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Hello my “Walking with Jesus” friends,
During these past months have you occasionally heard people say things like: “I fear the end of the world is near”? Or maybe, “I think Jesus must certainly be returning very soon”? I wonder what you think about that?
It is true, of course, that with each passing day we are one day closer to the promised return of Jesus that you find in Acts 1:11. But it is also true that one of the last things Jesus told His close friends was “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by His own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be My witnesses, in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:7,8) I wonder what you conclude from this statement by Jesus? Do you see how Jesus urges His people to keep the priority living as Ambassadors of Jesus, and not spending too much time star gazing and wondering if Jesus is returning today?
Friends, you may recall that Jesus talked about the end of time in Matthew 24 urging His followers to live ready, prepared, but not fearful. Live anticipating Jesus’ return because it will bring in the glorious next season of eternity future. Jesus said “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away. But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away.” (Matt. 24:35-39)
It was about 30 years after Jesus said this, that Peter wrote his first letter to Christians, all across the Roman empire, who were living in fear and many were experiencing significant persecution. They were wondering if Jesus was going to return any day! This is why Peter encouraged them first with a fresh perspective of WHO they were, as God’s chosen people, living dispersed by God’s strategic scattering, all around the empire. (1 Peter 1:1,2)
And then a fresh perspective of their living hope rooted in the assurance of a living Savior, the resurrected Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 1:3) And yesterday we saw how they lived in the great anticipation of a God prepared inheritance, kept in heaven for them. (1 Peter 1:4) Can you put yourself in their sandals my friends and sense the encouragement this was for these dear, frightened people, who were always looking over their shoulder to see if a Roman soldier was nearby? They felt so intimated, so powerless, sometimes humiliated. So look at what Peter writes next!
“Who through faith are shielded by God’s power, until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed at the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.” (1 Peter 1:5,6) How do you think the people felt as they received this letter from Peter? What can you imagine the phrase “who through faith are shielded by God’s POWER…” meant to them? They lived every day with the fearful reality of unpredictable, sadistic, malicious, Roman power, all around them. So what did Peter want them to understand about being ‘…shielded by God’s power’? What is this power of God, and what would this power shield them from?
For the Jewish Christians, of course they cherished the stories of their rich Jewish heritage: Moses and God’s powerful plagues & the Red Sea miracle which delivered them from slavery. Joshua and God’s power taking down the walls of Jericho. Daniel’s three friends protected by God in Nebuchadnezzar’s fiery furnace. Daniel protected by God in the lions’ den. King Jehoshaphat and King Hezekiah both experiencing the defending power of God as He came to the defense of Jerusalem and in both cases God sent an angel of death killed thousands of invading enemy troops. So first century Jewish Christians held tightly to their hope of Malachi 3:6 “I the LORD do not change…return to ME and I will return to you.” God and His Old Testament power was watching over them, and by the power of the Holy Spirit He was actually WITH them, in the first century Roman Empire, wherever they lived.
And the Gentile Christians, of course, held tightly to the power of the resurrection of Jesus, and the power of the arrival of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, and the power of Jesus and all the miracles they’d heard about. These were all fresh examples of God unleashing His unlimited power in their world, in their times. And all of them, Jewish & Gentile Christians, understood the power of the devil and demonic forces, and in 1 Peter 5:8,9 Peter encourages them to stand firm in their faith, in the superior power of God, as the devil prowls around like a roaring lion!
So, let’s get practical and realistic here friends. The truth is history tells us in the next few years which followed Peter writing this letter, life for Christians across the Roman Empire, in the time of Nero the Caesar, became horrific. He became paranoid of them and their God power fearlessness in the face of Rome’s power. He threw them to the lions and even poured tar on them and lit them on fire as human torches. And while they suffered greatly, and thousands died in horrific ways, history tells us they often died singing, or praising God for the privilege of being known as a follower of Jesus. That drove Nero and their persecutors crazy! They died with their eyes and hope fixed on their great inheritance that awaited them. And that has been the story of Jesus followers from that day to this, all around the world.
Yes, the power of God is the most powerful force in the universe and we see the evidence with every sunrise, every thunderstorm, every newborn baby. But when God brings that power INTO you and me through His Holy Spirit, so our minds, and our hearts are empowered as we stand strong in the face of temptation, or persecution, or insult, or ridicule or arrest, or job loss, or tragedy of every kind. . . THAT power of the Holy Spirit IN you and me my friends, that is what Peter was talking about, and millions of Christians from that day to this can testify to! Do I hear a loud chorus of AMEN from you all around the world my friends?
So let’s join Peter in speaking out loud what he wrote: “In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have purpose… that the authenticity, the genuineness of your faith will be proved to be of greater worth than gold… and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed!” (1 Peter 1:6,7)
Oh my friends, I found another wonderful worship song from Keith and Krysten Getty, which will help us all worship in the truth of what we’ve seen in God’s Word today. here’s the link…
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
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Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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