peter which are full of wisdom and guidance for the Christian life and I want to take you back for a moment to that person Peter was before. The person who was just like one of those broken pots with cracks and flaws and see if we can work out what happened to transform him into the apostle, he turned out to be, whom God had ordained him to be. We are looking at 3 things Jesus offers Peter, forgiveness, freedom and a future.

Peter, impetuous, out there, speaking before thinking things through, extrovert, impatient, but also the one who recognised Jesus as Messiah, Son of God, who even said he would never desert Jesus. A man of contradictions who let himself down when the going got tough and denied Jesus three times.  He must have felt then that he was finished, a failure. Awkward to say the least should he meet Jesus again. Before his death Jesus’ last words to Peter had been a rebuke when he cut off the high priest’s servant’s ear and Peter’s last words concerning Jesus were a denial of knowing him.

Forgiveness

So, we meet Peter here having gone back to what he knew, fishing, which is probably what we all do when we’re uncertain, confused, unsure of what our calling is, unsure where God is. Peter doesn’t recognise the man on the shore until John tells him! Then in typical Peter fashion, impetuous, he’s off, leaves the others to deal with the fish.

Jesus has already got a fire going. A ‘charcoal’ fire. The word for this is only used one other time in the Bible and it’s when Peter warmed himself by the fire when he denied Jesus John 18:18. The smell of the charcoal fire may well remind Peter of that night.

This is the third time Jesus has appeared to the disciples and the problem with Peter, his denial of Jesus hasn’t yet been addressed. Here on the beach, the place where Peter first fell at Jesus feet and said he would follow him, is the time. The elephant in the room or on the beach has to be addressed.

What do you do if someone has let you down badly? Jesus shows such grace. He hasn’t come to give Peter a big telling off but to restore him. He takes him for a walk along the shore and so begins the first conversation Jesus and Peter have since that fated night. Jesus helps Peter repent, and be restored. He wants forgiveness not failure to mark Peter’s life. Jesus could have given up on Peter, found a replacement for him but he doesn’t. He is gracious and forgiving. This is not all about Peter it’s about grace – that undeserved favour that Jesus shows us, which is what the cross is all about. Before Peter can face the future, the past has to be dealt with and healed. Jesus even makes it easy for Peter to start again, not by demanding he ask for forgiveness but by creating the opportunity for Peter to make new affirmations of faith. ‘Do you love me?’ Each affirmation of love is followed by a recommissioning by Jesus. The recommissioning is Jesus saying I forgive you.

Freedom

Peter affirms his loyalty without referring to his failure. Why doesn’t Jesus just offer forgiveness to Peter instead of this roundabout way of questions? There is a link between mercy and justice. We have a just God. It would not be good for Peter to not be held accountable for his actions and it would not enable him to grow. So, Jesus asks 3 questions which meant Peter recognised what this was about and could not only be forgiven but be set free from his guilt and shame. The shame that Jesus knew had made him weep bitterly as Luke records. The question ‘do you love me?’ was asked by Jesus 3x. In Hebrew the number 3 represents perfection, totality or completeness so Peter in denying Christ 3 x completely denies knowing him or having anything to do with him. Jesus asks the question 3x too. Note, that is enough, complete, Jesus doesn’t refer to it again and grace is on offer. Peter is reinstated. This is about restoration. The broken vessel is restored. Jesus doesn’t toss it aside and go buy a new one. He lovingly restores it. Repairing the relationship between Peter and Jesus and Peter with himself. Recognising the truth of who he really is, sinful yet forgiven and deeply loved. Peter is set free. Repentance and forgiveness lead to freedom.

Future

Peter is made ready to care for others. The past does not prevent him being trusted for the future but the past shapes a different future. Peter knows his own fallibility and the power of grace and forgiveness and the need to extend that to others. The scars are still there but the vessel is paradoxically made more beautiful. The letters of Peter demonstrate these lessons he has learned about showing grace and mercy to others beyond that which they deserve.

Jesus gives Peter a second chance. Jesus stares straight at us. He sees us, holds our gaze, sees us as we are. Offers us this same mercy and forgiveness and freedom. Rita Snowden a Methodist writer and author once said ‘You ask me what forgiveness means; it is the wonder of being trusted again by God in the place where I disgraced him’.

The word Jesus uses for love in his question is agape love. The Greeks had different words for love which referred to different types of love. Agape is unconditional, selfless love, that is what Jesus uses. Phileo is a brotherly, family love, eros is passionate romantic love. Jesus uses the agape love – the love he used at Calvary, that lays down his life for his friends. Peter is unable at this time to reply with this sort of self-sacrificing love. But Jesus doesn’t reprimand him, he knows what we are like he doesn’t expect to get from us what he gives to us. Instead, he affirms Peter, recommissions him, sets him up for the future. He knows that one day Peter will show this kind of self-sacrificial love (Peter would be crucified for his faith) but for now Jesus accepts what he can give.  

Can you identify with Peter? You set out to follow him, you heard his call but somewhere along the line you messed up and failed him.  I think we have all felt that. The good news is that grace overcomes our failures. Our enemy would love us to wallow in our sin, shame and misdemeanours. He accuses and condemns. Jesus, redeems and restores and recommissions us. Sets us free from sin and shame. His agape love that led him to die for us means we can be forgiven. Failure and shame are exchanged for restoration. Our culture rewards high performers and removes underperformers. Jesus turns the world’s view upside down as usual and he rewards the underperformer, the one who has been unreliable, unfaithful, unsuccessful. Jesus makes love the all-important criteria for serving him.

Jesus gently restores Peter. He has a job to do but it must be out of his love for Jesus. He is the disciple on whom God is going to build his church. God was able to do so much when Peter recognised at last that all Jesus required was his love because out of that, by the power of the Holy Spirit, would come everything.

We all feel a failure at times. Things happen in life and we perhaps behave or react badly or we just feel that we are not good enough, we don’t have anything to offer. God thinks differently. He is the God who gives us second chances. He didn’t ask Peter anything about his gifts, abilities, talents, experience, how well he got on with the team.  He asked ‘do you love me?’ Out of that love He wanted to do something amazing with Peter and He wants to do the same with us.

We have had the privilege of going to Rwanda and taking a team of people who are going simply because they love Jesus and out of that love they want to show love to others. We would readily admit we are flawed individuals with plenty of cracks and scars but folk discovered that everyone had a gift to offer. One group were involved with installing single solar panels on houses made of mud bricks; which for the first time brought light to that home and meant children could see to do their homework in the evenings, people could gather in the evening to study the bible, the choir could meet to rehearse.  Another group took resources to help teachers in nursery schools who had no more than blackboard and chalk. A third group ran a teach the teachers Christian marriage course which is now running in multiple places throughout Rwanda. Out of your love for Jesus you have been part of this mission to Rwanda by generously giving of what you have to help people you don’t know and will probably never meet. Toilets have been built, feeding programmes for children established, fruit trees planted etc. This is loving God and loving your neighbour, the most important commandments.

I was given a gift, it got broken. It was replaced. But I treasure the broken gift more. It was so special. God knows we are broken, flawed individuals, we are human. But He welcomes us, treasures us, longs to forgive us, release us from our shame and failure, bring healing, restore us with seams of gold, free us to serve Him. The cross makes that possible. He asks us the same question he asked Peter ‘Do you love me, do you really love me, do you love me more than…… ? that’s for us all to answer. May we out of that love ask God to give us the ‘grace healed’ eyes to see the potential in others that He has so lavishly bestowed on us.

Sunday 15th September, 2024 - Martin Mowat

2 Peter 2 

Readings 2 Peter 2:1-9 & 2 Peter 3:1-10

If you knew the world was going to end in 24 hours’ time, what would you do? Who would you want to spend those precious hours with? What would you want to see, to hear, to feel, …? 

We don’t know when the world will end, of course, but the Bible warns us to be ready for when it does. 

We’ve got a very meaty and important passage to cover today, and it covers two huge subjects. False teachers and what Peter calls “the day of the Lord”. 

The passage about false teachers, that one that Sharon just read, might have surprised you if you think that we don’t have false teachers in the church today.

But that clearly wasn’t the case in Peter’s time, and sadly it isn’t the case today.  

We don’t have time to get into the details, their false teachings, their whys and their wherefores, but there are 4 things we need to know that will help us be discerning in this respect.

The first is that according to 2 Timothy 3:16-17 all Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 

The second is that biblical passages should not be plucked from the air to support a particular point of view. They should always be taken in historical, and cultural context, so that they can be properly understood.

The third is that the Bible is an entity, to be taken as a whole because that’s the way God has given it to us, we can’t pick and choose the comfy bits. We shouldn’t take bits out of it, or add bits into it.

And fourth, we also need to understand that the Bible does NOT contradict itself.  If it appears to do so, when contexts are taken and studied, there is always coherence, even if, in our own cultural context, it is difficult to understand. 

I teach the Bible in a systematic way because it’s the air we Christians breath.  We need to know it and understand it.  It informs, it teaches, it encourages, it keeps us on track.  

You don’t need to know what Martin Mowat might think or says. You need to know what God thinks and says, and that’s though his word. 

False teachers, Peter says, bring swift destruction on themselves, … they will be held for punishment on the day of judgment, … like animals they will perish, … they will be worse off at the end than they were at the beginning.  Teaching and preaching is an awesome responsibility. 

This brings us to the second section, so let’s go back to the question I asked at the beginning about how we would react and what we would do if we suddenly knew for certain that the world was imminently coming to an end, taking us with it.  

I said last week that there are no prophecies about certain individuals, real or artificial, triggering such an event, but the Bible does clearly predict that it WILL happen.

Even Jesus himself said in Matthew chapter 24 “ … the end will come. But about that day or hour, he said, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.

Earlier in that passage he talked about “Wars and rumours of wars, famines and earthquakes” which is all very pertinent.  Can I say, just as a side note, that JWs are hot on this – but please beware if any of them start to talk to you about it. They use a version of the Bible called the New World Bible which claims to be a translation of the original texts, but according to Wikipedia its translation committee had no known translators with recognized degrees in Greek or Hebrew. Only one had any university education at all, but he left his university after only two years, never completing even an undergraduate degree.  So effectively they were just writing their own under-informed version of Christian theology, which makes it extremely unreliable from a technical and theological point of view. In other words, it’s just some of the “cleverly devised stories” that Peter warns us about last week.

But I’m not going to get into what they teach or fail to teach.  This isn’t the time or place.

What I will say, though, is that this “day of the Lord” as Peter calls it, is not something we need to dread. If you are a Christian, that day should be a day of great excitement, because it will be the day when you receive what Peter described as an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade, as well as the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls. (1 Peter 1:4 & 9)

What I’m saying is that it’s not IF, it’s WHEN, and the clear message from Peter is that we need to be ready.  The apostle Paul repeatedly tells us to live with the end in view, in the way that all those amazing Olympic athletes do, keeping our eyes fixed on the end where we will receive your prize! 

So what will this “day of the Lord” look like? What’s going to happen?  Will there be some terrifying holocaust, nuclear annihilation, or will everything suddenly be hunky dory, all sweetness and light? 

This is where I would get myself in trouble if I wasn’t not very careful, because you must know that I am not a Bible scholar and have received no formal theological training. 

The study of the “end times”, the final events in the history of the world, is called Eschatology. It encompasses beliefs about death, judgment, and the ultimate destiny of the soul and humanity. 

Inevitably it also involves discussions about the second coming of Christ, the resurrection of the dead, the last judgment, and the creation of a new heaven and earth. Different Christian doctrines interpret these events in various ways, leading to debates about the timing, order and nature of events such as the Rapture and the Millennium.

What’s interesting is that Eschatological themes are also present in other religions like Judaism, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism.

All that to say, far be it from me to give you a definitive explanation of what to expect and, in any case, it’s not what Peter’s talking about in this epistle.

Whatever the order in which it all happens, when Jesus does return, Paul told the Philippians, God will exalt him to the highest place and give him the name that is above every name, sothat at the name of Jesus EVERY knee WILL bow, (Philippians 2:8) whether they want to or not! 

It is an appointment we will all have to keep. 

We don’t know when Christ will return, but, as I’ve said, we should be ready, and as Peter said we should be level headed and self-controlled so that we can pray!  

Don’t panic Captain Mainwaring!, he’s saying, because people who lose their heads and panic don’t pray, they are too busy panicking! 

So, Peter says, we must follow Jesus’ example, because when he knew his own end was near, he prayed, in the Garden of Gethsemane.

We need to pray, not just for ourselves, but also for non-Christians whom we know and love, that they will respond to the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ, and place themselves under his kingly rule, while they still have a chance! 

Philip read to us in 2 Peter 3:9 God is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. God wants everyone to come to faith, but time is running out! 

So, Peter concludes “what kind of people ought you to be? Since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.  Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. …. Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.

Sunday 15th September, 2024 - Martin Mowat

2 Peter 1

Readings: Matthew 3:1-6 & 13-17, 2 Peter 1:1-11

Having finished our study of Peter’s first epistle, we’re just going to spend two weeks quickly looking at his second one, probably written a couple of years after the first one, and addressed to the same audience, that’s to say those who had fled the persecution that was happening to Christians since Jesus’ ascension, and to the young churches in Asia Minor, that’s modern day Turkey. 

It covers quite different topics though, and is divided into 4 reasonably distinct parts.  The first section, that Charlotte just read to us, was about “confirming one’s calling and election”.

The other three are about the importance of paying attention to the prophecy of scripture, which I’ll mention in a few minutes, the danger of false teachers and their eventual destruction, and finally, what he calls “the coming day of the Lord”.

Let’s just, very quickly, remind ourselves just who Peter was.

His real name was Simon and he was a self-employed fisherman working with his brother Andrew on the sea of Galilee. Attracted by Jesus’ message, his charisma, and his love, the two of them left their boats, their nets, and what was almost certainly a thriving business to become his first disciples.  

The reason that we know him as Peter, which is derived from Petros in Greek and Cephas in Aramaic, meaning rock, is that Jesus gave him that as a sort of nickname, prophesying that Peter would become the “rock” or “foundation stone” on which he would build his church.  

Character-wise he was quite a competitive and forthright individual, very firm, very stable, and very loyal, to the point of declaring one day that he was ready to be crucified alongside Jesus if necessary.  

Only hours later, however, he famously denied that he even knew him, but Jesus lovingly forgave and restored him, firmly instating him as his chosen representative.  

After Pentecost, he did indeed become the leader of the apostles, and an excellent one he was too. Among other things he travelled through both Palestine and Asia Minor, working multiple miracles and converting many followers.

While heading up the church in Rome he wrote these two letters, the first, which we’ve been studying over the summer, ended with these encouraging words "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." (1 Peter 5:7) "And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen." (1 Peter 5:10-11)

So now, what about this second letter which he addressed to “those who through the righteousness of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours”, and to whom, as if echoing the closing remarks of his previous missive, he wished “grace and peace … in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.”

“Grace” and “peace” – those two words alone could keep us going for weeks, but we won’t go there because we did have a whole series about grace 18 months ago, and I spoke at some length about peace just recently. 

But I am attracted by the phrase to those who have received a faith “as precious as ours”.

It makes me wonder whether we have a tendency to take our faith too much for granted. Our western culture focuses on material possessions, on physical wellbeing and on “quality of life”.  It’s what we spend much of our time on but is that what really matters? No, actually it isn’t. 

Hope is what really matters. Not hope that we’re going to win the premium bonds or the Loto, but a hope that the second verse of Wendy Churchill’s hymn “Jesus is King” (n° 366) describes as ‘steadfast and certain’, a hope of spending eternity in God’s presence. If we take a moment to pause and consider, it’s nothing less than priceless. 

Now Peter attacks his first subject, one that the NIV calls ‘Confirming one’s calling and election’.

“His divine power, he says, has given us everything we need for a godly life”. … Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith”.

“Add to your faith” he says, which implies that we shouldn’t rest on our laurels, thinking that we’ve already got it all and there’s no more we need. No, we need to actively seek to improve in certain areas of our lives and ministries. Why? Because, according to Peter, these additions will keep us from being ineffective and unproductive in our knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

If we don’t, Peter says, we are short-sighted and blind, even to the point of forgetting that wehave been cleansed from our past sins.

“Add to your faith”. So, I have to ask myself what I am dong to actively develop those 7 things that Peter recommends so heartily:
- firstly in the area of goodness ? 

- secondly in extend our knowledge ? 

- then in improve our self-control ? 

- and to be more persevering ? 

- also to develop godliness ? 

- and mutual affection ? 

- and last but by no means least, love? 

Make every effort he says, and we will never stumble. What a promise!

But just in case that’s not enough he also promises that  we will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. I’m really looking forward to that, aren’t you? 

There’s another area that Peter specifically underlines, and that’s paying attention to the prophecy of Scripture.

As I said a couple of weeks ago, people kid themselves into thinking that Christianity is based on a lot of unproven myths.  Many don’t even know who Jesus Christ was, even though they use his name to swear with, or if they do, they think he didn’t really exist.

They don’t doubt, though, that Pontius Pilate, or King Herod the Tetrach, or Julius Ceasar existed at about the same time. Strange!  Convenient even! 

But what they choose to ignore is that Jesus fulfilled more than 324 individual prophecies about who and what he would be! 

Have there been any prophecies about Donald Trump or Vladimir Putin? No.  Were there any prophecies about the advent of Artificial Intelligence? No! All of these have the potential to trigger the end of our world as we know it, but strangely no prophecies. Not one!

But, as I just said, there were HUNDREDS of officially documented prophecies about Jesus, and Peter says that we should pay attention to them. Why?

So that we know that we’re not following what Peter describes as “cleverly devised stories”, but rather that we should listen to people who, like him and his fellow disciples,  were “eye-witnesses of his majesty”, who were there when Jesus was baptised and who heard for themselves the voice of God saying  ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased’.

And then, to close his argument, Peter says, “Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”

This is huge, if you think about it, but we’re out of time, so let me leave you with that thought to ponder this week.